INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
Exhibit 99.(d)(2)(H)
AGREEMENT dated this 29th day of December, 2023 by and among American Beacon Funds, a Massachusetts Business Trust (the “Trust”), American Beacon Advisors, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (the “Manager”), and Xxxxxxxx Investment Management Group, LLC (the “Adviser”);
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, consisting of several series (portfolios) of shares, each having its own investment policies; and
WHEREAS, the Trust has retained the Manager to provide the Trust with business and asset management services, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees; and
WHEREAS, the Trust’s agreement with the Manager permits the Manager to delegate to other parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the Manager desires to retain the Adviser to render investment management services to the Trust with respect to certain of its investment portfolios and such other investment portfolios as the Trust and the Adviser may agree upon and so specify in the Schedule(s) attached hereto (collectively the “Portfolios”) and as described in the Trust’s registration statement on Form N-1A as amended from time to time, and the Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. (a) Duties of the Adviser. The Manager employs the Adviser to manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion, if any, of the Portfolios’ assets as is designated by the Manager from time to time, and, with respect to such assets, to continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the Portfolios, to determine in the Adviser’s discretion the securities to be purchased or sold, to provide the Manager and the Trust with records concerning the Adviser’s activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to render regular reports to the Manager and to the Trust’s officers and Trustees concerning the Adviser’s discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the Manager’s oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to time establish, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and limitations for each such Portfolio set forth in the Trust’s current registration statement as amended from time to time and applicable laws and regulations. The Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for the compensation specified 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. (With respect to any of the Portfolio assets allocated for management by the Adviser, the Manager will make the investment decisions with respect to that portion of assets which the Adviser deems should be invested in short-term money market instruments. The Manager agrees to provide this service.) The Manager will instruct the Trust’s Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the Portfolios’ assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Adviser. (For this purpose, the term “Proper Instructions” shall have the meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its custodian(s).)
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The Adviser is authorized on behalf of the Portfolios, and consistent with the investment discretion delegated to the Adviser herein, to: (i) enter into agreements and execute any documents (e.g. any derivatives documentation such as exchange traded and over-the-counter, as applicable) required to meet the obligations of the Trust with respect to any investments made for the Portfolios. Such documentation includes but may not be limited to any market and/or industry standard documentation and the standard representations contained therein; and (ii) acknowledge the receipt of brokers’ risk disclosure statements, electronic trading disclosure statements and similar disclosures, provided, however, that (a) the Adviser shall be responsible for ensuring that any such representations are accurate and consistent with the relevant Portfolio’s investment policies and other governing documents; (b) the Adviser shall be responsible for providing all notifications and delivering all documents required to be provided or delivered by a Portfolio under such documentation; and (c) the Adviser shall immediately notify the Manager of any event of default, potential event of default or termination event affecting a Portfolio under such documentation. The Adviser further shall have the authority to instruct the custodian to: (i) pay cash for securities and other property delivered for the Portfolios, (ii) deliver or accept delivery of, upon receipt of payment or payment upon receipt of, securities, commodities or other property underlying any futures or options contracts, and other property purchased or sold for the Portfolios; (iii) deposit margin or collateral which shall include the transfer of money, securities or other property to the extent necessary to meet the obligations of the Portfolios with respect to any investments made pursuant to the Trust’s registration statement, provided, however, that unless otherwise approved by the Manager, any such deposit margin or collateral shall be effected by transfer or segregation within an account maintained for the Portfolios by its custodian subject to a control agreement, acceptable in form and substance to the Manager, pursuant to which such custodian agrees and accepts entitlement, orders or instructions from the secured party with respect to such margin or collateral. The Adviser shall not have the authority to cause the Manager or the Trust to deliver securities or other property, or pay cash to the Adviser other than payment of the management fee provided for in this Agreement. The Adviser will not be responsible for the cost of securities or brokerage commissions or any other Trust expenses except as specified in this Agreement.
(b) Valuation. In accordance with procedures and methods established by the Board, which may be amended from time to time, the Adviser will provide assistance to the Manager in determining the fair value of all securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios, and use reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of valuation information or prices from parties independent of the Adviser with respect to the securities or other investments owned by the Portfolios for which market prices are not readily available. The Adviser will monitor the securities and other investments owned by the Portfolios for potential significant events that could affect their values and notify the Manager when, in its opinion, a significant event has occurred that may not be reflected in the market values of such securities.
(c) Compliance Matters. The Adviser, at its expense, will provide the Manager with such compliance reports and certifications relating to its duties under this Agreement and the federal securities laws as may be agreed upon by such parties from time to time. The Adviser also shall: (i) cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Manager, the Trust’s administrator, custodian, transfer agent and pricing agents and all other agents and representatives of the
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Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (ii) keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Portfolios, the Trust and the Manager; (iii) provide prompt responses to reasonable requests made by such persons; and (iv) maintain any appropriate interfaces with each so as to promote the efficient exchange of information. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Adviser shall comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements relating to derivatives transactions entered into by the Adviser for or on behalf of the Trust or any of its Portfolios.
2. Portfolio Transactions. The Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers (including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the Portfolios and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain best execution as described in the Trust’s current registration statement as amended from time to time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Adviser may give consideration to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services and market information. Any such services or information which the Adviser receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the benefit of other clients and customers of the Adviser or any of its affiliates. The Adviser will promptly communicate to the Manager and to the officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to portfolio transactions as they may reasonably request. The Adviser shall not, without the prior approval of the Manager, effect any transactions which would cause the portion of the Portfolio’s assets designated to the Adviser to be out of compliance with any restrictions or policies of the Portfolio established by the Manager or set forth in the Portfolio’s registration statement. The Adviser shall not consult with any other investment sub-adviser of the Portfolio concerning transactions for the Portfolio in securities or other assets.
3. Voting Rights. Unless otherwise directed by the Manager, the Adviser shall receive and automatically exercise the voting rights with respect to any and all proxies regarding the assets in the Portfolios in the best interest of Portfolio shareholders and in accordance with the Adviser’s then current proxy voting policy and procedures, a copy of which has been provided to the Manager. The Adviser shall report to the Manager in a timely manner a record of all proxies voted, in such form and format that complies with acceptable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., requirements of Form N-PX). The Adviser shall certify at least annually, or more often as may reasonably be requested by the Manager, as to the compliance of its proxy voting policies and procedures with applicable federal statutes and regulations.
4. Compensation of the Adviser. For the services to be rendered by the Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Trust shall pay to the Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule(s) attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be paid to the Adviser monthly in arrears, and the Trust shall calculate the fee by applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule(s) to the average daily assets of the specified Portfolios during the relevant month. Solely for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are specified in said Schedule(s). The Trust is solely responsible for the payment of fees to the Adviser.
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Where the Adviser provides investment advisory services to the Trust or the Manager and also to any other registered investment company with substantially the same investment strategy as the Adviser provides to the Trust or the Manager under an asset based fee arrangement (i.e., not a performance fee arrangement):
(1) The Adviser agrees that the blended basis point fee contracted with any other registered investment company client will not be less than the blended basis point fee contracted hereunder in substantially the same strategy in situations where the total assets of the other registered investment company in substantially the same strategy with the Adviser are the same or less than the assets designated hereunder; and
(2) The Adviser agrees that the actual annual dollar fee paid by any other registered investment company client will not be less than the actual annual dollar fee paid hereunder in substantially the same strategy where the total assets of the other investment company in substantially the same strategy with the Adviser are the same or more than the assets designated hereunder.
In the event that the fee charged hereunder exceeds the fee charged to a registered investment company client in substantially the same strategy described in (1) or (2) above, the fee charged hereunder shall automatically be reduced to match the fee charged to such other registered investment company account in substantially the same strategy from the time such fee is charged to such other account.
This Section 4 shall not apply to accounts of private investment companies which the Adviser advises or sub-advises which are unregistered with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to an exemption as contained in Section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act.
5. Other Services. At the request of the Trust or the Manager, the Adviser in its discretion may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall be provided for or rendered by the Adviser and billed to the Trust or the Manager at a price to be agreed upon by the Adviser and the Trust or the Manager.
6. Reports. The Manager (on behalf of the Trust) and the 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.
7. Status of Adviser. The 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 Manager or the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Manager or the Trust.
8. Certain Records. Subject to the Adviser’s recordkeeping obligations under Rule 204-2 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or the Derivatives Recordkeeping and Reporting Rules that are prepared or maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Manager or the Trust are the property of the Manager or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the Manager or Trust on request.
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9. Liability of Adviser. The Adviser shall have no liability to the Trust, its shareholders or any third party arising out of or related to this Agreement except with respect to claims which occur due to any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations under this Agreement.
10. Permissible Interests. To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders of the Trust are or may be interested in the Adviser (or any successor thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise; directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Adviser are or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and the 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.
11. Duration and Termination. This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall continue for two years after its initial approval as to each Portfolio and thereafter for periods of one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at least annually (a) 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, and (b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Portfolio; provided, however, that if the shareholders of any Portfolio fail to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Adviser may continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of this Agreement be “specifically approved at least annually” shall be construed in a manner consistent with the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated as to any Portfolio at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Manager, by vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Portfolio on not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days written notice to the Adviser, or by the Adviser at any time without the payment of any penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has previously designated another address.
As used in this Section 11, 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 Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
12. Severability. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid by a court decision, statute, rule or otherwise, the remainder of this Agreement shall not be affected thereby.
13. Amendments. This Agreement may be amended by mutual consent, subject to approval by the Board and the Portfolios’ shareholders to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
14. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Texas.
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15. Trust and Shareholder Liability. The Adviser is hereby expressly put on notice of the limitation of shareholder liability as set forth in the Declaration of Trust and agrees that obligations assumed by the Trust pursuant to this Agreement shall be limited in all cases to the Trust and its assets, and if the liability relates to one or more Portfolio, the obligations hereunder shall be limited to the respective assets of that Portfolio. The Adviser further agrees that they shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from the shareholders or any individual shareholder of the Portfolio, nor from the Trustees or any individual Trustee of the Trust.
A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
16. Notices. Any notices required to be given hereunder may be delivered by hand, deposited with a nationally recognized overnight carrier, or mailed by certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, in each case, to the address of the other party listed below (or such other address as may be furnished by a party in accordance with this paragraph). All such notices or communications shall be deemed to have been given and received (a) in the case of personal delivery, on the date of such delivery, (b) in the case of delivery by a nationally recognized overnight carrier, the earlier of (i) the date of receipt or (ii) the third business day following dispatch and (c) in the case of mailing, on the seventh business day following such mailing. All such notices shall be delivered to:
| A. | If to the Trust: |
000 Xxxx Xxx Xxxxxxx Xxxx.
Suite 1200
Irving, TX 75039
Attention: Chief Legal Officer
| B. | If to the Manager: |
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
000 Xxxx Xxx Xxxxxxx Xxxx.
Suite 1200
Irving, TX 75039
Attention: Chief Investment Officer
with a copy to General Counsel at the same address.
| C. | If to the Adviser: |
Xxxxxxxx Investment Management Group, LLC
000 Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Little Rock, AR 72201
Attention: President
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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.
| Xxxxxxxx Investment Management Group, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | |||
| By: | /s/ X. Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx | By: | /s/ Xxxx X. Xxxxxxx | |
| Name: | X. Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx | Xxxx X. Xxxxxxx | ||
| Title: | President | Senior Vice President | ||
| American Beacon Funds | ||||
| By: | /s/ Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx | |||
| Name: | Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx | |||
| Title: | President | |||
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Schedule A
To the
Among
American Beacon Advisors, Inc.
and
Xxxxxxxx Investment Management Group, LLC
American Beacon Funds (the “Trust”) shall pay compensation to Xxxxxxxx Investment Management Group, LLC (the “Adviser”) pursuant to Section 4 of the Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, American Beacon Advisors, Inc. and the Adviser for rendering investment management services with respect to the American Beacon Xxxxxxxx Mid-Cap Growth Fund and the American Beacon Xxxxxxxx Small Cap Growth Fund in accordance with the following annual percentage rates for assets under Adviser’s management:
American Beacon Xxxxxxxx Small Cap Growth Fund
| First $200 million in assets | [ ] of 1% |
| Over $200 million in assets | [ ] of 1% |
American Beacon Xxxxxxxx Mid-Cap Growth Fund
| All assets | [ ] of 1% |
If the management of the accounts commences or terminates at any time other than the beginning or end of a calendar month, the fees shall be prorated based on the portion of such calendar month during which the Agreement was in force.
Dated: as of December 29, 2023
| Xxxxxxxx Investment Management Group, LLC | American Beacon Advisors, Inc. | |||
| By: | /s/ X. Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx | By: | /s/ Xxxx X. Xxxxxxx | |
| Name: | X. Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx | Xxxx X. Xxxxxxx | ||
| Title: | President | Senior Vice President | ||
| American Beacon Funds | ||||
| By: | /s/ Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx | |||
| Name: | Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx | |||
| Title: | President | |||
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