The Fund primarily invests, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in a combination of equity securities of foreign (i.e., non-U.S.) companies with a suitable potential for earnings growth. The Fund invests its assets in equity securities of non-U.S. companies located in countries with developed markets but may also invest in companies domiciled in emerging markets.

Under normal market conditions, the Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in a universe of stocks listed within the MSCI All-Country World ex USA index, the MSCI All-Country World ex USA Small Cap Index, and non-U.S. equities with market capitalizations comparable to those two indices. The Fund ordinarily invests in no fewer than three different countries outside the U.S. The Fund may invest a lesser amount of its assets in securities of non-U.S. companies when market conditions are not deemed favorable, in which case the Fund would invest at least 30% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of non-U.S. companies.

The Fund’s investments in equity securities may include common and preferred stock, convertible preferred stock, warrants and rights. Additionally, in unusual or extreme market conditions, the manager may choose to hedge general market exposures. This may be done primarily with the use of certain ETF’s that create either long or short exposure to the desired market segment.

The Fund’s investments are based on a principles-based investment philosophy, and the Fund seeks to invest in businesses it believes are overall beneficial to society, and in the first instance considers potential investments on that basis. Our criteria for such businesses are that they offer products and services that improve the lives of their customers, and of people in the communities in which they operate, and to exhibit responsible management practices. These practices may include dealings with customers, suppliers, employees, and the environment. Additionally, special care is taken when investing in companies in countries that have controversial governments and may involve the avoidance of some industries in certain countries or some countries altogether. There is no guarantee that the investment team will be able to successfully screen out all companies that are inconsistent with its ethical standards.

With this perspective in mind, we apply a three-stage investment process to construct a portfolio with consistent returns with an appropriate level of risk.

Classification: The team classifies companies in our investment universe according to different characteristics: what industry they belong to, where they are in their life-cycle, and what part of the world they are from. This classification guides the analysis of each company, focusing on the aspects of a company most relevant to future performance

Analysis: With these qualities in mind the team uses data science and machine learning to conduct a deeper dive into each candidate firm to determine the investment merit, suitability for the portfolio, and pertinent risk factors.

Portfolio Construction: We view the portfolio as a whole, adjusting, including or excluding positions in order to provide the greatest exposure to stocks with sustainable performance, while minimizing exposure to systematic risks such as interest rates, currency rate volatility, or the economic cycle.

The Fund may invest in equity index futures contracts when holding cash or cash equivalents to keep the Fund more fully exposed to the equity markets.