FORM OF INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISORY AGREEMENT
FORM OF INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made this _____ day of ______, 2014 by and between American Independence Financial Services, LLC (“Adviser”), and The Cambridge Strategy (Asset Management) Limited (“Sub-Adviser");
WHEREAS, the American Independence Funds Trust (“Trust”), a Delaware business trust, is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“1940 Act”), consisting of several series of shares, each having its own investment objective, policies and restrictions; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Adviser to provide the Trust with business and asset management services for the Emerging Markets Fund (“Fund”), subject to the supervision and control of the Trust's Board of Trustees;
WHEREAS, the Trust’s agreement with the Adviser permits the Adviser to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Adviser desires to retain the Sub-Adviser to render investment management services to the Fund, and the Sub-Adviser is willing to render such services.
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Appointment. The Adviser hereby appoints Sub-Adviser to act as the investment sub-adviser of the Fund for the period and on the terms set forth herein as the Adviser, from time to time may specify. Sub-Adviser accepts the appointment and agrees to furnish the services set forth herein for the compensation provided herein and to provide, at its own expense, the office space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein..
2. Services as Sub-Adviser. Subject to the general oversight and supervision of the Adviser and the Board of Trustees of the Trust, the Adviser employs Sub-Adviser to (a) manage the investment and reinvestment of the Fund’s assets and, with respect to such assets, to (b) continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Fund which is created by the Adviser; (c) determine, in Sub-Adviser's discretion, the securities, instruments, agreements, and contracts to be purchased, sold or held by the Fund; (d) provide the Adviser and the Trust with records concerning Sub-Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and (e) render regular reports to the Adviser and to the Trust's officers and Trustees concerning Sub-Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities.
Sub-Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities, subject to the Adviser's oversight and supervision and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with (a) such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish, (b) the objectives, policies, strategies, and limitations for the Fund as set forth in the Trust's then-current registration statement, as amended from time to time, and (c) applicable laws and regulations. Sub-Adviser shall (a) oversee the placement of purchase and sale orders on behalf of the Fund; (b) maintain books and records with respect to the Fund’s securities transactions; (c) instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Fund’s assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Sub-Adviser. (For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodians.) Sub-Adviser will not be responsible for Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
3. Fund Transactions. Sub-Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, Sub-Adviser or any of its affiliates), electronic or other trading systems and to place orders directly with issuers of securities. Sub-Adviser may open and maintain brokerage accounts of all types on behalf of and in the name of the Fund. Sub-Adviser may enter into standard customer agreements with brokers and direct payments of cash, cash equivalents and securities and other property into such brokerage accounts as the Sub-Advisor deems desirable or appropriate. In selecting brokers or dealers to execute transactions on behalf of the Fund, Sub-Adviser is directed to use its best efforts to seek to obtain the best overall terms available, as described in the Trust's current registration statement, as amended from time to time. In assessing the best overall terms available for any Fund transaction, Sub-Adviser will consider all factors it deems relevant, including, but not limited to, 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, for the specific transaction and on a continuing basis. In selecting broker-dealers to execute a particular transaction, and in evaluating the best overall terms available, Sub-Adviser is authorized to consider the brokerage and research services (as those terms are defined in Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“1934 Act”)) provided to the Fund and/or other funds and accounts over which the Sub-Adviser or its affiliates exercise investment discretion. The parties hereto acknowledge that it is desirable for the Fund that Sub-Adviser have access to supplemental investment and market research and security and economic analysis provided by broker-dealers who may execute brokerage transactions at a higher cost to the Fund than may result when allocating brokerage to other brokers on the basis of seeking the most favorable price and efficient execution. Therefore, Sub-Adviser may cause the Fund to pay a broker-dealer that furnishes brokerage and research services a higher commission than that which might be charged by another broker-dealer for effecting the same transaction, provided that Sub-Adviser determines in good faith that such commission is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided by such broker-dealer, viewed in terms of either the particular transaction or the overall responsibilities of Sub-Adviser to the Fund. It is understood that the services provided by such brokers may be useful to Sub-Adviser in connection with the Sub-Advisor’s services to other clients. Sub-Adviser may, but shall not be obligated to, aggregate or bunch orders for the purchase or sale of securities for the Fund with orders for its other clients and accounts where: (A) such aggregation or bunching of order is not inconsistent with the Fund’s investment objectives, policies and procedures, (B) the allocation of the securities so purchased or sold, as well as the expenses incurred in any such transaction, shall be made by Sub-Adviser in a manner that is fair and equitable in the judgment of Sub-Adviser, and (C) Sub-Adviser shall be cognizant of its fiduciary obligations to the Fund and each of its other clients and shall enter into such transactions only where the rights of each client are considered and protected. Sub-Adviser will promptly communicate to the Adviser and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to Fund’s transactions as they may reasonably request.
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4. Compensation of Sub-Adviser. For the services to be rendered by Sub-Adviser, as provided in Sections 2 and 3 of this Agreement, the Adviser shall pay Sub-Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule A attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be accrued daily and paid to the Sub-Adviser monthly in arrears on the first day of each month, and shall be calculated by applying the annual percentage rate, as specified in the attached Schedule A, to the average daily assets of the Fund (as determined on each business day at the time the Fund calculates its net asset value per share). For purposes of calculating Sub-Adviser’s compensation, the value of the Fund’s net assets shall be computed in the manner specified in the Prospectus and the Trust’s governing instruments for the computation of the value of the Fund’s net assets in connection with the determination of the net asset value of the Fund’s shares. The compensation earned under this Agreement will be held in an account with the Fund’s custodian or a bank.
5. Other Services to the Adviser or the Trust. At the request of the Trust or the Adviser, Sub-Adviser in its sole discretion may make available to the Trust or the Adviser office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by Sub-Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Adviser at a price to be agreed upon by the Sub-Adviser and the Trust or the Adviser.
6. Reports. The Adviser (on behalf of the Trust) and the Sub-Adviser agree to furnish to each other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
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7. Status of Sub-Adviser. The services of Sub-Adviser to the Adviser are not to be deemed exclusive, and Sub-Adviser, or any affiliate thereof, shall be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the Trust are not impaired thereby. The Sub-Adviser shall be deemed to be an independent contractor and shall, unless otherwise expressly provided or authorized, have no authority to act for or represent the Adviser or the Fund in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Adviser or the Fund. If Sub-Adviser provides any advice to its clients concerning investment in the shares of a Fund, Sub-Adviser shall act solely for such clients in that regard and not in any way on behalf of the Adviser or the Fund.
8. Certain Records and Required Filings. 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, which are prepared or maintained by the Sub-Adviser on behalf of the Adviser, are the property of the Adviser or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Adviser or Trust on request.
Sub-Adviser shall make all filings with the SEC required of it pursuant to Section 13 of the 1934 Act with respect to its duties as are set forth herein. Sub-Adviser also shall make all required filings on Forms 13D and 13G (as well as other filings triggered by ownership in securities under other applicable laws, rules and regulations, including 13F) as may be required of the Fund due to the activities of Sub-Adviser. Sub-Adviser shall coordinate with the Adviser as appropriate with respect to the making of such filings.
9. Standard of Care and Liability of Sub-Adviser. Sub-Adviser shall exercise its best judgment in rendering the services under this Agreement. Sub-Adviser shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Adviser or the Fund or its shareholders in connection with the matters to which this Agreement relates, provided however that no provision of this Agreement shall be deemed to protect the Sub-Adviser against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders to which it might otherwise be subject by reason of its willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
10. Confidential Information.
(a) The Parties understand that proprietary and confidential information may, from time to time, be exchanged. Proprietary and confidential information may include, but is not limited to, client lists, business and investment strategies, data compilations, financial statements and other information about the Party (except that Adviser and Fund may use such information for the purposes set forth in this Agreement); this information shall be deemed proprietary and confidential if it is clearly designated in writing as such at the time it is exchanged or designated at a later time (“Confidential Information”), provided that disclosure of Confidential Information prior to the designation shall not constitute a breach of this provision. Each Party agrees not to disclose or disseminate Confidential Information without the written approval of the other Party. Further, the Parties acknowledge that Confidential Information acquired during the term of this Agreement shall be kept secret and confidential for a period of one (3) year from the date of termination of this Agreement, unless a later date is specified in writing.
(b) Confidential Information shall exclude any material that is (i) lawfully within the recipient’s possession prior to the date of this Agreement and not subject to duty of confidentiality; (ii) voluntarily disclosed by a third-party so long as this third-party does not breach any obligation of confidentiality with respect to such information; (iii) is generally known or revealed to the public through no act or omission of the recipient; (iv) independently developed by the recipient without use or reference to the proprietary or confidential information of the other Party; (v) is requested by any Federal, State regulatory body, court, association, self-regulatory authority or agency such as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority; (vii) is required to be disclosed by the recipient pursuant to law, rule or regulation; or (vii) has not been specifically designated as Confidential Information in writing by the Party claiming confidentiality.
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11. Permissible Interests. To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in Sub-Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Sub-Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and Sub-Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust as a shareholder or otherwise, provided that all such interests shall be fully disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's registration statement as required by law.
12. Duration and Termination. This Agreement shall not take effect unless it has been approved (a) by a vote of a majority of the members of the Board, including a majority of those Board members who are not “interested persons” (as defined in the 0000 Xxx) of any party to this Agreement, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval and (b) by vote of a majority of that New Fund’s outstanding voting securities. This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval (as set forth above) and shall continue from year to year thereafter, provided that each such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the vote of a majority of those Trustees of the Trust who are not parties to this Agreement or interested persons of any such party, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval or (b) a vote of a “majority” (as defined in the 0000 Xxx) of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities, provided that in either event the continuance is also approved by a majority of the members of the Board who are neither (i) parties to this Agreement nor (ii) interested persons of any party to this Agreement, by vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The foregoing requirement, that continuance of this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually,” shall be construed in a manner consistent with the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.
This Agreement may be terminated at any time without the payment of any penalty, by Adviser, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding securities of each Fund on not less than 30 days' nor more than 60 days' written notice to Sub-Adviser, or by the Sub-Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Adviser (which will be responsible for notifying the Trust of such termination). This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its “assignment” (as defined in the 1940 Act).
13. Notice. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
14. Use of Name. Sub-Adviser hereby consents to the use of its name and the names of its affiliates in the Fund’s disclosure documents, shareholder communications, advertising, sales literature and similar communications. Sub-Adviser shall be permitted to use the names of the Adviser, the Trust or the Fund in its marketing materials provided it first receives approval of the Adviser and/or the Trust as applicable.
It is understood that the name of each party to this Agreement, and any derivatives thereof or logos associated with that name is the valuable property of the party in question and its affiliates, and that each other party has the right to use such names pursuant to the relationship created by this Agreement only so long as this Agreement shall continue in effect. Upon termination of this Agreement, the parties shall forthwith cease to use the names of the other parties (or any derivative or logo) as appropriate and to the extent that continued use is not required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.
15. Amendments. This Agreement may be amended in writing signed by the parties to the Agreement in a manner that is in accordance with applicable laws, rules and regulations and any exemptive relief obtained from the SEC.
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16. Definition of Terms. As used in this Agreement, the terms “assignment,” “interested persons,” and a “vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” shall have the respective meanings set forth in the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the SEC under the 1940 Act.
17. Severability. If any provision of this Agreement or the application thereof to any party or circumstances shall be determined by any court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid or unenforceable to any extent, the remainder of this Agreement or the application of such provision to such person or circumstance, other than these as to which it so determined to be invalid or unenforceable, shall not be affected thereby, and each provision hereof shall be valid and shall be enforced to the fullest extent permitted by law.
18. Miscellaneous
A. This Agreement constitutes the full and complete agreement of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof.
B. Titles or captions of sections in this Agreement are inserted only as a matter of convenience and for reference, and in no way define, limit, extend or describe the scope of this Agreement or the intent of any provisions thereof.
C. This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts, all of which together shall for all purposes constitute one Agreement, binding on all the parties.
D. This Agreement and the rights and obligations of the parties hereunder shall be governed by, and interpreted, construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
E. A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of the State of Delaware, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and year first written above.
The Cambridge Strategy (Asset Management) American Independence Financial
Limited Services, LLC
By:_______________________ By:_______________________
Xxxx Xxxxx
Title:____________________ Title: President
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Schedule A
Sub-Advisory Agreement
American Independence Emerging Markets Fund
Pursuant to Section 4 of this Agreement, Adviser shall pay to Sub-Adviser as compensation for Sub-Adviser’s services rendered, a fee, computed and accrued daily and paid monthly in arrears at the annual rate of 0.50% of the average daily net assets of the Fund (net of waivers and reimbursements).
DATED: [ ], 2014
