The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets in the equity securities of small-capitalization companies. Small-capitalization companies are defined for this purpose as companies with market capitalizations at the time of purchase between the lesser of $100 million or the market capitalization of the smallest company included in the Bloomberg US 2000 Index and the greater of $4 billion or the market capitalization of the largest company included in the Bloomberg US 2000 Index. As of October 31, 2023, the minimum and maximum market capitalizations included in the Bloomberg US 2000 Index were approximately $100 million and $6.7 billion, respectively. The Fund is not required to sell equity securities whose market values appreciate or depreciate outside this market capitalization range.

In selecting investments for the Fund, the Advisor incorporates environmental, social, and governance-related (“ESG”) issues into its research and analysis, including, but not limited to, an assessment of the following factors: evaluation of a company’s management team, board and leadership structure, share structure and overall business practices. Each investment decision incorporates ESG and sustainability to the extent that any of these ESG factors impact the financial health or reputational risk of the company within the capital markets.

Equity securities in which the Fund invests include common stock; preferred stock; equity-equivalent securities such as convertible securities; other investment companies, including exchange traded funds (“ETFs”); American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”); and real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). The Fund also is permitted to invest in private placements in these types of securities. ADRs are equity securities traded on U.S. securities exchanges, which are generally issued by banks or trust companies to evidence ownership of foreign equity securities. In addition, the Fund may have increased exposure to investments in the financials and consumer discretionary sectors. The Fund generally invests in the securities of leveraged companies (i.e., companies that issue debt). The Fund also has the ability to invest in other investment companies, including ETFs, that have investment objectives similar to the Fund’s or that otherwise are permitted investments with the Fund’s investment policies described herein. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its net assets in foreign equity securities.

The Fund generally intends to invest in approximately 50 to 90 equity securities identified by the Advisor’s fundamental, bottom-up value driven research. The portfolio construction process involves both quantitative and qualitative fundamental analysis. Quantitative measures include the review of company financial statements and analysis of the company’s financial metrics relative to its peer group. Qualitative measures include evaluation of management, identification of market leaders within industries, and due-diligence research regarding customers, competitors and suppliers. The Advisor could choose to sell a security when, for example, in the Advisor’s determination, it no longer represents an attractive growth prospect, or to take advantage of what the Advisor has determined to be a better investment opportunity.

The Fund anticipates a higher than average portfolio turnover rate.