The Fund invests primarily in common stocks of mid capitalization companies, though the Fund may also hold positions in large market capitalization companies. In selecting investments for the Fund, the Adviser chooses stocks of companies which it believes have above-average growth potential at attractive prices. The Fund will generally hold between 25 and 40 common stocks. The Adviser considers mid cap companies to be those with market capitalizations at the time of purchase between $5 billion and $15 billion or those with market capitalizations similar in size or range to the benchmark index at the time of purchase.

The Adviser utilizes a combined approach of “top-down” analysis and “bottom-up” stock selection. The “top-down” approach takes into consideration such factors as long-term economic, demographic and geopolitical themes. These include such macroeconomic factors as interest rates, inflation, the regulatory environment and the global competitive landscape. As a result of the “top-down” analysis, the Adviser identifies sectors, industries and companies which it believes should benefit from the overall themes that the Adviser has observed. As part of its “bottom-up” stock selection, the Adviser then looks for individual companies with earnings growth potential that should, in the Adviser’s opinion, exceed the earnings growth rate of the overall market over the long-term, and that may not be fully recognized by the market at large. In determining whether a particular company is suitable for investment, the Adviser focuses on a number of different attributes including the company’s specific market expertise or dominance, its competitive durability and pricing power, solid fundamentals, strong and ethical management, apparent commitment to shareholder interests and reasonable valuations in the context of projected growth rates. The Adviser’s investment strategy often involves overweighting the Fund’s position in the sectors and industries which it believes hold the most growth potential relative to the weightings such sectors and industries represent in the Fund’s benchmark. The Fund invests primarily in common stocks of U.S. companies, but may, to a lesser extent, invest in equity REITs, common stocks of foreign companies and American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”). The Adviser may sell a security if the reason for its original purchase changes or when it believes better opportunities are available.