EXHIBIT 5(D) NORTHSTAR VARIABLE TRUST
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
As Amended April 24, 1997
AGREEMENT made this 2nd day of May, 1994 by and between NORTHSTAR/NWNL
TRUST, a Massachusetts business trust, (the "Trust") and NORTHSTAR INVESTMENT
MANAGEMENT CORP., a Delaware business corporation (the "Adviser").
The Trust is an open-end management investment company registered under
the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Investment Company Act"),
consisting of five separate diversified series, Northstar Growth Fund, Northstar
High Yield Bond Fund, Northstar Multi-Sector Bond Fund, Northstar Income and
Growth Fund, and Northstar International Value Fund (each a "Fund" and
collectively the "Funds").
The Trust desires to retain the Adviser to render investment advisory
services to the Funds, and the Adviser is willing to render such investment
advisory on the terms set forth below.
The parties agree as follows:
1. The Trust hereby appoints the Adviser to act as investment adviser
to the Trust and the Funds for the period and on the terms set forth in this
Agreement. The Adviser accepts such appointment and agrees to render the
services described, for the compensation provided, in this Agreement.
2. Subject to the supervision of the Trustees, the Adviser shall manage
the investment operations of the Funds and the composition of each Fund's
portfolio, including the purchase and retention and disposition of portfolio
securities, in accordance with each Fund's investment objectives, policies and
restrictions as stated in the Trust's Prospectus and Statement of Additional
Information (as defined below) subject to the following understandings:
(a) The Adviser shall provide supervision of each Fund's investments
and determine from time to time what investments will be made, held or disposed
of or what securities will be purchased and retained, sold or loaned by each
Fund, and what portion of the assets will be invested or held uninvested as
cash.
(b) The Adviser shall use its best judgment in the performance of its
duties under this Agreement.
(c) The Adviser, in the performance of its duties and obligations under
this Agreement, shall (i) act in conformity with the Declaration of Trust,
By-Laws, Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information of the Trust, with
the instructions and directions of the Trustees and (ii) conform to and comply
with the requirements of the Investment Company Act and all other applicable
federal and state laws and regulations.
(d) (i) The Adviser shall determine the securities to be purchased or
sold by each Fund and will place orders pursuant to its determinations with or
through such persons, brokers or dealers to carry out the policy with respect to
brokerage as set forth in the Trust's Prospectus and Statement of Additional
Information or as the Trustees may direct from time to time. In providing each
Fund with investment supervision, the Adviser will give primary consideration to
securing the most favorable price and efficient execution. The Adviser may also
consider the financial responsibility, research and investment information and
other services and research related products provided by brokers or dealers who
may effect or be a party to any such transactions or other transactions to which
other clients of the Adviser may be a party. The Funds recognize that the
services and
research related products provided by such brokers may be useful to the Adviser
in connection with its services to other clients.
(ii) When the Adviser deems the purchase or sale of a security
to be in the best interest of a Fund as well as other clients, the Adviser, to
the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, may aggregate the
securities to be sold or purchased in order to obtain the most favorable price
or lower brokerage commissions and efficient execution. In such event,
allocation of the securities so purchased or sold, as well as the expenses
incurred in the transactions, will be made by the Adviser in the manner it
considers to be the most equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations
to each Fund and to such other clients.
(e) The Adviser shall maintain, or cause to be maintained, all books
and records required under the Investment Company Act to the extent not
maintained by the custodian of the Trust. The Adviser shall render to the
Trustees such periodic and special reports as the Trustees may reasonably
request.
(f) The Adviser shall provide the Trust's custodian on each business
day information relating to all transactions concerning each Fund's assets.
(g) The investment management services of the Adviser to the Trust and
to each Fund under this Agreement are not to be deemed exclusive, and the
Adviser shall be free to render similar services to others.
3. The Trust has delivered to the Adviser copies of each of the
following documents and will deliver to it all future amendments and
supplements, if any:
(a) Declaration of Trust, as amended, as filed with the Secretary of
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (such Declaration of Trust, as in effect on
the date hereof and as further amended from time to time, are herein called the
"Declaration of Trust");
(b) By-Laws of the Trust (such By-Laws, as in effect on the date hereof
and as amended from time to time, are herein called the "By-Laws");
(c) Certified resolutions of the Trustees authorizing the appointment
of the Adviser and approving this Agreement on behalf of the Trust and each
Fund;
(d) Registration Statement on Form N-lA under the Investment Company
Act and the Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time (the
"Registration Statement"), as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(the "Commission"), relating to the Trust and shares of beneficial interest of
each Fund and all amendments thereto.
(e) Notification of Registration of the Trust under the Investment
Company Act on Form N-8A as filed with the Commission and all amendments
thereto;
(f) Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information included in the
Registration Statement, as amended from time to time. All references to this
Agreement, the Prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information shall be
to such documents as most recently amended or supplemented and in effect.
4. The Adviser shall authorize and permit any of its directors,
officers and employees who may be elected as trustees or officers of the Trust
and/ or the Funds to serve in the capacities in which they are elected. All
services to be furnished by the Adviser under this Agreement may be furnished
through such directors, officers or employees of the Adviser.
5. The Adviser agrees that all records which it maintains for the Trust
and/or the Funds are property of the Trust and/or the Funds. The Adviser will
surrender promptly to the Trust and/or the Funds any such records upon either
the Trust's or the Fund's request. The Adviser further agrees to preserve such
records for the periods prescribed in Rule 3la-2 of the Commission under the
Investment Company Act.
6. (i) In connection with the services rendered by the Adviser under
this Agreement, the Adviser will pay all of the following expenses:
(a) the salaries and expenses of all personnel of the Trust, the Funds and
the Adviser required to perform the services to be provided pursuant to
this Agreement, except the fees of the trustees who are not affiliated
persons of the Adviser, and
(b) all expenses incurred by the Adviser, the Trust or by the Funds in
connection the performance of the Adviser's responsibilities hereunder,
other than brokers' commissions and any issue or transfer taxes
chargeable to each respective Fund in connection with its securities
transactions.
7. For the services provided and the expenses assumed pursuant to this
Agreement, each Fund, other than the Northstar International Value Fund, will
pay to the Adviser as compensation a fee accrued daily and paid monthly at the
annual rate of .75% of the first $250,000,000 of aggregate average daily net
assets of each Fund; .70% of the next $250,000,000 of such assets; .65% of the
next $250,000,000 of such assets; .60% on the next $250,000,000 of such asset
and .55% on the remaining aggregate daily net assets of the Fund in excess of
$l,000,000,000. The Northstar International Value Fund will pay to the Adviser
as compensation a fee accrued daily and paid monthly at the annual rate of 1.00%
of aggregate average daily net assets of the Fund.
8. The Adviser may rely on information reasonably believed by it to be
accurate and reliable. Neither the Adviser nor its officers, directors,
employees or agents or controlling persons shall be liable for any error or
judgment or mistake of law, or for any loss suffered by the Trust and/or a Fund
in connection with or arising out of the matters to which this Agreement
relates, except a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross
negligence on the part of the Adviser in the performance of its duties or from
reckless disregard by it of its obligations and duties under this Agreement.
9. This Agreement shall continue in effect for a period of two years
from the date hereof and shall continue in effect thereafter for so long as such
continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the affirmative vote
of (i) a majority of the Trustees of the Trust acting separately on behalf of
each Fund, who are not interested persons of the Trust, cast in person at a
meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval, and (ii) a majority
of the Trustees of the Trust or the holders of a majority of the outstanding
voting securities of each respective Fund; provided however, that this Agreement
may be terminated by the Trust, on behalf of a Fund at any time, without the
payment of any penalty, by the Trustees acting on behalf of a Fund or by vote of
a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the Investment
Company Act) of a Fund, or by the Adviser at any time, without the payment of
any penalty, on not more than 60 days' nor less than 30 days' written notice to
the other party. This Agreement shall terminate automatically in the event of
its assignment provided that a transaction which does not, under the Investment
Company Act, result in a change of actual control or management of the Adviser's
business shall not be deemed to be an assignment for the purposes of this
Agreement.
10. This agreement shall terminate automatically in the event of its
assignment; the term "assignment" for this purpose shall have the meaning
defined in Section 2(a)(4) of the Investment Company Act of 1940.
11. Nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict the right of any
director, officer or employee of the Adviser who may also be a trustee, officer
or employee of the Trust and/or the Funds to engage in any other business or to
devote his time and attention in part to the management or other aspect of any
business, whether of a similar or dissimilar nature, nor limit or restrict the
right of the Adviser to engage in any other business or to render services of
any kind to any other person or entity.
12. During the term of this Agreement, the Trust and each Fund agrees
to furnish the Adviser at its principal office all prospectuses, proxy
statements, reports to shareholders, sales literature, or other material
prepared for distribution to shareholders of each Fund or the public, which
refer in any way to the Adviser, prior to use thereof and not to use such
material if the Adviser reasonably objects in writing within five business days
(or such other time as may be mutually agreed) after receipt. In the event of
termination of the Agreement, the Trust and/or each Fund will continue to
furnish to the Adviser such other information relating to the business affairs
of the Trust and/or each Fund as the Adviser at any time, or from time to time,
reasonably requests in order to discharge its obligations hereunder.
13. This Agreement may be amended by mutual agreement, but only after
authorization of such amendments by the affirmative vote of (i) the holders of
the majority of the outstanding voting securities of each Fund and ( ii) a
majority of the members of the Trustees who are not interested persons of the
Trust or the Adviser, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of
voting on such approval.
14. The Adviser, the Trust and the Funds each agree that the name
"Northstar" is proprietary to, and a property right of, the Adviser. The Trusts
and the Funds agree and consent that (i) each will only use the name "Northstar"
as part of its name and for no other purpose, (ii) each will not purport to
grant any third party the right to use the name "Northstar" and (iii) upon the
termination of this Agreement, the Trust and the Funds shall, upon the request
of the Adviser, cease to use the name "Northstar", and shall use its best
efforts to cause its officers, trustees and shareholders to take any and all
actions which the Adviser may request to effect the foregoing.
15. Any notice or other communications required to be given pursuant to
this Agreement shall be deemed to be given if delivered or mailed by registered
mail, postage paid, (1) to the Adviser at Xxx Xxxxxxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxxxxxx, XX
00000, Attention: Secretary; or (2) to the Trust and/or the Funds, Xxx Xxxxxxxx
Xxxxx, Xxxxxxxxx, XX 00000, Attention: Assistant Secretary.
16. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance
with the laws of the State of Connecticut. The terms "interested person",
"assignment", and "vote of the majority of the outstanding securities" shall
have the meaning set forth in the Investment Company Act.
17. The Declaration of Trust, establishing the Trust, dated December
17, 1993, a copy of which, together with all amendments thereto (the
"Declaration"), is on file in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, provides that the name "Northstar/NWNL Trust" refers to the
Trustees under the Declaration collectively as trustees, but not individually or
personally; and no Trustee, shareholder, officer, employee or agent of the Trust
and/or the Funds may be held to any personal liability, nor may resort be had to
their private property for the satisfaction of any obligation or claim or
otherwise in connection with the affairs of the Trust, but the Trust property
only shall be liable.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this instrument to
be executed by their officers designated below as of the day and year first
written above.
NORTHSTAR VARIABLE TRUST
Attest: By:
President
NORTHSTAR INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT CORP.
Attest: By:
Sr. Vice President
