INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT is made by and between AELTUS INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, INC. a
Connecticut corporation (the "Adviser") and AETNA VARIABLE FUND, a Massachusetts
business trust (the "Fund"), as of the date set forth above the parties'
signatures.
W I T N E S S E T H
WHEREAS, the Fund is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
"Commission") as an open-end, diversified, management investment company under
the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act"); and
WHEREAS, the Adviser is registered with the Commission as an investment adviser
under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the "Advisers Act"), and is in the
business of acting as an investment adviser; and
WHEREAS, the Fund and the Adviser desire to enter into an agreement to provide
for investment advisory and management services for the Fund on the terms and
conditions hereinafter set forth;
NOW THEREFORE, the parties agree as follows:
I. APPOINTMENT AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE ADVISER
Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the policies and
control of the Fund's Board of Trustees (the "Board"), the Fund hereby appoints
the Adviser to serve as the investment adviser to the Fund, to provide the
investment advisory services set forth below in Section II. The Adviser agrees
that, except as required to carry out its duties under this Agreement or
otherwise expressly authorized, it is acting as an independent contractor and
not as an agent of the Fund and has no authority to act for or represent the
Fund in any way.
II. DUTIES OF THE ADVISER
In carrying out the terms of this Agreement, the Adviser shall do the following:
1. supervise all aspects of the operations of the Fund;
2. select the securities to be purchased, sold or exchanged by the Fund
or otherwise represented in the Fund's investment portfolio, place
trades for all such securities and regularly report thereon to the
Board;
3. formulate and implement continuing programs for the purchase and sale
of securities and regularly report thereon to the Board;
4. obtain and evaluate pertinent information about significant
developments and economic, statistical and financial data, domestic,
foreign or otherwise, whether affecting the economy generally, the
Fund, securities held by or under consideration for the Fund, or the
issuers of those securities;
5. provide economic research and securities analyses as the Adviser
considers necessary or advisable in connection with the Adviser's
performance of its duties hereunder;
6. obtain the services of, contract with, and provide instructions to
custodians and/or subcustodians of the Fund's securities, transfer
agents, dividend paying agents, pricing services and other service
providers as are necessary to carry out the terms of this Agreement;
and
7. take any other actions which appear to the Adviser and the Board
necessary to carry into effect the purposes of this Agreement.
III. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
A. Representations and Warranties of the Adviser
The Adviser hereby represents and warrants to the Fund as follows:
1. DUE INCORPORATION AND ORGANIZATION. The Adviser is duly organized
and is in good standing under the laws of the State of
Connecticut and is fully authorized to enter into this Agreement
and carry out its duties and obligations hereunder.
2. REGISTRATION. The Adviser is registered as an investment adviser
with the Commission under the Advisers Act. The Adviser shall
maintain such registration in effect at all times during the term
of this Agreement.
3. BEST EFFORTS. The Adviser at all times shall provide its best
judgment and effort to the Fund in carrying out its obligations
hereunder.
B. Representations and Warranties of the Fund
The Fund hereby represents and warrants to the Adviser as follows:
1. DUE ESTABLISHMENT AND ORGANIZATION. The Fund has been duly
established under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
and it is authorized to enter into this Agreement and carry out
its obligations hereunder.
2. REGISTRATION. The Fund is registered as an investment company
with the Commission under the 1940 Act and shares of the Fund are
registered or qualified for offer and sale to the public under
the Securities Act of 1933 and all applicable state securities
laws. Such registrations or qualifications will be kept in effect
during the term of this Agreement.
IV. DELEGATION OF RESPONSIBILITIES
Subject to the approval of the Board and the shareholders of the Fund, the
Adviser may enter into a Subadvisory Agreement to engage a subadviser to the
Adviser with respect to the Fund.
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V. BROKER-DEALER RELATIONSHIPS
A. Portfolio Trades
The Adviser shall place all orders for the purchase and sale of portfolio
securities for the Fund with brokers or dealers selected by the Adviser,
which may include brokers or dealers affiliated with the Adviser. The
Adviser shall use its best efforts to seek to execute portfolio
transactions at prices that are advantageous to the Fund and at commission
rates that are reasonable in relation to the benefits received.
B. Selection of Broker-Dealers
In selecting broker-dealers qualified to execute a particular transaction,
brokers or dealers may be selected who also provide brokerage or research
services (as those terms are defined in Section 28(e) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934) to the Adviser and/or the other accounts over which
the Adviser or its affiliates exercise investment discretion. The Adviser
is authorized to pay a broker or dealer who provides such brokerage or
research services a commission for executing a portfolio transaction for
the Fund that is in excess of the amount of commission another broker or
dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction if the Adviser
determines in good faith that such amount of commission is reasonable in
relation to the value of the brokerage or research services provided by
such broker or dealer and is paid in compliance with Section 28(e). This
determination may be viewed in terms of either that particular transaction
or the overall responsibilities that the Adviser and its affiliates have
with respect to accounts over which they exercise investment discretion.
The Adviser may consider the sale of shares of the Fund and of other
investment companies advised by the Adviser as a factor in the selection of
brokers or dealers to effect transactions for the Fund, subject to the
Adviser's duty to seek best execution. The Adviser may also select brokers
or dealers to effect transactions for the Fund that provide payment for
expenses of the Fund. The Board shall periodically review the commissions
paid by the Fund to determine if the commissions paid over representative
periods of time were reasonable in relation to the benefits received.
VI. CONTROL BY THE BOARD
Any investment program undertaken by the Adviser pursuant to this Agreement, as
well as any other activities undertaken by the Adviser on behalf of the Fund
pursuant thereto, shall at all times be subject to any directives of the Board.
VII. COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE REQUIREMENTS
In carrying out its obligations under this Agreement, the Adviser shall at all
times conform to:
1. all applicable provisions of the 1940 Act;
2. the provisions of the current Registration Statement of the Fund;
3. the provisions of the Fund's Declaration of Trust, as amended;
4. the provisions of the Bylaws of the Fund, as amended; and
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5. any other applicable provisions of state and federal law.
VIII. COMPENSATION
For the services to be rendered, the facilities furnished and the expenses
assumed by the Adviser, the Fund shall pay to the Adviser an annual fee, payable
monthly, based upon the following average daily net assets of the Fund:
RATE ASSETS
---- ------
.500% first $10 billion
.450% next $5 billion
.425% over $15 billion
Except as hereinafter set forth, compensation under this Agreement shall be
calculated and accrued daily at the rate of 1/365 (1/366 in the event of a leap
year) of the annual advisory fee applied to the daily net assets of the Fund. If
this Agreement becomes effective subsequent to the first day of a month or
terminates before the last day of a month, compensation for that part of the
month this Agreement is in effect shall be prorated in a manner consistent with
the calculation of the fees set forth above. Subject to the provisions of
Section X hereof, payment of the Adviser's compensation for the preceding month
shall be made as promptly as possible.
IX. EXPENSES
The expenses in connection with the management of the Fund shall be allocated
between the Fund and the Adviser as follows:
A. Expenses of the Adviser
The Adviser shall pay:
1. the salaries, employment benefits and other related costs and
expenses of those of its personnel engaged in providing
investment advice to the Fund, including without limitation,
office space, office equipment, telephone and postage costs; and
2. all fees and expenses of all trustees, officers and employees, if
any, of the Fund who are employees of the Adviser, including any
salaries and employment benefits payable to those persons.
B. Expenses of the Fund
The Fund shall pay:
1. investment advisory fees pursuant to this Agreement;
2. brokers' commissions, issue and transfer taxes or other
transaction fees payable in connection with any transactions in
the securities in the Fund's investment portfolio or other
investment transactions incurred in managing the Fund's assets,
including portions of commissions that may be paid to reflect
brokerage research services provided to the Adviser;
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3. fees and expenses of the Fund's independent accountants and legal
counsel and the independent trustees' legal counsel;
4. fees and expenses of any administrator, transfer agent,
custodian, dividend, accounting, pricing or disbursing agent of
the Fund;
5. interest and taxes;
6. fees and expenses of any membership in the Investment Company
Institute or any similar organization in which the Board deems it
advisable for the Fund to maintain membership;
7. insurance premiums on property or personnel (including officers
and trustees) of the Fund;
8. all fees and expenses of the Fund's trustees, who are not
"interested persons" (as defined in the 0000 Xxx) of the Fund or
the Adviser;
9. expenses of preparing, printing and distributing proxies, proxy
statements, prospectuses and reports to shareholders of the Fund,
except for those expenses paid by third parties in connection
with the distribution of Fund shares and all costs and expenses
of shareholders' meetings;
10. all expenses incident to the payment of any dividend,
distribution, withdrawal or redemption, whether in shares of the
Fund or in cash;
11. costs and expenses (other than those detailed in paragraph 9
above) of promoting the sale of shares in the Fund, including
preparing prospectuses and reports to shareholders of the Fund,
provided, nothing in this Agreement shall prevent the charging of
such costs to third parties involved in the distribution and sale
of Fund shares;
12. fees payable by the Fund to the Commission or to any state
securities regulator or other regulatory authority for the
registration of shares of the Fund in any state or territory of
the United States or of the District of Columbia;
13. all costs attributable to investor services, administering
shareholder accounts and handling shareholder relations,
(including, without limitation, telephone and personnel
expenses), which costs may also be charged to third parties by
the Adviser; and
14. any other ordinary, routine expenses incurred in the management
of the Fund's assets, and any nonrecurring or extraordinary
expenses, including organizational expenses, litigation affecting
the Fund and any indemnification by the Fund of its officers,
trustees or agents.
X. ADDITIONAL SERVICES
Upon the request of the Board, the Adviser may perform certain accounting,
shareholder servicing or other administrative services on behalf of the Fund
that are not required by this Agreement. Such services will be performed on
behalf of the Fund and the Adviser may receive from the Fund such reimbursement
for costs or reasonable compensation for such services as may be agreed upon
between the Adviser and the Board on a finding by
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the Board that the provision of such services by the Adviser is in the best
interests of the Fund and its shareholders. Payment or assumption by the
Adviser of any Fund expense that the Adviser is not otherwise required to pay
or assume under this Agreement shall not relieve the Adviser of any of its
obligations to the Fund nor obligate the Adviser to pay or assume any similar
Fund expense on any subsequent occasions.
XI. NONEXCLUSIVITY
The services of the Adviser to the Fund are not to be deemed to be exclusive,
and the Adviser shall be free to render investment advisory or other services to
others (including other investment companies) and to engage in other activities,
so long as its services under this Agreement are not impaired thereby. It is
understood and agreed that officers and directors of the Adviser may serve as
officers or trustees of the Fund, and that officers or trustees of the Fund may
serve as officers or directors of the Adviser to the extent permitted by law;
and that the officers and directors of the Adviser are not prohibited from
engaging in any other business activity or from rendering services to any other
person, or from serving as partners, officers, directors or trustees of any
other firm or trust, including other investment companies.
XII. TERM
This Agreement shall become effective on December 13, 2000, and shall remain in
force and effect through December 31, 2001, unless earlier terminated under the
provisions of Article XIV.
XIII. RENEWAL
Following the expiration of its initial term, the Agreement shall continue in
force and effect from year to year, provided that such continuance is
specifically approved at least annually:
1. a. by the Board, or
b. by the vote of a majority of the Fund's outstanding voting
securities (as defined in Section 2(a)(42) of the 1940 Act), and
2. by the affirmative vote of a majority of the trustees who are not
parties to this Agreement or interested persons of a party to this
Agreement (other than as a trustee of the Fund), by votes cast in
person at a meeting specifically called for such purpose.
XIV. TERMINATION
This Agreement may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any
penalty, by vote of the Board or by vote of a majority of the Fund's outstanding
voting securities (as defined in Section 2(a)(42) of the 1940 Act), or by the
Adviser, on sixty (60) days' written notice to the other party. The notice
provided for herein may be waived by the party required to be notified. This
Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of its "assignment" (as
defined in Section 2(a)(4) of the 1940 Act).
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XV. LIABILITY
The Adviser shall be liable to the Fund and shall indemnify the Fund for any
losses incurred by the Fund, whether in the purchase, holding or sale of any
security or otherwise, to the extent that such losses resulted from an act or
omission on the part of the Adviser or its officers, directors or employees,
that is found to involve willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence, or
reckless disregard by the Adviser of its duties under this Agreement, in
connection with the services rendered by the Adviser hereunder.
XVI. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CLAIMS
The Fund's Declaration of Trust ("Declaration"), a copy of which, together with
all amendments thereto, is on file in the Office of the Secretary of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, provides that the name of "Aetna Variable Fund"
refers to the trustees under the Declaration collectively as trustees and not as
individuals or personally, and that no shareholder of the Fund, or trustee,
officer, employee or agent of the Fund, shall be subject to claims against or
obligations of the Fund to any extent whatsoever, but that the trust estate only
shall be liable.
The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of liability as
set forth in the Declaration and agrees that the obligations assumed by the Fund
pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Fund and its
assets, and the Adviser shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from
the shareholders or any shareholder of the Fund, or from any trustee, officer,
employee or agent of the Fund.
XVII. NOTICES
Any notices under this Agreement shall be in writing, addressed and delivered,
mailed postage paid, or sent by other delivery service, or by facsimile
transmission to each party at such address as each party may designate for the
receipt of notice. Until further notice, such addresses shall be:
IF TO THE FUND:
00 Xxxxx Xxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxx 00000
Fax number 860/000-0000
Attention: President
IF TO THE ADVISER:
00 Xxxxx Xxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxx 00000
Fax number 860/000-0000
Attention: President or Chief Compliance Officer
XVIII. QUESTIONS OF INTERPRETATION
This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Connecticut. Any
question of interpretation of any term or provision of this Agreement having a
counterpart in or otherwise derived from a term or provision of the 1940 Act
shall be resolved by reference to such term or provision of the 1940 Act and to
interpretations thereof, if any, by the United States courts or, in the absence
of any controlling decision of any such court, by rules or orders of the
Commission issued pursuant to the 1940 Act, or contained in no-
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action and interpretive positions taken by the Commission staff. In addition,
where the effect of a requirement of the 1940 Act reflected in the provisions
of this Agreement is revised by rule or order of the Commission, such
provisions shall be deemed to incorporate the effect of such rule or order.
XIX. SERVICE XXXX
The service xxxx of the Fund and the name "Aetna" have been adopted by the Fund
with the permission of Aetna Services, Inc. (formerly known as Aetna Life and
Casualty Company) and their continued use is subject to the right of Aetna
Services, Inc. to withdraw this permission in the event the Adviser or another
affiliated corporation of Aetna Services, Inc. should not be the investment
adviser of the Fund.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed
in duplicate by their respective officers on the 13th day of December, 2000.
Aeltus Investment Management, Inc.
Attest:
By: /s/ Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx By: /s/ Xxxxx Xxxxxx
------------------------- ---------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx Name: Xxxxx Xxxxxx
--------------------- ------------------------------
Title: Secretary Title: Managing Director
------------------------ -------------------------------
Aetna Variable Fund
Attest:
By: /s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx By: /s/ J. Xxxxx Xxx
------------------------- ---------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx Name: J. Xxxxx Xxx
--------------------- ------------------------------
Title: Secretary Title: President
------------------------ -------------------------------
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