FORM OF
Exhibit 23(d)(2)
FORM OF
INVESTMENT COMPANY
AGREEMENT made as of the 29th day of August, 2006, by and among Equipointe Funds, a Delaware business trust, with its principal office and place of business at , (the "Trust"); Summit Wealth Management Inc., a Delaware corporation, with its principal of office and place of business at 000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Xxxx, Xxxxx 000, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx 00000 (the "Adviser") and Seleznov Capital Advisors, LLC, a Delaware Limited Liability Company, with its principal office and place of business at 0000 X. Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxx., Xxxxx 000, Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx 00000 (the "Sub-Adviser").
WHEREAS, Adviser has entered into an Investment Advisory Agreement dated the 29th day of August, 2006 ("Advisory Agreement") with the Trust;
WHEREAS, the Trust is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, (the "1940 Act"), as an open-end, management investment company and may issue its shares of beneficial interest, no par value (the "Shares"), in separate series;
WHEREAS, pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, and subject to the direction and control of the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the "Board"), the Adviser acts as investment adviser for each series of the Trust listed on Appendix hereto (each, a "Fund" and, collectively, the "Funds");
WHEREAS, the Trust and Adviser desire to retain the Sub-Adviser to perform investment advisory services for the Equipointe Growth and Income Fund (“Growth and Income Fund”) and Sub-Adviser is willing to provide those services on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement;
NOW THEREFORE, for and in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements contained herein, the Trust, the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser hereby agree as follows:
SECTION 1. APPOINTMENT; DELIVERY OF DOCUMENTS
(a) The Trust and the Adviser hereby employ Sub-Adviser, subject to the direction and control of the Board, to manage the investment and reinvestment of the assets in the Growth and Income Fund and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, to provide other services as specified herein. The Sub-Adviser accepts this employment and agrees to render its services for the compensation set forth herein.
(b) In connection therewith, the Trust has delivered to the Sub-Adviser copies of (i) the Trust's Trust Instrument and Bylaws (collectively, as amended from time to time, "Organic Documents"), (ii) the Trust's Registration Statement, all exhibits thereto, and all amendments thereto filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or the 1940 Act (the "Registration Statement"), (iii) the Trust's current Prospectuses and Statements of Additional Information for the Growth and Income Fund (collectively, as currently in effect and as amended or supplemented, the "Prospectus"), and (iv) all procedures adopted by the Trust with respect to the Fund (e.g., repurchase agreement procedures), and shall promptly furnish the Adviser with all amendments of or supplements to the foregoing. The Trust shall deliver to the Sub-Adviser (x) a certified copy of the resolution of the Board appointing the Sub-Adviser and authorizing the execution and delivery of this Agreement, (y) a copy of all proxy statements and related materials relating to the Fund, and (z) any other documents, materials or information that the Sub-Adviser shall reasonably request to enable it to perform its duties pursuant to this Agreement.
(c) The Sub-Adviser has delivered to the Adviser and the Trust (i) a copy of its Form ADV as most recently filed with the SEC, (ii) a copy of its code of ethics complying with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act (the "Code") and its Policies and Procedures Manual along with a certification of the Sub-Adviser’s Chief Compliance Officer in form and substance satisfactory to Adviser. The Sub-Adviser shall promptly furnish the Adviser and Trust with all amendments of or supplements to the foregoing at least annually.
SECTION 2. DUTIES OF THE TRUST AND ADVISER
(a) In order for the Sub-Adviser to perform the services required by this Agreement, the Trust and the Adviser (i) shall, cause all service providers to the Trust to furnish information relating to the Growth and Income Fund to the Sub-Adviser and assist the Sub-Adviser as may be required and (ii) shall ensure that the Sub-Adviser has reasonable access to all records and documents maintained by the Trust, or any service provider to the Trust.
(b) In order for the Sub-Adviser to perform the services required by this Agreement, the Adviser shall deliver to the Sub-Adviser all material it provides to the Board in accordance with the Advisory Agreement.
SECTION 3. DUTIES OF THE SUB-ADVISER
(a) The Sub-Adviser will make decisions with respect to all purchases and sales of securities and other investment assets in the Growth and Income Fund to the extent such authority is delegated by the Adviser. To carry out such decisions, the Sub-Adviser is hereby authorized, as agent and attorney-in-fact for the Trust, for the account of, at the risk of and in the name of the Trust, to place orders and issue instructions with respect to those transactions of Growth and Income Fund. In all purchases, sales and other transactions in securities and other investments for the Growth and Income Fund, the Sub-Adviser is authorized to exercise full discretion and act for the Trust in the same manner and with the same force and effect as the Trust might or could do with respect to such purchases, sales or other transactions, as well as with respect to all other things necessary or incidental to the furtherance or conduct of such purchases, sales or other transactions.
Consistent with Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Sub-Adviser may allocate brokerage on behalf of Growth and Income Fund to broker-dealers who provide research services. The Sub-Adviser may aggregate sales and purchase orders of the assets of the Growth and Income Fund with similar orders being made simultaneously for other accounts advised by the Sub-Adviser or its affiliates. Whenever the Sub-Adviser simultaneously places orders to purchase or sell the same asset on behalf of the Growth and Income Fund and one or more other accounts advised by the Sub-Adviser, the orders will be allocated as to price and amount among all such accounts in a manner believed to be equitable over time to each account.
(b) The Sub-Adviser will report to the Board at each meeting thereof as requested by the Adviser or the Board all material changes in the Growth and Income Fund since the prior report, and will also keep the Board informed of important developments affecting the Trust, the Fund and the Sub-Adviser, and on its own initiative, will furnish the Board from time to time with such information as the Sub-Adviser may believe appropriate for this purpose, whether concerning the individual companies whose securities are included in the Funds' holdings, the industries in which they engage, the economic, social or political conditions prevailing in each country in which the Fund maintain investments, or otherwise. The Sub-Adviser will also furnish the Board with such statistical and analytical information with respect to investments of the Fund as the Sub-Adviser may believe appropriate or as the Board reasonably may request. In making purchases and sales of securities and other investment assets for the Fund, the Sub-Adviser will bear in mind the policies set from time to time by the Board as well as the limitations imposed by the Organic Documents and Registration Statement, the limitations in the 1940 Act, the Securities Act, the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and other applicable laws and the investment objectives, policies and restrictions of the Fund.
(c) The Sub-Adviser will from time to time employ or associate with such persons as the Sub-Adviser believes to be particularly fitted to assist in the execution of the Sub-Adviser's duties hereunder, the cost of performance of such duties to be borne and paid by the Sub-Adviser. No obligation may be incurred on the Trust's or Adviser's behalf in any such respect.
(d) The Sub-Adviser will report to the Board all material matters related to the Sub-Adviser. On an annual basis, the Sub-Adviser shall report on its compliance with its Code to the Adviser and to the Board and upon the written request of the Adviser or the Trust, the Sub-Adviser shall permit the Adviser and the Trust, or their respective representatives to examine the reports required to be made to the Sub-Adviser under the Code. The Sub-Adviser will notify the Adviser and the Trust of any change of control of the Sub-Adviser and any changes in the key personnel who are either the portfolio manager(s) of the Fund or senior management of the Sub-Adviser, in each case prior to or promptly after such change.
(e) The Sub-Adviser will maintain records relating to its portfolio transactions and placing and allocation of brokerage orders as are required to be maintained by the Trust under the 1940 Act. The Sub-Adviser shall prepare and maintain, or cause to be prepared and maintained, in such form, for such periods and in such locations as may be required by applicable law, all documents and records relating to the services provided by the Sub-Adviser pursuant to this Agreement required to be prepared and maintained by the Sub-Adviser or the Trust pursuant to applicable law. To the extent required by law, the books and records pertaining to the Trust which are in possession of the Sub-Adviser shall be the property of the Trust. The Adviser and the Trust, or their respective representatives, shall have access to such books and records at all times during the Sub-Adviser's normal business hours. Upon the reasonable request of the Adviser or the Trust, copies of any such books and records shall be provided promptly by the Sub-Adviser to the Adviser and the Trust, or their respective representatives.
(f) The Sub-Adviser will cooperate with the Fund's independent public accountants and shall take reasonable action to make all necessary information available to the accountants for the performance of the accountants' duties.
(g) The Sub-Adviser will provide the Funds' custodian and fund accountant on each business day with such information relating to all transactions concerning the Funds' assets under the Sub-Adviser's control as the custodian and fund accountant may reasonably require. In accordance with procedures adopted by the Board, the Sub-Adviser is responsible for assisting in the fair valuation of all Fund assets and will use its reasonable efforts to arrange for the provision of prices or values from parties who are not affiliated persons of the Sub-Adviser for each asset for which the Funds' fund accountant does not obtain prices in the ordinary course of business.
SECTION 4. COMPENSATION; EXPENSES
(a) In consideration of the foregoing, the Adviser shall pay the Sub-Adviser, with respect to the Growth and Income Fund, a fee at an annual rate as listed in Appendix A hereto. Such fees shall be accrued by the Adviser daily and shall be payable monthly in arrears on the first day of each calendar month for services performed hereunder during the prior calendar month. If fees begin to accrue in the middle of a month or if this Agreement terminates before the end of any month, all fees for the period from that date to the end of that month or from the beginning of that month to the date of termination, as the case may be, shall be prorated according to the proportion that the period bears to the full month in which the effectiveness or termination occurs. Upon the termination of this Agreement with respect to a Fund, the Adviser shall pay to the Sub-Adviser such compensation as shall be payable prior to the effective date of termination.
(b) The Sub-Adviser may agree to waive all or part of its fees by separate agreement.
(c) No fee shall be payable hereunder with respect to the Fund during any period in which the Fund invests all (or substantially all) of its investment assets in a registered, open-end, management investment company, or separate series thereof, in accordance with Section 12(d)(1)(E) under the 1940 Act.
SECTION 5. STANDARD OF CARE
(a) The Trust and Adviser shall expect of the Sub-Adviser, and the Sub-Adviser will give the Trust and Adviser the benefit of, the Sub-Adviser's best judgment and efforts in rendering its services hereunder. The Sub-Adviser shall not be liable to the Adviser or the Trust hereunder for any mistake of judgment or in any event whatsoever, except for lack of good faith, provided that nothing herein shall be deemed to protect, or purport to protect, the Sub-Adviser against any liability to the Adviser or the Trust to which the Sub-Adviser would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of the Sub-Adviser's duties hereunder, or by reason of the Sub-Adviser's reckless disregard of its obligations and duties hereunder.
(b) The Sub-Adviser shall not be liable to the Adviser or the Trust for any action taken or failure to act in good faith reliance upon: (i) information, instructions or requests, whether oral or written, with respect to the Fund that the Sub-Adviser reasonably believes were made by a duly authorized officer of the Adviser or the Trust, (ii) the advice of counsel to the Trust, and (iii) any written instruction or certified copy of any resolution of the Board.
(c) The Sub-Adviser shall not be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in performance of its obligations under this Agreement arising out of or caused, directly or indirectly, by circumstances beyond its reasonable control including, without limitation, acts of civil or military authority, national emergencies, labor difficulties (other than those related to the Sub-Adviser's employees), fire, mechanical breakdowns, flood or catastrophe, acts of God, insurrection, war, riots or failure of the mails, transportation, communication or power supply.
SECTION 6. EFFECTIVENESS, DURATION AND TERMINATION
(a) This Agreement shall become effective with respect to the Growth and Income Fund immediately upon the later of approval by a majority of the Trust's trustees who are not parties to this Agreement or interested persons of any such party (other than as trustees of the Trust) and, if required by applicable law, by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund.
(b) This Agreement shall remain in effect with respect to a Fund for a period of two years from the date of its effectiveness and shall continue in effect for successive annual periods with respect to the Fund; provided that such continuance is specifically approved at least annually (i) by the Board or by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, and, in either case, (ii) by a majority of the Trust's trustees who are not parties to this Agreement or interested persons of any such party (other than as trustees of the Trust); provided further, however, that if the continuation of this Agreement is not approved as to a Fund, the Sub-Adviser may continue to render to that Fund the services described herein in the manner and to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.
(c) This Agreement may be terminated with respect to the Growth and Income Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty, (i) by the Board, by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund or by the Adviser on 60 days' written notice to the Sub-Adviser or (ii) by the Sub-Adviser on 60 days' written notice to the Trust. This Agreement shall terminate immediately (x) upon its assignment or (y) upon termination of the Advisory Agreement.
SECTION 7. ACTIVITIES OF THE SUB-ADVISER
Except to the extent necessary to perform its obligations hereunder, nothing herein shall be deemed to limit or restrict the Sub-Adviser's right, or the right of any of the Sub-Adviser's directors, officers or employees to engage in any other business or to devote time and attention to the management or other aspects of any other business, whether of a similar or dissimilar nature, or to render services of any kind to any other corporation, trust, firm, individual or association.
SECTION 8. REPRESENTATIONS OF SUB-ADVISER
The Sub-Adviser represents and warrants that (i) it is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended ("Advisers Act") (and will continue to be so registered for so long as this Agreement remains in effect) (ii) is not prohibited by the 1940 Act or the Advisers Act from performing the services contemplated by this Agreement, (iii) has met, and will seek to continue to meet for so long as this Agreement remains in effect, any other applicable federal or state requirements, or the applicable requirements of any self-regulatory agency, necessary to be met in order to perform the services contemplated by this Agreement, and (iv) will promptly notify the Adviser and the Trust of the occurrence of any event that would disqualify the Sub-Adviser from serving as an investment adviser of an investment company pursuant to Section 9(a) of the 1940 Act or otherwise.
SECTION 9. LIMITATION OF SHAREHOLDER AND TRUSTEE LIABILITY
The Trustees of the Trust and the shareholders of the Growth and Income Fund shall not be liable for any obligations of the Trust or of the Fund under this Agreement, and the Sub-Adviser agrees that, in asserting any rights or claims under this Agreement, it shall look only to the assets and property of the Trust or the Fund to which the Sub-Adviser's rights or claims relate in settlement of such rights or claims, and not to the Trustees of the Trust or the shareholders of the Funds.
SECTION 10. MISCELLANEOUS
(a) No provisions of this Agreement may be amended or modified in any manner except by a written agreement properly authorized and executed by all parties hereto and approved by the Trust in the manner set forth in Section 6(b) hereof.
(b) Neither party to this Agreement shall be liable to any other party for consequential damages under any provision of this Agreement.
(c) This Agreement shall be governed by, and the provisions of this Agreement shall be construed and interpreted under and in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware.
(d) This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties hereto and supersedes any prior agreement with respect to the subject matter hereof, whether oral or written.
(e) This Agreement may be executed by the parties hereto on any number of counterparts, and all of the counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument.
(f) If any part, term or provision of this Agreement is held to be illegal, in conflict with any law or otherwise invalid, the remaining portion or portions shall be considered severable and not be affected, and the rights and obligations of the parties shall be construed and enforced as if the Agreement did not contain the particular part, term or provision held to be illegal or invalid.
(g) Section headings in this Agreement are included for convenience only and are not to be used to construe or interpret this Agreement.
(h) Notices, requests, instructions and communications received by the parties at their respective principal places of business, or at such other address as a party may have designated in writing, shall be deemed to have been properly given.
(j) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the parties agree that the assets and liabilities of the Growth and Income Fund are separate and distinct from the assets and liabilities of any other series of the Trust and that no Fund or other series of the Trust shall be liable or shall be charged for any debt, obligation or liability of any other Fund or series, whether arising under this Agreement or otherwise.
(j) No affiliated person, employee, agent, director, officer or manager of the Sub-Adviser shall be liable at law or in equity for the Sub-Adviser's obligations under this Agreement.
(k) The terms "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities", "interested person", "affiliated person," "control" and "assignment" shall have the meanings ascribed thereto in the 1940 Act.
(l) Each of the undersigned warrants and represents that they have full power and authority to sign this Agreement on behalf of the party indicated and that their signature will bind the party indicated to the terms hereof and each party hereto warrants and represents that this Agreement, when executed and delivered, will constitute a legal, valid and binding obligation of the party, enforceable against the party in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting the rights and remedies of creditors and secured parties.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed all as of the day and year first above written.
Equipointe Funds (“Trust”)
A Delaware Business Trust
By:
Name
Title
Summit Wealth Management, Inc. (“Adviser”)
A Delaware Corporation
By:
Name
Title
Seleznov Capital Advisors, LLC (“Sub-Adviser”).
A Delaware Limited Liability Company
By:
Name
Title
Page
INVESTMENT COMPANY
Appendix A
Equipointe Growth and Income Fund | Average Daily Net Assets of the Fund |
From August 29, 2006 until September 30, 2006 | 25 basis points of Assets Under Management |
From October 1, 2006 until December 31, 2006 | 30 basis points of Assets Under Management |
From January 1, 2007 until December 31, 2007 | 30 basis points of Assets Under Management provided that if the total amount of fees received for this time period is less than $85,000 then the Adviser shall pay the difference to the Sub-Adviser by February 1, 2008. For example, if the Sub-Adviser has received $70,000 in fees for the time period, an additional payment of $15,000 shall be made. |
From January 1, 2008 until the contract renewal date | The greater of (i) 30 basis points of Assets Under Management or (ii) a daily fee proration amount of $232.88 per day. |
