EXHIBIT (d)7
SUB-ADVISORY AGREEMENT
XXXXXX XXXXXXX INTERNATIONAL MAGNUM EQUITY SERIES
This Sub-Advisory Agreement (this "Agreement") is entered into as of May
31, 1997 by and between TNE Advisers, Inc., a Massachusetts corporation (the
"Manager"), and Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx Asset Management Inc., a Delaware corporation
(the "Sub-Adviser").
WHEREAS, the Manager has entered into an Advisory Agreement dated August
30, 1996 (the "Advisory Agreement") with New England Zenith Fund (the "Trust"),
pursuant to which the Manager provides portfolio management and administrative
services to the Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx International Magnum Equity Series of the Trust
(the "Series");
WHEREAS, the Advisory Agreement provides that the Manager may delegate any
or all of its portfolio management responsibilities under the Advisory Agreement
to one or more sub-advisers;
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Sub-Adviser to render portfolio
management services in the manner and on the terms set forth in this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements set
forth in this Agreement, the Manager and the Sub-Adviser agree as follows:
1. Sub-Advisory Services.
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a. The Sub-Adviser shall, subject to the supervision of the Manager
and in cooperation with any administrator appointed by the Manager (the
"Administrator"), manage the investment and reinvestment of the assets of the
Series. The Sub-Adviser shall manage the Series in conformity with (1) the
investment objective, policies and restrictions of the Series set forth in the
Trust's prospectus and statement of additional information relating to the
Series, (2) any additional policies or guidelines established by the Manager or
by the Trust's trustees that have been furnished in writing to the Sub-Adviser
and (3) the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (the "Code") applicable to
"regulated investment companies" (as defined in Section 851 of the Code) and
Section 817 of the Code, all as from time to time in effect (collectively, the
"Policies"), and with all applicable provisions of law, including without
limitation all applicable provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the
"1940 Act") and the rules and regulations thereunder. Subject to the foregoing,
the Sub-Adviser is authorized, in its discretion and without prior consultation
with the Manager, to buy, sell, lend and otherwise trade in any stocks, bonds
and other securities and investment instruments
on behalf of the Series, 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 Series 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.a, however, the Sub-Adviser shall, upon written
instructions from the Manager, effect such portfolio transactions for the Series
as the Manager shall determine are necessary in order for the Series to comply
with the Policies.
b. The Sub-Adviser shall furnish the Manager and the
Administrator monthly, quarterly and annual reports concerning transactions and
performance of the Series in such form as may be mutually agreed upon, and
agrees to review the Series and discuss the management of the Series with
representatives or agents of the Manager, the Administrator or the Trust at
their reasonable request. The Sub-Adviser shall permit all books and records
with respect to the Series to be inspected and audited by the Manager and the
Administrator at all reasonable times during normal business hours, upon
reasonable notice. The Sub-Adviser shall also provide the Manager, the
Administrator or the Trust with such other information and reports as may
reasonably be requested by the Manager, the Administrator or the Trust from time
to time, including without limitation all material as reasonably may be
requested by the Trustees of the Trust pursuant to Section 15(c) of the 1940
Act.
c. The Sub-Adviser shall provide to the Manager a copy of its
Form ADV as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and as amended
from time to time and a list of the persons whom the Sub-Adviser wishes to have
authorized to give written and/or oral instructions to custodians of assets of
the Series.
2. Obligations of the Manager.
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a. The Manager shall provide (or cause the Trust's custodian to
provide) timely information to the Sub-Adviser regarding such matters as the
composition of assets of the Series, cash requirements and cash available for
investment in the Series, and all other information as may be reasonably
necessary for the Sub-Adviser to perform its responsibilities hereunder.
b. The Manager has furnished the Sub-Adviser a copy of the
prospectus and statement of additional information of the Series and agrees
during the continuance of this Agreement to furnish the Sub-Adviser copies of
any revisions or supplements thereto at, or, if practicable, before the time the
revisions or supplements become effective. No revisions shall be made nor
supplements issued regarding the Series or the Sub-Adviser without the prior
review and approval of the Sub-Adviser. No written materials naming or relating
to the Sub-Adviser, its employees or its affiliated companies, other than
materials provided or approved by the Sub-Adviser, shall be used by the Manager,
the Trust or their affiliates in offering or marketing shares of the Trust or
related variable insurance products. The Manager agrees to furnish the Sub-
Adviser with minutes of meetings of the Trustees of the Trust applicable to
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the Series to the extent they may affect the duties of the Sub-Adviser, and with
copies of any financial statements or reports made by the Series to its
shareholders, and any further materials or information which the Sub-Adviser may
reasonably request to enable it to perform its functions under this Agreement.
3. Custodian. The Manager shall provide the Sub-Adviser with a copy of the
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Series' agreement with the custodian designated to hold the assets of the Series
(the "Custodian") and any modifications thereto (the "Custody Agreement"),
copies of such modifications to be provided to the Sub-Adviser a reasonable time
in advance of the effectiveness of such modifications. The assets of the Series
shall be maintained in the custody of the Custodian identified in, and in
accordance with the terms and conditions of, the Custody Agreement (or any
sub-custodian properly appointed as provided in the Custody Agreement). The
Sub-Adviser shall have no liability for the acts or omissions of the Custodian,
unless such act or omission is required by and taken in reliance upon
instruction given to the Custodian by a representative of the Sub-Adviser
properly authorized to give such instruction under the Custody Agreement. Any
assets added to the Series shall be delivered directly to the Custodian.
4. Expenses. Except for expenses specifically assumed or agreed to be paid
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by the Sub-Adviser pursuant hereto, the Sub-Adviser shall not be liable for any
expenses of the Manager or the Trust including, without limitation, (a) interest
and taxes, (b) brokerage commissions and other costs in connection with the
purchase or sale of securities or other investment instruments with respect to
the Series, and (c) custodian fees and expenses. The Sub-Adviser will pay its
own expenses incurred in furnishing the services to be provided by it pursuant
to this Agreement.
5. Purchase and Sale of Assets. Absent instructions from the Manager to the
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contrary, the Sub-Adviser shall place all orders for the purchase and sale of
securities for the Series with brokers or dealers selected by the Sub-Adviser,
which may include brokers or dealers affiliated with the Sub-Adviser, provided
such orders comply with Rule 17e-1 under the 1940 Act in all respects. To the
extent consistent with applicable law, purchase or sell orders for the Series
may be aggregated with contemporaneous purchase or sell orders of other clients
of the Sub-Adviser. The Sub-Adviser shall use its best efforts to obtain
execution of transactions for the Series at prices which are advantageous to the
Series and at commission rates that are reasonable in relation to the benefits
received.
6. Compensation of the Sub-Adviser. As full compensation for all services
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rendered, facilities furnished and expenses borne by the Sub-Adviser hereunder,
the Manager shall pay the Sub-Adviser compensation at the annual rate of 0.75%
of the first $30 million of the average daily net assets of the Series, 0.60% of
the next $40 million of such assets, 0.45% of the next $30 million of such
assets and 0.40% of such assets in excess of $100 million. Such compensation
shall be payable monthly in arrears or at such other intervals, not less
frequently than quarterly, as the Manager is paid by the Series pursuant to the
Advisory
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Agreement. The Manager may from time to time waive the compensation it is
entitled to receive from the Trust, however, and such waiver will have no effect
on the Manager's obligation to pay the Sub-Adviser the compensation provided for
herein.
7. Non-Exclusivity. The Manager and the Series agree that the services of
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the Sub-Adviser are not to be deemed exclusive and that the Sub-Adviser and its
affiliates are free to act as investment manager and provide other services to
various investment companies and other managed accounts, except as the
Sub-Adviser and the Manager or the Administrator may otherwise agree from time
to time in writing before or after the date hereof. This Agreement shall not in
any way limit or restrict the Sub-Adviser or any of its directors, officers,
employees or agents from buying, selling or trading any securities or other
investment instruments for its or their own account or for the account of others
for whom it or they may be acting, provided that such activities do not
adversely affect or otherwise impair the performance by the Sub-Adviser of its
duties and obligations under this Agreement. The Manager and the Series
recognize and agree that the Sub-Adviser may provide advice to or take action
with respect to other clients, which advice or action, including the timing and
nature of such action, may differ from or be identical to advice given or action
taken with respect to the Series. The Sub-Adviser shall for all purposes hereof
be deemed to be an independent contractor and shall, unless otherwise provided
or authorized, have no authority to act for or represent the Trust or the
Manager in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent of the Trust or the Manager.
8. Liability. Except as may otherwise be provided by the 1940 Act or other
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federal securities laws, neither the Sub-Adviser nor any of its officers,
directors, employees or agents (the "Indemnified Parties") shall be subject to
any liability to the Manager, the Trust, the Series or any shareholder of the
Series for any error of judgment, any mistake of law or any loss arising out of
any investment or other act or omission in the course of, connected with, or
arising out of any service to be rendered under this Agreement, except by reason
of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of the
Sub-Adviser's duties or by reason of reckless disregard by the Sub-Adviser of
its obligations and duties. The Manager shall hold harmless and indemnify the
Sub-Adviser for any loss, liability, cost, damage or expense (including
reasonable attorneys fees and costs) arising from any claim or demand by any
past or present shareholder of the Series that is not based upon the obligations
of the Sub-Adviser with respect to the Series under this Agreement. The Manager
acknowledges and agrees that the Sub-Adviser makes no representation or
warranty, express or implied, that any level of performance or investment
results will be achieved by the Series or that the Series will perform
comparably with any standard or index, including other clients of the
Sub-Adviser, whether public or private.
9. Effective Date and Termination. This Agreement shall become effective as
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of the date of its execution, and
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a. unless otherwise terminated, this Agreement shall continue in effect
for two years from the date of execution, and from year to year thereafter so
long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually (i) by the
Board of Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding
voting securities of the Series, and (ii) by vote of a majority of the trustees
of the Trust who are not interested persons of the Trust, the Manager or the
Sub-Adviser, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on
such approval;
b. this Agreement may at any time be terminated on sixty days' written
notice to the Sub-Adviser either by vote of the Board of Trustees of the Trust
or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Series;
c. this Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of its
assignment or upon the termination of the Advisory Agreement;
d. this Agreement may be terminated by the Sub-Adviser on sixty days'
written notice to the Manager and the Trust, or, if approved by the Board of
Trustees of the Trust, by the Manager on sixty days' written notice to the
Sub-Adviser; and
e. if the Sub-Adviser requires the Series to change its name so as to
eliminate all references to the words "Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx" then this Agreement shall
automatically terminate at the time of such change unless the continuance of
this Agreement after such change shall have been specifically approved by vote
of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Series and by vote of
a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons of the
Trust or the Sub-Adviser, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of
voting on such approval.
Termination of this Agreement pursuant to this Section 9 shall be without
the payment of any penalty.
10. Amendment. This Agreement may be amended at any time by mutual consent
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of the parties, provided that, if required by law, such amendment shall also
have been approved by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of
the Series and by vote of a majority of the trustees of the Trust who are not
interested persons of the Trust, the Manager or the Sub-Adviser, cast in person
at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.
11. Certain Definitions. For the purpose of this Agreement, the terms "vote
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of a majority of the outstanding voting securities," "interested person,"
"affiliated person" and "assignment" shall have their respective meanings
defined in the 1940 Act, subject, however, to such exemptions as may be granted
by the Securities and Exchange Commission under the 1940 Act.
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12. General.
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a. The Sub-Adviser may perform its services through any employee,
officer or agent, and the Manager shall not be entitled to the advice,
recommendation or judgment of any specific person; provided, however, that the
persons identified in the prospectus of the Series shall perform the portfolio
management duties described therein until the Sub-Adviser notifies the Manager
that one or more other employees, officers or agents identified in such notice
shall assume such duties as of a specific date.
b. If any term or provision of this Agreement or the application
thereof to any person or circumstances is held to be invalid or unenforceable to
any extent, the remainder of this Agreement or the application of such provision
to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby and shall be
enforced to the fullest extent permitted by law.
c. This Agreement shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance
with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
13. Use of Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx Name. The Manager and the Trust agree that if
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this Agreement is terminated and the Sub-Adviser or an affiliate thereof shall
no longer be the sub-adviser to the Series, the Trust will change the name of
the Series to delete any reference to "Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx."
TNE ADVISERS, INC.
By: /s/ Xxxx X. Xxxxxxx, Xx.
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Xxxx X. Xxxxxxx, Xx.
Senior Vice President
XXXXXX XXXXXXX ASSET
MANAGEMENT INC.
By: /s/ Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxxxx
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Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxxxx
Managing Director
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