INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT FOR SUBADVISER
Exhibit 99.28(d)(viii)
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT FOR SUBADVISER
AGREEMENT made as of the 1st day of February, 2021 by and among Global Atlantic Investment Advisors, LLC, an Indiana limited liability company (the “Investment Adviser”), Forethought Variable Insurance Trust, a Delaware statutory trust (the “Trust”), on behalf of its series, listed in Schedule A, as may be amended from time to time, (the “Funds”), and BlackRock Investment Management, LLC (the “Sub-adviser”), a Delaware limited liability company located at 0 Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxxxxxx, Xxx Xxxxxx 00000
WHEREAS, pursuant to the provisions of the Investment Advisory Agreement dated February 1, 2021, between the Investment Adviser and the Trust, on behalf of the Funds, the Investment Adviser may delegate any or all of its portfolio management responsibilities under that agreement to one or more subadvisers;
NOW, THEREFORE, the Investment Adviser, the Trust and the Sub-adviser agree as follows:
The Sub-adviser will exercise full discretion with respect to the investment and reinvestment of the assets of the Funds, subject to the preceding paragraph, and act for the Funds in the same manner and with the same force and effect as the Trust might or could do with respect to 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. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Sub-adviser shall, upon written instructions from the Investment Adviser, effect such portfolio transactions for the Funds as the Investment Adviser may from time to time reasonably direct. Such instructions will be given in reasonable circumstances, including, without limitation, any termination of this Agreement.
The Sub-adviser will also make its officers and employees available to meet with the officers of the Investment Adviser and the Trust’s officers and Trustees at least quarterly on due notice to review the investments and investment program of the Funds in the light of current and prospective economic and market conditions. From time to time as the Board of Trustees of the Trust or the Investment Adviser may reasonably request, the Sub-adviser will furnish to the Investment Adviser and Trust’s officers and to each of its Trustees, at the Sub-adviser’s expense, reports on portfolio transactions and reports on issues of securities or instruments held by the Funds, all in such detail as the Trust or the Investment Adviser may reasonably request. The Sub-Adviser shall provide reasonable assistance to the Investment Adviser as to the determination of the fair value of certain investments where market quotations are not readily available for purposes of calculating net asset value of the Funds in accordance with valuation procedures and methods established by the Trust provided that the Sub-adviser shall not be deemed to be the valuation agent for the Funds. In addition, the Sub-adviser will not be liable for any loss arising out of any assistance provided by the Sub-adviser to the Investment Adviser in relation to the determination of the fair value of certain investments.
In addition, the Sub-adviser will provide a quarterly certification, in the form provided by the Investment Adviser from time to time, that the Sub-adviser has managed the Funds in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. The Sub-adviser acknowledges and agrees that the Investment Adviser may, in its discretion, provide such quarterly compliance certifications to the Board. The Sub-adviser shall also, upon the reasonable request of the Investment Adviser, provide the officers of the Funds with supporting certifications in connection with such certifications of the Funds’ financial statements and disclosure controls pursuant to the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act.
The Sub-adviser will cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to the Investment Adviser, the Funds’ custodian and foreign custodians, transfer agent and all other agents and representatives of the Trust and the Investment Adviser, will endeavor to keep all such persons fully informed as to such matters as they may reasonably deem necessary to the performance of their obligations to the Trust, on behalf of the Funds, and the Investment Adviser, provide responses as soon as reasonably practicable to reasonable requests made by such persons and maintain any appropriate interaction with each to promote the exchange of information.
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Unless and until otherwise directed in writing by the Investment Adviser or the Trust’s officers or Board, the Sub-adviser will be responsible for voting all proxies, including taking action with respect to corporate action elections for proxies and corporate actions communicated by the Funds or its agents to the Sub-adviser, with respect to the securities held by the Funds.
The Sub-adviser shall not be responsible for filing proofs of claim or otherwise participating in class action lawsuits with respect to securities held by the Funds.
The Sub-adviser shall maintain all books and records required by Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act relating to its responsibilities provided hereunder with respect to the Funds, and shall preserve such records for the periods and in a manner prescribed by Rule 31a-2 under the 1940 Act. The Sub-adviser shall permit the Investment Adviser, the Funds’ officers and its independent public accountants to inspect and audit such records at reasonable times during normal business hours upon due notice.
If any occasion should arise in which the Sub-adviser gives any advice to its clients concerning the shares of the Funds, the Sub-adviser will act solely as investment counsel for such clients and not in any way on behalf of the Funds. The Sub-adviser’s services to the Funds pursuant to this Agreement are not to be deemed to be exclusive, and it is understood that the Sub-adviser may render investment advice, management and other services to others.
The Sub-adviser is prohibited from consulting with any other subadviser to the Funds or any other subadviser to any other series of the Trust concerning the Funds’ transactions in securities or other assets, except for the purpose of complying with the conditions of Rule 12d3-1(a) and (b) under the 1940 Act.
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For any period less than a full fiscal quarter during which this Agreement is in effect, the fee shall be prorated according to the proportion which such period bears to a full fiscal quarter. The Sub-adviser’s fee shall be payable solely by the Investment Adviser. The Funds shall have no responsibility for such fee.
For purposes hereof, the value of net assets of the Funds shall be computed in the manner specified in the Funds’ Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information for the computation of the value of the net assets of the Funds in connection with the determination of net asset value of its shares. On any day that the net asset value determination is suspended as specified in the Funds’ Prospectus, the net asset value for purposes of calculating the subadvisory fee shall be calculated as of the date last determined.
4. Obligations of the Investment Adviser.
a. The Investment Adviser shall provide (or cause the Trust’s custodian to provide) timely information to the Sub-adviser regarding such matters as the composition of assets in the Funds, cash requirements and cash available for investment in the Funds, and all other information as may be reasonably necessary for the Sub-adviser to perform its responsibilities hereunder.
b. The Investment Adviser has furnished the Sub-adviser in advance of the date of this Agreement a copy of the prospectus and statement of additional information of the Funds and agrees during the continuance of this Agreement to furnish the Sub-adviser copies of any revisions or supplements thereto at, or, if practicable, before the time the revisions or supplements become effective. The Investment Adviser agrees to furnish the Sub-adviser with copies of any financial statements or reports made by the Funds to its shareholders, and any further materials or information which the Sub-adviser may reasonably request to enable it to perform its functions under this Agreement.
On occasions when the Sub-adviser deems the purchase or sale of a security or investment to be in the best interests of the Funds as well as other clients of the Sub-adviser, the Sub-adviser, to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, may, but shall be under no obligation to, aggregate or bunch the securities to be sold or purchased and/or execute single or bunched orders as “block” transactions, and where applicable, to allocate such bunched or block orders among accounts following execution. In such event, allocation of securities so sold or purchased, as well as the expenses incurred in the transaction, will be made by the Sub-adviser in the manner the Sub-adviser considers to be the most equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations to the Funds and to such other clients. The Investment Adviser hereby acknowledges that aggregated or “block” transactions may be subject to different trading or regulatory treatment than those applicable to “non-block” transactions.
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In connection with purchases or sales of portfolio securities for the account of the Funds, neither the Sub-adviser nor any of its affiliated persons, will act as a principal or agent or receive directly or indirectly any compensation in connection with the purchase or sale of investment securities by the Funds, except as permitted by applicable law.
The Sub-adviser will advise the Funds’ custodian and the Investment Adviser, as applicable, as soon as reasonably practicable of each purchase and sale of a portfolio security on behalf of the Fund in such format as agreed between the Investment Adviser and Sub-adviser, specifying the name of the issuer, the description and amount or number of shares of the security to be purchased or sold, the market price, commission and gross or net price, trade date, settlement date and identity of the effecting broker or dealer, and such other information as may be reasonably required.
The Investment Adviser shall indemnify and hold harmless the Sub-adviser and its affiliated persons (the “Sub-adviser Indemnified Parties”) to the fullest extent permitted by law against any and all loss, damage, judgments, fines, amounts paid in settlement and attorneys fees incurred by the Sub-adviser Indemnified Parties to the extent resulting, in whole or in part, from (i) any untrue statement of a material fact (or any omission of a material fact required to be stated necessary to make such disclosure not misleading) contained in each Fund’s registration statement or other Funds disclosure documents (including marketing collateral), which statement was not provided in writing by Sub-adviser expressly for inclusion in such documents, or (ii) except to the extent of the Sub-adviser’s willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties hereunder or its reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under this Agreement.
Neither the Investment Adviser nor the Sub-adviser shall be obligated to make any indemnification payment in respect of any settlement as to which it has not been notified and consented, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld.
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This Section 6 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
7. Term and Termination. This Agreement shall remain in force for two (2) years from the date of execution and from year to year thereafter through December 31 of each calendar year, but only so long as such continuance, and the continuance of the Investment Adviser as investment adviser of the Funds and Sub-adviser as sub-adviser of the Funds, is specifically approved at least annually by the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons of the Sub-adviser or the Investment Adviser of the Funds, cast at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval and by a vote of the Board of Trustees or of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Funds. The aforesaid requirement that continuance of this Agreement be “specifically approved at least annually” shall be construed in a manner consistent with the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. This Agreement may, upon 60 days’ written notice to the Sub-adviser, be terminated at any time without the payment of any penalty, (a) by the Funds, by the Board of Trustees or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Funds, or (b) by the Investment Adviser. This Agreement may, upon 60 days written notice to the Trust and the Investment Adviser, be terminated at any time, without payment of any penalty, by the Sub-adviser. This Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of its assignment or in the event that the Investment Adviser’s investment advisory agreement with the Funds is terminated.
10. Other Representations and Agreements.
(i) Each of the parties hereto represents that the Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by all required corporate action.
(ii) Each of the Sub-adviser and the Investment Adviser represents and warrants that it is an investment adviser duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Advisers Act and a duly registered investment adviser in all jurisdictions in which it is required to be so registered, and will continue to be so registered for so long as this Agreement remains in effect.
(iii) The Sub-adviser represents that it has adopted and implemented and shall maintain written policies and procedures with respect to its services pursuant to this Agreement that are reasonably designed to prevent violation of the Federal Securities Laws (as defined in Rule 38a-1 under the 0000 Xxx) and the Advisers Act and the rules thereunder as required by Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act.
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(iv) The Sub-adviser represents that it has adopted a written code of ethics that complies with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act and Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act, which it has provided to the Trust. The Sub-adviser represents that it has policies and procedures regarding the detection and prevention and the misuse of material, nonpublic information, whether concerning the Funds or otherwise, by the Sub-adviser and its employees.
(v) The Sub-adviser agrees to maintain for the term of this Agreement a blanket bond and professional liability (error and omissions) insurance in an amount reasonably acceptable to the Investment Adviser and the Board.
(vi) The Sub-adviser agrees to notify as soon as reasonably practicable the Investment Adviser and the Trust in writing (subject to applicable law, attorney-client privilege and confidentiality restrictions, solely as it relates to the services provided hereunder with respect to the Fund) of the occurrence of any event which would have a material impact on the performance of its duties under this Agreement, including but not limited to: (a) the occurrence of any event that would disqualify the Sub-adviser from serving as an investment adviser pursuant to Section 9 of the 1940 Act; (b) any material change to the Sub-adviser’s business activities that would have a material impact on the performance of its duties under this Agreement; (c) any event that would constitute a change of control of the Sub-adviser; (d) any change in the portfolio manager or portfolio management team; (f) the existence of any pending or audit, investigation, examination, complaint or other inquiry (other than routine audits or regulatory examinations or inspections) relating to the Sub-adviser’s services to the Funds; and (g) any material violation of the Sub-adviser’s code of ethics.
(viii) Each of the parties to this Agreement agrees to cooperate with each other party to the extent permitted by applicable laws, regulations or orders in connection with any investigation or inquiry relating to this Agreement or the Trust.
13. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the state of New York, except to the extent in conflict with U.S. federal law, in which event U.S. federal law will control.
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If to the Trust or Funds:
Forethought Variable Insurance Trust
00 Xxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000
Xxxxxxxxxxxx, XX 00000
Attn: General Counsel
If to the Investment Adviser:
Forethought Investment Advisors, LLC
00 Xxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000
Xxxxxxxxxxxx, XX 00000
Attn: President
If to the Sub-adviser:
BlackRock Investment Management LLC
0 Xxxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx
Xxx Xxxxxx 00000
Attention: Xxxxxx Xxxxx, email:xxx-xx-xxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxx.xxx.
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If delivered, such notices shall be deemed given upon receipt by the other party or parties. If mailed, such notices shall be deemed given seven (7) days after being mailed.
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Forethought Variable Insurance Trust | ||
By: | ||
Its: | ||
Global Atlantic Investment Advisors, LLC | ||
By: | ||
Its: | ||
BlackRock Investment Management, LLC | ||
By: | ||
Its: |
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SCHEDULE A
List of Portfolios
Forethought Variable Insurance Trust On Behalf of:
Global Atlantic BlackRock Allocation Portfolio
Global Atlantic BlackRock Disciplined International Core Portfolio
Global Atlantic BlackRock Disciplined Growth Portfolio
Global Atlantic BlackRock Disciplined Value Portfolio
Global Atlantic BlackRock Disciplined Mid Cap Growth Portfolio
Global Atlantic BlackRock Disciplined Small Cap Portfolio
Global Atlantic BlackRock Disciplined Core Portfolio
Global Atlantic BlackRock Disciplined U.S. Core Portfolio
Global Atlantic BlackRock High Yield Portfolio
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SCHEDULE B
Fees paid to the Sub-Adviser
The annual subadvisory fee is expressed as a percent of the average daily net asset of each Portfolio as follows:
[Insert Fee Schedules]
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