AGREEMENT AND DECLARATION OF TRUST
of
VANGUARD VARIABLE INSURANCE FUND
a Delaware Business Trust
Principal Place of Business:
000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxxx 00000
AGREEMENT AND DECLARATION OF TRUST
OF
VANGUARD VARIABLE INSURANCE FUND
WHEREAS, this AGREEMENT AND DECLARATION OF TRUST is made and
entered into as of the date set forth below by the Trustees named hereunder for
the purpose of forming a Delaware business trust in accordance with the
provisions hereinafter set forth,
NOW, THEREFORE, the Trustees hereby direct that a Certificate
of Trust be filed with the Office of the Secretary of State of the State of
Delaware and do hereby declare that the Trustees will hold IN TRUST all cash,
securities and other assets which the Trust now possesses or may hereafter
acquire from time to time in any manner and manage and dispose of the same upon
the following terms and conditions for the pro rata benefit of the holders of
Shares in this Trust.
ARTICLE I.
Name and Definitions
Section 1. Name. This trust shall be known as Vanguard
Variable Insurance Fund and the Trustees shall conduct the business of the Trust
under that name or any other name as they may from time to time determine.
Section 2. Definitions. Whenever used herein, unless
otherwise required by the context or specifically provided:
(a) The "Trust" refers to the Delaware business trust
established by this Agreement and Declaration of Trust, as amended from time to
time;
(b) The "Trust Property" means any and all property, real or
personal, tangible or intangible, which is owned or held by or for the account
of the Trust;
(c) "Trustees" refers to the persons who have signed this
Agreement and Declaration of Trust, so long as they continue in office in
accordance with the terms hereof, and all other persons who may from time to
time be duly elected or appointed to serve on the Board of Trustees in
accordance with the provisions hereof, and reference herein to a Trustee or the
Trustees shall refer to such person or persons in their capacity as trustees
hereunder;
(d) "Shares" means the shares of beneficial interest into
which the beneficial interest in the Trust shall be divided from time to time
and includes fractions of Shares as well as whole Shares;
(e) "Shareholder" means a record owner of outstanding Shares;
(f) "Person" means and includes individuals, corporations,
partnerships, trusts, foundations, plans, associations, joint ventures, estates
and other entities, whether or not legal entities, and governments and agencies
and political subdivisions thereof, whether domestic or foreign;
(g) The "1940 Act" refers to the Investment Company Act of
1940 and the Rules and Regulations thereunder, all as amended from time to time.
References herein to specific sections of the 1940 Act shall be deemed to
include such Rules and Regulations as are applicable to such sections as
determined by the Trustees or their designees;
(h) The terms "Commission" and "Principal Underwriter" shall
have the respective meanings given them in Section 2(a)(7) and Section
(2)(a)(29) of the 1940 Act;
(i) "Declaration of Trust" shall mean this Agreement and
Declaration of Trust, as amended or restated from time to time;
(j) "By-Laws" shall mean the By-Laws of the Trust as amended
from time to time;
(k) The term "Interested Person" has the meaning given it in
Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act;
(l) "Investment Adviser" or "Adviser" means a party furnishing
services to the Trust pursuant to any contract described in Article IV, Section
7(a) hereof;
(m) "Series" refers to each Series of Shares established and
designated under or in accordance with the provisions of Article III.
ARTICLE II.
Purpose of Trust
The purpose of the Trust is to conduct, operate and carry on
the business of a management investment company registered under the 1940 Act
through one or more Series investing primarily in securities.
ARTICLE III.
Shares
Section 1. Division of Beneficial Interest. The beneficial
interest in the Trust shall at all times be divided into an unlimited number of
Shares, with a par value of $ .001 per Share. The Trustees may authorize the
division of Shares into separate Series and the division of Series into separate
classes of Shares. The different Series shall be established and designated, and
the variations in the relative rights and preferences as between the different
Series shall be fixed and determined, by the Trustees. If only one Series shall
be established, the Shares shall have the rights and preferences provided for
herein and in Article III, Section 6 hereof to the extent relevant and not
otherwise provided for herein.
Subject to the provisions of Section 6 of this Article III,
each Share shall have voting rights as provided in Article V hereof, and holders
of the Shares of any Series shall be entitled to receive dividends, when, if and
as declared with respect thereto in the manner provided in Article VI, Section 1
hereof. No Share shall have any priority or preference over any other Share of
the same Series with respect to dividends or distributions of the Trust or
otherwise. All dividends and distributions shall be made ratably among all
Shareholders of a Series (or class) from the assets held with respect to such
Series according to the number of Shares of such Series (or class) held of
record by such Shareholders on the record date for any dividend or distribution
or on the date of termination of the Trust, as the case may be. Shareholders
shall have no preemptive or other right to subscribe to any additional Shares or
other securities issued by the Trust or any Series. The Trustees may from time
to time divide or combine the Shares of a Series into a greater or lesser number
of Shares of such Series without thereby materially changing the proportionate
beneficial interest of such Shares in the assets held with respect to that
Series or materially affecting the rights of Shares of any other Series.
Section 2. Ownership of Shares. The ownership of Shares shall
be recorded on the books of the Trust or a transfer or similar agent for the
Trust, which books shall be maintained separately for the Shares of each Series.
No certificates evidencing the ownership of Shares shall be issued except as the
Board of Trustees may otherwise determine from time to time. The Trustees may
make such rules as they consider appropriate for the transfer of Shares of each
Series (or class) and similar matters. The record books of the Trust as kept by
the Trust or any transfer or similar agent, as the case may be, shall be
conclusive as to the identity of the Shareholders of each Series and as to the
number of Shares of each Series held from time to time by each Shareholder.
Section 3. Investments in the Trust. Investments may be
accepted by the Trust from such Persons, at such times, on such terms, and for
such consideration as the Trustees from time to time may authorize. Each
investment shall be credited to the Shareholder's account in the form of full
and fractional Shares of the Trust, in such Series (or class) as the purchaser
shall select, at the net asset value per Share next determined for such Series
(or class) after receipt of the investment; provided, however, that the Trustees
may, in their sole discretion, impose a sales charge or reimbursement fee upon
investments in the Trust.
Section 4. Status of Shares and Limitation of Personal
Liability. Shares shall be deemed to be personal property giving only the rights
provided in this instrument and the By-Laws of the Trust. Every Shareholder by
virtue of having become a Shareholder shall be held to have expressly assented
and agreed to the terms hereof. The death of a Shareholder during the existence
of the Trust shall not operate to terminate the Trust, nor entitle the
representative of any deceased Shareholder to an accounting or to take any
action in court or elsewhere against the Trust or the Trustees, but shall
entitle such representative only to the rights of said deceased Shareholder
under this Declaration of Trust. Ownership of Shares shall not entitle a
Shareholder to any title in or to the whole or any part of the Trust Property or
right to call for a partition or division of the same or for an accounting, nor
shall the ownership of Shares constitute the Shareholders as partners or joint
venturers. Neither the Trust nor the Trustees, nor any officer, employee or
agent of the Trust shall have any power to bind personally any Shareholder, or
to call upon any Shareholder for the payment of any sum of money or assessment
whatsoever other than such as the Shareholder may at any time agree to pay.
Section 5. Power of Board of Trustees to Change Provisions
Relating to Shares. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Declaration of
Trust to the contrary, and without limiting the power of the Board of Trustees
to amend the Declaration of Trust as provided elsewhere herein, the Board of
Trustees shall have the power to amend this Declaration of Trust, at any time
and from time to time, in such manner as the Board of Trustees may determine in
their sole discretion, without the need for Shareholder action, so as to add to,
delete, replace or otherwise modify any provisions relating to the Shares
contained in this Declaration of Trust, provided that before adopting any such
amendment without Shareholder approval the Board of Trustees shall determine
that it is consistent with the fair and equitable treatment of all Shareholders
and that Shareholder approval is not required by the 1940 Act or other
applicable law. If Shares have been issued, Shareholder approval shall be
required to adopt any amendments to this Declaration of Trust which would
adversely affect to a material degree the rights and preferences of the Shares
of any Series (or class) or to increase or decrease the par value of the Shares
of any Series (or class).
Section 6. Establishment and Designation of Shares. The
establishment and designation of any Series (or class) of Shares shall be
effective upon the adoption by a majority of the Trustees, of a resolution which
sets forth such establishment and designation and the relative rights and
preferences of such Series (or class). Each such resolution shall be
incorporated herein by reference upon adoption.
Shares of each Series (or class) established pursuant to this
Section 6, unless otherwise provided in the resolution establishing such Series,
shall have the following relative rights and preferences:
(a) Assets Held with Respect to a Particular Series. All
consideration received by the Trust for the issue or sale of Shares of a Series,
including dividends and distributions paid by, and reinvested in, such Series,
together with all assets in which such consideration is invested or reinvested,
all income, earnings, profits, and proceeds thereof from whatever source
derived, including, without limitation, any proceeds derived from the sale,
exchange or liquidation of such assets, and any funds or payments derived from
any reinvestment of such proceeds in whatever form the same may be, shall
irrevocably be held with respect to that Series for all purposes, subject only
to the rights of creditors, and shall be so recorded upon the books of account
of the Trust. Such consideration, assets, income, earnings, profits and proceeds
thereof, from whatever source derived, including, without limitation, any
proceeds derived from the sale, exchange or liquidation of such assets, and any
funds or payments derived from any reinvestment of such proceeds, in whatever
form the same may be, are herein referred to as "assets held with respect to"
that Series. In the event that there are any assets, income, earnings, profits
and proceeds thereof, funds or payments which are not readily identifiable as
assets held with respect to any particular Series (collectively "General
Assets"), the Trustees shall allocate such General Assets to, between or among
any one or more of the Series in such manner and on such basis as the Trustees,
in their sole discretion, deem fair and equitable, and any General Asset so
allocated to a particular Series shall be held with respect to that Series. Each
such allocation by the Trustees shall be conclusive and binding upon the
Shareholders of all Series for all purposes in absence of manifest error.
(b) Liabilities Held with Respect to a Particular Series. The
assets of the Trust held with respect to each Series shall be charged with the
liabilities of the Trust with respect to such Series and all expenses, costs,
charges and reserves attributable to such Series, and any general liabilities of
the Trust which are not readily identifiable as being held in respect of a
Series shall be allocated and charged by the Trustees to and among any one or
more Series in such manner and on such basis as the Trustees in their sole
discretion deem fair and equitable. The liabilities, expenses, costs, charges,
and reserves so charged to a Series are herein referred to as "liabilities held
with respect to" that Series. Each allocation of liabilities, expenses, costs,
charges and reserves by the Trustees shall be conclusive and binding upon the
holders of all Series for all purposes in absence of manifest error. All Persons
who have extended credit which has been allocated to a particular Series, or who
have a claim or contract which has been allocated to a Series, shall look
exclusively to the assets held with respect to such Series for payment of such
credit, claim, or contract. In the absence of an express agreement so limiting
the claims of such creditors, claimants and contracting parties, each creditor,
claimant and contracting party shall be deemed nevertheless to have agreed to
such limitation unless an express provision to the contrary has been
incorporated in the written contract or other document establishing the
contractual relationship.
(c) Dividends, Distributions, Redemptions, and Repurchases. No
dividend or distribution including, without limitation, any distribution paid
upon termination of the Trust or of any Series (or class) with respect to, or
any redemption or repurchase of, the Shares of any Series (or class) shall be
effected by the Trust other than from the assets held with respect to such
Series, nor shall any Shareholder of any Series otherwise have any right or
claim against the assets held with respect to any other Series except to the
extent that such Shareholder has such a right or claim hereunder as a
Shareholder of such other Series. The Trustees shall have full discretion to
determine which items shall be treated as income and which items as capital; and
each such determination and allocation shall be conclusive and binding upon the
Shareholders in absence of manifest error.
(d) Voting. All Shares of the Trust entitled to vote on a
matter shall vote without differentiation between the separate Series on a
one-vote-per-each dollar (and a fractional vote for each fractional dollar) of
the net asset value of each share (including fractional shares) basis; provided
however, if a matter to be voted on affects only the interests of not all Series
(or class of a Series), then only the Shareholders of such affected Series (or
class) shall be entitled to vote on the matter.
(e) Equality. All the Shares of each Series shall represent an
equal proportionate undivided interest in the assets held with respect to such
Series (subject to the liabilities of such Series and such rights and
preferences as may have been established and designated with respect to classes
of Shares within such Series), and each Share of a Series shall be equal to each
other Share of such Series.
(f) Fractions. Any fractional Share of a Series shall have
proportionately all the rights and obligations of a whole share of such Series,
including rights with respect to voting, receipt of dividends and distributions
and redemption of Shares.
(g) Exchange Privilege. The Trustees shall have the authority
to provide that the holders of Shares of any Series shall have the right to
exchange such Shares for Shares of one or more other Series in accordance with
such requirements and procedures as may be established by the Trustees.
(h) Combination of Series. The Trustees shall have the
authority, without the approval of the Shareholders of any Series unless
otherwise required by applicable law, to combine the assets and liabilities held
with respect to any two or more Series into assets and liabilities held with
respect to a single Series.
(i) Elimination of Series. At any time that there are no
Shares outstanding of a Series (or class), the Trustees may abolish such Series
(or class).
ARTICLE IV.
The Board of Trustees
Section 1. Number, Election and Tenure. The number of Trustees
constituting the Board of Trustees shall be fixed from time to time by a written
instrument signed, or by resolution approved at a duly constituted meeting, by a
majority of the Board of Trustees, provided, however, that the number of
Trustees shall in no event be less than one (1) nor more than fifteen (15).
Subject to the requirements of Section 16(a) of the 1940 Act, the Board of
Trustees, by action of a majority of the then Trustees at a duly constituted
meeting, may fill vacancies in the Board of Trustees and remove Trustees with or
without cause. Each Trustee shall serve during the continued lifetime of the
Trust until he or she dies, resigns, is declared bankrupt or incompetent by a
court of competent jurisdiction, or is removed. Any Trustee may resign at any
time by written instrument signed by him and delivered to any officer of the
Trust or to a meeting of the Trustees. Such resignation shall be effective upon
receipt unless specified to be effective at some other time. Except to the
extent expressly provided in a written agreement with the Trust, no Trustee
resigning and no Trustee removed shall have any right to any compensation for
any period following his or her resignation or removal, or any right to damages
or other payment on account of such removal. Any Trustee may be removed at any
meeting of Shareholders by a vote of two-thirds of the total combined net asset
value of all Shares of the Trust issued and outstanding. A meeting of
Shareholders for the purpose of electing or removing one or more Trustees may be
called (i) by the Trustees upon their own vote, or (ii) upon the demand of
Shareholders owning 10% or more of the Shares of the Trust in the aggregate.
Section 2. Effect of Death, Resignation, etc. of a Trustee.
The death, declination, resignation, retirement, removal, or incapacity of one
or more Trustees, or all of them, shall not operate to annul the Trust or to
revoke any existing agency created pursuant to the terms of this Declaration of
Trust. Whenever a vacancy in the Board of Trustees shall occur, until such
vacancy is filled as provided in Article IV, Section 1, the Trustees in office,
regardless of their number, shall have all the powers granted to the Trustees
and shall discharge all the duties imposed upon the Trustees by this Declaration
of Trust.
Section 3. Powers. Subject to the provisions of this
Declaration of Trust, the business of the Trust shall be managed by the Board of
Trustees, and such Board shall have all powers necessary or convenient to carry
out that responsibility including the power to engage in transactions of all
kinds on behalf of the Trust. Trustees, in all instances, shall act as
principals and are and shall be free from the control of the Shareholders. The
Trustees shall have full power and authority to do any and all acts and to make
and execute any and all contracts, documents and instruments that they may
consider desirable, necessary or appropriate in connection with the
administration of the Trust. Without limiting the foregoing, the Trustees may:
adopt, amend and repeal By-Laws not inconsistent with this Declaration of Trust
providing for the regulation and management of the affairs of the Trust; elect
and remove such officers and appoint and terminate such agents as they consider
appropriate; appoint from their own number and establish and terminate one or
more committees consisting of two or more Trustees who may exercise the powers
and authority of the Board of Trustees to the extent that the Trustees
determine; employ one or more custodians of the assets of the Trust and may
authorize such custodians to employ subcustodians and to deposit all or any part
of such assets in a system or systems for the central handling of securities or
with a Federal Reserve Bank, retain a transfer agent or a shareholder servicing
agent, or both; provide for the issuance and distribution of Shares by the Trust
directly or through one or more Principal Underwriters or otherwise; redeem,
repurchase and transfer Shares pursuant to applicable law; set record dates for
the determination of Shareholders with respect to various matters; declare and
pay dividends and distributions to Shareholders of each Series from the assets
of such Series; establish from time to time, in accordance with the provisions
of Article III, Section 6 hereof, any Series of Shares, each such Series to
operate as a separate and distinct investment medium and with separately defined
investment objectives and policies and distinct investment purpose; and in
general delegate such authority as they consider desirable to any officer of the
Trust, to any committee of the Trustees and to any agent or employee of the
Trust or to any such custodian, transfer or shareholder servicing agent,
Investment Manager or Principal Underwriter. Any determination as to what is in
the interests of the Trust made by the Trustees in good faith shall be
conclusive. In construing the provisions of this Declaration of Trust, the
presumption shall be in favor of a grant of power to the Trustees and unless
otherwise specified herein or required by the 1940 Act or other applicable law,
any action by the Board of Trustees shall be deemed effective if approved or
taken by a majority of the Trustees then in office or a majority of any duly
constituted committee of Trustees. Any action required or permitted to be taken
at any meeting of the Board of Trustees, or any committee thereof, may be taken
without a meeting if all members of the Board of Trustees or committee (as the
case may be) consent thereto in writing, and the writing or writings are filed
with the minutes of the proceedings of the Board of Trustees, or committee,
except as otherwise provided in the 1940 Act.
Without limiting the foregoing, the Trust shall have power and
authority:
(a) To invest and reinvest cash and cash items, to hold cash
uninvested, and to subscribe for, invest in, reinvest in, purchase or otherwise
acquire, own, hold, pledge, sell, assign, transfer, exchange, distribute, write
options on, lend or otherwise deal in or dispose of contracts for the future
acquisition or delivery of all types of securities, futures contracts and
options thereon, and forward currency contracts of every nature and kind,
including, without limitation, all types of bonds, debentures, stocks, preferred
stocks, negotiable or non-negotiable instruments, obligations, evidences of
indebtedness, certificates of deposit or indebtedness, commercial paper,
repurchase agreements, bankers' acceptances, and other securities of any kind,
issued, created, guaranteed, or sponsored by any and all Persons, including,
without limitation, states, territories, and possessions of the United States
and the District of Columbia and any political subdivision, agency, or
instrumentality thereof, any foreign government or any political subdivision of
the U.S. Government or any foreign government, or any international
instrumentality or organization, or by any bank or savings institution, or by
any corporation or organization organized under the laws of the United States or
of any state, territory, or possession thereof, or by any corporation or
organization organized under any foreign law, or in "when issued" contracts for
any such securities, futures contracts and options thereon, and forward currency
contracts, to change the investments of the assets of the Trust; and to exercise
any and all rights, powers, and privileges of ownership or interest in respect
of any and all such investments of every kind and description, including,
without limitation, the right to consent and otherwise act with respect thereto,
with power to designate one or more Persons, to exercise any of said rights,
powers, and privileges in respect of any of said instruments;
(b) To sell, exchange, lend, pledge, mortgage, hypothecate,
lease, or write options with respect to or otherwise deal in any property rights
relating to any or all of the assets of the Trust or any Series;
(c) To vote or give assent, or exercise any rights of
ownership, with respect to stock or other securities or property; and to execute
and deliver proxies or powers of attorney to such person or persons as the
Trustees shall deem proper, granting to such person or persons such power and
discretion with relation to securities or property as the Trustees shall deem
proper;
(d) To exercise powers and right of subscription or otherwise
which in any manner arise out of ownership of securities;
(e) To hold any security or property in a form not indicating
that it is trust property, whether in bearer, unregistered or other negotiable
form, or in its own name or in the name of a custodian or subcustodian or a
nominee or nominees or otherwise or to authorize the custodian or a subcustodian
or a nominee or nominees to deposit the same in a securities depository, subject
in each case to the applicable provisions of the 1940 Act;
(f) To consent to, or participate in, any plan for the
reorganization, consolidation or merger of any corporation or issuer of any
security which is held in the Trust; to consent to any contract, lease,
mortgage, purchase or sale of property by such corporation or issuer; and to pay
calls or subscriptions with respect to any security held in the Trust;
(g) To join with other security holders in acting through a
committee, depository, voting trustee or otherwise, and in that connection to
deposit any security with, or transfer any security to, any such committee,
depository or trustee, and to delegate to them such power and authority with
relation to any security (whether or not so deposited or transferred) as the
Trustees shall deem proper, and to agree to pay, and to pay, such portion of the
expenses and compensation of such committee, depository or trustee as the
Trustees shall deem proper;
(h) To litigate, compromise, arbitrate, settle or otherwise
adjust claims in favor of or against the Trust or a Series, or any matter in
controversy, including but not limited to claims for taxes;
(i) To enter into joint ventures, general or limited
partnerships and any other combinations or associations;
(j) To borrow funds or other property in the name of the Trust
or Series exclusively for Trust purposes;
(k) To endorse or guarantee the payment of any notes or other
obligations of any Person; to make contracts of guaranty or suretyship, or
otherwise assume liability for payment thereof;
(l) To purchase and pay for entirely out of Trust Property
such insurance as the Trustees may deem necessary, desirable or appropriate for
the conduct of the business, including, without limitation, insurance policies
insuring the assets of the Trust or payment of distributions and principal on
its portfolio investments, and insurance policies insuring the Shareholders,
Trustees, officers, employees, agents, Investment Manager, principal
underwriters, or independent contractors of the Trust, individually against all
claims and liabilities of every nature arising by reason of holding Shares,
holding, being or having held any such office or position, or by reason of any
action alleged to have been taken or omitted by any such Person as Trustee,
officer, employee, agent, Investment Manager, Principal Underwriter, or
independent contractor, including any action taken or omitted that may be
determined to constitute negligence, whether or not the Trust would have the
power to indemnify such Person against liability; and
(m) To adopt, establish and carry out pension, profit-sharing,
share bonus, share purchase, savings, thrift and other retirement, incentive and
benefit plans, trusts and provisions, including the purchasing of life insurance
and annuity contracts as a means of providing such retirement and other
benefits, for any or all of the Trustees, officers, employees and agents of the
Trust.
The Trust shall not be limited to investing in obligations
maturing before the possible termination of the Trust or one or more of its
Series. The Trust shall not in any way be bound or limited by any present or
future law or custom in regard to investment by fiduciaries. The Trust shall not
be required to obtain any court order to deal with any assets of the Trust or
take any other action hereunder.
Section 4. Payment of Expenses by the Trust. Subject to the
provisions of Article III, Section 6(b), the Trustees are authorized to pay or
cause to be paid out of the principal or income of the Trust or Series, or
partly out of the principal and partly out of income, and to charge or allocate
the same to, between or among such one or more of the Series that may be
established or designated pursuant to Article III, Section 6, all expenses,
fees, charges, taxes and liabilities incurred or arising in connection with the
Trust or Series, or in connection with the management thereof, including, but
not limited to, the Trustees' compensation and such expenses and charges for the
services of the Trust's officers, employees, Investment Manager^, Principal
Underwriter, auditors, counsel, custodian, transfer agent, Shareholder servicing
agent, and such other agents or independent contractors and such other expenses
and charges as the Trustees may deem necessary or proper to incur.
Section 5. Ownership of Assets of the Trust. Title to all of
the assets of the Trust shall at all times be considered as vested in the Trust,
except that the Trustees shall have power to cause legal title to any Trust
Property to be held by or in the name of one or more of the Trustees, or in the
name of the Trust, or in the name of any other Person as nominee, on such terms
as the Trustees may determine. Upon the resignation, incompetency, bankruptcy,
removal, or death of a Trustee he or she shall automatically cease to have any
such title in any of the Trust Property, and the title of such Trustee in the
Trust Property shall vest automatically in the remaining Trustees. Such vesting
and cessation of title shall be effective whether or not conveyancing documents
have been executed and delivered. The Trustees may determine that the Trust or
the Trustees, acting for and on behalf of the Trust, shall be deemed to hold
beneficial ownership of any income earned on the securities owned by the Trust,
whether domestic or foreign.
Section 6. Service Contracts.
(a) The Trustees may, at any time and from time to time,
contract for exclusive or nonexclusive advisory, management and/or
administrative services for the Trust or for any Series with any Person; and any
such contract may contain such other terms as the Trustees may determine,
including without limitation, authority for the Investment Adviser to determine
from time to time without prior consultation with the Trustees what investments
shall be purchased, held, sold or exchanged and what portion, if any, of the
assets of the Trust shall be held uninvested and to make changes in the Trust's
investments, and such other responsibilities as may specifically be delegated to
such Person.
(b) The Trustees may also, at any time and from time to time,
contract with any Persons, appointing such Persons exclusive or nonexclusive
distributor or Principal Underwriter for the Shares of one or more of the Series
or other securities to be issued by the Trust. Every such contract may contain
such other terms as the Trustees may determine.
(c) The Trustees are also empowered, at any time and from time
to time, to contract with any Persons, appointing such Person(s) to serve as
custodian(s), transfer agent and/or shareholder servicing agent for the Trust or
one or more of its Series. Every such contract shall comply with such terms as
may be required by the Trustees.
(d) The Trustees are further empowered, at any time and from
time to time, to contract with any Persons to provide such other services to the
Trust or one or more of the Series, as the Trustees determine to be in the best
interests of the Trust and the applicable Series.
(e) The fact that:
(i) any of the Shareholders, Trustees, or officers of the
Trust is a shareholder, director, officer, partner, trustee,
employee, Manager, adviser, Principal Underwriter,
distributor, or affiliate or agent of or for any Person with
which an advisory, management or administration contract, or
Principal Underwriter's or distributor's contract, or
transfer, shareholder servicing or other type of service
contract may be made, or that
(ii) any Person with which an advisory, management or
administration contract or Principal Underwriter's or
distributor's contract, or transfer, shareholder servicing or
other type of service contract may be made also has an
advisory, management or administration contract, or principal
underwriter's or distributor's contract, or transfer,
shareholder servicing or other service contract, or has other
business or interests with any other Person,
shall not affect the validity of any such contract or disqualify any
Shareholder, Trustee or officer of the Trust from voting upon or executing the
same, or create any liability or accountability to the Trust or its
Shareholders, provided approval of each such contract is made pursuant to the
applicable requirements of the 1940 Act.
ARTICLE V.
Shareholders' Voting Powers and Meetings
Section 1. Voting Powers. Subject to the provisions of Article
III, Sections 5 and 6(d), the Shareholders shall have right to vote only (i) for
the election or removal of Trustees as provided in Article IV, Section 1, and
(ii) with respect to such additional matters relating to the Trust as may be
required by the applicable provisions of the 1940 Act, including Section 16(a)
thereof, and (iii) on such other matters as the Trustees may consider necessary
or desirable. Each shareholder shall have one vote for each dollar (and a
fractional vote for each fractional dollar) of the net asset value of each share
(including fractional shares) held by such shareholder on the record date on
each matter submitted to a vote at a meeting of shareholders. For purposes of
this section, net asset value shall be determined pursuant to Section 3 of
Article VIII of the Trustee's Bylaws as of the record date for such meeting set
pursuant to Section 5 of such Bylaws. There shall be no cumulative voting in the
election of Trustees. Votes may be made in person or by proxy. A proxy
purporting to be executed by or on behalf of a Shareholder shall be deemed valid
unless challenged at or prior to its exercise and the burden of proving
invalidity shall rest on the challenger.
Section 2. Voting Power and Meetings. Meetings of the
Shareholders may be called by the Trustees for the purposes described in Section
1 of this Article V. A meeting of Shareholders may be held at any place
designated by the Trustees. Written notice of any meeting of Shareholders shall
be given or caused to be given by the Trustees by delivering personally or
mailing such notice not more than ninety (90), nor less than ten (10) days
before such meeting, postage prepaid, stating the time and place of the meeting,
to each Shareholder at the Shareholder's address as it appears on the records of
the Trust. Whenever notice of a meeting is required to be given to a Shareholder
under this Declaration of Trust, a written waiver thereof, executed before or
after the meeting by such Shareholder or his or her attorney thereunto
authorized and filed with the records of the meeting, or actual attendance at
the meeting of Shareholders in person or by proxy, shall be deemed equivalent to
such notice.
Section 3. Quorum and Required Vote. Except as otherwise
provided by the Investment Company Act of 1940 or in the Trust's Declaration of
Trust, at any meeting of shareholders, the presence in person or by proxy of the
holders of record of Shares issued and outstanding and entitled to vote
representing more than fifty percent of the total combined net asset value of
all Shares issued and outstanding and entitled to vote shall constitute a quorum
for the transaction of any business at the meeting. Any meeting of Shareholders
may be adjourned from time to time by a majority of the votes properly cast upon
the question of adjourning a meeting to another date and time, whether or not a
quorum is present, and the meeting may be held as adjourned within a reasonable
time after the date set for the original meeting without further notice. Subject
to the provisions of Article III, Section 6(d) and the applicable provisions of
the 1940 Act, when a quorum is present at any meeting, a majority vote of the
combined net asset value of all shares issued outstanding and shall decide any
questions except only a plurality vote shall be necessary to elect Trustees.
Section 4. Action by Written Consent. Any action taken by
Shareholders may be taken without a meeting if all the holders of Shares
entitled to vote on the matter are provided with not less than 7 days written
notice thereof and written consent to the action is filed with the records of
the meetings of Shareholders by the holders of the number of votes that would be
required to approve the matter as provided in Article V, Section 3. Such consent
shall be treated for all purposes as a vote taken at a meeting of Shareholders.
Section 5. Record Dates. For the purpose of determining the
Shareholders who are entitled to vote or act at any meeting or any adjournment
thereof, the Trustees may fix a time, which shall be not more than ninety (90)
nor less than ten (10) days before the date of any meeting of Shareholders, as
the record date for determining the Shareholders having the right to notice of
and to vote at such meeting and any adjournment thereof, and in such case only
Shareholders of record on such record date shall have such right,
notwithstanding any transfer of shares on the books of the Trust after the
record date. For the purpose of determining the Shareholders who are entitled to
receive payment of any dividend or of any other distribution, the Trustees may
fix a date, which shall be before the date for the payment of such dividend or
distribution, as the record date for determining the Shareholders having the
right to receive such dividend or distribution. Nothing in this Section shall be
construed as precluding the Trustees from setting different record dates for
different Series.
ARTICLE VI.
Net Asset Value, Distributions, and Redemptions
Section 1. Determination of Net Asset Value, Net Income, and
Distributions. Subject to Article III, Section 6 hereof, the Trustees, in their
absolute discretion, may prescribe and shall set forth in the By-laws or in a
duly adopted resolution of the Trustees such bases and time for determining the
per Share net asset value of the Shares of any Series and the declaration and
payment of dividends and distributions on the Shares of any Series, as they may
deem necessary or desirable.
Section 2. Redemptions and Repurchases. The Trust shall
purchase such Shares as are offered by any Shareholder for redemption, upon
receipt by the Trust or a Person designated by the Trust that the Trust redeem
such Shares or in accordance with such procedures for redemption as the Trustees
may from time to time authorize; and the Trust will pay therefor the net asset
value thereof, in accordance with the By-Laws and the applicable provisions of
the 1940 Act. Payment for said Shares shall be made by the Trust to the
Shareholder within seven days after the date on which the request for redemption
is received in proper form. The obligation set forth in this Section 2 is
subject to the provision that in the event that any time the New York Stock
Exchange (the "Exchange") is closed for other than weekends or holidays, or if
permitted by the Rules of the Commission during periods when trading on the
Exchange is restricted or during any emergency which makes it impracticable for
the Trust to dispose of the investments of the applicable Series or to determine
fairly the value of the net assets held with respect to such Series or during
any other period permitted by order of the Commission for the protection of
investors, such obligations may be suspended or postponed by the Trustees.
The redemption price may in any case or cases be paid in cash
or wholly or partly in kind in accordance with Rule 18f-1 under the 1940 Act if
the Trustees determine that such payment is advisable in the interest of the
remaining Shareholders of the Series of which the Shares are being redeemed.
Subject to the foregoing, the selection and quantity of securities or other
property so paid or delivered as all or part of the redemption price shall be
determined by or under authority of the Trustees. In no case shall the Trust be
liable for any delay of any corporation or other Person in transferring
securities selected for delivery as all or part of any payment in kind.
Section 3. Redemptions at the Option of the Trust. The Trust
shall have the right, at its option, upon 30 days notice to the affected
Shareholder at any time to redeem Shares of any Shareholder at the net asset
value thereof as described in Section 1 of this Article VI: (i) if at such time
such Shareholder owns Shares of any Series having an aggregate net asset value
of less than a minimum value determined from time to time by the Trustees; or
(ii) to the extent that such Shareholder owns Shares of a Series equal to or in
excess of a maximum percentage of the outstanding Shares of such Series
determined from time to time by the Trustees; or (iii) to the extent that such
Shareholder owns Shares equal to or in excess of a maximum percentage,
determined from time to time by the Trustees, of the outstanding Shares of the
Trust.
Section 4. Transfer of Shares. The Trust shall transfer shares
held of record by any Person to any other Person upon receipt by the Trust or a
Person designated by the Trust of a written request therefore in such form and
pursuant to such procedures as may be approved by the Trustees.
ARTICLE VII.
Compensation and Limitation of Liability
Section 1. Compensation of Trustees. The Trustees as such
shall be entitled to reasonable compensation from the Trust, and they may fix
the amount of such compensation from time to time. Nothing herein shall in any
way prevent the employment of any Trustee to provide advisory, management,
legal, accounting, investment banking or other services to the Trust and to be
specially compensated for such services by the Trust.
Section 2. Indemnification and Limitation of Liability. The
Trustees shall not be responsible or liable in any event for any neglect or
wrong-doing of any officer, agent, employee, Manager or Principal Underwriter of
the Trust, nor shall any Trustee be responsible for the act or omission of any
other Trustee, and, subject to the provisions of the Bylaws, the Trust out of
its assets may indemnify and hold harmless each and every Trustee and officer of
the Trust from and against any and all claims, demands, costs, losses, expenses,
and damages whatsoever arising out of or related to such Trustee's performance
of his or her duties as a Trustee or officer of the Trust; provided that nothing
herein contained shall indemnify, hold harmless or protect any Trustee or
officer from or against any liability to the Trust or any Shareholder to which
he or she would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad
faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the
conduct of his or her office.
Every note, bond, contract, instrument, certificate or
undertaking and every other act or thing whatsoever issued, executed or done by
or on behalf of the Trust or the Trustees or any of them in connection with the
Trust shall be conclusively deemed to have been issued, executed or done only in
or with respect to their or his or her capacity as Trustees or Trustee, and such
Trustees or Trustee shall not be personally liable thereon.
Section 3. Trustee's Good Faith Action, Expert Advice, No Bond
or Surety. The exercise by the Trustees of their powers hereunder shall be
binding upon everyone interested in or dealing with the Trust. A Trustee shall
be liable to the Trust and to any Shareholder solely for his or her own willful
misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties
involved in the conduct of the office of Trustee, and shall not be liable for
errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law. The Trustees may take advice of
counsel or other experts with respect to the meaning and operation of this
Declaration of Trust, and shall be under no liability for any act or omission in
accordance with such advice nor for failing to follow such advice. The Trustees
shall not be required to give any bond as such, nor any surety if a bond is
required.
Section 4. Insurance. The Trustees shall be entitled and
empowered to the fullest extent permitted by law to purchase with Trust assets
insurance for liability and for all expenses reasonably incurred or paid or
expected to be paid by a Trustee or officer in connection with any claim,
action, suit or proceeding in which he or she becomes involved by virtue of his
or her capacity or former capacity with the Trust, whether or not the Trust
would have the power to indemnify him or her against such liability under the
provisions of this Article.
ARTICLE VIII.
Miscellaneous
Section 1. Liability of Third Persons Dealing with Trustees.
No Person dealing with the Trustees shall be bound to make any inquiry
concerning the validity of any transaction made or to be made by the Trustees or
to see to the application of any payments made or property transferred to the
Trust or upon its order.
Section 2. Termination of Trust or Series. Unless terminated
as provided herein, the Trust shall continue without limitation of time. The
Trust may be terminated at any time by the Trustees upon 60 days prior written
notice to the Shareholders. Any Series may be terminated at any time by the
Trustees upon 60 days prior written notice to the Shareholders of that Series.
Upon termination of the Trust (or any Series, as the case may
be), after paying or otherwise providing for all charges, taxes, expenses and
liabilities held, severally, with respect to each Series (or the applicable
Series, as the case may be), whether due or accrued or anticipated as may be
determined by the Trustees, the Trust shall, in accordance with such procedures
as the Trustees consider appropriate, reduce the remaining assets held,
severally, with respect to each Series (or the applicable Series, as the case
may be), to distributable form in cash or shares or other securities, and any
combination thereof, and distribute the proceeds held with respect to each
Series (or the applicable Series, as the case may be), to the Shareholders of
that Series, as a Series, ratably according to the number of Shares of that
Series held by the several Shareholders on the date of termination.
Section 3. Merger and Consolidation. The Trustees may cause
(i) the Trust or one or more of its Series to the extent consistent with
applicable law to be merged into or consolidated with another Trust, series or
Person, (ii) the Shares of the Trust or any Series to be converted into
beneficial interests in another business trust (or series thereof), (iii) the
Shares to be exchanged for assets or property under or pursuant to any state or
federal statute to the extent permitted by law or (iv) a sale of assets of the
Trust or one or more of its Series. Such merger or consolidation, Share
conversion, Share exchange or sale of assets must be authorized by vote as
provided in Article V, Section 3 herein; provided that in all respects not
governed by statute or applicable law, the Trustees shall have power to
prescribe the procedure necessary or appropriate to accomplish a sale of assets,
Share exchange, merger or consolidation including the power to create one or
more separate business trusts to which all or any part of the assets,
liabilities, profits or losses of the Trust may be transferred and to provide
for the conversion of Shares of the Trust or any Series into beneficial
interests in such separate business trust or trusts (or series thereof).
Section 4. Amendments. This Declaration of Trust may be
restated and/or amended at any time by an instrument in writing signed by a
majority of the Trustees then holding office. Any such restatement and/or
amendment hereto shall be effective immediately upon execution and approval. The
Certificate of Trust of the Trust may be restated and/or amended by a similar
procedure, and any such restatement and/or amendment shall be effective
immediately upon filing with the Office of the Secretary of State of the State
of Delaware or upon such future date as may be stated therein.
Section 5. Filing of Copies, References, Headings. The
original or a copy of this instrument and of each restatement and/or amendment
hereto shall be kept at the office of the Trust where it may be inspected by any
Shareholder. Anyone dealing with the Trust may rely on a certificate by an
officer of the Trust as to whether or not any such restatements and/or
amendments have been made and as to any matters in connection with the Trust
hereunder; and, with the same effect as if it were the original, may rely on a
copy certified by an officer of the Trust to be a copy of this instrument or of
any such restatements and/or amendments. In this instrument and in any such
restatements and/or amendment, references to this instrument, and all
expressions like "herein," "hereof" and "hereunder," shall be deemed to refer to
this instrument as amended or affected by any such restatements and/or
amendments. Headings are placed herein for convenience of reference only and
shall not be taken as a part hereof or control or affect the meaning,
construction or effect of this instrument. Whenever the singular number is used
herein, the same shall include the plural; and the neuter, masculine and
feminine genders shall include each other, as applicable. This instrument may be
executed in any number of counterparts each of which shall be deemed an
original.
Section 6. Applicable Law. This Agreement and Declaration of
Trust is created under and is to be governed by and construed and administered
according to the laws of the State of Delaware and the Delaware Business Trust
Act, as amended from time to time (the "Act"). The Trust shall be a Delaware
business trust pursuant to such Act, and without limiting the provisions hereof,
the Trust may exercise all powers which are ordinarily exercised by such a
business trust.
Section 7. Provisions in Conflict with Law or Regulations.
(a) The provisions of the Declaration of Trust are severable,
and if the Trustees shall determine, with the advice of counsel, that any of
such provisions is in conflict with the 1940 Act, the regulated investment
company provisions of the Internal Revenue Code or with other applicable laws
and regulations, the conflicting provision shall be deemed never to have
constituted a part of the Declaration of Trust; provided, however, that such
determination shall not affect any of the remaining provisions of the
Declaration of Trust or render invalid or improper any action taken or omitted
prior to such determination.
(b) If any provision of the Declaration of Trust shall be held
invalid or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, such invalidity or
unenforceability shall attach only to such provision in such jurisdiction and
shall not in any manner affect such provision in any other jurisdiction or any
other provision of the Declaration of Trust in any jurisdiction.
Section 8. Business Trust Only. It is the intention of the
Trustees to create a business trust pursuant to the Act, and thereby to create
only the relationship of trustee and beneficial owners within the meaning of
such Act between the Trustees and each Shareholder. It is not the intention of
the Trustees to create a general partnership, limited partnership, joint stock
association, corporation, bailment, joint venture, or any form of legal
relationship other than a business trust pursuant to such Act. Nothing in this
Declaration of Trust shall be construed to make the Shareholders, either by
themselves or with the Trustees, partners or members of a joint stock
association.
Section 9. Use of the Name "The Vanguard Group, Inc.". The
name "The Vanguard Group, Inc." and any variants thereof and all rights to the
use of the name "The Vanguard Group, Inc." or any variants thereof shall be the
sole and exclusive property of The Vanguard Group, Inc. ("VGI"). VGI has
permitted the use by the Trust of the identifying word "Vanguard" and the use of
the name "Vanguard" as part of the name of the Trust and the name of any Series
of Shares. Upon the Trust's withdrawal from the Amended and Restated Funds'
Service Agreement among the Trust, the other investment companies within the
Vanguard Group of Investment Companies and VGI, and upon the written request of
VGI, the Trust and any Series of Shares thereof shall cease to use or in any way
to refer to itself as related to "The Vanguard Group, Inc." or any variant
thereof.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Trustees named below do hereby make
and enter into this Declaration of Trust as of the 23rd day of January, 1998.
Xxxx X. Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxx
R. Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
THE PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS OF THE TRUST IS
000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
Xxxxxxx, XX 00000
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ARTICLE I. Name and Definitions........................................... 1
Section 1. Name............................................ 1
Section 2. Definitions..................................... 1
(a) The Trust................................................ 1
(b) Trust Property........................................... 1
(c) Trustees................................................. 1
(d) Shares................................................... 2
(e) Shareholder.............................................. 2
(f) Person................................................... 2
(g) 1940 Act................................................. 2
(h) Commission and Principal Underwriter..................... 2
(i) Declaration of Trust..................................... 2
(j) By-Laws.................................................. 2
(k) Interested Person........................................ 2
(l) Investment Adviser....................................... 2
(m) Series................................................... 2
ARTICLE II. Purpose of Trust.............................................. 2
ARTICLE III. Shares....................................................... 3
Section 1. Division of Beneficial Interest................. 3
Section 2. Ownership of Shares............................. 3
Section 3. Investments in the Trust........................ 4
Section 4. Status of Shares and Limitation of Personal
Liability..................................... 4
Section 5. Power of Board of Trustees to Change
Provisions Relating to Shares................. 4
Section 6. Establishment and Designation of Shares......... 5
(a) Assets Held with Respect to a Particular Series.......... 5
(b) Liabilities Held with Respect to a
Particular Series..................... ............... 5
(c) Dividends, Distributions, Redemptions, and
Repurchases............................................ 6
(d) Voting................................................... 6
(e) Equality................................................. 6
(f) Fractions................................................ 7
(g) Exchange Privilege.................... .................. 7
(h) Combination of Series.................................... 7
(i) Elimination of Series.................................... 7
ARTICLE IV. The Board of Trustees......................... ............... 7
Section 1. Number, Election and Tenure..................... 7
Section 2. Effect of Death, Resignation, etc.
of a Trustee.................................. 8
Section 3. Powers.......................................... 8
Section 4. Payment of Expenses by the Trust................ 11
Section 5. Ownership of Assets of the Trust................ 12
Section 6. Service Contracts............................... 12
ARTICLE V. Shareholders' Voting Powers and Meetings....................... 13
Section 1. Voting Powers................................... 13
Section 2. Voting Power and Meetings....................... 14
Section 3. Quorum and Required Vote........................ 14
Section 4. Action by Written Consent....................... 14
Section 5. Record Dates.................................... 14
ARTICLE VI. Net Asset Value, Distributions, and Redemptions............... 15
Section 1. Determination of Net Asset Value, Net
Income, and Distributions..................... 15
Section 2. Redemptions and Repurchases..................... 15
Section 3. Redemptions at the Option of the Trust.......... 16
Section 4. Transfer of Shares.............................. 16
ARTICLE VII. Compensation and Limitation of Liability..................... 16
Section 1. Compensation of Trustees........................ 16
Section 2. Indemnification and Limitation of Liability..... 16
Section 3. Trustee's Good Faith Action, Expert
Advice, No Bond or Surety..................... 17
Section 4. Insurance....................................... 17
ARTICLE VIII. Miscellaneous............................................... 17
Section 1. Liability of Third Persons Dealing
with Trustees................................. 17
Section 2. Termination of Trust or Series.................. 18
Section 3. Merger and Consolidation.................... ... 18
Section 4. Amendments...................................... 18
Section 5. Filing of Copies, References, Headings.......... 19
Section 6. Applicable Law.................................. 19
Section 7. Provisions in Conflict with Law or Regulations.. 19
Section 8. Business Trust Only............................. 20
Section 9. Use of the Name "The Vanguard Group, Inc."...... 20
