The Defined Risk Fund’s investment adviser, Horizon Investments, LLC (“Horizon”), seeks to achieve the Defined Risk Fund’s investment objective by investing in a broadly diversified portfolio of equity securities (the “Equity Portfolio”), while seeking to generate income, hedge volatility and reduce the downside risk of the Equity Portfolio by buying and selling put and call options (the “Options Portfolio”). Horizon expects that the combination of the returns from the Equity Portfolio and the potential cash flow, reduced volatility and downside protection from the Options Portfolio will provide the Defined Risk Fund with the potential to capture a majority of the returns associated with the general equity markets with reduced risk and volatility.

Equity Portfolio

Securities in the Equity Portfolio may include common and preferred stock, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), convertible debt securities, American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), and securities issued by real estate investment trusts (“REITs”).

Horizon selects equity securities for the Defined Risk Fund’s Equity Portfolio by assessing each security’s projected return and expected risk using a multi-disciplined approach consisting of economic, quantitative and fundamental analysis. 

The Equity Portfolio typically focuses on investing in individual stocks. However, the Equity Portfolio may also invest in ETFs or baskets of securities, preferred stock, convertible debt securities, ADRs and REITs when Horizon believes such investments may offer higher return and/or lower risk than individual securities or when Horizon believes such investments will provide strategic exposure to a desired sector or market segment. Potential ETFs are reviewed for sufficient trading liquidity and fit within the overall diversification needs of the Equity Portfolio prior to investment. Horizon selects securities for the Equity Portfolio without restriction as to an issuer’s country or capitalization.

The Defined Risk Fund will typically sell equity securities to achieve a desired diversification, to secure gains or limit potential losses or when Horizon otherwise believes it is in the best interest of the Defined Risk Fund. Horizon expects to engage in frequent buying and selling of securities to achieve the Defined Risk Fund’s investment objective.

Options Portfolio

The Options Portfolio will generally consist of options “collars”, which are options combinations comprised of a written call option or call spread and a purchased put option or put spread on the same underlying security. To implement an options collar, the Defined Risk Fund will write a call option or call spread on the underlying security with a strike price above the price of the underlying security and purchase a corresponding put option or put spread on the same underlying security with a strike price below the price of that security.  A call or put “spread” is an option combination whereby the Defined Risk Fund buys an option for investment purposes and writes another option on the same underlying security with the same expiration date, but a different strike price (e.g., a higher strike price in the case of a call and a lower strike price in the case of a put), as a way to offset some of the cost of purchasing the first option.

When the Defined Risk Fund writes (sells) a call or put option, it receives a premium from the purchaser, which may be used to offset the price of purchasing other options. In addition to the cash flow generated by the selling options, the Defined Risk Fund will write call options to seek to reduce the volatility of the Equity Portfolio, especially in down or sideways markets.  Writing call options will, however, reduce the Defined Risk Fund’s ability to profit from increases in the value of the Equity Portfolio because the Defined Risk Fund will begin to accrue liabilities to the purchaser of the call option once the price of the underlying security rises above the option’s strike price. The Defined Risk Fund will buy corresponding put options in an attempt to protect the Defined Risk Fund from significant market declines in the Equity Portfolio that may occur over short periods of time.  The Defined Risk Fund will primarily use exchange-traded options on indexes, ETFs and other individual equity securities, but may also use over-the-counter options when Horizon deems it advisable to do so.

The Defined Risk Fund will typically increase its use of options collars when the Adviser’s research indicates that markets are likely to experience volatility, and there is no maximum or minimum amount of assets that the Defined Fund may use to invest in options collars.

Horizon uses quantitative techniques to screen the available option universe for options collars that Horizon believes offer the best risk/return characteristics for the Equity Portfolio, taking into account, among other things, the following characteristics:

The Defined Risk Fund typically expects to allow the options in the Options Portfolio to expire, but may seek to close out options positions ahead of expiration when Horizon believes it is advantageous to do so.

There is no limit on the number or size of the options transactions in which the Fund may engage; however, the Fund will not use options for the purpose of increasing the Fund’s leverage with respect to any portfolio investment.