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EXHIBIT (d)(1)(viii)
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
THIS INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT, dated as of February 22, 2001, (the
"Agreement"), by and between XXX XXXXXX EQUITY TRUST, a Delaware business trust
(the "Trust"), on behalf of its series, XXX XXXXXX VALUE OPPORTUNITIES FUND (the
"Fund") and XXX XXXXXX ASSET MANAGEMENT INC. (the "Adviser"), a Delaware
corporation.
1. (a) RETENTION OF ADVISER BY FUND. Subject to the terms and conditions
set forth herein, the Fund hereby employs the Adviser to act as the investment
adviser for and to manage the investment and reinvestment of the assets of the
Fund in accordance with the Fund's investment objectives and policies and
limitations, and to administer its affairs to the extent requested by, and
subject to the review and supervision of, the Board of Trustees of the Fund for
the period and upon the terms herein set forth. The investment of funds shall be
subject to all applicable restrictions of applicable law and of the Declaration
of Trust and By-Laws of the Trust, and resolutions of the Board of Trustees of
the Fund as may from time to time be in force and delivered or made available to
the Adviser.
(b) ADVISER'S ACCEPTANCE OF EMPLOYMENT. The Adviser accepts such employment
and agrees during such period to render such services, to supply investment
research and portfolio management (including without limitation the selection of
securities for the Fund to purchase, hold or sell and the selection of brokers
through whom the Fund's portfolio transactions are executed, in accordance with
the policies adopted by the Fund and its Board of Trustees), to administer the
business affairs of the Fund, to furnish offices and necessary facilities and
equipment to the Fund, to provide administrative services for the Fund, to
render periodic reports to the Board of Trustees of the Fund, and to permit any
of its officers or employees to serve without compensation as trustees or
officers of the Fund if elected to such positions.
(c) ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL. The Adviser and the Fund agree that the retention
of (i) the chief executive officer, president, chief financial officer and
secretary of the Adviser and (ii) each director, officer and employee of the
Adviser or any of its Affiliates (as defined in the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended (the "1940 Act")) who serves as an officer of the Fund (each
person referred to in (i) or (ii) hereinafter being referred to as an "Essential
Person"), in his or her current capacities, is in the best interest of the Fund
and the Fund's shareholders. In connection with the Adviser's acceptance of
employment hereunder, the Adviser hereby agrees and covenants for itself and on
behalf of its Affiliates that neither the Adviser nor any of its Affiliates
shall make any material or significant personnel changes or replace or seek to
replace any Essential Person or cause to be replaced any Essential Person, in
each case without first informing the Board of Trustees of the Fund in a timely
manner. In Addition, neither the Adviser nor any Affiliate of the Adviser shall
change or seek to change or cause to be changed, in any material respect, the
duties and responsibilities of any Essential Person, in each case without first
informing the Board of Trustees of the Fund in a timely manner.
(d) INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR. The Adviser shall be deemed to be an
independent contractor under this Agreement and, unless otherwise expressly
provided or authorized, shall have no authority to act for or represent the Fund
in any way or otherwise be deemed as agent of the Fund.
(e) NON-EXCLUSIVE AGREEMENT. The services of the Adviser to the Fund under
this Agreement are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser shall be free to
render similar services or other services to others so long as its services
hereunder are not impaired thereby.
2. (a) FEE. For the services and facilities described in Section 1, the
Fund will accrue daily and pay to the Adviser at the end of each calendar month
an investment management fee computed based on a fee rate (expressed as a
percentage per annum) applied to the average daily net assets of the Fund as
follows:
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FEE PERCENT PER
AVERAGE DAILY ANNUM OF AVERAGE
NET ASSETS DAILY NET ASSETS
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First $500 million 0.750 of 1.00%
Next $500 million 0.700 of 1.00%
Thereafter 0.650 of 1.00%
(b) EXPENSE LIMITATION. The Adviser's compensation for any fiscal year of
the Fund shall be reduced by the amount, if any, by which the Fund's expense for
such fiscal year exceeds the most restrictive applicable expense limitation in
any jurisdiction in which the Fund's shares are qualified for offer and sale, as
such limitations set forth in the most recent notice thereof furnished by the
Adviser to the Fund. For purposes of this paragraph there shall be excluded from
computation of the Fund's expenses any amount borne directly or indirectly by
the Fund which is permitted to be excluded from the computation of such
limitation by such statue or regulatory authority. If for any month expenses of
the Fund properly included in such calculation exceed 1/12 of the amount
permitted annually by the most restrictive applicable expense limitation, the
payment to the Adviser for that month shall be reduced, and, if necessary, the
Adviser shall make a refund payment to the Fund, so that the total net expense
for the month will not exceed 1/12 of such amount. As of the end of the Fund's
fiscal year, however, the computations and payments shall be readjusted so that
the aggregate compensation payable to the Adviser for the year is equal to the
fee set forth in subsection (a) of this Section 2, diminished to the extent
necessary so that the expenses for the year do not exceed those permitted by the
applicable expense limitation.
(c) DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE. The net asset value of the Fund shall
be calculated as of the close of the New York Stock Exchange on each day the
Exchange is open for trading or such other time or times as the trustees may
determine in accordance with the provisions of applicable law and the
Declaration of Trust and By-Laws of the Trust, and resolutions of the Board of
Trustees of the Fund as from time to time in force. For the purpose of the
foregoing computations, on each such day when net asset value is not calculated,
the net asset value of a share of beneficial interest of the Fund shall be
deemed to be the net asset value of such share as of the close of business of
the last day on which such calculation was made.
(d) PRORATION. For the month and year in which this Agreement becomes
effective or terminates, there shall be an appropriate proration of the
Adviser's fee on the basis of the number of days that the Agreement is in effect
during such month and year, respectively.
3. EXPENSES. In addition to the fee of the Adviser, the Fund shall assume
and pay any expenses for services rendered by a custodian for the safekeeping of
the Fund's securities or other property, for keeping its books of account, for
any other changes of the custodian and for calculating the net asset value of
the Fund as provided above. The Adviser shall not be required to pay, and the
Fund shall assume and pay, the charges and expenses of its operations, including
compensation of the trustees (other than those who are interested persons of the
Adviser and other than those who are interested persons of the distributor of
the Fund but not of the Adviser, if the distributor has agreed to pay such
compensation), charges and expenses of independent accountants, of legal counsel
and of any transfer or dividend disbursing agent, costs of acquiring and
disposing of portfolio securities, cost of listing shares on the New York Stock
Exchange or other exchange, interest (if any) on obligations incurred by the
Fund, costs of shares certificates, membership dues in the Investment Company
Institute or any similar organization, costs of reports and notices to
shareholders, cost of registering shares of the Fund under the federal
securities laws, miscellaneous expenses and all taxes and fees to federal, state
or other governmental agencies on account of the registration of securities
issued by the Fund, filing of corporate documents or otherwise. The Fund shall
not pay or incur any obligation for any management or administrative expenses
for which the Fund intends to seek reimbursement from the Adviser without first
obtaining the written approval of the Adviser. The Adviser shall arrange, if
desired by the Fund, for officers or employees of the Adviser to serve, without
compensation from the Fund, as trustees, officers
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or agents of the Fund if duly elected or appointed to such positions and subject
to their individual consent and to any limitations imposed by the law.
4. INTERESTED PERSONS. Subject to applicable statutes and regulations, it
is understood that trustees, officers, shareholders and agents of the Fund are
or may be interested in the Adviser as directors, officers, shareholders, agents
or otherwise and that the directors, officers, shareholders and agents of the
Adviser may be interested in the Fund as trustees, officers, shareholders,
agents or otherwise.
5. LIABILITY. The Adviser shall not be liable for any error of judgment or
of law, or for any loss suffered by the Fund in connection with the matters to
which this Agreement relates, except a loss resulting from willful misfeasance,
bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the Adviser in the performance of
its obligations and duties, or by reason of its reckless disregard of its
obligations and duties under this Agreement.
6. (a) TERM. This Agreement shall become effective on the date hereof and
shall remain in full force for the two-year period from the effective date
hereof unless sooner terminated as hereinafter provided. This Agreement shall
continue in force from year to year thereafter, but only for so long as such
continuance is specifically approved as least annually, in the manner required
by the 1940 Act.
(b) TERMINATION. This Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event
of its assignment. This Agreement may be terminated at any time without the
payment of any penalty by the Fund or by the Adviser on sixty (60) days written
notice to the other party. The Fund may effect termination by action of the
Board of Trustees or by vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of stock of
the Fund, accompanied by appropriate notice. This Agreement may be terminated at
any time without the payment of any penalty and without advance notice by the
Board of Trustees or by vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund
in the event that it shall have been established by a court of competent
jurisdiction that the Adviser or any officer or director of the Adviser has
taken any action which results in a breach of the covenants of the Adviser set
forth herein.
(c) PAYMENT UPON TERMINATION. Termination of this Agreement shall not
affect the right of the Adviser to receive payment on any unpaid balance of the
compensation described in Section 2 earned prior to such termination.
7. SEVERABILITY. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made
invalid by a court decision, statue, rule or otherwise, the remainder shall not
thereby be affected.
8. NOTICES. Any notice under this Agreement shall be in writing, addressed
and delivered or mailed, postage prepaid, to the other party at such address as
such other party may designate for the receipt of such notice.
9. DISCLAIMER. The Adviser acknowledges and agrees that, as provided by
Section 8.1 of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust, (i) this Agreement has
been executed by officers of the Trust in their capacity as officers, and not
individually, and (ii) the shareholders, trustees, officers, employees and other
agents of the Trust and the Fund shall not personally be bound by or liable
hereunder, nor shall resort be had to their private property for the
satisfaction of any obligation or claim hereunder and that any such resort may
only be had upon the assets and property of the Fund.
10. GOVERNING LAW. All questions concerning the validity, meaning and
effect of this Agreement shall be determined in accordance with the laws
(without giving effect to the conflict-of-law principles thereof) of the State
of Delaware applicable to contracts made and to be performed in that state.
11. NAME. In connection with its employment hereunder, the Adviser hereby
agrees and covenants not to change its name without the prior consent of the
Board of Trustees of the Fund.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to
be executed by their officers designated below on the day and year first above
written.
XXX XXXXXX EQUITY TRUST, on behalf of its series,
XXX XXXXXX VALUE OPPORTUNITIES FUND
By: /s/ Xxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
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Xxxx X. Xxxxxxxx
Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
XXX XXXXXX ASSET MANAGEMENT INC.
By: /s/ Xxxxxxx X. Xxxx
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Xxxxxxx X. Xxxx
President, Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer
