# EDGAR Filing Document

**Accession Number:** 0001752019
**File Stem:** 0001193125-26-191156
**Filing Date:** 2026-4
**Character Count:** 1422483
**Document Hash:** ea23a72b0f5ec1d7ecadf8f2ec6a772f
**Contains OCR:** False
**Source Format:** 

## Filing Content

## Filing Summary
**0001193125-26-191156.hdr.sgml**: 20260429

**ACCESSION NUMBER**: 0001193125-26-191156

**CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE**: 486BPOS

**PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT**: 14

**FILED AS OF DATE**: 20260429

**DATE AS OF CHANGE**: 20260429

**EFFECTIVENESS DATE**: 20260430

**FILER**: 

**COMPANY DATA:**
- **COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:** BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund
- **CENTRAL INDEX KEY:** 0001752019

**ORGANIZATION NAME:**
- **EIN:** 000000000
- **STATE OF INCORPORATION:** DE
- **FISCAL YEAR END:** 1231

**FILING VALUES:**
- **FORM TYPE:** 486BPOS
- **SEC ACT:** 1940 Act
- **SEC FILE NUMBER:** 811-23380
- **FILM NUMBER:** 26914860

**BUSINESS ADDRESS:**
- **STREET 1:** 100 BELLEVUE PARKWAY
- **CITY:** WILMINGTON
- **STATE:** DE
- **ZIP:** 19809
- **BUSINESS PHONE:** (206) 613-6700

**MAIL ADDRESS:**
- **STREET 1:** 100 BELLEVUE PARKWAY
- **CITY:** WILMINGTON
- **STATE:** DE
- **ZIP:** 19809

**FORMER COMPANY:**
- **FORMER CONFORMED NAME:** BlackRock Credit Strategies Fund
- **DATE OF NAME CHANGE:** 20180918

**FORMER COMPANY:**
- **FORMER CONFORMED NAME:** BlackRock Credit Opportunities Fund
- **DATE OF NAME CHANGE:** 20180905
**FILER**: 

**COMPANY DATA:**
- **COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:** BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund
- **CENTRAL INDEX KEY:** 0001752019

**ORGANIZATION NAME:**
- **EIN:** 000000000
- **STATE OF INCORPORATION:** DE
- **FISCAL YEAR END:** 1231

**FILING VALUES:**
- **FORM TYPE:** 486BPOS
- **SEC ACT:** 1933 Act
- **SEC FILE NUMBER:** 333-255980
- **FILM NUMBER:** 26914859

**BUSINESS ADDRESS:**
- **STREET 1:** 100 BELLEVUE PARKWAY
- **CITY:** WILMINGTON
- **STATE:** DE
- **ZIP:** 19809
- **BUSINESS PHONE:** (206) 613-6700

**MAIL ADDRESS:**
- **STREET 1:** 100 BELLEVUE PARKWAY
- **CITY:** WILMINGTON
- **STATE:** DE
- **ZIP:** 19809

**FORMER COMPANY:**
- **FORMER CONFORMED NAME:** BlackRock Credit Strategies Fund
- **DATE OF NAME CHANGE:** 20180918

**FORMER COMPANY:**
- **FORMER CONFORMED NAME:** BlackRock Credit Opportunities Fund
- **DATE OF NAME CHANGE:** 20180905

?xml version='1.0' encoding='ASCII'? BR CREDX - 486BPOS

#### As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 29, 2026

#### Securities Act File No. 333-255980

#### Investment Company Act File No. 811-23380

### UNITED STATES

### SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

#### Washington, D.C. 20549

### FORM N-2

### Registration Statement

#### Under

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
| **the Securities Act of 1933** | ☒ |
| **Pre-Effective Amendment No.** | ☐ |
| **Post-Effective Amendment No. 10** | ☒ |

---

#### and/or

### Registration Statement

#### Under

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
| the Investment Company Act of 1940 | ☒ |
| Amendment No. 15 | ☒ |

---

### BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund

#### (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Declaration of Trust)

#### 100 Bellevue Parkway

#### Wilmington, Delaware 19809

#### (Address of Principal Executive Offices)
(800) 882-0052

#### (Registrant's Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

#### John M. Perlowski, President

#### BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund

#### 50 Hudson Yards

#### New York, New York 10001

#### (Name and Address of Agent for Service)

#### Copies to:

#### Margery K. Neale, Esq.

#### Elliot J. Gluck, Esq.

#### Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

#### 787 Seventh Avenue

#### New York, New York 10019
**Approximate Date of Commencement of Proposed Public Offering:**

As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Registration Statement.

------

If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box ☐

If any securities being registered on this Form will be offered on a delayed or continuous basis in reliance on Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 ("Securities Act"), other than securities offered in connection with a dividend reinvestment plan, check the following box. ☒

If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction A.2 or a post-effective amendment thereto, check the following box ☐

If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction B or a post-effective amendment thereto that will become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction B to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box ☐

It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):

☐ when declared effective pursuant to section 8(c) of the Securities Act

☐ immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 486

☒ on April 30, 2026 pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 486

☐ 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a) of Rule 486

☐ on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a) of Rule 486

If appropriate, check the following box:

☐ This [post-effective] amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed [post-effective amendment] [registration statement].

☐ This Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, and the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering is: .

☐ This Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, and the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering is: .

☐ This Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, and the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering is: .

Check each box that appropriately characterizes the Registrant:

☒ Registered Closed-End Fund (closed-end company that is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "Investment Company Act")).

☐ Business Development Company (closed-end company that intends or has elected to be regulated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act).

☒ Interval Fund (Registered Closed-End Fund or a Business Development Company that makes periodic repurchase offers under Rule 23c-3 under the Investment Company Act).

☐ A.2 Qualified (qualified to register securities pursuant to General Instruction A.2 of this Form).

☐ Well-Known Seasoned Issuer (as defined by Rule 405 under the Securities Act).

☐ Emerging Growth Company (as defined by Rule 12b-2 under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934).

☐ If an Emerging Growth Company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.

☐ New Registrant (registered or regulated under the Investment Company Act for less than 12 calendar months preceding this filing).

------

![LOGO](g147802g01x72.jpg)

#### PROSPECTUS

## BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
| **Class** | **Ticker Symbol** |
|  Institutional Shares | CREDX |
|  Class A Shares | CRDAX |
|  Class W Shares | CRDWX |
|  Class U Shares | CRDUX |
|  Class J Shares | CRDJX |

---

BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund (the "Fund") is a diversified, closed-end management investment company that operates as an "interval fund."

**Investment Objective**. The Fund's investment objective is to seek to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns, primarily in the form of current income. There can be no assurances that the Fund's investment objective will be achieved or that the Fund's investment program will be successful.

**Investment Strategy**. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by dynamically allocating across a range of private and public credit investments and investment strategies, leveraging the full capabilities of BlackRock's credit platform, inclusive of HPS Investment Partners ("HPS"), a part of BlackRock. BlackRock Advisors, LLC (the "Advisor"), serves as the Fund's investment adviser, and has delegated day-to-day management of the Fund to its affiliate, BlackRock Capital Investment Advisors, LLC ("BCIA"). Under normal conditions, the Fund intends to invest at least 80% of its Managed Assets (as defined below) in credit-related investments. The Fund's investments in derivatives will be counted toward the Fund's 80% policy to the extent that they provide investment exposure to the securities included within that policy or to one or more market risk factors associated with such securities.

(*continued on inside front cover*)

**Investing in the common shares of beneficial interest of the Fund ("Shares") involves certain risks. The Fund may invest without limitation in securities of below investment grade quality (also known as "high yield securities" or "junk bonds"), which are considered predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's capacity to pay interest and repay principal when due. An investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk and valuation risk, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount that you invest. The Fund intends to utilize leverage, which is subject to numerous risks. See the "[<u>Risks</u>](#tx147802_9)" section beginning on page 92 of this prospectus. Certain of these risks are summarized in "Prospectus Summary—Principal Risk Considerations" beginning on page 9. You should carefully consider these risks together with all of the other information contained in this prospectus before making a decision to purchase the Shares.**

**•** **The Shares are not listed for trading on any securities exchange. Even though the Fund makes quarterly repurchase offers for its outstanding Shares (currently expected to be for 5% per quarter), investors should consider Shares of the Fund to be an illiquid investment.** 

**•** **Investing in the Shares may be speculative and involve a high degree of risk, including the risks associated with leverage.** 

**•** **The Shares are not redeemable at an investor's option nor are they exchangeable for shares of any other fund, although the Fund periodically offers to repurchase Shares pursuant to its fundamental share repurchase policy described herein.** 

**•** **There is no assurance that the Fund will be able to maintain a certain level of distributions to common shareholders.** 

**•** **Because the Shares are not listed on a securities exchange, you should not expect to be able to sell your Shares when and/or in the amount desired, regardless of how the Fund performs and, as a result, you may be unable to reduce your exposure during any market downturn.** 

**•** **The Fund is designed primarily for long-term investors who are prepared to hold the Shares until the Fund accepts an investor's Shares in a repurchase offer conducted by the Fund.** 

**Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.**

---

| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  | **Price to Public<sup>(1)</sup>** | **Maximum<br>Sales Load<sup>(2)</sup>** | **Proceeds to the Fund** |
|  Per Institutional Share | At current NAV | N/A | Amount invested at NAV |
|  Per Class A Share | At current NAV, plus sales load of up to 2.50%, if applicable | 2.50% | Amount invested at NAV less sales load |
|  Per Class W Share | At current NAV, plus sales load of up to 3.50%, if applicable | 3.50% | Amount invested at NAV less sales load |
|  Per Class U Share | At current NAV | N/A | Amount invested at NAV |
|  Per Class J Share | At current NAV, plus sales load of up to 3.00%, if applicable | 3.00% | Amount invested at NAV less sales load |

---

*(notes on inside front cover)* 

BlackRock Investments, LLC (the "Distributor"), an affiliate of the Fund and the Advisor, acts as distributor for the Fund's Shares and serves in that capacity on a reasonable best efforts basis, subject to various conditions. The principal business address of the Distributor is 50 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001.

#### The date of this prospectus is April 30, 2026.

------

*(notes from previous page)* 

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
| 1 | Institutional Shares and Class U Shares are offered on a continuous basis at an offering price equal to the then-current net asset value ("NAV") per share of the applicable class. Class A Shares, Class W Shares and Class J Shares are offered on a continuous basis at an offering price equal to the then-current NAV per share of the applicable class plus the applicable sales load, as described in this prospectus. If you buy Shares through certain brokers or dealers or other financial intermediaries ("selling agents") or other financial intermediaries, they may directly charge you a transaction fee in such amount as they may determine. Any such fees will be in addition to your investment in the Fund and not deducted therefrom. Investors should consult with their selling agents or other financial intermediaries about any transaction or other fees their selling agents or other financial intermediaries might impose on each class of shares. See "Plan of Distribution." |

---

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
| 2 | Generally, the stated minimum initial investment by an investor in the Fund is $250,000 for Institutional Shares and $2,500 for Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares. For Institutional Shares, the minimum initial investment is waived or reduced for certain eligible investors as described under "Plan of Distribution—Minimum Investments." There is no minimum subsequent investment for the Shares. There is no sales load for Institutional Shares or Class U Shares. Investors purchasing Class A Shares, Class W Shares and Class J Shares may be charged a sales load of up to 2.50%, 3.50% and 3.00% respectively, of the investor's aggregate purchase. The Distributor or Dealers (as defined herein) may waive all or a portion of the sales load for certain classes of investors as described under "Plan of Distribution—Class A Shares, Class W Shares and Class J Shares." If you buy Shares through certain selling agents or other financial intermediaries, they may directly charge you a transaction fee in such amount as they may determine. Any such fees will be in addition to your investment in the Fund and not deducted therefrom. Investors should consult with their selling agents or other financial intermediaries about any transaction or other fees their selling agents or other financial intermediaries might impose on each class of shares. Institutional Shares are not subject to any asset-based distribution fees but are only available through the Distributor or an asset-based fee program sponsored by a registered broker-dealer or registered investment adviser (also known as a "wrap fee" program) that has an agreement with the Distributor. Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares are subject to a distribution fee and shareholder servicing fee that will accrue at an annual rate equal to 0.75% for Class A Shares, Class W Shares and Class U Shares and 0.50% for Class J Shares, in each case of the applicable class's average daily net assets. 0.25% of the fee is a shareholder servicing fee and the remaining portion is a distribution fee. See "Summary of Fund Fees and Expenses," "Plan of Distribution" and "Periodic Repurchase Offers." |

---

*(continued from previous page)* 

**Investment Strategy (continued)**. The Fund will opportunistically allocate its assets across any combination of the following private and public credit investments and investment strategies: (i) direct lending, including first lien, unitranche, second lien, and junior capital; (ii) asset-based finance, including hard assets, which are physical assets with secondary resale value, including inventory, machinery, equipment, infrastructure, and certain energy generation assets, among other things ("Hard Assets"), real estate assets, including commercial real estate and residential real estate ("Real Estate Assets"), and financial assets, which are contractual or other related assets that provide rights to future payment streams, including royalties, management fees, receivables, intellectual property, publishing rights, and legal claims, among other things ("Financial Assets"); (iii) structured credit, including collateralized loan obligations ("CLOs"), collateralized debt obligations ("CDOs") and other securitized assets (such as ABS, CMBS and RMBS (each as defined below)); (iv) performing liquid credit, including broadly syndicated loans and bonds; and (v) opportunistic credit, including stressed, dislocated and, to a lesser extent, distressed opportunities. The Fund's allocations across these investments and investment strategies will be opportunistic based on market conditions and on BCIA's views of absolute and relative value. As a result, allocations are expected to vary substantially over time, and the Fund may not be invested in each investment and/or investment strategy at all times. The Fund may also invest in additional credit investments and investment strategies in the future as market opportunities evolve.

------

The Fund may invest without limit in fixed-income securities and other credit-related investments across several investment sectors, including, but not limited to: fixed-income securities rated below investment grade by rating agencies or that would be rated below investment grade if they were rated (commonly referred to as "high yield" securities or "junk bonds"), investment grade corporate bonds, fixed-income securities issued by governmental entities (including supranational entities), their agencies and instrumentalities, mezzanine investments, CLOs, loans, mortgage-related and asset-backed securities and other fixed and floating or variable rate obligations. These securities and other credit-related investments may be privately originated or publicly traded. The Fund may invest in such fixed-income securities and other credit-related investments of issuers located in the United States and non-U.S. countries, including emerging market countries. Some of the loans in which the Fund may invest or obtain exposure to either directly or through its investments in CDOs or other types of structured securities may be "covenant lite" loans, which means the loans contain fewer maintenance covenants than other loans (in some cases, none) and do not include terms which allow the lender to monitor the performance of the borrower and declare a default if certain criteria are breached. See "Risks—Principal Risks—Competition for Investment Opportunities" beginning on page 79 "Risks—Principal Risks—Valuation Risk" beginning on page 78, "Risks—Principal Risks—Allocation Risk" beginning on page 112 and "Conflicts of Interest" and "Management of the Fund—Portfolio Management—Potential Material Conflicts of Interest" in the Statement of Additional Information ("SAI").

**Interval Fund/Repurchase Offers**. The Fund is an "interval fund," a type of fund which, in order to provide liquidity to shareholders, has adopted a fundamental investment policy to make quarterly offers to repurchase between 5% and 25% of its outstanding Shares at NAV, reduced by any applicable repurchase fee. Subject to applicable law and approval of the Fund's Board of Trustees (the "Board," and each of the trustees on the Board, a "Trustee"), for each quarterly repurchase offer, the Fund currently expects to offer to repurchase 5% of the Fund's outstanding Shares at the NAV applicable to the class of Shares repurchased, which is the minimum amount permitted. It is possible that a repurchase offer may be oversubscribed, with the result that shareholders may only be able to have a portion of their Shares repurchased. There is no assurance that you will be able to tender your Shares when or in the amount that you desire. See "Periodic Repurchase Offers" beginning on page 139.

**Leverage**. The Fund will use leverage to seek to achieve its investment objective. The Fund's use of leverage may increase or decrease from time to time in its discretion and the Fund may, in the future, determine not to use leverage. The Fund currently utilizes leverage for investment purposes in the form of a bank credit facility. The Fund may also use leverage by investing in derivative instruments with leverage embedded in them. The Fund may, but does not currently intend to, issue preferred shares of beneficial interest ("Preferred Shares"). The Fund is permitted to borrow money in an amount up to 33 1/3% of its Managed Assets (50% of its net assets), issue Preferred Shares in an amount up to 50% of its Managed Assets (100% of its net assets) and invest in reverse repurchase agreements or other derivative instruments with leverage embedded in them to the maximum extent permitted by the SEC and/or SEC staff rules, guidance or positions. As of December 31, 2025, the Fund had $20,000,000 in borrowings outstanding under its bank credit facility, representing approximately 3.45% of the Fund's Managed Assets (3.58% of the Fund's net assets). The use of leverage creates an opportunity for increased common share net investment income dividends, but also creates risks for the holders of Shares. "Managed Assets" means the total assets of the Fund (including any assets attributable to money borrowed for investment purposes) minus the sum of the Fund's accrued liabilities (other than money borrowed for investment purposes). See "Leverage."

**Securities Offered**. The Fund continuously offers five classes of Shares of the Fund: Institutional Shares, Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares. The Fund has received exemptive relief from the SEC that permits the Fund to, among other things, issue multiple classes of Shares and to impose asset-based distribution fees and early-withdrawal fees as applicable. The Shares are offered at an offering price equal to the then-current NAV of the applicable class plus, in the case of Class A Shares, Class W Shares and Class J Shares, the applicable sales load. Institutional Shares are not subject to any sales load or asset-based distribution fee. Class U Shares are not subject to any sales load. If you buy Shares through certain selling agents or other financial intermediaries, they may directly charge you a transaction fee in such amount as they may determine. Investors should consult with their selling agents or other financial intermediaries about any transaction or other

------

fees their selling agents or other financial intermediaries might impose on each class of shares. The maximum sales load for Class A Shares is 2.50% of the amount invested for Class A Shares. The maximum sales load for Class W Shares is 3.50% of the amount invested for Class W Shares. The maximum sales load for Class J Shares is 3.00% of the amount invested for Class J Shares. A contingent deferred sales charge of 1.50% is assessed on Fund repurchases of Class A Shares made within 18 months after purchase where no initial sales load was paid at the time of purchase as part of an investment of $250,000 or more.

Generally, the stated minimum initial investment by an investor in the Fund is $250,000 for Institutional Shares and $2,500 for each of Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares. For Institutional Shares, the minimum initial investment is waived or reduced for certain eligible investors as described under "Plan of Distribution—Minimum Investments." The minimum initial investment for each class of Shares may be modified or waived by the Fund and the Distributor for the Trustees and certain employees of BlackRock, Inc., including its affiliates, vehicles controlled by such Trustees and employees and their extended family members. There is no minimum subsequent investment for the Shares. The Distributor is not required to sell any specific number or dollar amount of the Fund's Shares, but will use reasonable best efforts to sell the Shares. The Fund reserves the right to reject a purchase order for any reason. Shareholders will not have the right to redeem their Shares.

**Unlisted Closed-End Fund Structure; Limited Liquidity**. The Shares are not listed on any securities exchange, and the Fund does not expect any secondary market to develop for the Shares. The Fund is designed for long-term investors and an investment in the Shares, unlike an investment in a traditional listed closed-end fund, should be considered illiquid. Investors should consider their investment goals, time horizons and risk tolerance before investing in the Fund.

**Investment Adviser and Investment Sub-Advisers**. The Fund's investment adviser is BlackRock Advisors, LLC. BlackRock Capital Investment Advisors, LLC ("BCIA"), BlackRock International Limited ("BIL") and BlackRock (Singapore) Limited ("BSL"), each an affiliate of the Fund and the Advisor, serve as sub-advisers to the Fund.

**Distributor**. BlackRock Investments, LLC, an affiliate of the Fund and the Advisor, acts as distributor for the Shares and serves in that capacity on a reasonable best efforts basis, subject to various conditions. The principal business address of the Distributor is 50 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001. The Distributor may appoint additional selling agents (each a "Dealer") or other financial intermediaries through which investors may purchase Shares. See "Plan of Distribution."

\*\*\*\*

You should read this prospectus, which concisely sets forth information about the Fund, before deciding whether to invest in the Shares and retain it for future reference. A Statement of Additional Information, dated April 30, 2026, containing additional information about the Fund, has been filed with the SEC and, as amended from time to time, is incorporated by reference in its entirety into this prospectus. You may request a free copy of the SAI by calling (800) 882-0052 or by writing to the Fund. You can get the same information for free from the SEC's website (http://www.sec.gov). You may also e-mail requests for these documents to publicinfo@sec.gov. In addition, you may request copies of the Fund's prospectus, semi-annual and annual reports or other information about the Fund or make shareholder inquiries by calling (800) 882-0052. The Fund's prospectus, annual and semi-annual reports are available at the Fund's website (http://www.blackrock.com) free of charge. Information contained in, or that can be accessed through, the Fund's website is not part of this prospectus.

**You should not construe the contents of this prospectus as legal, tax or financial advice. You should consult with your own professional advisors as to the legal, tax, financial or other matters relevant to the suitability of an investment in the Fund.**

**The Fund's Shares do not represent a deposit or an obligation of, and are not guaranteed or endorsed by, any bank or other insured depository institution, and are not federally insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board or any other government agency.**

------

#### **TABLE OF CONTENTS**

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
|  [PROSPECTUS SUMMARY](#tx147802_1) | 1 |
|  [SUMMARY OF FUND FEES AND EXPENSES](#tx147802_2) | 44 |
|  [FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS](#tx147802_3) | 47 |
|  [SENIOR SECURITIES](#tx147802_4) | 53 |
|  [THE FUND](#tx147802_5) | 54 |
|  [USE OF PROCEEDS](#tx147802_6) | 54 |
|  [THE FUND'S INVESTMENTS](#tx147802_7) | 54 |
|  [LEVERAGE](#tx147802_8) | 88 |
|  [RISKS](#tx147802_9) | 92 |
|  [HOW THE FUND MANAGES RISK](#tx147802_10) | 162 |
|  [MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND](#tx147802_11) | 163 |
|  [NET ASSET VALUE](#tx147802_12) | 167 |
|  [DISTRIBUTIONS](#tx147802_13) | 170 |
|  [DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT PLAN](#tx147802_14) | 171 |
|  [DESCRIPTION OF SHARES](#tx147802_15) | 172 |
|  [CERTAIN PROVISIONS IN THE AGREEMENT AND DECLARATION OF TRUST AND BYLAWS](#tx147802_16) | 175 |
|  [CLOSED-END FUND STRUCTURE](#tx147802_17) | 176 |
|  [PERIODIC REPURCHASE OFFERS](#tx147802_18) | 177 |
|  [TAX MATTERS](#tx147802_19) | 180 |
|  [PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION](#tx147802_20) | 184 |
|  [CUSTODIAN AND TRANSFER AGENT](#tx147802_21) | 204 |
|  [ADMINISTRATION AND ACCOUNTING SERVICES](#tx147802_22) | 204 |
|  [INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM](#tx147802_23) | 205 |
|  [LEGAL MATTERS](#tx147802_24) | 205 |
|  [BLACKROCK PRIVACY PRINCIPLES](#tx147802_25) | 205 |

---

**You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. The Fund has not authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. The Fund is not making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus or another date set forth in this prospectus. The Fund's business, financial condition and prospects may have changed since that date.**

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#### PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
*This is only a summary of certain information contained in this prospectus relating to BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund. This summary may not contain all of the information that you should consider before investing in the Fund's common shares of beneficial interest. You should review the more detailed information contained in this prospectus and in the Statement of Additional Information (the "SAI").* 

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
| **The Fund** | BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund is a diversified, closed-end management investment company and is operated as an "interval fund" (as defined below). Throughout this prospectus, we refer to BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund simply as the "Fund" or as "we," "us" or "our." See "The Fund" in the prospectus. |

---

The Fund continuously offers five classes of common shares of beneficial interest ("Shares") of the Fund: Institutional Shares, Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares. The Fund has received exemptive relief from the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") to, among other things, issue multiple classes of Shares and to impose asset-based distribution fees and early-withdrawal fees as applicable (the "Multi-Class Exemptive Relief"). The Fund may offer other additional classes of Shares in the future with fees and expenses that differ from the classes of Shares described in this prospectus.<br>

As of April 7, 2026, BlackRock Financial Management, Inc. ("BFM"), an affiliate of BlackRock Advisors, LLC (the "Advisor"), owns 19.16% of the outstanding Institutional Shares, 100% of the outstanding Class W Shares and Class J Shares, and less than 5% of the outstanding Class A Shares and Class U Shares of the Fund. This ownership will fluctuate as other investors subscribe for Shares and the Fund repurchases Shares in connection with quarterly repurchase offers. Depending on the size of this ownership, BFM may either control the Fund or be in a position to exercise a significant influence on the outcome of any matter put to a vote of investors.<br>

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| **Periodic Repurchase Offers** | The Fund is an "interval fund," a type of fund which, in order to provide liquidity to shareholders, has adopted a fundamental investment policy to make quarterly offers to repurchase between 5% and 25% of its outstanding Shares at net asset value ("NAV"), reduced by any applicable repurchase fee. Subject to applicable law and approval of the Board of Trustees of the Fund (the "Board," and each of the trustees on the Board, a "Trustee"), for each quarterly repurchase offer, the Fund currently expects to offer to repurchase 5% of the Fund's outstanding Shares at the NAV applicable to the class of Shares repurchased, which is the minimum amount permitted. It is possible that a repurchase offer may be oversubscribed, with the result that shareholders may only be able to have a portion of their Shares repurchased. Affiliates of the Fund may own Shares and determine to participate in the Fund's repurchase offers, which may contribute to a repurchase offer being oversubscribed and the Fund |

---

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effecting repurchases on a pro rata basis. **There is no assurance that you will be able to tender your Shares when or in the amount that you desire.**<br>

Written notification of each quarterly repurchase offer (the "Repurchase Offer Notice") will be sent to shareholders at least 21 and not more than 42 calendar days before the repurchase request deadline (*i.e.*, the date by which shareholders can tender their common shares in response to a repurchase offer) (the "Repurchase Request Deadline"). The Fund's Shares are not listed on any securities exchange, and the Fund anticipates that no secondary market will develop for its Shares. Accordingly, you may not be able to sell Shares when and/or in the amount that you desire. Investors should consider Shares of the Fund to be an illiquid investment. Thus, the Shares are appropriate only as a long-term investment. In addition, the Fund's repurchase offers may subject the Fund and shareholders to special risks. See "Risks—Principal Risks—Repurchase Offers Risk" in the prospectus.<br>

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| **Investment Objective** | The Fund's investment objective is to seek to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns, primarily in the form of current income. |

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There can be no assurances that the Fund's investment objective will be achieved or that the Fund's investment program will be successful. The Fund is not intended as, and you should not construe it to be, a complete investment program. Investors should consider their investment goals, time horizons and risk tolerance before investing in the Fund. The Fund's investment objective may be changed by the Fund's Board without prior shareholder approval.<br>

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|:---|:---|
| **Investment Policies** | The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by dynamically allocating across a range of private and public credit strategies, leveraging the full capabilities of BlackRock's credit platform, inclusive of HPS Investment Partners ("HPS"), a part of BlackRock. Under normal conditions, the Fund intends to invest at least 80% of its Managed Assets (as defined below) in credit-related investments. The Fund's investments in derivatives will be counted toward the Fund's 80% policy to the extent that they provide investment exposure to the securities included within that policy or to one or more market risk factors associated with such securities. The Fund will opportunistically allocate its assets across any combination of the following private and public credit investments and investment strategies: (i) direct lending, including first lien, unitranche, second lien, and junior capital; (ii) asset-based finance, including hard assets, which are physical assets with secondary resale value, including inventory, machinery, equipment, infrastructure, and certain energy generation assets, among other things ("Hard Assets"), real estate assets, including commercial real estate and residential real estate ("Real Estate Assets"), and financial assets, which are contractual or other related assets that provide rights to future payment streams, |

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including royalties, management fees, receivables, intellectual property, publishing rights, and legal claims, among other things ("Financial Assets"); (iii) structured credit, including collateralized loan obligations ("CLOs"), collateralized debt obligations ("CDOs"), and other securitized assets (such as asset-backed securities ("ABS"), commercial mortgage-backed securities ("CMBS") and residential mortgage-backed securities ("RMBS")); (iv) performing liquid credit, including broadly syndicated loans and bonds; and (v) opportunistic credit, including stressed, dislocated and, to a lesser extent, distressed opportunities. The Fund's allocations across these investments and investment strategies will be opportunistic based on market conditions and on BCIA's views of absolute and relative value. As a result, allocations are expected to vary substantially over time, and the Fund may not be invested in each investment and/or investment strategy at all times. The Fund may also invest in additional credit investments and investment strategies in the future as market opportunities evolve.<br>

The Fund may invest without limit in fixed-income securities and other credit-related investments across several investment sectors, including, but not limited to: fixed-income securities rated below investment grade by rating agencies or that would be rated below investment grade if they were rated, investment grade corporate bonds, fixed-income securities issued by governmental entities (including supranational entities), their agencies and instrumentalities, mezzanine investments, CLOs, loans, mortgage-related and asset-backed securities and other fixed and floating or variable rate obligations. These securities and other credit-related investments may be privately originated or publicly traded. The Fund may invest in such fixed-income securities and other credit-related investments of issuers located in the United States and non-U.S. countries, including emerging market countries. Some of the loans in which the Fund may invest directly or obtain exposure to through its investments in CDOs or other types of structured securities may be "covenant lite" loans, which means the loans contain fewer maintenance covenants than other loans (in some cases, none) and do not include terms which allow the lender to monitor the performance of the borrower and declare a default if certain criteria are breached.<br>

As part of its strategy, the Fund will seek to invest in select less liquid or illiquid private credit investments, generally involving corporate borrowers or asset-based collateral, that are believed to present the potential for higher yield versus some of the more liquid portions of the Fund's portfolio. "Private credit investments" is a common term for unregistered debt investments made through privately negotiated transactions, including where price is the only negotiated term. Private credit investments may be structured using a range of financial instruments, including but not limited to, first and second lien senior secured loans, unitranche debt, unsecured debt and structurally subordinated instruments. The amount of the Fund's net<br>

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assets allocated to private credit investments may vary over time due to a number of factors, including BCIA's assessment of market conditions and absolute and relative value opportunities, the pace of the Fund's subscriptions relative to the availability of what BCIA believes represent potentially attractive private credit investments, as a result of the Fund selling its more liquid investments in connection with, or having a smaller base of assets after, a repurchase offer; outflows of cash from time to time; and changes in the valuation of these investments. See "Risks—Principal Risks—Competition for Investment Opportunities" beginning on page 79, "Risks—Principal Risks—Valuation Risk" beginning on page 78, "Risks—Principal Risks—Allocation Risk" beginning on page 112 and "Conflicts of Interest" and "Management of the Fund—Portfolio Management—Potential Material Conflicts of Interest" in the SAI.<br>

The Fund may enter into any type of derivatives transaction. The Fund may purchase and sell futures contracts, enter into various interest rate transactions such as swaps, caps, floors or collars, currency transactions such as currency forward contracts, currency futures contracts, currency swaps or options on currency or currency futures and swap contracts (including, but not limited to, credit default swaps index products, credit default swaps, total return swaps (sometimes referred to as "contracts for difference") and interest rate swaps) and may purchase and sell exchange-listed and over-the-counter ("OTC") put and call options on securities and swap contracts, financial indices and futures contracts and use other derivative instruments or management techniques (collectively, "Strategic Transactions"). The Fund may use Strategic Transactions for hedging purposes or to enhance total return. Additionally, the Fund may enter into any type of Strategic Transaction for the purpose or effect of creating investment leverage to the maximum extent permitted by the SEC and/or SEC staff rules, guidance or positions. See "The Fund's Investments—Portfolio Contents and Techniques—Strategic Transactions and Other Management Techniques" in the prospectus.<br>

If the Advisor determines it to be appropriate or necessary, the Fund may form one or more wholly owned subsidiaries in one or more jurisdictions (each, a "Subsidiary," and together, the "Subsidiaries"), each of which would be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Any Subsidiary will share the same portfolio management team as the Fund. The Fund may invest either directly or indirectly through the Subsidiaries. The Fund may invest an aggregate of up to 25% of its total assets in Subsidiaries. The Fund typically expects to invest indirectly through the Subsidiaries if it believes it is desirable to do so to comply with the requirements for qualification as a regulated investment company ("RIC") under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended ("Code"). The Fund may invest indirectly through the Subsidiaries in instruments including, but not limited to, mortgage servicing rights ("MSRs") and commodities. Any<br>

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Subsidiary organized in the United States will generally be subject to U.S. federal income tax at corporate rates. The Subsidiaries will not be registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Investment Company Act"), and will not be subject to the investor protections of the Investment Company Act. The Subsidiaries will be advised or managed by the Advisor and have the same investment objective as the Fund. The Advisor, however, will not receive an additional management fee for any services provided to any Subsidiary. The Fund will look through any Subsidiaries for purposes of compliance with its investment policies and the applicable provisions of the Investment Company Act relating to capital structure, affiliated transactions and custody. See "The Fund's Investments—Portfolio Contents and Techniques—The Subsidiaries" and "Risks—Principal Risks—Subsidiary Risk" in the prospectus for additional information.<br>

There is no guarantee that a shareholder's investment in the Fund will not lose money or that the Fund will not return less over the life of the Fund than such shareholder's initial investment. There is no limit on the maturity or duration of securities in which the Fund may invest.

The Fund may also invest in privately placed or restricted securities, including in Rule 144A securities, which are privately placed securities purchased by qualified institutional buyers, illiquid investments and investments in which no secondary market is readily available, including those of private companies.<br>

The Fund may invest any amount of its assets in securities of any credit quality, including securities that are rated at the time of investment below investment grade—i.e., "Ba" or "BB" or below by Moody's Investor's Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), S&P Global Ratings ("S&P") or Fitch Ratings ("Fitch"), or securities that are judged to be of comparable quality by the Advisor. Securities of below investment grade quality are regarded as having predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer's capacity to pay interest and repay principal, and are commonly referred to as "junk bonds" or "high yield securities." In the case of debt securities with split ratings (i.e., a security receiving two different ratings from two different rating agencies), the Fund will apply the higher of the applicable ratings. See "Risks—Principal Risks—Below Investment Grade Securities Risk" in the prospectus.<br>

The Fund may also invest in securities of other affiliated and unaffiliated open- or closed-end investment companies, including exchange-traded funds ("ETFs") and business development companies ("BDCs"), subject to applicable regulatory limits, that invest primarily in securities the types of which the Fund may invest in directly. The Fund will classify its investments in such investment companies for purposes of its investment policies based upon such investment companies' stated investment objectives, policies and restrictions.<br>

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*Other Policies and Strategies.* During temporary defensive periods, including in response to adverse market, economic or political conditions, the period during which the net proceeds of this offering are being invested, or as the Fund nears liquidation/termination, the Fund may invest up to 100% of its total assets in liquid, short-term investments, including high quality, short-term securities, which may be either tax-exempt or taxable. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective, comply with the investment guidelines described in this prospectus or be able to sustain its historical distribution levels under these circumstances.<br>

The Fund may lend securities with a value of up to 33<sup>1</sup>/<sub>3</sub>% of its total assets, including such loans, to financial institutions that provide cash or securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government as collateral.<br>

The Fund may also engage in short sales of securities. See "The Fund's Investments—Portfolio Contents and Techniques—Short Sales" in the prospectus for information about the limitations applicable to the Fund's short sale activities.

The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of portfolio securities to achieve its investment objective.

Unless otherwise stated herein or in the SAI, the Fund's investment policies are non-fundamental policies and generally may be changed by the Board without prior shareholder approval. The Fund's policy to invest, under normal conditions, at least 80% of its Managed Assets in credit-related investments may be changed by the Board without prior shareholder approval under certain circumstances, with at least 60 days' prior notice by the Fund. Unless otherwise expressly stated in this prospectus or the SAI, or otherwise required by applicable law, all percentage and ratings or credit quality limitations stated in this prospectus apply only at the time of investment and subsequent changes in percentage (including changes resulting from the Fund having a smaller base of assets after a repurchase offer), value, ratings downgrades, liquidity profile or changes in credit quality will not result in the Fund being required to dispose of any portfolio security.<br>

For a discussion of risk factors that may affect the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective, see "Risks" in the prospectus.

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| **Leverage** | The Fund will use leverage, including borrowings from banks, to seek to achieve its investment objective, to satisfy repurchase requests from Fund shareholders, and to otherwise provide the Fund with temporary liquidity. |

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The Fund's use of leverage may increase or decrease from time to time in its discretion and the Fund may, in the future, determine not to use leverage. The Fund has entered into a revolving credit facility with a commitment of up to $200 million (the "Facility"). The Fund<br>

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currently utilizes leverage for investment purposes through the Facility. The Fund may also use leverage by investing in derivative instruments with leverage embedded in them. The Fund may, but does not currently intend to, issue preferred shares of beneficial interest ("Preferred Shares"). The Fund is permitted to borrow money in an amount up to 33 1/3% of its Managed Assets (50% of its net assets), issue Preferred Shares in an amount up to 50% of its Managed Assets (100% of its net assets) and invest in reverse repurchase agreements or other derivative instruments with leverage embedded in them in a limited manner or subject to a limit on leverage risk calculated based on value-at-risk, as required by Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act. As of December 31, 2025, the Fund had $20,000,000 in borrowings outstanding under the Facility, representing approximately 3.45% of the Fund's Managed Assets (3.58% of the Fund's net assets). The use of leverage creates an opportunity for increased common share net investment income dividends, but also creates risks for the holders of Shares. "Managed Assets" means the total assets of the Fund (including any assets attributable to money borrowed for investment purposes) minus the sum of the Fund's accrued liabilities (other than money borrowed for investment purposes). See "Leverage" in the prospectus.<br>

The use of leverage is subject to numerous risks and will cause the Fund's NAV and the yield to holders of Shares to be more volatile than if leverage was not used. For example, a rise in short-term interest rates generally will cause the Fund's NAV to decline more than if the Fund had not used leverage. In addition, because the Fund's investment management fee is calculated as a percentage of the Fund's Managed Assets, which include those assets purchased with leverage, during periods in which the Fund is using leverage, the fee paid to the Advisor will be higher than if the Fund did not use leverage. No assurance can be given that the Fund's use of leverage will in any particular circumstance be possible or successful or that the Fund's use of leverage will result in a higher yield to holders of Shares. See "Risks—Principal Risks—Leverage Risk" in the prospectus.<br>

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| **Investment Adviser and Investment Sub-Advisers** | The Fund's investment adviser is BlackRock Advisors, LLC. BlackRock Capital Investment Advisors, LLC (previously defined as "BCIA"), BlackRock International Limited ("BIL") and BlackRock (Singapore) Limited ("BSL") serve as sub-advisers to the Fund (each, a "Sub-Advisor", and collectively with the Advisor, the "Advisors"). |

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The Advisor and the Sub-Advisors are subsidiaries of BlackRock, Inc. ("BlackRock"). The Advisor receives an annual fee, payable monthly, in an amount equal to 1.00% of the average daily value of the Fund's Managed Assets. The Advisor, and not the Fund, expects to pay an annual sub-advisory fee to each Sub-Advisor equal to a percentage of the management fee received by the Advisor from the Fund with respect to the average daily value of the Fund's Managed Assets allocated to the applicable Sub-Advisor.<br>

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During periods in which the Fund is using leverage, the fee paid to the Advisor will be higher than if the Fund did not use leverage because the fee is calculated as a percentage of the Fund's Managed Assets, which include those assets purchased with leverage. See "Management of the Fund—Advisor and Sub-Advisors" in the prospectus.<br>

The Advisor has contractually agreed, effective as of December 1, 2025, to waive the entirety of its management fee otherwise payable by the Fund through June 30, 2026. The agreement may be terminated upon 90 days' notice by a majority of the Fund's Trustees who are not "interested persons" (as defined in the Investment Company Act) of the Fund or the Advisor (the "Independent Trustees") or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. See "Management of the Fund—Investment Management Agreement."<br>

The Fund has entered into an Amended and Restated Expense Limitation Agreement (the "Expense Agreement") in which the Advisor has agreed to waive and/or reimburse certain operating and other expenses of the Fund in order to limit certain expenses to 0.50% of the Fund's average daily value of the net assets of each share class (the "Expense Cap"). Subject to the terms of the Expense Agreement, expenses borne by the Advisor in the prior two fiscal years of the Fund are subject to recoupment by the Advisor. Such recoupment arrangement terminated on March 1, 2026. The Expense Agreement continues from year to year if approved by a majority of the Fund's Trustees who are not "interested persons" (as defined in the Investment Company Act) of the Fund or the Advisor (the "Independent Trustees"). The current term of the Expense Agreement expires on June 30, 2027. The Expense Agreement may be terminated prior to June 30, 2027 only by action of a majority of the Independent Trustees or by a vote of a majority of the Fund's outstanding voting securities. See "Management of the Fund—Investment Management Agreement—Expense Agreement" in the prospectus for more information regarding the operating and other expenses that the Advisor has agreed to waive and/or reimburse pursuant to the Expense Agreement.<br>

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| **Distributions; Dividend Reinvestment Plan** | The Fund declares distributions on a daily basis. The Fund distributes all or a portion of its net investment income to holders of Shares. The Fund may also pay one or more additional quarterly distributions of all or a portion of undistributed net investment income, if any. Distributions may also include net realized capital gains. The Fund pays any capital gains distributions at least annually. In addition, the Fund may pay a special distribution at the end of the calendar year if necessary to comply with applicable law. See "Distributions" in this prospectus. |

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Various factors will affect the level of the Fund's income, including the asset mix, the average maturity of the Fund's portfolio and the

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Fund's use of hedging. To permit the Fund to maintain more stable daily distributions, the Fund may from time to time distribute more or less than the entire amount of income earned in a particular period. Any undistributed income would be available to supplement future distributions. As a result, the distributions paid by the Fund for any particular monthly period may be more or less than the amount of income actually earned by the Fund during that period. Undistributed income will add to the Fund's NAV (and indirectly benefits the Advisor by increasing its fee) and, correspondingly, distributions from undistributed income will reduce the Fund's NAV.<br>

Shareholders will automatically have all dividends and distributions reinvested in Shares of the Fund in accordance with the Fund's dividend reinvestment plan, unless an election is made to receive cash by contacting the Reinvestment Plan Agent (as defined herein). All correspondence concerning the Reinvestment Plan should be directed to the Reinvestment Plan Agent, in writing to: BlackRock Funds, C/O BNY Mellon Investment Servicing, PO Box 534429, Pittsburgh, PA 15253-4429. Overnight correspondence should be directed to the Reinvestment Plan Agent at: BlackRock Funds, C/O BNY Mellon Investment Servicing, 1350 Penn Avenue Suite 102, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. See "Dividend Reinvestment Plan" in the prospectus.<br>

The Fund reserves the right to change its distribution policies and the basis for establishing the rate of its daily distribution declarations at any time and may do so without prior notice to common shareholders. See "Distributions" in the prospectus.

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| **Share Classes; Purchase of Common Shares** | As discussed above, the Fund has received the Multi-Class Exemptive Relief, which permits the Fund to, among other things, issue multiple classes of Shares and to impose asset-based distribution fees and early-withdrawal fees as applicable. The Fund currently offers five classes of Shares: Institutional Shares, Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares. The Fund may in the future register and include other classes of Shares in the offering. |

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The Shares are offered on a daily basis. Shares are being offered through the Distributor at an offering price equal to the then-current NAV of the applicable class, plus, with respect to Class A Shares, Class W Shares and Class J Shares, the applicable sales load. The Distributor or Dealers (as defined below) may waive all or a portion of the sales load for certain classes of investors. If you buy Shares through certain selling agents or other financial intermediaries, they may directly charge you a transaction fee in such amount as they may determine. Any such fees will be in addition to your investment in the Fund and not deducted therefrom. Investors should consult with their selling agents or other financial intermediaries about any transaction or other fees their selling agents or other financial intermediaries might impose on each class of shares. Generally, the stated minimum initial investment by an investor in the Fund is $250,000 for<br>

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Institutional Shares and $2,500 for each of Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares. For Institutional Shares, the minimum initial investment is waived or reduced for certain eligible investors as described under "Plan of Distribution—Minimum Investments." The minimum initial investment for each class of Shares may be modified or waived by the Fund and the Distributor for the Trustees and certain employees of BlackRock, including its affiliates, vehicles controlled by such Trustees and employees and their extended family members. There is no minimum subsequent investment for the Shares. See "Plan of Distribution" in the prospectus.<br>

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| **Distribution and Shareholder Servicing Fee** | Institutional Shares are not subject to a distribution or shareholder servicing fee. Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares are subject to an ongoing Distribution and Servicing Fee to compensate financial industry professionals for distribution-related expenses, if applicable, and providing ongoing services in respect of clients who own Shares of the Fund. Under the terms of the Multi-Class Exemptive Relief, the Fund is subject to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act. The Fund has adopted a fourth amended and restated distribution and servicing plan (the "Distribution and Servicing Plan") and pays the Distribution and Servicing Fee under such plan. The Distribution and Servicing Plan operates in a manner consistent with Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act, which regulates the manner in which an open-end investment company may directly or indirectly bear the expenses of distributing its shares. The maximum annual rates at which the Distribution and Servicing Fees may be paid under the Distribution and Servicing Plan (calculated as a percentage of the Fund's average daily net assets attributable to each of the Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares) is 0.75% for Class A Shares, Class W Shares and Class U Shares and 0.50% for Class J Shares. 0.25% of such fee is a shareholder servicing fee and the remaining portion is a distribution fee. |

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| **Distributor** | BlackRock Investments, LLC, an affiliate of the Fund and the Advisor, acts as distributor for the Shares and serves in that capacity on a reasonable best efforts basis, subject to various conditions. The principal business address of the Distributor is 50 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001. The Shares are offered for sale through the Distributor at NAV, plus, with respect to Class A Shares, Class W Shares and Class J Shares, the applicable sales load. The Distributor may appoint additional selling agents (each a "Dealer") or other financial intermediaries through which investors may purchase Shares. Dealers or other financial intermediaries may impose terms and conditions on investor accounts and investments in the Fund that are in addition to the terms and conditions set forth in this prospectus. Any terms and conditions imposed by a Dealer or other financial intermediary, or operational limitations applicable to such parties, |

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may affect or limit a shareholder's ability to purchase the Shares or tender the Shares for repurchase, or otherwise transact business with the Fund. Dealers typically receive the sales load with respect to Class A Shares, Class W Shares and Class J Shares purchased by their clients. Institutional Shares are not subject to a sales load; however, investors may be required to pay brokerage commissions on purchases or sales of Institutional Shares to their Dealers. If you buy Shares through certain Dealers or other financial intermediaries, they may directly charge you a transaction fee in such amount as they may determine. Investors should consult with their Dealers or other financial intermediaries about any transaction or other fees their Dealers or other financial intermediaries might impose on each class of Shares in addition to any fees imposed by the Fund.<br>

Institutional Shares are not subject to the Distribution and Servicing Fee but are only available through the Distributor or an asset-based fee program sponsored by a registered broker-dealer or registered investment adviser (also known as a "wrap fee" program) that has an agreement with the Distributor. With respect to Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares, the Fund will pay the Distributor the Distribution and Servicing Fee.<br>

Additionally, the Advisor or its affiliates, in the Advisor's discretion and from its own resources, may pay additional compensation to Dealers in connection with the sale of Shares (the "Additional Compensation"). In return for the Additional Compensation, the Fund may receive certain marketing advantages including but not limited to access to a broker's or dealer's registered representatives, placement on a list of investment options offered by a broker or dealer, or the ability to assist in training and educating the broker's or dealer's registered representatives. The Additional Compensation may differ among brokers or dealers in amount or in the amount of calculation. Payments of Additional Compensation may be fixed dollar amounts or, based on the aggregate value of outstanding Shares held by common shareholders introduced by the broker or dealer, or determined in some other manner. The receipt of Additional Compensation by a selling broker or dealer may create potential conflicts of interest between an investor and its broker or dealer who is recommending the Fund over other potential investments. See "Plan of Distribution" in this prospectus.<br>

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| **Unlisted Closed-End Fund** | The Shares are not listed on any securities exchange. The Fund is designed for long-term investors and an investment in the Shares, unlike an investment in a traditional listed closed-end fund, should be considered illiquid. An investment in the Shares is not suitable for investors who need access to the money they invest. Unlike shares of open-end funds (commonly known as mutual funds), which generally are redeemable on a daily basis, the Shares are not redeemable at an investor's option, and unlike traditional listed closed-end funds the Shares are not listed on any securities exchange. Notwithstanding that the Fund conducts periodic repurchase offers, investors should not |

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expect to be able to sell their Shares when and/or in the amount desired regardless of how the Fund performs. See "Closed-End Fund Structure" in this prospectus.<br>

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| **Custodian and Transfer Agent** | State Street Bank and Trust Company serves as the Fund's custodian, and BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. serves as the Fund's transfer agent. |

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| **Administrator** | State Street Bank and Trust Company serves as the Fund's administrator and fund accountant. |

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| **Principal Risk Considerations** | An investment in the Shares of the Fund involves risk. You should consider carefully the risks summarized below, each of which is described in more detail under "Risks" beginning on page 73 of this prospectus. |

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**Fixed Income Securities Risks**. Fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest are generally subject to the following risks:<br>

*Interest Rate Risk*. The market value of bonds and other fixed income securities changes in response to interest rate changes and other factors. Interest rate risk is the risk that prices of bonds and other fixed income securities will increase as interest rates fall and decrease as interest rates rise. For example, if interest rates increase by 1%, assuming a current portfolio duration of ten years, and all other factors being equal, the value of the Fund's investments would be expected to decrease by 10%. (Duration is a measure of the price sensitivity of a debt security or portfolio of debt securities to relative changes in interest rates.) The magnitude of these fluctuations in the market price of bonds and other fixed income securities is generally greater for those securities with longer maturities. Fluctuations in the market price of the Fund's investments will not affect interest income derived from instruments already owned by the Fund, but will be reflected in the Fund's NAV. The Fund may lose money if short-term or long-term interest rates rise sharply in a manner not anticipated by the Fund's management. To the extent the Fund invests in debt securities that may be prepaid at the option of the obligor (such as mortgage-related securities), the sensitivity of such securities to changes in interest rates may increase (to the detriment of the Fund) when interest rates rise. Moreover, because rates on certain floating rate debt securities typically reset only periodically, changes in prevailing interest rates (and particularly sudden and significant changes) can be expected to cause some fluctuations in the NAV of the Fund to the extent that it invests in floating rate debt securities. These basic principles of bond prices also apply to U.S. Government securities. A security backed by the "full faith and credit" of the U.S. Government is guaranteed only as to its stated interest rate and face value at maturity, not its current market price. Just like other fixed income securities, government-guaranteed securities will fluctuate in value when interest rates change.<br>

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The Fund's use of leverage, including through the use of instruments such as reverse repurchase agreements and dollar roll transactions, will tend to increase the Fund's interest rate risk. The Fund may utilize certain strategies, including taking positions in futures or interest rate swaps, for the purpose of reducing the interest rate sensitivity of fixed income securities held by the Fund and decreasing the Fund's exposure to interest rate risk. The Fund is not required to hedge its exposure to interest rate risk and may choose not to do so. In addition, there is no assurance that any attempts by the Fund to reduce interest rate risk will be successful or that any hedges that the Fund may establish will perfectly correlate with movements in interest rates.<br>

The Fund may invest in variable and floating rate debt instruments, which generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes than longer duration fixed rate instruments, but may decline in value in response to rising interest rates if, for example, the rates at which they pay interest do not rise as much, or as quickly, as market interest rates in general. Conversely, variable and floating rate instruments generally will not increase in value if interest rates decline. The Fund also may invest in inverse floating rate debt securities, which may decrease in value if interest rates increase and may also exhibit greater price volatility than fixed rate debt obligations with similar credit quality. To the extent the Fund holds variable or floating rate instruments, a decrease (or, in the case of inverse floating rate securities, an increase) in market interest rates will adversely affect the income received from such securities, which may adversely affect the NAV of the Fund's Shares.<br>

*Issuer Risk*. The value of fixed income securities may decline for a number of reasons that directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage, reduced demand for the issuer's goods and services, historical and prospective earnings of the issuer and the value of the assets of the issuer.<br>

*Credit Risk*. Credit risk is the risk that one or more fixed income securities in the Fund's portfolio will decline in price or fail to make timely payments of interest or principal when due, or otherwise honor their obligations, because the issuer of the security experiences a decline in its financial status. Credit risk is increased when a portfolio security is downgraded or the perceived creditworthiness of the issuer deteriorates. To the extent the Fund invests in below investment grade securities, it will be exposed to a greater amount of credit risk than a fund that only invests in investment grade securities. See "Risks—Principal Risks—Below Investment Grade Securities Risk." In addition, to the extent the Fund uses credit derivatives, such use will expose it to additional risk in the event that the bonds underlying the derivatives default. The degree of credit risk depends on the issuer's financial condition and on the terms of the securities.<br>

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*Prepayment Risk*. During periods of declining interest rates, borrowers may exercise their option to prepay principal earlier than scheduled. For fixed rate securities, such payments often occur during periods of declining interest rates, forcing the Fund to reinvest in lower yielding securities, resulting in a possible decline in the Fund's income and distributions to shareholders. This is known as prepayment or "call" risk. Below investment grade securities frequently have call features that allow the issuer to redeem the security at dates prior to its stated maturity at a specified price(typically greater than par) only if certain prescribed conditions are met (i.e., "call protection"). For premium bonds (bonds acquired at prices that exceed their par or principal value) purchased by the Fund, prepayment risk may be increased.<br>

*Reinvestment Risk*. Reinvestment risk is the risk that income from the Fund's portfolio will decline if the Fund invests the proceeds from matured, traded or called fixed income securities at market interest rates that are below the Fund portfolio's current earnings rate.<br>

*Duration and Maturity Risk*. The Fund has no set policy regarding portfolio maturity or duration of the fixed income securities it may hold. The Advisor may seek to adjust the portfolio's duration or maturity based on its assessment of current and projected market conditions and all other factors that the Advisor deems relevant. Any decisions as to the targeted duration or maturity of any particular category of investments or of the Fund's portfolio generally will be made based on all pertinent market factors at any given time. The Fund may incur costs in seeking to adjust the portfolio's average duration or maturity. There can be no assurance that the Advisor's assessment of current and projected market conditions will be correct or that any strategy to adjust the portfolio's duration or maturity will be successful at any given time. In general, the longer the duration of any fixed income securities in the Fund's portfolio, the more exposure the Fund will have to the interest rate risks described above. See "Risks—Principal Risks—Fixed Income Securities Risks—Duration and Maturity Risk."<br>

**Variable and Floating Rate Instrument Risk**. Variable and floating rate securities provide for periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the securities. Securities with floating or variable interest rates can be less sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with fixed interest rates, but may decline in value if their coupon rates do not reset as high, or as quickly, as comparable market interest rates, and generally carry lower yields than fixed securities of the same maturity. These securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. A decline in interest rates may result in a reduction in income received from variable and floating rate securities held by the Fund and may adversely affect the value of the Fund's shares. These securities may be subject to greater illiquidity risk than other fixed income securities, meaning the absence of an active<br>

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market for these securities could make it difficult for the Fund to dispose of them at any given time. Floating rate securities generally are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale, may trade infrequently, and their value may be impaired when the Fund needs to liquidate such loans. Benchmark interest rates may not accurately track market interest rates. Although floating rate securities are less sensitive to interest rate risk than fixed-rate securities, they are subject to credit risk and default risk, which could impair their value.<br>

**Closed-End Interval Fund; Illiquidity of Shares**. The Fund is structured as an "interval fund" and designed primarily for long-term investors. An investment in the Shares, unlike an investment in a traditional listed closed-end fund, should be considered illiquid. The Shares are appropriate only for investors who are seeking an investment in less liquid or illiquid portfolio investments within an illiquid fund. An investment in the Shares is not suitable for investors who need access to the money they invest. Unlike open-end funds (commonly known as mutual funds), which generally permit redemptions on a daily basis, the Shares are not redeemable at an investor's option. Unlike traditional listed closed-end funds, the Shares are not listed for trading on any securities exchange, and the Fund does not expect any secondary market to develop for the Shares in the foreseeable future. The NAV of the Shares may be volatile and the Fund's use of leverage will increase this volatility. As the Shares are not traded, investors may not be able to dispose of their investment in the Fund when or in the amount desired, no matter how the Fund performs.<br>

Although the Fund, as a fundamental policy, makes quarterly offers to repurchase between 5% and 25% of its outstanding Shares at NAV, the number of Shares tendered in connection with a repurchase offer may exceed the number of Shares the Fund has offered to repurchase, in which case the Fund may not repurchase all of your Shares tendered in that offer. In connection with any given repurchase offer, it is likely that the Fund may offer to repurchase only the minimum amount of 5% of its outstanding Shares. Hence, you may not be able to sell your Shares when and/or in the amount that you desire.<br>

**Investment Risk**. An investment in the Fund's Shares is subject to investment risk, including the possible loss of the entire amount that you invest. The Shares are designed for long-term investors, and the Fund should not be treated as a trading vehicle. At any point in time an investment in the Fund's Shares may be worth less than the original amount invested, even after taking into account distributions paid by the Fund. During periods in which the Fund may use leverage, the Fund's investment and certain other risks will be magnified.<br>

**Repurchase Offers Risk**. As described under "Periodic Repurchase Offers," the Fund is an "interval fund" and, to provide some liquidity to shareholders, makes quarterly offers to repurchase between 5% and<br>

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25% of its outstanding Shares at NAV, pursuant to Rule 23c-3 under the Investment Company Act. The Fund believes that these repurchase offers are generally beneficial to the Fund's shareholders. Repurchase offers generally are funded from available cash or sales of portfolio securities but may be funded with borrowings. However, the repurchase of Shares by the Fund decreases the assets of the Fund and, therefore, may have the effect of increasing the Fund's expense ratio. Repurchase offers and the need to fund repurchase obligations may also affect the ability of the Fund to be fully invested or force the Fund to maintain a higher percentage of its assets in liquid investments, which may harm the Fund's investment performance. Moreover, diminution in the size of the Fund through repurchases may result in untimely sales of portfolio securities, and may limit the ability of the Fund to participate in new investment opportunities. If the Fund uses leverage, repurchases of Shares may compound the adverse effects of leverage in a declining market. In addition, if the Fund borrows money to finance repurchases, interest on that borrowing will negatively affect shareholders who do not tender their Shares by increasing Fund expenses and reducing any net investment income. Certain shareholders may from time to time own or control a significant percentage of the Fund's Shares. Repurchase requests by these shareholders of these Shares of the Fund may cause repurchases to be oversubscribed, with the result that shareholders may only be able to have a portion of their Shares repurchased in connection with any repurchase offer. If a repurchase offer is oversubscribed and the Fund determines not to repurchase additional Shares beyond the repurchase offer amount, or if shareholders tender an amount of Shares greater than that which the Fund is entitled to purchase, the Fund will repurchase the Shares tendered on a pro rata basis, and shareholders will have to wait until the next repurchase offer to make another repurchase request. Shareholders will be subject to the risk of NAV fluctuations during that period. Thus, there is also a risk that some shareholders, in anticipation of proration, may tender more Shares than they wish to have repurchased in a particular quarterly period, thereby increasing the likelihood that proration will occur. Affiliates of the Fund may own Shares and determine to participate in the Fund's repurchase offers, which may contribute to a repurchase offer being oversubscribed and the Fund effecting repurchases on a pro rata basis. The NAV of Shares tendered in a repurchase offer may fluctuate between the date a shareholder submits a repurchase request and the Repurchase Request Deadline, and to the extent there is any delay between the Repurchase Request Deadline and the Repurchase Pricing Date. The NAV on the Repurchase Request Deadline or the Repurchase Pricing Date may be higher or lower than on the date a shareholder submits a repurchase request. See "Periodic Repurchase Offers" in the prospectus.<br>

**Distribution Payment Risk**. The Fund cannot assure investors that the Fund will achieve investment results that will allow the Fund to make a specified level of cash distributions or year-to-year increases in cash<br>

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distributions. All distributions will be paid at the discretion of the Board and may depend on the Fund's earnings, the Fund's net investment income, the Fund's financial condition, maintenance of the Fund's RIC status, compliance with applicable regulations and such other factors as the Board may deem relevant from time to time.<br>

In the event that the Fund encounters delays in locating suitable investment opportunities, all or a substantial portion of the Fund's distributions may constitute a return of capital to shareholders. To the extent that the Fund pays distributions that constitute a return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it will lower an investor's tax basis in his or her Shares. A return of capital generally is a return of an investor's investment, rather than a return of earnings or gains derived from the Fund's investment activities, and generally results in a reduction of the tax basis in the Shares. As a result from such reduction in tax basis, shareholders may be subject to tax in connection with the sale of Fund Shares, even if such Shares are sold at a loss relative to the shareholder's original investment.<br>

**Liquidation Risk**. The Board may determine at any time and in its discretion that it is in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders to liquidate and dissolve the Fund. Pursuant to the Fund's Agreement and Declaration of Trust ("Declaration of Trust"), the dissolution of the Fund requires the affirmative vote of at least 80% of the Fund's Trustees. A shareholder vote is not required to liquidate or dissolve the Fund. If the Board were to vote to dissolve and liquidate the Fund and the Fund's investment portfolio is substantially illiquid, the Advisor would not likely be able to liquidate the Fund's remaining assets in a short period of time. See "Risks—Principal Risks—Liquidation Scenarios" in the prospectus.<br>

**Effect of Additional Subscriptions**. The Fund intends to accept additional subscriptions for Shares, and such subscriptions will dilute the interest of existing shareholders in the Fund's investment portfolio, which could have an adverse impact on the value of existing shareholders' Shares.<br>

**Effect of Liquidation on Investment Objective**. If the Fund is in the process of a complete liquidation pursuant to the Declaration of Trust, in order to effect an orderly liquidation of the Fund's assets, the Fund may not comply with the investment objective described in this prospectus during liquidation.<br>

**Purchase Price Risk**. The purchase price at which an investor purchases Shares will be determined as of the close of the regular trading session on the New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE") on each business day on which the NYSE is open for trading ("daily closing") and will equal the NAV per Share of the applicable class as of such date, plus, with respect to Class A Shares, Class W Shares and Class J Shares, the applicable sales load. As a result, in the event of an increase in the Fund's NAV per Share of an applicable class, an<br>

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investor's purchase price may be higher than the prior daily closing price per Share of the applicable class, and therefore an investor may receive fewer Shares than if an investor had subscribed at the prior daily closing price.

**Best-Efforts Offering Risk***.* This offering is being made on a reasonable best efforts basis, whereby the Distributor is only required to use its reasonable best efforts to sell the Shares and neither it nor any Dealer has a firm commitment or obligation to purchase any of the Shares. To the extent that less than the maximum number of Shares is subscribed for, the opportunity for the allocation of the Fund's investments among various issuers and industries may be decreased, and the returns achieved on those investments may be reduced as a result of allocating all of the Fund's expenses over a smaller capital base. As a result, the Fund may be unable to achieve its investment objective and an investor could lose some or all of the value of his or her investment in the Shares. The Distributor is an affiliate of the Fund and the Advisor. As a result, the Distributor's due diligence review and investigation of the Fund and this prospectus cannot be considered to be an independent review.<br>

**Private Credit Risk***.* As part of its strategy, the Fund will seek to invest in select less liquid or illiquid private credit investments, generally involving corporate borrowers or asset-based collateral, that are believed to present the potential for higher yield versus some of the more liquid portions of the Fund's portfolio. Typically, private credit investments are in restricted securities that are not traded in public markets and subject to substantial holding periods, so that the Fund may not be able to resell some of its holdings for extended periods, which may be several years. The Fund may, from time to time or over time, focus its private credit investments in a particular industry or sector or select industries or sectors. Investment performance of such industries or sectors may thus at times have an out-sized impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund's investments are also subject to the risks associated with investing in private securities. Investments in private securities are illiquid, can be subject to various restrictions on resale, and there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to realize the value of such investments in a timely manner. See "Risks—Principal Risks—Restricted and Illiquid Investments Risks." Additionally, private credit investments can range in credit quality depending on security-specific factors, including total leverage, amount of leverage senior to the security in question, variability in the issuer's cash flows, the size of the issuer, the quality of assets securing debt and the degree to which such assets cover the subject company's debt obligations. The companies in which the Fund invests may be leveraged, often as a result of leveraged buyouts or other recapitalization transactions, and often will not be rated by national credit rating agencies. See "Risks—Principal Risks—Below Investment Grade Securities Risk."<br>

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**Dynamic Allocation Strategy Risk.** While BCIA generally intends to seek attractive returns for the Fund by dynamically allocating the Fund's assets across a wide range of private and public credit investments and investment strategies, BCIA may pursue additional investment strategies and may modify or depart from its initial investment strategy, investment process and investment techniques as it determines appropriate, subject to compliance with the Fund's policy to invest at least 80% of its Managed Assets in credit-related investments. BCIA may pursue investments outside of the industries, geographies and sectors in which it has previously made investments or has internal operational experience.<br>

**Valuation Risk***.* The Fund is subject to valuation risk, which is the risk that one or more of the securities in which the Fund invests are valued at prices that the Fund is unable to obtain upon sale due to factors such as incomplete data, market instability or human error. The Advisor may use an independent pricing service or prices provided by dealers to value securities at their market value. Because the secondary markets for certain investments may be limited, such instruments may be difficult to value. When market quotations are not available, the Advisor may price such investments pursuant to a number of methodologies, such as computer-based analytical modeling or individual security evaluations. These methodologies generate approximations of market values, and there may be significant professional disagreement about the best methodology for a particular type of financial instrument or different methodologies that might be used under different circumstances. In the absence of an actual market transaction, reliance on such methodologies is essential, but may introduce significant variances in the ultimate valuation of the Fund's investments. Technological issues and/or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers may also impact the Fund's ability to value its investments and the calculation of the Fund's NAV.<br>

When market quotations are not readily available or are believed by the Advisor to be unreliable, the Advisor will fair value the Fund's investments in accordance with its policies and procedures. Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm's-length transaction. Fair value pricing may require determinations that are inherently subjective and inexact about the value of a security or other asset. Fair valuations, particularly those of private companies and privately originated instruments, also often reflect only periodic information received by the Advisor about the issuer's financial condition and/or business operations, which may be on a lagged basis and can be based on estimates. As a result, there can be no assurance that fair value priced assets will not result in future adjustments to the prices of securities or other assets, or that fair value pricing will reflect a price that the Fund is able to obtain upon<br>

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sale, and it is possible that the fair value determined for a security or other asset will be materially different from quoted or published prices, from the prices used by others for the same security or other asset and/or from the value that actually could be or is realized upon the sale of that security or other asset. For example, the Fund's NAV could be adversely affected if the Fund's determinations regarding the fair value of the Fund's investments were materially higher than the values that the Fund ultimately realizes upon the disposal of such investments. Where market quotations are not readily available, valuation may require more research than for more liquid investments. In addition, elements of judgment may play a greater role in valuation in such cases than for investments with a more active secondary market because there is less reliable objective data available. The Fund prices its Shares daily and therefore all assets, including assets valued at fair value, are valued daily. While the Advisor seeks to evaluate on a daily basis material information about the Fund's fair valued assets, for the reasons noted herein, the Advisor may not be able to acquire and/or evaluate properly such information on a daily basis. As a result, the Advisor's fair value determinations could cause the Fund's NAV to materially differ from what it would have been had such information been fully incorporated.<br>

The Fund's NAV is a critical component in several operational matters including computation of advisory and services fees and determination of the price at which the Shares will be offered and at which a repurchase offer will be made. Consequently, variance in the valuation of the Fund's investments will impact, positively or negatively, the fees and expenses shareholders will pay, the price a shareholder will receive in connection with a repurchase offer and the number of shares an investor will receive upon investing in the Fund. The Fund may need to liquidate certain investments, including illiquid investments, in order to repurchase Shares in connection with a repurchase offer. A subsequent decrease in the valuation of the Fund's investments after a repurchase offer could potentially disadvantage remaining shareholders to the benefit of shareholders whose Shares were accepted for repurchase. Alternatively, a subsequent increase in the valuation of the Fund's investments could potentially disadvantage shareholders whose Shares were accepted for repurchase to the benefit of remaining shareholders. Similarly, a subsequent decrease in the valuation of the Fund's investments after a subscription could potentially disadvantage subscribing investors to the benefit of preexisting shareholders, and a subsequent increase in the valuation of the Fund's investments after a subscription could potentially disadvantage pre-existing shareholders to the benefit of subscribing investors. For more information regarding the Fund's calculation of its NAV, see "Net Asset Value."<br>

**Corporate Bonds Risk**. The market value of a corporate bond generally may be expected to rise and fall inversely with interest<br>

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rates. The market value of intermediate and longer term corporate bonds is generally more sensitive to changes in interest rates than is the market value of shorter term corporate bonds. The market value of a corporate bond also may be affected by factors directly related to the issuer, such as investors' perceptions of the creditworthiness of the issuer, the issuer's financial performance, perceptions of the issuer in the market place, performance of management of the issuer, the issuer's capital structure and use of financial leverage and demand for the issuer's goods and services. Certain risks associated with investments in corporate bonds are described elsewhere in this prospectus in further detail, including under "Risks—Principal Risks—Fixed Income Securities Risks," "Risks—Additional Risks—Inflation Risk" and "Risks—Additional Risks—Deflation Risk." There is a risk that the issuers of corporate bonds may not be able to meet their obligations on interest or principal payments at the time called for by an instrument. Corporate bonds of below investment grade quality are often high risk and have speculative characteristics and may be particularly susceptible to adverse issuer-specific developments. Corporate bonds of below investment grade quality are subject to additional risks described herein under "Risks—Principal Risks—Below Investment Grade Securities Risk."<br>

**Below Investment Grade Securities Risk**. The Fund may invest in securities that are rated, at the time of investment, below investment grade quality (rated Ba/BB or below, or judged to be of comparable quality by the Advisor), which are commonly referred to as "high yield" or "junk" bonds and are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's capacity to pay interest and repay principal when due. The value of high yield, lower quality bonds is affected by the creditworthiness of the issuers of the securities and by general economic and specific industry conditions. Issuers of high yield bonds are not perceived to be as strong financially as those with higher credit ratings. These issuers are more vulnerable to financial setbacks and recession than more creditworthy issuers, which may impair their ability to make interest and principal payments. Lower grade securities may be particularly susceptible to economic downturns. It is likely that an economic recession could severely disrupt the market for such securities and may have an adverse impact on the value of such securities. In addition, it is likely that any such economic downturn could adversely affect the ability of the issuers of such securities to repay principal and pay interest thereon and increase the incidence of default for such securities. The secondary market for lower grade securities may be less liquid than that for higher rated securities. Adverse conditions could make it difficult at times for the Fund to sell certain securities or could result in lower prices than those used in calculating the Fund's NAV. Because of the substantial risks associated with investments in lower grade securities, you could lose money on your investment in Shares of the Fund, both in the short-term and the long-term. To the extent that the Fund invests in lower grade securities that have not been rated by a rating<br>

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agency, the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective will be more dependent on the Advisor's credit analysis than would be the case when the Fund invests in rated securities.

**Restricted and Illiquid Investments Risk***.* The Fund may invest without limitation in illiquid or less liquid investments or investments in which no secondary market is readily available or which are otherwise illiquid, including private placement securities. The portion of the Fund's portfolio that consists of these types of investments may increase over time due to a number of factors, including as a result of the Fund selling its more liquid investments in connection with, or having a smaller base of assets after, a repurchase offer, as the Fund nears liquidation, outflows of cash from time to time and changes in the valuation of the illiquid securities. See "Risks—Principal Risks—Repurchase Offers Risk" and "Risks—Principal Risks—Valuation Risk." The Fund may not be able to readily dispose of such investments at prices that approximate those at which the Fund could sell such investments if they were more widely traded and, as a result of such illiquidity, the Fund may have to sell other investments or engage in borrowing transactions if necessary to raise cash to meet its obligations. Limited liquidity can also affect the market price of investments, thereby adversely affecting the Fund's NAV and ability to make dividend distributions. The financial markets have in recent years experienced periods of extreme secondary market supply and demand imbalance, resulting in a loss of liquidity during which market prices were suddenly and substantially below traditional measures of intrinsic value. During such periods, some investments could be sold only at arbitrary prices and with substantial losses. Periods of such market dislocation may occur again at any time.<br>

**Leverage Risk***.* The Fund is permitted to, and may, borrow money in an amount up to 33 1/3% of its Managed Assets (50% of its net assets). The use of leverage creates an opportunity for increased common share net investment income distributions, but also creates risks for the holders of Shares.<br>

There can be no assurance that the Fund's intended leveraging strategy will be successful. Leverage involves risks and special considerations for common shareholders, including:

• the likelihood of greater volatility of NAV and distribution rate of the Shares than a comparable portfolio without leverage;

• the risk that fluctuations in interest rates on borrowings and short-term debt or in the interest or dividend rates on any leverage that the Fund must pay will reduce the return to the common shareholders;

• the effect of leverage in a declining market, which is likely to cause a greater decline in the NAV of the Shares than if the Fund were not leveraged;

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• when the Fund uses financial leverage, the investment advisory fee payable to the Advisor will be higher than if the Fund did not use leverage; and

• leverage may increase operating costs, which may reduce total return.

Any decline in the NAV of the Fund's investments will be borne entirely by the holders of Shares. Therefore, if the market value of the Fund's portfolio declines, leverage will result in a greater decrease in NAV to the holders of Shares than if the Fund were not leveraged. While the Fund may from time to time consider reducing leverage in response to actual or anticipated changes in interest rates in an effort to mitigate the increased volatility of current income and NAV associated with leverage, there can be no assurances that the Fund will actually reduce leverage in the future or that any reduction, if undertaken, will benefit the holders of Shares. Changes in the future direction of interest rates are very difficult to predict accurately. If the Fund were to reduce leverage based on a prediction about future changes to interest rates, and that prediction turned out to be incorrect, the reduction in leverage would likely operate to reduce the income and/or total returns to holders of Shares relative to the circumstance where the Fund had not reduced leverage. The Fund may decide that this risk outweighs the likelihood of achieving the desired reduction to volatility in income and share price if the prediction were to prove to be correct and therefore determine not to reduce leverage as described above.<br>

The Fund may utilize leverage through investment in derivatives. See "Risks—Principal Risks—Strategic Transactions and Derivatives Risk." Under Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act, among other things, the Fund must either use derivatives in a limited manner or comply with an outer limit on fund leverage risk based on value-at-risk. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or to meet the applicable requirements of the Investment Company Act and the rules thereunder.<br>

Certain types of leverage used by the Fund may result in the Fund being subject to covenants relating to asset coverage and portfolio composition requirements. The Fund may be subject to certain restrictions on investments imposed by guidelines of one or more rating agencies, which may issue ratings for the short-term debt securities or Preferred Shares issued by the Fund. These guidelines may impose asset coverage or portfolio composition requirements that are more stringent than those imposed by the Investment Company Act. The Advisor does not believe that these covenants or guidelines will impede it from managing the Fund's portfolio in accordance with the Fund's investment objective and policies.<br>

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In addition to the foregoing, the use of leverage treated as indebtedness of the Fund for U.S. federal income tax purposes may reduce the amount of Fund dividends that are otherwise eligible for the dividends received deduction in the hands of corporate shareholders.<br>

**Strategic Transactions and Derivatives Risk***.* The Fund may purchase and sell futures contracts, enter into various interest rate transactions such as swaps, caps, floors or collars, currency transactions such as currency forward contracts, currency futures contracts, currency swaps or options on currency or currency futures and swap contracts (including, but not limited to, credit default swaps index products, credit default swaps, total return swaps (sometimes referred to as "contracts for difference") and interest rate swaps) and may purchase and sell exchange-listed and over-the-counter ("OTC") put and call options on securities and swap contracts, financial indices and futures contracts and use other derivative instruments or management techniques (collectively, "Strategic Transactions"). The Fund may engage in various Strategic Transactions for duration management and other risk management purposes, including to attempt to protect against possible changes in the market value of the Fund's portfolio resulting from trends in the securities markets and changes in interest rates or to protect the Fund's unrealized gains in the value of its portfolio securities, to facilitate the sale of portfolio securities for investment purposes, to establish a position in the securities markets as a temporary substitute for purchasing particular securities or to enhance income or gain. Derivatives are financial contracts or instruments whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index (or relationship between two indices). The Fund also may use derivatives to add leverage to the portfolio and/or to hedge against increases in the Fund's costs associated with any leverage strategy that it may employ. The use of Strategic Transactions to enhance current income may be particularly speculative.<br>

Strategic Transactions involve risks. The risks associated with Strategic Transactions include (i) the imperfect correlation between the value of such instruments and the underlying assets, (ii) the possible default of the counterparty to the transaction, (iii) illiquidity of the derivative instruments, and (iv) high volatility losses caused by unanticipated market movements, which are potentially unlimited. Although both OTC and exchange-traded derivatives markets may experience a lack of liquidity, OTC non-standardized derivative transactions are generally less liquid than exchange-traded instruments. The illiquidity of the derivatives markets may be due to various factors, including congestion, disorderly markets, limitations on deliverable supplies, the participation of speculators, government regulation and intervention, and technical and operational or system failures. In addition, daily limits on price fluctuations and speculative position limits on exchanges on which the Fund may conduct its transactions in derivative instruments may prevent prompt liquidation<br>

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of positions, subjecting the Fund to the potential of greater losses. Furthermore, the Fund's ability to successfully use Strategic Transactions depends on the Advisor's ability to predict pertinent securities prices, interest rates, currency exchange rates and other economic factors, which cannot be assured. The use of Strategic Transactions may result in losses greater than if they had not been used, may require the Fund to sell or purchase portfolio securities at inopportune times or for prices other than current market values, may limit the amount of appreciation the Fund can realize on an investment or may cause the Fund to hold a security that it might otherwise sell. Additionally, amounts paid by the Fund as premiums and cash or other assets held in margin accounts with respect to Strategic Transactions are not otherwise available to the Fund for investment purposes.<br>

Exchange-traded derivatives and OTC derivative transactions submitted for clearing through a central counterparty are also subject to minimum initial and variation margin requirements set by the relevant clearinghouse, as well as possible margin requirements mandated by the SEC or the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC"). The CFTC and federal banking regulators also have imposed margin requirements on non-cleared OTC derivatives, and the SEC's non-cleared margin requirements for security-based swaps became effective on November 1, 2021. As applicable, margin requirements may increase the overall costs for the Fund.<br>

Many OTC derivatives are valued on the basis of dealers' pricing of these instruments. However, the price at which dealers value a particular derivative and the price that the same dealers would actually be willing to pay for such derivative should the Fund wish or be forced to sell such position may be materially different. Such differences can result in an overstatement of the Fund's NAV and may materially adversely affect the Fund in situations in which the Fund is required to sell derivative instruments.<br>

**Direct Lending Risk***.* The Fund may make direct loans and engage in direct lending. This practice involves certain risks. If a loan is foreclosed, the Fund could become part owner of any collateral and would bear the costs and liabilities associated with owning and disposing of the collateral. As a result, the Fund may be exposed to losses resulting from default and foreclosure. Any costs or delays involved in the effectuation of a foreclosure of the loan or a liquidation of the underlying assets will further reduce the proceeds and thus increase the loss. There is no assurance that the Fund will correctly evaluate the value of the assets collateralizing the loan. In the event of a reorganization or liquidation proceeding relating to the borrower, the Fund may lose all or part of the amounts advanced to the borrower. There is no assurance that the protection of the Fund's interests will be adequate, including the validity or enforceability of the loan and the maintenance of the anticipated priority and perfection<br>

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of the applicable security interests. Furthermore, there is no assurance that claims will not be asserted that might interfere with enforcement of the Fund's rights.

**Asset-Based Finance Risk***.* The Fund may invest in asset-based finance investments, which are secured by, or otherwise dependent upon, the performance of pools of loans, leases, receivables, royalties or other contractual cash flows. The value of such investments is subject to the risk that the underlying obligors will be unable or unwilling to make principal or interest payments as they come due. Asset-based finance investments are also subject to the risk that the value of the collateral securing the obligations will decline or that the Fund may be unable to realize the expected value of the collateral because of difficulties in liquidating or enforcing rights in the collateral. In addition, cash flows associated with asset-based finance investments may be affected by factors such as the creditworthiness of the servicer, changes in prepayment rates, fluctuations in interest rates, structural features of the investment, and broader economic and market conditions. These factors may reduce the Fund's returns or result in losses.<br>

**U.S. Securities Risk***.* U.S. Government debt securities ("U.S. Securities") generally involve lower levels of credit risk than other types of fixed income securities of similar maturities, although, as a result, the yields available from U.S. Securities are generally lower than the yields available from such other securities. Like other fixed income securities, the values of U.S. Securities change as interest rates fluctuate. The long-term sovereign credit rating of the United States has been subject to multiple downgrades in recent years. U.S. budget deficit concerns and periodic debt ceiling disputes have contributed to these rating actions and may increase the possibility of additional credit-rating downgrades. Any further downgrade to the U.S. government's sovereign credit rating, or its perceived creditworthiness, could adversely affect U.S. and global financial markets and economic conditions and could result in significant adverse impacts on securities issuers and the Fund. The Advisor cannot predict the effects of these or similar events in the future on the U.S. economy and securities markets or on the Fund's portfolio.<br>

**Non-U.S. Securities Risk***.* The Fund may invest in securities of non-U.S. issuers ("Non-U.S. Securities"). Such investments involve certain risks not involved in domestic investments. Securities markets in foreign countries often are not as developed, efficient or liquid as securities markets in the United States, and therefore, the prices of Non-U.S. Securities can be more volatile. Certain foreign countries may impose restrictions on the ability of issuers of Non-U.S. Securities to make payments of principal and interest to investors located outside the country. In addition, the Fund will be subject to risks associated with adverse political and economic developments in foreign countries, which could cause the Fund to lose money on its investments in Non-U.S. Securities. The Fund will be subject to<br>

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additional risks if it invests in Non-U.S. Securities, which include seizure or nationalization of foreign deposits. Non-U.S. Securities may trade on days when the Fund's Shares are not priced or traded.

**Emerging Markets Risk***.* The considerations noted above in "Non-U.S. Securities Risk" are generally intensified for investments in emerging market countries, including countries that may be considered "frontier" markets. Emerging market countries typically have economic and political systems that are less fully developed and can be expected to be less stable than those of more developed countries. Investing in securities of companies in emerging markets may entail special risks relating to potential political and economic instability and the risks of expropriation, nationalization, confiscation or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investment, the lack of hedging instruments and restrictions on repatriation of capital invested. Economies of such countries can be subject to rapid and unpredictable rates of inflation or deflation. Emerging securities markets are substantially smaller, less developed, less liquid and more volatile than the major securities markets. The limited size of emerging securities markets and limited trading volume compared to the volume of trading in U.S. securities could cause prices to be erratic for reasons apart from factors that affect the quality of the securities. For example, limited market size may cause prices to be unduly influenced by traders who control large positions. Adverse publicity and investors' perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may decrease the value and liquidity of portfolio securities, especially in these markets. Other risks include high concentration of market capitalization and trading volume in a small number of issuers representing a limited number of industries, as well as a high concentration of investors and financial intermediaries; overdependence on exports, including gold and natural resources, making these economies vulnerable to changes in commodity prices; overburdened infrastructure and obsolete or unseasoned financial systems; environmental problems; less developed legal systems; and less reliable securities custodial services and settlement practices. Certain emerging markets may also face other significant internal or external risks, including the risk of war and civil unrest. For all of these reasons, investments in emerging markets may be considered speculative.<br>

**Frontier Markets Risk***.* Frontier countries generally have smaller economies or less developed capital markets than traditional emerging markets, and, as a result, the risks of investing in emerging market countries are magnified in frontier countries. The economies of frontier countries are less correlated to global economic cycles than those of their more developed counterparts and their markets have low trading volumes and the potential for extreme price volatility and illiquidity. This volatility may be further heightened by the actions of a few major investors. For example, a substantial increase or decrease in cash flows of mutual funds investing in these markets could<br>

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significantly affect local stock prices and, therefore, the NAV of Fund's Shares. These factors make investing in frontier countries significantly riskier than in other countries and any one of them could cause the NAV of the Fund's Shares to decline.

Governments of many frontier countries in which the Fund may invest may exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. In some cases, the governments of such frontier countries may own or control certain companies. Accordingly, government actions could have a significant effect on economic conditions in a frontier country and on market conditions, prices and yields of securities in the Fund's portfolio. Moreover, the economies of frontier countries may be heavily dependent upon international trade and, accordingly, have been and may continue to be, adversely affected by trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values and other protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries with which they trade. These economies also have been and may continue to be adversely affected by economic conditions in the countries with which they trade.<br>

**Foreign Currency Risk**. Because the Fund may invest in securities denominated or quoted in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, changes in foreign currency exchange rates may affect the value of securities held by the Fund and the unrealized appreciation or depreciation of investments. Currencies of certain countries may be volatile and therefore may affect the value of securities denominated in such currencies, which means that the Fund's NAV could decline as a result of changes in the exchange rates between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. The Advisor may, but is not required to, elect for the Fund to seek to protect itself from changes in currency exchange rates through hedging transactions depending on market conditions. In addition, certain countries, particularly emerging market countries, may impose foreign currency exchange controls or other restrictions on the transferability, repatriation or convertibility of currency.<br>

**Sovereign Government and Supranational Debt Risk***.* Investments in sovereign debt involve special risks. Foreign governmental issuers of debt or the governmental authorities that control the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or pay interest when due. In the event of default, there may be limited or no legal recourse in that, generally, remedies for defaults must be pursued in the courts of the defaulting party. Political conditions, especially a sovereign entity's willingness to meet the terms of its debt obligations, are of considerable significance. The ability of a foreign sovereign issuer, especially an emerging market country, to make timely payments on its debt obligations will also be strongly influenced by the sovereign issuer's balance of payments, including export performance, its access to international credit facilities and investments, fluctuations of interest rates and the extent of its foreign<br>

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reserves. The cost of servicing external debt will also generally be adversely affected by rising international interest rates, as many external debt obligations bear interest at rates which are adjusted based upon international interest rates. Foreign investment in certain sovereign debt is restricted or controlled to varying degrees, including requiring governmental approval for the repatriation of income, capital or proceeds of sales by foreign investors.<br>

**Tax Characterization Risk***.* As part of its investment strategy, the Fund will seek to invest in select less liquid or illiquid private credit investments, generally involving corporate borrowers or asset-based collateral, that are believed to present the potential for higher yield versus some of the more liquid portions of the Fund's portfolio. The Fund's net assets allocated to such investments may vary over time. The amount of taxable income and the tax character of income derived from these types of investments may not be determined at the time of a distribution from the Fund and may be recharacterized on the IRS Form 1099 sent to shareholders, and any increase in the amount of taxable income recognized from these transactions over the amount initially anticipated by the Fund could, among other things, increase the portion of Fund distributions that are taxable to investors as ordinary dividend income and cause the Fund to be subject to excise taxes on undistributed taxable income. Additionally, to the extent the Fund's investments are held in a liquidating trust, shareholder distributions paid out of the liquidating trust may be reported on a Grantor Information Statement.<br>

**Distressed and Defaulted Securities Risk**. Investments in the securities of financially distressed issuers are speculative and involve substantial risks. These securities may present a substantial risk of default or may be in default at the time of investment. The Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek recovery upon a default in the payment of principal or interest on its portfolio holdings. In any reorganization or liquidation proceeding relating to a portfolio company, the Fund may lose its entire investment or may be required to accept cash or securities with a value less than its original investment. Among the risks inherent in investments in a troubled entity is that it frequently may be difficult to obtain information as to the true financial condition of such issuer. The Advisor's judgment about the credit quality of the issuer and the relative value and liquidity of its securities may prove to be wrong. Distressed securities and any securities received in an exchange for such securities may be subject to restrictions on resale.<br>

**Yield and Ratings Risk**. The yields on debt obligations are dependent on a variety of factors, including general market conditions, conditions in the particular market for the obligation, the financial condition of the issuer, the size of the offering, the maturity of the obligation and the ratings of the issue. The ratings of Moody's, S&P and Fitch, which are described in Appendix A to the SAI, represent<br>

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their respective opinions as to the quality of the obligations they undertake to rate. Ratings, however, are relative and are not absolute standards of quality. Consequently, obligations with the same rating, maturity and interest rate may have different market prices. Subsequent to its purchase by the Fund, a rated security may cease to be rated or may have its ratings lowered. The Advisor will consider such an event in determining whether the Fund should continue to hold the security.<br>

**Unrated Securities Risk**. Because the Fund may purchase securities that are not rated by any rating organization, the Advisor may, after assessing their credit quality, internally assign ratings to those securities in categories similar to those of rating organizations. Some unrated securities may not have an active trading market or may be difficult to value, which means the Fund might have difficulty selling them promptly at an acceptable price. To the extent that the Fund invests in unrated securities, the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective will be more dependent on the Advisor's credit analysis than would be the case when the Fund invests in rated securities.<br>

**Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk**. In addition to the general risks associated with fixed income securities, CDOs, including collateralized loan obligations, carry additional risks, including: (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; (iii) the possibility that the CDO securities are subordinate to other classes; and (iv) the complex structure of the security may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the issuer or unexpected investment results. The credit quality of CDOs depends primarily upon the quality of the underlying assets and the level of credit support and/or enhancement provided. The underlying assets (e.g., securities or loans) of CDOs may be subject to prepayments, which would shorten the weighted average maturity and may lower the return of the CDO. If a credit support or enhancement is exhausted, losses or delays in payment may result if the required payments of principal and interest are not made. The transaction documents relating to the issuance of CDOs may impose eligibility criteria on the assets of the issuing special purpose entity ("SPE"), restrict the ability of the investment manager to trade investments and impose certain portfolio-wide asset quality requirements. These criteria, restrictions and requirements may limit the ability of the SPE's investment manager to maximize returns on the CDOs. In addition, other parties involved in structured products, such as third party credit enhancers and investors in the rated tranches, may impose requirements that have an adverse effect on the returns of the various tranches of CDOs. Furthermore, CDO transaction documents generally contain provisions that, in the event that certain tests are not met (generally interest coverage and over-collateralization tests at varying levels in the capital structure), require that proceeds that would otherwise be<br>

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distributed to holders of a junior tranche must be diverted to pay down the senior tranches until such tests are satisfied. Failure (or increased likelihood of failure) of a CDO to make timely payments on a particular tranche will have an adverse effect on the liquidity and market value of such tranche.<br>

**"Covenant-Lite" Loans Risk**. Some of the loans in which the Fund may invest or get exposure to through its investments in CDOs or other types of structured securities may be "covenant-lite" loans, which means the loans contain fewer maintenance covenants than other loans (in some cases, none) and do not include terms which allow the lender to monitor the performance of the borrower and declare a default if certain criteria are breached. An investment by the Fund in a covenant-lite loan may potentially hinder the ability to reprice credit risk associated with the issuer and reduce the ability to restructure a problematic loan and mitigate potential loss. The Fund may also experience delays in enforcing its rights on its holdings of covenant-lite loans. As a result of these risks, the Fund's exposure to losses may be increased, which could result in an adverse impact on the Fund's net income and NAV.<br>

**Zero Coupon Securities Risk**. Zero coupon securities are securities that are sold at a discount to par value and do not pay interest during the life of the security. The discount approximates the total amount of interest the security will accrue and compound over the period until maturity at a rate of interest reflecting the market rate of the security at the time of issuance. Upon maturity, the holder of a zero coupon security is entitled to receive the par value of the security. The Fund accrues income with respect to these securities for U.S. federal income tax and accounting purposes prior to the receipt of cash payments. Zero coupon securities may be subject to greater fluctuation in value and less liquidity in the event of adverse market conditions than comparably rated securities that pay cash interest at regular intervals. Further, to maintain its qualification for pass-through treatment under the U.S. federal tax laws, the Fund is required to distribute income to its shareholders and, consequently, may have to dispose of other, more liquid portfolio securities under disadvantageous circumstances or may have to leverage itself by borrowing in order to generate the cash to satisfy these distributions. The required distributions may result in an increase in the Fund's exposure to zero coupon securities. In addition to the above-described risks, there are certain other risks related to investing in zero coupon securities. During a period of severe market conditions, the market for such securities may become even less liquid. In addition, as these securities do not pay cash interest, the Fund's investment exposure to these securities and their risks, including credit risk, will increase during the time these securities are held in the Fund's portfolio.<br>

**Senior Loans Risk**. The Fund may invest in senior secured floating rate and fixed rate loans or debt ("Senior Loans"). Senior Loans hold<br>

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the most senior position in the capital structure of a business entity (the "Borrower"), are typically secured with specific collateral and typically have a claim on the assets and/or stock of the Borrower that is senior to that held by subordinated debt holders and stockholders of the Borrower. The Fund's investments in Senior Loans are typically below investment grade and are considered speculative because of the credit risk of their issuers. The risks associated with Senior Loans are similar to the risks of below investment grade fixed income securities, although Senior Loans are typically senior and secured in contrast to other below investment grade fixed income securities, which are often subordinated and unsecured. See "Risks—Principal Risks—Below Investment Grade Securities Risk." Senior Loans' higher standing has historically resulted in generally higher recoveries in the event of a corporate reorganization. In addition, because their interest payments are typically adjusted for changes in short-term interest rates, investments in Senior Loans generally have less interest rate risk than other below investment grade fixed income securities, which may have fixed interest rates.<br>

**Second Lien Loans Risk**. The Fund may invest in second lien or other subordinated or unsecured floating rate and fixed rate loans or debt ("Second Lien Loans"). Second Lien Loans generally are subject to similar risks as those associated with investments in Senior Loans. Because Second Lien Loans are subordinated or unsecured and thus lower in priority of payment to Senior Loans, they are subject to the additional risk that the cash flow of the Borrower and property securing the loan or debt, if any, may be insufficient to meet scheduled payments after giving effect to the senior secured obligations of the Borrower. This risk is generally higher for subordinated unsecured loans or debt, which are not backed by a security interest in any specific collateral. Second Lien Loans generally have greater price volatility than Senior Loans and may be less liquid. Second Lien Loans share the same risks as other below investment grade securities.<br>

**Mortgage Related Securities Risks**. Investing in mortgage-backed securities ("MBS") entails various risks. MBS represent an interest in a pool of mortgages. The risks associated with MBS include: credit risk associated with the performance of the underlying mortgage properties and of the borrowers owning these properties; risks associated with their structure and execution (including the collateral, the process by which principal and interest payments are allocated and distributed to investors and how credit losses affect the issuing vehicle and the return to investors in such MBS); whether the collateral represents a fixed set of specific assets or accounts, whether the underlying collateral assets are revolving or closed-end, under what terms (including maturity of the MBS) any remaining balance in the accounts may revert to the issuing entity and the extent to which the entity that is the actual source of the collateral assets is obligated to provide support to the issuing vehicle or to the investors in such<br>

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MBS; risks associated with the servicer of the underlying mortgages; adverse changes in economic conditions and circumstances, which are more likely to have an adverse impact on MBS secured by loans on certain types of commercial properties than on those secured by loans on residential properties; prepayment risk, which can lead to significant fluctuations in the value of the MBS; loss of all or part of the premium, if any, paid; and decline in the market value of the security, whether resulting from changes in interest rates, prepayments on the underlying mortgage collateral or perceptions of the credit risk associated with the underlying mortgage collateral. In addition, the Fund's level of investment in MBS of a particular type or in MBS issued or guaranteed by affiliated obligors, serviced by the same servicer or backed by underlying collateral located in a specific geographic region, may subject the Fund to additional risk. To the extent the Fund invests in junior tranches of MBS, it will be subject to additional risks, such as risking the proceeds that would otherwise be distributed to the Fund to pay down more senior tranches.<br>

MBS generally are classified as either residential MBS ("RMBS") or commercial MBS ("CMBS"), each of which are subject to certain specific risks as further described below.

*RMBS Risks*. RMBS are securities on which the payments depend primarily on the cash flow from residential mortgage loans made to borrowers that are secured by residential real estate. Non-agency residential mortgage loans are obligations of the borrowers thereunder only and are not typically insured or guaranteed by any other person or entity. The ability of a borrower to repay a loan secured by residential property is dependent upon the income or assets of the borrower. A number of factors, including a general economic downturn, acts of God, terrorism, social unrest and civil disturbances, may impair a borrower's ability to repay its loans.<br>

*CMBS Risks*. CMBS are, generally, securities backed by obligations (including certificates of participation in obligations) that are principally secured by mortgages on real property or interests therein having a multifamily or commercial use, such as regional malls, other retail space, office buildings, industrial or warehouse properties, hotels, nursing homes and senior living centers. The market for CMBS developed more recently and, in terms of total outstanding principal amount of issues, is relatively small compared to the market for single-family RMBS.<br>

**Asset-Backed Securities Risk**. Asset-backed securities ("ABS") involve certain risks in addition to those presented by MBS. There is the possibility that recoveries on the underlying collateral may not, in some cases, be available to support payments on these securities. Relative to MBS, ABS may provide the Fund with a less effective security interest in the underlying collateral and are more dependent on the borrower's ability to pay. If many borrowers on the underlying<br>

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loans default, losses could exceed the credit enhancement level and result in losses to investors in an ABS transaction. Finally, ABS have structure risk due to a unique characteristic known as early amortization, or early payout, risk. Built into the structure of most ABS are triggers for early payout, designed to protect investors from losses. These triggers are unique to each transaction and can include a significant rise in defaults on the underlying loans, a sharp drop in the credit enhancement level or the bankruptcy of the originator. Once early amortization begins, all incoming loan payments (after expenses are paid) are used to pay investors as quickly as possible based upon a predetermined priority of payment. As a result, proceeds that would otherwise be distributed to holders of a junior tranche may be diverted to pay down more senior tranches.<br>

**Equity Securities Risk***.* Stock markets are volatile, and the prices of equity securities fluctuate based on changes in a company's financial condition and overall market and economic conditions. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average total returns than fixed income securities over the long-term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatility in those returns and, in certain periods, have significantly under-performed relative to fixed income securities. An adverse event, such as an unfavorable earnings report, may depress the value of a particular common stock held by the Fund. A common stock may also decline due to factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. The value of a particular common stock held by the Fund may decline for a number of other reasons that directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage, the issuer's historical and prospective earnings, the value of its assets and reduced demand for its goods and services. Also, the prices of common stocks are sensitive to general movements in the stock market and a drop in the stock market may depress the price of common stocks to which the Fund has exposure. Common stock prices fluctuate for several reasons, including changes in investors' perceptions of the financial condition of an issuer or the general condition of the relevant stock market, or when political or economic events affecting the issuers occur. In addition, common stock prices may be particularly sensitive to rising interest rates, as the cost of capital rises and borrowing costs increase. Common equity securities in which the Fund may invest are structurally subordinated to preferred stock, bonds and other debt instruments in a company's capital structure in terms of priority to corporate income and are therefore inherently more risky than preferred stock or debt instruments of such issuers.<br>

**Dividend Paying Equity Securities Risk***.* Dividends on common equity securities that the Fund may hold are not fixed but are declared at the discretion of an issuer's board of directors. Companies that have historically paid dividends on their securities are not required to continue to pay dividends on such securities. There is no guarantee that the issuers<br>

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of the common equity securities in which the Fund invests will declare dividends in the future or that, if declared, they will remain at current levels or increase over time. Therefore, there is the possibility that such companies could reduce or eliminate the payment of dividends in the future. Dividend producing equity securities, in particular those whose market price is closely related to their yield, may exhibit greater sensitivity to interest rate changes. See "Risks—Principal Risks—Fixed Income Securities Risks—Interest Rate Risk." The Fund's investments in dividend producing equity securities may also limit its potential for appreciation during a broad market advance.<br>

The prices of dividend producing equity securities can be highly volatile. Investors should not assume that the Fund's investments in these securities will necessarily reduce the volatility of the Fund's NAV or provide "protection," compared to other types of equity securities, when markets perform poorly.<br>

**Investment Companies and ETFs Risk***.* Subject to the limitations set forth in the Investment Company Act and the Fund's governing documents or as otherwise permitted by the SEC, the Fund may acquire shares in other affiliated and unaffiliated investment companies, including in ETFs or BDCs. The market value of the shares of other investment companies, including ETFs and BDCs, may differ from their NAV. As an investor in investment companies, including ETFs and BDCs, the Fund would bear its ratable share of that entity's expenses, including its investment advisory and administration fees, while continuing to pay its own advisory and administration fees and other expenses (to the extent not offset by the Advisor through waivers). As a result, shareholders will be absorbing duplicate levels of fees with respect to investments in other investment companies, including ETFs and BDCs.<br>

The securities of other investment companies, including ETFs and BDCs, in which the Fund may invest may be leveraged. As a result, the Fund may be indirectly exposed to leverage through an investment in such securities. An investment in securities of other investment companies, including ETFs or BDCs, that use leverage may expose the Fund to higher volatility in the market value of such securities and the possibility that the Fund's long-term returns on such securities (and, indirectly, the long-term returns of the Fund's Shares) will be diminished.<br>

**Subsidiary Risk**. By investing in any Subsidiary, the Fund will be indirectly exposed to the risks associated with such Subsidiary's investments. The instruments that will be held by any Subsidiary will generally be similar to those that are permitted to be held by the Fund and will be subject to the same risks that apply to similar investments if held directly by the Fund. The Subsidiaries will not be registered under the Investment Company Act, and, unless otherwise noted in this prospectus, will not be subject to all the investor protections of the Investment Company Act. However, the Fund will wholly own<br>

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and control any Subsidiary, and the Fund and any Subsidiary will each be managed by the Advisors and share the same portfolio management teams. The Fund's Board will have oversight responsibility for the investment activities of the Fund, including its investment in the Subsidiaries, and the Fund's role as sole shareholder of any Subsidiary. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or any jurisdiction in which a Subsidiary is formed could result in the inability of the Fund and/or the Subsidiaries to operate as described in this prospectus and the SAI and could adversely affect the Fund. For example, changes in U.S. tax laws could affect the U.S. tax treatment of, or consequences of owning, the Fund or the Subsidiaries, including under the RIC rules.<br>

**Counterparty Risk***.* The Fund will be subject to credit risk with respect to the counterparties to the derivative contracts purchased by the Fund. Because derivative transactions in which the Fund may engage may involve instruments that are not traded on an Exchange (as defined herein) or cleared through a central counterparty but are instead traded between counterparties based on contractual relationships, the Fund is subject to the risk that a counterparty will not perform its obligations under the related contracts. If a counterparty becomes bankrupt or otherwise fails to perform its obligations due to financial difficulties, the Fund may experience significant delays in obtaining any recovery in bankruptcy or other reorganization proceedings. The Fund may obtain only a limited recovery, or may obtain no recovery, in such circumstances. Although the Fund intends to enter into transactions only with counterparties that the Advisor believes to be creditworthy, there can be no assurance that a counterparty will not default and that the Fund will not sustain a loss on a transaction. In the event of the counterparty's bankruptcy or insolvency, the Fund's collateral may be subject to the conflicting claims of the counterparty's creditors, and the Fund may be exposed to the risk of a court treating the Fund as a general unsecured creditor of the counterparty, rather than as the owner of the collateral. While the Fund may seek to manage its counterparty risk by transacting with a number of counterparties, concerns about the solvency of, or a default by, one large market participant could lead to significant impairment of liquidity and other adverse consequences for other counterparties.<br>

**Risks Associated with Recent Market Events***.* In 2022 and 2023, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates eleven times as part of its efforts to address rising inflation. Certain foreign central banks similarly tightened monetary policy during this period. Beginning in September 2024, the Federal Reserve began lowering interest rates, cutting the federal funds rate six times through December 2025. The Federal Reserve held the federal funds rate steady in the first quarter of 2026, though further rate changes may occur depending on economic conditions, including the pace of inflation and the state of the labor market. It is difficult to accurately predict the pace at which interest<br>

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rates might change, the timing, frequency or magnitude of any such changes in interest rates, or when such changes might stop or again reverse course. Additionally, various economic and political factors, including trade policy, fiscal policy and geopolitical developments, could cause the Federal Reserve or other foreign central banks to change their approach in the future and such actions may result in an economic slowdown both in the U.S. and abroad. Unexpected changes in interest rates could lead to significant market volatility or reduce liquidity in certain sectors of the market. Deteriorating economic fundamentals may, in turn, increase the risk of default or insolvency of particular issuers, negatively impact market value, cause credit spreads to widen, and reduce bank balance sheets. Any of these could cause an increase in market volatility, reduce liquidity across various markets or decrease confidence in the markets, which could negatively affect the value of debt instruments held by the Fund and result in a negative impact on the Fund's performance.<br>

Recent policy initiatives undertaken by the U.S. government have the potential to impact international relations, trade agreements and the overall regulatory environment in ways that could create uncertainty and instability in domestic and global markets, and could adversely affect the investment performance of the Fund. In particular, actions taken by the U.S. government in respect of international trade relations could lead to trade wars, increased costs for imported goods, disruptions in supply chains, reduced foreign investment, and instability in regions where the Fund invests. Political and diplomatic events within the United States, including a contentious domestic political environment, changes in political party control of one or more branches of the U.S. government, the U.S. government's inability at times to agree on a long term budget and deficit reduction plan, the threat of a U.S. government shutdown, and disagreements over, or threats not to increase, the U.S. government's borrowing limit (or "debt ceiling"), as well as political and diplomatic events abroad, may affect investor and consumer confidence and may adversely impact financial markets and the broader economy, perhaps suddenly and to a significant degree. A downgrade of the ratings of U.S. government debt obligations, or concerns about the U.S. government's credit quality in general, could have a substantial negative effect on the U.S. and global economies. In recent years, some countries, including the United States, have adopted more protectionist trade policies. Slowing global economic growth, the rise in protectionist trade policies, inflationary pressures, changes to some major international trade agreements, risks associated with the trade agreements between countries and regions, including the U.S. and other foreign nations, political or economic dysfunction within some countries or regions, including the U.S., and dramatic changes in commodity and currency prices could affect the economies of many nations in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time.<br>

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In recent years, some countries, including the United States, have adopted more protectionist trade policies. Slowing global economic growth, the rise in protectionist trade policies, inflationary pressures, changes to some major international trade agreements, risks associated with the trade agreements between countries and regions, including the U.S. and other foreign nations, political or economic dysfunction within some countries or regions, including the U.S., and dramatic changes in commodity and currency prices could affect the economies of many nations in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time.<br>

**Market Disruption and Geopolitical Risk***.* Investments by the Fund are materially affected by conditions in the global financial markets and economic and political conditions throughout the world, such as interest rates, the availability and cost of credit, inflation rates, economic uncertainty, changes in laws, trade policies, commodity prices, tariffs, currency exchange rates and controls and national and international political circumstances (including wars and other forms of conflict, terrorist acts, and security operations) and catastrophic events such as fires, floods, earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes and pandemics could materially affect the Fund's investments to the extent it materially affects global economies or global financial markets.<br>

Additionally, the occurrence of events similar to those in recent years, such as localized wars, instability, new and ongoing epidemics and pandemics of infectious diseases and other global health events, natural/environmental disasters, terrorist attacks in the United States and around the world, social and political discord, debt crises, sovereign debt downgrades, increasingly strained relations between the United States and a number of foreign countries, new and continued political unrest in various countries, the exit or potential exit of one or more countries from the European Union, continued changes in the balance of political power among and within the branches of the U.S. government, government shutdowns and other factors, may result in market volatility, may have long term effects on the United States and worldwide financial markets, and may cause further economic uncertainties in the United States and worldwide and could have a significant adverse impact on the value and risk profile of the Fund's portfolio. These factors are outside of the Fund's control and may affect the level and volatility of securities prices and the liquidity and value of the Fund's portfolio investments, and the Fund may not be able to successfully manage its exposure to these conditions, which may result in substantial losses to shareholders.<br>

Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The extent and duration of the military action, resulting sanctions and resulting future market disruptions, including declines in its stock markets and the value of the ruble against the U.S. dollar, in the region are impossible to predict, but could be significant. Any<br>

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such disruptions caused by Russian military action or other actions (including cyberattacks and espionage) or resulting actual and threatened responses to such activity, including purchasing and financing restrictions, boycotts or changes in consumer or purchaser preferences, sanctions, tariffs or cyberattacks on the Russian government, Russian companies or Russian individuals, including politicians, could have a severe adverse effect on Russia and the European region, including significant negative impacts on the Russian economy, the European economy and the markets for certain securities and commodities, such as oil and natural gas, and may likely have collateral impacts on such sectors globally as well as other sectors. How long such military action and related events will last cannot be predicted.<br>

In recent years, the U.S. government has indicated its intent to alter its approach to international trade policy and in some cases to renegotiate, or potentially terminate, certain existing bilateral or multi-lateral trade agreements and treaties with foreign countries, and has made proposals and taken actions related thereto, including the imposition of tariffs on imported goods. Tariffs on imported goods could further increase costs, decrease margins, reduce the competitiveness of products and services offered by current and future portfolio companies and adversely affect the revenues and profitability of portfolio companies whose businesses rely on goods imported from such impacted jurisdictions. More generally, these actions may trigger a significant reduction in international trade, the oversupply of certain manufactured goods, substantial price reductions of goods and possible failure of individual companies and/or large segments of a foreign country's export industry, which could have a negative impact on the Fund's performance. The U.S. government has imposed, and may in the future further increase, tariffs on certain foreign goods imported into the U.S., including from China, Canada, and Mexico, such as steel and aluminum. Some foreign governments, including China, have instituted retaliatory tariffs on certain U.S. goods. U.S. companies that source material and goods from China and those that make large amounts of sales in China would be particularly vulnerable to an escalation of trade tensions. Uncertainty regarding the outcome of the trade tensions and the potential for a trade war could cause the U.S. dollar to decline against safe-haven currencies, such as the Japanese yen and the euro. Events such as these, and their consequences, are difficult to predict and it is unclear whether further tariffs may be imposed or other escalating actions may be taken in the future. Increased trade tensions could have a material adverse effect on the global economy. The Fund and its portfolio investments could be materially and adversely affected.<br>

Cybersecurity incidents affecting particular companies or industries may adversely affect the economies of particular countries, regions or parts of the world in which the Fund invests.

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The occurrence of any of these above events could have a significant adverse impact on the value and risk profile of the Fund's portfolio. The Fund does not know how long the securities markets may be affected by similar events and cannot predict the effects of similar events in the future on the U.S. economy and securities markets. There can be no assurance that similar events and other market disruptions will not have other material and adverse implications.<br>

**Regulation and Government Intervention Risk**. Federal, state, and other governments, their regulatory agencies or self-regulatory organizations may take actions that affect the regulation of the issuers in which the Fund invests in ways that are unforeseeable. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the Fund is regulated. Such legislation or regulation could limit or preclude the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective. See "Risks—Regulation and Government Intervention Risk."<br>

**Legal, Tax and Regulatory Risks**. Legal, tax and regulatory changes could occur that may have material adverse effects on the Fund.<br>

To qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment generally accorded to RICs, the Fund must, among other things, derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from certain prescribed sources and distribute for each taxable year at least 90% of its "investment company taxable income" (generally, ordinary income plus the excess, if any, of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss). If for any taxable year the Fund does not qualify as a RIC, all of its taxable income for that year (including its net capital gain) would be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for distributions to shareholders, and such distributions would be taxable as ordinary dividends to the extent of the Fund's current and accumulated earnings and profits.<br>

The rules dealing with U.S. federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S. Treasury Department. Revisions in U.S. federal tax laws and interpretations of these laws could adversely affect the tax consequences of your investment.<br>

**Investment Dilution Risk**. The Fund's investors do not have preemptive rights to any Shares the Fund may issue in the future. The Fund's Declaration of Trust authorizes it to issue an unlimited number of Shares. The Board may make certain amendments to the Declaration of Trust. After an investor purchases Shares, the Fund may sell additional Shares or other classes of Shares in the future or issue equity interests in private offerings. To the extent the Fund issues additional equity interests after an investor purchases its Shares, such investor's percentage ownership interest in the Fund will be diluted.<br>

------

**Potential Conflicts of Interest of the Advisor, Sub-Advisors and Others**. The investment activities of BlackRock and its affiliates (including BlackRock, Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively, the "Affiliates")) and their respective directors, officers and employees and of in the management of, or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BlackRock and its Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and discretionary managed accounts that may follow investment programs similar (in whole or in part) to that of the Fund. Subject to the requirements of the Investment Company Act, BlackRock and its Affiliates intend to engage in such activities and may receive compensation from third parties for their services. None of BlackRock or its Affiliates are under any obligation to share any investment opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, BlackRock and its Affiliates may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. The results of the Fund's investment activities, therefore, may differ from those of an Affiliate or another account managed by an Affiliate and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts achieve profits on their trading for proprietary or other accounts. BlackRock has adopted policies and procedures designed to address potential conflicts of interest. For additional information about potential conflicts of interest and the way in which BlackRock addresses such conflicts, please see "Conflicts of Interest" and "Management of the Fund—Portfolio Management—Potential Material Conflicts of Interest" in the SAI.<br>

**Allocation Risk***.* The Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective depends in large part upon the Advisor's skill in determining the allocation of the Fund's assets and in selecting the best mix of investments. There is a risk that the Advisor's evaluation and assumptions regarding asset classes or investments may be incorrect in view of actual market conditions.<br>

The Fund's allocation of its investments across various segments of the securities markets and various countries, regions, asset classes and sectors may vary significantly over time based on the Advisor's analysis and judgment. As a result, the particular risks most relevant to an investment in the Fund, as well as the overall risk profile of the Fund's portfolio, may vary over time. The Advisor employs a flexible approach to the Fund's investment allocations, but there is no guarantee that the Advisor's allocation strategy will produce the desired results. The percentage of the Fund's total assets allocated to any category of investment may at any given time be significantly less than the maximum percentage permitted pursuant to the Fund's investment policies. It is possible that the Fund will focus on an investment that performs poorly or underperforms other investments under various market conditions. The flexibility of the Fund's investment policies and the discretion granted to the Advisor to invest<br>

------

the Fund's assets across various segments, classes and geographic regions of the securities markets and in securities with various characteristics means that the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective may be more dependent on the success of its investment adviser than other investment companies.<br>

As part of its strategy, the Fund will seek to invest in select less liquid or illiquid private credit investments, generally involving corporate borrowers or asset-based collateral, that are believed to present the potential for higher yield versus more some of the more liquid portions of the Fund's portfolio. The amount of the Fund's net assets allocated to such investments may vary over time.<br>

**Portfolio Turnover Risk***.* The Fund's annual portfolio turnover rate may vary greatly from year to year, as well as within a given year. Portfolio turnover rate is not considered a limiting factor in the execution of investment decisions for the Fund. A higher portfolio turnover rate results in correspondingly greater brokerage commissions and other transactional expenses that are borne by the Fund. High portfolio turnover may result in an increased realization of net short-term capital gains by the Fund which, when distributed to common shareholders, will be taxable as ordinary income. Additionally, in a declining market, portfolio turnover may create realized capital losses.<br>

**Anti-Takeover Provisions Risk**. The Fund's Declaration of Trust and Bylaws include provisions that could limit the ability of other entities or persons to acquire control of the Fund or convert the Fund to open-end status or to change the composition of the Board. Such provisions could limit the ability of shareholders to sell their shares by discouraging a third party from seeking to obtain control of the Fund. See "Certain Provisions in the Agreement and Declaration of Trust and Bylaws."<br>

**Additional Risk Considerations***.* For a discussion of additional principal risks, including "Competition for Investment Opportunities," "Convertible Securities Risk," "Contingent Convertible Securities Risk," "Reverse Repurchase Agreements Risk," "EMU and Redenomination Risk," "Debtor-In-Possession ("DIP") Financing Risk," "Limited Amortization Requirements," "Investments in Publicly Traded Companies," "Pay-in-Kind Bonds Risk," "Mezzanine Investments Risk," "Corporate Loans Risk," "Risks of Loan Assignments and Participations," "Reference Rate Replacement Risk," "Trade Claims Risk," "Insolvency of Issuers of Indebtedness Risk," "Preferred Securities Risk," "Growth Stock Risk," and "Value Stock Risk," please see "Risks—Principal Risks" beginning on page 73 of this prospectus.<br>

For a discussion of non-principal risks, including "Risks Relating to Particular Countries or Geographic Regions," "Inflation-Indexed Bonds Risk," "Inverse Floater and Related Securities Risk," "New Issues Risk," "Highly Volatile Markets Risk," "Structured Securities

------

Risks," "Warrants Risk," "Rights Risks," "Defensive Investing Risk," "Hedging Transactions Risk," "Option Transactions Risk," "Commodities, Financial Futures Contracts and Options Thereon Risk," "Forward Contracts Risk," "Swaps Risk," "Repurchase Agreements Risk," "Dollar Roll Transactions Risk," "When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Transactions Risk," "Securities Lending Risk," "Short Sales Risk," "Inflation Risk," "Deflation Risk," "Regulation as a 'Commodity Pool'," "Failure of Futures Commission Merchants and Clearing Organizations," "Decision-Making Authority Risk," "Management Risk," "Market and Selection Risk," "Reliance on the Advisor and Sub-Advisors Risk," "Reliance on Service Providers Risk," "Information Technology Systems Risk," "Operational and Technology Risk," and "Misconduct of Employees and of Service Providers," please see "Risks—Additional Risks" beginning on page 113 of this prospectus.<br>

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#### SUMMARY OF FUND FEES AND EXPENSES
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold Shares. You may qualify for sales load discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $250,000 in the fund complex advised by the Advisor or its affiliates. More information about these and other discounts is available from your Dealer or other financial intermediary and in the "Plan of Distribution" section on page 144 of this prospectus.

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| | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Institutional<br>Shares** | **Class A<br>Shares** | **Class W<br>Shares** | **Class U<br>Shares** | **Class J<br>Shares** |

---

---

| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  **Shareholder Transaction Fees** |  |  |  |
|  (fees paid directly from your investment) |  |  |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Maximum Sales Load imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price)<sup>(1)</sup> | 2.50% | 3.50% | 3.00% |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Maximum Deferred Sales Load (as a percentage of offering price or repurchase proceeds, whichever is lower) | 1.50%<sup>(2)</sup> |  |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Dividend Reinvestment Plan Fees<sup>(3)</sup> |  |  |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Repurchase Fee<sup>(4)</sup> |  |  |  |

---

---

| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  **Annual Fund Operating Expenses** |  |  |  |  |  |
|  (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of average net assets attributable to Shares, assuming the use of leverage) Management Fee<sup>(5)</sup> | 1.06% | 1.06% | 1.06% | 1.06% | 1.06% |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Distribution and Servicing Fee<sup>(6)</sup> |  | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.50% |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Interest Payments on Borrowed Funds<sup>(7)</sup> | 0.47% | 0.47% | 0.47% | 0.47% | 0.47% |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Other Expenses<sup>(8)</sup> | 0.33% | 0.25% | 0.24% | 0.36% | 0.23% |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses<sup>(9)</sup> | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% |
|  Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses<sup>(9)</sup> | 1.87% | 2.54% | 2.53% | 2.65% | 2.27% |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursement<sup>(5)</sup> | (0.01)% | (0.01)% | (0.01)% | (0.01)% | (0.01)% |
|  Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursement<sup>(5)</sup> | 1.86% | 2.53% | 2.52% | 2.64% | 2.26% |

---

(1) There is no sales load for Institutional Shares. Investors purchasing Class A Shares, Class W Shares and Class J Shares may be charged a sales load of up to 2.50%, 3.50% and 3.00%, respectively, of the investor's aggregate purchase. The table assumes the maximum sales load is charged. The Distributor or Dealers may waive all or a portion of the sales load for certain classes of investors. If you buy Shares through certain selling agents or other financial intermediaries, they may directly charge you a transaction fee in such amount as they may determine. Any such fees will be in addition to your investment in the Fund and not deducted therefrom. Investors should consult with their selling agents or other financial intermediaries about any transaction or other fees their selling agents or other financial intermediaries might impose on each class of shares. See "Plan of Distribution."

(2) A contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC") of 1.50% is assessed on Fund repurchases of Class A Shares made within 18 months after purchase where no initial sales load was paid at the time of purchase as part of an investment of $250,000 or more.

(3) The Reinvestment Plan Agent's (as defined below under "Dividend Reinvestment Plan") fees for the handling of the reinvestment of dividends will be paid by the Fund. Any fees attributable to the Dividend Reinvestment Plan are included in the estimate of "Other Expenses."

(4) The Fund does not currently intend to impose a repurchase fee but is permitted to charge up to 2%. See "Periodic Repurchase Offers—Repurchase Fee."

(5) The Fund has entered into an Expense Agreement in which the Advisor has agreed to waive and/or reimburse certain operating and other expenses of the Fund in order to limit certain expenses to 0.50% of the Fund's average daily value of the net assets of each share class. Subject to the terms of the Expense Agreement, expenses borne by the Advisor in the prior two fiscal years of the Fund are subject to

------

recoupment by the Advisor. Such recoupment arrangement terminated on March 1, 2026. The Expense Agreement continues from year to year if approved by a majority of the Fund's Independent Trustees. The current term of the Expense Agreement expires on June 30, 2027. The Expense Agreement may be terminated prior to June 30, 2027 only by action of a majority of the Independent Trustees or by a vote of a majority of the Fund's outstanding voting securities. See "Management of the Fund—Investment Management Agreement—Expense Agreement" for more information regarding the operating and other expenses that the Advisor has agreed to waive and/or reimburse pursuant to the Expense Agreement.<br>

The Fund and the Advisor have also entered into a fee waiver agreement (the "Fee Waiver Agreement"), pursuant to which the Advisor has contractually agreed to waive the management fee with respect to any portion of the Fund's assets attributable to investments in any equity and fixed-income mutual funds and exchange-traded funds managed by the Advisor or its affiliates and other exchange-traded products sponsored by the Advisor or its affiliates, in each case that have a contractual fee, through June 30, 2027. In addition, pursuant to the Fee Waiver Agreement, the Advisor has contractually agreed to waive its management fees by the amount of investment advisory fees the Fund pays to the Advisor indirectly through its investment in money market funds managed by the Advisor or its affiliates, through June 30, 2027. The Fee Waiver Agreement may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, only by the Fund (upon the vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees or a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund), upon 90 days' written notice by the Fund to the Advisor.

(6) The Fund has adopted a fourth amended and restated distribution and servicing plan (the "Distribution and Servicing Plan") and pays the Distribution and Servicing Fee under such plan. The maximum annual rates at which the Distribution and Servicing Fees may be paid under the Distribution and Servicing Plan (calculated as a percentage of the Fund's average daily net assets attributable to each of the Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares) is 0.75% for Class A Shares, Class W Shares and Class U Shares and 0.50% for Class J Shares. 0.25% of such fee is a shareholder servicing fee and the remaining portion is a distribution fee. See "Plan of Distribution—Distribution and Servicing Plan – Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares."

(7) Interest Payments on Borrowed Funds is based on the current fiscal year and the use of leverage in the form of bank borrowings in an amount equal to 3.45% of the Fund's Managed Assets (as defined below) (3.58% of the Fund's net assets), and the weighted average annual interest rate on bank borrowings of 6.14%. The actual amount of interest expense borne by the Fund will vary over time in accordance with the level of the Fund's use of bank borrowings and variations in market interest rates. Interest expense is required to be treated as an expense of the Fund for accounting purposes.

(8) Other Expenses have been restated to reflect current fees.

(9) Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses does not correlate to the ratio of total expenses to average net assets given in the Fund's most recent annual report, which does not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and the restatement of Other Expenses.

#### Example
As required by relevant SEC regulations, the following example demonstrates the projected dollar amount of total expenses that would be incurred over various periods with respect to a hypothetical investment in Shares. In calculating the following expense amounts, the Fund has assumed its direct and indirect annual expenses would remain at the percentage levels set forth in the table above, that the maximum sales load is charged on each of Class A Shares, Class W Shares and Class J Shares and that the Expense Agreement and the Fee Waiver Agreement are only in effect for the first year since they expire on June 30, 2027. The Expense Agreement and the Fee Waiver Agreement for the Fund expire on June 30, 2027; thus, the Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursement set out in the table above is reflected in the example through such date. The Expense Agreement and the Fee Waiver Agreement, however, do continue from year to year if approved by a majority of the Fund's Independent Trustees.

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An investor would pay the following expenses on a $1,000 investment in the Shares, assuming a 5.0% annual return:

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| | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  | **1 Year** | **3 Years** | **5 Years** | **10 Years** |
|  **Institutional Shares** | $19 | $59 | $101 | $219 |
|  **Class A Shares** | $50 | $102 | $157 | $305 |
|  **Class W Shares** | $60 | $111 | $165 | $311 |
|  **Class U Shares** | $27 | $82 | $140 | $298 |
|  **Class J Shares** | $52 | $99 | $148 | $283 |

---

**The example above should not be considered a representation of future expenses. Actual expenses may be greater or less than those shown. In addition to the fees and expenses described above, you may also be required to pay brokerage commissions or other transaction fees on the purchase of Shares, which are not reflected in the example.**

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#### FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The financial highlights table is intended to help you understand the Fund's financial performance. Information shown reflects the performance of the Fund's Institutional Shares, Class A Shares, Class J Shares, Class U Shares and Class W Shares. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Share. The information for the fiscal years and/or periods, as applicable, ended December 31, 2025, December 31, 2024, December 31, 2023, December 31, 2022, and December 31, 2021 has been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund. The report of Deloitte & Touche LLP is included in the Fund's December 31, 2025 Annual Report and is incorporated by reference into the SAI. The Fund's financial statements are included in the Fund's Annual Report and are incorporated by reference into the SAI. The Fund's returns prior to December 1, 2025 as reflected in the table are the returns of the Fund when it followed a different investment strategy under the name "BlackRock Credit Strategies Fund."

(For a Share outstanding throughout each period)

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| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  | BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund | BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund | BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund | BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund | BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund |
|  | Institutional | Institutional | Institutional | Institutional | Institutional |
|  | Year Ended<br>12/31/25<sup>(a)</sup> | Year Ended<br>12/31/24 | Year Ended<br>12/31/23<sup>(a)</sup> | Year Ended<br>12/31/22<sup>(a)</sup> | Year Ended<br>12/31/21 |
|  **Net asset value, beginning of year** | $8.47 | $8.63 | $8.48 | $9.96 | $10.41 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Net investment income<sup>(b)</sup> | 0.71 | 0.81 | 0.88 | 0.63 | 0.55 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) | (0.25) | (0.14) | 0.13 | (1.43) | (0.28) |
|  Net increase (decrease) from investment operations | 0.46 | 0.67 | 1.01 | (0.80) | 0.27 |
|  **Distributions<sup>(c)</sup>** |  |  |  |  |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; From net investment income | (0.75) | (0.83) | (0.86) | (0.68) | (0.67) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; From net realized gain |  |  |  |  | (0.05) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Return of capital |  |  | (0.00)<sup>(d)</sup> |  |  |
|  Total distributions | (0.75) | (0.83) | (0.86) | (0.68) | (0.72) |
|  **Net asset value, end of year** | $8.18 | $8.47 | $8.63 | $8.48 | $9.96 |
|  **Total Return<sup>(e)</sup>** |  |  |  |  |  |
|  Based on net asset value | 5.62% | 8.06% | 12.36% | (8.17)% | 2.58% |
|  **Ratios to Average Net Assets<sup>(f)</sup>** |  |  |  |  |  |
|  Total expenses<sup>(g)</sup> | 1.87% | 1.72% | 2.00% | 2.20 %<sup>(h)</sup> | 2.12% |
|  Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed | 1.77% | 1.71% | 1.99% | 2.19 %<sup>(h)</sup> | 2.11% |
|  Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed and excluding interest expense and fees | 1.29% | 1.35% | 1.36% | 1.57 %<sup>(h)</sup> | 1.66% |
|  Net investment income | 8.54% | 9.48% | 10.15% | 7.09% | 5.30% |
|  **Supplemental Data** |  |  |  |  |  |
|  Net assets, end of year (000) | $423034 | $445710 | $321744 | $293515 | $285729 |
|  Borrowings outstanding, end of year (000) | $20000 | $50000 | $7450 | $55850 | $73250 |
|  Asset coverage, end of year per $1,000 of bank borrowings | $29084 | $13126 | $62975 | $8699 | $6846 |
|  Portfolio turnover rate | 84% | 45 %<sup>(i)</sup> | 35% | 55% | 55% |

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<sup>(a)</sup> Consolidated Financial Highlights.

<sup>(b)</sup> Based on average shares outstanding.

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<sup>(c)</sup> Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations.

<sup>(d)</sup> Amount is greater than $(0.005) per share.

<sup>(e)</sup> Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions. The Fund is a continuously offered closed-end fund, the Shares of which are offered at net asset value. No secondary market for the Fund's Shares exists

<sup>(f)</sup> Excludes fees and expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds.

<sup>(g)</sup> Includes recoupment of past waived and/or reimbursed fees. Excluding the recoupment of past waived and/or reimbursed fees, the expense ratios were as follows:

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| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  | Year Ended<br>12/31/25<sup>(a)</sup> | Year Ended<br>12/31/24 | Year Ended<br>12/31/23<sup>(a)</sup> | Year Ended<br>12/31/22<sup>(a)</sup> | Year Ended<br>12/31/21 |
|  Expense ratios | 1.87% | N/A | N/A | 2.13% | 1.93% |

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<sup>(h)</sup> Includes non-recurring expenses of offering costs. Without these costs, total expenses, total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed and total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed and excluding interest expense and fees would have been 2.18%, 2.18% and 1.55%, respectively.

<sup>(i)</sup> Portfolio turnover rate is representative of the Fund for the entire year.

(For a Share outstanding throughout each period)

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| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  | BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund (continued) | BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund (continued) | BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund (continued) | BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund (continued) | BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund (continued) |
|  | Class A | Class A | Class A | Class A | Class A |
|  | Year Ended<br>12/31/25<sup>(a)</sup> | Year Ended<br>12/31/24 | Year Ended<br>12/31/23<sup>(a)</sup> | Year Ended<br>12/31/22<sup>(a)</sup> | Year Ended<br>12/31/21 |
|  **Net asset value, beginning of year** | $8.50 | $8.65 | $8.50 | $9.97 | $10.42 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Net investment income<sup>(b)</sup> | 0.66 | 0.76 | 0.82 | 0.57 | 0.47 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) | (0.25) | (0.14) | 0.13 | (1.44) | (0.28) |
|  Net increase (decrease) from investment operations | 0.41 | 0.62 | 0.95 | (0.87) | 0.19 |
|  **Distributions<sup>(c)</sup>** |  |  |  |  |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; From net investment income | (0.69) | (0.77) | (0.80) | (0.60) | (0.59) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; From net realized gain |  |  |  |  | (0.05) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Return of capital |  |  | (0.00)<sup>(d)</sup> |  |  |
|  Total distributions | (0.69) | (0.77) | (0.80) | (0.60) | (0.64) |
|  **Net asset value, end of year** | $8.22 | $8.50 | $8.65 | $8.50 | $9.97 |
|  **Total Return**<sup>(e)</sup> |  |  |  |  |  |
|  Based on net asset value | 4.93% | 7.44% | 11.53% | (8.87)% | 1.82% |
|  **Ratios to Average Net Assets<sup>(f)</sup>** |  |  |  |  |  |
|  Total expenses<sup>(g)</sup> | 2.54% | 2.40% | 2.71% | 2.87 %<sup>(h)</sup> | 2.84% |
|  Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed | 2.45% | 2.40% | 2.70% | 2.87 %<sup>(h)</sup> | 2.82% |
|  Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed and excluding interest expense and fees | 1.97% | 2.03% | 2.06% | 2.25 %<sup>(h)</sup> | 2.39% |
|  Net investment income | 7.86% | 8.79% | 9.45% | 6.34% | 4.57% |
|  **Supplemental Data** |  |  |  |  |  |
|  Net assets, end of year (000) | $88750 | $112309 | $95592 | $97062 | $116182 |
|  Borrowings outstanding, end of year (000) | $20000 | $50000 | $7450 | $55850 | $73250 |
|  Asset coverage, end of year per $1,000 of bank borrowings | $29084 | $13126 | $62975 | $8699 | $6846 |
|  Portfolio turnover rate | 84% | 45 %<sup>(i)</sup> | 35% | 55% | 55% |

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<sup>(a)</sup> Consolidated Financial Highlights.

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<sup>(b)</sup> Based on average shares outstanding.

<sup>(c)</sup> Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations.

<sup>(d)</sup> Amount is greater than $(0.005) per share.

<sup>(e)</sup> Where applicable, excludes the effects of any sales charges and assumes the reinvestment of distributions. The Fund is a continuously offered closed-end fund, the Shares of which are offered at net asset value. No secondary market for the Fund's Shares exists.

<sup>(f)</sup> Excludes fees and expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds.

<sup>(g)</sup> Includes recoupment of past waived and/or reimbursed fees. Excluding the recoupment of past waived and/or reimbursed fees, the expense ratios were as follows:

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| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  | Year Ended<br>12/31/25<sup>(a)</sup> | Year Ended<br>12/31/24 | Year Ended<br>12/31/23<sup>(a)</sup> | Year Ended<br>12/31/22<sup>(a)</sup> | Year Ended<br>12/31/21 |
|  Expense ratios | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2.80% | 2.65% |

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<sup>(h)</sup> Includes non-recurring expenses of offering costs. Without these costs, total expenses, total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed and total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed and excluding interest expense and fees would have been 2.85%, 2.85% and 2.23%, respectively.

<sup>(i)</sup> Portfolio turnover rate is representative of the Fund for the entire year.

(For a Share outstanding throughout each period)

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
|  | BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund (continued) | BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund (continued) |
|  | Class J | Class J |
|  | Year Ended<br>12/31/25<sup>(a)</sup> | Period from<br>11/19/24<sup>(b)</sup><br>to 12/31/24 |
|  **Net asset value, beginning of period** | $8.48 | $8.63 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Net investment income<sup>(c)</sup> | 0.68 | 0.08 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Net realized and unrealized loss | (0.25) | (0.11) |
|  Net increase (decrease) from investment operations | 0.43 | (0.03) |
|  Distributions from net investment income<sup>(d)</sup> | (0.71) | (0.12) |
|  **Net asset value, end of period** | $8.20 | $8.48 |
|  **Total Return<sup>(e)</sup>** |  |  |
|  Based on net asset value | 5.20% | (0.40)%<sup>(f)</sup> |
|  **Ratios to Average Net Assets<sup>(g)</sup>** |  |  |
|  Total expenses | 2.27% | 2.71 %<sup>(h)(i)</sup> |
|  Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed | 2.17% | 2.70 %<sup>(i)</sup> |
|  Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed and excluding interest expense and fees | 1.69% | 2.07 %<sup>(i)</sup> |
|  Net investment income | 8.13% | 7.85% |
|  **Supplemental Data** |  |  |
|  Net assets, end of period (000) | $475 | $491 |
|  Borrowings outstanding, end of year (000) | $20000 | $50000 |
|  Asset coverage, end of period per $1,000 of bank borrowings | $29084 | $13126 |
|  Portfolio turnover rate | 84% | 45 %<sup>(j)</sup> |

---

<sup>(a)</sup> Consolidated Financial Highlights.

<sup>(b)</sup> Commencement of operations.

<sup>(c)</sup> Based on average shares outstanding.

<sup>(d)</sup> Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations.

------

<sup>(e)</sup> Where applicable, excludes the effects of any sales charges and assumes the reinvestment of distributions. The Fund is a continuously offered closed-end fund, the Shares of which are offered at net asset value. No secondary market for the Fund's Shares exists.

<sup>(f)</sup> Not annualized.

<sup>(g)</sup> Excludes fees and expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds.

<sup>(h)</sup> Includes non-recurring expenses of offering costs. Without these costs, total expenses, total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed and total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed and excluding interest expense and fees would have been 2.69%, 2.68% and 2.05%, respectively.

<sup>(i)</sup> Annualized.

<sup>(j)</sup> Portfolio turnover rate is representative of the Fund for the entire year.

(For a Share outstanding throughout each period)

---

| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  | BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund (continued) | BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund (continued) | BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund (continued) | BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund (continued) | BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund (continued) |
|  | Class U | Class U | Class U | Class U | Class U |
|  | Year Ended<br>12/31/25<sup>(a)</sup> | Year Ended<br>12/31/24 | Year Ended<br>12/31/23<sup>(a)</sup> | Year Ended<br>12/31/22<sup>(a)</sup> | Period from<br>07/12/21<sup>(b)</sup><br>to 12/31/21 |
|  **Net asset value, beginning of period** | $8.48 | $8.64 | $8.50 | $9.97 | $10.51 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Net investment income<sup>(c)</sup> | 0.65 | 0.75 | 0.81 | 0.58 | 0.20 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) | (0.25) | (0.14) | 0.13 | (1.45) | (0.38) |
|  Net increase (decrease) from investment operations | 0.40 | 0.61 | 0.94 | (0.87) | (0.18) |
|  **Distributions<sup>(d)</sup>** |  |  |  |  |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; From net investment income | (0.69) | (0.77) | (0.80) | (0.60) | (0.31) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; From net realized gain |  |  |  |  | (0.05) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Return of capital |  |  | (0.00)<sup>(e)</sup> |  |  |
|  Total distributions | (0.69) | (0.77) | (0.80) | (0.60) | (0.36) |
|  **Net asset value, end of period** | $8.19 | $8.48 | $8.64 | $8.50 | $9.97 |
|  **Total Return**<sup>(f)</sup> |  |  |  |  |  |
|  Based on net asset value | 4.82% | 7.33% | 11.41% | (8.87)% | (1.74)%<sup>(g)</sup> |
|  **Ratios to Average Net Assets<sup>(h)</sup>** |  |  |  |  |  |
|  Total expenses<sup>(i)</sup> | 2.65% | 2.46% | 2.81% | 2.88 %<sup>(j)</sup> | 2.80 %<sup>(k)</sup> |
|  Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed | 2.54% | 2.45% | 2.80% | 2.88 %<sup>(j)</sup> | 2.80 %(k) |
|  Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed and excluding interest expense and fees | 2.06% | 2.09% | 2.17% | 2.24 %<sup>(j)</sup> | 2.47 %<sup>(k)</sup> |
|  Net investment income | 7.76% | 8.75% | 9.34% | 6.54% | 4.23 %<sup>(k)</sup> |
|  **Supplemental Data** |  |  |  |  |  |
|  Net assets, end of period (000) | $49226 | $47606 | $44169 | $39203 | $26076 |
|  Borrowings outstanding, end of year (000) | $20000 | $50000 | $7450 | $55850 | $73250 |
|  Asset coverage, end of period per $1,000 of bank borrowings | $29084 | $13126 | $62975 | $8699 | $6846 |
|  Portfolio turnover rate | 84% | 45 %<sup>(l)</sup> | 35% | 55% | 55 %<sup>(l)</sup> |

---

<sup>(a)</sup> Consolidated Financial Highlights.

<sup>(b)</sup> Commencement of operations.

<sup>(c)</sup> Based on average shares outstanding.

<sup>(d)</sup> Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations.

<sup>(e)</sup> Amount is greater than $(0.005) per share.

<sup>(f)</sup> Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions. The Fund is a continuously offered closed-end fund, the Shares of which are offered at net asset value. No secondary market for the Fund's Shares exists

<sup>(g)</sup> Not annualized.

------

<sup>(h)</sup> Excludes fees and expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds.

<sup>(i)</sup> Includes recoupment of past waived and/or reimbursed fees. Excluding the recoupment of past waived and/or reimbursed fees, the expense ratios were as follows:

---

| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  | Year Ended<br>12/31/25<sup>(a)</sup> | Year Ended<br>12/31/24 | Year Ended<br>12/31/23<sup>(a)</sup> | Year Ended<br>12/31/22<sup>(a)</sup> | Period from<br>07/12/21<sup>(b)</sup><br>to 12/31/21 |
|  Expense ratios | 2.65% | N/A | N/A | 2.82% | 2.54% |

---

<sup>(j)</sup> Includes non-recurring expenses of offering costs. Without these costs, total expenses, total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed and total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed and excluding interest expense and fees would have been 2.87%, 2.86% and 2.23%, respectively.

<sup>(k)</sup> Annualized.

<sup>(l)</sup> Portfolio turnover rate is representative of the Fund for the entire year.

(For a Share outstanding throughout each period)

---

| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  | BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund (continued) | BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund (continued) | BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund (continued) | BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund (continued) | BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund (continued) |
|  | Class W | Class W | Class W | Class W | Class W |
|  | Year Ended<br>12/31/25<sup>(a)</sup> | Year Ended<br>12/31/24 | Year Ended<br>12/31/23<sup>(a)</sup> | Year Ended<br>12/31/22<sup>(a)</sup> | Period from<br>07/12/21<sup>(b)</sup><br>to 12/31/21 |
|  **Net asset value, beginning of period** | $8.50 | $8.65 | $8.50 | $9.97 | $10.51 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Net investment income<sup>(c)</sup> | 0.66 | 0.76 | 0.82 | 0.57 | 0.22 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) | (0.25) | (0.14) | 0.13 | (1.44) | (0.40) |
|  Net increase (decrease) from investment operations | 0.41 | 0.62 | 0.95 | (0.87) | (0.18) |
|  **Distributions<sup>(d)</sup>** |  |  |  |  |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; From net investment income | (0.69) | (0.77) | (0.80) | (0.60) | (0.31) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; From net realized gain |  |  |  |  | (0.05) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Return of capital |  |  | (0.00)<sup>(e)</sup> |  |  |
|  Total distributions | (0.69) | (0.77) | (0.80) | (0.60) | (0.36) |
|  **Net asset value, end of period** | $8.22 | $8.50 | $8.65 | $8.50 | $9.97 |
|  **Total Return**<sup>(g)</sup> |  |  |  |  |  |
|  Based on net asset value | 4.93% | 7.44% | 11.53% | (8.87)% | (1.74)%<sup>(g)</sup> |
|  **Ratios to Average Net Assets<sup>(j)</sup>** |  |  |  |  |  |
|  Total expenses<sup>(k)</sup> | 2.53% | 2.38% | 2.69% | 2.87 %<sup>(j)</sup> | 2.70 %<sup>(k)</sup> |
|  Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed | 2.43% | 2.37% | 2.69% | 2.87 %<sup>(j)</sup> | 2.70 %<sup>(k)</sup> |
|  Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed and excluding interest expense and fees | 1.95% | 2.02% | 2.05% | 2.25 %<sup>(j)</sup> | 2.45 %<sup>(k)</sup> |
|  Net investment income | 7.87% | 8.83% | 9.44% | 6.35% | 4.64 %<sup>(k)</sup> |
|  **Supplemental Data** |  |  |  |  |  |
|  Net assets, end of period (000) | $195 | $202 | $206 | $202 | $237 |
|  Borrowings outstanding, end of period (000) | $20000 | $50000 | $7450 | $55850 | $73250 |
|  Asset coverage, end of year per $1,000 of bank borrowings | $29084 | $13126 | $62975 | $8699 | $6846 |
|  Portfolio turnover rate | 84% | 45 %<sup>(l)</sup> | 35% | 55% | 55 %<sup>(l)</sup> |

---

<sup>(a)</sup> Consolidated Financial Highlights.

------

<sup>(b)</sup> Commencement of operations.

<sup>(c)</sup> Based on average shares outstanding.

<sup>(d)</sup> Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations.

<sup>(e)</sup> Amount is greater than $(0.005) per share.

<sup>(f)</sup> Where applicable, excludes the effects of any sales charges and assumes the reinvestment of distributions. The Fund is a continuously offered closed-end fund, the Shares of which are offered at net asset value. No secondary market for the Fund's Shares exists.

<sup>(g)</sup> Not annualized.

<sup>(h)</sup> Excludes fees and expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds.

<sup>(i)</sup> Includes recoupment of past waived and/or reimbursed fees. Excluding the recoupment of past waived and/or reimbursed fees, the expense ratios were as follows:

---

| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  | Year Ended<br>12/31/25<sup>(a)</sup> | Year Ended<br>12/31/24 | Year Ended<br>12/31/23<sup>(a)</sup> | Year Ended<br>12/31/22<sup>(a)</sup> | Period from<br>07/12/21<sup>(b)</sup><br>to 12/31/21 |
|  Expense ratios | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2.80% | 2.37% |

---

<sup>(j)</sup> Includes non-recurring expenses of offering costs. Without these costs, total expense, total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed, and total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed and excluding interest expense and fees would have been 2.86, 2.85% and 2.24%, respectively.

<sup>(k)</sup> Annualized.

<sup>(l)</sup> Portfolio turnover rate is representative of the Fund for the entire year.

------

#### SENIOR SECURITIES
The following table sets forth information regarding the Fund's outstanding senior securities as of the end of the Fund's last ten fiscal years, as applicable. The Fund's audited financial statements, including Deloitte & Touche LLP's Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, and accompanying notes to financial statements, are included in the Fund's annual report to shareholders for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025.

---

| | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| Fiscal Year/Period Ended | Total Amount<br>Outstanding (000) | Asset Coverage<sup>(a)</sup> | Liquidation<br>Preference | Type Of Senior Security |
|  December 31, 2025 | $20000 | $29084 | N/A | Bank Borrowings |
|  December 31, 2024 | $50000 | $13126 | N/A | Bank Borrowings |
|  December 31, 2023 | $7450 | $62975 | N/A | Bank Borrowings |
|  December 31, 2022 | $55850 | $8699 | N/A | Bank Borrowings |
|  December 31, 2021 | $73250 | $6846 | N/A | Bank Borrowings |
|  December 31, 2020 | $39500 | $5432 | N/A | Bank Borrowings |
|  December 31, 2019 | $16000 | $7612 | N/A | Bank Borrowings |

---

<sup>(a)</sup> Calculated by subtracting the Fund's total liabilities (not including bank borrowings) from the Fund's total assets and dividing this by the amount of bank borrowings, and by multiplying the results by 1,000. 

------

#### THE FUND
The Fund is a diversified, closed-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act. The Fund was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on August 27, 2018, pursuant to a Certificate of Trust, governed by the laws of the State of Delaware. The Fund commenced operations on February 28, 2019. The Fund's principal office is located at 100 Bellevue Parkway, Wilmington, Delaware 19809, and its telephone number is (800) 882-0052.

BlackRock Advisors, LLC, the Advisor, is responsible for the management of the Fund's portfolio and provides the necessary personnel, facilities, equipment and certain other services necessary to the operation of the Fund. BCIA, BIL and BSL serve as the Fund's Sub-Advisors and perform certain of the day-to-day investment management of the Fund.

Each of the Advisor, located at 100 Bellevue Parkway, Wilmington, Delaware 19809, BIL, located at Edinburgh, EH3 8BL, United Kingdom, BSL, located at 20 Anson Road #18-01, 079912 Singapore, and BCIA, located at 50 Hudson Yards, New York, New York 10001, is an indirect majority-owned subsidiary of BlackRock.

#### USE OF PROCEEDS
The Fund invests the net proceeds of the continuous offering of Shares on an ongoing basis in accordance with the Fund's investment objective and policies as stated below. It is currently anticipated that the Fund will be able to invest all or substantially all of the net proceeds according to its investment objective and policies within approximately three months after receipt of the proceeds, depending on the amount and timing of the proceeds available to the Fund as well as the availability of investments consistent with the Fund's investment objective and policies (for example, there may be limited availability of private credit investments during the three month period after receipt of proceeds). Pending the investment of the proceeds pursuant to the Fund's investment objective and policies, the Fund may invest a portion of the proceeds, which may be a substantial portion, in short-term, high quality debt securities, money market securities, cash or cash equivalents. In addition, the Fund may maintain a portion of the proceeds in cash to meet operational needs. The Fund may be prevented from achieving its investment objective during any time in which the Fund's assets are not substantially invested in accordance with its policies.

#### THE FUND'S INVESTMENTS

#### Investment Objective and Policies
**Investment Objective**. The Fund's investment objective is to seek to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns, primarily in the form of current income.

There can be no assurances that the Fund's investment objective will be achieved or that the Fund's investment program will be successful. The Fund is not intended as, and you should not construe it to be, a complete investment program. The Fund is not intended for investors who will need ready access to the amounts invested in the Fund. An investment in the Fund should be considered illiquid. Investors should consider their investment goals, time horizons and risk tolerance before investing in the Fund. The Fund's investment objective may be changed by the Board without prior shareholder approval.

**Investment Policies***.* The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by dynamically allocating across a range of private and public credit strategies, leveraging the full capabilities of BlackRock's credit platform, inclusive of HPS, a part of BlackRock. Under normal conditions, the Fund intends to invest at least 80% of its

------

Managed Assets in credit-related investments. The Fund's investments in derivatives will be counted toward the Fund's 80% policy to the extent that they provide investment exposure to the securities included within that policy or to one or more market risk factors associated with such securities. The Fund will opportunistically allocate its assets across any combination of the following private and public credit investments and investment strategies: (i) direct lending, including first lien, unitranche, second lien, and junior capital; (ii) asset-based finance, including Hard Assets, Real Estate Assets and Financial Assets (each as defined below); (iii) structured credit, including CLOs, CDOs, and other securitized assets (such as ABS, CMBS and RMBS (each as defined below)); (iv) performing liquid credit, including broadly syndicated loans and bonds; and (v) opportunistic credit, including stressed, dislocated and, to a lesser extent, distressed opportunities. The Fund's allocations across these investments and investment strategies will be opportunistic based on market conditions and on BCIA's views of absolute and relative value. As a result, allocations are expected to vary substantially over time, and the Fund may not be invested in each investment and/or investment strategy at all times. The Fund may also invest in additional credit investments and investment strategies in the future as market opportunities evolve.

The Fund may invest without limit in fixed-income securities and other credit-related investments across several investment sectors, including, but not limited to: fixed-income securities rated below investment grade by rating agencies or that would be rated below investment grade if they were rated, investment grade corporate bonds, fixed-income securities issued by governmental entities (including supranational entities), their agencies and instrumentalities, mezzanine investments, CLOs, loans, mortgage-related and asset-backed securities and other fixed and floating or variable rate obligations. These securities and other credit-related investments may be privately originated or publicly traded. The Fund may invest in such fixed-income securities and other credit-related investments of issuers located in the United States and non-U.S. countries, including emerging market countries. Some of the loans in which the Fund may invest directly or obtain exposure to through its investments in CDOs or other types of structured securities may be "covenant lite" loans, which means the loans contain fewer maintenance covenants than other loans (in some cases, none) and do not include terms which allow the lender to monitor the performance of the borrower and declare a default if certain criteria are breached.

As part of its strategy, the Fund will seek to invest in select less liquid or illiquid private credit investments, generally involving corporate borrowers or asset-based collateral, that are believed to present the potential for higher yield versus some of the more liquid portions of the Fund's portfolio. "Private credit investments" is a common term for unregistered debt investments made through privately negotiated transactions, including where price is the only negotiated term. Private credit investments may be structured using a range of financial instruments, including but not limited to, first and second lien senior secured loans, unitranche debt, unsecured debt and structurally subordinated instruments. The amount of the Fund's net assets allocated to such investments may vary over time due to a number of factors, including BCIA's assessment of market conditions and absolute and relative value opportunities; the pace of the Fund's subscriptions relative to the availability of what BCIA believes represent potentially attractive private credit investments; as a result of the Fund selling its more liquid investments in connection with, or having a smaller base of assets after, a repurchase offer; as the Fund nears liquidation; outflows of cash from time to time; and/or changes in the valuation of these investments. There is no express limit on the amount of assets raised by the Fund that may be invested in private credit investments.

BCIA and the Fund rely on an exemptive order that permits the portion of the Fund managed by BCIA (which is anticipated to be all or substantially all of the Fund's assets) to co-invest in certain privately negotiated transactions on a side-by-side basis with affiliated investment funds advised or sub-advised by BCIA (or certain affiliates) and with certain affiliates of BCIA acting in a principal capacity (the "Co-Investment Order"). Neither the Advisor nor any Sub-Advisor other than BCIA makes investments on behalf of the Fund in reliance on the Co-Investment Order.

See "Risks—Principal Risks—Competition for Investment Opportunities" beginning on page 79, "Risks—Principal Risks—Valuation Risk" beginning on page 78, "Risks—Principal Risks—Allocation Risk" beginning on page 112 and "Conflicts of Interest" and "Management of the Fund—Portfolio Management—Potential Material Conflicts of Interest" in the SAI.

------

The Fund may enter into any type of derivatives transaction. The Fund may purchase and sell futures contracts, enter into various interest rate transactions such as swaps, caps, floors or collars, currency transactions such as currency forward contracts, currency futures contracts, currency swaps or options on currency or currency futures and swap contracts (including, but not limited to, credit default swaps index products, credit default swaps, total return swaps (sometimes referred to as "contracts for difference") and interest rate swaps) and may purchase and sell exchange-listed and off-exchange ("over-the-counter" or "OTC") put and call options on securities and swap contracts, financial indices and futures contracts and use other derivative instruments or management techniques (collectively, "Strategic Transactions"). The Fund may use Strategic Transactions for hedging purposes or to enhance total return. Additionally, the Fund may enter into any type of Strategic Transaction for the purpose or effect of creating investment leverage to the maximum extent permitted by the SEC and/or SEC staff rules, guidance or positions. See "The Fund's Investments—Portfolio Contents and Techniques—Strategic Transactions and Other Management Techniques."

If the Advisor determines it to be appropriate or necessary, the Fund may form one or more wholly owned subsidiaries in one or more jurisdictions (each a "Subsidiary," and together, the "Subsidiaries"), each of which would be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Any Subsidiary will share the same portfolio management team as the Fund. The Fund may invest either directly or indirectly through the Subsidiaries. The Fund may invest an aggregate of up to 25% of its total assets in Subsidiaries. The Fund typically expects to invest indirectly through the Subsidiaries if it believes it is desirable to do so to comply with the requirements for qualification as a RIC under the Code. The Fund may invest indirectly through the Subsidiaries in instruments including, but not limited to, mortgage servicing rights ("MSRs") and commodities. Any Subsidiary organized in the United States will generally be subject to U.S. federal income tax at corporate rates. The Subsidiaries will not be registered under the Investment Company Act and will not be subject to the investor protections of the Investment Company Act. The Subsidiaries will be advised or managed by the Advisor and have the same investment objective as the Fund. The Advisor, however, will not receive an additional management fee for any services provided to any Subsidiary. The Fund will look through any Subsidiaries for purposes of compliance with its investment policies and the applicable provisions of the Investment Company Act relating to capital structure, affiliated transactions and custody. See "The Fund's Investments—Portfolio Composition and Other Information—The Subsidiaries" and "Risks—Principal Risks—Subsidiary Risk" for additional information.

There is no guarantee that a shareholder's investment in the Fund will not lose money or that the Fund will not return less over the life of the Fund than such shareholder's initial investment. There is no limit on the maturity or duration of securities in which the Fund may invest.

The Fund may also invest in privately placed or restricted securities (including in Rule 144A securities, which are privately placed securities purchased by qualified institutional buyers), illiquid investments and investments in which no secondary market is readily available, including those of private companies.

The Fund may invest any amount of its assets in securities of any credit quality, including securities that are rated at the time of investment below investment grade—i.e., "Ba" or "BB" or below by Moody's, S&P") or Fitch, or securities that are judged to be of comparable quality by the Advisor. Securities of below investment grade quality are regarded as having predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer's capacity to pay interest and repay principal, and are commonly referred to as "junk bonds" or "high yield securities." In the case of securities with split ratings (i.e., a security receiving two different ratings from two different rating agencies), the Fund will apply the higher of the applicable ratings. See "Risks—Principal Risks—Below Investment Grade Securities Risk."

The Fund may also invest in securities of other affiliated and unaffiliated open- or closed-end investment companies, including exchange-traded funds ("ETFs") and business development companies ("BDCs"), subject to applicable regulatory limits, that invest primarily in securities the types of which the Fund may invest in directly. The Fund will classify its investments in such investment companies for purposes of its investment policies based upon such investment companies' stated investment objectives, policies and restrictions.

------

*Other Policies and Strategies.* During temporary defensive periods, including in response to adverse market, economic or political conditions, the period during which the net proceeds of this offering are being invested, or as the Fund nears liquidation/termination, the Fund may invest up to 100% of its total assets in liquid, short-term investments, including high quality, short-term securities which may be either tax-exempt or taxable. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective, comply with the investment guidelines described in this prospectus or be able to sustain its historical distribution levels under these circumstances. The Fund may lend securities with a value of up to 33 1/3% of its total assets (including such loans) to financial institutions that provide cash or securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government as collateral.

The Fund may also engage in short sales of securities. See "The Fund's Investments—Portfolio Contents and Techniques—Short Sales" in this prospectus for information about the limitations applicable to the Fund's short sale activities.

The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of portfolio securities to achieve its investment objective.

Unless otherwise stated herein or in the SAI, the Fund's investment policies are non-fundamental policies and generally may be changed by the Board without prior shareholder approval. The Fund's policy to invest, under normal conditions, at least 80% of its Managed Assets in credit-related instruments may be changed by the Board without prior shareholder approval under certain circumstances, with at least 60 days' prior notice by the Fund. Unless otherwise expressly stated in this prospectus or the SAI, or otherwise required by applicable law, all percentage and ratings or credit quality limitations stated in this prospectus apply only at the time of investment and subsequent changes in percentage (including changes resulting from the Fund having a smaller base of assets after a repurchase offer), value, ratings downgrades, liquidity profile or changes in credit quality will not result in the Fund being required to dispose of any portfolio security.

#### Portfolio Contents and Techniques
The Fund's portfolio will be composed principally of some combination of the following types of investments. Additional information with respect to the Fund's investment policies and restrictions and certain of the Fund's portfolio investments is contained in the SAI. There is no guarantee the Fund will buy all of the types of securities or use all of the investment techniques that are described herein.

*Direct Lending*. The Fund may originate privately negotiated, debt investments in core middle market and upper middle market companies, and in select situations, companies in special situations (collectively, "direct lending investments"). We use the term "core middle market companies" generally to mean companies with EBITDA of $25 million to $75 million annually or $75 million to $250 million in revenue annually, and the term "upper middle market companies" generally to mean companies with EBITDA of $75 million to $1 billion annually or $250 million to $5 billion in revenue annually, in each case at the time of investment. The Fund may invest in smaller or larger companies if an opportunity presents attractive investment characteristics and risk-adjusted returns. While the Fund's investment strategy primarily focuses on companies in the United States, the Fund also intends to leverage BCIA's global presence to make direct lending investments in companies in Europe, Australia and other locations outside the U.S.

The Fund's direct lending investments may take the form of first lien senior secured and unitranche loans, notes, bonds and other corporate debt securities, bridge loans, assignments, participations, total return swaps and other derivatives. The Fund seeks to invest primarily in direct lending investments that are first lien senior secured debt and unitranche loans but may also invest in second lien and subordinated debt (whether secured or unsecured), including mezzanine loans, as part of its investment strategy. To a lesser extent, the Fund may make direct lending investments in preferred equity, or its debt investments may be accompanied by equity-related securities (such as options or warrants) and/or select common equity investments.

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The direct lending investments within the Fund's portfolio are expected to typically be floating rate instruments that often pay current income on a quarterly basis, and the Fund looks to generate return on direct lending investments from a combination of ongoing interest income, original issue discount, closing payments, commitment fees, prepayments and related fees. The Fund's direct lending investments generally have stated terms of three to seven years, and the expected average life of the investments is generally two to three years. However, there is no limit to the maturity or duration of any investment that the Fund may hold in its portfolio. The Fund expect most of its direct lending investments to be unrated. When rated by a nationally recognized statistical ratings organization, the direct lending investments would generally carry a rating below investment grade (rated lower than "Baa3" by Moody's or lower than "BBB-" by S&P). Below investment grade securities, which are often referred to as "junk," have predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer's capacity to pay interest and repay principal. They may also be illiquid and difficult to value.

*Asset-Based Finance.* Asset-based finance assets refer, individually and collectively, to leases, loans, mortgages, mezzanine securities, royalties, or other obligations that are collateralized by, or payable from a stream of payments generated by, a specified pool of real, financial, or other assets. The Fund seeks to invest primarily in three sectors of asset-based finance assets: (i) hard assets, which are physical assets with secondary resale value, including inventory, machinery, equipment, infrastructure, and certain energy generation assets, among other things ("Hard Assets"), (ii) real estate assets, including commercial real estate and residential real estate ("Real Estate Assets"); and (iii) financial assets, which are contractual or other related assets that provide rights to future payment streams, including royalties, management fees, receivables, intellectual property, publishing rights, and legal claims, among other things ("Financial Assets").

The Fund's investments in Hard Assets may include financings related to power generation and storage, land banking loans, fiber communications, data centers, aviation, agriculture, corporate fleet, rental car, railroad, shipping containers, transportation, machinery, equipment and inventory / supply chains, among others. A subset of the Hard Asset portfolio will focus on renewable and transitional energy generation infrastructure (including natural gas-fired power generation and other natural gas-related infrastructure), energy storage solutions, renewable fuels, energy efficiency, carbon abatement, recycling solutions and sustainable transport / mobility. The Fund's Hard Asset investments are expected to include but not be limited to loans, leases, commercial assets and securities, performing loan portfolios that may include the seller's servicing and sourcing capabilities and personnel, in each case, related to and secured by Hard Assets. The Fund may also invest in unsecured debt, mezzanine debt, convertible securities, preferred equity, equity-related securities (such as warrants or options) and/or common or structured equity in Hard Assets. The Fund's investments may also take the form of loans, notes, bonds, and other corporate securities, bridge loans, assignments, participations, total return swaps and other derivatives. In addition, the Fund may pursue other opportunistic investments to take advantage of prevailing market conditions, including the changing regulatory landscape.

The Fund's investments in Real Estate Assets may include commercial real estate debt, commercial property assessed clean energy, residential mortgages, residential transitional loans, and home equity loans, among others. The Fund's Real Estate Asset investments are expected to include residential loans, as well as senior mortgages, mezzanine securities, first mortgage whole loans, commercial mortgage-backed securities ("CMBS"), risk retention interests in CMBS transactions, construction and development financing and subordinated mortgage loans (also referred to as "B-notes"), in each case, related to commercial real estate assets, projects, properties and businesses. The underlying real estate assets are expected to be diversified across—but not limited to—industrial, residential, multi-family, mixed-use, digital infrastructure and hospitality properties. The Fund expects to make primary investments but will also have the ability to acquire investments through secondary transactions, including previously issued senior mortgages, mortgage portfolios, or other debt instruments. Secondary transactions may also include investments in loans and other instruments trading at a discount to par.

The Fund's investments in Financial Assets may include financings for cash-flow-producing assets related to, among other things, intangible collateral, such as media and entertainment intellectual property, publishing

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rights, legal claims, music royalties, NAV lending, fund management and/or performance fees, and receivables for consumer finance assets (including credit cards and student loans), among other things. These investments may include corporate private placements, broadly syndicated loans, home improvement loans, franchisee loans, music / sports and IP opportunities, unsecured consumer loans, auto (prime, near prime and subprime) loans, and platform equity investments, among other things.

*Structured Credit.* The Fund may invest in securitized or asset-backed opportunities across broad sectors such as corporate credit, consumer and commercial specialty finance. These investment opportunities may include (i) debt and equity investments in U.S.-dollar- denominated CLOs that are primarily backed by corporate leveraged loans issued to primarily U.S. borrowers, as well as Euro-denominated CLOs that are backed primarily by corporate leveraged loans issued to primarily European borrowers; (ii) financings secured by pools of consumer loans, commercial loans or real estate assets; and (iii) the outright purchase of pools of consumer loans, commercial loans or real estate assets.

*Broadly Syndicated Loans* 

Senior, secured broadly syndicated loans ("Syndicated Loans") generally benefit from liens on collateral, are rated below-investment grade and typically pay interest at rates that are determined periodically on the basis of a floating base lending rate, primarily the Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR") or another reference rate, plus a spread. Syndicated Loans are typically made to U.S. and, to a lesser extent, non-U.S. corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies and other business entities which operate in various industries and geographical regions. Borrowers may obtain Syndicated Loans, among other reasons, to refinance existing debt, engage in acquisitions, pay dividends, recapitalize, complete leveraged buyouts and for general corporate purposes. Syndicated Loans rated below investment grade are sometimes referred to as "leveraged loans" or "junk bonds." The Fund may invest in Syndicated Loans through assignments of or, to a lesser extent, participations in Syndicated Loans.

Syndicated Loans generally hold the most senior position in the capital structure of a borrower, are typically secured with specific collateral and have a claim on the assets and/or stock of the borrower that is senior to that held by unsecured creditors, subordinated debt holders and holders of equity of the borrower. Typically, in order to borrow money pursuant to a Syndicated Loan, a borrower will, for the term of the Syndicated Loan, pledge collateral (subject to typical exceptions), including but not limited to (i) working capital assets, such as accounts receivable and inventory; (ii) tangible fixed assets, such as real property, buildings and equipment; (iii) intangible assets, such as trademarks and patent rights; and (iv) security interests in shares of stock of subsidiaries or affiliates. In the case of Syndicated Loans made to non-public companies, the company's shareholders or owners may provide collateral in the form of secured guarantees and/or security interests in assets that they own. In many instances, a Syndicated Loan may be secured only by stock in the borrower or its subsidiaries. Collateral may consist of assets that may not be readily liquidated, and there is no assurance that the liquidation of such assets would satisfy fully a borrower's obligations under a Syndicated Loan.

A borrower must comply with various covenants contained in a loan agreement or note purchase agreement between the borrower and the holders of the Syndicated Loan. In a typical Syndicated Loan, an administrative administers the terms of the loan agreement. In such cases, the administrative agent is normally responsible for the collection of principal and interest payments from the borrower and the apportionment of these payments to the credit of all institutions that are parties to the loan agreement. The Fund will generally rely upon the administrative agent or an intermediate participant to receive and forward to the Fund its portion of the principal and interest payments on the Syndicated Loan. Additionally, the Fund normally will rely on the administrative agent and the other loan investors to use appropriate credit remedies against the borrower. The administrative agent is typically responsible for monitoring compliance with covenants contained in the loan agreement based upon reports prepared by the borrower. The administrative agent may monitor the value of the collateral and, if the value of the collateral declines, may accelerate the Syndicated Loan, may give the borrower an opportunity to provide additional collateral or may seek other protection for the benefit of the participants in the Syndicated

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Loan. The administrative agent is compensated by the borrower for providing these services under a loan agreement, and such compensation may include special fees paid upon structuring and funding the Syndicated Loan and other fees paid on a continuing basis.

In the process of buying, selling and holding Syndicated Loans, the Fund may receive and/or pay certain fees. These fees are in addition to interest payments received and may include facility fees, commitment fees, amendment fees, commissions and prepayment penalty fees. On an ongoing basis, the Fund may receive a commitment fee based on the undrawn portion of the underlying line of credit portion of a Syndicated Loan. In certain circumstances, the Fund may receive a prepayment penalty fee upon the prepayment of a Syndicated Loan by a borrower. Other fees received by the Fund may include covenant waiver fees, covenant modification fees or other amendment fees.

*Corporate Bonds*. Corporate bonds are debt obligations issued by corporations. Corporate bonds may be either secured or unsecured. Collateral used for secured debt includes real property, machinery, equipment, accounts receivable, stocks, bonds or notes. If a bond is unsecured, it is known as a debenture. Bondholders, as creditors, have a prior legal claim over common and preferred stockholders as to both income and assets of the corporation for the principal and interest due them and may have a prior claim over other creditors if liens or mortgages are involved. Interest on corporate bonds may be fixed or floating, or the bonds may be zero coupons. Interest on corporate bonds is typically paid semi-annually and is fully taxable to the bondholder. Corporate bonds contain elements of both interest rate risk and credit risk. The market value of a corporate bond generally may be expected to rise and fall inversely with interest rates and may also be affected by the credit rating of the corporation, the corporation's performance and perceptions of the corporation in the marketplace. Corporate bonds usually yield more than government or agency bonds due to the presence of credit risk.

*U.S. Government Debt Securities*. The Fund may invest in debt securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, including U.S. Treasury obligations, which differ in their interest rates, maturities and times of issuance. Such obligations include U.S. Treasury bills (maturity of one year or less), U.S. Treasury notes (maturity of one to ten years) and U.S. Treasury bonds (generally maturities of greater than ten years), including the principal components or the interest components issued by the U.S. Government under the separate trading of registered interest and principal securities program (i.e., "STRIPS"), all of which are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.

*Non-U.S. Securities*. The Fund may invest without limit in Non-U.S. Securities. These securities may be U.S. dollar-denominated or non-U.S. dollar-denominated. Some Non-U.S. Securities may be less liquid and more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. issuers. Similarly, there is less volume and liquidity in most foreign securities markets than in the United States and, at times, greater price volatility than in the United States. Because evidence of ownership of such securities usually is held outside the United States, the Fund will be subject to additional risks if it invests in Non-U.S. Securities, which include adverse political and economic developments, seizure or nationalization of foreign deposits and adoption of governmental restrictions that might adversely affect or restrict the payment of principal and interest or dividends on the foreign securities to investors located outside the country of the issuer, whether from currency blockage or otherwise. Non-U.S. Securities may trade on days when the Shares are not priced or traded.

*Emerging Markets Investments*. The Fund may invest in securities of issuers located in emerging market countries, including securities denominated in currencies of emerging market countries. Emerging market countries generally include countries classified as emerging or developing markets by major index providers (such as MSCI or FTSE), which typically exhibit characteristics such as lower per capita income, less developed capital markets, greater political or economic instability, or less regulatory oversight relative to developed markets. Such countries may also include "frontier" markets, which are typically smaller, less liquid, and less accessible than other emerging markets. There is no minimum rating criteria for the Fund's investments in such securities. These issuers may be subject to risks that do not apply to issuers in larger, more developed countries. These risks are more pronounced to the extent the Fund invests significantly in one country. Less information

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about emerging market issuers or markets may be available due to less rigorous disclosure and accounting standards or regulatory practices. Emerging markets are smaller, less liquid and more volatile than U.S. markets. In a changing market, the Advisor and/or the Sub-Advisors may not be able to sell the Fund's portfolio securities in amounts and at prices they consider reasonable. The U.S. dollar may appreciate against non-U.S. currencies or an emerging market government may impose restrictions on currency conversion or trading. The economies of emerging market countries may grow at a slower rate than expected or may experience a downturn or recession. Economic, political and social developments may adversely affect emerging market countries and their securities markets.

*Foreign Currency Transactions*. The Fund's Shares are priced in U.S. dollars and the distributions paid by the Fund to common shareholders are paid in U.S. dollars. However, a portion of the Fund's assets may be denominated in non-U.S. currencies and the income received by the Fund from such securities will be paid in non-U.S. currencies. The Fund also may invest in or gain exposure to non-U.S. currencies for investment or hedging purposes. The Fund's investments in securities that trade in, or receive revenues in, non-U.S. currencies will be subject to currency risk, which is the risk that fluctuations in the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies may negatively affect an investment. The Fund may (but is not required to) hedge some or all of its exposure to non-U.S. currencies through the use of derivative strategies, including forward foreign currency exchange contracts, foreign currency futures contracts and options on foreign currencies and foreign currency futures. Suitable hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurances that the Fund will engage in such transactions at any given time or from time to time when they would be beneficial. Although the Fund has the flexibility to engage in such transactions, the Advisor may determine not to do so or to do so only in unusual circumstances or market conditions. These transactions may not be successful and may eliminate any chance for the Fund to benefit from favorable fluctuations in relevant foreign currencies. The Fund may also use derivatives contracts for purposes of increasing exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one currency to another.

*Sovereign Governmental and Supranational Debt.* The Fund may invest in all types of debt securities of governmental issuers in all countries, including emerging market countries. These sovereign debt securities may include: debt securities issued or guaranteed by governments, governmental agencies or instrumentalities and political subdivisions located in emerging market countries; debt securities issued by government owned, controlled or sponsored entities located in emerging market countries; interests in entities organized and operated for the purpose of restructuring the investment characteristics of instruments issued by any of the above issuers; Brady Bonds, which are debt securities issued under the framework of the Brady Plan as a means for debtor nations to restructure their outstanding external indebtedness; participations in loans between emerging market governments and financial institutions; or debt securities issued by supranational entities such as the World Bank. A supranational entity is a bank, commission or company established or financially supported by the national governments of one or more countries to promote reconstruction or development. Sovereign government and supranational debt involve all the risks described herein regarding foreign and emerging markets investments as well as the risk of debt moratorium, repudiation or renegotiation.

Brady Bonds are not considered to be U.S. Government securities. U.S. dollar-denominated, collateralized Brady Bonds, which may be fixed rate par bonds or floating rate discount bonds, are generally collateralized in full as to principal by U.S. Treasury zero-coupon bonds having the same maturity as the Brady Bonds. Interest payments on these Brady Bonds generally are collateralized on a one-year or longer rolling-forward basis by cash or securities in an amount that, in the case of fixed rate bonds, is equal to at least one year of interest payments or, in the case of floating rate bonds, initially is equal to at least one year's interest payments based on the applicable interest rate at that time and is adjusted at regular intervals thereafter. Certain Brady Bonds are entitled to "value recovery payments" in certain circumstances, which in effect constitute supplemental interest payments but generally are not collateralized. Brady Bonds are often viewed as having three or four valuation components: (i) the collateralized repayment of principal at final maturity; (ii) the collateralized interest payments; (iii) the uncollateralized interest payments; and (iv) any uncollateralized repayment of principal at maturity (the uncollateralized amounts constitute the "residual risk").

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Brady Bonds involve various risk factors described elsewhere associated with investing in foreign securities, including the history of defaults with respect to commercial bank loans by public and private entities of countries issuing Brady Bonds. In light of the residual risk of Brady Bonds and, among other factors, the history of defaults, investments in Brady Bonds are considered speculative. There can be no assurances that Brady Bonds in which the Fund may invest will not be subject to restructuring arrangements or to requests for new credit, which may cause the Fund to suffer a loss of interest or principal on any of its holdings.

*Distressed and Defaulted Securities*. The Fund may invest in the securities of financially distressed and bankrupt issuers, including debt obligations that are in covenant or payment default. Such investments generally trade significantly below par and are considered speculative. The repayment of defaulted obligations is subject to significant uncertainties. Defaulted obligations might be repaid only after lengthy workout or bankruptcy proceedings, during which the issuer might not make any interest or other payments. Typically, such workout or bankruptcy proceedings result in only partial recovery of cash payments or an exchange of the defaulted obligation for other debt or equity securities of the issuer or its affiliates, which may in turn be illiquid or speculative.

*Senior Loans*. The Fund may invest in senior secured floating rate and fixed rate loans or debt. Senior Loans hold the most senior position in the capital structure of a business entity (the "Borrower"), are typically secured with specific collateral and have a claim on the assets and/or stock of the Borrower that is senior to that held by subordinated debt holders and stockholders of the Borrower. The proceeds of Senior Loans primarily are used to finance leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, mergers, acquisitions, stock repurchases, refinancings, to finance internal growth and for other corporate purposes. Senior Loans typically have rates of interest that are determined daily, monthly, quarterly or semi-annually by reference to a base lending rate, plus a premium or credit spread. These base lending rates are primarily SOFR and secondarily the prime rate offered by one or more major U.S. banks and the certificate of deposit rate or other base lending rates used by commercial lenders.

Senior Loans typically have a stated term of between five and nine years and have rates of interest that typically are redetermined daily, monthly, quarterly or semi-annually. Longer interest rate reset periods generally increase fluctuations in the Fund's NAV as a result of changes in market interest rates. The Fund is not subject to any restrictions with respect to the maturity of Senior Loans held in its portfolio. As a result, as short-term interest rates increase, interest payable to the Fund from its investments in Senior Loans should increase, and as short-term interest rates decrease, interest payable to the Fund from its investments in Senior Loans should decrease. Because of prepayments, the Advisor expects the average life of the Senior Loans in which the Fund invests to be shorter than the stated maturity.

Senior Loans are subject to the risk of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal. Such non-payment would result in a reduction of income to the Fund, a reduction in the value of the investment and a potential decrease in the NAV of the Fund. There can be no assurances that the liquidation of any collateral securing a Senior Loan would satisfy the Borrower's obligation in the event of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal payments or that such collateral could be readily liquidated. In the event of bankruptcy of a Borrower, the Fund could experience delays or limitations with respect to its ability to realize the benefits of the collateral securing a Senior Loan. The collateral securing a Senior Loan may lose all or substantially all of its value in the event of the bankruptcy of a Borrower. Some Senior Loans are subject to the risk that a court, pursuant to fraudulent conveyance or other similar laws, could subordinate such Senior Loans to presently existing or future indebtedness of the Borrower or take other action detrimental to the holders of Senior Loans including, in certain circumstances, invalidating such Senior Loans or causing interest previously paid to be refunded to the Borrower. If interest were required to be refunded, it could negatively affect the Fund's performance.

Many Senior Loans in which the Fund may invest may not be rated by a rating agency, will not be registered with the SEC, or any state securities commission, and will not be listed on any national securities exchange. The amount of public information available with respect to Senior Loans will generally be less extensive than that available for registered or exchange-listed securities. In evaluating the creditworthiness of Borrowers, the

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Advisor will consider, and may rely in part, on analyses performed by others. Borrowers may have outstanding debt obligations that are rated below investment grade by a rating agency. Many of the Senior Loans in which the Fund may invest will have been assigned below investment grade ratings by independent rating agencies. In the event Senior Loans are not rated, they are likely to be the equivalent of below investment grade quality. Because of the protective features of Senior Loans, the Advisor believes that Senior Loans tend to have more favorable loss recovery rates as compared to more junior types of below investment grade debt obligations. The Advisor does not view ratings as the determinative factor in their investment decisions and rely more upon their credit analysis abilities than upon ratings.

No active trading market may exist for some Senior Loans and some loans may be subject to restrictions on resale. A secondary market may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which may impair the ability to realize full value and thus cause a material decline in the Fund's NAV. In addition, the Fund may not be able to readily dispose of its Senior Loans at prices that approximate those at which the Fund could sell such loans if they were more widely traded and, as a result of such illiquidity, the Fund may have to sell other investments or engage in borrowing transactions if necessary to raise cash to meet its obligations. During periods of limited supply and liquidity of Senior Loans, the Fund's yield may be lower.

When interest rates decline, the value of a fund invested in fixed rate obligations can be expected to rise. Conversely, when interest rates rise, the value of a fund invested in fixed rate obligations can be expected to decline. Although changes in prevailing interest rates can be expected to cause some fluctuations in the value of Senior Loans (due to the fact that floating rates on Senior Loans only reset periodically), the value of floating rate Senior Loans is substantially less sensitive to changes in market interest rates than fixed rate instruments. As a result, to the extent the Fund invests in floating rate Senior Loans, the Fund's portfolio may be less volatile and less sensitive to changes in market interest rates than if the Fund invested in fixed rate obligations. Similarly, a sudden and significant increase in market interest rates may cause a decline in the value of these investments and in the Fund's NAV. Other factors (including, but not limited to, rating downgrades, credit deterioration, a large downward movement in stock prices, a disparity in supply and demand of certain securities or market conditions that reduce liquidity) can reduce the value of Senior Loans and other debt obligations, impairing the Fund's NAV.

The Fund may purchase and retain in its portfolio Senior Loans where the Borrower has experienced, or may be perceived to be likely to experience, credit problems, including involvement in or recent emergence from bankruptcy reorganization proceedings or other forms of debt restructuring. Such investments may provide opportunities for enhanced income as well as capital appreciation, although they also will be subject to greater risk of loss. At times, in connection with the restructuring of a Senior Loan either outside of bankruptcy court or in the context of bankruptcy court proceedings, the Fund may determine or be required to accept equity securities or junior fixed income securities in exchange for all or a portion of a Senior Loan.

The Fund may purchase Senior Loans on a direct assignment basis. If the Fund purchases a Senior Loan on direct assignment, it typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations under the loan agreement of the assigning lender and becomes a lender under the loan agreement with the same rights and obligations as the assigning lender. Investments in Senior Loans on a direct assignment basis may involve additional risks to the Fund. For example, if such loan is foreclosed, the Fund could become part owner of any collateral and would bear the costs and liabilities associated with owning and disposing of the collateral.

The Fund may also purchase, without limitation, participations in Senior Loans. The participation by the Fund in a lender's portion of a Senior Loan typically will result in the Fund having a contractual relationship only with such lender, not with the Borrower. As a result, the Fund may have the right to receive payments of principal, interest and any fees to which it is entitled only from the lender selling the participation and only upon receipt by such lender of payments from the Borrower. Such indebtedness may be secured or unsecured. Loan participations typically represent direct participations in a loan to a Borrower and generally are offered by banks

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or other financial institutions or lending syndicates. The Fund may participate in such syndications, or can buy part of a loan, becoming a part lender. When purchasing loan participations, the Fund assumes the credit risk associated with the Borrower and may assume the credit risk associated with an interposed bank or other financial intermediary. The participation interests in which the Fund intends to invest may not be rated by any nationally recognized rating service. Certain loan participations and assignments may be treated by the Fund as illiquid.

The Fund may obtain exposure to Senior Loans through the use of derivative instruments, which have become increasingly available. The Advisor may utilize these instruments and similar instruments that may be available in the future. The Fund may invest in a derivative instrument known as a Select Aggregate Market Index ("SAMI"), which provides investors with exposure to a reference basket of Senior Loans. SAMIs are structured as floating rate instruments. SAMIs consist of a basket of credit default swaps whose underlying reference securities are senior secured loans. While investing in SAMIs will increase the universe of floating rate fixed income securities to which the Fund is exposed, such investments entail risks that are not typically associated with investments in other floating rate fixed income securities. The liquidity of the market for SAMIs will be subject to liquidity in the secured loan and credit derivatives markets. Investment in SAMIs involves many of the risks associated with investments in derivative instruments discussed generally herein.

*Second Lien Loans*. The Fund may invest in second lien or other subordinated or unsecured floating rate and fixed rate loans or debt. Second Lien Loans have the same characteristics as Senior Loans except that such loans are second in lien property rather than first. Second Lien Loans typically have adjustable floating rate interest payments. Accordingly, the risks associated with Second Lien Loans are higher than the risk of loans with first priority over the collateral. In the event of default on a Second Lien Loan, the first priority lien holder has first claim to the underlying collateral of the loan. It is possible that no collateral value would remain for the second priority lien holder, which may result in a loss of investment to the Fund.

*Unitranche Loans.* Unitranche loans provide leverage levels comparable to a combination of first lien and second lien or subordinated loans. From the perspective of a lender, in addition to making a single loan, a unitranche loan may allow the lender to choose to participate in the "first out" tranche, which will generally receive priority with respect to payments of principal, interest and any other amounts due, or to choose to participate only in the "last out" tranche, which is generally paid after the first out tranche is paid. The Fund may participate in "first out" and "last out" tranches of unitranche loans and make single unitranche loans.

*Mezzanine Loans*. The Fund may invest in mezzanine loans. Structurally, mezzanine loans usually rank subordinate in priority of payment to senior debt, such as senior bank debt, and are often unsecured. However, mezzanine loans rank senior to common and preferred equity in a borrower's capital structure. Mezzanine debt is often used in leveraged buyout and real estate finance transactions. Typically, mezzanine loans have elements of both debt and equity instruments, offering the fixed returns in the form of interest payments associated with senior debt, while providing lenders an opportunity to participate in the capital appreciation of a borrower, if any, through an equity interest. This equity interest typically takes the form of warrants. Due to their higher risk profile and often less restrictive covenants as compared to senior loans, mezzanine loans generally earn a higher return than senior secured loans. The warrants associated with mezzanine loans are typically detachable, which allows lenders to receive repayment of their principal on an agreed amortization schedule while retaining their equity interest in the borrower. Mezzanine loans also may include a "put" feature, which permits the holder to sell its equity interest back to the borrower at a price determined through an agreed-upon formula. Mezzanine investments may be issued with or without registration rights. Similar to other high yield securities, maturities of mezzanine investments are typically seven to ten years, but the expected average life is significantly shorter at three to five years. Mezzanine investments are usually unsecured and subordinate to other obligations of the issuer.

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Borrower in conjunction with the agent bank as issuer of a loan, and the prefunded L/C loan is backed by letters of credit (each letter, an "L/C"). Each participant in a prefunded L/C loan (sometimes referred to as a funded letter of credit facility) fully funds its commitment amount to the agent bank for the facility. The funds are invested by the agent bank and held solely to satisfy a prefunded L/C loan lender's obligation to the agent bank under the facility. The funds paid by the lenders are invested by the agent bank in deposits that pay interest, usually approximating a benchmark rate, which goes to the Borrower. Generally, the Borrower, via the agent bank, pays the lenders an interest rate, equivalent to the fully drawn spread plus the benchmark rate. The funds are returned to the lender upon termination of the prefunded L/C loan (and upon satisfaction of all obligations). Under the terms of the prefunded L/C loan agreement, a lender may sell and assign all or a portion of its interest in the loan to another lender so long as the other lender is eligible and agrees to the terms and conditions of the prefunded L/C loan agreement.

When the Borrower needs funds, it may draw against the prefunded L/C loan and the agent bank makes payment to the Borrower by withdrawing some of the amount invested as deposits. Consequently, the lenders do not have to advance any additional funds at the time the Borrower draws against the prefunded L/C loan facility. The prefunded L/C loan can be structured from the standpoint of the Borrower as either (i) a revolving credit facility, where the Borrower can reborrow, during the term of the loan, moneys it has paid back to the facility during the term of the loan, or (ii) a delayed draw term loan where the Borrower may not reborrow moneys it has repaid to the facility during the term of the loan.

When the Fund purchases a participation in a prefunded L/C loan, the proceeds of the purchase are deposited in a collateral account, which backs an L/C loan by the agent bank to the Borrower to support trade or other financing. The Fund typically receives interest on the cash collateral account equal to the benchmark rate. In addition, the Fund may also receive a fee, typically similar to the spread paid on the Borrower's institutional loan. Participations by the Fund in a prefunded L/C loan typically will result in the Fund having a contractual relationship only with the agent bank, not with the Borrower. As a result, the Fund may have the right to receive interest, fees and any repayments, if any, to which it is entitled only from the agent bank selling the participation and only upon receipt by the agent bank of such payments from the Borrower. In connection with purchasing the participation in a prefunded L/C loan, the Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the Borrower with the terms of the prefunded L/C loan. As a result, the Fund may assume the credit risk of both the Borrower and the agent bank selling the participation in a prefunded L/C loan. In the event of the insolvency of the agent bank selling a participation in a prefunded L/C loan, the Fund may be treated as a general creditor of such agent bank. The agent bank will likely conduct its principal business activities in the banking, finance and financial services industries. Persons engaged in such industries may be more susceptible to, among other things, fluctuations in interest rates, changes in the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee's monetary policy, governmental regulations concerning such industries and concerning capital raising activities generally and fluctuations in the financial markets generally.

*Delayed Funding Loans and Revolving Credit Facilities*. The Fund may enter into, or acquire participations in, delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities in which a bank or other lender agrees to make loans up to a maximum amount upon demand by the borrower during a specified term. These commitments may have the effect of requiring the Fund to increase its investment in a company at a time when it might not be desirable to do so (including at a time when the company's financial condition makes it unlikely that such amounts will be repaid). Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities are subject to credit, interest rate and liquidity risk and the risks of being a lender.

*Variable, Floating and Fixed-Rate Debt Obligations.* Floating or variable rate securities provide for periodic adjustments in the interest rate. Floating rate securities are generally offered at an initial interest rate which is at or above prevailing market rates. The interest rate paid on floating rate securities is then reset periodically (commonly every 90 days) to an increment over some predetermined interest rate index. Commonly utilized indices include the three-month Treasury bill rate, the 180-day Treasury bill rate, SOFR, the prime rate of a bank, the commercial paper rates, or the longer term rates on U.S. Treasury securities. Variable and floating rate

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securities are relatively long-term instruments that often carry demand features permitting the holder to demand payment of principal at any time or at specified intervals prior to maturity. If the Advisor incorrectly forecasts interest rate movements, the Fund could be adversely affected by use of variable and floating rate securities. In addition, the Fund invests in CLO subordinated notes. CLO subordinated notes do not have a fixed coupon and payments on CLO subordinated notes will be based on the income received from the underlying collateral and the payments made to the secured notes, both of which may be based on floating rates.

Fixed rate securities pay a fixed rate of interest and tend to exhibit more price volatility during times of rising or falling interest rates than securities with variable or floating rates of interest. The value of fixed rate securities will tend to fall when interest rates rise and rise when interest rates fall. The value of variable or floating rate securities, on the other hand, fluctuates much less in response to market interest rate movements than the value of fixed rate securities. This is because variable and floating rate securities behave like short-term instruments in that the rate of interest they pay is subject to periodic adjustments according to a specified formula, usually with reference to some interest rate index or market interest rate. Fixed rate securities with short-term characteristics are not subject to the same price volatility as fixed rate securities without such characteristics. Therefore, they behave more like variable or floating rate securities with respect to price volatility.

*Collateralized Debt Obligations*. The Fund may invest in CDOs, which include CBOs, CLOs and other similarly structured securities. CDOs are types of ABS. A CBO is ordinarily issued by a trust or other special purpose entity ("SPE") and is typically backed by a diversified pool of fixed income securities (which may include high risk, below investment grade securities) held by such issuer. A CLO is ordinarily issued by a trust or other SPE and is typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and non-U.S. senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans, held by such issuer. The Fund may also invest in the equity or residual portion of the capital structure of CLOs.

Although certain CDOs may benefit from credit enhancement in the form of a senior-subordinate structure, over-collateralization or bond insurance, such enhancement may not always be present, and may fail to protect the Fund against the risk of loss on default of the collateral. Certain CDO issuers may use derivatives contracts to create "synthetic" exposure to assets rather than holding such assets directly, which entails the risks of derivative instruments described elsewhere in this prospectus and the SAI. CDOs may charge management fees and administrative expenses, which are in addition to those of the Fund.

A CLO is a structured debt security, issued by an SPE and created to reapportion the risk and return characteristics of a pool of bank loans. Investors in CLOs bear the credit risk of the underlying collateral. The bank loans are used as collateral supporting the various debt tranches issued by the SPE. Multiple tranches of securities are issued by the CLO, offering investors various maturity and credit risk characteristics. Tranches are categorized as senior, mezzanine, or subordinated/equity, according to their degree of risk. The key feature of the CLO structure is the prioritization of the cash flows from a pool of debt securities among the several classes of the CLO. If there are defaults or the CLO's collateral otherwise underperforms, scheduled payments to senior tranches take precedence over those of mezzanine tranches, and scheduled payments to mezzanine tranches take precedence over those to subordinated/equity tranches. The SPE is a company founded solely for the purpose of securitizing payment claims. On this basis, marketable securities are issued which, due to the diversification of the underlying risk, generally represent a lower level of risk than the original assets. The redemption of the securities issued by the SPE takes place at maturity out of the cash flow generated by the collected claims. The vast majority of CLOs are actively managed by an independent investment manager.

The Fund may invest in subordinated notes issued by a CLO (often referred to as the "residual" or "equity" tranche), which are junior in priority of payment and are subject to certain payment restrictions generally set forth in an indenture governing the notes. In addition, CLO subordinated notes generally do not benefit from any creditors' rights or ability to exercise remedies under the indenture governing the notes. The subordinated notes

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are not guaranteed by another party. The subordinated tranche of a CLO vehicle is generally required to absorb the CLO's losses before any of the CLO's other tranches, yet it also has the lowest level of payment priority among the CLO's tranches; therefore, the subordinated tranche is typically the riskiest of CLO investments. CLO subordinated notes do not have a fixed coupon and payments on CLO subordinated notes will be based on the income received from the underlying collateral and the payments made to the secured notes, both of which may be based on floating rates.

For both CBOs and CLOs, the cash flows from the SPE are split into two or more portions, called tranches, varying in risk and yield. The riskiest portion is the "equity" tranche, which bears the first loss from defaults from the bonds or loans in the SPE and serves to protect the other, more senior tranches from default (though such protection is not complete). Since it is partially protected from defaults, a senior tranche from a CBO or CLO typically has higher ratings and lower yields than its underlying securities, and may be rated investment grade. Despite the protection from the equity tranche, CBO or CLO tranches can experience substantial losses due to actual defaults, downgrades of the underlying collateral by rating agencies, forced liquidation of the collateral pool due to a failure of coverage tests, increased sensitivity to defaults due to collateral default and disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of defaults as well as investor aversion to CBO or CLO securities as a class. Interest on certain tranches of a CDO may be paid in kind or deferred and capitalized (paid in the form of obligations of the same type rather than cash), which involves continued exposure to default risk with respect to such payments.

In addition to the general risks associated with fixed income securities discussed in this prospectus and the SAI, CDOs carry additional risks, including: (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; (iii) the possibility that the CDO securities are subordinate to other classes; and (iv) the complex structure of the security may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the issuer or unexpected investment results. To the extent the Fund makes equity investments in CDOs, and depending on whether these investments are characterized as debt or equity for U.S. federal income tax purposes, these investments may raise additional U.S. federal income tax issues, including (i) those applicable to debt instruments, as described above, (ii) those applicable to a holder of an equity investment in a non-U.S. corporation, as described below in "Risk—Principal Risks—Non-U.S. Securities Risk," and (iii) the risk of material entity-level U.S. federal income tax on income of the CDOs or CLOs that is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business.

The credit quality of CDOs depends primarily upon the quality of the underlying assets and the level of credit support and/or enhancement provided. The underlying assets (e.g., securities or loans) of CDOs may be subject to prepayments, which would shorten the weighted average maturity and may lower the return of the CDO. If a credit support or enhancement is exhausted, losses or delays in payment may result if the required payments of principal and interest are not made. The transaction documents relating to the issuance of CDOs may impose eligibility criteria on the assets of the issuing SPE, restrict the ability of the investment manager to trade investments and impose certain portfolio-wide asset quality requirements. These criteria, restrictions and requirements may limit the ability of the SPE's investment manager to maximize returns on the CDOs. In addition, other parties involved in structured products, such as third party credit enhancers and investors in the rated tranches, may impose requirements that have an adverse effect on the returns of the various tranches of CDOs. Furthermore, CDO transaction documents generally contain provisions that, in the event that certain tests are not met (generally interest coverage and over-collateralization tests at varying levels in the capital structure), require that proceeds that would otherwise be distributed to holders of a junior tranche must be diverted to pay down the senior tranches until such tests are satisfied. Failure (or increased likelihood of failure) of a CDO to make timely payments on a particular tranche will have an adverse effect on the liquidity and market value of such tranche.

Payments to holders of CDOs may be subject to deferral. If cash flows generated by the underlying assets are insufficient to make all current and, if applicable, deferred payments on the CDOs, no other assets will be

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available for payment of the deficiency and, following realization of the underlying assets, the obligations of the issuer to pay such deficiency will be extinguished. The value of CDO securities also may change because of changes in the market's perception of the creditworthiness of the servicing agent for the pool, the originator of the pool, or the financial institution or fund providing the credit support or enhancement. Furthermore, the leveraged nature of each subordinated class may magnify the adverse impact on such class of changes in the value of the assets, changes in the distributions on the assets, defaults and recoveries on the assets, capital gains and losses on the assets, prepayment on the assets and availability, price and interest rates of the assets. CDOs are limited recourse, may not be paid in full and may be subject to up to 100% loss.

CDOs are typically privately offered and sold, and thus are not registered under the securities laws. As a result, investments in CDOs may be characterized as illiquid securities; however, an active dealer market may exist, which would allow such securities to be considered liquid in some circumstances.

*Debtor-In-Possession Financings*. The Fund may invest in "debtor-in-possession" or "DIP" financings newly issued in connection with "special situation" restructuring and refinancing transactions. DIP financings are loans to a debtor-in-possession in a proceeding under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code that has been approved by the bankruptcy court. These financings allow the entity to continue its business operations while reorganizing under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. DIP financings are typically fully secured by a lien on the debtor's otherwise unencumbered assets or secured by a junior lien on the debtor's encumbered assets (so long as the loan is fully secured based on the most recent current valuation or appraisal report of the debtor). DIP financings are often required to close with certainty and in a rapid manner in order to satisfy existing creditors and to enable the issuer to emerge from bankruptcy or to avoid a bankruptcy proceeding.

*Bank Obligations*. Bank obligations may include certificates of deposit, bankers' acceptances and fixed time deposits. Certificates of deposit are negotiable certificates issued against funds deposited in a commercial bank for a definite period of time and earning a specified return. Bankers' acceptances are negotiable drafts or bills of exchange, normally drawn by an importer or exporter to pay for specific merchandise, which are "accepted" by a bank, meaning, in effect, that the bank unconditionally agrees to pay the face value of the instrument on maturity. Fixed time deposits are bank obligations payable at a stated maturity date and bearing interest at a fixed rate. Fixed time deposits may be withdrawn on demand by the investor, but may be subject to early withdrawal penalties, which vary depending upon market conditions and the remaining maturity of the obligation. There are no contractual restrictions on the right to transfer a beneficial interest in a fixed time deposit to a third party, although there is no market for such deposits.

Obligations of foreign banks involve somewhat different investment risks than those affecting obligations of U.S. banks, including the possibilities that their liquidity could be impaired because of future political and economic developments, that their obligations may be less marketable than comparable obligations of U.S. banks, that a foreign jurisdiction might impose withholding taxes on interest income payable on those obligations, that foreign deposits may be seized or nationalized, that foreign governmental restrictions such as exchange controls may be adopted which might adversely affect the payment of principal and interest on those obligations and that the selection of those obligations may be more difficult because there may be less publicly available information concerning foreign banks or the accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and requirements applicable to foreign banks may differ from those applicable to U.S. banks. Foreign banks are not generally subject to examination by any U.S. Government agency or instrumentality.

*Trade Claims.* The Fund may purchase trade claims against companies, including companies in bankruptcy or reorganization proceedings. Trade claims generally include claims of suppliers for goods delivered and not paid, claims for unpaid services rendered, claims for contract rejection damages and claims related to litigation. An investment in trade claims is very speculative and carries a high degree of risk. Trade claims are illiquid instruments which generally do not pay interest and there can be no guarantee that the debtor will ever be able to satisfy the obligation on the trade claim. Additionally, there can be restrictions on the purchase, sale, and/ or transferability of trade claims during all or part of a bankruptcy proceeding. The markets in trade claims are not regulated by U.S. federal securities laws or the SEC.

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*High Yield Securities*. The Fund expects to invest in securities rated, at the time of investment, below investment grade quality such as those rated "Ba" or below by Moody's, "BB" or below by S&P or Fitch, or securities comparably rated by other rating agencies or in securities determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. Such securities, sometimes referred to as "high yield" or "junk" bonds, are predominantly speculative with respect to the capacity to pay interest and repay principal in accordance with the terms of the security and generally involve greater price volatility than securities in higher rating categories. Often, the protection of interest and principal payments with respect to such securities may be very moderate and issuers of such securities face major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial or economic conditions that could lead to inadequate capacity to meet timely interest and principal payments.

Lower grade securities, though high yielding, are characterized by high risk. They may be subject to certain risks with respect to the issuing entity and to greater market fluctuations than certain lower yielding, higher rated securities. The secondary market for lower grade securities may be less liquid than that of higher rated securities. Adverse conditions could make it difficult at times for the Fund to sell certain securities or could result in lower prices than those used in calculating the Fund's NAV.

The prices of fixed income securities generally are inversely related to interest rate changes; however, the price volatility caused by fluctuating interest rates of securities also is inversely related to the coupons of such securities. Accordingly, below investment grade securities may be relatively less sensitive to interest rate changes than higher quality securities of comparable maturity because of their higher coupon. The investor receives this higher coupon in return for bearing greater credit risk. The higher credit risk associated with below investment grade securities potentially can have a greater effect on the value of such securities than may be the case with higher quality issues of comparable maturity.

Lower grade securities may be particularly susceptible to economic downturns. It is likely that an economic recession could severely disrupt the market for such securities and may have an adverse impact on the value of such securities. In addition, it is likely that any such economic downturn could adversely affect the ability of the issuers of such securities to repay principal and pay interest thereon and increase the incidence of default for such securities.

The ratings of Moody's, S&P, Fitch and other rating agencies represent their opinions as to the quality of the obligations which they undertake to rate. Ratings are relative and subjective and, although ratings may be useful in evaluating the safety of interest and principal payments, they do not evaluate the market value risk of such obligations. Although these ratings may be an initial criterion for selection of portfolio investments, the Advisor also will independently evaluate these securities and the ability of the issuers of such securities to pay interest and principal. To the extent that the Fund invests in lower grade securities that have not been rated by a rating agency, the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective will be more dependent on the Advisor's credit analysis than would be the case when the Fund invests in rated securities.

*Mortgage-Backed Securities*. Mortgage-backed securities ("MBS") include structured debt obligations collateralized by pools of commercial or residential mortgages. Pools of mortgage loans and mortgage-backed loans, such as mezzanine loans, are assembled as securities for sale to investors by various governmental, government-related and private organizations. MBS include complex instruments such as collateralized mortgage obligations ("CMOs"), stripped MBS, mortgage pass-through securities and interests in real estate mortgage investment conduits. The MBS in which the Fund may invest include those with fixed, floating or variable interest rates, those with interest rates that change based on multiples of changes in a specified reference interest rate or index of interest rates and those with interest rates that change inversely to changes in interest rates, as well as those that do not bear interest. The Fund may invest in RMBS and CMBS issued by governmental entities and private issuers, including subordinated MBS and residual interests. The Fund may invest in sub-prime mortgages or MBS that are backed by sub-prime mortgages.

In general, losses on a mortgaged property securing a mortgage loan included in a securitization will be borne first by the equity holder of the property, then by a cash reserve fund or letter of credit, if any, then by the

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holder of a mezzanine loan or B-Note, if any, then by the "first loss" subordinated security holder (generally, the "B-Piece" buyer) and then by the holder of a higher rated security. The Fund may invest in any class of security included in a securitization. In the event of default and the exhaustion of any equity support, reserve fund, letter of credit, mezzanine loans or B-Notes, and any classes of securities junior to those in which the Fund invests, the Fund will not be able to recover all of its investment in the MBS it purchases. MBS in which the Fund invests may not contain reserve funds, letters of credit, mezzanine loans and/or junior classes of securities. The prices of lower credit quality securities are generally less sensitive to interest rate changes than more highly rated investments, but more sensitive to adverse economic downturns or individual issuer developments.

<u>Mortgage Pass-Through Securities</u>. Mortgage pass-through securities differ from other forms of fixed income securities, which normally provide for periodic payment of interest in fixed amounts with principal payments at maturity or specified call dates. Instead, these securities provide a monthly payment which consists of both interest and principal payments. In effect, these payments are a "pass through" of the monthly payments made by the individual borrowers on their residential or commercial mortgage loans, net of any fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of such securities. Additional payments are caused by repayments of principal resulting from the sale of the underlying property, refinancing or foreclosure, net of fees or costs that may be incurred. Some mortgage related securities (such as securities issued by the Government National Mortgage Association ("GNMA")) are described as "modified pass-through." These securities entitle the holder to receive all interest and principal payments owed on the mortgage pool, net of certain fees, at the scheduled payment dates regardless of whether or not the mortgagor actually makes the payment.

<u>RMBS</u>. RMBS are securities the payments on which depend primarily on the cash flow from residential mortgage loans made to borrowers that are secured, on a first priority basis or second priority basis, subject to permitted liens, easements and other encumbrances, by residential real estate (one- to four-family properties), the proceeds of which are used to purchase real estate and purchase or construct dwellings thereon or to refinance indebtedness previously used for such purposes. Residential mortgage loans are obligations of the borrowers thereunder only and are not typically insured or guaranteed by any other person or entity. The ability of a borrower to repay a loan secured by residential property is dependent upon the income or assets of the borrower. A number of factors, including a general economic downturn, acts of God, terrorism, social unrest and civil disturbances, may impair a borrower's ability to repay its loans.

<u>Agency RMBS</u>. The principal U.S. Governmental guarantor of mortgage related securities is GNMA, which is a wholly owned U.S. Government corporation within the Department of Housing and Urban Development. GNMA is authorized to guarantee, with the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, the timely payment of principal and interest on securities issued by institutions approved by GNMA (such as savings and loan institutions, commercial banks and mortgage bankers) and backed by pools of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Authority ("FHA"), or guaranteed by the Department of Veteran Affairs. RMBS issued by GNMA include GNMA Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates (also known as "Ginnie Maes"), which are guaranteed as to the timely payment of principal and interest by GNMA and such guarantees are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. GNMA certificates also are supported by the authority of GNMA to borrow funds from the U.S. Treasury to make payments under its guarantee.

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Certificates (also known as "Freddie Macs" or "PCs"), which are pass-through securities, each representing an undivided interest in a pool of residential mortgages. FHLMC guarantees the timely payment of interest and ultimate collection of principal, but PCs are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.

In 2008, the Federal Housing Finance Agency ("FHFA") placed FNMA and FHLMC into conservatorship. FNMA and FHLMC are continuing to operate as going concerns while in conservatorship and each remains liable for all of its obligations, including its guaranty obligations, associated with its MBS. As the conservator, FHFA succeeded to all rights, titles, powers and privileges of FNMA and FHLMC and of any stockholder, officer or director of FNMA and FHLMC with respect to FNMA and FHLMC and the assets of FNMA and FHLMC.

Legislative or regulatory actions, changes to the terms or status of U.S. Government support for FNMA or FHLMC, or decisions by FHFA as their conservator could materially affect the credit quality, liquidity, market value and future issuance of their mortgage-backed securities. Any reduction in the perceived or actual support provided by the U.S Government to these entities could result in higher funding costs for them and could reduce the values of the MBS they guarantee.

<u>CMBS</u>. CMBS generally are multi-class debt or pass-through certificates secured or backed by mortgage loans on commercial properties. CMBS generally are structured to provide protection to the senior class investors against potential losses on the underlying mortgage loans. This protection generally is provided by having the holders of subordinated classes of securities ("Subordinated CMBS") take the first loss if there are defaults on the underlying commercial mortgage loans. Other protection, which may benefit all of the classes or particular classes, may include issuer guarantees, reserve funds, additional Subordinated CMBS, cross-collateralization and over-collateralization.

The Fund may invest in Subordinated CMBS, which are subordinated in some manner as to the payment of principal and/or interest to the holders of more senior CMBS arising out of the same pool of mortgages and which are often referred to as "B-Pieces." The holders of Subordinated CMBS typically are compensated with a higher stated yield than are the holders of more senior CMBS. On the other hand, Subordinated CMBS typically subject the holder to greater risk than senior CMBS and tend to be rated in a lower rating category (frequently a substantially lower rating category) than the senior CMBS issued in respect of the same mortgage pool. Subordinated CMBS generally are likely to be more sensitive to changes in prepayment and interest rates and the market for such securities may be less liquid than is the case for traditional income securities and senior CMBS.

<u>CMOs</u>. A CMO is a multi-class bond backed by a pool of mortgage pass-through certificates or mortgage loans. CMOs may be collateralized by (i) GNMA, FNMA or FHLMC pass-through certificates, (ii) unsecuritized mortgage loans insured by the FHA or guaranteed by the Department of Veteran Affairs, (iii) unsecuritized conventional mortgages, (iv) other MBS or (v) any combination thereof. Each class of a CMO, often referred to as a "tranche," is issued at a specific coupon rate and has a stated maturity or final distribution date. Principal prepayments on collateral underlying a CMO may cause it to be retired substantially earlier than its stated maturity or final distribution date. The principal and interest on the underlying mortgages may be allocated

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among the several classes of a series of a CMO in many ways. One or more tranches of a CMO may have coupon rates which reset periodically at a specified increment over an index(or sometimes more than one index). These floating rate CMOs typically are issued with lifetime caps on the coupon rate thereon. The Fund does not intend to invest in CMO residuals, which represent the interest in any excess cash flow remaining after making the payments of interest and principal on the tranches issued by the CMO and the payment of administrative expenses and management fees.

The Fund may invest in inverse floating rate CMOs. Inverse floating rate CMOs constitute a tranche of a CMO with a coupon rate that moves in the reverse direction relative to an applicable index. Accordingly, the coupon rate thereon will increase as interest rates decrease. Inverse floating rate CMOs are typically more volatile than fixed or floating rate tranches of CMOs. Many inverse floating rate CMOs have coupons that move inversely to a multiple of an index. The effect of the coupon varying inversely to a multiple of an applicable index creates a leverage factor. The market for inverse floating rate CMOs with highly leveraged characteristics at times may be very thin. The Fund's ability to dispose of its positions in such securities will depend on the degree of liquidity in the markets for such securities. It is impossible to predict the amount of trading interest that may exist in such securities, and therefore the future degree of liquidity.

<u>Adjustable Rate Mortgage Securities</u>. Adjustable rate mortgages ("ARMs") have interest rates that reset at periodic intervals. Acquiring ARMs permits the Fund to participate in increases in prevailing current interest rates through periodic adjustments in the coupons of mortgages underlying the pool on which ARMs are based. Such ARMs generally have higher current yield and lower price fluctuations than is the case with more traditional fixed income securities of comparable rating and maturity. In addition, when prepayments of principal are made on the underlying mortgages during periods of rising interest rates, the Fund may potentially reinvest the proceeds of such prepayments at rates higher than those at which they were previously invested. Mortgages underlying most ARMs, however, have limits on the allowable annual or lifetime increases that can be made in the interest rate that the mortgagor pays. Therefore, if current interest rates rise above such limits over the period of the limitation, the Fund, when holding an ARM, does not benefit from further increases in interest rates. Moreover, when interest rates are in excess of the coupon rates (i.e., the rates being paid by mortgagors) of the mortgages, ARMs behave more like fixed income securities and less like adjustable-rate securities and are subject to the risks associated with fixed income securities. In addition, during periods of rising interest rates, increases in the coupon rate of ARMs generally lag current market interest rates slightly, thereby creating the potential for capital depreciation on such securities.

<u>Sub-Prime Mortgages</u>. Sub-prime mortgage loans generally are made to borrowers with weaker or limited credit histories, higher debt-to-income ratios or other characteristics that increase the risk of non-payment. Lenders typically charge higher interest rates and fees on such loans to compensate for the greater credit risk and higher servicing and collection costs. Sub-prime mortgages are subject to extensive federal and state consumer protection and anti-predatory lending laws and regulations (including, for example, ability-to-repay and related mortgage origination standards), which in some cases may impose liability or other obligations on assignees and other secondary market purchasers such as the Fund. Sub-prime mortgages have certain characteristics and

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associated risks similar to below investment grade securities, including a higher degree of credit risk, and certain characteristics and associated risks similar to MBS, including prepayment risk.

<u>Mortgage Related Derivative Instruments</u>. The Fund may invest in MBS credit default swaps. MBS credit default swaps include swaps the reference obligation for which is an MBS or related index. The Fund may engage in other derivative transactions related to MBS, including purchasing and selling exchange-listed and over-the-counter put and call options, futures and forwards on mortgages and MBS. The Fund may invest in newly developed mortgage-related derivatives that may hereafter become available. See "—Strategic Transactions and Other Management Techniques" in this prospectus and "Investment Policies and Techniques—Strategic Transactions and Other Management Techniques" in the SAI for additional information regarding derivative transactions which the Fund may utilize.

<u>Mortgage Related ABS</u>. ABS are bonds backed by pools of loans or other receivables. ABS are created from many types of assets, including in some cases mortgage related asset classes, such as home equity loan ABS. Home equity loan ABS are subject to many of the same risks as RMBS, including interest rate risk and prepayment risk.

<u>TBA Commitments</u>*.* The Fund may enter into "to be announced" or "TBA" commitments. TBA commitments are forward agreements for the purchase or sale of securities, including MBS, for a fixed price, with payment and delivery on an agreed upon future settlement date. The specific securities to be delivered are not identified at the trade date. However, delivered securities must meet specified terms, including issuer, rate and mortgage terms. See "—When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitment Securities."

<u>Net Interest Margin (NIM) Securities</u>. The Fund may invest in net interest margin ("NIM") securities. These securities are derivative interest-only mortgage securities structured off home equity loan transactions. NIM securities receive any "excess" interest computed after paying coupon costs, servicing costs and fees and any credit losses associated with the underlying pool of home equity loans. Like traditional stripped MBS, the yield to maturity on a NIM security is sensitive not only to changes in prevailing interest rates but also to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the underlying home equity loans. NIM securities are highly sensitive to credit losses on the underlying collateral and the timing in which those losses are taken.

<u>Whole Loan Mortgages</u>*.* The Fund may invest in whole loan mortgages, especially subprime residential mortgage loans and non-performing and sub-performing mortgage loans. By investing in whole loan mortgages, the Fund acquires the entire beneficial interest in a single residential or commercial mortgage that has not been securitized, rather than fractional portions of or participations in such loans.

<u>Mortgage Servicing Rights</u>*.* The Fund may invest in Normal MSRs and Excess MSRs. Normal MSRs refer to the contractual right to cash flows payable to the actual mortgage servicer of a pool of mortgage loans for their ongoing administrative duties to the extent such cash flows do not exceed a reasonable amount of consideration for normal servicing activities. Excess MSRs are the rights to any amount of cash flows in excess of Normal MSRs.

<u>Other Mortgage Related Securities</u>. Other mortgage related securities include securities other than those described above that directly or indirectly represent a participation in, or are secured by and payable from, mortgage loans on real property. Other mortgage related securities may be equity or debt securities issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. Government or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations, homebuilders, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks, partnerships, trusts and special purpose entities of the foregoing. The Fund may acquire all or substantially all of the equity of a mortgage or private loan originator.

*Asset-Backed Securities*. ABS are a form of structured debt obligation. The securitization techniques used for ABS are similar to those used for MBS. ABS are bonds backed by pools of loans or other receivables. The

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collateral for these securities may include home equity loans, automobile and credit card receivables, boat loans, computer leases, airplane leases, mobile home loans, recreational vehicle loans and hospital account receivables. The Fund may invest in these and other types of ABS that may be developed in the future. ABS present certain risks that are not presented by mortgage related securities. Primarily, these securities may provide the Fund with a less effective security interest in the related collateral than do mortgage related securities. Therefore, there is the possibility that recoveries on the underlying collateral may not, in some cases, be available to support payments on these securities.

*Equity Securities*. The Fund may invest in equity securities, including common stocks, preferred stocks, convertible securities, warrants, depositary receipts, ETFs, equity interests in real estate investment trusts and master limited partnerships. Common stock represents an equity ownership interest in a company. The Fund may hold or have exposure to common stocks of issuers of any size, including small and medium capitalization stocks. Because the Fund may have exposure to common stocks, historical trends would indicate that the Fund's portfolio and investment returns will be subject at times, and over time, to higher levels of volatility and market and issuer-specific risk than if it invested exclusively in debt securities.

*Preferred Securities*. The Fund may invest in preferred securities. There are two basic types of preferred securities: traditional preferred securities and trust preferred securities.

<u>Traditional Preferred Securities</u>. Traditional preferred securities generally pay fixed or adjustable rate dividends (or a combination thereof—e.g., a fixed rate that moves to an adjustable rate after some period of time) to investors and generally have a "preference" over common stock in the payment of dividends and the liquidation of a company's assets. This means that a company must pay dividends on preferred stock before paying any dividends on its common stock. In order to be payable, distributions on such preferred securities must be declared by the issuer's board of directors. Income payments on typical preferred securities currently outstanding are cumulative, causing dividends and distributions to accumulate even if not declared by the board of directors or otherwise made payable. In such a case all accumulated dividends must be paid before any dividend on the common stock can be paid. However, some traditional preferred stocks are non-cumulative, in which case dividends do not accumulate and need not ever be paid. A portion of the portfolio may include investments in non-cumulative preferred securities, whereby the issuer does not have an obligation to make up any arrearages to its shareholders. Should an issuer of a non-cumulative preferred stock held by the Fund determine not to pay dividends on such stock, the amount of dividends the Fund pays may be adversely affected. There is no assurance that dividends or distributions on the traditional preferred securities in which the Fund invests will be declared or otherwise made payable.

Preferred stockholders usually have no right to vote for corporate directors or on other matters. Shares of traditional preferred securities have a liquidation value that generally equals the original purchase price at the date of issuance. The market value of preferred securities may be affected by favorable and unfavorable changes impacting companies in the utilities and financial services sectors, which are prominent issuers of preferred securities, and by actual and anticipated changes in tax laws, such as changes in corporate income tax rates or the "Dividends Received Deduction." Because the claim on an issuer's earnings represented by traditional preferred securities may become onerous when interest rates fall below the rate payable on such securities, the issuer may redeem the securities. Thus, in declining interest rate environments in particular, the Fund's holdings of higher rate-paying fixed rate preferred securities may be reduced and the Fund may be unable to acquire securities of comparable credit quality paying comparable rates with the redemption proceeds.

<u>Trust Preferred Securities</u>. Trust preferred securities are typically issued by corporations, generally in the form of interest-bearing notes with preferred security characteristics, or by an affiliated business trust of a corporation, generally in the form of beneficial interests in subordinated debentures or similarly structured securities. The trust preferred securities market consists of both fixed and adjustable coupon rate securities that are either perpetual in nature or have stated maturity dates.

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Trust preferred securities are typically junior and fully subordinated liabilities of an issuer or the beneficiary of a guarantee that is junior and fully subordinated to the other liabilities of the guarantor. In addition, trust preferred securities typically permit an issuer to defer the payment of income for eighteen months or more without triggering an event of default. Generally, the deferral period is five years or more. Because of their subordinated position in the capital structure of an issuer, the ability to defer payments for extended periods of time without default consequences to the issuer, and certain other features (such as restrictions on common dividend payments by the issuer or ultimate guarantor when full cumulative payments on the trust preferred securities have not been made), these trust preferred securities are often treated as close substitutes for traditional preferred securities, both by issuers and investors. Trust preferred securities have many of the key characteristics of equity due to their subordinated position in an issuer's capital structure and because their quality and value are heavily dependent on the profitability of the issuer rather than on any legal claims to specific assets or cash flows.

*Convertible Securities*. A convertible security is a bond, debenture, note, preferred stock or other security that may be converted into or exchanged for a prescribed amount of common stock or other equity security of the same or a different issuer within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. A convertible security entitles the holder to receive interest paid or accrued on debt or the dividend paid on preferred stock until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. Before conversion, convertible securities have characteristics similar to nonconvertible income securities in that they ordinarily provide a stable stream of income with generally higher yields than those of common stocks of the same or similar issuers, but lower yields than comparable nonconvertible securities. The value of a convertible security is influenced by changes in interest rates, with investment value declining as interest rates increase and increasing as interest rates decline. The credit standing of the issuer and other factors also may have an effect on the convertible security's investment value. Convertible securities rank senior to common stock in a corporation's capital structure but are usually subordinate to comparable nonconvertible securities. Convertible securities may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in the convertible security's governing instrument.

*Contingent Convertible Securities.* One type of convertible security in which the Fund may invest is contingent convertible securities, sometimes referred to as "CoCos." CoCos are a form of hybrid debt security issued by banking institutions that are intended to either automatically convert into equity or have their principal written down upon the occurrence of certain "trigger events," which may include a decline in the issuer's capital below a specified threshold level, increase in the issuer's risk weighted assets, the share price of the issuer falling to a particular level for a certain period of time and certain regulatory events. CoCos are subject to credit, interest rate, high-yield securities, foreign investments and market risks associated with both debt instruments and equity securities. In addition, CoCos have no stated maturity and have fully discretionary coupons. If the CoCos are

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converted into the issuer's underlying equity securities following a conversion event, each holder will be subordinated due to their conversion from being the holder of a debt instrument to being the holder of an equity instrument, hence worsening the holder's standing in a bankruptcy proceeding.

*Other Investment Companies*. The Fund may invest in securities of other affiliated and unaffiliated open- or closed-end investment companies (including ETFs and BDCs), subject to applicable regulatory limits, that invest primarily in securities the types of which the Fund may invest directly. As a shareholder in an investment company, the Fund will bear its ratable share of that investment company's expenses, and will remain subject to payment of the Fund's advisory and other fees and expenses with respect to assets so invested. Holders of Shares will therefore be subject to duplicative expenses to the extent the Fund invests in other investment companies. The Advisor will take expenses into account when evaluating the investment merits of an investment in an investment company relative to other available investments. In addition, the securities of other investment companies may also be leveraged and will therefore be subject to the same leverage risks to which the Fund may be subject to the extent it employs a leverage strategy.

The Fund may invest in ETFs, which are investment companies that typically aim to track or replicate a desired index, such as a sector, market or global segment. ETFs are typically passively managed and their shares are traded on a national exchange or The NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. ETFs do not sell individual shares directly to investors and only issue their shares in large blocks known as "creation units." The investor purchasing a creation unit may sell the individual shares on a secondary market. Therefore, the liquidity of ETFs depends on the adequacy of the secondary market. There can be no assurances that an ETF's investment objectives will be achieved, as ETFs based on an index may not replicate and maintain exactly the composition and relative weightings of securities in the index. ETFs are subject to the risks of investing in the underlying securities. The Fund, as a holder of the securities of the ETF, will bear its pro rata portion of the ETF's expenses, including advisory fees. These expenses are in addition to the direct expenses of the Fund's own operations.

*Restricted and Illiquid Investment*s. The Fund may invest without limitation in illiquid or less liquid investments or investments in which no secondary market is readily available or which are otherwise illiquid, including private placement securities. Liquidity of an investment relates to the ability to dispose easily of the investment and the price to be obtained upon disposition of the investment, which may be less than would be obtained for a comparable more liquid investment. "Illiquid investments" are investments which cannot be sold within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the value used by the Fund in determining its NAV. Illiquid investments may trade at a discount from comparable, more liquid investments. Illiquid investments are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on disposition or lack an established secondary trading market. Investment of the Fund's assets in illiquid investments may restrict the ability of the Fund to dispose of its investments in a timely fashion and for a fair price as well as its ability to take advantage of market opportunities. The risks associated with illiquidity will be particularly acute where the Fund's operations require cash (such as in connection with repurchase offers), such as when the Fund pays dividends, and could result in the Fund borrowing to meet short-term cash requirements or incurring capital losses on the sale of illiquid investments.

The Fund may invest in or hold securities that are not registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") ("restricted securities"), which may include securities in private companies and Rule 144A Securities. Restricted securities may be sold in private placement transactions between issuers and their purchasers, including through private negotiated transactions between the issuer and their purchasers, such as the Fund, and may be neither listed on an Exchange nor traded in other established markets. In many cases, privately placed securities may not be freely transferable under the laws of the applicable jurisdiction or due to contractual restrictions on resale. As a result of the absence of a public trading market and the potential bespoke nature on certain transactions, restricted securities may be deemed to be illiquid investments or less liquid and more difficult to value than publicly traded securities. To the extent that restricted securities may be resold in privately negotiated transactions, the prices realized from the sales, due to illiquidity, could be less than those originally paid by the Fund or less than their fair market value. The amount of any discount may vary depending

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on the security type, the character of the issuer, which party (if any) will bear the expenses of registering the restricted security, and prevailing market conditions. In addition, issuers whose securities are not publicly traded or who are not otherwise publicly listed may not be subject to the disclosure and other investor protection requirements that may be applicable if their securities were publicly traded. If any privately placed securities held by the Fund are required to be registered under the securities laws of one or more jurisdictions before being resold, the Fund may be required to bear the expenses of registration. Certain of the Fund's investments in private placements may consist of direct investments and may include investments in smaller, less seasoned issuers, which may involve greater risks. Issuers of restricted securities may not be subject to SEC reporting requirements, may not be required to maintain their accounting records in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and may not be required to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting. As a result, the Advisor may not have timely or accurate information about the business, financial condition and results of operations of such issuers, and investments in securities of such issuers may involve a high degree of business and financial risk and may result in substantial losses to the Fund. Such issuers may also have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, or they may be dependent on a limited management group. In making investments in such securities, the Fund may obtain access to material nonpublic information, which may restrict the Fund's ability to conduct portfolio transactions in such securities. In some cases, the Fund may pay fees such as placement fees to an intermediary in connection with acquiring privately placed securities.

Some of these securities are new and complex, and trade only among institutions; the markets for these securities are still developing, and may not function as efficiently as established markets. Also, because there may not be an established market price for these securities, the Fund may have to estimate their value, which means that their valuation (and thus the valuation of the Fund) may have a subjective element. The sale of restricted and illiquid securities often requires more time and results in higher brokerage charges or dealer discounts and other selling expenses than does the sale of securities eligible for trading on national securities exchanges or in the OTC markets. Restricted securities may sell at a price lower than similar securities that are not subject to restrictions on resale. Transactions in restricted or illiquid securities may entail registration expense and other transaction costs that are higher than those for transactions in unrestricted or liquid securities. Where registration is required for restricted or illiquid securities, a considerable time period may elapse between the time the Fund decides to sell the security and the time it is actually permitted to sell the security under an effective registration statement. If during such period, adverse market conditions were to develop, the Fund might obtain less favorable pricing terms that when it decided to sell the security. In addition, the Fund may be deemed to be an "underwriter" for purposes of the Securities Act when selling restricted securities. If so, the Fund may be liable to purchasers of the restricted securities if the registration statement prepared by the issuer, or the corresponding prospectus, is materially inaccurate or misleading.

*Zero-Coupon Bonds, Step-Ups and Payment-In-Kind Securities.* Zero-coupon bonds pay interest only at maturity rather than at intervals during the life of the security. Like zero-coupon bonds, "step up" bonds pay no interest initially but eventually begin to pay a coupon rate prior to maturity, which rate may increase at stated intervals during the life of the security. Payment-in-kind securities ("PIKs") are debt obligations that pay "interest" in the form of other debt obligations, instead of in cash. Each of these instruments is normally issued and traded at a deep discount from face value. Zero-coupon bonds, step-ups and PIKs allow an issuer to avoid or delay the need to generate cash to meet current interest payments and, as a result, may involve greater credit risk than bonds that pay interest currently or in cash. The Fund would be required to distribute the income on these instruments as it accrues, even though the Fund will not receive the income on a current basis in cash. Thus, the Fund may have to sell other investments, including when it may not be advisable to do so, to make income distributions to its shareholders.

*Structured Instruments*. The Fund may use structured instruments for investment purposes, for risk management purposes, such as to reduce the duration and interest rate sensitivity of the Fund's portfolio, and for leveraging purposes. While structured instruments may offer the potential for a favorable rate of return from time to time, they also entail certain risks. Structured instruments may be less liquid than other securities and the price of structured instruments may be more volatile. In some cases, depending on the terms of the embedded index, a

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structured instrument may provide that the principal and/or interest payments may be adjusted below zero. Structured instruments also may involve significant credit risk and risk of default by the counterparty. Structured instruments may also be illiquid. Like other sophisticated strategies, the Fund's use of structured instruments may not work as intended.

<u>Structured Notes</u>. The Fund may invest in "structured" notes and other related instruments, which are privately negotiated debt obligations in which the principal and/or interest is determined by reference to the performance of a benchmark asset, market or interest rate (an "embedded index"), such as selected securities, an index of securities or specified interest rates, or the differential performance of two assets or markets. Structured instruments may be issued by corporations, including banks, as well as by governmental agencies. Structured instruments frequently are assembled in the form of medium-term notes, but a variety of forms are available and may be used in particular circumstances. The terms of such structured instruments normally provide that their principal and/or interest payments are to be adjusted upwards or downwards (but ordinarily not below zero) to reflect changes in the embedded index while the structured instruments are outstanding. As a result, the interest and/or principal payments that may be made on a structured product may vary widely, depending on a variety of factors, including the volatility of the embedded index and the effect of changes in the embedded index on principal and/or interest payments. The rate of return on structured notes may be determined by applying a multiplier to the performance or differential performance of the referenced index(es) or other asset(s). Application of a multiplier involves leverage that will serve to magnify the potential for gain and the risk of loss.

<u>Event-Linked Securities</u>. The Fund may obtain event-linked exposure by investing in "event-linked bonds" or "event-linked swaps" or by implementing "event-linked strategies." Event-linked exposure results in gains or losses that typically are contingent upon, or formulaically related to, defined trigger events. Examples of trigger events include hurricanes, earthquakes, weather-related phenomena or statistics relating to such events. Some event-linked bonds are commonly referred to as "catastrophe bonds." If a trigger event occurs, the Fund may lose a portion of or its entire principal invested in the bond or the entire notional amount of a swap. Event-linked exposure often provides for an extension of maturity to process and audit loss claims when a trigger event has, or possibly has, occurred. An extension of maturity may increase volatility. Event-linked exposure may also expose the Fund to certain other risks including credit risk, counterparty risk, adverse regulatory or jurisdictional interpretations and adverse tax consequences. Event-linked exposures may also be subject to liquidity risk.

<u>Equity-Linked Notes</u>. Equity-linked notes are hybrid securities with characteristics of both fixed income and equity securities. An equity-linked note is a debt instrument, usually a bond, that pays interest based upon the performance of an underlying equity, which can be a single stock, basket of stocks or an equity index. Instead of paying a predetermined coupon, equity-linked notes link the interest payment to the performance of a particular equity market index or basket of stocks or commodities. The interest payment is typically based on the percentage increase in an index from a predetermined level, but alternatively may be based on a decrease in the index. The interest payment may in some cases be leveraged so that, in percentage terms, it exceeds the relative performance of the market. Equity-linked notes generally are subject to the risks associated with the securities of equity issuers, default risk and counterparty risk.

<u>Credit Linked Notes</u>. The Fund may invest in credit linked notes ("CLNs") for risk management purposes, including diversification. A CLN is a derivative instrument. It is a synthetic obligation between two or more parties where the payment of principal and/or interest is based on the performance of some obligation (a reference obligation). In addition to the credit risk of the reference obligations and interest rate risk, the buyer/seller of the CLN is subject to counterparty risk.

*Inverse Floating Rate Securities.* An inverse floating rate security (or "inverse floater") is a type of debt instrument that bears a floating or variable interest rate that moves in the opposite direction to interest rates generally or the interest rate on another security or index. Changes in interest rates, generally, or the interest rate of the other security or index, inversely affect the interest rate paid on the inverse floater, with the result that the inverse floater's price will be considerably more volatile than that of a fixed rate bond. The Fund may invest

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without limitation in inverse floaters, which brokers typically create by depositing an income-producing instrument, including a mortgage-related security, in a trust. The trust in turn issues a variable rate security and inverse floaters. The interest rate for the variable rate security is typically determined by an index or an auction process, while the inverse floater holder receives the balance of the income from the underlying income-producing instrument less an auction fee. The market prices of inverse floaters may be highly sensitive to changes in interest rates and prepayment rates on the underlying securities, and may decrease significantly when interest rates increase or prepayment rates change. In a transaction in which the Fund purchases an inverse floater from a trust, and the underlying security was held by the Fund prior to being deposited into the trust, the Fund typically treats the transaction as a secured borrowing for financial reporting purposes. As a result, for financial reporting purposes, the Fund will generally incur a non-cash interest expense with respect to interest paid by the trust on the variable rate securities and will recognize additional interest income in an amount directly corresponding to the non-cash interest expense. Therefore, the Fund's NAV per Share of an applicable class and performance are not affected by the non-cash interest expense. This accounting treatment does not apply to inverse floaters acquired by the Fund when the Fund did not previously own the underlying bond.

*Credit Linked Securities.* Among the income producing securities in which the Fund may invest are credit linked securities, which are issued by a limited purpose trust or other vehicle that, in turn, invests in a derivative instrument or basket of derivative instruments, such as credit default swaps, interest rate swaps and other securities, in order to provide exposure to certain fixed income markets. For instance, the Fund may invest in credit linked securities as a cash management tool in order to gain exposure to a certain market and/or to remain fully invested when more traditional income producing securities are not available.

Like an investment in a bond, investments in these credit linked securities represent the right to receive periodic income payments (in the form of distributions) and payment of principal at the end of the term of the security. However, these payments are conditioned on the issuer's receipt of payments from, and the issuer's potential obligations to, the counterparties to the derivative instruments and other securities in which the issuer invests. For instance, the issuer may sell one or more credit default swaps, under which the issuer would receive a stream of payments over the term of the swap agreements provided that no event of default has occurred with respect to the referenced debt obligation upon which the swap is based. If a default occurs, the stream of payments may stop and the issuer would be obligated to pay the counterparty the par (or other agreed upon value) of the referenced debt obligation. This, in turn, would reduce the amount of income and principal that the Fund would receive. The Fund's investments in these instruments are indirectly subject to the risks associated with derivative instruments, including, among others, credit risk, default or similar event risk, counterparty risk, interest rate risk, leverage risk and management risk. It is also expected that the securities will be exempt from registration under the Securities Act. Accordingly, there may be no established trading market for the securities and they may constitute illiquid investments.

*Strategic Transactions and Other Management Techniques*. The Fund may use a variety of other investment management techniques and instruments. The Fund may purchase and sell futures contracts, enter into various interest rate transactions such as swaps, caps, floors or collars, currency transactions such as currency forward contracts, currency futures contracts, currency swaps or options on currency or currency futures and swap contracts (including, but not limited to, credit default swaps index products, credit default swaps, total return swaps (sometimes referred to as "contracts for difference") and interest rate swaps) and may purchase and sell exchange-listed and OTC put and call options on securities and swap contracts, financial indices and futures contracts and use other derivative instruments or management techniques. These Strategic Transactions may be used for duration management and other risk management purposes, including to attempt to protect against possible changes in the market value of the Fund's portfolio resulting from trends in the securities markets and changes in interest rates or to protect the Fund's unrealized gains in the value of its portfolio securities, to facilitate the sale of portfolio securities for investment purposes, to establish a position in the securities markets as a temporary substitute for purchasing particular securities or to enhance income or gain. There is no particular strategy that requires use of one technique rather than another as the decision to use any particular strategy or instrument is a function of market conditions and the composition of the portfolio. The use of Strategic

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Transactions to enhance current income may be particularly speculative. The ability of the Fund to use Strategic Transactions successfully will depend on the Advisor's ability to predict pertinent market movements as well as sufficient correlation among the instruments, which cannot be assured. The use of Strategic Transactions may result in losses greater than if they had not been used, may require the Fund to sell or purchase portfolio securities at inopportune times or for prices other than current market values, may limit the amount of appreciation the Fund can realize on an investment or may cause the Fund to hold a security that it might otherwise sell. The SAI contains further information about the characteristics, risks and possible benefits of Strategic Transactions and the Fund's other policies and limitations (which are not fundamental policies) relating to Strategic Transactions. Certain provisions of the Code may restrict or affect the ability of the Fund to engage in Strategic Transactions. In addition, the use of certain Strategic Transactions may give rise to taxable income and have certain other consequences. See "Risks—Principal Risks—Strategic Transactions and Derivatives Risk."

*Interest Rate Transactions*. The Fund may enter into interest rate swaps and purchase or sell interest rate caps, floors and collars. The Fund expects to enter into these transactions primarily to preserve a return or spread on a particular investment or portion of its portfolio, as a duration management technique, to protect against any increase in the price of securities the Fund anticipates purchasing at a later date and/or to hedge against increases in the Fund's costs associated with its leverage strategy. The Fund will ordinarily use these transactions as a hedge or for duration and risk management although it is permitted to enter into them to enhance income or gain. Interest rate swaps involve the exchange by the Fund with another party of their respective commitments to pay or receive interest (e.g., an exchange of floating rate payments for fixed rate payments with respect to a notional amount of principal). The purchase of an interest rate cap entitles the purchaser, to the extent that the level of a specified interest rate exceeds a predetermined interest rate (i.e., the strike price), to receive payments of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest rate cap. The purchase of an interest rate floor entitles the purchaser, to the extent that the level of a specified interest rate falls below a predetermined interest rate (i.e., the strike price), to receive payments of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest rate floor. In interest rate collar transactions, one party sells a cap and purchases a floor, or vice versa, in an attempt to protect itself against interest rate movements exceeding given minimum or maximum levels of collar amounts.

For example, if the Fund holds a debt instrument with an interest rate that is reset only once each year, it may swap the right to receive interest at this fixed rate for the right to receive interest at a rate that is reset every week. This would enable the Fund to offset a decline in the value of the debt instrument due to rising interest rates but would also limit its ability to benefit from falling interest rates. Conversely, if the Fund holds a debt instrument with an interest rate that is reset every week and it would like to lock in what it believes to be a high interest rate for one year, it may swap the right to receive interest at this variable weekly rate for the right to receive interest at a rate that is fixed for one year. Such a swap would protect the Fund from a reduction in yield due to falling interest rates and may permit the Fund to enhance its income through the positive differential between one week and one year interest rates, but would preclude it from taking full advantage of rising interest rates.

The Fund may hedge both its assets and liabilities through interest rate swaps, caps, floors and collars. Usually, payments with respect to interest rate swaps will be made on a net basis (i.e., the two payment streams are netted out) with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments on the payment dates.

If there is a default by the other party to an uncleared interest rate swap transaction, generally the Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction, but there can be no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in enforcing such remedies. With respect to interest rate swap transactions cleared through a central clearing counterparty, a clearing organization will be substituted for the counterparty and will guaranty the parties' performance under the swap agreement. However, there can be no assurances that the clearing organization will satisfy its obligation to the Fund or that the Fund would be able to recover the full

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amount of assets deposited on its behalf with the clearing organization in the event of the default by the clearing organization or the Fund's clearing broker. Certain U.S. federal income tax requirements may limit the Fund's ability to engage in interest rate swaps. Distributions attributable to transactions in interest rate swaps generally will be taxable as ordinary income to shareholders.

*Indexed and Inverse Securities*. The Fund may invest in securities the potential return of which is based on the change in a specified interest rate or equity index (an "indexed security"). For example, the Fund may invest in a security that pays a variable amount of interest or principal based on the current level of the French or Korean stock markets. The Fund may also invest in securities whose return is inversely related to changes in an interest rate or index ("inverse securities"). In general, the return on inverse securities will decrease when the underlying index or interest rate goes up and increase when that index or interest rate goes down.

*Swaps*. The Fund may enter into swap agreements, including credit default and total return swap agreements. Swap agreements are two party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for periods ranging from a few days to more than one year. In a standard "swap" transaction, two parties agree to exchange the value(s) or cash flow(s) of one asset for another over a certain period of time. The gross returns to be exchanged or "swapped" between the parties are calculated with respect to a "notional amount," i.e., the dollar amount invested at a particular interest rate, in a particular foreign currency, or in a "basket" of securities representing a particular index. The "notional amount" of the swap agreement is only a fictive basis on which to calculate the obligations that the parties to a swap agreement have agreed to exchange. The Fund's obligations (or rights) under a swap agreement will generally be equal only to the net amount to be paid or received under the agreement based on the relative values of the positions held by each party to the agreement (the "net amount").

Whether the Fund's use of swap agreements will be successful in furthering its investment objective will depend on the Advisor's ability to correctly predict whether certain types of investments are likely to produce greater returns than other investments. Moreover, the Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty. Swap agreements also bear the risk that the Fund will not be able to meet its payment obligations to the counterparty. Restrictions imposed by the tax rules applicable to RICs may limit the Fund's ability to use swap agreements. It is possible that developments in the swap market, including government regulation, could adversely affect the Fund's ability to terminate existing swap agreements or to realize amounts to be received under such agreements.

*Credit Default Swaps.* The Fund may enter into credit default swap agreements and related instruments, such as credit default swap index products, for hedging purposes or to seek to increase income or gain. The credit default swap agreement may have as reference obligations one or more securities that are not currently held by the Fund. The protection "buyer" in a credit default contract may be obligated to pay the protection "seller" an upfront or a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract, provided that no credit event on the reference obligation has occurred. If a credit event occurs, the seller generally must pay the buyer the "par value" (full notional amount) of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity described in the swap, or if the swap is cash settled the seller may be required to deliver the related net cash amount (the difference between the market value of the reference obligation and its par value). The Fund may be either the buyer or seller in the transaction. If the Fund is a buyer and no credit event occurs, the Fund will generally receive no payments from its counterparty under the swap if the swap is held through its termination date. However, if a credit event occurs, the buyer generally may elect to receive the full notional amount of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity, the value of which may have significantly decreased. As a seller, the Fund generally receives an upfront payment or a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the swap, which typically is between six months and three years, provided that there is no credit event. If a credit event occurs, generally the seller must pay the buyer the full notional amount of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity, the value of which may have significantly decreased. As the seller, the Fund would effectively add leverage to its portfolio because, in addition to its Managed Assets, the Fund would be subject to investment

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exposure on the notional amount of the swap. However, the Fund will not have any legal recourse against any reference entity and will not benefit from any collateral securing the reference entity's debt obligations.

In circumstances in which the Fund does not own the securities or loans that are deliverable under a credit default swap, the Fund is exposed to the risk that deliverable securities will not be available in the market, or will be available only at unfavorable prices, as would be the case in a so-called "short squeeze." In certain instances of issuer defaults or restructurings, it has been unclear under the standard industry documentation for credit default swaps whether or not a "credit event" triggering the seller's payment obligation had occurred. Certain initiatives adopted by derivatives market participants, including the International Swaps and Derivatives Association ("ISDA"), are designed to implement uniform settlement terms into standard credit default swap documentation, as well as refine the practices for the transparent conduct of the credit default swap market generally. Among these initiatives are the ISDA Credit Derivatives Determination Committee and the implementation of market-wide cash settlement protocols applicable to all market-standard credit default swaps.

These initiatives are intended to reduce both the uncertainty as to the occurrence of credit events and the risk of a "short squeeze" by providing that the ISDA Credit Derivatives Determinations Committee will make determinations as to whether a credit event has occurred, establish an auction to determine a settlement price and identify the deliverable securities for purposes of the auction, although the ISDA Credit Derivatives Determinations Committee may in certain limited circumstances refrain from doing so. In the event the ISDA Credit Derivatives Determinations Committee cannot reach a timely resolution with respect to a "credit event" or otherwise does not establish a cash settlement auction, the Fund may not be able to realize the full value of the credit default swap upon a default by the reference entity. Furthermore, the Fund may enter into certain credit default swaps or similar instruments that may not be covered by these initiatives.

In the event the ISDA Credit Derivatives Determinations Committee does not establish a cash settlement auction and identify the relevant deliverable securities or loans, the credit default swap buyer will have broad discretion to select which of the reference entity's debt obligations to deliver to the Fund following a credit event and will likely choose the obligations with the lowest market value in order to maximize the payment obligations of the Fund. In addition, credit default swaps generally trade on the basis of theoretical pricing and valuation models, which may not accurately value such swap positions when established or when subsequently traded or unwound under actual market conditions.

Credit default swap agreements and related instruments, such as credit default swap index products, involve greater risks than if the Fund had taken a position in the reference obligation directly (either by purchasing or selling) since, in addition to general market risks, credit default swaps are subject to illiquidity risk, counterparty risk and credit risks. A buyer generally will also lose its upfront payment or any periodic payments it makes to the seller counterparty and receive no payments from its counterparty should no credit event occur and the swap is held to its termination date. If a credit event were to occur, the value of any deliverable obligation received by the seller, coupled with the upfront or periodic payments previously received, may be less than the full notional amount it pays to the buyer, resulting in a loss of value to the seller. A seller of a credit default swap or similar instrument is exposed to many of the same risks of leverage since, if a credit event occurs, the seller generally will be required to pay the buyer the full notional amount of the contract net of any amounts owed by the buyer related to its delivery of deliverable obligations.

In addition, the credit derivatives market is subject to a changing regulatory environment. It is possible that regulatory or other developments in the credit derivatives market could adversely affect the Fund's ability to successfully use credit derivatives.

*Total Return Swaps.* Total return swap agreements are contracts in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to another party based on the return on the assets underlying the contract, which may include a specified security, basket of securities or securities indices during the specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate or the total return from other underlying assets. The return on

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the assets underlying the contract includes both the income generated by the asset and the change in market value of the asset. Total return swaps on single name equity securities may sometimes be referred to as "contracts for difference" and are subject to the same risks as described below. Total return swap agreements may be used to obtain exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or investing directly in such market. Total return swap agreements may effectively add leverage to the Fund's portfolio because, in addition to its Managed Assets, the Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap.

Total return swap agreements are subject to the risk that a counterparty will default on its payment obligations to the Fund thereunder. Swap agreements also bear the risk that the Fund will not be able to meet its obligation to the counterparty. Generally, the Fund will enter into total return swaps on a net basis (i.e., the two payment streams are netted against one another with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments).

*Financial Futures Transactions and Options*. The Fund is authorized to purchase and sell certain exchange traded financial futures contracts ("financial futures contracts") in order to hedge its investments against declines in value, and to hedge against increases in the cost of securities it intends to purchase or to seek to enhance the Fund's return. However, any transactions involving financial futures or options (including puts and calls associated therewith) will be in accordance with the Fund's investment policies and limitations. A financial futures contract obligates the seller of a contract to deliver and the purchaser of a contract to take delivery of the type of financial instrument covered by the contract, or in the case of index-based futures contracts to make and accept a cash settlement, at a specific future time for a specified price. To hedge its portfolio, the Fund may take an investment position in a futures contract which will move in the opposite direction from the portfolio position being hedged. A sale of financial futures contracts may provide a hedge against a decline in the value of portfolio securities because such depreciation may be offset, in whole or in part, by an increase in the value of the position in the financial futures contracts. A purchase of financial futures contracts may provide a hedge against an increase in the cost of securities intended to be purchased because such appreciation may be offset, in whole or in part, by an increase in the value of the position in the futures contracts.

Distributions, if any, of net long term capital gains from certain transactions in futures or options are taxable at long term capital gains rates for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

<u>Futures Contracts</u>. A futures contract is an agreement between two parties to buy and sell a security or, in the case of an index-based futures contract, to make and accept a cash settlement for a set price on a future date. A majority of transactions in futures contracts, however, do not result in the actual delivery of the underlying instrument or cash settlement, but are settled through liquidation, i.e., by entering into an offsetting transaction. Futures contracts have been designed by boards of trade which have been designated "contracts markets" by the CFTC.

The purchase or sale of a futures contract differs from the purchase or sale of a security in that no price or premium is paid or received. Instead, an amount of cash or securities acceptable to the broker and the relevant contract market, which varies, but is generally about 5% of the contract amount, must be deposited with the broker. This amount is known as "initial margin" and represents a "good faith" deposit assuring the performance of both the purchaser and seller under the futures contract. Subsequent payments to and from the broker, called "variation margin," are required to be made on a daily basis as the price of the futures contract fluctuates making the long and short positions in the futures contract more or less valuable, a process known as "marking to the market." At any time prior to the settlement date of the futures contract, the position may be closed out by taking an opposite position that will operate to terminate the position in the futures contract. A final determination of variation margin is then made, additional cash is required to be paid to or released by the broker and the purchaser realizes a loss or gain. In addition, a nominal commission is paid on each completed sale transaction.

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The Fund may also purchase and sell financial futures contracts on U.S. Government securities as a hedge against adverse changes in interest rates as described below. The Fund may purchase and write call and put options on futures contracts on U.S. Government securities in connection with its hedging strategies.

The Fund also may engage in other futures contracts transactions such as futures contracts on municipal bond indices that may become available if the Advisor should determine that there is normally a sufficient correlation between the prices of such futures contracts and municipal bonds in which the Fund invests to make such hedging appropriate.

<u>Futures Strategies</u>. The Fund may sell a financial futures contract (i.e., assume a short position) in anticipation of a decline in the value of its investments resulting from an increase in interest rates or otherwise. The risk of decline could be reduced without employing futures as a hedge by selling investments and either reinvesting the proceeds in securities with shorter maturities or by holding assets in cash. This strategy, however, entails increased transaction costs in the form of dealer spreads and typically would reduce the average yield of the Fund's portfolio securities as a result of the shortening of maturities. The sale of futures contracts provides an alternative means of hedging against declines in the value of its investments. As such values decline, the value of the Fund's positions in the futures contracts will tend to increase, thus offsetting all or a portion of the depreciation in the market value of the Fund's investments that are being hedged. While the Fund will incur commission expenses in selling and closing out futures positions, commissions on futures transactions are typically lower than transaction costs incurred in the purchase and sale of the Fund's investments being hedged. In addition, the ability of the Fund to trade in the standardized contracts available in the futures markets may offer a more effective defensive position than a program to reduce the average maturity of the portfolio securities due to the unique and varied credit and technical characteristics of the instruments available to the Fund. Employing futures as a hedge also may permit the Fund to assume a defensive posture without reducing the yield on its investments beyond any amounts required to engage in futures trading.

When the Fund intends to purchase a security, the Fund may purchase futures contracts as a hedge against any increase in the cost of such security resulting from a decrease in interest rates or otherwise, that may occur before such purchase can be effected. Subject to the degree of correlation between such securities and futures contracts, subsequent increases in the cost of such securities should be reflected in the value of the futures held by the Fund. As such purchases are made, an equivalent amount of futures contracts will be closed out. Due to changing market conditions and interest rate forecasts, however, a futures position may be terminated without a corresponding purchase of portfolio securities.

<u>Call Options on Futures Contracts</u>. The Fund may also purchase and sell exchange traded call and put options on financial futures contracts. The purchase of a call option on a futures contract is analogous to the purchase of a call option on an individual security. Depending on the pricing of the option compared to either the futures contract upon which it is based or the price of the underlying securities, it may or may not be less risky than ownership of the futures contract or underlying securities. Like the purchase of a futures contract, the Fund may purchase a call option on a futures contract to hedge against a market advance when the Fund is not fully invested.

The writing of a call option on a futures contract constitutes a partial hedge against declining prices of the securities which are deliverable upon exercise of the futures contract. If the futures price at expiration is below the exercise price, the Fund will retain the full amount of the option premium which provides a partial hedge against any decline that may have occurred in the Fund's portfolio holdings.

<u>Put Options on Futures Contracts</u>. The purchase of a put option on a futures contract is analogous to the purchase of a protective put option on portfolio securities. The Fund may purchase a put option on a futures contract to hedge the Fund's portfolio against the risk of rising interest rates.

The writing of a put option on a futures contract constitutes a partial hedge against increasing prices of the securities which are deliverable upon exercise of the futures contract. If the futures price at expiration is higher

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than the exercise price, the Fund will retain the full amount of the option premium which provides a partial hedge against any increase in the price of securities which the Fund intends to purchase.

The writer of an option on a futures contract is required to deposit initial and variation margin pursuant to requirements similar to those applicable to futures contracts. Premiums received from the writing of an option will be included in initial margin. The writing of an option on a futures contract involves risks similar to those relating to futures contracts.

The CFTC subjects advisers to registered investment companies to regulation by the CFTC if a fund that is advised by the investment adviser either (i) invests, directly or indirectly, more than a prescribed level of its liquidation value in CFTC-regulated futures, options and swaps ("CFTC Derivatives"), or (ii) markets itself as providing investment exposure to such instruments. CFTC Rule 4.5 permits investment advisers to registered investment companies to claim an exclusion from the definition of "commodity pool operator" under the Commodity Exchange Act ("CEA") with respect to a fund, provided certain requirements are met. In order to permit the Advisor to claim this exclusion with respect to the Fund, the Fund will limit its use of CFTC Derivatives (excluding transactions entered into for "bona fide hedging purposes," as defined under CFTC regulations) such that either: (i) the aggregate initial margin and premiums required to establish its CFTC Derivatives do not exceed 5% of the liquidation value of the Fund's portfolio, after taking into account unrealized profits and losses on such positions; or (ii) the aggregate net notional value of its CFTC Derivatives does not exceed 100% of the liquidation value of the Fund's portfolio, after taking into account unrealized profits and losses on such positions. Additionally, the Fund will not market itself as a "commodity pool" or a vehicle for trading such instruments. Accordingly, the Fund is not subject to regulation under the CEA or otherwise regulated by the CFTC, and the Advisor is not subject to registration and regulation as a "commodity pool operator" with respect to the Fund. If the Advisor was unable to claim the exclusion with respect to the Fund, the Advisor would become subject to registration and regulation as a "commodity pool operator," which would subject the Advisor and the Fund to additional registration and regulatory requirements and increased operating expenses.

*Repurchase Agreements and Purchase and Sale Contracts.* The Fund may invest in repurchase agreements. A repurchase agreement is a contractual agreement whereby the seller of securities agrees to repurchase the same security at a specified price on a future date agreed upon by the parties. The agreed upon repurchase price determines the yield during the Fund's holding period. Repurchase agreements are considered to be loans collateralized by the underlying security that is the subject of the repurchase contract. Income generated from transactions in repurchase agreements will be taxable. The risk to the Fund is limited to the ability of the issuer to pay the agreed upon repurchase price on the delivery date; however, although the value of the underlying collateral at the time the transaction is entered into always equals or exceeds the agreed upon repurchase price, if the value of the collateral declines there is a risk of loss of both principal and interest. In the event of default, the collateral may be sold but the Fund might incur a loss if the value of the collateral declines, and might incur disposition costs or experience delays in connection with liquidating the collateral. In addition, if bankruptcy proceedings are commenced with respect to the seller of the security, realization upon the collateral by the Fund may be delayed or limited. The Advisor will monitor the value of the collateral at the time the transaction is entered into and at all times subsequent during the term of the repurchase agreement in an effort to determine that such value always equals or exceeds the agreed upon repurchase price. In the event the value of the collateral declines below the repurchase price, the Advisor will demand additional collateral from the issuer to increase the value of the collateral to at least that of the repurchase price, including interest.

A purchase and sale contract is similar to a repurchase agreement, but differs from a repurchase agreement in that the contract arrangements stipulate that the securities are owned by the Fund. In the event of a default under such a repurchase agreement or a purchase and sale contract, instead of the contractual fixed rate of return, the rate of return to the Fund will be dependent upon intervening fluctuations of the market value of such security and the accrued interest on the security. In such event, the Fund would have rights against the seller for breach of contract with respect to any losses arising from market fluctuations following the failure of the seller to perform.

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*Securities Lending*. The Fund may lend portfolio securities to certain borrowers that the Advisor determines to be creditworthy, including to borrowers affiliated with the Advisor. The borrowers provide collateral that is maintained in an amount at least equal to the current market value of the securities loaned. No securities loan will be made on behalf of the Fund if, as a result, the aggregate value of all securities loans of the Fund exceeds one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received). The Fund may terminate a loan at any time and obtain the return of the securities loaned. The Fund receives, by way of substitute payment, the value of any interest or cash or non-cash distributions paid on the loaned securities that it would have otherwise received if the securities were not on loan.

With respect to loans that are collateralized by cash, the borrower may be entitled to receive a fee based on the amount of cash collateral. The Fund is compensated by the difference between the amount earned on the reinvestment of cash collateral and the fee paid to the borrower. In the case of collateral other than cash, the Fund is compensated by a fee paid by the borrower equal to a percentage of the market value of the loaned securities. Any cash collateral received by the Fund for such loans, and uninvested cash, may be reinvested in certain short-term instruments either directly on behalf of the Fund or through one or more joint accounts or money market funds, including those affiliated with the Advisor; such investments are subject to investment risk.

The Fund conducts its securities lending pursuant to an exemptive order from the SEC permitting it to lend portfolio securities to borrowers affiliated with the Fund and to retain an affiliate of the Fund as lending agent. To the extent that the Fund engages in securities lending, BlackRock Investment Management, LLC ("BIM") acts as securities lending agent for the Fund, subject to the overall supervision of the Advisor, pursuant to a written agreement (the "Securities Lending Agency Agreement"). BIM administers the lending program in accordance with guidelines approved by the Board.

To the extent the Fund engages in securities lending, the Fund retains a portion of the securities lending income and remits the remaining portion to BIM as compensation for its services as securities lending agent. Securities lending income is generally equal to the total of income earned from the reinvestment of cash collateral (and excludes collateral investment fees as defined below), and any fees or other payments to and from borrowers of securities. As securities lending agent, BIM bears all operational costs directly related to securities lending. The Fund is responsible for fees in connection with the investment of cash collateral received for securities on loan in a money market fund managed by BlackRock (the "collateral investment fees"); however, the securities lending agent has agreed to reduce the amount of securities lending income it receives in order to effectively limit the collateral investment fees the Fund bears to an annual rate of 0.04%. Such money market fund shares will not be subject to a sales load, redemption fee, distribution fee or service fee.

To the extent that the Fund invests cash collateral in a non-government money market fund, the Fund may be subject to a discretionary liquidity fee of up to 2% on all redemptions. Discretionary liquidity fees may be imposed or terminated at any time at the discretion of the board of directors of the money market fund, or its delegate, if it is determined that such fee would be, or would not be, respectively, in the best interest of the money market fund. Additionally, the Fund will be subject to a mandatory liquidity fee if the money market fund's total net redemptions on a single day exceed 5% of the money market fund's net assets, unless the liquidity costs are de minimis (i.e., less than one basis point (0.01%)). The money market fund will determine the size of the mandatory liquidity fee by making a good faith estimate of certain costs the money market fund would incur if it were to sell a pro rata amount of each security in the portfolio to satisfy the amount of net redemptions on that day. There is no limit to the size of a mandatory liquidity fee. If the money market fund cannot estimate the costs of selling a pro rata amount of each portfolio security in good faith and supported by data, it is required to apply a default liquidity fee of 1% on the value of shares redeemed on that day. The imposition of any such discretionary or mandatory liquidity fee would reduce the Fund's returns on securities lending.

Under the securities lending program, the Fund is categorized into one of several specific asset classes. The determination of the Fund's asset class category (fixed income, domestic equity, international equity, or fund of funds), each of which may be subject to a different fee arrangement, is based on a methodology agreed to by the Fund and BIM.

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Pursuant to the current securities lending agreement: (i) if the Fund were to engage in securities lending, the Fund retains 82% of securities lending income (which excludes collateral investment expenses), and (ii) this amount can never be less than 70% of the sum of securities lending income plus collateral investment expenses.

In addition, commencing the business day following the date that the aggregate securities lending income earned across the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex in a calendar year exceeds a specified threshold, the Fund, pursuant to the current securities lending agreement, will receive for the remainder of that calendar year securities lending income as follows: (i) if the Fund were to engage in securities lending, 85% of securities lending income (which excludes collateral investment expenses); and (ii) this amount can never be less than 70% of the sum of securities lending income plus collateral investment expenses.

*Short Sales.* The Fund may make short sales of securities. A short sale is a transaction in which the Fund sells a security it does not own in anticipation that the market price of that security will decline. The Fund may make short sales to hedge positions, for duration and risk management, in order to maintain portfolio flexibility or to enhance income or gain. When the Fund makes a short sale, it must borrow the security sold short and deliver it to the broker-dealer through which it made the short sale as collateral for its obligation to deliver the security upon conclusion of the sale. The Fund may have to pay a fee to borrow particular securities and is often obligated to pay over to the securities lender any income, distributions or dividends received on such borrowed securities until it returns the security to the securities lender. The Fund's obligation to replace the borrowed security will be secured by collateral deposited with the securities lender, usually cash, U.S. Government securities or other liquid assets. Depending on arrangements made with the securities lender regarding payment over of any income, distributions or dividends received by the Fund on such security, the Fund may not receive any payments (including interest) on its collateral deposited with such securities lender. If the price of the security sold short increases between the time of the short sale and the time the Fund replaces the borrowed security, the Fund will incur a loss; conversely, if the price declines, the Fund will realize a gain. Any gain will be decreased, and any loss increased, by the transaction costs described above. Although the Fund's gain is limited to the price at which it sold the security short, its potential loss is theoretically unlimited. The Fund must comply with Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act with respect to its short sale borrowings, which are considered derivatives transactions under the Rule. See "Additional Risk Factors—Risk Factors in Strategic Transactions and Derivatives—Rule 18f-4 Under the Investment Company Act" in the SAI.

*When-Issued, Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitment Securities*. The Fund may purchase securities on a "when-issued" basis and may purchase or sell securities on a "forward commitment" basis or on a "delayed delivery" basis. When such transactions are negotiated, the price, which is generally expressed in yield terms, is fixed at the time the commitment is made, but delivery and payment for the securities take place at a later date. When-issued securities and forward commitments may be sold or renegotiated prior to the settlement date. If the Fund disposes of the right to acquire a when-issued security prior to its acquisition or disposes of its right to deliver or receive against a forward commitment, it might incur a gain or loss. There is always a risk that the securities may not be delivered and that the Fund may incur a loss. A default by a counterparty may result in the Fund missing the opportunity of obtaining a price considered to be advantageous. The value of securities in these transactions on the delivery date may be more or less than the Fund's purchase price. The Fund may bear the risk of a decline in the value of the security in these transactions and may not benefit from an appreciation in the value of the security during the commitment period. Settlements in the ordinary course are not treated by the Fund as when-issued or forward commitment transactions and accordingly are not subject to the foregoing restrictions.

The market value of the securities underlying a commitment to purchase securities, and any subsequent fluctuations in their market value, is taken into account when determining the NAV of the Fund starting on the day the Fund agrees to purchase the securities. The Fund does not earn interest on the securities it has committed to purchase until they are paid for and delivered on the settlement date.

Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act permits the Fund to enter into when-issued or forward-settling securities (e.g., firm and standby commitments, including TBA commitments, and dollar rolls) and

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non-standard settlement cycle securities notwithstanding the limitation on the issuance of senior securities in Section 18 of the Investment Company Act, provided that the Fund intends to physically settle the transaction and the transaction will settle within 35 days of its trade date (the "Delayed-Settlement Securities Provision"). If a when-issued, forward-settling or non-standard settlement cycle security does not satisfy the Delayed-Settlement Securities Provision, then it is treated as a derivatives transaction under Rule 18f-4. See "Additional Risk Factors—Risk Factors in Strategic Transactions and Derivatives—Rule 18f-4 Under the Investment Company Act" in the SAI.

*Counterparty Credit Standards.* To the extent that the Fund engages in principal transactions, including, but not limited to, OTC options, forward currency transactions, swap transactions, repurchase and reverse repurchase agreements and the purchase and sale of bonds and other fixed income securities, it must rely on the creditworthiness of its counterparties under such transactions. In certain instances, the credit risk of a counterparty is increased by the lack of a central clearing house for certain transactions, including certain swap contracts. In the event of the insolvency of a counterparty, the Fund may not be able to recover its assets, in full or at all, during the insolvency process. Counterparties to investments may have no obligation to make markets in such investments and may have the ability to apply essentially discretionary margin and credit requirements. Similarly, the Fund will be subject to the risk of bankruptcy of, or the inability or refusal to perform with respect to such investments by, the counterparties with which it deals. The Advisor will seek to minimize the Fund's exposure to counterparty risk by entering into such transactions with counterparties the Advisor believes to be creditworthy at the time it enters into the transaction. Certain option transactions and Strategic Transactions may require the Fund to provide collateral to secure its performance obligations under a contract, which would also entail counterparty credit risk.

#### LEVERAGE
The Fund will use leverage to seek to achieve its investment objective. The Fund's use of leverage may increase or decrease from time to time in its discretion and the Fund may, in the future, determine not to use leverage. The Fund currently utilizes leverage for investment purposes through the Facility. The Fund may also use leverage by investing in derivative instruments with leverage embedded in them. The Fund may, but does not currently intend to, issue Preferred Shares. The Fund is permitted to borrow money in an amount up to 33 1/3% of its Managed Assets (50% of its net assets), issue Preferred Shares in an amount up to 50% of its Managed Assets (100% of its net assets) and invest in reverse repurchase agreements or other derivative instruments with leverage embedded in them in a limited manner or subject to a limit on leverage risk calculated based on value-at-risk, as required by Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act. The use of leverage creates an opportunity for increased common share net investment income dividends, but also creates risks for the holders of Shares. As of December 31, 2025, the Fund had $20,000,000 in borrowings outstanding under the Facility, representing approximately 3.45% of the Fund's Managed Assets (3.58% of the Fund's net assets). "Managed Assets" means the total assets of the Fund (including any assets attributable to money borrowed for investment purposes) minus the sum of the Fund's accrued liabilities (other than money borrowed for investment purposes). During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, the Fund had borrowings under the Facility as follows:

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Average Daily Loan<br>Balance** | **Weighted Average Interest<br>Rate %** | **Maximum Daily Loan<br>Outstanding** |
| $34117808 | 6.14% | $67500000 |

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The use of leverage can create risks. Changes in the value of the Fund's portfolio, including securities bought with the proceeds of leverage, will be borne entirely by the holders of Shares. If there is a net decrease or increase in the value of the Fund's investment portfolio, leverage will decrease or increase, as the case may be, the NAV per Share of an applicable class to a greater extent than if the Fund did not utilize leverage. During periods in which the Fund is using leverage, the fees paid to the Advisor will be higher than if the Fund did not use leverage, because the fees paid will be calculated on the basis of the Fund's Managed Assets, which includes

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the proceeds from leverage. When the Fund is using leverage, its NAV and rate of distribution will be more volatile. The Fund's leveraging strategy may not be successful.

Certain types of leverage by the Fund may result in the Fund being subject to covenants relating to asset coverage and portfolio composition requirements. The Fund may be subject to certain restrictions on investments imposed by one or more lenders or by guidelines of one or more rating agencies, which may issue ratings for any short-term debt securities or Preferred Shares issued by the Fund. These guidelines may impose asset coverage or portfolio composition requirements that are more stringent than those imposed by the Investment Company Act. The Advisor does not believe that these covenants or guidelines will impede it from managing the Fund's portfolio in accordance with its investment objective and policies if the Fund were to utilize leverage.

Under the Investment Company Act, the Fund is not permitted to issue senior securities if, immediately after the issuance of such senior securities, the Fund would have an asset coverage ratio (as defined in the Investment Company Act) of less than 300% with respect to senior securities representing indebtedness (i.e., for every dollar of indebtedness outstanding, the Fund is required to have at least three dollars of assets) or less than 200% with respect to senior securities representing preferred stock (i.e., for every dollar in liquidation preference of preferred stock outstanding, the Fund is required to have at least two dollars of assets). The Investment Company Act also provides that the Fund may not declare distributions, or purchase its stock (including through tender offers), if immediately after doing so it will have an asset coverage ratio of less than 300% or 200%, as applicable. Under the Investment Company Act, certain short-term borrowings (such as for cash management purposes) are not subject to these limitations if (i) repaid within 60 days, (ii) not extended or renewed, and (iii) not in excess of 5% of the total assets of the Fund. With respect to the Fund's borrowings under the Facility, the Fund's asset coverage ratio as of December 31, 2025 was 2,897%.

#### Effects of Leverage
Assuming that leverage will represent approximately 25% of the Fund's Managed Assets and that the Fund will bear expenses relating to that leverage at an average annual rate of 8.11%, the income generated by the Fund's portfolio (net of estimated expenses) must exceed $11,739,610 in order to cover the expenses specifically related to the Fund's use of leverage. Of course, these numbers are merely estimates used for illustration. Actual leverage expenses will vary frequently and may be significantly higher or lower than the rate estimated above.

The following table is furnished in response to requirements of the SEC. It is designed to illustrate the effect of leverage on total returns from an investment in Institutional Shares, Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares, respectively, assuming investment portfolio total returns (comprised of income and changes in the value of securities held in the Fund's portfolio) of (10)%, (5)%, 0%, 5% and 10%. These assumed investment portfolio returns are hypothetical figures and are not necessarily indicative of the investment portfolio returns experienced or expected to be experienced by the Fund. See "Risks." The table further reflects the use of leverage representing 25% of the Fund's Managed Assets and the Fund's currently projected annual leverage expense of 8.11%.

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| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  Assumed Portfolio Total Return (Net of Expenses) | (10.00)% | (5.00)% | 0.00% | 5.0% | 10.0% |
|  Corresponding Total Return to Holders of Institutional Shares | (10.6)% | (5.5)% | (0.3)% | 4.9% | 10.1% |
|  Corresponding Total Return to Holders of Class A Shares | (10.6)% | (5.5)% | (0.3)% | 4.9% | 10.1% |
|  Corresponding Total Return to Holders of Class W Shares | (10.6)% | (5.5)% | (0.3)% | 4.9% | 10.1% |
|  Corresponding Total Return to Holders of Class U Shares | (10.6)% | (5.5)% | (0.3)% | 4.9% | 10.1% |
|  Corresponding Total Return to Holders of Class J Shares | (10.6)% | (5.5)% | (0.3)% | 4.9% | 10.1% |

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The corresponding total return to holders of each class of Shares is composed of two elements: the common share dividends paid by the Fund (the amount of which is largely determined by the net investment income of the Fund) and gains or losses on the value of the securities the Fund owns. As required by SEC rules, the table assumes that the Fund is more likely to suffer capital losses than to enjoy capital appreciation. For example, to

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assume a total return of 0% the Fund must assume that the interest it receives on its investments is entirely offset by losses in the value of those securities.

In addition, because the Fund's investment management fee is calculated as a percentage of the Fund's Managed Assets, which include those assets purchased with leverage, during periods in which the Fund is using leverage, the fee paid to the Advisor will be higher than if the Fund did not use leverage.

#### Reverse Repurchase Agreements
The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements with respect to its portfolio investments subject to the investment restrictions set forth herein. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the sale of securities held by the Fund with an agreement by the Fund to repurchase the securities at an agreed upon price, date and interest payment. The use by the Fund of reverse repurchase agreements involves many of the same risks of leverage since the proceeds derived from such reverse repurchase agreements may be invested in additional securities. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of the securities acquired in connection with the reverse repurchase agreement may decline below the price of the securities the Fund has sold but is obligated to repurchase. Also, reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of the securities retained in lieu of sale by the Fund in connection with the reverse repurchase agreement may decline in price.

If the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, such buyer or its trustee or receiver may receive an extension of time to determine whether to enforce the Fund's obligation to repurchase the securities and the Fund's use of the proceeds of the reverse repurchase agreement may effectively be restricted pending such decision. Also, the Fund would bear the risk of loss to the extent that the proceeds of the reverse repurchase agreement are less than the value of the securities subject to such agreement.

The Fund also may effect simultaneous purchase and sale transactions that are known as "sale-buybacks." A sale-buyback is similar to a reverse repurchase agreement, except that in a sale-buyback, the counterparty that purchases the security is entitled to receive any principal or interest payments made on the underlying security pending settlement of the Fund's repurchase of the underlying security.

In accordance with Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act, when the Fund engages in reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions, the Fund may either (i) maintain asset coverage of at least 300% with respect to such transactions and any other borrowings in the aggregate, or (ii) treat all such transactions as "derivatives transactions" and comply with Rule 18f-4 with respect to such transactions. See "Additional Risk Factors—Risk Factors in Strategic Transactions and Derivatives—Rule 18f-4 Under the Investment Company Act" in the SAI.

#### Credit Facility
The Fund has entered into a Credit Agreement with Société Générale (the "Lender") that established the Facility. The Facility provides for a commitment of up to $200 million, which may be increased to a maximum of $450 million. The Fund pays interest at an agreed upon rate, as well as a commitment fee on the unused portion of the Facility. The Fund is also subject to an upfront fee payable to the Lender with respect to the Facility. The Facility expires on September 30, 2026 unless extended or renewed. The Fund's borrowings under the Facility, if any, are secured by eligible securities held in its portfolio of investments. As of December 31, 2025, the Fund had $20,000,000 in borrowings outstanding under the Facility, representing approximately 3.45% of the Fund's Managed Assets (3.58% of the Fund's net assets).

The Credit Agreement contains provisions customarily found in credit agreements for similar financings, including, among other things, requirements to prepay outstanding amounts and all interest thereon during an

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event of default, and indemnification of the Lender against liabilities it may incur in connection with the Facility. The Credit Agreement also contains customary covenants that, among other things, (a) limit the Fund's ability to incur additional debt, change certain of its investment policies, engage in certain transactions, including mergers and consolidations, and (b) have the effect of limiting the Fund's ability to pay distributions in certain circumstances, except that during an event of default, the Fund is permitted to make distributions to its shareholders as needed to (i) maintain its status as a "regulated investment company" for U.S. federal income tax purposes and (ii) comply with its fundamental policy that it will make quarterly repurchase offers pursuant to Rule 23c-3 of the Investment Company Act.

There can be no assurance that the Facility will not in the future be replaced or refinanced by one or more credit facilities having substantially different terms, by the issuance of Preferred Shares or debt securities or by the use of other forms of leverage.

#### Dollar Roll Transactions
The Fund may enter into "dollar roll" transactions. In a dollar roll transaction, the Fund sells a mortgage-backed, U.S. Treasury or other security (as permitted by the Fund's investment strategies) to a dealer and simultaneously agrees to repurchase a similar security (but not the same security) in the future at a pre-determined price. A dollar roll transaction can be viewed, like a reverse repurchase agreement, as a collateralized borrowing in which the Fund pledges a mortgage-related security to a dealer to obtain cash. However, unlike reverse repurchase agreements, the dealer with which the Fund enters into a dollar roll transaction is not obligated to return the same securities as those originally sold by the Fund, but rather only securities which are "substantially identical," which generally means that the securities repurchased will bear the same interest rate and a similar maturity as those sold, but the pools of mortgages collateralizing those securities may have different prepayment histories than those sold.

During the period between the sale and repurchase, the Fund will not be entitled to receive interest and principal payments on the securities sold. Proceeds of the sale will be invested in additional instruments for the Fund and the income from these investments will generate income for the Fund. If such income does not exceed the income, capital appreciation and gain that would have been realized on the securities sold as part of the dollar roll, the use of this technique will diminish the investment performance of the Fund compared with what the performance would have been without the use of dollar rolls.

Dollar roll transactions involve the risk that the market value of the securities the Fund is required to purchase may decline below the agreed upon repurchase price of those securities. The Fund's right to purchase or repurchase securities may be restricted. Successful use of dollar rolls may depend upon the investment manager's ability to correctly predict interest rates and prepayments, depending on the underlying security. There is no assurance that dollar rolls can be successfully employed.

Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act permits the Fund to enter into when-issued or forward-settling securities (e.g., dollar rolls and firm and standby commitments, including TBA commitments) and non-standard settlement cycle securities notwithstanding the limitation on the issuance of senior securities in Section 18 of the Investment Company Act, provided that the transaction meets the Delayed-Settlement Securities Provision (as defined above under "The Fund's Investments—Portfolio Contents and Techniques—When-Issued, Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitment Securities"). If a when-issued, forward-settling or non-standard settlement cycle security does not satisfy the Delayed-Settlement Securities Provision, then it is treated as a derivatives transaction under Rule 18f-4. See "Additional Risk Factors—Risk Factors in Strategic Transactions and Derivatives—Rule 18f-4 Under the Investment Company Act" in the SAI.

#### Derivatives
The Fund may enter into derivative transactions that have leverage embedded in them. Derivative transactions that the Fund may enter into and the risks associated with them are described elsewhere in this

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prospectus and are also referred to as "Strategic Transactions." There can be no assurance that investments in derivative transactions that have leverage embedded in them will result in a higher return on the Shares. Under Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act, among other things, the Fund must either use derivatives in a limited manner or comply with an outer limit on fund leverage risk based on value-at-risk. See "Additional Risk Factors—Risk Factors in Strategic Transactions and Derivatives—Rule 18f-4 Under the Investment Company Act" in the SAI.

#### Temporary Borrowings
The Fund may also borrow money under the Facility or from other lenders as a temporary measure for extraordinary or emergency purposes, including the payment of dividends and the settlement of securities transactions which otherwise might require untimely dispositions of Fund securities.

#### Other Forms of Leverage
The Fund may also leverage its portfolio by entering into additional credit facilities or issuing Preferred Shares. These forms of leverage are discussed in greater detail in the SAI.

#### RISKS
The NAV of, and dividends paid on, the Shares will fluctuate with and be affected by, among other things, the risks more fully described below.

#### Principal Risks
*Fixed Income Securities Risks* 

Fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest are generally subject to the following risks:

*Interest Rate Risk*. The market value of bonds and other fixed income securities changes in response to interest rate changes and other factors. Interest rate risk is the risk that prices of bonds and other fixed income securities will increase as interest rates fall and decrease as interest rates rise. For example, if interest rates increase by 1%, assuming a current portfolio duration of ten years, and all other factors being equal, the value of the Fund's investments would be expected to decrease by 10%. (Duration is a measure of the price sensitivity of a debt security or portfolio of debt securities to relative changes in interest rates.) The magnitude of these fluctuations in the market price of bonds and other fixed income securities is generally greater for those securities with longer maturities. Fluctuations in the market price of the Fund's investments will not affect interest income derived from instruments already owned by the Fund, but will be reflected in the Fund's NAV. The Fund may lose money if short-term or long-term interest rates rise sharply in a manner not anticipated by the Fund's management. To the extent the Fund invests in debt securities that may be prepaid at the option of the obligor (such as mortgage-related securities), the sensitivity of such securities to changes in interest rates may increase (to the detriment of the Fund) when interest rates rise. Moreover, because rates on certain floating rate debt securities typically reset only periodically, changes in prevailing interest rates (and particularly sudden and significant changes) can be expected to cause some fluctuations in the NAV of the Fund to the extent that it invests in floating rate debt securities. These basic principles of bond prices also apply to U.S. Government securities. A security backed by the "full faith and credit" of the U.S. Government is guaranteed only as to its stated interest rate and face value at maturity, not its current market price. Just like other fixed income securities, government-guaranteed securities will fluctuate in value when interest rates change.

The Fund's intended use of leverage, including through the use of instruments such as reverse repurchase agreements and dollar roll transactions, will tend to increase the Fund's interest rate risk. The Fund may utilize

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certain strategies, including taking positions in futures or interest rate swaps, for the purpose of reducing the interest rate sensitivity of fixed income securities held by the Fund and decreasing the Fund's exposure to interest rate risk. The Fund is not required to hedge its exposure to interest rate risk and may choose not to do so. In addition, there is no assurance that any attempts by the Fund to reduce interest rate risk will be successful or that any hedges that the Fund may establish will perfectly correlate with movements in interest rates.

The Fund may invest in variable and floating rate debt instruments, which generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes than longer duration fixed rate instruments, but may decline in value in response to rising interest rates if, for example, the rates at which they pay interest do not rise as much, or as quickly, as market interest rates in general. Conversely, variable and floating rate instruments generally will not increase in value if interest rates decline. The Fund also may invest in inverse floating rate debt securities, which may decrease in value if interest rates increase, and which also may exhibit greater price volatility than fixed rate debt obligations with similar credit quality. To the extent the Fund holds variable or floating rate instruments, a decrease (or, in the case of inverse floating rate securities, an increase) in market interest rates will adversely affect the income received from such securities, which may adversely affect the NAV of the Fund's Shares.

*Issuer Risk*. The value of fixed income securities may decline for a number of reasons that directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage, reduced demand for the issuer's goods and services, historical and prospective earnings of the issuer and the value of the assets of the issuer.

*Credit Risk*. One of the fundamental risks associated with the Fund's investments is credit risk, which is the risk that an issuer will be unable or unwilling to make timely principal and interest payments on its outstanding debt obligations when due or otherwise honor their obligations. The Fund's return to investors would be adversely impacted if an issuer of debt in which the Fund invests becomes unable to make such payments when due.

Although the Fund may make investments that the Advisor believes are secured by specific collateral, the value of which may initially exceed the principal amount of such investments or the Fund's fair value of such investments, there can be no assurance that the liquidation of any such collateral would satisfy the borrower's obligation in the event of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal payments with respect to such investment, or that such collateral could be readily liquidated. The Fund may also invest in leveraged loans, high yield securities, marketable and non-marketable common and preferred equity securities and other unsecured investments, each of which involves a higher degree of risk than senior secured loans. Furthermore, the Fund's right to payment and its security interest, if any, may be subordinated to the payment rights and security interests of a senior lender, to the extent applicable. Certain of these investments may have an interest-only payment schedule, with the principal amount remaining outstanding and at risk until the maturity of the investment. In addition, loans may provide for payments-in-kind, which have a similar effect of deferring current cash payments. In such cases, an issuer's ability to repay the principal of an investment may depend on the long-term success of the company, the occurrence of which is uncertain.

With respect to the Fund's investments in any number of credit products, if the borrower or issuer breaches any of the covenants or restrictions under the credit agreement that governs loans of such issuer or borrower, it could result in a default under the applicable indebtedness as well as the indebtedness held by the Fund. Such default may allow the creditors to accelerate the related debt and may result in the acceleration of any other debt to which a cross-acceleration or cross-default provision applies. This could result in an impairment or loss of the Fund's investment or a pre-payment (in whole or in part) of the Fund's investment.

Similarly, while the Fund will generally target investing in companies it believes are of high quality, these companies could still present a high degree of business and credit risk. Companies in which the Fund invests could deteriorate as a result of, among other factors, an adverse development in their business, a change in the competitive environment or the continuation or worsening of the current (or any future) economic and financial market downturns and dislocations. As a result, companies that the Fund expected to be stable or improve may

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operate, or expect to operate, at a loss or have significant variations in operating results, may require substantial additional capital to support their operations or maintain their competitive position, or may otherwise have a weak financial condition or experience financial distress. In addition, exogenous factors such as fluctuations of the equity markets also could result in warrants and other equity securities or instruments owned by the Fund becoming worthless.

*Prepayment Risk*. During periods of declining interest rates, borrowers may exercise their option to prepay principal earlier than scheduled. For fixed rate securities, such payments often occur during periods of declining interest rates, forcing the Fund to reinvest in lower yielding securities, resulting in a possible decline in the Fund's income and distributions to shareholders. This is known as prepayment or "call" risk. Below investment grade securities frequently have call features that allow the issuer to redeem the security at dates prior to its stated maturity at a specified price (typically greater than par) only if certain prescribed conditions are met ("call protection"). For premium bonds (bonds acquired at prices that exceed their par or principal value) purchased by the Fund, prepayment risk may be enhanced.

*Reinvestment Risk*. Reinvestment risk is the risk that income from the Fund's portfolio will decline if the Fund invests the proceeds from matured, traded or called fixed income securities at market interest rates that are below the Fund portfolio's current earnings rate.

*Duration and Maturity Risk*. The Fund has no set policy regarding portfolio maturity or duration of the fixed income securities it may hold. The Advisor may seek to adjust the portfolio's duration or maturity based on its assessment of current and projected market conditions and all factors that the Advisor deems relevant. In comparison to maturity (which is the date on which the issuer of a debt instrument is obligated to repay the principal amount), duration is a measure of the price volatility of a debt instrument as a result in changes in market rates of interest, based on the weighted average timing of the instrument's expected principal and interest payments. Specifically, duration measures the anticipated percentage change in NAV that is expected for every percentage point change in interest rates. The two have an inverse relationship. Duration can be a useful tool to estimate anticipated price changes to a fixed pool of income securities associated with changes in interest rates. For example, a duration of five years means that a 1% decrease in interest rates will increase the NAV of the portfolio by approximately 5%; if interest rates increase by 1%, the NAV will decrease by 5%. However, in a managed portfolio of fixed income securities having differing interest or dividend rates or payment schedules, maturities, redemption provisions, call or prepayment provisions and credit qualities, actual price changes in response to changes in interest rates may differ significantly from a duration-based estimate at any given time. Actual price movements experienced by a portfolio of fixed income securities will be affected by how interest rates move (i.e., changes in the relationship of long-term interest rates to short-term interest rates and in the relationship of interest rates for highly rated securities and rates for below investment grade securities), the magnitude of any move in interest rates, actual and anticipated prepayments of principal through call or redemption features, the extension of maturities through restructuring, the sale of securities for portfolio management purposes, the reinvestment of proceeds from prepayments on and from sales of securities, and credit quality-related considerations whether associated with financing costs to lower credit quality borrowers or otherwise, as well as other factors. Accordingly, while duration maybe a useful tool to estimate potential price movements in relation to changes in interest rates, investors are cautioned that duration alone will not predict actual changes in the net asset or market value of the Fund's shares and that actual price movements in the Fund's portfolio may differ significantly from duration-based estimates. Duration differs from maturity in that it takes into account a security's yield, coupon payments and its principal payments in addition to the amount of time until the security finally matures. As the value of a security changes over time, so will its duration. Prices of securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with shorter durations. In general, a portfolio of securities with a longer duration can be expected to be more sensitive to interest rate changes than a portfolio with a shorter duration.

Any decisions as to the targeted duration or maturity of any particular category of investments or of the Fund's portfolio generally will be made based on all pertinent market factors at any given time. The Fund may

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incur costs in seeking to adjust the portfolio's average duration or maturity. There can be no assurances that the Advisor's assessment of current and projected market conditions will be correct or that any strategy to adjust the portfolio's duration or maturity will be successful at any given time.

*Variable and Floating Rate Instrument Risk* 

Variable and floating rate securities provide for periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the securities. Securities with floating or variable interest rates can be less sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with fixed interest rates, but may decline in value if their coupon rates do not reset as high, or as quickly, as comparable market interest rates, and generally carry lower yields than fixed securities of the same maturity. These securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. A decline in interest rates may result in a reduction in income received from variable and floating rate securities held by the Fund and may adversely affect the value of the Fund's shares. These securities may be subject to greater illiquidity risk than other fixed income securities, meaning the absence of an active market for these securities could make it difficult for the Fund to dispose of them at any given time. Floating rate securities generally are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale, may trade infrequently, and their value may be impaired when the Fund needs to liquidate such loans. Benchmark interest rates may not accurately track market interest rates. Although floating rate securities are less sensitive to interest rate risk than fixed-rate securities, they are subject to credit risk and default risk, which could impair their value.

*Closed-End Interval Fund; Illiquidity of Shares* 

The Fund is structured as an "interval fund" and designed primarily for long-term investors. An investment in the Shares, unlike an investment in a traditional listed closed-end fund, should be considered illiquid. The Shares are appropriate only for investors who are seeking an investment in less liquid or illiquid portfolio investments within an illiquid fund. An investment in the Shares is not suitable for investors who need access to the money they invest. Unlike open-end funds (commonly known as mutual funds), which generally permit redemptions on a daily basis, the Shares are not redeemable at an investor's option. Unlike traditional listed closed-end funds, the Shares are not listed for trading on any securities exchange, and the Fund does not expect any secondary market to develop for the Shares in the foreseeable future. The NAV of the Shares may be volatile and the Fund's use of leverage will increase this volatility. As the Shares are not traded, investors may not be able to dispose of their investment in the Fund when or in the amount desired, no matter how the Fund performs.

Although the Fund, as a fundamental policy, will make quarterly offers to repurchase between 5% and 25% of its outstanding Shares at NAV, the number of Shares tendered in connection with a repurchase offer may exceed the number of Shares the Fund has offered to repurchase, in which case the Fund may not repurchase all of your Shares tendered in that offer. In connection with any given repurchase offer, it is likely that the Fund may offer to repurchase only the minimum amount of 5% of its outstanding Shares. Hence, you may not be able to sell your Shares when and/or in the amount that you desire.

*Investment Risk* 

An investment in the Fund's Shares is subject to investment risk, including the possible loss of the entire amount that you invest. As with any stock, the price of the Fund's Shares will fluctuate with market conditions and other factors. If shares are sold, the price received may be more or less than the original investment. The Shares are designed for longer-term investors and the Fund should not be treated as a trading vehicle. At any point in time an investment in the Fund's Shares may be worth less than the original amount invested, even after taking into account distributions paid by the Fund. During periods in which the Fund may use leverage, the Fund's investment and certain other risks will be magnified.

*Repurchase Offers Risk* 

As described under "Periodic Repurchase Offers" below, the Fund is an "interval fund" and, in order to provide liquidity to shareholders, makes quarterly offers to repurchase between 5% and 25% of its outstanding

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Shares at NAV, pursuant to Rule 23c-3 under the Investment Company Act. The Fund believes that these repurchase offers are generally beneficial to the Fund's shareholders. Repurchase offers generally are funded from available cash or sales of portfolio securities but may be funded with borrowings.

However, the repurchase of Shares by the Fund decreases the assets of the Fund and, therefore, may have the effect of increasing the Fund's expense ratio and portfolio turnover. Repurchase offers and the need to fund repurchase obligations may also affect the ability of the Fund to be fully invested or force the Fund to maintain a higher percentage of its assets in liquid investments, which may harm the Fund's investment performance. Payment for tendered Shares may require the liquidation of the Fund's investments earlier than the Advisor would otherwise liquidate these holdings, potentially resulting in losses, and may increase the Fund's portfolio turnover. Such liquidations may also cause the Fund to sell its more liquid investments, which may reduce the size of future repurchase offerings and may result in the Fund selling investments at inopportune times or at times prior to when the Advisor believes the Fund may be able to realize the best return on such investments. Additionally, because such liquidations may cause the Fund to sell its more liquid investments, common shareholders who choose not to tender into a repurchase offer will hold investments in a Fund whose portfolio may become increasingly illiquid. As the Fund's portfolio becomes more illiquid, the Fund's portfolio may become harder to value, and it may become harder for the Fund to dispose of its investments at prices the Advisor believes reflect their fair value, or at all, resulting in losses to the Fund and its shareholders. See "—Valuation Risk."

Diminution in the size of the Fund through repurchases may result in untimely sales of portfolio securities and may limit the ability of the Fund to participate in new investment opportunities or to achieve its investment objective.

Subject to the Fund's investment restriction with respect to leverage, the Fund may utilize leverage to finance the repurchase of Shares. However, there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to obtain such financing. Moreover, if the Fund uses leverage, repurchases of Shares may compound the adverse effects of leverage in a declining market. In addition, if the Fund borrows money to finance repurchases, interest on that borrowing will negatively affect shareholders who do not tender their Shares by increasing Fund expenses borne by common shareholders of the Fund (in addition to the increase in pro rata expenses that will result from having a smaller base of assets after any such repurchase offers over which to spread fixed expenses) and reducing any net investment income.

If a repurchase offer is oversubscribed, the Fund may determine to increase the amount repurchased by up to 2% of the outstanding Shares as of the date of the Repurchase Request Deadline. In the event that the Fund determines not to repurchase more than the repurchase offer amount, or if shareholders tender more than the repurchase offer amount plus 2% of the outstanding Shares as of the date of the Repurchase Request Deadline, the Fund will repurchase the Shares tendered on a pro rata basis, and shareholders will have to wait until the next repurchase offer to make another repurchase request. As a result, shareholders may be unable to liquidate all or a given percentage of their investment in the Fund during a particular repurchase offer. Shareholders will be subject to the risk of NAV fluctuations during that period. Some shareholders, in anticipation of proration, may tender more Shares than they wish to have repurchased in a particular quarter, thereby increasing the likelihood that proration will occur. Affiliates of the Fund may own Shares and determine to participate in the Fund's repurchase offers, which may contribute to a repurchase offer being oversubscribed and the Fund effecting repurchases on a pro rata basis. A shareholder may be subject to market and other risks, and the NAV of Shares tendered in a repurchase offer may fluctuate between the date a shareholder submits a repurchase request and the Repurchase Request Deadline, and to the extent there is any delay between the Repurchase Request Deadline and the Repurchase Pricing Date. The NAV on the Repurchase Request Deadline or the Repurchase Pricing Date may be higher or lower than on the date a shareholder submits a repurchase request. See "Periodic Repurchase Offers."

In addition, the repurchase of Shares by the Fund will generally be a taxable event to common shareholders.

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In a scenario where the Fund's portfolio is becoming increasingly illiquid, the Board may determine that it is in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders to liquidate and dissolve the Fund. See "—Liquidation Scenarios."

*Distribution Payment Risk* 

The Fund cannot assure investors that the Fund will achieve investment results that will allow the Fund to make a specified level of cash distributions or year-to-year increases in cash distributions. All distributions will be paid at the discretion of the Board and may depend on the Fund's earnings, the Fund's net investment income, the Fund's financial condition, maintenance of the Fund's RIC status, compliance with applicable regulations and such other factors as the Board may deem relevant from time to time.

In the event that the Fund encounters delays in locating suitable investment opportunities, all or a substantial portion of the Fund's distributions may constitute a return of capital to shareholders. To the extent that the Fund pays distributions that constitute a return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it will lower an investor's tax basis in his or her Shares. A return of capital generally is a return of an investor's investment, rather than a return of earnings or gains derived from the Fund's investment activities, and generally results in a reduction of the tax basis in the Shares. As a result from such reduction in tax basis, shareholders may be subject to tax in connection with the sale of Fund Shares, even if such Shares are sold at a loss relative to the shareholder's original investment.

*Liquidation Scenarios* 

The Board may determine at any time and in its discretion that it is in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders to liquidate and dissolve the Fund. Pursuant to the Fund's Declaration of Trust, the dissolution of the Fund requires the affirmative vote of at least 80% of the Fund's Trustees. A shareholder vote is not required to liquidate or dissolve the Fund. If the Board were to vote to dissolve and liquidate the Fund and the Fund's investment portfolio is substantially illiquid, the Advisor would not likely be able to liquidate the Fund's remaining assets in a short period of time. Rather, the Fund's assets would likely be liquidated over an extended period of time, which could amount to several years or longer and, during such a liquidation period, shareholders remaining in the Fund would be subject to, among other risks, (i) the risk that these remaining assets may fluctuate in value prior to their ultimate disposition, (ii) the risk that the Fund may not realize what the Advisor believes to be the optimal value for such assets upon their disposition, (iii) the risk that the Fund may be forced to dispose of assets at a loss or may not be able to realize any significant profit from the investment position, and (iv) the risk that the Fund may lose the entire value of an investment upon its disposition. Additionally, the Fund may choose to hold its remaining assets in a liquidating trust or other similar vehicle, and the value of such assets would further be reduced by any expenses incurred by such liquidating trust. Moreover, it is likely that any assets remaining in the Fund or a liquidating trust (or similar vehicle) after an initial round of liquidation will be illiquid. In such a liquidation scenario, Shares will be entirely illiquid, and common shareholders should expect to have to bear the risks of having invested in the Fund for an indefinite period of time, should not expect to receive cash liquidating distributions within any set period of time or on a regular basis, and should not expect to realize the full NAV per Share of the applicable class of the Fund on the date the Board determines to dissolve the Fund.

*Effect of Additional Subscriptions* 

The Fund intends to accept additional subscriptions for Shares, and such subscriptions will dilute the interest of existing shareholders in the Fund's investment portfolio, which could have an adverse impact on the value of existing shareholders' Shares.

*Effect of Liquidation on Investment Objective* 

If the Fund is in the process of a complete liquidation pursuant to the Declaration of Trust, in order to effect an orderly liquidation of the Fund's assets, the Fund may not comply with its investment objective during liquidation.

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*Purchase Price Risk* 

The purchase price at which an investor purchases Shares will be determined at each daily closing and will equal the NAV per Share of the applicable class as of such date, plus, with respect to Class A Shares, Class W Shares and Class J Shares, the applicable sales load. As a result, in the event of an increase in the Fund's NAV per Share of an applicable class, an investor's purchase price may be higher than the prior daily closing price per Share of the applicable class, and therefore an investor may receive fewer Shares than if an investor had subscribed at the prior daily closing price.

*Best-Efforts Offering Risk* 

This offering is being made on a reasonable best efforts basis, whereby the Distributor is only required to use its reasonable best efforts to sell the Shares and neither it nor any Dealer has a firm commitment or obligation to purchase any of the Shares. To the extent that less than the maximum number of Shares is subscribed for, the opportunity for the allocation of the Fund's investments among various issuers and industries may be decreased, and the returns achieved on those investments may be reduced as a result of allocating all of the Fund's expenses over a smaller capital base. As a result, the Fund may be unable to achieve its investment objective and an investor could lose some or all of the value of his or her investment in the Shares. The Distributor is an affiliate of the Fund and the Advisor. As a result, the Distributor's due diligence review and investigation of the Fund and this prospectus cannot be considered to be an independent review.

*Private Credit Risk* 

As part of its strategy, the Fund will seek to invest in select less liquid or illiquid private credit investments, generally involving corporate borrowers or asset-based collateral, that are believed to present the potential for higher yield versus some of the more liquid portions of the Fund's portfolio. Typically, private credit investments are in restricted securities that are not traded in public markets and subject to substantial holding periods, so that the Fund may not be able to resell some of its holdings for extended periods, which may be several years. The Fund may, from time to time or over time, focus its private credit investments in a particular industry or sector or select industries or sectors. Investment performance of such industries or sectors may thus at times have an out-sized impact on the performance of the Fund. The Fund's investments are also subject to the risks associated with investing in private securities. Investments in private securities are illiquid, can be subject to various restrictions on resale, and there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to realize the value of such investments in a timely manner. See "Risks—Principal Risks—Restricted and Illiquid Investments Risks." Additionally, private credit investments can range in credit quality depending on security-specific factors, including total leverage, amount of leverage senior to the security in question, variability in the issuer's cash flows, the size of the issuer, the quality of assets securing debt and the degree to which such assets cover the subject company's debt obligations. The companies in which the Fund invests may be leveraged, often as a result of leveraged buyouts or other recapitalization transactions, and often will not be rated by national credit rating agencies. See "—Below Investment Grade Securities Risk."

*Dynamic Allocation Strategy Risk* 

While BCIA generally intends to seek attractive returns for the Fund by dynamically allocating the Fund's assets across a wide range of private and public credit investments and investment strategies, BCIA may pursue additional investment strategies and may modify or depart from its initial investment strategy, investment process and investment techniques as it determines appropriate, subject to compliance with the Fund's policy to invest at least 80% of its Managed Assets in credit-related investments. BCIA may pursue investments outside of the industries, geographies and sectors in which it has previously made investments or has internal operational experience.

*Valuation Risk* 

The Fund is subject to valuation risk, which is the risk that one or more of the securities in which the Fund invests are valued at prices that the Fund is unable to obtain upon sale due to factors such as incomplete data,

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market instability or human error. The Advisor may use an independent pricing service or prices provided by dealers to value securities at their market value. Because the secondary markets for certain investments may be limited, such instruments may be difficult to value. When market quotations are not available, the Advisor may price such investments pursuant to a number of methodologies, such as computer-based analytical modeling or individual security evaluations. These methodologies generate approximations of market values, and there may be significant professional disagreement about the best methodology for a particular type of financial instrument or different methodologies that might be used under different circumstances. In the absence of an actual market transaction, reliance on such methodologies is essential, but may introduce significant variances in the ultimate valuation of the Fund's investments. Technological issues and/or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers may also impact the Fund's ability to value its investments and the calculation of the Fund's NAV.

When market quotations are not readily available or are believed by the Advisor to be unreliable, the Advisor will fair value the Fund's investments in accordance with its policies and procedures. Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm's-length transaction. Fair value pricing may require determinations that are inherently subjective and inexact about the value of a security or other asset. Fair valuations, particularly those of private companies and privately originated instruments, also often reflect only periodic information received by the Advisor about the issuer's financial condition and/or business operations, which may be on a lagged basis and can be based on estimates. As a result, there can be no assurance that fair value priced assets will not result in future adjustments to the prices of securities or other assets, or that fair value pricing will reflect a price that the Fund is able to obtain upon sale, and it is possible that the fair value determined for a security or other asset will be materially different from quoted or published prices, from the prices used by others for the same security or other asset and/or from the value that actually could be or is realized upon the sale of that security or other asset. For example, the Fund's NAV could be adversely affected if the Fund's determinations regarding the fair value of the Fund's investments were materially higher than the values that the Fund ultimately realizes upon the disposal of such investments. Where market quotations are not readily available, valuation may require more research than for more liquid investments. In addition, elements of judgment may play a greater role in valuation in such cases than for investments with a more active secondary market because there is less reliable objective data available.

A substantial portion of the Fund's assets are expected to consist of securities of private companies for which there are no readily available market quotations. The information available in the marketplace for such companies, their securities and the status of their businesses and financial conditions is often extremely limited, outdated and difficult to confirm. Such securities are valued by the Fund daily at fair value as determined pursuant to policies and procedures approved by the Board. In determining fair value each day, the Advisor is required to consider all appropriate factors relevant to value and all indicators of value available to the Fund. The determination of fair value necessarily involves judgment in evaluating this information in order to determine the price that the Fund might reasonably expect to receive for the security upon its current sale. The most relevant information may often be provided by the issuer of the securities. Given the nature, timeliness, amount and reliability of information provided by the issuer, fair valuations may become more difficult and uncertain as such information is unavailable or becomes outdated. The Fund prices its Shares daily and therefore all assets, including assets valued at fair value, are valued daily. Because the Fund will value all of its assets daily, the Fund is subject to greater risk that the information available to determine fair value on any given day is uncertain, incomplete and potentially unreliable and, as a result, that the prices assigned to fair valued securities may not in fact represent approximately the price that the Fund could receive upon their current sale. While the Advisor

seeks to evaluate on a daily basis material information about the Fund's fair valued assets, for the reasons noted herein, the Advisor may not be able to acquire and/or evaluate properly such information on a daily basis. As a result, the Advisor's fair value determinations could cause the Fund's NAV to materially differ from what it would have been had such information been fully incorporated.

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The value at which the Fund's investments can be liquidated may differ, sometimes significantly, from the valuations assigned by the Fund. In addition, the timing of liquidations may also affect the values obtained on liquidation. Securities held by the Fund may routinely trade with bid-offer spreads that may be significant. In addition, the Fund may hold loans or privately placed securities for which no public market exists. There can be no guarantee that the Fund's investments could ultimately be realized at the Fund's valuation of such investments. In addition, the Fund's compliance with the asset diversification tests applicable to RICs depends on the fair market values of the Fund's assets, and, accordingly, a challenge to the valuations ascribed by the Fund could affect its ability to comply with those tests or require it to pay penalty taxes in order to cure a violation thereof.

The Fund's NAV is a critical component in several operational matters including computation of advisory and services fees and determination of the price at which the Shares will be offered and at which a repurchase offer will be made. Consequently, variance in the valuation of the Fund's investments will impact, positively or negatively, the fees and expenses shareholders will pay, the price a shareholder will receive in connection with a repurchase offer and the number of shares an investor will receive upon investing in the Fund. The Fund may need to liquidate certain investments, including illiquid investments, in order to repurchase Shares in connection with a repurchase offer. A subsequent decrease in the valuation of the Fund's investments after a repurchase offer could potentially disadvantage remaining shareholders to the benefit of shareholders whose Shares were accepted for repurchase. Alternatively, a subsequent increase in the valuation of the Fund's investments could potentially disadvantage shareholders whose Shares were accepted for repurchase to the benefit of remaining shareholders. Similarly, a subsequent decrease in the valuation of the Fund's investments after a subscription could potentially disadvantage subscribing investors to the benefit of pre-existing shareholders, and a subsequent increase in the valuation of the Fund's investments after a subscription could potentially disadvantage pre-existing shareholders to the benefit of subscribing investors. For more information regarding the Fund's calculation of its NAV, see "Net Asset Value."

*Competition for Investment Opportunities* 

The Fund competes for investments with other investment funds and institutional investors. Certain investors have increasingly begun to invest in areas in which they have not traditionally invested. As a result of these new entrants, competition for investment opportunities may intensify. Some of the Fund's competitors are larger and may have greater financial and other resources than the Fund. For example, some competitors may have a lower cost of capital and access to funding sources that are not available to the Fund. In addition, some of the Fund's competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments. These characteristics could allow the Fund's competitors to consider a wider variety of investments, establish more relationships and pay more competitive prices for investments than the Fund is able or willing to do. Furthermore, some of the Fund's competitors may not be subject to the regulatory restrictions that the Investment Company Act imposes on it as a closed-end fund. These factors may make it more difficult for the Fund to achieve its investment objective.

The Fund is prohibited under the Investment Company Act from participating in certain "joint" transactions with certain of its affiliates (as well as affiliated persons of such affiliated persons), which in certain circumstances could include investments in the same portfolio company (whether at the same or different times to the extent the transaction involves jointness), without prior approval from the SEC or reliance on an applicable exemptive rule under the Investment Company Act or other regulatory guidance. Among others, affiliated persons of the Fund may include other investment funds managed by the Advisor, the Sub-Advisors, or other BlackRock investment advisers. Even though the portion of the Fund sub-advised by BCIA is covered by exemptive relief that permits certain "joint" transactions, the conditions imposed by the SEC in granting such relief may preclude the Fund from participating in transactions in which it would otherwise wish to engage. There can be no assurance that any such conditions will not adversely affect the Fund's ability to capitalize on attractive investment opportunities.

In addition, entering into certain transactions that are not deemed "joint" transactions (for purposes of the Investment Company Act and relevant guidance from the SEC) may potentially lead to joint transactions within

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the meaning of the Investment Company Act in the future. This may be the case, for example, with issuers who are near default and more likely to enter into restructuring or work-out transactions with their existing debt holders, which may include the Fund and its affiliates. In some cases, to avoid the potential for future joint transactions, the Advisor or a Sub-Advisor may avoid allocating an investment opportunity to the Fund that it would otherwise allocate.

BCIA and the Fund rely on exemptive relief that permits the portion of the Fund managed by BCIA (which is anticipated to be all or substantially all of the Fund's assets) to co-invest with affiliated investment funds advised or sub-advised by BCIA (or certain affiliates) and with certain affiliates of BCIA acting in a principal capacity in certain private transactions where terms other than price are negotiated. Co-investments in such private transactions made in reliance on the Co-Investment Order are subject to compliance with the conditions of the Co-Investment Order. In some instances, the Fund will not be permitted to invest in such privately negotiated transactions where the conditions of the Co-Investment Order are not able to be satisfied. Only the portion of the Fund that is managed by BCIA relies on the Co-Investment Order, and co-investments in reliance on the Co-Investment Order are permitted only with affiliated investment funds advised or sub-advised by BCIA (or certain affiliates) and with certain affiliates of BCIA acting in a principal capacity. With respect to any private credit investments of the Fund not managed by BCIA, the Fund may co-invest in private credit investments only as permitted by existing regulatory guidance.

Pursuant to the terms of the Co-Investment Order, any co-investment under the Co-Investment Order will be made on equal footing with other affiliated investment funds advised or sub-advised by BCIA (or certain affiliates), including the condition requiring that participants in a co-investment transaction purchase or dispose of the same class of securities, at the same time, for the same price and with substantially the same other terms. In some cases, the requirements of the Co-Investment Order may result in an investment by the Fund being structured in a manner that differs from how the investment may have been structured if the Fund were not investing in reliance on the Co-Investment Order. In addition, a majority of the Independent Trustees are required to make certain findings in connection with certain potential co-investment transactions in reliance on the Co-Investment Order. To the extent the Fund is able to make co-investments with other affiliated investment funds advised or sub-advised by BCIA (or certain affiliates) in reliance on the Co-Investment Order, these co-investment transactions may give rise to conflicts of interest or perceived conflicts of interest among the Fund and the other participating affiliated investment funds.

Affiliated investment funds currently existing or formed in the future may invest in asset classes similar to those targeted by the Fund. As a result, the Advisor, BCIA and/or their affiliates may face conflicts in allocating investment opportunities between the Fund and such other entities. An investment opportunity that is suitable for multiple clients of the Advisor, BCIA and their affiliates may not be shared among some or all of such clients and affiliates due to the limited scale of the opportunity or other factors, including restrictions imposed by the Investment Company Act or the Fund. Although the Advisor, BCIA and their affiliates, in the aggregate, will allocate investment opportunities to the Fund in what they believe to be a fair and equitable manner over time, it is possible that over time the Fund may not be able to participate in certain investments made by affiliated investment funds that it might otherwise have desired to participate in.

See "Conflicts of Interest" and "Management of the Fund—Portfolio Management—Potential Material Conflicts of Interest" in the SAI.

*Corporate Bonds Risk* 

The market value of a corporate bond generally may be expected to rise and fall inversely with interest rates. The market value of intermediate and longer term corporate bonds is generally more sensitive to changes in interest rates than is the market value of shorter term corporate bonds. The market value of a corporate bond also may be affected by factors directly related to the issuer, such as investors' perceptions of the creditworthiness of the issuer, the issuer's financial performance, perceptions of the issuer in the market place, performance of

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management of the issuer, the issuer's capital structure and use of financial leverage and demand for the issuer's goods and services. Certain risks associated with investments in corporate bonds are described elsewhere in this prospectus in further detail, including above under "—Fixed Income Securities Risks," "Additional Risks—Inflation Risk" and "Additional Risks—Deflation Risks." There is a risk that the issuers of corporate bonds may not be able to meet their obligations on interest or principal payments at the time called for by an instrument. Corporate bonds of below investment grade quality are often high risk and have speculative characteristics and may be particularly susceptible to adverse issuer-specific developments. Corporate bonds of below investment grade quality are subject to the risks described herein under "—Below Investment Grade Securities Risk."

*Below Investment Grade Securities Risk* 

The Fund expects to invest in securities that are rated, at the time of investment, below investment grade quality (rated Ba/BB or below, or judged to be of comparable quality by the Advisor), which are commonly referred to as "high yield" or "junk" bonds and are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's capacity to pay interest and repay principal. The value of high yield, lower quality bonds is affected by the creditworthiness of the issuers of the securities and by general economic and specific industry conditions. Issuers of high yield bonds are not perceived to be as strong financially as those with higher credit ratings. These issuers are more vulnerable to financial setbacks and recession than more creditworthy issuers, which may impair their ability to make interest and principal payments. Lower grade securities may be particularly susceptible to economic downturns. It is likely that an economic recession could severely disrupt the market for such securities and may have an adverse impact on the value of such securities. In addition, it is likely that any such economic downturn could adversely affect the ability of the issuers of such securities to repay principal and pay interest thereon and increase the incidence of default for such securities. See "—Risks Associated with Recent Market Events."

Lower grade securities, though high yielding, are characterized by high risk. They may be subject to certain risks with respect to the issuing entity and to greater market fluctuations than certain lower yielding, higher rated securities. The secondary market for lower grade securities may be less liquid than that for higher rated securities. Adverse conditions could make it difficult at times for the Fund to sell certain securities or could result in lower prices than those used in calculating the Fund's NAV. Because of the substantial risks associated with investments in lower grade securities, you could lose money on your investment in Shares of the Fund, both in the short-term and the long-term.

The prices of fixed income securities generally are inversely related to interest rate changes; however, below investment grade securities historically have been somewhat less sensitive to interest rate changes than higher quality securities of comparable maturity because credit quality is also a significant factor in the valuation of lower grade securities. On the other hand, an increased rate environment results in increased borrowing costs generally, which may impair the credit quality of low-grade issuers and thus have a more significant effect on the value of some lower grade securities. In addition, the current low rate environment has expanded the historic universe of buyers of lower grade securities as traditional investment grade oriented investors have been forced to accept more risk in order to maintain income. As rates rise, these recent entrants to the low-grade securities market may exit the market and reduce demand for lower grade securities, potentially resulting in greater price volatility.

The ratings of Moody's, S&P, Fitch and other rating agencies represent their opinions as to the quality of the obligations which they undertake to rate. Ratings are relative and subjective and, although ratings may be useful in evaluating the safety of interest and principal payments, they do not evaluate the market value risk of such obligations. Although these ratings may be an initial criterion for selection of portfolio investments, the Advisor also will independently evaluate these securities and the ability of the issuers of such securities to pay interest and principal. To the extent that the Fund invests in lower grade securities that have not been rated by a rating agency, the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective will be more dependent on the Advisor's credit analysis than would be the case when the Fund invests in rated securities.

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The Fund may invest in securities rated in the lower rating categories (rated as low as D, or judged to be of comparable quality by the Advisor). For these securities, the risks associated with below investment grade instruments are more pronounced. The Fund may purchase stressed or distressed securities, including securities that are in default or the issuers of which are in bankruptcy, which involve heightened risks. See "—Distressed and Defaulted Securities Risk."

Non-investment grade securities may be subject to weaker or less restrictive covenant protections. Under such weaker or less restrictive covenants, borrowers might be able to exercise more flexibility with respect to certain activities than borrowers who are subject to stronger or more protective covenants. For example, borrowers might be able to incur more debt, including secured debt, return more capital to shareholders, remove or reduce assets that are designated as collateral securing non-investment grade securities, increase the claims against assets that are permitted against collateral securing non-investment grade securities or otherwise manage their business in ways that could impact creditors negatively. Each of these factors might negatively impact the non-investment grade securities held by the Fund.

*Convertible Securities Risk* 

The Fund may invest in convertible securities. Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar quality. As with all fixed income securities, the market values of convertible securities tend to decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, to increase as interest rates decline. However, when the market price of the common stock underlying a convertible security exceeds the conversion price, the convertible security tends to reflect the market price of the underlying common stock. As the market price of the underlying common stock declines, the convertible security tends to trade increasingly on a yield basis and thus may not decline in price to the same extent as the underlying common stock. Convertible securities rank senior to common stock in an issuer's capital structure and consequently entail less risk than the issuer's common stock.

The Fund may invest in synthetic convertible securities, which are created through a combination of separate securities that possess the two principal characteristics of a traditional convertible security. A holder of a synthetic convertible security faces the risk of a decline in the price of the security or the level of the index involved in the convertible component, causing a decline in the value of the security or instrument, such as a call option or warrant, purchased to create the synthetic convertible security. Should the price of the stock fall below the exercise price and remain there throughout the exercise period, the entire amount paid for the call option or warrant would be lost. Because a synthetic convertible security includes the income-producing component as well, the holder of a synthetic convertible security also faces the risk that interest rates will rise, causing a decline in the value of the income-producing instrument. Synthetic convertible securities are also subject to the risks associated with derivatives.

The value of convertible securities is influenced by both the yield on nonconvertible securities of comparable issuers and by the value of the underlying common stock. The value of a convertible security viewed without regard to its conversion feature (i.e., strictly on the basis of its yield) is sometimes referred to as its "investment value." To the extent interest rates change, the investment value of the convertible security typically will fluctuate. At the same time, however, the value of the convertible security will be influenced by its "conversion value," which is the market value of the underlying common stock that would be obtained if the convertible security were converted. Conversion value fluctuates directly with the price of the underlying common stock. If the conversion value of a convertible security is substantially below its investment value, the price of the convertible security is governed principally by its investment value. To the extent the conversion value of a convertible security increases to a point that approximates or exceeds its investment value, the price of the convertible security will be influenced principally by its conversion value. A convertible security will sell at a premium over the conversion value to the extent investors place value on the right to acquire the underlying common stock while holding a fixed income security. The yield and conversion premium of convertible securities issued in Japan and the Euromarket are frequently determined at levels that cause the conversion value to affect their market value more than the securities' investment value.

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Holders of convertible securities generally have a claim on the assets of the issuer prior to the common stockholders but may be subordinated to other debt securities of the same issuer. A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in a charter provision, indenture or other governing instrument pursuant to which the convertible security was issued. If a convertible security held by the Fund is called for redemption, the Fund will be required to redeem the security, convert it into the underlying common stock or sell it to a third party. Certain convertible debt securities may provide a put option to the holder, which entitles the holder to cause the security to be redeemed by the issuer at a premium over the stated principal amount of the debt security under certain circumstances.

A Manufactured Convertible differs from traditional convertible securities in several respects. Unlike a traditional convertible security, which is a single security that has a unitary market value, a Manufactured Convertible is comprised of two or more separate securities, each with its own market value. Therefore, the total "market value" of such a Manufactured Convertible is the sum of the values of its fixed income component and its convertibility component.

More flexibility is possible in the creation of a Manufactured Convertible than in the purchase of a traditional convertible security. Because many corporations have not issued convertible securities, the Advisor may combine a fixed income instrument and an equity feature with respect to the stock of the issuer of the fixed income instrument to create a synthetic convertible security otherwise unavailable in the market. The Advisor may also combine a fixed income instrument of an issuer with an equity feature with respect to the stock of a different issuer when the Advisor believes such a Manufactured Convertible would better promote the Fund's investment objective than alternative investments. For example, the Advisor may combine an equity feature with respect to an issuer's stock with a fixed income security of a different issuer in the same industry to diversify the Fund's credit exposure, or with a U.S. Treasury instrument to create a Manufactured Convertible with a higher credit profile than a traditional convertible security issued by that issuer. A Manufactured Convertible also is a more flexible investment in that its two components may be purchased separately and, upon purchasing the separate securities, "combined" to create a Manufactured Convertible. For example, the Fund may purchase a warrant for eventual inclusion in a Manufactured Convertible while postponing the purchase of a suitable bond to pair with the warrant pending development of more favorable market conditions.

The value of a Manufactured Convertible may respond to certain market fluctuations differently from a traditional convertible security with similar characteristics. For example, in the event the Fund created a Manufactured Convertible by combining a short-term U.S. Treasury instrument and a call option on a stock, the Manufactured Convertible would be expected to outperform a traditional convertible of similar maturity that is convertible into that stock during periods when Treasury instruments outperform corporate fixed income securities and underperform during periods when corporate fixed income securities outperform Treasury instruments.

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*Contingent Convertible Securities Risk* 

CoCos are subject to additional risk factors in addition to those related to convertible securities. CoCos are a newer form of instrument and the regulatory environment for these instruments continues to evolve. Because the market for such securities is evolving, it is uncertain how the larger market for CoCos would react to a trigger event, coupon cancellation, write-down of par value or coupon suspension (as described below) applicable to a single issuer. Following conversion of a CoCo, because the common stock of the issuer may not pay a dividend, investors in such securities could experience reduced yields or no yields at all.

There are special risks associated with investing in CoCos, including:

*Loss Absorption Risk*. CoCos have fully discretionary coupons. This means coupons can potentially be cancelled at the banking institution's discretion or at the request of the relevant regulatory authority in order to help the bank absorb losses. The liquidation value of a CoCo may be adjusted downward to below the original par value or written off entirely under certain circumstances. The write-down of the security's par value may occur automatically and would not entitle holders to institute bankruptcy proceedings against the issuer. In addition, an automatic write-down could result in a reduced income rate if the dividend or interest payment associated with the security is based on the security's par value. Coupon payments may also be subject to approval by the issuer's regulator and may be suspended in the event there are insufficient distributable reserves. Due to uncertainty surrounding coupon payments, CoCos may be volatile and their price may decline rapidly in the event that coupon payments are suspended.

*Subordinated Instruments*. CoCos will, in the majority of circumstances, be issued in the form of subordinated debt instruments in order to provide the appropriate regulatory capital treatment prior to a conversion. Accordingly, in the event of liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of an issuer prior to a conversion having occurred, the rights and claims of the holders of the CoCos, such as the Fund, against the issuer in respect of or arising under the terms of the CoCos shall generally rank junior to the claims of all holders of unsubordinated obligations of the issuer. In addition, if the CoCos are converted into the issuer's underlying equity securities following a conversion event (i.e., a "trigger"), each holder will be subordinated due to their conversion from being the holder of a debt instrument to being the holder of an equity instrument. Such conversion may be automatic.

*Unpredictable Market Value Fluctuate.* The value of CoCos is unpredictable and will be influenced by many factors including, without limitation: (i) the creditworthiness of the issuer and/or fluctuations in such issuer's applicable capital ratios; (ii) supply and demand for the CoCos; (iii) general market conditions and available liquidity; and (iv) economic, financial and political events that affect the issuer, its particular market or the financial markets in general.

*Distressed and Defaulted Securities Risk* 

Investments in the securities of financially distressed issuers are speculative and involve substantial risks. These securities may present a substantial risk of default or may be in default at the time of investment. The Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek recovery upon a default in the payment of principal or interest on its portfolio holdings. In any reorganization or liquidation proceeding relating to a portfolio company, the Fund may lose its entire investment or may be required to accept cash or securities with a value less than its original investment. Among the risks inherent in investments in a troubled entity is the fact that it frequently may be difficult to obtain information as to the true financial condition of such issuer. The Advisor's judgment about the credit quality of the issuer and the relative value and liquidity of its securities may prove to be wrong. Distressed securities and any securities received in an exchange for such securities may be subject to restrictions on resale.

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*Restricted and Illiquid Investments Risk* 

The Fund may invest without limitation in illiquid or less liquid investments or investments in which no secondary market is readily available or which are otherwise illiquid, including private placement securities. The portion of the Fund's portfolio that consists of these types of investments may increase over time due to a number of factors, including as a result of the Fund selling its more liquid investments in connection with, or having a smaller base of assets after, a repurchase offer, as the Fund nears liquidation, outflows of cash from time to time and changes in the valuation of the illiquid securities. See "—Repurchase Offers Risk" and "—Valuation Risk." The Fund may not be able to readily dispose of such investments at prices that approximate those at which the Fund could sell such investments if they were more widely traded and, as a result of such illiquidity, the Fund may have to sell other investments or engage in borrowing transactions if necessary to raise cash to meet its obligations. Limited liquidity can also affect the market price of investments, thereby adversely affecting the Fund's NAV and ability to make dividend distributions. The financial markets have in recent years experienced periods of extreme secondary market supply and demand imbalance, resulting in a loss of liquidity during which market prices were suddenly and substantially below traditional measures of intrinsic value. During such periods, some investments could be sold only at arbitrary prices and with substantial losses. Periods of such market dislocation may occur again at any time.

Restricted securities are securities that may not be sold to the public without an effective registration statement under the Securities Act, or that may be sold only in a privately negotiated transaction or pursuant to an exemption from registration. For example, Rule 144A under the Securities Act provides an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act for the resale of certain restricted securities to qualified institutional buyers, such as the Fund. However, an insufficient number of qualified institutional buyers interested in purchasing the Rule 144A-eligible securities that the Fund holds could affect adversely the marketability of certain Rule 144A securities, and the Fund might be unable to dispose of such securities promptly or at reasonable prices. When registration is required to sell a security, the Fund may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expenses and considerable time may pass before the Fund is permitted to sell a security under an effective registration statement. If adverse market conditions develop during this period, the Fund might obtain a less favorable price than the price that prevailed when the Fund decided to sell. The Fund may be unable to sell restricted and other illiquid securities at opportune times or prices.

*Leverage Risk* 

The Fund is permitted to, and may, borrow money in an amount up to 33 1/3% of its Managed Assets (50% of its net assets). The use of leverage creates an opportunity for increased common share net investment income distributions, but also creates risks for the holders of the Shares. The Fund cannot assure you that the use of leverage, if employed, will result in a higher yield on the Shares. Any leveraging strategy the Fund employs may not be successful.

Leverage involves risks and special considerations for common shareholders, including:

• the likelihood of greater volatility of NAV and distribution rate of the Shares than a comparable portfolio without leverage;

• the risk that fluctuations in interest rates on borrowings and short-term debt or in the interest or dividend rates on any leverage that the Fund must pay will reduce the return to the common shareholders;

• the effect of leverage in a declining market, which is likely to cause a greater decline in the NAV of the Shares than if the Fund were not leveraged;

• when the Fund uses financial leverage, the investment advisory fee payable to the Advisor will be higher than if the Fund did not use leverage; and

• leverage may increase operating costs, which may reduce total return.

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Any decline in the NAV of the Fund's investments will be borne entirely by the holders of Shares. Therefore, if the market value of the Fund's portfolio declines, leverage will result in a greater decrease in NAV to the holders of Shares than if the Fund were not leveraged. While the Fund may from time to time consider reducing leverage in response to actual or anticipated changes in interest rates in an effort to mitigate the increased volatility of current income and NAV associated with leverage, there can be no assurances that the Fund will actually reduce leverage in the future or that any reduction, if undertaken, will benefit the holders of Shares. Changes in the future direction of interest rates are very difficult to predict accurately. If the Fund were to reduce leverage based on a prediction about future changes to interest rates, and that prediction turned out to be incorrect, the reduction in leverage would likely operate to reduce the income and/or total returns to holders of Shares relative to the circumstance where the Fund had not reduced leverage. The Fund may decide that this risk outweighs the likelihood of achieving the desired reduction to volatility in income and share price if the prediction were to turn out to be correct, and determine not to reduce leverage as described above.

The Fund may utilize leverage through investment in derivatives. See "—Strategic Transactions and Derivatives Risk." Under Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act, among other things, the Fund must either use derivatives in a limited manner or comply with an outer limit on fund leverage risk based on value-at-risk. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or to meet the applicable requirements of the Investment Company Act and the rules thereunder.

Because the Fund's investment management fee is calculated as a percentage of the Fund's Managed Assets, which include those assets purchased with leverage, during periods in which the Fund is using leverage, the fee paid to the Advisor will be higher than if the Fund did not use leverage.

Certain types of leverage used by the Fund may result in the Fund being subject to covenants relating to asset coverage and portfolio composition requirements. The Fund may be subject to certain restrictions on investments imposed by guidelines of one or more rating agencies, which may issue ratings for the short-term corporate debt securities or Preferred Shares issued by the Fund. These guidelines may impose asset coverage or portfolio composition requirements that are more stringent than those imposed by the Investment Company Act. The Advisor does not believe that these covenants or guidelines will impede it from managing the Fund's portfolio in accordance with the Fund's investment objective and policies.

In addition to the foregoing, the use of leverage treated as indebtedness of the Fund for U.S. federal income tax purposes may reduce the amount of Fund dividends that are otherwise eligible for the dividends received deduction in the hands of corporate shareholders.

The Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies. Such securities may also be leveraged, and will therefore be subject to the leverage risks described above. This additional leverage may in certain market conditions reduce the NAV of the Fund's Shares and the returns to the holders of Shares.

*Reverse Repurchase Agreements Risk* 

Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risks that the interest income earned on the investment of the proceeds will be less than the interest expense of the Fund, that the market value of the securities sold by the Fund may decline below the price at which the Fund is obligated to repurchase the securities and that the securities may not be returned to the Fund. There is no assurance that reverse repurchase agreements can be successfully employed.

*Strategic Transactions and Derivatives Risk* 

The Fund may purchase and sell futures contracts, enter into various interest rate transactions such as swaps, caps, floors or collars, currency transactions such as currency forward contracts, currency futures contracts,

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currency swaps or options on currency or currency futures and swap contracts (including, but not limited to, credit default swaps index products, credit default swaps, total return swaps (sometimes referred to as "contracts for difference") and interest rate swaps) and may purchase and sell exchange-listed and over-the-counter ("OTC") put and call options on securities and swap contracts, financial indices and futures contracts and use other derivative instruments or management techniques (collectively, "Strategic Transactions"). The Fund may engage in various Strategic Transactions for duration management and other risk management purposes, including to attempt to protect against possible changes in the market value of the Fund's portfolio resulting from trends in the securities markets and changes in interest rates or to protect the Fund's unrealized gains in the value of its portfolio securities, to facilitate the sale of portfolio securities for investment purposes, to establish a position in the securities markets as a temporary substitute for purchasing particular securities or to enhance income or gain. Derivatives are financial contracts or instruments whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index (or relationship between two indices). The Fund also may use derivatives to add leverage to the portfolio and/or to hedge against increases in the Fund's costs associated with any leverage strategy that it may employ. The use of Strategic Transactions to enhance current income may be particularly speculative.

Strategic Transactions involve risks. The risks associated with Strategic Transactions include (i) the imperfect correlation between the value of such instruments and the underlying assets, (ii) the possible default of the counterparty to the transaction, (iii) illiquidity of the derivative instruments, and (iv) high volatility losses caused by unanticipated market movements, which are potentially unlimited. Although both OTC and exchange-traded derivatives markets may experience a lack of liquidity, OTC non-standardized derivative transactions are generally less liquid than exchange-traded instruments. The illiquidity of the derivatives markets may be due to various factors, including congestion, disorderly markets, limitations on deliverable supplies, the participation of speculators, government regulation and intervention, and technical and operational or system failures. In addition, daily limits on price fluctuations and speculative position limits on exchanges on which the Fund may conduct its transactions in derivative instruments may prevent prompt liquidation of positions, subjecting the Fund to the potential of greater losses. Furthermore, the Fund's ability to successfully use Strategic Transactions depends on the Advisor's ability to predict pertinent securities prices, interest rates, currency exchange rates and other economic factors, which cannot be assured. The use of Strategic Transactions may result in losses greater than if they had not been used, may require the Fund to sell or purchase portfolio securities at inopportune times or for prices other than current market values, may limit the amount of appreciation the Fund can realize on an investment or may cause the Fund to hold a security that it might otherwise sell. Additionally, amounts paid by the Fund as premiums and cash or other assets held in margin accounts with respect to Strategic Transactions are not otherwise available to the Fund for investment purposes. Please see the Fund's SAI for a more detailed description of Strategic Transactions and the various derivative instruments the Fund may use and the various risks associated with them.

Exchange-traded derivatives and OTC derivative transactions submitted for clearing through a central counterparty are also subject to minimum initial and variation margin requirements set by the relevant clearinghouse, as well as possible SEC- or CFTC-mandated margin requirements. The CFTC and federal banking regulators also have imposed margin requirements on non-cleared OTC derivatives, and the SEC's non-cleared margin requirements for security-based swaps became effective on November 1, 2021. As applicable, margin requirements may increase the overall costs for the Fund.

Many OTC derivatives are valued on the basis of dealers' pricing of these instruments. However, the price at which dealers value a particular derivative and the price that the same dealers would actually be willing to pay for such derivative should the Fund wish or be forced to sell such position may be materially different. Such differences can result in an overstatement of the Fund's NAV and may materially adversely affect the Fund in situations in which the Fund is required to sell derivative instruments.

While hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains. Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying security, and there can be no assurances that the Fund's hedging transactions will be effective.

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Derivatives may give rise to a form of leverage and may expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. Recent legislation calls for new regulation of the derivatives markets. The extent and impact of the regulation is not yet known and may not be known for some time. New regulation may make derivatives more costly, may limit the availability of derivatives, or may otherwise adversely affect the value or performance of derivatives.

*Direct Lending Risk* 

The Fund may make direct loans and engage in direct lending, which practice involves certain risks. If a loan is foreclosed, the Fund could become part owner of any collateral and would bear the costs and liabilities associated with owning and disposing of the collateral. As a result, the Fund may be exposed to losses resulting from default and foreclosure. Any costs or delays involved in the effectuation of a foreclosure of the loan or a liquidation of the underlying assets will further reduce the proceeds and thus increase the loss. There is no assurance that the Fund will correctly evaluate the value of the assets collateralizing the loan. In the event of a reorganization or liquidation proceeding relating to the borrower, the Fund may lose all or part of the amounts advanced to the borrower. There is no assurance that the protection of the Fund's interests is adequate, including the validity or enforceability of the loan and the maintenance of the anticipated priority and perfection of the applicable security interests. Furthermore, there is no assurance that claims will not be asserted that might interfere with enforcement of the Fund's rights.

There are no restrictions on the credit quality of the Fund's loans. Loans may be deemed to have substantial vulnerability to default in payment of interest and/or principal. There can be no assurance as to the levels of defaults and/or recoveries that may be experienced on loans in which the Fund has invested. Certain of the loans in which the Fund may invest have large uncertainties or major risk exposures to adverse conditions, and may be considered to be predominantly speculative. Generally, such loans offer a higher return potential than better quality loans, but involve greater volatility of price and greater risk of loss of income and principal. The market values of certain of these loans also tend to be more sensitive to changes in economic conditions than better quality loans.

Loans to issuers operating in workout modes or under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code or the equivalent laws of member states of the European Union are, in certain circumstances, subject to certain potential liabilities that may exceed the amount of the loan. For example, under certain circumstances, lenders who have inappropriately exercised control of the management and policies of a debtor may have their claims subordinated or disallowed or may be found liable for damages suffered by parties as a result of such actions.

Various state licensing requirements could apply to the Fund with respect to investments in, or the origination and servicing of, loans and similar assets. The licensing requirements could apply depending on the location of the borrower, the location of the collateral securing the loan, or the location where the Fund or Advisor operates or has offices. In states in which it is licensed, the Fund or Advisor will be required to comply with applicable laws and regulations, including consumer protection and anti-fraud laws, which could impose restrictions on the Fund's or Advisor's ability to take certain actions to protect the value of its investments in such assets and impose compliance costs. Failure to comply with such laws and regulations could lead to, among other penalties, a loss of the Fund's or Advisor's license, which in turn could require the Fund to divest assets located in or secured by real property located in that state. These risks will also apply to issuers and entities in which the Fund invests that hold similar assets, as well as any origination company or servicer in which the Fund owns an interest.

Loan origination and servicing companies are routinely involved in legal proceedings concerning matters that arise in the ordinary course of their business. These legal proceedings range from actions involving a single plaintiff to class action lawsuits with potentially tens of thousands of class members. In addition, a number of participants in the loan origination and servicing industry (including control persons of industry participants) have been the subject of

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regulatory actions by state regulators, including state Attorneys General, and by the federal government. Governmental investigations, examinations or regulatory actions, or private lawsuits, including purported class action lawsuits, may adversely affect such companies' financial results. To the extent the Fund seeks to engage in origination and/or servicing directly, or has a financial interest in, or is otherwise affiliated with, an origination or servicing company, the Fund will be subject to enhanced risks of litigation, regulatory actions and other proceedings. As a result, the Fund may be required to pay legal fees, settlement costs, damages, penalties or other charges, any or all of which could materially adversely affect the Fund and its investments.

*Asset-Based Finance Risk* 

The Fund may invest in asset-based finance investments, which are secured by, or otherwise dependent upon, the performance of pools of loans, leases, receivables, royalties or other contractual cash flows. The value of such investments is subject to the risk that the underlying obligors will be unable or unwilling to make principal or interest payments as they come due. Asset-based finance investments are also subject to the risk that the value of the collateral securing the obligations will decline or that the Fund may be unable to realize the expected value of the collateral because of difficulties in liquidating or enforcing rights in the collateral. In addition, cash flows associated with asset-based finance investments may be affected by factors such as the creditworthiness of the servicer, changes in prepayment rates, fluctuations in interest rates, structural features of the investment, and broader economic and market conditions. These factors may reduce the Fund's returns or result in losses.

*U.S. Securities Risk* 

U.S. Securities generally involve lower levels of credit risk than other types of fixed income securities of similar maturities, although, as a result, the yields available from U.S. Securities are generally lower than the yields available from such other securities. Like other fixed income securities, the values of U.S. Securities change as interest rates fluctuate. The long-term sovereign credit rating of the United States has been subject to multiple downgrades in recent years. U.S. budget deficit concerns and periodic debt ceiling disputes have contributed to these rating actions and may increase the possibility of additional credit-rating downgrades. Any further downgrade to the U.S. government's sovereign credit rating, or its perceived creditworthiness, could adversely affect U.S. and global financial markets and economic conditions and could result in significant adverse impacts on securities issuers and the Fund. The Advisor cannot predict the effects of these or similar events in the future on the U.S. economy and securities markets or on the Fund's portfolio.

*Non-U.S. Securities Risk* 

The Fund may invest in Non-U.S. Securities. Such investments involve certain risks not involved in domestic investments. Securities markets in foreign countries often are not as developed, efficient or liquid as securities markets in the United States and, therefore, the prices of Non-U.S. Securities can be more volatile. Certain foreign countries may impose restrictions on the ability of issuers of Non-U.S. Securities to make payments of principal and interest to investors located outside the country. In addition, the Fund will be subject to risks associated with adverse political and economic developments in foreign countries, which could cause the Fund to lose money on its investments in Non-U.S. Securities. The Fund will be subject to additional risks if it invests in Non-U.S. Securities, which include seizure or nationalization of foreign deposits. Non-U.S. Securities may trade on days when the Fund's Shares are not priced or traded.

Rules adopted under the Investment Company Act permit the Fund to maintain its Non-U.S. Securities and foreign currency in the custody of certain eligible non-U.S. banks and securities depositories, and the Fund generally holds its Non-U.S. Securities and foreign currency in foreign banks and securities depositories. Some foreign banks and securities depositories may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business. In addition, there may be limited or no regulatory oversight of their operations. Also, the laws of certain countries limit the Fund's ability to recover its assets if a foreign bank, depository or issuer of a security, or any of their agents, goes bankrupt. In addition, it is often more expensive for the Fund to buy, sell and hold securities in

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certain foreign markets than in the United States. The increased expense of investing in foreign markets reduces the amount the Fund can earn on its investments and typically results in a higher operating expense ratio for the Fund than for investment companies invested only in the United States.

Certain banks in foreign countries may not be eligible sub-custodians for the Fund, which may preclude the Fund from purchasing securities in certain foreign countries in which it otherwise would invest or the Fund may incur additional costs and delays in providing transportation and custody services for such securities outside of such countries. The Fund may encounter difficulties in effecting portfolio transactions on a timely basis with respect to any securities of issuers held outside their countries.

The economies of certain foreign markets may not compare favorably with the economy of the United States with respect to such issues as growth of gross national product, reinvestment of capital, resources and balance of payments position. Certain foreign economies may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, changes in international trading patterns, trade barriers and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. Investments in foreign markets may also be adversely affected by governmental actions such as the imposition of capital controls, nationalization of companies or industries, expropriation of assets or the imposition of punitive taxes or tariffs. In addition, economic conditions, such as volatile currency exchange rates and interest rates, political events, military action and other conditions may, without prior warning, lead to the governments of certain countries, or the U.S. Government with respect to certain countries, prohibiting or imposing substantial restrictions through capital controls and/or sanctions on foreign investments in the capital markets or certain industries in those countries. Capital controls and/or sanctions may include the prohibition of, or restrictions on, the ability to own or transfer currency, securities, derivatives or other assets and may also include retaliatory actions of one government against another government, such as seizure of assets. Any of these actions could severely impair the Fund's ability to purchase, sell, transfer, receive, deliver or otherwise obtain exposure to foreign securities and assets, including the ability to transfer the Fund's assets or income back into the United States, and could negatively impact the value and/or liquidity of such assets or otherwise adversely affect the Fund's operations, causing the Fund to decline in value.

Other potential foreign market risks include foreign exchange controls, difficulties in pricing securities, defaults on foreign government securities, difficulties in enforcing legal judgments in foreign courts and political and social instability. Diplomatic and political developments, including rapid and adverse political changes, social instability, regional conflicts, terrorism and war, could affect the economies, industries and securities and currency markets, and the value of the Fund's investments, in non-U.S. countries. These factors are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to predict and take into account with respect to the Fund's investments.

In general, less information is publicly available with respect to foreign issuers than is available with respect to U.S. companies. Accounting standards in other countries are not necessarily the same as in the United States. If the accounting standards in another country do not require as much detail as U.S. accounting standards, it may be harder for the Advisor to completely and accurately determine a company's financial condition.

Many foreign governments do not supervise and regulate stock exchanges, brokers and the sale of securities to the same extent as such regulations exist in the United States. They also may not have laws to protect investors that are comparable to U.S. securities laws. For example, some foreign countries may have no laws or rules against insider trading. Insider trading occurs when a person buys or sells a company's securities based on material non-public information about that company. In addition, some countries may have legal systems that may make it difficult for the Fund to vote proxies, exercise shareholder rights, and pursue legal remedies with respect to its Non-U.S. Securities.

Settlement and clearance procedures in certain foreign markets differ significantly from those in the United States. Supervisory authorities may also be unable to apply standards which are comparable with those in the United States. Foreign settlement and clearance procedures and trade regulations also may involve certain risks

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(such as delays in payment for or delivery of securities) not typically associated with the settlement of U.S. investments. Communications between the United States and foreign countries may be unreliable, increasing the risk of delayed settlements or losses of security certificates in markets that still rely on physical settlement. At times, settlements in certain foreign countries have not kept pace with the number of securities transactions. These problems may make it difficult for the Fund to carry out transactions. If the Fund cannot settle or is delayed in settling a purchase of securities, it may miss attractive investment opportunities and certain of its assets may be uninvested with no return earned thereon for some period. If the Fund cannot settle or is delayed in settling a sale of securities, it may lose money if the value of the security then declines or, if it has contracted to sell the security to another party, the Fund could be liable for any losses incurred.

Because of uncertainties in the operation of settlement systems in individual markets, competing claims may arise in respect of securities held by or to be transferred to the Fund. Compensation schemes may not exist or may otherwise be limited or inadequate to meet the Fund's claims in case of such event.

While the volume of transactions effected on foreign stock exchanges has increased in recent years, it remains appreciably below that of the NYSE. Accordingly, the Fund's Non-U.S. Securities may be less liquid and their prices may be more volatile than comparable investments in securities in U.S. companies.

A number of countries have authorized the formation of closed-end investment companies to facilitate indirect foreign investment in their capital markets. The Investment Company Act restricts the Fund's investment in securities of other closed-end investment companies. This restriction on investments in securities of closed-end investment companies may limit opportunities for the Fund to invest indirectly in certain smaller capital markets. Shares of certain closed-end investment companies may at times be acquired only at market prices representing premiums to their NAVs. If the Fund acquires shares in closed-end investment companies, shareholders would bear both their proportionate share of the Fund's expenses (including investment advisory fees) and, indirectly, the expenses of such closed-end investment companies. The Fund also may seek, at its own cost, to create its own investment entities under the laws of certain countries.

The Fund may file claims to recover withholding tax on dividend and interest income (if any) received from issuers in certain countries where such withholding tax reclaim is possible. Whether or when the Fund will receive a withholding tax refund in the future is within the control of the tax authorities in such countries. Where the Fund expects to recover withholding tax based on a continuous assessment of probability of recovery, the NAV of the Fund generally includes accruals for such tax refunds. The Fund continues to evaluate tax developments for potential impact to the probability of recovery. If the likelihood of receiving refunds materially decreases, for example due to a change in tax regulation or approach, accruals in the Fund's NAV for such refunds may need to be written down partially or in full, which will adversely affect the Fund's NAV. Investors in the Fund at the time an accrual is written down will bear the impact of any resulting reduction in NAV regardless of whether they were investors during the accrual period. Conversely, if the Fund receives a tax refund that has not been previously accrued, investors in the Fund at the time the claim is successful will benefit from any resulting increase in the Fund's NAV. Investors who sold their shares prior to such time will not benefit from such NAV increase.

*Emerging Markets Risk* 

The Fund may invest in Non-U.S. Securities of issuers in so-called "emerging markets." Such investments are particularly speculative and entail all of the risks of investing in Non-U.S. Securities but to a heightened degree. Emerging market countries generally include countries classified as emerging or developing markets by major index providers (such as MSCI or FTSE), which typically exhibit characteristics such as lower per capita income, less developed capital markets, greater political or economic instability, or less regulatory oversight relative to developed markets. Such countries may also include "frontier" markets, which are typically smaller, less liquid, and less accessible than other emerging markets. Investments in the securities of issuers domiciled in countries with emerging capital markets involve certain additional risks that do not generally apply to

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investments in securities of issuers in more developed capital markets, such as (i) low or non-existent trading volume, resulting in a lack of liquidity and increased volatility in prices for such securities, as compared to securities of comparable issuers in more developed capital markets; (ii) uncertain national policies and social, political and economic instability, increasing the potential for expropriation of assets, confiscatory taxation, high rates of inflation or unfavorable diplomatic developments; (iii) possible fluctuations in exchange rates, differing legal systems and the existence or possible imposition of exchange controls, custodial restrictions or other foreign or U.S. Governmental laws or restrictions applicable to such investments; (iv) national policies that may limit the Fund's investment opportunities such as restrictions on investment in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to national interests; and (v) the lack or relatively early development of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property.

Foreign investment in certain emerging market countries may be restricted or controlled to varying degrees. These restrictions or controls may at times limit or preclude foreign investment in certain emerging market issuers and increase the costs and expenses of the Fund. Certain emerging market countries require governmental approval prior to investments by foreign persons in a particular issuer, limit the amount of investment by foreign persons in a particular issuer, limit the investment by foreign persons only to a specific class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the classes available for purchase by domiciliaries of the countries and/or impose additional taxes on foreign investors.

Emerging markets are more likely to experience hyperinflation and currency devaluations, which adversely affect returns to U.S. investors. In addition, many emerging markets have far lower trading volumes and less liquidity than developed markets. Since these markets are often small, they may be more likely to suffer sharp and frequent price changes or long-term price depression because of adverse publicity, investor perceptions or the actions of a few large investors. In addition, traditional measures of investment value used in the United States, such as price to earnings ratios, may not apply to certain small markets. Also, there may be less publicly available information about issuers in emerging markets than would be available about issuers in more developed capital markets, and such issuers may not be subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements comparable to those to which U.S. companies are subject. In certain countries with emerging capital markets, reporting standards vary widely.

Many emerging markets have histories of political instability and abrupt changes in policies and these countries may lack the social, political and economic stability characteristic of more developed countries. As a result, their governments are more likely to take actions that are hostile or detrimental to private enterprise or foreign investment than those of more developed countries, including expropriation of assets, confiscatory taxation, high rates of inflation or unfavorable diplomatic developments. In the past, governments of such nations have expropriated substantial amounts of private property, and most claims of the property owners have never been fully settled. There is no assurance that such expropriations will not reoccur. In such an event, it is possible that the Fund could lose the entire value of its investments in the affected market. Some countries have pervasiveness of corruption and crime that may hinder investments. Certain emerging markets may also face other significant internal or external risks, including the risk of war, and ethnic, religious and racial conflicts. In addition, governments in many emerging market countries participate to a significant degree in their economies and securities markets, which may impair investment and economic growth. National policies that may limit the Fund's investment opportunities include restrictions on investment in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to national interests. In such a dynamic environment, there can be no assurances that any or all of these capital markets will continue to present viable investment opportunities for the Fund.

Emerging markets may also have differing legal systems and the existence or possible imposition of exchange controls, custodial restrictions or other foreign or U.S. Governmental laws or restrictions applicable to such investments. Sometimes, they may lack or be in the relatively early development of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property. Many emerging markets do not have income tax treaties with the United States, and as a result, investments by the Fund may be subject to higher withholding

taxes in such countries. In addition, some countries with emerging markets may impose differential capital gains

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taxes on foreign investors. Foreign companies with securities listed on U.S. exchanges may be delisted if they do not meet U.S. accounting standards and auditor oversight requirements, which may significantly decrease the liquidity and value of the securities.

Practices in relation to settlement of securities transactions in emerging markets involve higher risks than those in developed markets, in part because the Fund will need to use brokers and counterparties that are less well capitalized, and custody and registration of assets in some countries may be unreliable. The possibility of fraud, negligence, undue influence being exerted by the issuer or refusal to recognize ownership exists in some emerging markets, and, along with other factors, could result in ownership registration being completely lost.

The Fund would absorb any loss resulting from such registration problems and may have no successful claim for compensation. In addition, communications between the United States and emerging market countries may be unreliable, increasing the risk of delayed settlements or losses of security certificates.

*Frontier Markets Risk* 

Frontier countries generally have smaller economies or less developed capital markets than traditional emerging markets, and, as a result, the risks of investing in emerging market countries are magnified in frontier countries. The economies of frontier countries are less correlated to global economic cycles than those of their more developed counterparts and their markets have low trading volumes and the potential for extreme price volatility and illiquidity. This volatility may be further heightened by the actions of a few major investors. For example, a substantial increase or decrease in cash flows of mutual funds investing in these markets could significantly affect local stock prices and, therefore, the NAV of Fund's shares. These factors make investing in frontier countries significantly riskier than in other countries and any one of them could cause the NAV of a Fund's shares to decline.

Governments of many frontier countries in which the Fund may invest may exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. In some cases, the governments of such frontier countries may own or control certain companies. Accordingly, government actions could have a significant effect on economic conditions in a frontier country and on market conditions, prices and yields of securities in the Fund's portfolio. Moreover, the economies of frontier countries may be heavily dependent upon international trade and, accordingly, have been and may continue to be, adversely affected by trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values and other protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries with which they trade. These economies also have been and may continue to be adversely affected by economic conditions in the countries with which they trade.

Certain foreign governments in countries in which the Fund may invest levy withholding or other taxes on dividend and interest income. Although in some countries a portion of these taxes are recoverable, the non-recovered portion of foreign withholding taxes will reduce the income received from investments in such countries.

From time to time, certain companies in which the Fund may invest may operate in, or have dealings with, countries subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and the United Nations and/or countries identified by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism. A company may suffer damage to its reputation if it is identified as a company that operates in, or has dealings with, countries subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and the United Nations and/or countries identified by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism. As an investor in such companies, the Fund will be indirectly subject to those risks.

Investment in equity securities of issuers operating in certain frontier countries is restricted or controlled to varying degrees. These restrictions or controls may at times limit or preclude foreign investment in equity securities of issuers operating in certain frontier countries and increase the costs and expenses of the Fund.

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Certain frontier countries require governmental approval prior to investments by foreign persons, limit the amount of investment by foreign persons in a particular issuer, limit the investment by foreign persons only to a specific class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous rights than the classes available for purchase by domiciliaries of the countries and/or impose additional taxes on foreign investors. Certain frontier countries may also restrict investment opportunities in issuers in industries deemed important to national interests.

Frontier countries may require governmental approval for the repatriation of investment income, capital or the proceeds of sales of securities by foreign investors, such as the Fund. In addition, if deterioration occurs in a frontier country's balance of payments, the country could impose temporary restrictions on foreign capital remittances. The Fund could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, any required governmental approval for repatriation of capital, as well as by the application to the Fund of any restrictions on investments. Investing in local markets in frontier countries may require the Fund to adopt special procedures, seek local government approvals or take other actions, each of which may involve additional costs to the Fund.

*EMU and Redenomination Risk* 

Any partial or complete dissolution of the Economic and Monetary Union (the "EMU") could have significant adverse effects on currency and financial markets, and on the values of the Fund's portfolio investments. If one or more EMU countries were to stop using the Euro as its primary currency, the Fund's investments in such countries may be redenominated into a different or newly adopted currency. As a result, the value of those investments could decline significantly and unpredictably. In addition, securities or other investments that are redenominated may be subject to foreign currency risk, liquidity risk and valuation risk to a greater extent than similar investments currently denominated in Euros. To the extent a currency used for redenomination purposes is not specified in respect of certain EMU-related investments, or should the Euro cease to be used entirely, the currency in which such investments are denominated may be unclear, making such investments particularly difficult to value or dispose of. The Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek judicial or other clarification of the denomination or value of such securities.

*Foreign Currency Risk* 

Because the Fund may invest in securities denominated or quoted in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, changes in foreign currency exchange rates may affect the value of securities held by the Fund and the unrealized appreciation or depreciation of investments. Currencies of certain countries may be volatile and therefore may affect the value of securities denominated in such currencies, which means that the Fund's NAV could decline as a result of changes in the exchange rates between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. The Advisor may, but is not required to, elect for the Fund to seek to protect itself from changes in currency exchange rates through hedging transactions depending on market conditions. In addition, certain countries, particularly emerging market countries, may impose foreign currency exchange controls or other restrictions on the transferability, repatriation or convertibility of currency.

*Sovereign Government and Supranational Debt Risk* 

Investments in sovereign debt involve special risks. Foreign governmental issuers of debt or the governmental authorities that control the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or pay interest when due. In the event of default, there may be limited or no legal recourse in that, generally, remedies for defaults must be pursued in the courts of the defaulting party. Political conditions, especially a sovereign entity's willingness to meet the terms of its debt obligations, are of considerable significance. The ability of a foreign sovereign issuer, especially an emerging market country, to make timely payments on its debt obligations will also be strongly influenced by the sovereign issuer's balance of payments, including export performance, its access to international credit facilities and investments, fluctuations of interest rates and the

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extent of its foreign reserves. The cost of servicing external debt will also generally be adversely affected by rising international interest rates, as many external debt obligations bear interest at rates which are adjusted based upon international interest rates. Also, there can be no assurances that the holders of commercial bank loans to the same sovereign entity may not contest payments to the holders of sovereign debt in the event of default under commercial bank loan agreements. In addition, there is no bankruptcy proceeding with respect to sovereign debt on which a sovereign has defaulted and the Fund may be unable to collect all or any part of its investment in a particular issue. Foreign investment in certain sovereign debt is restricted or controlled to varying degrees, including requiring governmental approval for the repatriation of income, capital or proceeds of sales by foreign investors. These restrictions or controls may at times limit or preclude foreign investment in certain sovereign debt and increase the costs and expenses of the Fund.

*Tax Characterization Risk* 

As part of its strategy, the Fund will seek to invest in select less liquid or illiquid private credit investments, generally involving corporate borrowers or asset-based collateral, that are believed to present the potential for higher yield versus some of the more liquid portions of the Fund's portfolio. The Fund's net assets allocated to such investments may vary over time. The amount of taxable income and the tax character of income derived from these types of investments may not be determined at the time of a distribution from the Fund and may be recharacterized on IRS Form 1099, and any increase in the amount of taxable income recognized from these transactions over the amount initially anticipated by the Fund could, among other things, increase the portion of Fund distributions that are taxable to investors as ordinary dividend income and cause the Fund to be subject to excise taxes on undistributed taxable income. Additionally, to the extent the Fund's investments are held in a liquidating trust, shareholder distributions paid out of the liquidating trust may be reported on a Grantor Information Statement.

*Yield and Ratings Risk* 

The yields on debt obligations are dependent on a variety of factors, including general market conditions, conditions in the particular market for the obligation, the financial condition of the issuer, the size of the offering, the maturity of the obligation and the ratings of the issue. The ratings of Moody's, S&P and Fitch, which are described in Appendix A to the SAI, represent their respective opinions as to the quality of the obligations they undertake to rate. Ratings, however, are general and are not absolute standards of quality. Consequently, obligations with the same rating, maturity and interest rate may have different market prices. Subsequent to its purchase by the Fund, a rated security may cease to be rated. The Advisor will consider such an event in determining whether the Fund should continue to hold the security.

*Unrated Securities Risk* 

Because the Fund may purchase securities that are not rated by any rating organization, the Advisor may, after assessing their credit quality, internally assign ratings to certain of those securities in categories similar to those of rating organizations. Some unrated securities may not have an active trading market or may be difficult to value, which means the Fund might have difficulty selling them promptly at an acceptable price. To the extent that the Fund invests in unrated securities, the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective will be more dependent on the Advisor's credit analysis than would be the case when the Fund invests in rated securities.

*Debtor-In-Possession ("DIP") Financing Risk* 

The Fund's participation in DIP financings is subject to risks. DIP financings are arranged when an entity seeks the protections of the bankruptcy court under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and must be approved by the bankruptcy court. These financings allow the entity to continue its business operations while reorganizing under Chapter 11. DIP financings are typically fully secured by a lien on the debtor's otherwise unencumbered assets or secured by a junior lien on the debtor's encumbered assets (so long as the loan is fully

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secured based on the most recent current valuation or appraisal report of the debtor). DIP financings are often required to close with certainty and in a rapid manner in order to satisfy existing creditors and to enable the issuer to emerge from bankruptcy or to avoid a bankruptcy proceeding. There is a risk that the borrower will not emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings and be forced to liquidate its assets under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. In the event of liquidation, the Fund's only recourse will be against the property securing the DIP financing.

*CDO Risk* 

In addition to the general risks associated with fixed income securities discussed herein, CDOs, including CLOs, carry additional risks, including: (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; (iii) the possibility that the CDO securities are subordinate to other classes; and (iv) the complex structure of the security may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the issuer or unexpected investment results. To the extent the Fund makes equity investments in CDOs, and depending on whether these investments are characterized as debt or equity for U.S. federal income tax purposes, these investments may raise additional U.S. federal income tax issues, including (i) those applicable to debt instruments, as described above, (ii) those applicable to a holder of an equity investment in a non-U.S. corporation, as described above in "—Non-U.S. Securities Risk," and (iii) the risk of material entity-level U.S. federal income tax on income of the CDOs or CLOs that is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business.

The credit quality of CDOs depends primarily upon the quality of the underlying assets and the level of credit support and/or enhancement provided. The underlying assets (e.g., loans) of CDOs are subject to prepayments, which shorten the weighted average maturity and may lower the return of CDOs. If the credit support or enhancement is exhausted, losses or delays in payment may result if the required payments of principal and interest are not made. The transaction documents relating to the issuance of CDOs may impose eligibility criteria on the assets of the issuing SPE, restrict the ability of the investment manager to trade investments and impose certain portfolio-wide asset quality requirements. These criteria, restrictions and requirements may limit the ability of the SPE's investment manager to maximize returns on the CDOs. In addition, other parties involved in structured products, such as third party credit enhancers and investors in the rated tranches, may impose requirements that have an adverse effect on the returns of the various tranches of CDOs. Furthermore, CDO transaction documents generally contain provisions that, in the event that certain tests are not met (generally interest coverage and over-collateralization tests at varying levels in the capital structure), proceeds that would otherwise be distributed to holders of a junior tranche must be diverted to pay down the senior tranches until such tests are satisfied. Failure (or increased likelihood of failure) of a CDO to make timely payments on a particular tranche will have an adverse effect on the liquidity and market value of such tranche.

Payments to holders of CDOs may be subject to deferral. If cash flows generated by the underlying assets are insufficient to make all current and, if applicable, deferred payments on the CDOs, no other assets will be available for payment of the deficiency and, following realization of the underlying assets, the obligations of the issuer to pay such deficiency will be extinguished.

The value of CDO securities also may change because of changes in the market's perception of the creditworthiness of the servicing agent for the pool, the originator of the pool, or the financial institution or fund providing the credit support or enhancement. Furthermore, the leveraged nature of each subordinated class may magnify the adverse impact on such class of changes in the value of the assets, changes in the distributions on the assets, defaults and recoveries on the assets, capital gains and losses on the assets, prepayment on the assets and availability, price and interest rates of the assets. CDOs are limited recourse, may not be paid in full and may be subject to up to 100% loss.

CDOs are typically privately offered and sold, and thus are not registered under the securities laws. As a result, investments in CDOs may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities; however, an active dealer market may exist which would allow such securities to be considered liquid in some circumstances.

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*Limited Amortization Requirements* 

The Fund may invest in loans that have limited mandatory amortization requirements. While these loans may obligate an issuer to repay the loan out of asset sale proceeds, with annual excess cash flow or by refinancing upon maturity, repayment requirements may be subject to substantial limitations that would allow an issuer to retain such asset sale proceeds or cash flow, thereby extending the expected weighted average life of the investment. In addition, a low level of amortization of any debt over the life of the investment may increase the risk that an issuer will not be able to repay or refinance the loans held by the Fund when it matures.

*Investments in Publicly Traded Companies* 

The Fund's investment portfolio may contain securities or instruments issued by publicly-held companies. Such investments may subject the Fund to risks that differ in type or degree from those involved with investments in privately-held companies. Such risks include, without limitation, greater volatility in the valuation of such companies, increased obligations to disclose information regarding such companies, limitations on the ability of the Fund to dispose of such securities or instruments at certain times, increased likelihood of shareholder litigation against such companies' board members and increased costs associated with each of the aforementioned risks.

In addition, in respect of the Fund's publicly traded debt investments, the Fund will not obtain financial covenants or other contractual rights, including management rights, that it might otherwise be able to obtain in making privately-negotiated investments. Moreover, the Fund may not have the same access to information in connection with investments in public securities, either when investing a potential investment or after making an investment, as compared to privately-negotiated investments. Furthermore, the Fund may be limited in its ability to make investments, and to sell existing investments, in public securities because the Advisor may be deemed to have material, nonpublic information regarding the issuers of those securities or as a result of other internal policies.

*Zero Coupon Securities Risk* 

Zero coupon securities are securities that are sold at a discount to par value and do not pay interest during the life of the security. The discount approximates the total amount of interest the security will accrue and compound over the period until maturity at a rate of interest reflecting the market rate of the security at the time of issuance. Upon maturity, the holder of a zero coupon security is entitled to receive the par value of the security.

The Fund accrues income with respect to these securities for U.S. federal income tax and accounting purposes prior to the receipt of cash payments. Zero coupon securities may be subject to greater fluctuation in value and less liquidity in the event of adverse market conditions than comparably rated securities that pay cash interest at regular intervals.

Further, to maintain its qualification for pass-through treatment under the U.S. federal tax laws, the Fund is required to distribute income to its shareholders and, consequently, may have to dispose of other, more liquid portfolio securities under disadvantageous circumstances or may have to leverage itself by borrowing in order to generate the cash to satisfy these distributions. The required distributions may result in an increase in the Fund's exposure to zero coupon securities.

In addition to the above-described risks, there are certain other risks related to investing in zero coupon securities. During a period of severe market conditions, the market for such securities may become even less liquid. In addition, as these securities do not pay cash interest, the Fund's investment exposure to these securities and their risks, including credit risk, will increase during the time these securities are held in the Fund's portfolio.

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*Pay-in-Kind Bonds Risk* 

The Fund may invest in PIK Bonds. PIK Bonds are bonds which pay interest through the issuance of additional debt or equity securities. Similar to zero coupon obligations, pay-in-kind bonds also carry additional risk as holders of these types of securities realize no cash until the cash payment date unless a portion of such securities is sold and, if the issuer defaults, the Fund may obtain no return at all on its investment. The market price of pay-in-kind bonds is affected by interest rate changes to a greater extent, and therefore tends to be more volatile, than that of securities that pay interest in cash. Additionally, current U.S. federal income tax law requires the holder of certain pay-in-kind bonds to accrue income with respect to these securities prior to the receipt of cash payments. To maintain its qualification as a RIC and avoid liability for U.S. federal income and excise taxes, the Fund may be required to distribute income accrued with respect to these securities and may have to dispose of portfolio securities under disadvantageous circumstances in order to generate cash to satisfy these distribution requirements.

*Senior Loans Risk* 

Senior Loans typically hold the most senior position in the capital structure of the issuing entity, are typically secured with specific collateral and typically have a claim on the assets and/or stock of the Borrower that is senior to that held by subordinated debt holders and stockholders of the Borrower. The Fund's investments in Senior Loans are typically below investment grade and are considered speculative because of the credit risk of their issuer. The risks associated with Senior Loans are similar to the risks of below investment grade fixed income securities, although Senior Loans are typically senior and secured in contrast to other below investment grade fixed income securities, which are often subordinated and unsecured. See "—Below Investment Grade Securities Risk." Senior Loans' higher standing has historically resulted in generally higher recoveries in the event of a corporate reorganization. In addition, because their interest payments are typically adjusted for changes in short-term interest rates, investments in Senior Loans generally have less interest rate risk than other below investment grade fixed income securities, which may have fixed interest rates.

There is less readily available, reliable information about most Senior Loans than is the case for many other types of securities. In addition, there is no minimum rating or other independent evaluation of a Borrower or its securities limiting the Fund's investments, and the Advisor relies primarily on its own evaluation of a Borrower's credit quality rather than on any available independent sources. As a result, the Fund is particularly dependent on the analytical ability of the Advisor.

The Fund may invest in Senior Loans rated below investment grade, which are considered speculative because of the credit risk of their issuers. Such companies are more likely to default on their payments of interest and principal owed to the Fund, and such defaults could reduce the Fund's NAV and income distributions. An economic downturn generally leads to a higher non-payment rate and a Senior Loan may lose significant value before a default occurs. Moreover, any specific collateral used to secure a Senior Loan may decline in value or become illiquid, which would adversely affect the Senior Loan's value.

No active trading market may exist for certain Senior Loans, which may impair the ability of the Fund to realize full value in the event of the need to sell a Senior Loan and may make it difficult to value Senior Loans. Adverse market conditions may impair the liquidity of some actively traded Senior Loans, meaning that the Fund may not be able to sell them quickly at a fair price. To the extent that a secondary market does exist for certain Senior Loans, the market may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods. Illiquid investments are also difficult to value.

Although the Senior Loans in which the Fund may invest generally will be secured by specific collateral, there can be no assurances that liquidation of such collateral would satisfy the Borrower's obligation in the event of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal or that such collateral could be readily liquidated. In the event of the bankruptcy of a Borrower, the Fund could experience delays or limitations with respect to its ability to

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realize the benefits of the collateral securing a Senior Loan. If the terms of a Senior Loan do not require the Borrower to pledge additional collateral in the event of a decline in the value of the already pledged collateral, the Fund will be exposed to the risk that the value of the collateral will not at all times equal or exceed the amount of the Borrower's obligations under the Senior Loans. To the extent that a Senior Loan is collateralized by stock in the Borrower or its subsidiaries, such stock may lose all of its value in the event of the bankruptcy of the Borrower. Uncollateralized Senior Loans involve a greater risk of loss. Some Senior Loans are subject to the risk that a court, pursuant to fraudulent conveyance or other similar laws, could subordinate the Senior Loans to presently existing or future indebtedness of the Borrower or take other action detrimental to lenders, including the Fund. Such court action could under certain circumstances include invalidation of Senior Loans.

Senior Loans are subject to legislative risk. If legislation or state or federal regulations impose additional requirements or restrictions on the ability of financial institutions to make loans, the availability of Senior Loans for investment by the Fund may be adversely affected. In addition, such requirements or restrictions could reduce or eliminate sources of financing for certain Borrowers. This would increase the risk of default. If legislation or federal or state regulations require financial institutions to increase their capital requirements this may cause financial institutions to dispose of Senior Loans that are considered highly levered transactions. Such sales could result in prices that, in the opinion of the Advisor, do not represent fair value. If the Fund attempts to sell a Senior Loan at a time when a financial institution is engaging in such a sale, the price the Fund could receive for the Senior Loan may be adversely affected.

The Fund may acquire Senior Loan assignments or participations. The purchaser of an assignment typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations of the assigning institution and becomes a lender under the credit agreement with respect to the debt obligation; however, the purchaser's rights can be more restricted than those of the assigning institution, and, in any event, the Fund may not be able to unilaterally enforce all rights and remedies under the loan and with regard to any associated collateral. A participation typically results in a contractual relationship only with the institution participating out the interest, not with the Borrower. In purchasing participations, the Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the Borrower with the terms of the loan agreement against the Borrower and the Fund may not directly benefit from the collateral supporting the debt obligation in which it has purchased the participation. As a result, the Fund will be exposed to the credit risk of both the Borrower and the institution selling the participation.

The Fund's investments in Senior Loans may be subject to lender liability risk. Lender liability refers to a variety of legal theories generally founded on the premise that a lender has violated a duty of good faith, commercial reasonableness and fair dealing or a similar duty owed to the Borrower, or has assumed an excessive degree of control over the Borrower resulting in the creation of a fiduciary duty owed to the Borrower or its other creditors or shareholders. Because of the nature of its investments, the Fund may be subject to allegations of lender liability. In addition, under common law principles that in some cases form the basis for lender liability claims, a court may elect to subordinate the claim of the offending lender or bondholder to the claims of the disadvantaged creditor or creditors.

*Second Lien Loans Risk* 

Second Lien Loans generally are subject to similar risks as those associated with investments in Senior Loans. Because Second Lien Loans are subordinated or unsecured and thus lower in priority of payment to Senior Loans, they are subject to the additional risk that the cash flow of the Borrower and property securing the loan or debt, if any, may be insufficient to meet scheduled payments after giving effect to the senior secured obligations of the Borrower. This risk is generally higher for subordinated unsecured loans or debt, which are not backed by a security interest in any specific collateral. Second Lien Loans generally have greater price volatility than Senior Loans and may be less liquid. Second Lien Loans share the same risks as other below investment grade securities.

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*Mezzanine Investments Risk* 

Mezzanine securities generally are rated below investment grade and frequently are unrated and present many of the same risks as senior loans, second lien loans and non-investment grade bonds. However, unlike senior loans and second lien loans, mezzanine securities are not a senior or secondary secured obligation of the related borrower. They typically are the most subordinated debt obligation in an issuer's capital structure. Mezzanine securities also may often be unsecured. Mezzanine securities therefore are subject to the additional risk that the cash flow of the related borrower and the property securing the loan may be insufficient to repay the scheduled obligation after giving effect to any senior obligations of the related borrower. Mezzanine securities are also expected to be a highly illiquid investment. Mezzanine securities will be subject to certain additional risks to the extent that such loans may not be protected by financial covenants or limitations upon additional indebtedness. Investment in mezzanine securities is a highly specialized investment practice that depends more heavily on independent credit analysis than investments in other types of debt obligations.

*Corporate Loans Risk* 

Commercial banks and other financial institutions or institutional investors make corporate loans to companies that need capital to grow or restructure. Borrowers generally pay interest on corporate loans at rates that change in response to changes in market interest rates such as SOFR or the prime rates of U.S. banks. As a result, the value of corporate loan investments is generally less exposed to the adverse effects of shifts in market interest rates than investments that pay a fixed rate of interest. However, because the trading market for certain corporate loans may be less developed than the secondary market for bonds and notes, the Fund may experience difficulties in selling its corporate loans. Transactions in corporate loans may settle on a delayed basis. As a result, the proceeds from the sale of corporate loans may not be readily available to make additional investments or to meet the Fund's redemption obligations. To the extent the extended settlement process gives rise to short-term liquidity needs, the Fund may hold additional cash, sell investments or temporarily borrow from banks and other lenders. Leading financial institutions often act as agent for a broader group of lenders, generally referred to as a syndicate. The syndicate's agent arranges the corporate loans, holds collateral and accepts payments of principal and interest. Failure by the syndicate agent to fulfill its obligations may delay or adversely affect receipt of payment by the Fund. By investing in a corporate loan, the Fund may become a member of the syndicate.

The market for corporate loans may be subject to irregular trading activity and wide bid/ask spreads.

The corporate loans in which the Fund invests are subject to the risk of loss of principal and income. Although borrowers frequently provide collateral to secure repayment of these obligations they do not always do so. If they do provide collateral, the value of the collateral may not completely cover the borrower's obligations at the time of a default. If a borrower files for protection from its creditors under the U.S. bankruptcy laws, these laws may limit the Fund's rights to its collateral. In addition, the value of collateral may erode during a bankruptcy case. In the event of a bankruptcy, the holder of a corporate loan may not recover its principal, may experience a long delay in recovering its investment and may not receive interest during the delay.

*Risks of Loan Assignments and Participations* 

As the purchaser of an assignment, the Fund typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations of the assigning institution and becomes a lender under the credit agreement with respect to the debt obligation; however, the Fund may not be able to unilaterally enforce all rights and remedies under the loan and with regard to any associated collateral. Because assignments may be arranged through private negotiations between potential assignees and potential assignors, the rights and obligations acquired by the Fund as the purchaser of an assignment may differ from, and be more limited than, those held by the assigning lender. In addition, if the loan is foreclosed, the Fund could become part owner of any collateral and could bear the costs and liabilities of owning and disposing of the collateral. The Fund may be required to pass along to a purchaser that buys a loan from the Fund by way of assignment a portion of any fees to which the Fund is entitled under the loan. In connection with purchasing participations, the Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the

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borrower with the terms of the loan agreement relating to the loan, nor any rights of set-off against the borrower, and the Fund may not directly benefit from any collateral supporting the loan in which it has purchased the participation. As a result, the Fund will be subject to the credit risk of both the borrower and the lender that is selling the participation. In the event of the insolvency of the lender selling a participation, the Fund may be treated as a general creditor of the lender and may not benefit from any set-off between the lender and the borrower.

*Reference Rate Replacement Risk* 

The London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") had historically been used extensively in the U.S. and globally as a "benchmark" or "reference rate" for various commercial and financial contracts, including corporate and municipal bonds, bank loans, asset-backed and mortgage-related securities, interest rate swaps and other derivatives. Instruments in which the Fund invests may have historically paid interest at floating rates based on LIBOR or may have been subject to interest caps or floors based on LIBOR. The Fund and issuers of instruments in which the Fund invests may have also historically obtained financing at floating rates based on LIBOR. In connection with the global transition away from LIBOR led by regulators and market participants as a result of benchmark reforms, LIBOR was last published on a representative basis at the end of June 2023. Alternative reference rates to LIBOR have been established in most major currencies and markets in these alternative rates are continuing to develop (e.g., SOFR for USD-LIBOR). While the transition from LIBOR has gone relatively smoothly, residual risks associated with the transition may remain that may impact markets or particular investments and, as such, the full impact of the transition on the Fund or the financial instruments in which the Fund invests cannot yet be fully determined.

SOFR is intended to be a broad measure of the cost of borrowing funds overnight in transactions that are collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities. SOFR is calculated based on transaction-level repo data collected from various sources. For each trading day, SOFR is calculated as a volume-weighted median rate derived from such data. Because SOFR is a financing rate based on overnight secured funding transactions, it differs fundamentally from LIBOR. LIBOR is intended to be an unsecured rate that represents interbank funding costs for different short-term maturities or tenors. It is a forward-looking rate reflecting expectations regarding interest rates for the applicable tenor. Thus, LIBOR is intended to be sensitive, in certain respects, to bank credit risk and to term interest rate risk. In contrast, SOFR is a secured overnight rate reflecting the credit of U.S. Treasury securities as collateral. Thus, it is largely insensitive to credit-risk considerations and to short-term interest rate risks. SOFR is a transaction-based rate, and it has been more volatile than other benchmark or market rates, such as three-month LIBOR, during certain periods. For these reasons, among others, there is no assurance that SOFR, or rates derived from SOFR, will perform in the same or similar way as LIBOR would have performed at any time, and there is no assurance that SOFR-based rates will be a suitable substitute for LIBOR. SOFR has a relatively limited history, having been first published in April 2018. The future performance of SOFR, and SOFR-based reference rates, cannot be predicted based on SOFR's history or otherwise. Levels of SOFR in the future may bear little or no relation to historical levels of SOFR, LIBOR or other rates. There can also be no assurance that SOFR will not be discontinued or fundamentally altered in a manner that is materially adverse to the interests of the Fund.

In addition, interest rates or other types of rates and indices which are classified as "benchmarks" have been the subject of ongoing national and international regulatory reform, including under the European Union ("EU") regulation on indices used as benchmarks in financial instruments and financial contracts (known as the "Benchmarks Regulation"). The Benchmarks Regulation has been enacted into United Kingdom ("UK") law by virtue of the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as amended), subject to amendments made by the Benchmarks (Amendment and Transitional Provision) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (SI 2019/657) and other statutory instruments. Following the implementation of these reforms, the manner of administration of benchmarks has changed and may further change in the future, with the result that relevant benchmarks may perform differently

than in the past, the use of benchmarks that are not compliant with the new standards by certain supervised

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entities may be restricted, and certain benchmarks may be eliminated entirely. Such changes could cause increased market volatility and disruptions in liquidity for instruments that rely on or are impacted by such benchmarks. Additionally, there could be other consequences which cannot be predicted.

*Trade Claims Risk* 

Trade claims are typically unsecured and may be subordinated to other unsecured obligations of a debtor, and generally are subject to defenses of the debtor with respect to the underlying transaction giving rise to the trade claim. Trade claims are subject to risks not generally associated with standardized securities and instruments due to the idiosyncratic nature of the claims purchased. These risks include the risk that the debtor may contest the allowance of the claim due to disputes the debtor has with the original claimant or the inequitable conduct of the original claimant, or due to administrative errors in connection with the transfer of the claim. Recovery on allowed trade claims may also be impaired if the anticipated dividend payable on unsecured claims in the bankruptcy is not realized or if the timing of the bankruptcy distribution is delayed. As a result of the foregoing factors, trade claims are also subject to the risk that if the Fund does receive payment, it may be in an amount less than what the Fund paid for or otherwise expects to receive in respect of the claim.

In addition, because they are not negotiable instruments, trade claims are typically less liquid than negotiable instruments. Given these factors, trade claims often trade at a discount to other pari passu instruments.

*Insolvency of Issuers of Indebtedness Risk* 

Various laws enacted for the protection of creditors may apply to indebtedness in which the Fund invests. The information in this and the following paragraph is applicable with respect to U.S. issuers subject to U.S. federal bankruptcy law. Insolvency considerations may differ with respect to other issuers. If, in a lawsuit brought by an unpaid creditor or representative of creditors of an issuer of indebtedness, a court were to find that the issuer did not receive fair consideration or reasonably equivalent value for incurring the indebtedness and that, after giving effect to such indebtedness, the issuer (i) was insolvent, (ii) was engaged in a business for which the remaining assets of such issuer constituted unreasonably small capital or (iii) intended to incur, or believed that it would incur, debts beyond its ability to pay such debts as they mature, such court could determine to invalidate, in whole or in part, such indebtedness as a fraudulent conveyance, to subordinate such indebtedness to existing or future creditors of such issuer, or to recover amounts previously paid by such issuer in satisfaction of such indebtedness. The measure of insolvency for purposes of the foregoing will vary. Generally, an issuer would be considered insolvent at a particular time if the sum of its debts was then greater than all of its property at a fair valuation, or if the present fair saleable value of its assets was then less than the amount that would be required to pay its probable liabilities on its existing debts as they became absolute and matured. There can be no assurances as to what standard a court would apply in order to determine whether the issuer was "insolvent" after giving effect to the incurrence of the indebtedness in which the Fund invested or that, regardless of the method of valuation, a court would not determine that the issuer was "insolvent" upon giving effect to such incurrence. In addition, in the event of the insolvency of an issuer of indebtedness in which the Fund invests, payments made on such indebtedness could be subject to avoidance as a "preference" if made within a certain period of time (which may be as long as one year) before insolvency.

The Fund does not anticipate that it will engage in conduct that would form the basis for a successful cause of action based upon fraudulent conveyance, preference or subordination. There can be no assurances, however, as to whether any lending institution or other party from which the Fund may acquire such indebtedness engaged in any such conduct (or any other conduct that would subject such indebtedness and the Fund to insolvency laws) and, if it did, as to whether such creditor claims could be asserted in a U.S. court (or in the courts of any other country) against the Fund.

Indebtedness consisting of obligations of non-U.S. issuers may be subject to various laws enacted in the countries of their issuance for the protection of creditors. These insolvency considerations will differ depending on the country in which each issuer is located or domiciled and may differ depending on whether the issuer is a non-sovereign or a sovereign entity.

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*Mortgage Related Securities Risks* 

Investing in MBS entails various risks. MBS represent an interest in a pool of mortgages. The risks associated with MBS include: credit risk associated with the performance of the underlying mortgage properties and of the borrowers owning these properties; risks associated with their structure and execution (including the collateral, the process by which principal and interest payments are allocated and distributed to investors and how credit losses affect issuing vehicles and the return to investors in such MBS); whether the collateral represents a fixed set of specific assets or accounts, whether the underlying collateral assets are revolving or closed-end, under what terms (including maturity of the MBS) any remaining balance in the accounts may revert to the issuing entity and the extent to which the entity that is the actual source of the collateral assets is obligated to provide support to the issuing vehicle or to the investors in such MBS; risks associated with the servicer of the underlying mortgages; adverse changes in economic conditions and circumstances, which are more likely to have an adverse impact on MBS secured by loans on certain types of commercial properties than on those secured by loans on residential properties; prepayment risk, which can lead to significant fluctuations in the value of the MBS; loss of all or part of the premium, if any, paid; and decline in the market value of the security, whether resulting from changes in interest rates, prepayments on the underlying mortgage collateral or perceptions of the credit risk associated with the underlying mortgage collateral. In addition, the Fund's level of investment in MBS of a particular type or in MBS issued or guaranteed by affiliated obligors, serviced by the same servicer or backed by underlying collateral located in a specific geographic region, may subject the Fund to additional risk. To the extent the Fund invests in junior tranches of MBS, it will be subject to additional risks, including the risk that proceeds that would otherwise be distributed to the Fund may be diverted to pay down more senior tranches.

When market interest rates decline, more mortgages are refinanced and the securities are paid off earlier than expected. Prepayments may also occur on a scheduled basis or due to foreclosure. During such periods, the reinvestment of prepayment proceeds by the Fund will generally be at lower rates than the rates that were carried by the obligations that have been prepaid. When market interest rates increase, the market values of MBS decline. At the same time, however, mortgage refinancings and prepayments slow, lengthening the effective maturities of these securities. As a result, the negative effect of the rate increase on the market value of MBS is usually more pronounced than it is for other types of fixed income securities. Moreover, the relationship between borrower prepayments and changes in interest rates may mean some high-yielding mortgage related and other ABS have less potential for increases in value if market interest rates were to fall than conventional bonds with comparable maturities.

In general, losses on a mortgaged property securing a mortgage loan included in a securitization will be borne first by the equity holder of the property, then by a cash reserve fund or letter of credit, if any, then by the holder of a mezzanine loan or B-Note, if any, then by the "first loss" subordinated security holder (generally, the "B-Piece" buyer) and then by the holder of a higher rated security. The Fund could invest in any class of security included in a securitization. In the event of default and the exhaustion of any equity support, reserve fund, letter of credit, mezzanine loans or B-Notes, and any classes of securities junior to those in which the Fund invests, the Fund will not be able to recover all of its investment in the MBS it purchases. MBS in which the Fund invests may not contain reserve funds, letters of credit, mezzanine loans and/or junior classes of securities. The prices of lower credit quality securities are generally less sensitive to interest rate changes than more highly rated investments, but more sensitive to adverse economic downturns or individual issuer developments.

MBS generally are classified as either RMBS or CMBS, each of which are subject to certain specific risks as further described below.

<u>RMBS Risks</u>. RMBS are securities the payments on which depend primarily on the cash flow from residential mortgage loans made to borrowers that are secured by residential real estate. Non-agency residential mortgage loans are obligations of the borrowers thereunder only and are not typically insured or guaranteed by any other person or entity. The ability of a borrower to repay a loan secured by residential property is dependent upon the income or assets of the borrower. A number of factors, including a general economic downturn, acts of God, terrorism, social unrest and civil disturbances, may impair a borrower's ability to repay its loans.

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<u>Agency RMBS Risks</u>. MBS issued by FNMA or FHLMC are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by FNMA or FHLMC, but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. In 2008, the FHFA placed FNMA and FHLMC into conservatorship. FNMA and FHLMC are continuing to operate as going concerns while in conservatorship and each remains liable for all of its obligations, including its guaranty obligations, associated with its MBS. As the conservator, FHFA succeeded to all rights, titles, powers and privileges of FNMA and FHLMC and of any stockholder, officer or director of FNMA and FHLMC with respect to FNMA and FHLMC and the assets of FNMA and FHLMC. In connection with the conservatorship, the U.S. Treasury entered into an agreement with each of FNMA and FHLMC that contains various covenants that severely limit each enterprise's operations. There is no assurance that the obligations of such entities will be satisfied in full, or that such obligations will not decrease in value or default.

<u>Non-Agency RMBS Risks</u>. Non-agency RMBS are securities issued by non-governmental issuers. Non-agency RMBS have no direct or indirect government guarantees of payment and are subject to various risks as described herein.

<u>Borrower Credit Risk</u>. Credit-related risk on RMBS arises from losses due to delinquencies and defaults by the borrowers in payments on the underlying mortgage loans and breaches by originators and servicers of their obligations under the underlying documentation pursuant to which the RMBS are issued. Non-agency residential mortgage loans are obligations of the borrowers thereunder only and are not typically insured or guaranteed by any other person or entity. The rate of delinquencies and defaults on residential mortgage loans and the aggregate amount of the resulting losses will be affected by a number of factors, including general economic conditions, particularly those in the area where the related mortgaged property is located, the level of the borrower's equity in the mortgaged property and the individual financial circumstances of the borrower. If a residential mortgage loan is in default, foreclosure on the related residential property may be a lengthy and difficult process involving significant legal and other expenses. The net proceeds obtained by the holder on a residential mortgage loan following the foreclosure on the related property may be less than the total amount that remains due on the loan. The prospect of incurring a loss upon the foreclosure of the related property may lead the holder of the residential mortgage loan to restructure the residential mortgage loan or otherwise delay the foreclosure process.

<u>Legal Risks</u>. Legal risks associated with RMBS can arise as a result of the procedures followed in connection with the origination of the mortgage loans or the servicing thereof, which may be subject to various federal and state laws (including, without limitation, predatory lending laws, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 and regulations promulgated thereunder by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ("CFPB")), public policies and principles of equity that regulate interest rates and other charges, require certain disclosures, require licensing of originators, prohibit discriminatory lending practices, regulate the use of consumer credit information and debt collection practices and may limit the servicer's ability to collect all or part of the principal of or interest on a residential mortgage loan, entitle the borrower to a refund of amounts previously paid by it or subject the servicer to damages and sanctions. Specifically, provisions of federal predatory lending laws, such as the federal Truth-in-Lending Act (as supplemented by the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act of 1994 and amended by the Dodd-Frank Act) and Regulation Z, as implemented and enforced by the CFPB, and various state predatory lending laws provide that a purchaser or assignee of specified types of residential mortgage loans (including an issuer of RMBS) may be held liable for violations by the originator of such mortgage loans. In addition, the Dodd-Frank Act's ability-to-repay requirements require creditors to make a reasonable, good faith determination that a borrower has the ability to repay a residential mortgage loan, and violations of these requirements may be asserted by a borrower as a defense to foreclosure without time limitation. Under such assignee liability provisions, a borrower is generally given the right to assert against a purchaser of its mortgage loan any affirmative claims and defenses to payment that such borrower could assert against the originator of the loan or, where applicable, the home improvement contractor that arranged the loan. Liability under such assignee liability provisions could, therefore, result in a disruption of cash flows allocated to the holders of RMBS where either the issuer of such RMBS is liable for damages or is unable to enforce payment by the borrower.

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In most but not all cases, the amount recoverable against a purchaser or assignee under such assignee liability provisions is limited to amounts previously paid and still owed by the borrower. However, for violations of the ability-to-repay requirements, special statutory damages equal to the sum of all finance charges and fees paid by the consumer may be available. Moreover, sellers of residential mortgage loans to an issuer of RMBS typically represent that the loans have been originated in accordance with all applicable laws and in the event such representation is breached, the seller typically must repurchase the offending loan. Notwithstanding these protections, an issuer of RMBS may be exposed to an unquantifiable amount of potential assignee liability because, in the event a predatory lending law does not prohibit class action lawsuits, it is possible that an issuer of RMBS could be liable for damages for more than the original principal amount of the offending loans held by it. In such circumstances the issuer of RMBS may be forced to seek contribution from other parties, who may no longer exist or have adequate funds available to fund such contribution.

In addition, structural and legal risks of RMBS include the possibility that, in a bankruptcy or similar proceeding involving the originator or the servicer (often the same entity or affiliates), the assets of the issuer could be treated as never having been truly sold by the originator to the issuer and could be substantively consolidated with those of the originator, or the transfer of such assets to the issuer could be voided as a fraudulent transfer. Challenges based on such doctrines could result also in cash flow delays and losses on the related issue of RMBS.

<u>Mortgage Loan Market Risk</u>. The residential mortgage market in the United States has historically experienced periods of difficulties that have adversely affected the performance and market value of certain mortgages and mortgage-related securities, most notably during the 2007-2008 financial crisis. Delinquencies and losses on residential mortgage loans (especially sub-prime and second lien mortgage loans)increased significantly during the financial crisis and declines in or flattening of housing values in many housing markets can exacerbate such delinquencies and losses. Borrowers with adjustable rate mortgages ("ARMs") are more sensitive to changes in interest rates, which affect their monthly mortgage payments, and may be unable to secure replacement mortgages at comparably low interest rates.

At any one time, a portfolio of RMBS may be backed by residential mortgage loans that are highly concentrated in only a few states or regions. As a result, the performance of such residential mortgage loans may be more susceptible to a downturn in the economy, including in particular industries that are highly represented in such states or regions, natural calamities and other adverse conditions affecting such areas.

Another factor that may contribute to higher delinquency and default rates is the increase in monthly payments on ARMs. Any increase in prevailing market interest rates may result in increased payments for borrowers who have ARMs. Moreover, with respect to hybrid mortgage loans (which are mortgage loans combining fixed and adjustable rate features) after their initial fixed rate period or other adjustable-rate mortgage loans, interest-only products or products having a lower rate, and with respect to mortgage loans with a negative amortization feature which reach their negative amortization cap, borrowers may experience a substantial increase in their monthly payment even without an increase in prevailing market interest rates. Increases in payments for borrowers may result in increased rates of delinquencies and defaults on residential mortgage loans underlying the non-agency RMBS. In addition, adjustable rate mortgage loans that reference LIBOR have transitioned or are transitioning to alternative reference rates, such as SOFR. This transition may result in changes to the interest rates applicable to such mortgage loans and may affect the performance of RMBS backed by such loans.

As a result of concerns about increases in delinquencies and defaults on residential mortgage loans (particularly on sub-prime and adjustable-rate mortgage loans) and as a result of concerns about the financial strength of originators and servicers and their ability to perform their obligations with respect to non-agency RMBS, there may be an adverse change in the market sentiments of investors about the market values and volatility and the degree of risk of non-agency RMBS generally. Some or all of the underlying residential mortgage loans in an issue of non-agency RMBS may have balloon payments due on their respective maturity

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dates. Balloon residential mortgage loans involve a greater risk to a lender than fully amortizing loans, because the ability of a borrower to pay such amount will normally depend on its ability to obtain refinancing of the related mortgage loan or sell the related mortgaged property at a price sufficient to permit the borrower to make the balloon payment, which will depend on a number of factors prevailing at the time such refinancing or sale is required, including, without limitation, the strength of the local or national residential real estate markets, interest rates and general economic conditions and the financial condition of the borrower. If borrowers are unable to make such balloon payments, the related issue of non-agency RMBS may experience losses.

The Fund may acquire RMBS backed by collateral pools of mortgage loans that have been originated using underwriting standards that are less restrictive than those used in underwriting "prime mortgage loans" and "Alt-A mortgage loans." These lower standards include mortgage loans made to borrowers having imperfect or impaired credit histories, mortgage loans where the amount of the loan at origination is 80% or more of the value of the mortgage property, mortgage loans made to borrowers with low credit scores, mortgage loans made to borrowers who have other debt that represents a large portion of their income and mortgage loans made to borrowers whose income is not required to be disclosed or verified and are commonly referred to as "sub-prime" mortgage loans. Although new issuances of sub-prime and similar non-qualified mortgage loans have declined significantly since the 2008 financial crisis due to regulatory reforms (including the Dodd-Frank Act's ability-to-repay requirements), the Fund may hold legacy securities backed by such loans. Sub-prime mortgage loans have historically experienced increased rates of delinquency, foreclosure, bankruptcy and loss, and they are likely to continue to experience delinquency, foreclosure, bankruptcy and loss rates that are higher, and that may be substantially higher, than those experienced by mortgage loans underwritten in a more traditional manner.

Economic downturns, periods of high unemployment, or other adverse macroeconomic conditions could increase the incidence of mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures, which could adversely affect the value of any RMBS owned by the Fund. In addition, government programs such as foreclosure moratoria or forbearance programs (such as those implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic) may affect the timing and amount of payments on mortgage loans underlying RMBS.

<u>CMBS Risks</u>. CMBS are, generally, securities backed by obligations (including certificates of participation in obligations) that are principally secured by mortgages on real property or interests therein having a multifamily or commercial use, such as regional malls, other retail space, office buildings, industrial or warehouse properties, hotels, nursing homes and senior living centers. The market for CMBS developed more recently and, in terms of total outstanding principal amount of issues, is relatively small compared to the market for single-family RMBS.

CMBS are subject to particular risks, including lack of standardized terms, shorter maturities than residential mortgage loans and payment of all or substantially all of the principal only at maturity rather than regular amortization of principal. Additional risks may be presented by the type and use of a particular commercial property. Special risks are presented by hospitals, nursing homes, hospitality properties and certain other property types. Commercial property values and net operating income are subject to volatility, which may result in net operating income becoming insufficient to cover debt service on the related mortgage loan. The repayment of loans secured by income-producing properties is typically dependent upon the successful operation of the related real estate project rather than upon the liquidation value of the underlying real estate. Furthermore, the net operating income from and value of any commercial property is subject to various risks, including changes in general or local economic conditions and/or specific industry segments; the solvency of the related tenants; declines in real estate values; declines in rental or occupancy rates; increases in interest rates, real estate tax rates and other operating expenses; changes in governmental rules, regulations and fiscal policies; acts of God; new and ongoing epidemics and pandemics of infectious diseases and other global health events; natural/environmental disasters; terrorist threats and attacks and social unrest and civil disturbances. Consequently, adverse changes in economic conditions and circumstances are more likely to have an adverse impact on MBS secured by loans on commercial properties than on those secured by loans on residential properties. In addition, commercial lending generally is viewed as exposing the lender to a greater risk of loss than one- to four- family

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residential lending. Commercial lending, for example, typically involves larger loans to single borrowers or groups of related borrowers than residential one- to four- family mortgage loans. In addition, the repayment of loans secured by income producing properties typically is dependent upon the successful operation of the related real estate project and the cash flow generated therefrom.

The exercise of remedies and successful realization of liquidation proceeds relating to CMBS is also highly dependent on the performance of the servicer or special servicer. In many cases, overall control over the special servicing of related underlying mortgage loans will be held by a "directing certificateholder" or a "controlling class representative," which is appointed by the holders of the most subordinate class of CMBS in such series. The Fund may not have the right to appoint the directing certificateholder. In connection with the servicing of the specially serviced mortgage loans, the related special servicer may, at the direction of the directing certificateholder, take actions with respect to the specially serviced mortgage loans that could adversely affect the Fund's interests. There may be a limited number of special servicers available, particularly those that do not have conflicts of interest.

The Fund may invest in subordinated CMBS issued or sponsored by commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, mortgage bankers, private mortgage insurance companies and other non-governmental issuers. Subordinated CMBS have no governmental guarantee and are subordinated in some manner as to the payment of principal and/or interest to the holders of more senior CMBS arising out of the same pool of mortgages. Subordinated CMBS are often referred to as "B-Pieces." The holders of subordinated CMBS typically are compensated with a higher stated yield than are the holders of more senior CMBS. On the other hand, subordinated CMBS typically subject the holder to greater risk than senior CMBS and tend to be rated in a lower rating category (frequently a substantially lower rating category) than the senior CMBS issued in respect of the same mortgage pool. Subordinated CMBS generally are likely to be more sensitive to changes in prepayment and interest rates and the market for such securities may be less liquid than is the case for traditional income securities and senior CMBS.

<u>CMO Risk</u>. There are certain risks associated specifically with CMOs. CMOs are debt obligations collateralized by mortgage loans or mortgage pass-through securities. The average life of a CMO is determined using mathematical models that incorporate prepayment assumptions and other factors that involve estimates of future economic and market conditions. Actual future results may vary from these estimates, particularly during periods of extreme market volatility. Further, under certain market conditions, such as those that occurred during the recent downturn in the mortgage markets, the weighted average life of certain CMOs may not accurately reflect the price volatility of such securities. For example, in periods of supply and demand imbalances in the market for such securities and/or in periods of sharp interest rate movements, the prices of CMOs may fluctuate to a greater extent than would be expected from interest rate movements alone. CMOs issued by private entities are not obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities and are not guaranteed by any government agency, although the securities underlying a CMO may be subject to a guarantee. Therefore, if the collateral securing the CMO, as well as any third party credit support or guarantees, is insufficient to make payments when due, the holder could sustain a loss.

Inverse floating rate CMOs are typically more volatile than fixed or floating rate tranches of CMOs. Many inverse floating rate CMOs have coupons that move inversely to a multiple of an index. The effect of the coupon varying inversely to a multiple of an applicable index creates a leverage factor. Inverse floaters based on multiples of a stated index are designed to be highly sensitive to changes in interest rates and can subject the holders thereof to extreme reductions of yield and loss of principal. The market for inverse floating rate CMOs with highly leveraged characteristics at times may be very thin. The Fund's ability to dispose of its positions in such securities will depend on the degree of liquidity in the markets for such securities. It is impossible to predict the amount of trading interest that may exist in such securities, and therefore the future degree of liquidity.

The Fund may also invest in real estate mortgage investment conduits, which are CMOs that qualify for special tax treatment under the Code and invest in certain mortgages principally secured by interests in real property and other permitted investments.

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<u>Credit Risk Associated With Originators and Servicers of Mortgage Loans</u>. A number of originators and servicers of residential and commercial mortgage loans, including some of the largest originators and servicers in the residential and commercial mortgage loan market, have experienced serious financial difficulties, including some that are now or were subject to federal insolvency proceedings. These difficulties have resulted from many factors, including increased competition among originators for borrowers, decreased originations by such originators of mortgage loans and increased delinquencies and defaults on such mortgage loans, as well as from increases in claims for repurchases of mortgage loans previously sold by them under agreements that require repurchase in the event of breaches of representations regarding loan quality and characteristics. Such difficulties may affect the performance of MBS backed by mortgage loans. Furthermore, the inability of the originator to repurchase such mortgage loans in the event of loan representation breaches or the servicer to repurchase such mortgage loans upon a breach of its servicing obligations also may affect the performance of related MBS. Delinquencies and losses on, and, in some cases, claims for repurchase by the originator of, mortgage loans originated by some mortgage lenders have increased as a result of inadequate underwriting procedures and policies, including inadequate due diligence, failure to comply with predatory and other lending laws and, particularly in the case of any "no documentation" or "limited documentation" mortgage loans that may support non-agency RMBS, inadequate verification of income and employment history. Delinquencies and losses on, and claims for repurchase of, mortgage loans originated by some mortgage lenders have also resulted from fraudulent activities of borrowers, lenders, appraisers, and other residential mortgage industry participants such as mortgage brokers, including misstatements of income and employment history, identity theft and overstatements of the appraised value of mortgaged properties. Many of these originators and servicers are highly leveraged. These difficulties may also increase the chances that these entities may default on their warehousing or other credit lines or become insolvent or bankrupt and thereby increase the likelihood that repurchase obligations will not be fulfilled and the potential for loss to holders of non-agency MBS and subordinated security holders.

The servicers of non-agency MBS are often the same entities as, or affiliates of, the originators of these mortgage loans. Accordingly, the financial risks relating to originators of MBS described immediately above also may affect the servicing of MBS. In the case of such servicers, and other servicers, financial difficulties may have a negative effect on the ability of servicers to pursue collection on mortgage loans that are experiencing increased delinquencies and defaults and to maximize recoveries on sale of underlying properties following foreclosure.

Mortgage loan servicers are subject to extensive federal and state regulation. The CFPB has promulgated regulations under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (Regulation X) and the Truth in Lending Act (Regulation Z) that impose detailed requirements on mortgage servicers regarding, among other things, error resolution, requests for information, force-placed insurance, general servicing policies and procedures, early intervention with delinquent borrowers, continuity of contact, loss mitigation procedures, and restrictions on foreclosure. Servicer failures to comply with these requirements may result in enforcement actions, litigation, and operational disruptions that could affect the performance of related MBS.

MBS typically provide that the servicer is required to make advances in respect of delinquent mortgage loans. However, servicers experiencing financial difficulties may not be able to perform these obligations or obligations that they may have to other parties of transactions involving these securities. Such difficulties may cause servicers to default under their financing arrangements. In certain cases, such entities may be forced to seek bankruptcy protection. Due to the application of the provisions of bankruptcy law, servicers who have sought bankruptcy protection may not be required to advance such amounts. Even if a servicer were able to advance amounts in respect of delinquent mortgage loans, its obligation to make such advances may be limited to the extent that it does not expect to recover such advances due to the deteriorating credit of the delinquent mortgage loans or declining value of the related mortgaged properties. Moreover, servicers may overadvance against a particular mortgage loan or charge too many costs of resolution or foreclosure of a mortgage loan to a securitization, which could increase the potential losses to holders of MBS. In such transactions, a servicer's obligation to make such advances may also be limited to the amount of its servicing fee. In addition, if an issue

of MBS provides for interest on advances made by the servicer, in the event that foreclosure proceeds or payments by borrowers are not sufficient to cover such interest, such interest will be paid to the servicer from

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available collections or other mortgage income, thereby reducing distributions made on the MBS and, in the case of senior-subordinated MBS described below, first from distributions that would otherwise be made on the most subordinated MBS of such issue. Any such financial difficulties may increase the possibility of a servicer termination and the need for a transfer of servicing and any such liabilities or inability to assess such liabilities may increase the difficulties and costs in affecting such transfer and the potential loss, through the allocation of such increased cost of such transfer, to subordinated security holders.

There can be no assurance that originators and servicers of mortgage loans will not experience serious financial difficulties, including becoming subject to bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, or that underwriting procedures and policies and protections against fraud will be sufficient to prevent such financial difficulties or significant levels of default or delinquency on mortgage loans. Past performance of mortgage loans and related MBS is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

In some cases, servicers of MBS have been the subject of legal proceedings involving the origination and/or servicing practices of such servicers. Large groups of private litigants and states' attorneys general have brought such proceedings. Because of the large volume of mortgage loans originated and serviced by such servicers, such litigation can cause heightened financial strain on servicers. In other cases, origination and servicing practices may cause or contribute to such strain, because of representation and warranty repurchase liability arising in MBS and mortgage loan sale transactions. Any such financial strain could cause servicers to service below required standards, causing delinquencies and losses in any related MBS transaction to rise, and in extreme cases could cause the servicer to seek the protection of any applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law. In any such proceeding, it is unclear whether the fees that the servicer charges in such transactions would be sufficient to permit that servicer or a successor servicer to service the mortgage loans in such transaction adequately. If such fees had to be increased, it is likely that the most subordinated security holders in such transactions would be effectively required to pay such increased fees. Finally, these entities may be the subject of laws designed to protect consumers from defaulting on their mortgage loans. Such laws may have an adverse effect on the cash flows paid under such MBS.

Federal and state regulators, including the CFPB, continue to exercise oversight over mortgage originators and servicers. Enforcement actions, consent orders, or changes in regulatory requirements may affect the operations, financial condition, and servicing practices of these entities, which in turn may affect the performance of related MBS.

<u>Adjustable Rate Mortgage Risk</u>. ARMs contain maximum and minimum rates beyond which the mortgage interest rate may not vary over the lifetime of the security. In addition, many ARMs provide for additional limitations on the maximum amount by which the mortgage interest rate may adjust for any single adjustment period. Alternatively, certain ARMs contain limitations on changes in the required monthly payment. In the event that a monthly payment is not sufficient to pay the interest accruing on an ARM, any excess interest is added to the principal balance of the mortgage loan, which is repaid through future monthly payments. If the monthly payment for such an instrument exceeds the sum of the interest accrued at the applicable mortgage interest rate and the principal payment required at such point to amortize the outstanding principal balance over the remaining term of the loan, the excess is used to reduce the then-outstanding principal balance of the ARM.

In addition, certain ARMs may provide for an initial fixed, below-market or "teaser" interest rate. During this initial fixed rate period, the payment due from the related mortgagor may be less than that of a traditional loan. However, after the "teaser" rate expires, the monthly payment required to be made by the mortgagor may increase dramatically when the interest rate on the mortgage loan adjusts. This increased burden on the mortgagor may increase the risk of delinquency or default on the mortgage loan and in turn, losses on the MBS into which that loan has been bundled. This risk may be increased as increases in prevailing market interest rates may result in increased payments for borrowers with ARMs.

Many ARMs historically referenced LIBOR as the applicable index for determining interest rate adjustments. Following the cessation of LIBOR, these ARMs have transitioned or are transitioning to alternative

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reference rates such as SOFR. The transition to SOFR or other alternative reference rates may result in interest rate adjustments that differ from those that would have occurred under LIBOR, which could affect borrower payments, prepayment rates, and the performance of MBS backed by such loans. In addition, any ambiguity or disputes regarding the application of fallback provisions in legacy ARMs could result in litigation or other adverse consequences.

<u>Stripped MBS Risk</u>. Stripped MBS may be subject to additional risks. One type of stripped MBS pays to one class all of the interest from the mortgage assets (the "IO class"), while the other class will receive all of the principal (the "PO class"). The yield to maturity on an IO class is extremely sensitive to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the underlying mortgage assets and a rapid rate of principal payments may have a material adverse effect on the Fund's yield to maturity from these securities. If the assets underlying the IO class experience greater than anticipated prepayments of principal, the Fund may fail to recoup fully, or at all, its initial investment in these securities. Conversely, PO class securities tend to decline in value if prepayments are slower than anticipated.

<u>Additional Risks of Mortgage Related Securities</u>. Additional risks associated with investments in MBS include:

*Interest Rate Risk*. In addition to the interest rate risks described above, certain MBS may be subject to additional risks as the rate of interest payable on certain MBS may be set or effectively capped at the weighted average net coupon of the underlying mortgage loans themselves, often referred to as an "available funds cap." As a result of this cap, the return to the holder of such MBS is dependent on the relative timing and rate of delinquencies and prepayments of mortgage loans bearing a higher rate of interest. In general, early prepayments will have a greater negative impact on the yield to the holder of such MBS.

*Structural Risk*. Because MBS generally are ownership or participation interests in pools of mortgage loans secured by a pool of properties underlying the mortgage loan pool, the MBS are entitled to payments provided for in the underlying agreement only when and if funds are generated by the underlying mortgage loan pool. This likelihood of the return of interest and principal may be assessed as a credit matter. However, the holders of MBS do not have the legal status of secured creditors, and cannot accelerate a claim for payment on their securities, or force a sale of the mortgage loan pool in the event that insufficient funds exist to pay such amounts on any date designated for such payment. The holders of MBS do not typically have any right to remove a servicer solely as a result of a failure of the mortgage pool to perform as expected.

*Subordination Risk*. MBS may be subordinated to one or more other senior classes of securities of the same series for purposes of, among other things, offsetting losses and other shortfalls with respect to the related underlying mortgage loans. For example, in the case of certain MBS, no distributions of principal will generally be made with respect to any class until the aggregate principal balances of the corresponding senior classes of securities have been reduced to zero. As a result, MBS may be more sensitive to risk of loss, writedowns, the non-fulfillment of repurchase obligations, overadvancing on a pool of loans and the costs of transferring servicing than senior classes of securities.

*Prepayment, Extension and Redemption Risks*. MBS may reflect an interest in monthly payments made by the borrowers who receive the underlying mortgage loans. Although the underlying mortgage loans are for specified periods of time, such as 20 or 30 years, the borrowers can, and historically have paid them off sooner. When a prepayment happens, a portion of the MBS which represents an interest in the underlying mortgage loan will be prepaid. A borrower is more likely to prepay a mortgage which bears a relatively high rate of interest. This means that in times of declining interest rates, a portion of the Fund's higher yielding securities are likely to be redeemed and the Fund will probably be unable to replace them with securities having as great a yield. In addition to reductions in the level of market interest rates and the prepayment provisions of the mortgage loans, repayments on the residential mortgage loans underlying an issue of RMBS may also be affected by a variety of economic, geographic and other factors, including the size difference between the interest rates on the underlying residential mortgage loans (giving

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consideration to the cost of refinancing) and prevailing mortgage rates and the availability of refinancing. Prepayments can result in lower yields to shareholders. The increased likelihood of prepayment when interest rates decline also limits market price appreciation of MBS. This is known as prepayment risk.

Except in the case of certain types of RMBS, the mortgage loans underlying RMBS generally do not contain prepayment penalties and a reduction in market interest rates will increase the likelihood of prepayments on the related RMBS. In the case of certain home equity loan securities and certain types of RMBS, even though the underlying mortgage loans often contain prepayment premiums, such prepayment premiums may not be sufficient to discourage borrowers from prepaying their mortgage loans in the event of a reduction in market interest rates, resulting in a reduction in the yield to maturity for holders of the related RMBS. RMBS typically contain provisions that require repurchase of mortgage loans by the originator or other seller in the event of a breach of a representation or warranty regarding loan quality and characteristics of such loan. Any repurchase of a mortgage loan as a result of a breach has the same effect on the yield received on the related issue of RMBS as a prepayment of such mortgage loan. Any increase in breaches of representations and the consequent repurchases of mortgage loans that result from inadequate underwriting procedures and policies and protections against fraud will have the same effect on the yield on the related RMBS as an increase in prepayment rates.

Risk of prepayment may be reduced for commercial real estate property loans containing significant prepayment penalties or prohibitions on principal payments for a period of time following origination.

MBS also are subject to extension risk. Extension risk is the possibility that rising interest rates may cause prepayments to occur at a slower than expected rate. This particular risk may effectively change a security which was considered short or intermediate term into a long-term security. The values of long-term securities generally fluctuate more widely in response to changes in interest rates than short or intermediate-term securities.

In addition, MBS may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer. If a MBS held by the Fund is called for redemption, the Fund will be required to permit the issuer to redeem or "pay-off" the security, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective.

*Spread Widening Risk*. The prices of MBS may decline substantially, for reasons that may not be attributable to any of the other risks described in this prospectus and the SAI. In particular, purchasing assets at what may appear to be "undervalued" levels is no guarantee that these assets will not be trading at even more "undervalued" levels at a time of valuation or at the time of sale. It may not be possible to predict, or to protect against, such "spread widening" risk.

*Liquidity Risk*. The liquidity of MBS varies by type of security; at certain times the Fund may encounter difficulty in disposing of such investments. Because MBS have the potential to be less liquid than other securities, the Fund may be more susceptible to liquidity risks than funds that invest in other securities. In the past, in stressed markets, certain types of MBS suffered periods of illiquidity when disfavored by the market. Due to increased instability in the credit markets, the market for some MBS has experienced reduced liquidity and greater volatility with respect to the value of such securities, making it more difficult to value such securities.

*Asset-Backed Securities Risk* 

Asset-backed securities ("ABS") involve certain risks in addition to those presented by MBS. There is the possibility that recoveries on the underlying collateral may not, in some cases, be available to support payments on these securities. Relative to MBS, ABS may provide the Fund with a less effective security interest in the underlying collateral and are more dependent on the borrower's ability to pay. If many borrowers on the underlying loans default, losses could exceed the credit enhancement level and result in losses to investors in an ABS transaction. Finally, ABS have structure risk due to a unique characteristic known as early amortization, or early payout, risk. Built into the structure of most ABS are triggers for early payout, designed to protect investors from losses. These triggers are unique to each transaction and can include a significant rise in defaults on the underlying loans, a sharp drop in the credit enhancement level or the bankruptcy of the originator. Once early

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amortization begins, all incoming loan payments (after expenses are paid) are used to pay investors as quickly as possible based upon a predetermined priority of payment, meaning that proceeds that would otherwise be distributed to holders of a junior tranche may be diverted to pay down more senior tranches.

The collateral underlying ABS may constitute assets related to a wide range of industries and sectors, such as credit card and automobile receivables. Credit card receivables are generally unsecured and the debtors are entitled to the protection of a number of state and federal consumer credit laws, many of which give debtors the right to set off certain amounts owed on the credit cards, thereby reducing the balance due. The Credit CARD Act of 2009 imposes new regulations on the ability of credit card issuers to adjust the interest rates and exercise various other rights with respect to indebtedness extended through credit cards. The Fund and the Advisor cannot predict what effect, if any, such regulations might have on the market for ABS and such regulations may adversely affect the value of ABS owned by the Fund. Most issuers of automobile receivables permit the servicers to retain possession of the underlying obligations. If the servicer were to sell these obligations to another party, there is a risk that the purchaser would acquire an interest superior to that of the holders of the related automobile receivables. In addition, because of the large number of vehicles involved in a typical issuance and technical requirements under state laws, the trustee for the holders of the automobile receivables may not have an effective security interest in all of the obligations backing such receivables. If the economy of the United States deteriorates, defaults on securities backed by credit card, automobile and other receivables may increase, which may adversely affect the value of any ABS owned by the Fund. There is the possibility that recoveries on the underlying collateral may not, in some cases, be available to support payments on these securities. In the past, certain automobile manufacturers have been granted access to emergency loans from the U.S. Government and have experienced bankruptcy. These events may adversely affect the value of securities backed by receivables from the sale or lease of automobiles.

Some ABS, particularly home equity loan transactions, are subject to interest rate risk and prepayment risk. A change in interest rates can affect the pace of payments on the underlying loans, which in turn, affects total return on the securities.

*Real Assets Investments Risk* 

The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in securities and credit instruments associated with real assets, including infrastructure, which has historically experienced substantial price volatility. The value of companies engaged in these industries is affected by, among other things: (i) changes in general economic and market conditions; (ii) the destruction of real assets, catastrophic events (such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, man-made disasters, and terrorist acts) and other public crises and relief responses; (iii) changes in environmental, governmental and other regulations; (iv) risks related to local economic conditions, overbuilding and increased competition; (iv) increases in property taxes and operating expenses; (vi) changes in zoning laws; (vii) casualty and condemnation losses; (viii) surplus capacity and depletion concerns; (ix) the availability of financing; and (x) changes in interest rates and leverage. In addition, the availability of attractive financing and refinancing typically plays a critical role in the success of these investments. As a result, such investments are subject to credit risk because borrowers may be delinquent in payment or default. Borrower delinquency and default rates may be significantly higher than estimated. BCIA's assessment, or a rating agency's assessment, of borrower credit quality may prove to be overly optimistic. The value of securities in these industries may go through cycles of relative under-performance and over-performance in comparison to equity securities markets in general.

*Real Estate Investments Risk* 

The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in securities and credit instruments of companies in the real estate industry, which has historically experienced substantial price volatility. The value of companies engaged in the real estate industry is affected by, among other things: (i) changes in general economic and market conditions; (ii) changes in the value of real estate properties; (iii) risks related to local economic conditions,

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overbuilding and increased competition; (iv) increases in property taxes and operating expenses; (v) changes in zoning laws; (vi) casualty and condemnation losses; (vii) variations in rental income, neighborhood values or the appeal of property to tenants; (viii) the availability of financing; and (ix) changes in interest rates and leverage. In addition, the availability of attractive financing and refinancing typically plays a critical role in the success of real estate investments. As a result, such investments are subject to credit risk because borrowers may be delinquent in payment or default. Borrower delinquency and default rates may be significantly higher than estimated. BCIA's assessment, or a rating agency's assessment, of borrower credit quality may prove to be overly optimistic. The value of securities in this industry may go through cycles of relative under-performance and over-performance in comparison to equity securities markets in general.

*Royalties Risk* 

The Fund may provide loans secured by royalties. Investments in royalties incorporate a number of general market risks along with risks specific to various underlying royalty strategies, such as oil and gas, music/entertainment and healthcare, among others. Included in those risks are volatility in commodities, regulatory changes, delays in government approvals, patent defense and enforcement, product liabilities, product pricing and the dependence on third parties to market or distribute the product. The market performance of the target products, therefore, may be diminished by any number of factors that are beyond the Fund's control.

*Equity Securities Risk* 

Stock markets are volatile, and the prices of equity securities fluctuate based on changes in a company's financial condition and overall market and economic conditions. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average total returns than fixed income securities over the long-term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatility in those returns and, in certain periods, have significantly under- performed relative to fixed income securities. An adverse event, such as an unfavorable earnings report, may depress the value of a particular common stock held by the Fund. A common stock may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. The value of a particular common stock held by the Fund may decline for a number of other reasons that directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage, the issuer's historical and prospective earnings, the value of its assets and reduced demand for its goods and services. Also, the prices of common stocks are sensitive to general movements in the stock market and a drop in the stock market may depress the price of common stocks to which the Fund has exposure. Common stock prices fluctuate for several reasons, including changes in investors' perceptions of the financial condition of an issuer or the general condition of the relevant stock market, or when political or economic events affecting the issuers occur. In addition, common stock prices may be particularly sensitive to rising interest rates, as the cost of capital rises and borrowing costs increase. Common equity securities in which the Fund may invest are structurally subordinated to preferred stock, bonds and other debt instruments in a company's capital structure in terms of priority to corporate income and are therefore inherently more risky than preferred stock or debt instruments of such issuers.

*Preferred Securities Risk* 

The Fund may invest in preferred securities. There are special risks associated with investing in preferred securities, including:

*Deferral Risk*. Preferred securities may include provisions that permit the issuer, at its discretion, to defer distributions for a stated period without any adverse consequences to the issuer. If the Fund owns a preferred security that is deferring its distributions, the Fund may be required to report income for tax purposes although it has not yet received such income.

*Subordination Risk*. Preferred securities are subordinated to bonds and other debt instruments in a company's capital structure in terms of having priority to corporate income and liquidation payments, and therefore will be subject to greater credit risk than debt instruments.

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*Limited Voting Rights Risk*. Generally, preferred security holders have no voting rights with respect to the issuing company unless preferred dividends have been in arrears for a specified number of periods, at which time the preferred security holders may elect a number of directors to the issuer's board. Generally, once all the arrearages have been paid, the preferred security holders no longer have voting rights. In the case of trust preferred securities, holders generally have no voting rights, except if (i) the issuer fails to pay dividends for a specified period of time or (ii) a declaration of default occurs and is continuing.

*Special Redemption Rights Risk*. In certain varying circumstances, an issuer of preferred securities may redeem the securities prior to a specified date. For instance, for certain types of preferred securities, a redemption may be triggered by certain changes in U.S. federal income tax or securities laws. As with call provisions, a special redemption by the issuer may negatively impact the return of the security held by the Fund.

*Trust Preferred Securities Risk*. Trust preferred securities are typically issued by corporations, generally in the form of interest bearing notes with preferred securities characteristics, or by an affiliated business trust of a corporation, generally in the form of beneficial interests in subordinated debentures or similarly structured securities. The trust preferred securities market consists of both fixed and adjustable coupon rate securities that are either perpetual in nature or have stated maturity dates.

Trust preferred securities are typically junior and fully subordinated liabilities of an issuer and benefit from a guarantee that is junior and fully subordinated to the other liabilities of the guarantor. In addition, trust preferred securities typically permit an issuer to defer the payment of income for five years or more without triggering an event of default. Because of their subordinated position in the capital structure of an issuer, the ability to defer payments for extended periods of time without default consequences to the issuer, and certain other features (such as restrictions on common dividend payments by the issuer or ultimate guarantor when full cumulative payments on the trust preferred securities have not been made), these trust preferred securities are often treated as close substitutes for traditional preferred securities, both by issuers and investors.

Trust preferred securities include but are not limited to trust originated preferred securities ("TOPRS<sup>®</sup>"); monthly income preferred securities ("MIPS<sup>®</sup>"); quarterly income bond securities ("QUIBS<sup>®</sup>"); quarterly income debt securities ("QUIDS<sup>®</sup>"); quarterly income preferred securities ("QUIPSSM"); corporate trust securities ("CORTS<sup>®</sup>"); public income notes ("PINES<sup>®</sup>"); and other trust preferred securities.

Trust preferred securities are typically issued with a final maturity date, although some are perpetual in nature. In certain instances, a final maturity date may be extended and/or the final payment of principal may be deferred at the issuer's option for a specified time without default. No redemption can typically take place unless all cumulative payment obligations have been met, although issuers may be able to engage in open-market repurchases without regard to whether all payments have been paid.

Many trust preferred securities are issued by trusts or other SPEs established by operating companies and are not a direct obligation of an operating company. At the time the trust or SPE sells such preferred securities to investors, it purchases debt of the operating company (with terms comparable to those of the trust or SPE securities), which enables the operating company to deduct for tax purposes the interest paid on the debt held by the trust or SPE. The trust or SPE is generally required to be treated as transparent for U.S. federal income tax purposes such that the holders of the trust preferred securities are treated as owning beneficial interests in the underlying debt of the operating company. Accordingly, payments on the trust preferred securities are treated as interest rather than dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The trust or SPE in turn would be a holder of the operating company's debt and would have priority with respect to the operating company's earnings and profits over the operating company's common shareholders, but would typically be subordinated to other classes of the operating company's debt. Typically a preferred share has a rating that is slightly below that of its corresponding operating company's senior debt securities.

*New Types of Securities Risk*. From time to time, preferred securities, including trust preferred securities, have been, and may in the future be, offered having features other than those described herein. The Fund reserves

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the right to invest in these securities if the Advisor believes that doing so would be consistent with the Fund's investment objective and policies. Since the market for these instruments would be new, the Fund may have difficulty disposing of them at a suitable price and time. In addition to limited liquidity, these instruments may present other risks, such as high price volatility.

*Dividend Paying Equity Securities Risk* 

Dividends on common equity securities which the Fund may hold are not fixed but are declared at the discretion of an issuer's board of directors. Companies that have historically paid dividends on their securities are not required to continue to pay dividends on such securities. There is no guarantee that the issuers of the common equity securities in which the Fund invests will declare dividends in the future or that, if declared, they will remain at current levels or increase over time. Therefore, there is the possibility that such companies could reduce or eliminate the payment of dividends in the future. Dividend producing equity securities, in particular those whose market price is closely related to their yield, may exhibit greater sensitivity to interest rate changes. See "—Fixed Income Securities Risks—Interest Rate Risk." The Fund's investments in dividend producing equity securities may also limit its potential for appreciation during a broad market advance.

The prices of dividend producing equity securities can be highly volatile. Investors should not assume that the Fund's investments in these securities will necessarily reduce the volatility of the Fund's NAV or provide "protection," compared to other types of equity securities, when markets perform poorly.

*Growth Stock Risk* 

Securities of growth companies may be more volatile since such companies usually invest a high portion of earnings in their business, and they may lack the dividends of value stocks that can cushion stock prices in a falling market. Stocks of companies the Advisor believes are fast-growing may trade at a higher multiple of current earnings than other stocks. The values of these stocks may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the values of other stocks. Earnings disappointments often lead to sharply falling prices because investors buy growth stocks in anticipation of superior earnings growth. If the Advisor's assessment of the prospects for a company's earnings growth is wrong, or if the Advisor's judgment of how other investors will value the company's earnings growth is wrong, then the price of the company's stock may fall or may not approach the value that the Advisor has placed on it.

*Value Stock Risk* 

The Advisor may be wrong in its assessment of a company's value and the stocks the Fund owns may not reach what the Advisor believes are their full values. A particular risk of the Fund's value stock investments is that some holdings may not recover and provide the capital growth anticipated or a stock judged to be undervalued may actually be appropriately priced. Further, because the prices of value-oriented securities tend to correlate more closely with economic cycles than growth-oriented securities, they generally are more sensitive to changing economic conditions, such as changes in interest rates, corporate earnings, and industrial production. The market may not favor value-oriented stocks and may not favor equities at all. During those periods, the Fund's relative performance may suffer.

*"Covenant-Lite" Loans Risk* 

Some of the loans in which the Fund may invest or get exposure to through its investments in CDOs or other types of structured securities may be "covenant-lite" loans, which means the loans contain fewer maintenance covenants than other loans (in some cases, none) and do not include terms which allow the lender to monitor the performance of the borrower and declare a default if certain criteria are breached. An investment by the Fund in a covenant-lite loan may potentially hinder the ability to reprice credit risk associated with the issuer and reduce the ability to restructure a problematic loan and mitigate potential loss. The Fund may also experience delays in enforcing its rights on its holdings of covenant-lite loans. As a result of these risks, the Fund's exposure to losses may be increased, which could result in an adverse impact on the Fund's net income and NAV.

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*Structured Notes Risk*. Investments in structured notes involve risks, including credit risk and market risk. Where the Fund's investments in structured notes are based upon the movement of one or more factors, including currency exchange rates, interest rates, referenced bonds and stock indices, depending on the factor used and the use of multipliers or deflators, changes in interest rates and movement of the factor may cause significant price fluctuations. Additionally, changes in the reference instrument or security may cause the interest rate on the structured note to be reduced to zero and any further changes in the reference instrument may then reduce the principal amount payable on maturity. Structured notes may be less liquid than other types of securities and more volatile than the reference instrument or security underlying the note.

*Equity-Linked Notes Risk*. ELNs are hybrid securities with characteristics of both fixed income and equity securities. An ELN is a debt instrument, usually a bond, that pays interest based upon the performance of an underlying equity, which can be a single stock, basket of stocks or an equity index. The interest payment on an ELN may in some cases be leveraged so that, in percentage terms, it exceeds the relative performance of the market. ELNs generally are subject to the risks associated with the securities of equity issuers, default risk and counterparty risk.

*Credit-Linked Notes Risk*. A CLN is a derivative instrument. It is a synthetic obligation between two or more parties where the payment of principal and/or interest is based on the performance of some obligation (a reference obligation). In addition to the credit risk of the reference obligations and interest rate risk, the buyer/seller of the CLN is subject to counterparty risk.

*Event-Linked Securities Risk*. Event-linked securities are a form of derivative issued by insurance companies and insurance-related special purpose vehicles that apply securitization techniques to catastrophic property and casualty damages. Unlike other insurable low-severity, high-probability events, the insurance risk of which can be diversified by writing large numbers of similar policies, the holders of a typical event-linked securities are exposed to the risks from high-severity, low-probability events such as that posed by major earthquakes or hurricanes. If a catastrophe occurs that "triggers" the event-linked security, investors in such security may lose some or all of the capital invested. In the case of an event, the funds are paid to the bond sponsor—an insurer, reinsurer or corporation—to cover losses. In return, the bond sponsors pay interest to investors for this catastrophe protection. Event-linked securities can be structured to pay-off on three types of variables—insurance-industry catastrophe loss indices, insured-specific catastrophe losses and parametric indices based on the physical characteristics of catastrophic events. Such variables are difficult to predict or model, and the risk and potential return profiles of event-linked securities may be difficult to assess. Catastrophe-related event-linked securities have been in use since the 1990s, and the securitization and risk-transfer aspects of such event-linked securities are beginning to be employed in other insurance and risk-related areas. No active trading market may exist for certain event-linked securities, which may impair the ability of the Fund to realize full value in the event of the need to liquidate such assets.

*Investment Companies and ETFs Risk* 

Subject to the limitations set forth in the Investment Company Act and the Fund's governing documents or as otherwise permitted by the SEC, the Fund may acquire shares in other affiliated and unaffiliated investment companies, including ETFs or BDCs. The market value of the shares of other investment companies may differ from their NAV. As an investor in investment companies, including ETFs or BDCs, the Fund would bear its ratable share of that entity's expenses, including its investment advisory and administration fees, while continuing to pay its own advisory and administration fees and other expenses (to the extent not offset by the Advisor through waivers). As a result, shareholders will be absorbing duplicate levels of fees with respect to investments in other investment companies, including ETFs or BDCs.

The securities of other investment companies, including ETFs or BDCs, in which the Fund may invest may be leveraged. As a result, the Fund may be indirectly exposed to leverage through an investment in such securities. An investment in securities of other investment companies, including ETFs or BDCs, that use leverage

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may expose the Fund to higher volatility in the market value of such securities and the possibility that the Fund's long-term returns on such securities (and, indirectly, the long-term returns of the Fund's Shares) will be diminished.

ETFs are generally not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments relating to its index. An ETF typically invests in securities included in, or representative of, its index regardless of their investment merits and does not attempt to take defensive positions in declining markets.

*Subsidiary Risk* 

By investing in any Subsidiary, the Fund will be indirectly exposed to the risks associated with such Subsidiary's investments. The instruments that will be held by any Subsidiary will generally be similar to those that are permitted to be held by the Fund and will be subject to the same risks that apply to similar investments if held directly by the Fund. The Subsidiaries will not be registered under the Investment Company Act, and, unless otherwise noted in this prospectus, will not be subject to all the investor protections of the Investment Company Act. However, the Fund will wholly own and control any Subsidiary, and the Fund and any Subsidiary will each be managed by the Advisor and share the same portfolio management team. The Fund's Board will have oversight responsibility for the investment activities of the Fund, including its investment in the Subsidiaries, and the Fund's role as sole shareholder of any Subsidiary. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or any jurisdiction in which a Subsidiary is formed could result in the inability of the Fund and/or any Subsidiary to operate as described in this prospectus and the SAI and could adversely affect the Fund. For example, changes in U.S. tax laws could affect the U.S. tax treatment of, or consequences of owning, the Fund or the Subsidiaries, including under the RIC rules.

*Counterparty Risk* 

The Fund will be subject to credit risk with respect to the counterparties to the derivative contracts purchased by the Fund. Because derivative transactions in which the Fund may engage may involve instruments that are not traded on an Exchange (as defined herein) or cleared through a central counterparty but are instead traded between counterparties based on contractual relationships, the Fund is subject to the risk that a counterparty will not perform its obligations under the related contracts. If a counterparty becomes bankrupt or otherwise fails to perform its obligations due to financial difficulties, the Fund may experience significant delays in obtaining any recovery in bankruptcy or other reorganization proceedings. The Fund may obtain only a limited recovery, or may obtain no recovery, in such circumstances. Although the Fund intends to enter into transactions only with counterparties that the Advisor believes to be creditworthy, there can be no assurances that, as a result, a counterparty will not default and that the Fund will not sustain a loss on a transaction. In the event of the counterparty's bankruptcy or insolvency, the Fund's collateral may be subject to the conflicting claims of the counterparty's creditors, and the Fund may be exposed to the risk of a court treating the Fund as a general unsecured creditor of the counterparty, rather than as the owner of the collateral. While the Fund may seek to manage its counterparty risk by transacting with a number of counterparties, concerns about the solvency of, or a default by, one large market participant could lead to significant impairment of liquidity and other adverse consequences for other counterparties.

The counterparty risk for cleared derivatives is generally lower than for uncleared OTC derivative transactions since generally a clearing organization becomes substituted for each counterparty to a cleared derivative contract and, in effect, guarantees the parties' performance under the contract as each party to a trade looks only to the clearing organization for performance of financial obligations under the derivative contract. However, there can be no assurances that a clearing organization, or its members, will satisfy its obligations to the Fund, or that the Fund would be able to recover the full amount of assets deposited on its behalf with the clearing organization in the event of the default by the clearing organization or the Fund's clearing broker. In addition, cleared derivative transactions benefit from daily marking-to-market and settlement, and segregation and minimum capital requirements applicable to intermediaries. Uncleared OTC derivative transactions generally

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do not benefit from such protections. This exposes the Fund to the risk that a counterparty will not settle a transaction in accordance with its terms and conditions because of a dispute over the terms of the contract (whether or not bona fide) or because of a credit or liquidity problem, thus causing the Fund to suffer a loss. Such "counterparty risk" is accentuated for contracts with longer maturities where events may intervene to prevent settlement, or where the Fund has concentrated its transactions with a single or small group of counterparties.

Financial services companies, including those that serve as counterparties to the Fund, may be adversely affected by, among other things: (i) changes in governmental regulation, which may limit both the amounts and the types of loans and other financial commitments financial services companies can make, the interest rates and fees they can charge, the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain; (ii) fluctuations, including as a result of interest rate changes or increased competition, in the availability and cost of capital funds on which the profitability of financial services companies is largely dependent; (iii) deterioration of the credit markets; (iv) credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers, especially when financial services companies are exposed to non-diversified or concentrated loan portfolios; (v) financial losses associated with investment activities, especially when financial services companies are exposed to financial leverage; (vi) the risk that any financial services company experiences substantial declines in the valuations of its assets, takes action to raise capital, or ceases operations; (vii) the risk that a market shock or other unexpected market, economic, political, regulatory, or other event might lead to a sudden decline in the values of most or all companies in the financial services sector; and (viii) the interconnectedness or interdependence among financial services companies, including the risk that the financial distress or failure of one financial services company may materially and adversely affect a number of other financial services companies.

In addition, the Fund is subject to the risk that issuers of the instruments in which it invests and trades may default on their obligations under those instruments, and that certain events may occur that have an immediate and significant adverse effect on the value of those instruments. There can be no assurances that an issuer of an instrument in which the Fund invests will not default, or that an event that has an immediate and significant adverse effect on the value of an instrument will not occur, and that the Fund will not sustain a loss on a transaction as a result.

*Risks Associated with Recent Market Events* 

In 2022 and 2023, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates eleven times as part of its efforts to address rising inflation. Certain foreign central banks similarly tightened monetary policy during this period. Beginning in September 2024, the Federal Reserve began lowering interest rates, cutting the federal funds rate six times through December 2025. The Federal Reserve held the federal funds rate steady in the first quarter of 2026, though further rate changes may occur depending on economic conditions, including the pace of inflation and the state of the labor market. It is difficult to accurately predict the pace at which interest rates might change, the timing, frequency or magnitude of any such changes in interest rates, or when such changes might stop or again reverse course. Additionally, various economic and political factors, including trade policy, fiscal policy and geopolitical developments, could cause the Federal Reserve or other foreign central banks to change their approach in the future and such actions may result in an economic slowdown both in the U.S. and abroad. Unexpected changes in interest rates could lead to significant market volatility or reduce liquidity in certain sectors of the market. Deteriorating economic fundamentals may, in turn, increase the risk of default or insolvency of particular issuers, negatively impact market value, cause credit spreads to widen, and reduce bank balance sheets. Any of these could cause an increase in market volatility, reduce liquidity across various markets or decrease confidence in the markets, which could negatively affect the value of debt instruments held by the Fund and result in a negative impact on the Fund's performance. See "Risks—Inflation Risk."

Recent policy initiatives undertaken by the U.S. government have the potential to impact international relations, trade agreements and the overall regulatory environment in ways that could create uncertainty and instability in domestic and global markets, and could adversely affect the investment performance of the Fund. In particular, actions taken by the U.S. government in respect of international trade relations could lead to trade wars, increased costs for

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imported goods, disruptions in supply chains, reduced foreign investment, and instability in regions where the Fund invests. Political and diplomatic events within the United States, including a contentious domestic political environment, changes in political party control of one or more branches of the U.S. government, the U.S. government's inability at times to agree on a long-term budget and deficit reduction plan, the threat of a U.S. government shutdown, and disagreements over, or threats not to increase, the U.S. government's borrowing limit (or "debt ceiling"), as well as political and diplomatic events abroad, may affect investor and consumer confidence and may adversely impact financial markets and the broader economy, perhaps suddenly and to a significant degree. A downgrade of the ratings of U.S. government debt obligations, or concerns about the U.S. government's credit quality in general, could have a substantial negative effect on the U.S. and global economies. For example, concerns about the U.S. government's credit quality may cause increased volatility in the stock and bond markets, higher interest rates, reduced prices and liquidity of U.S. Treasury securities, and/or increased costs of various kinds of debt. Moreover, although the U.S. government has honored its credit obligations, there remains a possibility that the United States could default on its obligations. The consequences of such an unprecedented event are impossible to predict, but it is likely that a default by the United States would be highly disruptive to the U.S. and global securities markets and could significantly impair the value of the Fund's investments.

In recent years, some countries, including the United States, have adopted more protectionist trade policies. Slowing global economic growth, the rise in protectionist trade policies, inflationary pressures, changes to some major international trade agreements, risks associated with the trade agreements between countries and regions, including the U.S. and other foreign nations, political or economic dysfunction within some countries or regions, including the U.S., and dramatic changes in commodity and currency prices could affect the economies of many nations in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time.

*Market Disruption and Geopolitical Risk* 

Investments by the Fund are materially affected by conditions in the global financial markets and economic and political conditions throughout the world, such as interest rates, the availability and cost of credit, inflation rates, economic uncertainty, changes in laws, trade policies, commodity prices, tariffs, currency exchange rates and controls and national and international political circumstances (including wars and other forms of conflict, terrorist acts, and security operations) and catastrophic events such as fires, floods, earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes and pandemics could materially affect the Fund's investments to the extent it materially affects global economies or global financial markets.

Additionally, the occurrence of events similar to those in recent years, such as localized wars, instability, new and ongoing epidemics and pandemics of infectious diseases and other global health events, natural/environmental disasters, terrorist attacks in the United States and around the world, social and political discord, debt crises, sovereign debt downgrades, increasingly strained relations between the United States and a number of foreign countries, new and continued political unrest in various countries, the exit or potential exit of one or more countries from the European Union, continued changes in the balance of political power among and within the branches of the U.S. government, government shutdowns and other factors, may result in market volatility, may have long term effects on the United States and worldwide financial markets, and may cause further economic uncertainties in the United States and worldwide and could have a significant adverse impact on the value and risk profile of the Fund's portfolio. These factors are outside of the Fund's control and may affect the level and volatility of securities prices and the liquidity and value of the Fund's portfolio investments, and the Fund may not be able to successfully manage its exposure to these conditions, which may result in substantial losses to shareholders.

Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The extent and duration of the military action, resulting sanctions and resulting future market disruptions, including declines in its stock markets and the value of the ruble against the U.S. dollar, in the region are impossible to predict, but could be significant. Any such disruptions caused by Russian military action or other actions (including cyberattacks and espionage) or resulting actual and threatened responses to such activity, including purchasing and financing restrictions, boycotts or changes in consumer or purchaser preferences, sanctions, tariffs or cyberattacks on the Russian

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government, Russian companies or Russian individuals, including politicians, could have a severe adverse effect on Russia and the European region, including significant negative impacts on the Russian economy, the European economy and the markets for certain securities and commodities, such as oil and natural gas, and may likely have collateral impacts on such sectors globally as well as other sectors. How long such military action and related events will last cannot be predicted.

In recent years, the U.S. government has indicated its intent to alter its approach to international trade policy and in some cases to renegotiate, or potentially terminate, certain existing bilateral or multi-lateral trade agreements and treaties with foreign countries, and has made proposals and taken actions related thereto, including the imposition of tariffs on imported goods. Tariffs on imported goods could further increase costs, decrease margins, reduce the competitiveness of products and services offered by current and future portfolio companies and adversely affect the revenues and profitability of portfolio companies whose businesses rely on goods imported from such impacted jurisdictions. More generally, these actions may trigger a significant reduction in international trade, the oversupply of certain manufactured goods, substantial price reductions of goods and possible failure of individual companies and/or large segments of a foreign country's export industry, which could have a negative impact on the Fund's performance. The U.S. government has imposed, and may in the future further increase, tariffs on certain foreign goods imported into the U.S., including from China, Canada, and Mexico, such as steel and aluminum. Some foreign governments, including China, have instituted retaliatory tariffs on certain U.S. goods. U.S. companies that source material and goods from China and those that make large amounts of sales in China would be particularly vulnerable to an escalation of trade tensions. Uncertainty regarding the outcome of the trade tensions and the potential for a trade war could cause the U.S. dollar to decline against safe-haven currencies, such as the Japanese yen and the euro. Events such as these, and their consequences, are difficult to predict and it is unclear whether further tariffs may be imposed or other escalating actions may be taken in the future. Increased trade tensions could have a material adverse effect on the global economy. The Fund and its portfolio investments could be materially and adversely affected.

Cybersecurity incidents affecting particular companies or industries may adversely affect the economies of particular countries, regions or parts of the world in which the Fund invests.

The occurrence of any of these above events could have a significant adverse impact on the value and risk profile of the Fund's portfolio. The Fund does not know how long the securities markets may be affected by similar events and cannot predict the effects of similar events in the future on the U.S. economy and securities markets. There can be no assurance that similar events and other market disruptions will not have other material and adverse implications.

*Regulation and Government Intervention Risk* 

Federal, state, and other governments, their regulatory agencies or self-regulatory organizations may take actions that affect the regulation of the issuers in which the Fund invests in ways that are unforeseeable. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the Fund is regulated. Such legislation or regulation could limit or preclude the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective.

In light of popular, political and judicial focus on finance related consumer protection, financial institution practices are also subject to greater scrutiny and criticism generally. In the case of transactions between financial institutions and the general public, there may be a greater tendency toward strict interpretation of terms and legal rights in favor of the consuming public, particularly where there is a real or perceived disparity in risk allocation and/or where consumers are perceived as not having had an opportunity to exercise informed consent to the transaction. In the event of conflicting interests between retail investors holding common shares of a closed-end investment company such as the Fund and a large financial institution, a court may similarly seek to strictly interpret terms and legal rights in favor of retail investors.

The Fund may be affected by governmental action in ways that are not foreseeable, and there is a possibility that such actions could have a significant adverse effect on the Fund and its ability to achieve its investment objective.

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<u>Investment Company Act Regulations</u> 

The Fund is a registered closed-end investment company and as such is subject to regulations under the Investment Company Act. Generally speaking, any contract or provision thereof that is made, or where performance involves a violation of the Investment Company Act or any rule or regulation thereunder is unenforceable by either party unless a court finds otherwise.

*Legal, Tax and Regulatory Risks* 

Legal, tax and regulatory changes could occur that may materially adversely affect the Fund.

To qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment generally accorded to RICs, the Fund must, among other things, derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from certain prescribed sources and distribute for each taxable year at least 90% of its "investment company taxable income" (generally, ordinary income plus the excess, if any, of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss). If for any taxable year the Fund does not qualify as a RIC, all of its taxable income for that year (including its net capital gain) would be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for distributions to shareholders, and such distributions would be taxable as ordinary dividends to the extent of the Fund's current and accumulated earnings and profits.

The current administration has called for significant changes to U.S. fiscal, tax, trade, healthcare, immigration, foreign, and government regulatory policy. In this regard, there is significant uncertainty with respect to legislation, regulation and government policy at the federal level, as well as the state and local levels. Recent events have created a climate of heightened uncertainty and introduced new and difficult-to-quantify macroeconomic and political risks with potentially far-reaching implications. There has been a corresponding meaningful increase in the uncertainty surrounding interest rates, inflation, foreign exchange rates, trade volumes and fiscal and monetary policy. To the extent the U.S. Congress or the current presidential administration implements changes to U.S. policy, those changes may impact, among other things, the U.S. and global economy, international trade and relations, unemployment, immigration, corporate taxes, healthcare, the U.S. regulatory environment, inflation and other areas. Although the Fund cannot predict the impact, if any, of these changes to the Fund's business, they could adversely affect the Fund's business, financial condition, operating results and cash flows. Until the Fund knows what policy changes are made and how those changes impact the Fund's business and the business of the Fund's competitors over the long term, the Fund will not know if, overall, the Fund will benefit from them or be negatively affected by them.

The rules dealing with U.S. federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S. Treasury Department. Revisions in U.S. federal tax laws and interpretations of these laws could adversely affect the tax consequences of your investment.

*Investment Dilution Risk* 

The Fund's investors do not have preemptive rights to any Shares the Fund may issue in the future. The Fund's Declaration of Trust authorizes it to issue an unlimited number of Shares. The Board may make certain amendments to the Declaration of Trust. After an investor purchases Shares, the Fund may sell additional Shares or other classes of Shares in the future or issue equity interests in private offerings. To the extent the Fund issues additional equity interests after an investor purchases its Shares, such investor's percentage ownership interest in the Fund will be diluted.

*Potential Conflicts of Interest of the Advisor, Sub-Advisors and Others* 

The investment activities of BlackRock, the ultimate parent company of the Advisor, and its Affiliates, and their respective directors, officers or employees, in the management of, or their interest in, their own accounts

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and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BlackRock and its Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and discretionary managed accounts that may follow investment programs similar (in whole or in part) to that of the Fund. Subject to the requirements of the Investment Company Act, BlackRock and its Affiliates intend to engage in such activities and may receive compensation from third parties for their services. None of BlackRock or its Affiliates are under any obligation to share any investment opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, BlackRock and its Affiliates may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. The results of the Fund's investment activities, therefore, may differ from those of an Affiliate or another account managed by an Affiliate and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts achieve profits on their trading for proprietary or other accounts. BlackRock has adopted policies and procedures designed to address potential conflicts of interest. For additional information about potential conflicts of interest and the way in which BlackRock addresses such conflicts, please see "—Principal Risks—Competition for Investment Opportunities," "—Principal Risks—Valuation Risk," and "Conflicts of Interest" and "Management of the Fund—Portfolio Management—Potential Material Conflicts of Interest" in the SAI.

*Allocation Risk* 

The Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective depends upon the Advisor's skill in determining the Fund's allocation of its assets and in selecting the best mix of investments. There is a risk that the Advisor's evaluation and assumptions regarding asset classes or investments may be incorrect in view of actual market conditions.

The Fund's allocation of its investments across various segments of the securities markets and various countries, regions, asset classes and sectors may vary significantly over time based on the Advisor's analysis and judgment. As a result, the particular risks most relevant to an investment in the Fund, as well as the overall risk profile of the Fund's portfolio, may vary over time. The Advisor employs an active approach to the Fund's investment allocations, but there is no guarantee that the Advisor's allocation strategy will produce the desired results. The percentage of the Fund's total assets allocated to any category of investment may at any given time be significantly less than the maximum percentage permitted pursuant to the Fund's investment policies. It is possible that the Fund will focus on an investment that performs poorly or underperforms other investments under various market conditions. The flexibility of the Fund's investment policies and the discretion granted to the Advisor to invest the Fund's assets across various segments, classes and geographic regions of the securities markets and in securities with various characteristics means that the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective may be more dependent on the success of its investment adviser than other investment companies.

As part of its strategy, the Fund seek to invest in select less liquid or illiquid private credit investments, generally involving corporate borrowers or asset-based collateral, that are believed to present the potential for higher yield versus some of the more liquid portions of the Fund's portfolio. The Fund's amount of the Fund's net assets allocated to such investments may vary over time.

See "—Principal Risks—Competition for Investment Opportunities," "—Principal Risks—Valuation Risk," and "Conflicts of Interest" and "Management of the Fund—Portfolio Management—Potential Material Conflicts of Interest" in the SAI.

*Portfolio Turnover Risk* 

The Fund's annual portfolio turnover rate may vary greatly from year to year, as well as within a given year. Portfolio turnover rate is not considered a limiting factor in the execution of investment decisions for the Fund. A higher portfolio turnover rate results in correspondingly greater brokerage commissions and other transactional expenses that are borne by the Fund. High portfolio turnover may result in an increased realization of net short-term capital gains by the Fund which, when distributed to common shareholders, will be taxable as ordinary income. Additionally, in a declining market, portfolio turnover may create realized capital losses.

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*Anti-Takeover Provisions Risk* 

The Fund's Declaration of Trust and Bylaws include provisions that could limit the ability of other entities or persons to acquire control of the Fund or convert the Fund to open-end status or to change the composition of the Board. Such provisions could limit the ability of shareholders to sell their shares by discouraging a third party from seeking to obtain control of the Fund. See "Certain Provisions in the Agreement and Declaration of Trust and Bylaws."

#### Additional Risks
The following describes various non-principal risks of investing in the Fund. Other non-principal risks of investing in the Fund are also described under "Additional Risk Factors" in the Fund's SAI.

*Risks Relating to Particular Countries or Geographic Regions* 

*Asia-Pacific Countries*. In addition to the risks of investing in Non-U.S. Securities and the risks of investing in emerging markets, the developing market Asia-Pacific countries are subject to certain additional or specific risks. In many of these markets, there is a high concentration of market capitalization and trading volume in a small number of issuers representing a limited number of industries, as well as a high concentration of investors and financial intermediaries. Many of these markets also may be affected by developments with respect to more established markets in the region such as in Japan and Hong Kong. Brokers in developing market Asia-Pacific countries typically are fewer in number and less well capitalized than brokers in the United States.

Many of the developing market Asia-Pacific countries may be subject to a greater degree of economic, political and social instability than is the case in the United States and Western European countries. Such instability may result from, among other things: (i) authoritarian governments or military involvement in political and economic decision-making, including changes in government through extra-constitutional means; (ii) popular unrest associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions; (iii) internal insurgencies; (iv) hostile relations with neighboring countries; and (v) ethnic, religious and racial disaffection. In addition, the governments of many of such countries, such as Indonesia, have a substantial role in regulating and supervising the economy.

Another risk common to most such countries is that the economy is heavily export oriented and, accordingly, is dependent upon international trade. The existence of overburdened infrastructure and obsolete financial systems also presents risks in certain countries, as do environmental problems. Certain economies also depend to a significant degree upon exports of primary commodities and, therefore, are vulnerable to changes in commodity prices that, in turn, may be affected by a variety of factors.

The rights of investors in developing market Asia-Pacific companies may be more limited than those of shareholders of U.S. corporations. It may be difficult or impossible to obtain and/or enforce a judgment in a developing market Asia-Pacific country.

Some developing Asia-Pacific countries prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on investments in their capital markets, particularly their equity markets, by foreign entities. For example, certain countries may require governmental approval prior to investments by foreign persons or limit the amount of investment by foreign persons in a particular company.

*China*. Investments in securities of companies domiciled in the People's Republic of China ("China"), including certain Hong Kong-listed and U.S.-listed securities, involve a high degree of risk and special considerations not typically associated with investing in the U.S. securities markets. Such heightened risks include, among others, an authoritarian government, popular unrest associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions, the impact of regional conflict on the economy and hostile relations with other countries.

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Military conflicts, either in response to internal social unrest or conflicts with other countries, could disrupt economic development. Additionally, China is alleged to have participated in state-sponsored cyberattacks against foreign companies and foreign governments. Actual and threatened responses to such activity and strained international relations, including purchasing restrictions, sanctions, tariffs or cyberattacks on the Chinese government or Chinese companies, may impact China's economy and Chinese issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.

While the Chinese economy has experienced past periods of rapid growth, there is no assurance that such growth rates will recur. Other economic challenges for China include indebtedness, weak consumer demand, trade tensions, and an aging population. China continues to face pressure from its trading partners over its exporting of its excess industrial capacity and overall approach to economic management. China's economy is heavily dependent on export growth. Reduction in spending on Chinese products and services, supply chain diversification, institution of additional tariffs, sanctions or other trade barriers (including as a result of heightened trade tensions between China and the United States or in response to actual or alleged Chinese cyber activity) or a downturn in any of the economies of China's key trading partners may have an adverse impact on the Chinese economy and the companies in which the Fund invests. Certain Chinese companies (which may change from time to time) are directly or indirectly subject to economic or trade restrictions imposed by the U.S. or other governments due to national security, human rights or other concerns of such government. For example, certain foreign technology companies are subject to U.S. export controls as those companies are believed to pose a risk to U.S. interests. The U.S. also bans imports of goods produced in certain regions of China or by certain Chinese companies due to concerns about forced labor. Such restrictions may have unanticipated and adverse effects on the Chinese economy and companies. Any action that targets Chinese financial markets or securities exchanges could interfere with orderly trading, delay settlement or cause market disruptions. Certain companies may be subject to economic or trade restrictions (but not investment restrictions) imposed by the U.S. or other governments due to national security, human rights or other concerns of such government. So long as these restrictions do not include restrictions on investments, the Fund may invest in such companies.

From time to time and in recent years, China has experienced outbreaks of infectious illnesses and the country may be subject to other public health threats, infectious illnesses, diseases or similar issues in the future. Any spread of an infectious illness, public health threat or similar issue could reduce consumer demand or economic output, result in market closures, travel restrictions or quarantines, and generally have a significant impact on the Chinese economy, which in turn could adversely affect the Fund's investments.

*Eurozone*. A number of countries in the EU have experienced, and may continue to experience, severe economic and financial difficulties. In particular, many EU nations are susceptible to economic risks associated with high levels of debt, notably due to investments in sovereign debt of countries such as Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Ireland. As a result, financial markets in the EU have been subject to increased volatility and declines in asset values and liquidity. Responses to these financial problems by European governments, central banks, and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not work, may result in social unrest, and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and others of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets, and asset valuations around the world. Greece, Ireland, and Portugal have already received one or more "bailouts" from other Eurozone member states, and it is unclear how much additional funding they will require or if additional Eurozone member states will require bailouts in the future. One or more other countries may also abandon the euro and/or withdraw from the EU, placing its currency and banking system in jeopardy. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.

As a result of Brexit, the financial markets experienced high levels of volatility and it is likely that, in the near term, Brexit will continue to bring about higher levels of uncertainty and volatility. During this period of uncertainty, the negative impact on not only the United Kingdom and European economies, but the broader

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global economy, could be significant, potentially resulting in increased volatility and illiquidity and lower economic growth for companies that rely significantly on Europe for their business activities and revenues. It is possible, that certain economic activity will be curtailed until some signs of clarity begin to emerge, including negotiations around the terms for United Kingdom's exit out of the EU. Any further exits from the EU, or the possibility of such exits, would likely cause additional market disruption globally and introduce new legal and regulatory uncertainties.

In addition, certain European countries have recently experienced negative interest rates on certain fixed-income instruments. A negative interest rate policy is an unconventional central bank monetary policy tool where nominal target interest rates are set with a negative value (i.e., below zero percent) intended to help create self-sustaining growth in the local economy. Negative interest rates may result in heightened market volatility and may detract from the Fund's performance to the extent the Fund is exposed to such interest rates. Among other things, these developments have adversely affected the value and exchange rate of the euro and pound sterling, and may continue to significantly affect the economies of all EU countries, which in turn may have a material adverse effect on the Fund's investments in such countries, other countries that depend on EU countries for significant amounts of trade or investment, or issuers with exposure to debt issued by certain EU countries.

To the extent the Fund has exposure to European markets or to transactions tied to the value of the euro, these events could negatively affect the value and liquidity of the Fund's investments. All of these developments may continue to significantly affect the economies of all EU countries, which in turn may have a material adverse effect on the Fund's investments in such countries, other countries that depend on EU countries for significant amounts of trade or investment, or issuers with exposure to debt issued by certain EU countries.

*Japan*. There are special risks associated with investments in Japan. If the Fund invests in Japan, the value of the Fund's shares may vary widely in response to political and economic factors affecting companies in Japan. Political, social or economic disruptions in Japan or in other countries in the region may adversely affect the values of Japanese securities and thus the Fund's holdings. Additionally, since securities in Japan are denominated and quoted in yen, the value of the Fund's Japanese securities as measured in U.S. dollars may be affected by fluctuations in the value of the Japanese yen relative to the U.S. dollar. Japanese securities are also subject to the more general risks associated with Non-U.S. Securities.

*Latin America*. The economies of Latin American countries have experienced high inflation rates, high interest rates, economic volatility, currency devaluations, government debt defaults and high unemployment rates. The emergence of the Latin American economies and securities markets will require continued economic and fiscal discipline that has been lacking at times in the past, as well as stable political and social conditions. International economic conditions, particularly those in the United States, as well as world prices for oil and other commodities may also influence the development of the Latin American economies.

Some Latin American currencies have experienced steady devaluations relative to the U.S. dollar and certain Latin American countries have had to make major adjustments in their currencies from time to time. In addition, governments of many Latin American countries have exercised and continue to exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. Governmental actions in the future could have a significant effect on economic conditions in Latin American countries, which could affect the companies in which the Fund invests and, therefore, the value of Fund shares. As noted, in the past, many Latin American countries have experienced substantial, and in some periods extremely high, rates of inflation for many years. For companies that keep accounting records in the local currency, inflation accounting rules in some Latin American countries require, for both tax and accounting purposes, that certain assets and liabilities be restated on the company's balance sheet in order to express items in terms of currency of constant purchasing power. Inflation accounting may indirectly generate losses or profits for certain Latin American companies. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and could, in the future, have very negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain Latin American countries.

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Substantial limitations may exist in certain countries with respect to the Fund's ability to repatriate investment income, capital or the proceeds of sales of securities. The Fund could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, any required governmental approval for repatriation of capital, as well as by the application to the Fund of any restrictions on investments.

Certain Latin American countries have entered into regional trade agreements that are designed to, among other things, reduce barriers between countries, increase competition among companies and reduce government subsidies in certain industries. No assurances can be given that these changes will be successful in the long-term, or that these changes will result in the economic stability intended. There is a possibility that these trade arrangements will not be fully implemented, or will be partially or completely unwound. It is also possible that a significant participant could choose to abandon a trade agreement, which could diminish its credibility and influence. Any of these occurrences could have adverse effects on the markets of both participating and non-participating countries, including sharp appreciation or depreciation of participants' national currencies and a significant increase in exchange rate volatility, a resurgence in economic protectionism, an undermining of confidence in the Latin American markets, an undermining of Latin American economic stability, the collapse or slowdown of the drive towards Latin American economic unity, and/or reversion of the attempts to lower government debt and inflation rates that were introduced in anticipation of such trade agreements. Such developments could have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments in Latin America generally or in specific countries participating in such trade agreements.

Other Latin American market risks include foreign exchange controls, difficulties in pricing securities, defaults on sovereign debt, difficulties in enforcing favorable legal judgments in local courts and political and social instability. Legal remedies available to investors in certain Latin American countries may be less extensive than those available to investors in the United States or other foreign countries.

*Russia*. Because of the underdeveloped state of Russia's securities markets and banking and telecommunication systems, settlement, clearing and registration of securities transactions are subject to additional risks. Prior to 2013, there was no central registration system for equity share registration in Russia and registration was carried out either by the issuers themselves or by registrars located throughout Russia. These registrars may not have been subject to effective state supervision or licensed with any governmental entity. In 2013, Russia established the National Settlement Depository ("NSD") as a recognized central securities depository, and title to Russian equities held through the NSD is now based on the records of the NSD and not on the records of the local registrars. Although the implementation of the NSD has enhanced the efficiency and transparency of the Russian securities market, loss still can occur. Additionally, issuers and registrars remain prominent in the validation and approval of documentation requirements for corporate action processing in Russia, and, because the documentation requirements and approval criteria vary between registrars and issuers, there remain inconsistent market standards in the Russian market with respect to the completion and submission of corporate action elections. To the extent that the Fund suffers a loss relating to title or corporate actions relating to its portfolio securities, it may be difficult for the Fund to enforce its rights or otherwise remedy the loss. Russian securities laws may not recognize foreign nominee accounts held with a custodian bank, and as a result the custodian may be considered the ultimate owner of securities held on behalf of their clients. The Fund also may experience difficulty in obtaining and/or enforcing judgments in Russia.

In addition, Russia continues to assert its influence in the region through economic and military measures, as it did with Georgia in the summer of 2008 and the Ukraine in 2014 and 2022. Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The extent and duration of the military action, resulting sanctions and resulting future market disruptions, including declines in its stock markets and the value of the ruble against the U.S. dollar, are impossible to predict. Any such disruptions caused by Russian military action or other actions (including cyberattacks and espionage) or resulting actual and threatened responses to such activity, including purchasing and financing restrictions, boycotts or changes in consumer or purchaser preferences, sanctions, tariffs or cyberattacks on the Russian government, Russian companies or Russian individuals, including

politicians, may impact Russia's economy and Russian issuers of securities in which the Fund invests. Actual and

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threatened responses to such military action may also impact the markets for certain Russian commodities, such as oil and natural gas, as well as other sectors of the Russian economy, and may likely have collateral impacts on such sectors globally.

Governments in the United States and many other countries (collectively, the "Sanctioning Bodies") have imposed economic sanctions on certain Russian individuals, including politicians, and Russian corporate and banking entities. The Sanctioning Bodies, or others, could also institute broader sanctions on Russia, including banning Russia from global payments systems that facilitate cross-border payments. These sanctions, or even the threat of further sanctions, may result in the decline of the value and liquidity of Russian securities, a weakening of the ruble or other adverse consequences to the Russian economy. These sanctions have resulted and may continue to result in the immediate freeze of Russian securities and/or funds invested in prohibited assets, impairing the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, receive or deliver those securities and/or assets. Sanctions could also result in Russia taking counter measures or retaliatory actions which may further impair the value and liquidity of Russian securities.

*Inflation-Indexed Bonds Risk* 

Inflation-indexed securities are subject to the effects of changes in market interest rates caused by factors other than inflation (real interest rates). In general, the value of an inflation-indexed security, including U.S. Treasury inflation-indexed bonds, tends to decrease when real interest rates increase and can increase when real interest rates decrease. Thus generally, during periods of rising inflation, the value of inflation-indexed securities will tend to increase and during periods of deflation, their value will tend to decrease. Interest payments on inflation-indexed securities are unpredictable and will fluctuate as the principal and interest are adjusted for inflation. There can be no assurances that the inflation index used (i.e., the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers or "CPI-U") will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services. Any increase in the principal amount of an inflation-indexed debt security will be considered taxable ordinary income, even though the Fund will not receive the principal until maturity. In order to receive the special treatment accorded to RICs and their shareholders under the Code and to avoid U.S. federal income and/or excise taxes, the Fund may be required to distribute this income to shareholders in the tax year in which the income is recognized (without a corresponding receipt of cash). Therefore, the Fund may be required to pay out as an income distribution in any such tax year an amount greater than the total amount of cash income the Fund actually received and to sell portfolio securities, including at potentially disadvantageous times or prices, to obtain cash needed for these income distributions.

*Inverse Floater and Related Securities Risk* 

Investments in inverse floaters and similar instruments expose the Fund to the same risks as investments in fixed income securities and derivatives, as well as other risks, including those associated with leverage and increased volatility. An investment in these securities typically will involve greater risk than an investment in a fixed rate security. Distributions on inverse floaters and similar instruments will typically bear an inverse relationship to short-term interest rates and typically will be reduced or, potentially, eliminated as interest rates rise. Inverse floaters and similar instruments will underperform the market for fixed rate securities in a rising interest rate environment. Inverse floaters may be considered to be leveraged to the extent that their interest rates vary by a magnitude that exceeds the magnitude of the change in a reference rate of interest (typically a short-term interest rate). The leverage inherent in inverse floaters is associated with greater volatility in their market values. Investments in inverse floaters and similar instruments that have fixed income securities underlying them will expose the Fund to the risks associated with those fixed income securities and the values of those investments may be especially sensitive to changes in prepayment rates on the underlying fixed income securities.

*New Issues Risk* 

"New Issues" are initial public offerings of U.S. equity securities. There is no assurance that the Fund will have access to profitable IPOs and therefore investors should not rely on any past gains from IPOs as an

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indication of future performance of the Fund. The investment performance of the Fund during periods when it is unable to invest significantly or at all in IPOs may be lower than during periods when the Fund is able to do so. Securities issued in IPOs are subject to many of the same risks as investing in companies with smaller market capitalizations. Securities issued in IPOs have no trading history, and information about the companies may be available for very limited periods. In addition, some companies in IPOs are involved in relatively new industries or lines of business, which may not be widely understood by investors. Some of these companies may be undercapitalized or regarded as developmental stage companies, without revenues or operating income, or the near-term prospects of achieving them. Further, the prices of securities sold in IPOs may be highly volatile or may decline shortly after the IPO. When an IPO is brought to the market, availability may be limited and the Fund may not be able to buy any shares at the offering price, or, if it is able to buy shares, it may not be able to buy as many shares at the offering price as it would like. The limited number of shares available for trading in some IPOs may make it more difficult for the Fund to buy or sell significant amounts of shares.

*Highly Volatile Markets Risk* 

The prices of the Fund's investments, and therefore the NAV of the Fund, can be highly volatile. Price movements of forward contracts, futures contracts and other derivative contracts in which the Fund may invest are influenced by, among other things, interest rates, changing supply and demand relationships, trade, fiscal, monetary and exchange control programs and policies of governments, and national and international political and economic events and policies. In addition, governments from time to time intervene, directly and by regulation, in certain markets, particularly those in currencies, financial instruments and interest rate-related futures and options. Such intervention often is intended directly to influence prices and may, together with other factors, cause all of such markets to move rapidly in the same direction because of, among other things, interest rate fluctuations. Moreover, since internationally there may be less government supervision and regulation of worldwide stock exchanges and clearinghouses than in the U.S., the Fund also is subject to the risk of the failure of the exchanges on which its positions trade or of its clearinghouses, and there may be a higher risk of financial irregularities and/or lack of appropriate risk monitoring and controls.

*Structured Securities Risks* 

The Fund may invest in structured securities, including structured notes, equity-linked notes ("ELNs") and other types of structured securities. Because structured securities of the type in which the Fund may invest typically involve no credit enhancement, their credit risk generally will be equivalent to that of the underlying instruments, index or reference obligation and will also be subject to counterparty risk. The Fund may have the right to receive payments only from the structured security, and generally does not have direct rights against the issuer or the entity that sold the assets to be securitized. While certain structured securities enable the investor to acquire interests in a pool of securities without the brokerage and other expenses associated with directly holding the same securities, investors in structured securities generally pay their share of the structured security's administrative and other expenses. Although it is difficult to predict whether the prices of indices and securities underlying structured securities will rise or fall, these prices (and, therefore, the prices of structured securities) will be influenced by the same types of political and economic events that affect issuers of securities and capital markets generally. If the issuer of a structured securities uses shorter term financing to purchase longer term securities, the issuer may be forced to sell its securities at below market prices if it experiences difficulty in obtaining such financing, which may adversely affect the value of the structured securities owned by the Fund.

*REITs and Real Estate Risk* 

To the extent that the Fund invests in real estate related investments, including REITs, it will be subject to the risks associated with owning real estate and with the real estate industry, generally. These include difficulties in valuing and disposing of real estate, the possibility of declines in the value of real estate, risks related to general and local economic conditions, the possibility of adverse changes in the climate for real estate, environmental liability risks, the risk of increases in property taxes and operating expenses, possible adverse

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changes in zoning laws, the risk of casualty or condemnation losses, limitations on rents, the possibility of adverse changes in interest rates and in the credit markets and the possibility of borrowers paying off mortgages sooner than expected, which may lead to reinvestment of assets at lower prevailing interest rates. To the extent that the Fund invests in REITs, it will also be subject to the risk that a REIT may default on its obligations or go bankrupt. REITs are generally not taxed on income timely distributed to shareholders, provided they comply with the applicable requirements of the Code. By investing in REITs indirectly through the Fund, a shareholder will bear not only his or her proportionate share of the expenses of the Fund, but also, indirectly, similar expenses of the REITs. Mortgage REITs are pooled investment vehicles that invest the majority of their assets in real property mortgages and which generally derive income primarily from interest payments thereon. Investing in mortgage REITs involves certain risks related to investing in real property mortgages. In addition, mortgage REITs must satisfy highly technical and complex requirements in order to qualify for the favorable tax treatment accorded to REITs under the Code. No assurances can be given that a mortgage REIT in which the Fund invests will be able to continue to qualify as a REIT or that complying with the REIT requirements under the Code will not adversely affect such REIT's ability to execute its business plan.

Many REITs focus on particular types of properties or properties that are especially suited for certain uses, and those REITs are affected by the risks which impact the owners or users of their properties. For REITs that own healthcare facilities, for example, the physical characteristics of these properties and their operations are highly regulated, and those regulations often require capital expenditures or restrict the profits realizable from these properties. Some of these properties are also highly dependent upon Medicare and Medicaid payments, which are subject to changes in governmental budgets and policies. These properties may experience losses if their tenants receive lower Medicare or Medicaid rates.

*Warrants Risk* 

If the price of the underlying stock does not rise above the exercise price before the warrant expires, the warrant generally expires without any value and the Fund loses any amount it paid for the warrant. Thus, investments in warrants may involve substantially more risk than investments in common stock. Warrants may trade in the same markets as their underlying stock; however, the price of the warrant does not necessarily move with the price of the underlying stock.

*Rights Risks* 

The failure to exercise subscription rights to purchase common stock would result in the dilution of the Fund's interest in the issuing company. The market for such rights is not well developed, and, accordingly, the Fund may not always realize full value on the sale of rights.

*Defensive Investing Risk* 

For defensive purposes, the Fund may allocate assets into cash or short-term fixed income securities without limitation. In doing so, the Fund may succeed in avoiding losses but may otherwise fail to achieve its investment objective. Further, the value of short-term fixed income securities may be affected by changing interest rates and by changes in credit ratings of the investments. If the Fund holds cash uninvested it will be subject to the credit risk of the depository institution holding the cash.

*Hedging Transactions Risk* 

The Fund may utilize financial instruments such as forward contracts, options and interest rate swaps, caps and floors to seek to hedge against declines in the values of portfolio positions (measured in terms of their base currencies) as a result of changes in currency exchange rates, certain changes in the equity markets and market interest rates and other events.

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When engaging in a hedging transaction, the Fund may determine not to seek to establish a perfect correlation between the hedging instruments utilized and the portfolio holdings being hedged. Such an imperfect correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving the intended hedge or expose the Fund to a risk of loss. The Fund may also determine not to hedge against a particular risk because it does not regard the probability of the risk occurring to be sufficiently high as to justify the cost of the hedge or because it does not foresee the occurrence of the risk. It may not be possible for the Fund to hedge against a change or event at attractive prices or at a price sufficient to protect the assets of the Fund from the decline in value of the portfolio positions anticipated as a result of such change. In addition, it may not be possible to hedge at all against certain risks.

*Option Transactions Risk* 

The Fund may engage in option transactions. The purchase or sale of an option involves the payment or receipt of a premium payment by the investor and the corresponding right or obligation, as the case may be, to either purchase or sell the underlying security or other instrument for a specific price at a certain time or during a certain period. A put option gives the purchaser of the option the right to sell, and obligates the writer to buy, the underlying security at a stated exercise price at any time prior to the expiration of the option. A call option gives the purchaser of the option the right to buy, and obligates the writer to sell, the underlying security at a stated exercise price at any time prior to the expiration of the option. Purchasing options involves the risk that the underlying instrument does not change price in the manner expected, so that the option expires worthless and the investor loses its premium. Selling options, on the other hand, involves potentially greater risk because the investor is exposed to the extent of the actual price movement in the underlying security in excess of the premium payment received. In general, exchange-traded options have standardized exercise prices and expiration dates and require the parties to post margin against their obligations, and the performance of the parties' obligations in connection with such options is guaranteed by the exchange or a related clearing corporation. Over-the-counter options have more flexible terms negotiated between the buyer and the seller, but are subject to greater credit risk. Over-the-counter options also involve greater liquidity risk.

A covered call option is a call option with respect to which the Fund owns the underlying security. The sale of such an option exposes the Fund, during the term of the option, to possible loss of opportunity to realize appreciation in the market price of the underlying security and to the possibility that it might hold the underlying security in order to protect against depreciation in the market price of the security during a period when it might have otherwise sold the security. The seller of a covered call option assumes the risk of a decline in the market price of the underlying security below the purchase price of the underlying security less the premium received, and gives up the opportunity for gain on the underlying security above the exercise price of the option. The seller of an uncovered call option assumes the risk of a theoretically unlimited increase in the market price of the underlying security above the exercise price of the option.

A covered put option is a put option with respect to which the seller has a short position in the underlying security. The seller of a covered put option assumes the risk of an increase in the market price of the underlying security above the sales price (in establishing the short position) of the underlying security plus the premium received, and gives up the opportunity for gain on the underlying security below the exercise price of the option. If the seller of the put option owns a put option covering an equivalent number of shares with an exercise price equal to or greater than the exercise price of the put written, the position is "fully hedged" if the option owned expires at the same time or later than the option written. The seller of an uncovered put option assumes the risk of a decline in the market price of the underlying security below the exercise price of the option. The seller of a put option may also be required to place cash or liquid assets in a segregated account, or designate such cash or liquid assets on its books and records, to ensure compliance with its obligation to purchase the underlying security. The sale of such an option exposes the Fund during the term of the option to a decline in price of the underlying security while depriving the Fund of the opportunity to invest the segregated or earmarked assets. The Fund may close out a position when writing options by purchasing an option on the same security with the same exercise price and expiration date as the option that it has previously written on the security. The Fund will realize a profit or loss if the amount paid to purchase an option is less or more, as the case may be, than the

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amount received from the sale thereof. To close out a position as a purchaser of an option, the Fund would generally make a similar "closing sale transaction," which involves liquidating its position by selling the option previously purchased. However, if deemed advantageous, the Fund would be entitled to exercise the option.

There are several risks associated with transactions in options on securities and indexes. For example, there are significant differences between the securities and options markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between these markets, causing a given transaction not to achieve its objectives. In addition, a liquid market for particular options, whether traded over-the-counter or on a national securities exchange ("Exchange") may be absent for reasons which include the following: there may be insufficient trading interest in certain options; restrictions may be imposed by an Exchange on opening transactions or closing transactions or both; trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options or underlying securities; unusual or unforeseen circumstances may interrupt normal operations on an Exchange; the facilities of an Exchange or the Options Clearing Corporation ("OCC") may not at all times be adequate to handle current trading volume; or one or more Exchanges could, for economic or other reasons, decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options), in which event the market on that Exchange (or in that class or series of options) would cease to exist, although outstanding options that had been issued by the OCC as a result of trades on that Exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms.

*Commodities, Financial Futures Contracts and Options Thereon Risk* 

The Fund may invest in financial and commodity futures contracts and in options thereon, as well as directly in commodities. The Fund may also be subject to risks related to a direct investment in commodities through its other investments.

A futures contract is an agreement between two parties which obligates the purchaser of the futures contract to buy and the seller of a futures contract to sell a security or commodity for a set price on a future date or, in the case of an index futures contract, to make and accept a cash settlement based upon the difference in value of the index between the time the contract was entered into and the time of its settlement. A majority of transactions in futures contracts, however, do not result in the actual delivery of the underlying instrument or cash settlement, but are settled through liquidation (i.e., by entering into an offsetting transaction). Futures contracts have been designed by boards of trade that have been designated "contract markets" by the CFTC.

Commodity and financial markets are highly volatile because a high degree of leverage is typical of a futures trading account. As a result, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in substantial losses to the investor. In addition, commodity exchanges may limit fluctuations in commodity futures contract prices during a single day and thus during a single trading day no trades may be executed at prices beyond the "daily limit." Once the price of a futures contract for a particular commodity has increased or decreased by an amount equal to the daily limit, positions in the commodity can be neither taken nor liquidated unless the Fund is willing to effect trades at or within the limit, which may hinder the ability of the Fund to trade.

The profitability of such an investment depends on the ability of the Advisor to analyze correctly the commodity markets, which are influenced by, among other things, changing supply and demand relationships, weather, changes in interest rates, trade policies, world political and economic events, and other unforeseen events. Such events could result in large market movements and volatile market conditions and create the risk of significant loss. A variety of possible actions by various government agencies can also inhibit profitability or can result in loss. In addition, activities by the major power producers can have a profound effect on spot prices which can, in turn, substantially affect derivative prices, as well as the liquidity of such markets. Moreover, investments in commodity and financial futures and options contracts involve additional risks. The CFTC and futures exchanges have established limits referred to as "speculative position limits" on the maximum net long or net short position that any person may hold or control in particular commodity or financial futures contracts. All of the positions held by all accounts owned or controlled by the Fund will be aggregated for the purposes of

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determining compliance with position limits. It is possible that positions held by the Fund may have to be liquidated in order to avoid exceeding such limits. Such modification or liquidation, if required, could adversely affect the operations and profitability of the Fund.

The Fund may invest in commodity futures contracts and in options thereon in a variety of countries and on a variety of exchanges including those in less established markets. This is the case even if the exchange is formally "linked" to a more established exchange, whereby a trade executed on one exchange liquidates or establishes a position on the other exchange. The activities of such exchanges, including the execution, delivery and clearing of transactions on such an exchange may be subject to a lesser degree of control and enforcement than more established markets. Moreover, such laws or regulations will vary depending on the country in which the transaction occurs. In addition, funds received from the Fund to margin futures transactions may not be provided the same protections as funds received to margin futures transactions on established exchanges.

The primary risks associated with the use of futures contracts and options are (a) the imperfect correlation between the change in market value of the instruments held by the Fund and the price of the futures contract or option; (b) possible lack of a liquid secondary market for a futures contract and the resulting inability to close a futures contract when desired; (c) losses caused by unanticipated market movements, which are potentially unlimited; (d) the Advisor's inability to predict correctly the direction of securities prices, interest rates, currency exchange rates and other economic factors; and (e) the possibility that the counterparty will default in the performance of its obligations.

Investment in futures contracts involves the risk of imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the futures contract and the price of the security being hedged. The hedge will not be fully effective when there is imperfect correlation between the movements in the prices of two financial instruments. For example, if the price of the futures contract moves more or less than the price of the hedged security, the Fund will experience either a loss or gain on the futures contract which is not completely offset by movements in the price of the hedged securities. To compensate for imperfect correlations, the Fund may purchase or sell futures contracts in a greater dollar amount than the hedged securities if the volatility of the hedged securities is historically greater than the volatility of the futures contracts. Conversely, the Fund may purchase or sell fewer futures contracts if the volatility of the price of the hedged securities is historically lower than that of the futures contracts.

The particular securities comprising the index underlying a securities index financial futures contract may vary from the securities held by the Fund. As a result, the Fund's ability to hedge effectively all or a portion of the value of its securities through the use of such financial futures contracts will depend in part on the degree to which price movements in the index underlying the financial futures contract correlate with the price movements of the securities held by the Fund. The correlation may be affected by disparities in the average maturity, ratings, geographical mix or structure of the Fund's investments as compared to those comprising the securities index and general economic or political factors. In addition, the correlation between movements in the value of the securities index may be subject to change over time as additions to and deletions from the securities index alter its structure. The correlation between futures contracts on U.S. government securities and the securities held by the Fund may be adversely affected by similar factors and the risk of imperfect correlation between movements in the prices of such futures contracts and the prices of securities held by the Fund may be greater. The trading of futures contracts also is subject to certain market risks, such as inadequate trading activity, which could at times make it difficult or impossible to liquidate existing positions.

The Fund may liquidate futures contracts it enters into through offsetting transactions on the applicable contract market. There can be no assurance, however, that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular futures contract at any specific time. Thus, it may not be possible to close out a futures position. In the event of adverse price movements, the Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments of variation margin. In such situations, if the Fund has insufficient cash, it may be required to sell portfolio securities to meet daily variation margin requirements at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. The inability to close out

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futures positions also could have an adverse impact on the Fund's ability to hedge effectively its investments in securities. The liquidity of a secondary market in a futures contract may be adversely affected by "daily price fluctuation limits" established by commodity exchanges described above. Prices have in the past moved beyond the daily limit on a number of consecutive trading days.

Because of low initial margin deposits made upon the opening of a futures position, futures transactions involve substantial leverage. As a result, relatively small movements in the price of the futures contracts can result in substantial unrealized gains or losses. There is also the risk of loss by the Fund of margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of a broker with which the Fund has an open position in a financial futures contract.

*Forward Contracts Risk* 

The principals who deal in the forward markets are not required to continue to make markets in the currencies or commodities they trade and these markets can experience periods of illiquidity, sometimes of significant duration. There have been periods during which certain participants in these markets have refused to quote prices for certain currencies or commodities or have quoted prices with an unusually wide spread between the price at which they were prepared to buy and that at which they were prepared to sell. Disruptions can occur in any market traded by the Fund due to unusually high trading volume, political intervention or other factors. Arrangements to trade forward contracts may be made with only one or a few counterparties, and liquidity problems therefore might be greater than if such arrangements were made with numerous counterparties. The imposition of controls by governmental authorities might also limit such forward (and futures) trading to less than that the Advisor would otherwise recommend, to the possible detriment of the Fund. Market illiquidity or disruption could result in major losses to the Fund.

*Swaps Risk* 

Swaps are a type of derivative. Swap agreements involve the risk that the party with which the Fund has entered into the swap will default on its obligation to pay the Fund and the risk that the Fund will not be able to meet its obligations to pay the other party to the agreement. To seek to hedge the value of the Fund's portfolio, to hedge against increases in the Fund's cost associated with interest payments on any outstanding borrowings or to increase the Fund's return, the Fund may enter into swaps, including interest rate swap, total return swap (sometimes referred to as a "contract for difference") and/or credit default swap transactions. In interest rate swap transactions, there is a risk that yields will move in the direction opposite of the direction anticipated by the Fund, which would cause the Fund to make payments to its counterparty in the transaction that could adversely affect Fund performance. In addition to the risks applicable to swaps generally (including counterparty risk, high volatility, liquidity risk and credit risk), credit default swap transactions involve special risks because they are difficult to value, are highly susceptible to liquidity and credit risk, and generally pay a return to the party that has paid the premium only in the event of an actual default by the issuer of the underlying obligation (as opposed to a credit downgrade or other indication of financial difficulty).

Historically, swap transactions have been individually negotiated non-standardized transactions entered into in OTC markets and have not been subject to the same type of government regulation as exchange-traded instruments. However, since the global financial crisis, the OTC derivatives markets have become subject to comprehensive statutes and regulations. In particular, in the United States, the Dodd-Frank Act requires that certain derivatives with U.S. persons must be executed on a regulated market and a substantial portion of OTC derivatives must be submitted for clearing to regulated clearinghouses. As a result, swap transactions entered into by the Fund may become subject to various requirements applicable to swaps under the Dodd-Frank Act, including clearing, exchange-execution, reporting and recordkeeping requirements, which may make it more difficult and costly for the Fund to enter into swap transactions and may also render certain strategies in which the Fund might otherwise engage impossible or so costly that they will no longer be economical to implement. Furthermore, the number of counterparties that may be willing to enter into swap transactions with the Fund may also be limited if the swap transactions with the Fund are subject to the swap regulation under the Dodd-Frank Act.

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Credit default and total return swap agreements may effectively add leverage to the Fund's portfolio because, in addition to its Managed Assets, the Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. Total return swap agreements are subject to the risk that a counterparty will default on its payment obligations to the Fund thereunder. The Fund is not required to enter into swap transactions for hedging purposes or to enhance income or gain and may choose not to do so. In addition, the swaps market is subject to a changing regulatory environment. It is possible that regulatory or other developments in the swaps market could adversely affect the Fund's ability to successfully use swaps.

*Repurchase Agreements Risk* 

Subject to its investment objective and policies, the Fund may invest in repurchase agreements. Repurchase agreements typically involve the acquisition by the Fund of fixed income securities from a selling financial institution such as a bank, savings and loan association or broker-dealer. The agreement provides that the Fund will sell the securities back to the institution at a fixed time in the future. The Fund does not bear the risk of a decline in the value of the underlying security unless the seller defaults under its repurchase obligation. In the event of the bankruptcy or other default of a seller of a repurchase agreement, the Fund could experience both delays in liquidating the underlying securities and losses, including possible decline in the value of the underlying security during the period in which the Fund seeks to enforce its rights thereto; possible lack of access to income on the underlying security during this period; and expenses of enforcing its rights. While repurchase agreements involve certain risks not associated with direct investments in fixed income securities, the Fund follows procedures approved by the Board that are designed to minimize such risks. In addition, the value of the collateral underlying the repurchase agreement will be at least equal to the repurchase price, including any accrued interest earned on the repurchase agreement. In the event of a default or bankruptcy by a selling financial institution, the Fund generally will seek to liquidate such collateral. However, the exercise of the Fund's right to liquidate such collateral could involve certain costs or delays and, to the extent that proceeds from any sale upon a default of the obligation to repurchase were less than the repurchase price, the Fund could suffer a loss.

*Dollar Roll Transactions Risk* 

Dollar roll transactions involve the risk that the market value of the securities the Fund is required to purchase may decline below the agreed upon repurchase price of those securities. If the broker/dealer to which the Fund sells securities becomes insolvent, the Fund's right to purchase or repurchase securities may be restricted. Successful use of dollar rolls may depend upon the Advisor's ability to predict correctly interest rates and prepayments, depending on the underlying security. There is no assurance that dollar rolls can be successfully employed. These transactions may involve leverage.

*When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Transactions Risk* 

The Fund may purchase securities on a when-issued basis and may purchase or sell those securities for delayed delivery. When-issued and delayed delivery transactions occur when securities are purchased or sold by the Fund with payment and delivery taking place in the future to secure an advantageous yield or price. Securities purchased on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis may expose the Fund to counterparty risk of default as well as the risk that securities may experience fluctuations in value prior to their actual delivery. The Fund will not accrue income with respect to a when-issued or delayed delivery security prior to its stated delivery date. Purchasing securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis can involve the additional risk that the price or yield available in the market when the delivery takes place may not be as favorable as that obtained in the transaction itself.

*Securities Lending Risk* 

The Fund may lend securities to financial institutions. Securities lending involves exposure to certain risks, including operational risk (i.e., the risk of losses resulting from problems in the settlement and accounting

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process), "gap" risk (i.e., the risk of a mismatch between the return on cash collateral reinvestments and the fees the Fund has agreed to pay a borrower), foreign exchange risk (i.e., the risk of a shortfall at default when a cash collateral investment is denominated in a currency other than the currency of the assets being loaned due to movements in foreign exchange rates), and credit, legal, counterparty and market risks (including the risk that market events, including but not limited to corporate actions, could lead the Fund to lend securities that are trading at a premium due to increased demand, or to recall loaned securities or to lend less or not at all, which could lead to reduced securities lending revenue). If the Fund were to lend securities that are subject to a corporate action and commit to the borrower a particular election as determined by the Advisor, the benefit the Fund would receive in respect of committing to such election may or may not be less than the benefit the Fund would have received from making a different election in such corporate action. If a securities lending counterparty were to default, the Fund would be subject to the risk of a possible delay in receiving collateral or in recovering the loaned securities, or to a possible loss of rights in the collateral. In the event a borrower does not return the Fund's securities as agreed, the Fund may experience losses if the proceeds received from liquidating the collateral do not at least equal the value of the loaned security at the time the collateral is liquidated, plus the transaction costs incurred in purchasing replacement securities. This event could trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. The Fund could lose money if its short-term investment of the collateral declines in value over the period of the loan. Substitute payments received by the Fund representing dividends paid on securities loaned out by the Fund will not be considered qualified dividend income, and distributions by the Fund of such substitute payments will not constitute qualified dividend income. Additionally, substitute payments received by the Fund representing qualified REIT dividends paid on REIT securities loaned out by the Fund will not be considered qualified REIT dividends, and distributions by the Fund of such substitute payments will not be eligible for a 20% deduction currently available for ordinary REIT dividends paid to non-corporate shareholders provided certain other requirements are satisfied. The securities lending agent will take into account the tax effects on shareholders caused by these differences in connection with the Fund's securities lending program. Substitute payments received on tax-exempt securities loaned out will generally not be tax-exempt income.

Regulations adopted by global prudential regulators require certain bank-regulated counterparties and certain of their affiliates to include in certain financial contracts, including many securities lending agreements, terms that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties, such as the Fund, to terminate such agreements, foreclose upon collateral, exercise other default rights or restrict transfers of credit support in the event that the counterparty and/or its affiliates are subject to certain types of resolution or insolvency proceedings. It is possible that these new requirements, as well as potential additional government regulation and other developments in the market, could adversely affect the Fund's ability to terminate existing securities lending agreements or to realize amounts to be received under such agreements. Prudential regulation may also favor lenders that can provide additional protections, such as liens that are exercisable upon lender default, to bank borrowers. The Fund may provide additional protections to bank borrowers, where permitted pursuant to the Fund's investment policies and if BlackRock believes doing so is in the best interest of the Fund.

*Short Sales Risk* 

Short-selling involves selling securities which may or may not be owned and borrowing the same securities for delivery to the purchaser, with an obligation to replace the borrowed securities at a later date. If the price of the security sold short increases between the time of the short sale and the time the Fund replaces the borrowed security, the Fund will incur a loss; conversely, if the price declines, the Fund will realize a capital gain. Any gain will be decreased, and any loss will be increased, by the transaction costs incurred by the Fund, including the costs associated with providing collateral to the broker-dealer (usually cash and liquid securities) and the maintenance of collateral with its custodian. Although the Fund's gain is limited to the price at which it sold the security short, its potential loss is theoretically unlimited.

Short-selling necessarily involves certain additional risks. However, if the short seller does not own the securities sold short (an uncovered short sale), the borrowed securities must be replaced by securities purchased

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at market prices in order to close out the short position, and any appreciation in the price of the borrowed securities would result in a loss. Uncovered short sales expose the Fund to the risk of uncapped losses until a position can be closed out due to the lack of an upper limit on the price to which a security may rise. Purchasing securities to close out the short position can itself cause the price of the securities to rise further, thereby exacerbating the loss. There is the risk that the securities borrowed by the Fund in connection with a short-sale must be returned to the securities lender on short notice. If a request for return of borrowed securities occurs at a time when other short-sellers of the security are receiving similar requests, a "short squeeze" can occur, and the Fund may be compelled to replace borrowed securities previously sold short with purchases on the open market at the most disadvantageous time, possibly at prices significantly in excess of the proceeds received at the time the securities were originally sold short.

The Fund must comply with Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act with respect to its short sale borrowings, which are considered derivatives transactions under the Rule. See "Additional Risk Factors—Risk Factors in Strategic Transactions and Derivatives—Rule 18f-4 Under the Investment Company Act" below.

Short sales are also subject to certain SEC regulations and certain European Union and United Kingdom regulations (under which there are restrictions on net short sales in certain securities). If the SEC or regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions were to adopt additional restrictions regarding short sales, they could restrict the Fund's ability to engage in short sales in certain circumstances, and the Fund may be unable to execute its investment strategy as a result. In response to market events, the SEC and regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions may adopt (and in certain cases, have adopted) bans or other restrictions on short sales of certain securities or on derivatives and other hedging instruments used to achieve a similar economic effect. Such bans or other restrictions may make it impossible for the Fund to execute certain investment strategies and may have a material adverse effect on the Fund's ability to generate returns.

*Inflation Risk* 

Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investment will be worth less in the future, as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the real value of the Shares and distributions on those shares can decline. In addition, during any periods of rising inflation, interest rates on any borrowings by the Fund would likely increase, which would tend to further reduce returns to the holders of Shares. Inflation rates may change frequently and significantly due to a number of potential factors, including, among others, unexpected economic shifts or changes in fiscal or monetary policies.

*Deflation Risk* 

Deflation risk is the risk that prices throughout the economy decline over time, which may have an adverse effect on the market valuation of companies, their assets and their revenues. In addition, deflation may have an adverse effect on the creditworthiness of issuers and may make issuer default more likely, which may result in a decline in the value of the Fund's portfolio.

*Regulation as a "Commodity Pool"* 

The CFTC subjects advisers to registered investment companies to regulation by the CFTC if a fund that is advised by the investment adviser either (i) invests, directly or indirectly, more than a prescribed level of its liquidation value in CFTC Derivatives, or (ii) markets itself as providing investment exposure to such instruments. CFTC Rule 4.5 permits investment advisers to registered investment companies to claim an exclusion from the definition of "commodity pool operator" under the CEA with respect to a fund, provided certain requirements are met. In order to permit the Advisor to claim this exclusion with respect to the Fund, the Fund will limit its use of CFTC Derivatives (excluding transactions entered into for "bona fide hedging purposes," as defined under CFTC regulations) such that either: (i) the aggregate initial margin and premiums

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required to establish its CFTC Derivatives do not exceed 5% of the liquidation value of the Fund's portfolio, after taking into account unrealized profits and losses on such positions, or (ii) the aggregate net notional value of its CFTC Derivatives does not exceed 100% of the liquidation value of the Fund's portfolio, after taking into account unrealized profits and losses on such positions. Additionally, the Fund will not market itself as a "commodity pool" or a vehicle for trading such instruments. Accordingly, the Fund is not subject to regulation under the CEA or otherwise regulated by the CFTC, and the Advisor has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term "commodity pool operator" under the CEA pursuant to Rule 4.5 under the CEA. The Advisor is not, therefore, subject to registration or regulation as a "commodity pool operator" under the CEA in respect of the Fund.

*Failure of Futures Commission Merchants and Clearing Organizations* 

The Fund may be required to deposit funds to margin open positions in the derivative instruments subject to the CEA with a clearing broker registered as a "futures commission merchant" ("FCM"). The CEA requires an FCM to segregate all funds received from customers with respect to any orders for the purchase or sale of U.S. domestic futures contracts and cleared swaps from the FCM's proprietary assets. Similarly, the CEA requires each FCM to hold in a separate secure account all funds received from customers with respect to any orders for the purchase or sale of foreign futures contracts and segregate any such funds from the funds received with respect to domestic futures contracts. However, all funds and other property received by an FCM from its customers are held by the FCM on a commingled basis in an omnibus account and may be invested by the FCM in certain instruments permitted under the applicable regulation. There is a risk that assets deposited by the Fund with any swaps or futures FCM as margin for futures contracts may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Fund's FCM. In addition, the assets of the Fund may not be fully protected in the event of the FCM's bankruptcy, as the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the FCM's combined domestic customer accounts.

Similarly, the CEA requires a clearing organization approved by the CFTC as a derivatives clearing organization to segregate all funds and other property received from a clearing member's clients in connection with domestic futures, swaps and options contracts from any funds held at the clearing organization to support the clearing member's proprietary trading. Nevertheless, with respect to futures and options contracts, a clearing organization may use assets of a non-defaulting customer held in an omnibus account at the clearing organization to satisfy payment obligations of a defaulting customer of the clearing member to the clearing organization. As a result, in the event of a default or the clearing broker's other clients or the clearing broker's failure to extend own funds in connection with any such default, the Fund would not be able to recover the full amount of assets deposited by the clearing broker on its behalf with the clearing organization.

*Decision-Making Authority Risk* 

Investors have no authority to make decisions or to exercise business discretion on behalf of the Fund, except as set forth in the Fund's governing documents. The authority for all such decisions is generally delegated to the Board. The Board has delegated the day-to-day management of the Fund's investment activities to the Advisor, subject to oversight by the Board.

*Management Risk* 

The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed investment portfolio. The Advisor and the individual portfolio managers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there can be no guarantee that these will produce the desired results. The Fund may be subject to a relatively high level of management risk because the Fund may invest in derivative instruments, which may be highly specialized instruments that require investment techniques and risk analyses different from those associated with equities and bonds.

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*Market and Selection Risk* 

Market risk is the possibility that the market values of securities owned by the Fund will decline. There is a risk that equity and/or bond markets will go down in value, including the possibility that such markets will go down sharply and unpredictably.

Stock markets are volatile, and the price of equity securities fluctuates based on changes in a company's financial condition and overall market and economic conditions. An adverse event, such as an unfavorable earnings report, may depress the value of a particular common stock held by the Fund. Also, the price of common stocks is sensitive to general movements in the stock market and a drop in the stock market may depress the price of common stocks to which the Fund has exposure. Common stock prices fluctuate for several reasons, including changes in investors' perceptions of the financial condition of an issuer or the general condition of the relevant stock market, or when political or economic events affecting the issuers occur.

The prices of fixed income securities tend to fall as interest rates rise, and such declines tend to be greater among fixed income securities with longer maturities. Market risk is often greater among certain types of fixed income securities, such as zero coupon bonds that do not make regular interest payments but are instead bought at a discount to their face values and paid in full upon maturity. As interest rates change, these securities often fluctuate more in price than securities that make regular interest payments and therefore subject the Fund to greater market risk than a fund that does not own these types of securities.

When-issued and delayed delivery transactions are subject to changes in market conditions from the time of the commitment until settlement, which may adversely affect the prices or yields of the securities being purchased. The greater the Fund's outstanding commitments for these securities, the greater the Fund's exposure to market price fluctuations.

Selection risk is the risk that the securities that the Fund's management selects will underperform the equity and/or bond market, the market relevant indices or other funds with similar investment objectives and investment strategies.

*Reliance on the Advisor and Sub-Advisors Risk* 

The Fund is dependent upon services and resources provided by the Advisor and Sub-Advisors, and therefore the Advisor's and Sub-Advisors' parent, BlackRock. The Advisor and Sub-Advisors are not required to devote their full time to the business of the Fund and there is no guarantee or requirement that any investment professional or other employee of the Advisor or Sub-Advisors will allocate a substantial portion of his or her time to the Fund. The loss of one or more individuals involved with the Advisor or Sub-Advisors could have a material adverse effect on the performance or the continued operation of the Fund. For additional information on the Advisor, Sub-Advisors and BlackRock, see "Management of the Fund—Advisor and Sub-Advisors."

*Reliance on Service Providers Risk* 

The Fund must rely upon the performance of service providers to perform certain functions, which may include functions that are integral to the Fund's operations and financial performance. Failure by any service provider to carry out its obligations to the Fund in accordance with the terms of its appointment, to exercise due care and skill or to perform its obligations to the Fund at all as a result of insolvency, bankruptcy or other causes could have a material adverse effect on the Fund's performance and returns to shareholders. The termination of the Fund's relationship with any service provider, or any delay in appointing a replacement for such service provider, could materially disrupt the business of the Fund and could have a material adverse effect on the Fund's performance and returns to shareholders.

*Information Technology Systems Risk* 

The Fund is dependent on the Advisor for certain management services as well as back-office functions. The Advisor depends on information technology systems in order to assess investment opportunities, strategies and

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markets and to monitor and control risks for the Fund. It is possible that a failure of some kind which causes disruptions to these information technology systems could materially limit the Advisor's ability to adequately assess and adjust investments, formulate strategies and provide adequate risk control. Any such information technology-related difficulty could harm the performance of the Fund. Further, failure of the back-office functions of the Advisor to process trades in a timely fashion could prejudice the investment performance of the Fund.

*Operational and Technology Risks* 

The Fund and the entities with which it interacts directly or indirectly are susceptible to operational and technology risks, including those related to human errors, processing errors, communication errors, systems failures, cybersecurity incidents, and the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning, which may result in losses for the Fund and its shareholders or impair the Fund's operations. These entities include, but are not limited to, the Fund's adviser, administrator, distributor, other service providers (e.g., index and benchmark providers, accountants, custodians, and transfer agents), financial intermediaries, counterparties, market makers, listing exchanges, other financial market operators, and governmental authorities, as applicable. Operational and technology risks for the issuers in which the Fund invests could also result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause the Fund's investments in such issuers to lose value. The Fund may incur substantial costs in order to mitigate operational and technology risks.

Cybersecurity incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events against an issuer in which the Fund invests, the Fund or any of its service providers. They include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to systems, misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting or destroying data, and causing operational disruption. Geopolitical tension may increase the scale and sophistication of deliberate attacks, particularly those from nation states or from entities with nation state backing. Cybersecurity incidents may result in any of the following: financial losses; interference with the Fund's ability to calculate its NAV; disclosure of confidential information; impediments to trading; submission of erroneous trades by the Fund or erroneous subscription or redemption orders; the inability of the Fund or its service providers to transact business; violations of applicable privacy and other laws; regulatory fines; penalties; reputational damage; reimbursement or other compensation costs; and other legal and compliance expenses. Furthermore, cybersecurity incidents may render records of the Fund, including records relating to its assets and transactions, shareholder ownership of Fund shares, and other data integral to the Fund's functioning, inaccessible, inaccurate or incomplete. Power outages, natural disasters, equipment malfunctions and processing errors that threaten information and technology systems relied upon by the Fund or its service providers, as well as market events that occur at a pace that overloads these systems, may also disrupt business operations or impact critical data. Recent advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning technology pose risks to the Fund and its portfolio investments. These advancements could harm the Fund and its portfolio investments by reducing the demand for both the technology and software offerings of the Fund's portfolio investments. Additionally, these advancements could significantly disrupt the Fund's portfolio investments and subject them to increased competition, which could have a material adverse effect on business, financial condition, and results of operations. Artificial intelligence and machine learning technology advancements, including efficiency improvements, without related increases in the adoption and development of such technologies, could also negatively impact demand for, and the valuation of, digital infrastructure assets.

The Fund and its portfolio investments could be exposed to the risks of artificial intelligence and machine learning technology if third-party service providers or any counterparties, whether or not known to the Fund, also use artificial intelligence and machine learning technology in their business activities. The Fund and its service providers may not be in a position to control the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning technology in third-party products or services.

Use of artificial intelligence and machine learning technology could include the input of confidential information in contravention of applicable policies, contractual or other obligations or restrictions, resulting in such confidential information becoming accessible by other third-party artificial intelligence and machine learning technology applications and users.

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Independent of its context of use, artificial intelligence and machine learning technology is generally highly reliant on the collection and analysis of large amounts of data, may incorporate biased or inaccurate data, and it is not possible or practicable to incorporate all relevant data into the models that artificial intelligence and machine learning technology utilizes to operate. Certain data in such models will inevitably contain a degree of inaccuracy and error, or could otherwise be inadequate or flawed, which would be likely to degrade the effectiveness of artificial intelligence and machine learning technology. The output or results of any such AI technologies may therefore be incomplete, erroneous, distorted or misleading. Further, AI tools may lack transparency as to how data is utilized and how outputs are generated. AI technologies may also allow the unintended introduction of vulnerabilities into infrastructures and applications. To the extent that the Fund or its portfolio investments are exposed to the risks of artificial intelligence and machine learning technology use, any such inaccuracies or errors could have adverse impacts on the Fund or its investments.

Regulations related to artificial intelligence and machine learning technology could also impose certain obligations and costs related to monitoring and compliance. For example, in April 2023, the Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Department of Justice, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released a joint statement on artificial intelligence demonstrating interest in monitoring the development and use of automated systems and enforcement of their respective laws and regulations. In October 2023, an executive order established new standards for AI safety and security. In addition to the U.S. regulatory framework, in 2024, the EU adopted the Artificial Intelligence Act, which applies to certain artificial intelligence and machine learning technology and the data used to train, test, and deploy them, which may create additional compliance burdens, higher administrative costs, and significant penalties should the Fund, the adviser, or the Fund's portfolio investments fail to comply.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning technology and its applications, including in the investment and financial sectors, continue to develop rapidly, and it is impossible to predict the future risks that may arise from such developments. The full extent of current or future risks related thereto is not possible to predict, and the Fund may not be able to anticipate, prevent, mitigate, or remediate all of the potential risks, challenges, or impacts of such changes.

While the Fund's service providers are required to have appropriate operational, information security and cybersecurity risk management policies and procedures, their methods of risk management may differ from those of the Fund in the setting of priorities, the personnel and resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. The Fund and its adviser seek to reduce these risks through controls, procedures and oversight, including establishing business continuity plans and risk management systems. However, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including the possibility that certain risks that may affect the Fund have not been identified or may emerge in the future; that such plans and systems may not completely eliminate the occurrence or mitigate the effects of operational or information security disruptions or failures or of cybersecurity incidents; or that prevention and remediation efforts will not be successful or that incidents will go undetected. The Fund cannot control the systems, information security or other cybersecurity of the issuers in which it invests or its service providers, counterparties, and other third parties whose activities affect the Fund.

Lastly, the regulatory climate governing cybersecurity and data protection is developing quickly and may vary considerably across jurisdictions. Regulators continue to develop new rules and standards related to cybersecurity and data protection. Compliance with evolving regulations can be demanding and costly, requiring substantial resources to monitor and implement required changes.

*Misconduct of Employees and of Service Providers* 

Misconduct or misrepresentations by employees of the Advisor or the Fund's service providers could cause significant losses to the Fund. Employee misconduct may include binding the Fund to transactions that exceed authorized limits or present unacceptable risks and unauthorized trading activities, concealing unsuccessful trading activities, which, in any case, may result in unknown and unmanaged risks or losses, or making

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misrepresentations regarding any of the foregoing. Losses could also result from actions by the Fund's service providers, including, without limitation, failing to recognize trades and misappropriating assets. In addition, employees and service providers may improperly use or disclose confidential information, which could result in litigation or serious financial harm, including limiting the Fund's business prospects or future marketing activities. Despite the Advisor's due diligence efforts, misconduct and intentional misrepresentations may be undetected or not fully comprehended, thereby potentially undermining the Advisor's due diligence efforts. As a result, no assurances can be given that the due diligence performed by the Advisor will identify or prevent any such misconduct.

#### HOW THE FUND MANAGES RISK

#### Investment Limitations
The Fund has adopted certain investment limitations designed to limit investment risk. Some of these limitations are fundamental and thus may not be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the outstanding Shares. See "Investment Objective and Policies—Investment Restrictions" in the SAI.

Unless otherwise expressly stated in this prospectus or the SAI, or otherwise required by applicable law, the restrictions and other limitations set forth throughout this prospectus and in the SAI apply only at the time of purchase of securities and will not be considered violated unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of the acquisition of securities.

#### Management of Investment Portfolio and Capital Structure to Limit Leverage Risk
The Fund may take certain actions if short-term interest rates increase or market conditions otherwise change (or the Fund anticipates such an increase or change) and any leverage the Fund may have outstanding begins (or is expected) to adversely affect common shareholders. In order to attempt to offset such a negative impact of any outstanding leverage on common shareholders, the Fund may shorten the average maturity of its investment portfolio (by investing in short-term securities) or may reduce any indebtedness that it may have incurred. As explained above under "Risks—Principal Risks—Leverage Risk," the success of any such attempt to limit leverage risk depends on the Advisor's ability to accurately predict interest rate or other market changes. Because of the difficulty of making such predictions, the Fund may never attempt to manage its capital structure in the manner described in this paragraph.

If market conditions suggest that employing leverage, or employing additional leverage if the Fund already has outstanding leverage, would be beneficial, the Fund may enter into one or more credit facilities, increase any existing credit facilities, sell Preferred Shares or engage in additional leverage transactions, subject to the restrictions of the Investment Company Act.

#### Strategic Transactions
The Fund may use certain Strategic Transactions designed to limit the risk of price fluctuations of securities and to preserve capital. These Strategic Transactions include using swaps, financial futures contracts, options on financial futures or options based on either an index of long-term securities, or on securities whose prices, in the opinion of the Advisor, correlate with the prices of the Fund's investments. There can be no assurances that Strategic Transactions will be used or used effectively to limit risk, and Strategic Transactions may be subject to their own risks.

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#### MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND

#### Trustees and Officers
The Board is responsible for the overall management of the Fund. There are currently four Trustees, a majority of whom are Independent Trustees. The name and business address of the Trustees and officers of the Fund and their principal occupations and other affiliations during the past five years are set forth under "Management of the Fund" in the SAI. References to the "Board" or the "Board of Trustees" refer to the Board of Trustees of the Fund.

#### Advisor and Sub-Advisors
The Advisor is responsible for the management of the Fund's portfolio and provides the necessary personnel, facilities, equipment and certain other services necessary to the operation of the Fund. BIL, BSL and BCIA serve as the Fund's Sub-Advisors and perform certain of the day-to-day investment management of the Fund. The Advisor, located at 100 Bellevue Parkway, Wilmington, Delaware 19809, BIL, located at Edinburgh, EH3 8BL, United Kingdom, BSL, located at 20 Anson Road #18-01, 079912 Singapore, and BCIA, located at 50 Hudson Yards, New York, New York 10001, are indirect majority-owned subsidiaries of BlackRock.

BlackRock is a leading publicly traded investment management firm with $13.9 trillion of assets under management as of March 31, 2026. BlackRock provides a broad range of investment and technology services to institutional and retail clients worldwide. BlackRock has over 30 years of experience managing closed-end products and, as of March 31, 2026, advised a registered closed-end family of 36 exchange-listed funds with approximately $44 billion in assets.

BlackRock is independent in ownership and governance, with no single majority shareholder and a majority of independent directors.

#### Principal Owners of Shares
A control person generally is a person who beneficially owns more than 25% of the voting securities of a company or has the power to exercise control over the management or policies of such company. As of April 7, 2026, BFM owns 19.16% of the outstanding Institutional Shares, 100% of the outstanding Class W Shares and Class J Shares, and less than 5% of the outstanding Class A Shares and Class U Shares of the Fund. This ownership will fluctuate as other investors subscribe for Shares and the Fund repurchases Shares in connection with quarterly repurchase offers. Depending on the size of this ownership, BFM may either control the Fund or be in a position to exercise a significant influence on the outcome of any matter put to a vote of investors.

#### Investment Philosophy
The portfolio management team believes that the knowledge and experience of BlackRock's investment team, coupled with the breadth of its public and private credit investment platforms, provide differentiated market access and a dynamic approach to sourcing, implementing and monitoring investment ideas across public and private markets. The portfolio management team's investment process applies multiple layers of analytics in an effort to capitalize on opportunities in the public and private credit markets. Within this framework, the team identifies investments it believes to have attractive characteristics and provides ongoing portfolio risk management.

The top-down or macro component of the investment process is designed to assess the various interrelated macro variables affecting the credit market. Risk/reward analysis is a key component of the portfolio management team's macro view. The team evaluates the global information flow and proprietary analysis from its regional experts to determine the evolution of macro-economic trends, monetary policy and government policy. Once such evaluation is complete, the portfolio management team determines what it believes to be optimal portfolio positioning. Over time the team will seek to optimize portfolio positioning based on this ongoing analysis.

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Bottom-up security selection is focused on identifying investments the portfolio management team believes to have the most attractive characteristics within the public and private credit markets. In doing so, the team endeavors to execute a diversified investment strategy and harvest the illiquidity premium where deemed to be attractive. The portfolio management team believes that by leveraging BlackRock's significant investment resources, access, insight, and scale with committed and patient capital, there is an opportunity to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for the Fund's investors.

Capital preservation is a core component of the portfolio management team's investment philosophy. In private credit, the team seeks to mitigate risk by generally focusing on secured debt, often in the most senior part of the capital structure. Directly originated private credit investments are selected through a rigorous "private equity-like" diligence and investment evaluation process focused on identification of potential risks. Given the illiquidity of the asset class, the portfolio management team believes strong structuring and robust credit documentation are a fundamental part of the risk and recovery calculus in private credit, recognizing that secondary market liquidity is not a reliable risk mitigant. The team has access to a deep bench of restructuring, workout and value enhancement professionals, who work on an integrated basis to actively manage each investment throughout its lifecycle.

In public credit, the team employs an active management approach to mitigate risk and maintain liquidity for the Fund's share repurchase program and cash management needs. Public credit investments are selected based on rigorous, in-depth financial, operational, industry and structural analysis, with a focus on capital preservation and valuation coverage to reduce the risk of default and principal loss. Following investment, public credit positions are continuously re-evaluated by the investment team, and if new information alters the team's view of fundamental value or risk, positions may be reduced or exited. Dynamic asset allocation across sectors and asset classes allows the team to exit or avoid areas of elevated risk. For underperforming or distressed investments, a dedicated restructuring and workouts team can be engaged to optimize recovery values, while minimizing restructuring costs and workout timelines.

#### Portfolio Managers
Information regarding the portfolio managers of the Fund is set forth below. Further information regarding the portfolio managers, including other accounts managed, compensation, ownership of Fund shares, and possible conflicts of interest, is available in the Fund's SAI.

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The Fund is managed by a team of financial professionals. Jeffrey Cucunato is primarily responsible for overseeing the management of the Fund, setting the Fund's overall risk parameters, and managing the Fund's leverage and liquidity. Jeffrey Cucunato, Michael Patterson and Purnima Puri are jointly responsible for setting the Fund's overall investment strategy. In seeking to meet the Fund's risk, return and yield objectives, Messrs. Cucunato and Patterson and Ms. Puri work together to strategically and tactically allocate across asset classes within the Fund's portfolio. Michael Patterson and Purnima Puri are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund; Mr. Patterson primarily focuses on the Fund's private credit investments and Ms. Puri primarily focuses on the Fund's public credit investments.

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| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Portfolio Manager** | **Primary Role** | **Since** | **Title and Recent Biography** |
| Jeffrey Cucunato | Primarily responsible for overseeing the management of the Fund. Jointly responsible for setting the Fund's overall investment strategy. Primarily responsible for the Fund's risk, leverage and liquidity management. | 2019 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2005. |
| Michael Patterson | Jointly responsible for setting the Fund's overall investment strategy. Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund's portfolio, with a primary focus on the Fund's private credit investments. | 2025 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2025. Founding Partner of HPS Investment Partners since 2007. |
| Purnima Puri | Jointly responsible for setting the Fund's overall investment strategy. Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund's portfolio, with a primary focus on the Fund's public credit investments. | 2025 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2025. Founding Partner of HPS Investment Partners since 2007. |

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#### Investment Management Agreement
Pursuant to an investment management agreement between the Advisor and the Fund (the "Investment Management Agreement"), the Fund has agreed to pay the Advisor a monthly management fee at an annual rate equal to 1.00% of the average daily value of the Fund's Managed Assets. "Managed Assets" means the total assets of the Fund, (including any assets attributable to money borrowed for investment purposes) minus the sum of the Fund's accrued liabilities (other than money borrowed for investment purposes). This means that during periods in which the Fund is using leverage, the fee paid to the Advisor will be higher than if the Fund did not use leverage because the fee is calculated as a percentage of the Fund's Managed Assets, which include those assets purchased with leverage.

*Fee Waiver Agreements*. Pursuant to an advisory fee waiver agreement (the "Advisory Fee Waiver Agreement"), the Advisor has contractually agreed, effective as of December 1, 2025, to waive the entirety of its management fee otherwise payable by the Fund through June 30, 2026. The agreement may be terminated upon 90 days' notice by a majority of the Independent Trustees or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. Any amounts waived pursuant to the Advisory Fee Waiver Agreement are inclusive of fees waived pursuant to the Fee Waiver Agreement discussed below.

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Pursuant to the Fee Waiver Agreement between the Fund and the Advisor, the Advisor has contractually agreed to waive the management fee with respect to any portion of the Fund's assets attributable to investments in any equity and fixed-income mutual funds and exchange-traded funds managed by the Advisor or its affiliates and other exchange-traded products sponsored by the Advisor or its affiliates, in each case that have a contractual fee, through June 30, 2027. In addition, pursuant to the Fee Waiver Agreement, the Advisor has contractually agreed to waive its management fees by the amount of investment advisory fees the Fund pays to the Advisor indirectly through its investment in money market funds advised by the Advisor or its affiliates, through June 30, 2027. The Fee Waiver Agreement may be continued from year to year thereafter, provided that such continuance is specifically approved by the Advisor and the Fund (including by a majority of the Fund's Independent Trustees). Neither the Advisor nor the Fund is obligated to extend the Fee Waiver Agreement. The Fee Waiver Agreement may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, only by the Fund (upon the vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees of the Fund or a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund), upon 90 days' written notice by the Fund to the Advisor.

*Expense Agreement*. Pursuant to the Expense Agreement between the Fund and the Advisor, the Advisor has agreed to waive and/or reimburse certain operating and other expenses of the Fund in order to limit certain expenses to 0.50% of the Fund's average daily value of the net assets of each share class. Subject to the terms of the Expense Agreement, expenses borne by the Advisor in the prior two fiscal years of the Fund are subject to recoupment by the Advisor. Such recoupment arrangement terminated on March 1, 2026. The Expense Agreement continues from year to year if approved by a majority of the Fund's Independent Trustees. The current term of the Expense Agreement expires on June 30, 2027. Expenses covered by the Expense Cap include all of the Fund's expenses other than those expressly excluded by the Expense Cap. Expenses covered by the Expense Cap include, without limitation, custodial, accounting and administrative services (e.g., expenses incurred in connection with: reconciling cash and investment balances with the Fund's custodian; calculating contractual expenses, including management fees; determining net income; arranging for the computation of the Fund's NAV; preparing the Fund's Statement of Assets and Liabilities, Statement of Operations and Statements of Changes in Net Assets; preparing the Fund's annual and semi-annual reports; receiving and tabulating proxies; maintaining the register of shareholders, including any transfer or repurchase of common shares; arranging for the calculation of the issue and repurchase price of Shares; preparing repurchase offer notices and performing all work associated with repurchase offers; allocating income, expenses, gains and losses; issuing reports and transaction statements to Fund shareholders), any ongoing organizational expenses, and all initial and ongoing offering expenses (other than any applicable sales load). Expenses excluded from the Expense Cap are limited to (i) the investment advisory fee; (ii) interest expense and other financing costs, if any; (iii) portfolio transaction and other investment-related costs (including acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, dealer and underwriter spreads, commitment fees on leverage facilities, prime broker fees and expenses and dividend expenses related to short sales); (iv) taxes; (v) any other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund's business (including, without limitation, litigation expenses); and (vi) if applicable, an ongoing Distribution and Servicing Fee).

The Advisor, and not the Fund, pays an annual sub-advisory fee to each Sub-Advisor equal to a percentage of the management fee received by the Advisor from the Fund with respect to the average daily value of the Fund's Managed Assets allocated to the applicable Sub-Advisor. As of December 1, 2025, the Advisor has allocated all or substantially all of the Fund's Managed Assets to BCIA for management.

A discussion regarding the basis for the approval of the Investment Management Agreement and the sub-investment advisory agreements with BCIA, BIL and BSL by the Board is available in the Fund's Semi-Annual Report to shareholders for the fiscal period ended June 30, 2025.

In addition to the fees paid to the Advisor, the Fund pays all other costs and expenses of its operations, including distribution fees pursuant to the Distribution and Servicing Plan, compensation of its Trustees (other than those affiliated with the Advisor), custodian expenses, leveraging expenses, transfer and dividend disbursing agent expenses, Sub-Transfer Agency Expenses, legal fees, rating agency fees, listing fees and expenses, expenses of independent auditors, expenses of repurchasing shares, expenses of preparing, printing and distributing shareholder reports, notices, proxy statements and reports to governmental agencies and taxes, if any.

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#### NET ASSET VALUE
The NAV of the Shares of an applicable class of the Fund will be computed based upon the value of the Fund's portfolio securities and other assets. The NAV per Share of an applicable class will be determined as of the close of the regular trading session on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each business day on which the NYSE is open for trading. The Fund calculates NAV per Share of an applicable class by subtracting the Fund's liabilities (including accrued expenses, dividends payable and any borrowings of the Fund), and the liquidation value of any outstanding preferred shares of the Fund from the Fund's total assets (the value of the securities the Fund holds plus cash or other assets, including interest accrued but not yet received) and dividing the result by the total number of Shares of the Fund outstanding.

As discussed in further detail herein, although the Fund will determine its NAV daily, such NAV is subject to valuation risk.

Valuation of assets held by the Fund is as follows:

*Equity Investments.* Equity securities traded on a recognized securities exchange (e.g., NYSE), on separate trading boards of a securities exchange or through a market system that provides contemporaneous transaction pricing information (each, an "Exchange") are valued using information obtained via independent pricing services generally at the Exchange closing price or if an Exchange closing price is not available, the last traded price on that Exchange prior to the time as of which the assets or liabilities are valued. However, under certain circumstances, other means of determining current market value may be used. If an equity security is traded on more than one Exchange, the current market value of the security where it is primarily traded generally will be used. In the event that there are no sales involving an equity security held by the Fund on a day on which the Fund values such security, the last bid (long positions) or ask (short positions) price, if available, will be used as the value of such security. If the Fund holds both long and short positions in the same security, the last bid price will be applied to securities held long and the last ask price will be applied to securities sold short. If no bid or ask price is available on a day on which the Fund values such security, the prior day's price will be used, unless the Advisor determines that such prior day's price no longer reflects the fair value of the security, in which case such asset would be treated as a Fair Value Asset (as defined below).

*Fixed Income Investments*. Fixed-income securities are generally valued using bid prices provided by dealers or prices (including evaluated prices) supplied by the Fund's approved independent third-party pricing services, each in accordance with the Advisor's policies and procedures (the "Valuation Procedures"). The pricing services may use valuation models that utilize certain inputs and assumptions to derive values, including transaction data (e.g., recent representative bids and offers), credit quality information, perceived market movements, news, and other relevant information and by other methods, which may include consideration of: yields or prices of securities of comparable quality, coupon, maturity and type; indications as to values from dealers; general market conditions; and/or other factors and assumptions. Pricing services generally value fixed-income securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size, but the Fund may hold or transact in such securities in smaller, odd lot sizes. Odd lots of securities in certain asset classes may trade at lower prices than institutional round lots, and the value ultimately realized when the securities are sold could differ from the prices used by the Fund. The amortized cost method of valuation may be used with respect to debt obligations with 60 days or less remaining to maturity unless such method does not represent fair value. Certain fixed-income investments, including asset-backed and mortgage-related securities, may be valued based on valuation models that consider the estimated cash flows of each tranche of the issuer, establish a benchmark yield and develop an estimated tranche specific spread to the benchmark yield based on the unique attributes of the tranche.

*Options, Futures, Swaps and Other Derivatives*. Exchange-traded equity options (except ETF options, equity index options or those that are customized) for which market quotations are readily available are valued at the mean of the last bid and ask prices as quoted on the Exchange or the board of trade on which such options are traded. In the event that there is no mean price available for an exchange-traded equity option held by the Fund on a day on which the Fund values such option, the last bid (long positions) or ask (short positions) price, if

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available, will be used as the value of such option. If no bid or ask price is available on a day on which the Fund values such option, the prior day's price will be used, unless the Advisor determines that such prior day's price no longer reflects the fair value of the option, in which case such option will be treated as a Fair Value Asset (as defined below). Customized exchange-traded equity options, ETF options, equity index options and OTC derivatives may be valued using a mathematical model which may incorporate a number of market data factors. Financial futures contracts and options thereon, which are traded on exchanges, are valued at their last sale price or settle price as of the close of such exchanges. Swap agreements and other derivatives are generally valued daily based upon quotations from market makers or by a pricing service in accordance with the Valuation Procedures.

*Underlying Funds*. Shares of underlying open-end funds (including money market funds) are valued at NAV. Shares of underlying exchange-traded closed-end funds or other ETFs will be valued at their most recent closing price.

*General Valuation Information*. Prices obtained from independent third-party pricing services, broker-dealers or market makers to value the Fund's securities and other assets and liabilities are based on information available at the time the Fund values its assets and liabilities. In the event that a pricing service quotation is revised or updated subsequent to the day on which the Fund valued such security, the revised pricing service quotation generally will be applied prospectively. Such determination will be made considering pertinent facts and circumstances surrounding the revision.

In determining the market value of portfolio investments, the Fund may employ independent third-party pricing services, which may use, without limitation, evaluated pricing methods that take into consideration market indexes, matrices, yield curves and other specified inputs and assumptions. This may result in the assets being valued at a price different from the price that would have been determined had the evaluated pricing method not been used. The price the Fund could receive upon the sale of any particular portfolio investment may differ from the Fund's valuation of the investment, particularly for assets that trade in thin or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair valuation methodology or a price provided by an independent pricing service. As a result, the price received upon the sale of an investment may be less than the value ascribed by the Fund, and the Fund could realize a greater than expected loss or lesser than expected gain upon the sale of the investment. The Fund's ability to value its investments may also be impacted by technological issues and/or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.

In the event that application of the methods of valuation discussed above result in a price for a security which is deemed not to be representative of the fair market value of such security, the security will be valued by, under the direction of or in accordance with a method approved by the Advisor, the Fund's valuation designee, as reflecting fair value. All other assets and liabilities (including securities for which market quotations are not readily available) held by the Fund (including restricted securities and private market investments, as applicable) are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Advisor pursuant to the Valuation Procedures. Any assets and liabilities which are denominated in a foreign currency are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing market rates.

Certain of the securities acquired by the Fund may be traded on foreign exchanges or OTC markets on days on which the Fund's NAV is not calculated. In such cases, the NAV of the Fund's shares may be significantly affected on days when investors can neither purchase shares nor have their shares repurchased by the Fund.

*Fair Value*. When market quotations are not readily available or are believed by the Advisor to be unreliable, the Fund's investments are valued at fair value ("Fair Value Assets"). Fair Value Assets are valued by the Advisor in accordance with the Valuation Procedures. Pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the Investment Company Act, the Board has designated the Advisor as the valuation designee for the Fund. The Advisor may reasonably conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if, among other things, a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its complete lack of trading, if the Advisor believes a

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market quotation from a broker-dealer or other source is unreliable (e.g., where it varies significantly from a recent trade, or no longer reflects the fair value of the security or other asset or liability subsequent to the most recent market quotation), or where the security or other asset or liability is only thinly traded or due to the occurrence of a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. For this purpose, a "significant event" is deemed to occur if the Advisor determines, in its reasonable business judgment, that an event has occurred after the close of trading for an asset or liability but prior to or at the time of pricing the Fund's assets or liabilities, is likely to cause a material change to the last exchange closing price or closing market price of one or more assets held by, or liabilities of, the Fund. On any day the NYSE is open and a foreign market or the primary exchange on which a foreign asset or liability is traded is closed, such asset or liability will be valued using the prior day's price, provided that the Advisor is not aware of any significant event or other information that would cause such price to no longer reflect the fair value of the asset or liability, in which case such asset or liability would be treated as a Fair Value Asset. For certain foreign assets, a third-party vendor supplies evaluated, systematic fair value pricing based upon the movement of a proprietary multi-factor model after the relevant foreign markets have closed. This systematic fair value pricing methodology is designed to correlate the prices of foreign assets in one or more non-U.S. markets following the close of the local markets to the prices that might have prevailed as of the Fund's pricing time. See "Risks—Principal Risks—Valuation Risk".

The Advisor's Rule 2a-5 Committee is responsible for reviewing and approving methodologies by investment type and significant inputs used in the fair valuation of Fund assets or liabilities. In addition, the Fund's accounting agent assists the Advisor by periodically endeavoring to confirm the prices it receives from all third-party pricing services, index providers and broker-dealers. The Advisor regularly evaluates the values assigned to the securities and other assets and liabilities of the Fund.

When determining the price for a Fair Value Asset, the Advisor will seek to determine the price that the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or liability in an arm's-length transaction on the date on which the asset or liability is being valued and does not seek to determine the price the Fund might reasonably expect to receive for selling an asset or liability at a later time or if it holds the asset or liability to maturity. Fair value determinations will be based upon all available factors that the Advisor deems relevant at the time of the determination, and may be based on analytical values determined by the Advisor using proprietary or third-party valuation models. Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value of an asset or liability. When determining the fair value of an investment, one or more fair value methodologies may be used (depending on certain factors, including the asset type). For example, the investment may be initially priced based on the original cost of the investment or, alternatively, using proprietary or third-party models that may rely upon one or more unobservable inputs. Prices of actual, executed or historical transactions in the relevant investment (or comparable instruments) or, where appropriate, an appraisal by a third-party experienced in the valuation of similar instruments, may also be used as a basis for establishing the fair value of an investment.

The fair value of one or more assets or liabilities may not, in retrospect, be the price at which those assets or liabilities could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used in determining the Fund's NAV. As a result, the Fund's sale or repurchase of its shares at NAV, at a time when a holding or holdings are valued at fair value, may have the effect of diluting or increasing the economic interest of existing shareholders.

The Fund's annual audited financial statements, which are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("US GAAP"), follow the requirements for valuation set forth in Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 820, "Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures" ("ASC 820"), which defines and establishes a framework for measuring fair value under US GAAP and expands financial statement disclosure requirements relating to fair value measurements.

Generally, ASC 820 and other accounting rules applicable to funds and various assets in which they invest are evolving. Such changes may adversely affect the Fund. For example, the evolution of rules governing the

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determination of the fair market value of assets or liabilities, to the extent such rules become more stringent, would tend to increase the cost and/or reduce the availability of third-party determinations of fair market value. This may in turn increase the costs associated with selling assets or affect their liquidity due to the Fund's inability to obtain a third-party determination of fair market value.

The Advisor and its affiliates act as investment advisers to other clients that may invest in securities for which no public market price exists. Valuation determinations by the Advisor or its affiliates for other clients may result in different values than those ascribed to the same security owned by the Fund. Consequently, the fees charged to the Fund may be different than those charged to other clients, given that the method of calculating the fees takes the value of all assets, including assets carried at different valuations, into consideration.

The Fund reserves the right to reprocess purchase or repurchase transactions that were initially processed at an NAV that is subsequently adjusted and to recover amounts from (or distribute amounts to) shareholders accordingly based on the adjusted NAV. There are various scenarios in which the Fund may reprocess a purchase or repurchase transaction, including, but not limited to, a material NAV error resulting from incorrect or late pricing of a security or to effect an as-of trade. In these instances, all transactions occurring subsequent to an incorrect NAV are reprocessed with the corrected NAV through the current date.

*Suspension of Calculation of Net Asset Value*. There may be circumstances where it may not be practicable to determine the Fund's NAV, including, but not limited to any period in which the NYSE is closed other than weekends or holidays, or if permitted by the rules of the SEC, when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to determine fairly the value of its net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. In such circumstances, calculation of the Fund's NAV may be suspended. The Fund will not accept subscriptions for Shares if the calculation of NAV is suspended and such suspension may require the suspension or postponement of a pending or scheduled repurchase offer by the Fund. Notwithstanding a suspension of the calculation of NAV, the Fund will be required to determine the value of its assets and report NAV in its semi-annual and annual reports to shareholders, and in its reports on Form N-PORT filed with the SEC. Calculation of the Fund's NAV will resume after the Advisor, in its discretion, determines that conditions no longer require suspension of the calculation of NAV.

#### DISTRIBUTIONS
The Fund declares distributions on a daily basis. The Fund distributes all or a portion of its net investment income to common shareholders. The Fund will pay common shareholders at least annually all or substantially all of its investment company taxable income. The Fund may also pay one or more additional quarterly distributions of all or a portion of undistributed net investment income, if any. Distributions may also include net realized capital gains. The Fund pays any capital gains distributions at least annually. The Investment Company Act generally limits the Fund to one capital gain distribution per year, except for certain permitted distributions related to the Fund's qualification as a RIC. In addition, the Fund may pay a special distribution at the end of the calendar year to comply with applicable law.

The portion of distributions that exceeds the Fund's current and accumulated earnings and profits, which are calculated under tax principles, will constitute a non-taxable return of capital. If distributions in any tax year are less than the Fund's current earnings and profits but are in excess of net investment income and net realized capital gains, such excess is not treated as a non-taxable return of capital but rather may be taxable to shareholders at ordinary income rates even though it may economically represent a return of capital.

Various factors will affect the level of the Fund's income, including the asset mix, the average maturity of the Fund's portfolio and the Fund's use of hedging. To permit the Fund to maintain more stable daily distributions, the Fund may from time to time distribute more or less than the entire amount of income earned in a particular period. Any undistributed income would be available to supplement future distributions. As a result,

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the distributions paid by the Fund for any particular monthly period may be more or less than the amount of income actually earned by the Fund during that period. Undistributed income will add to the Fund's NAV and, correspondingly, distributions from undistributed income will deduct from the Fund's NAV.

Under normal market conditions, the Advisor will seek to manage the Fund in a manner such that the Fund's distributions are reflective of the Fund's current and projected earnings levels. The distribution level of the Fund is subject to change based upon a number of factors, including the current and projected level of the Fund's earnings, and may fluctuate over time.

If a shareholder's Shares are accepted for repurchase in a quarterly repurchase offer, upon payment for such repurchased Shares, such repurchased Shares will no longer be considered outstanding and therefore will no longer be entitled to receive distributions from the Fund.

The Fund reserves the right to change its distribution policy and the basis for establishing the rate of its daily distribution declarations at any time and may do so without prior notice to common shareholders.

Shareholders will automatically have all dividends and distributions reinvested in Shares of the Fund issued by the Fund in accordance with the Fund's dividend reinvestment plan unless an election is made to receive cash. See "Dividend Reinvestment Plan."

#### DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT PLAN
Pursuant to the Fund's dividend reinvestment plan (the "Reinvestment Plan"), registered shareholders will have all dividends, including any capital gain dividends, reinvested automatically in additional Shares of the Fund by BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. (the "Reinvestment Plan Agent"), unless the shareholder elects to receive cash. Shareholders who elect not to participate in the Reinvestment Plan will receive all dividends in cash paid directly to the shareholder of record (or, if the Shares are held through banks, brokers or other nominee name, then to such banks, brokers or other nominee) by BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc., as dividend disbursing agent. You may elect not to participate in the Reinvestment Plan and to receive all dividends in cash by contacting your bank, broker or other nominee who holds your Fund common shares or if your Fund common shares are held directly by the Fund, by contacting the Reinvestment Plan Agent, at the address set forth below. Participation in the Reinvestment Plan is completely voluntary and may be terminated or resumed at any time without penalty by written notice if received and processed by the Reinvestment Plan Agent prior to the dividend record date. Additionally, the Reinvestment Plan Agent seeks to process notices received after the record date but prior to the payable date and such notices often will become effective by the payable date. Where late notices are not processed by the applicable payable date, such termination or resumption will be effective with respect to any subsequently declared dividend.

In the case of record shareholders such as banks, brokers or other nominees that hold Fund common shares for others who are the beneficial owners, the Reinvestment Plan Agent will administer the Reinvestment Plan on the basis of the number of Shares certified from time to time by the record shareholder as representing the total amount registered in such shareholder's name and held for the account of beneficial owners who are to participate in the Reinvestment Plan. Shareholders whose Shares are held in the name of a bank, broker or other nominee should contact the bank, broker or other nominee for details. Such shareholders may not be able to transfer their shares to another bank, broker or other nominee and continue to participate in the Reinvestment Plan.

The number of newly issued Shares to be credited to each participant's account will be determined by dividing the dollar amount of the dividend by the NAV per Share on the reinvestment date; there is no sales or other charge for reinvestment.

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The Reinvestment Plan Agent's fees for the handling of the reinvestment of dividends will be paid by the Fund. The Fund reserves the right to amend or terminate the Reinvestment Plan. There is no direct service charge to participants with regard to newly issued Shares in the Reinvestment Plan. Notice of amendments to the Reinvestment Plan will be sent to participants.

All correspondence concerning the Reinvestment Plan should be directed to the Reinvestment Plan Agent, in writing to: BlackRock Funds, C/O BNY Mellon Investment Servicing, PO Box 534429, Pittsburgh, PA 15253-4429.

Overnight correspondence should be directed to the Reinvestment Plan Agent at: BlackRock Funds, C/O BNY Mellon Investment Servicing, 1350 Penn Avenue Suite 102, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.

The Reinvestment Plan Agent provides common shareholders whose Shares are registered in his or her own name, periodic shareholder account statements reflecting transactions that occurred during the period, including dividend reinvestment transactions for Reinvestment Plan participants. Any proxy you receive will include all Shares you have received under the Reinvestment Plan.

Automatically reinvested dividends and distributions are taxed in the same manner as cash dividends and distributions therefore reinvestment of dividends will not relieve participants of any federal, state or local income tax that may be payable (or required to be withheld) on such dividends. See "Tax Matters."

The Fund and the Reinvestment Plan Agent reserve the right to amend or terminate the Reinvestment Plan.

#### DESCRIPTION OF SHARES

#### Shares of Beneficial Interest
The Fund is a statutory trust organized under the laws of Delaware pursuant to a Certificate of Trust, dated as of August 27, 2018, and the Declaration of Trust. The Fund is authorized to issue an unlimited number of Shares. The Declaration of Trust provides that the Trustees may authorize one or more classes of Shares, with Shares of each such class or series having such preferences, voting powers, terms of repurchase, if any, and special or relative rights or privileges (including conversion rights, if any) as the Board may determine. The Board may from time to time, without a vote of the common shareholders, divide, combine or, prior to the issuance of Shares, reclassify the Shares into a greater or lesser number without thereby changing the proportionate beneficial interest in such Shares.

The Fund has received exemptive relief from the SEC to, among other things, issue multiple classes of Shares and to impose asset-based distribution fees and early-withdrawal fees as applicable. An investment in any Share class of the Fund represents an investment in the same assets of the Fund. However, the minimum investment amounts, sales loads, if applicable, and ongoing fees and expenses for each Share class may be different. The fees and expenses for the Fund are set forth in "Summary of Fund Fees and Expenses." The details of each class of Shares are set forth in "Plan of Distribution."

There is currently no market for the Shares, and the Fund does not expect that a market for the Shares will develop in the foreseeable future.

Any additional offerings of classes of Shares will require approval by the Board. Any additional offering of classes of Shares will also be subject to the requirements of the Investment Company Act, which provides that such Shares may not be issued at a price below the then current NAV, exclusive of the sales load, except in connection with an offering to existing holders of Shares or with the consent of a majority of the Fund's common shareholders.

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The following table shows the amounts of Shares that have been authorized and outstanding as of April 7, 2026:

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| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Title of Class** | **Amount<br>Authorized** | **Amount Held<br>by the Fund<br>or for its<br>Account** | **Amount Outstanding<br>Exclusive of Amount<br>Held by the Fund or<br>for its Account** |
|  Common shares of beneficial interest, par value $0.001 per share | Unlimited |  | 66487918.28 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; *Institutional Shares* | Unlimited |  | 51138276.50 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; *Class A Shares* | Unlimited |  | 9386713.28 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; *Class W Shares* | Unlimited |  | 23786.87 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; *Class U Shares* | Unlimited |  | 5881204.20 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; *Class J Shares* | Unlimited |  | 57937.43 |

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#### Common Shares
Each Share has one vote and, when issued and paid for in accordance with the terms of this offering, will be fully paid and, under the Delaware Statutory Fund Act, the purchasers of the Shares will have no obligation to make further payments for the purchase of the Shares or contributions to the Fund solely by reason of their ownership of the Shares, except that the Trustees shall have the power to cause shareholders to pay certain expenses of the Fund by setting off charges due from shareholders from declared but unpaid dividends or distributions owed the shareholders and/or by reducing the number of Shares owned by each respective shareholder, and except for the obligation to repay any funds wrongfully distributed. Distributions may be made to the holders of the Fund's Institutional Shares, Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares at the same time and in different per Share amounts on such Institutional Shares, Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares if, as and when authorized and declared by the Board. Although an investment in any class of Shares represents an investment in the same assets of the Fund, the purchase restrictions and ongoing fees and expenses for each share class are different, resulting in different NAVs and distributions for each class of Shares. See "Plan of Distribution."

If and whenever Preferred Shares are outstanding, the holders of Shares will not be entitled to receive any distributions from the Fund unless all accrued dividends on Preferred Shares have been paid, unless asset coverage (as defined in the Investment Company Act) with respect to Preferred Shares would be at least 200% after giving effect to the distributions and unless certain other requirements imposed by any rating agencies rating the Preferred Shares have been met. See "—Preferred Shares" below. All Shares are equal as to dividends, assets and voting privileges and have no conversion, preemptive or other subscription rights. The Fund will send annual and semi-annual reports, including financial statements, to all holders of its shares.

Unlike open-end funds, the Fund does not provide daily redemptions, and unlike traditional closed-end funds, the Shares are not listed on any securities exchange. The Fund is designed for long-term investors and an investment in the Shares, unlike an investment in a traditional listed closed-end fund, should be considered illiquid. You should not purchase the Shares if you intend to sell them soon after purchase. An investment in the Shares is not suitable for investors who need access to the money they invest. See "Periodic Repurchase Offers" below.

#### Preferred Shares
The Declaration of Trust provides that the Board may authorize and issue Preferred Shares, with rights as determined by the Board, by action of the Board without the approval of the holders of Shares. Holders of Shares have no preemptive right to purchase any Preferred Shares that might be issued. See "Investment Policies and Techniques—Preferred Shares" in the SAI.

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Under the Investment Company Act, the Fund is not permitted to issue Preferred Shares unless immediately after such issuance the value of the Fund's total assets is at least 200% of the liquidation value of the outstanding Preferred Shares (i.e., the liquidation value may not exceed 50% of the Fund's total assets). In addition, the Fund is not permitted to declare any cash dividend or other distribution on its Shares unless, at the time of such declaration, the value of the Fund's total assets is at least 200% of such liquidation value. If the Fund issues Preferred Shares, it may be subject to restrictions imposed by guidelines of one or more rating agencies that may issue ratings for Preferred Shares issued by the Fund. These guidelines may impose asset coverage or portfolio composition requirements that are more stringent than those imposed on the Fund by the Investment Company Act. It is not anticipated that these covenants or guidelines would impede the Advisor from managing the Fund's portfolio in accordance with the Fund's investment objective and policies.

Although the terms of any Preferred Shares that the Fund might issue in the future, including dividend rate, liquidation preference and redemption provisions, will be determined by the Board, subject to applicable law and the Declaration of Trust, it is likely that any such Preferred Shares issued would be structured to carry a relatively short-term dividend rate reflecting interest rates on short-term debt securities, by providing for the periodic redetermination of the dividend rate at relatively short intervals through a fixed spread or remarketing procedure, subject to a maximum rate which would increase over time in the event of an extended period of unsuccessful remarketing. The Fund also believes that it is likely that the liquidation preference, voting rights and redemption provisions of any such Preferred Shares would be similar to those stated below.

*Liquidation Preference*. In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Fund, the holders of Preferred Shares will be entitled to receive a preferential liquidating distribution, which would be expected to equal the original purchase price per preferred share plus accrued and unpaid dividends, whether or not declared, before any distribution of assets is made to holders of Shares. After payment of the full amount of the liquidating distribution to which they are entitled, the holders of Preferred Shares would not be entitled to any further participation in any distribution of assets by the Fund.

*Voting Rights*. The Investment Company Act requires that the holders of any Preferred Shares, voting separately as a single class, have the right to elect at least two Fund Trustees at all times. The remaining Fund Trustees will be elected by holders of Shares and Preferred Shares, voting together as a single class. In addition, subject to the prior rights, if any, of the holders of any other class of senior securities outstanding, the holders of any Preferred Shares have the right to elect a majority of the Fund Trustees at any time two years' dividends on any Preferred Shares are unpaid. The Investment Company Act also requires that, in addition to any approval by shareholders that might otherwise be required, the approval of the holders of a majority of any outstanding Preferred Shares, voting separately as a class, would be required to (1) adopt any plan of reorganization that would adversely affect the Preferred Shares, and (2) take any action requiring a vote of security holders under Section 13(a) of the Investment Company Act, including, among other things, changes in the Fund's sub-classification as a closed-end investment company or changes in its fundamental investment restrictions. See "Certain Provisions in the Agreement and Declaration of Trust and Bylaws." As a result of these voting rights, the Fund's ability to take any such actions may be impeded to the extent that there are any Preferred Shares outstanding. The Board presently intends that, except as otherwise indicated in this prospectus and except as otherwise required by applicable law, holders of any Preferred Shares will have equal voting rights with holders of Shares (one vote per share, unless otherwise required by the Investment Company Act) and will vote together with holders of Shares as a single class.

The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of any outstanding Preferred Shares, voting as a separate class, would be required to amend, alter or repeal any of the preferences, rights or powers of holders of Preferred Shares so as to affect materially and adversely such preferences, rights or powers, or to increase or decrease the authorized number of Preferred Shares. The class vote of holders of Preferred Shares described above would in each case be in addition to any other vote required to authorize the action in question.

*Redemption, Purchase and Sale of Preferred Shares by the Fund*. The terms of any Preferred Shares are expected to provide that (1) they are redeemable by the Fund in whole or in part at the original purchase price per

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share plus accrued dividends per share, (2) the Fund may tender for or purchase Preferred Shares and (3) the Fund may subsequently resell any shares so tendered for or purchased. Any redemption or purchase of Preferred Shares by the Fund would reduce the leverage applicable to the Shares, while any resale of the Shares by the Fund would increase that leverage.

*Liquidity Feature*. Preferred shares may include a liquidity feature that allows holders of Preferred Shares to have their shares purchased by a liquidity provider in the event that sell orders have not been matched with purchase orders and successfully settled in a remarketing. The Fund will pay a fee to the provider of this liquidity feature, which would be borne by common shareholders of the Fund. The terms of such liquidity feature may require the Fund to redeem Preferred Shares still owned by the liquidity provider following a certain period of continuous, unsuccessful remarketing, which may adversely impact the Fund.

The discussion above describes the possible offering of Preferred Shares by the Fund. If the Board determines to proceed with such an offering, the terms of the Preferred Shares may be the same as, or different from, the terms described above, subject to applicable law and the Fund's Agreement and Declaration of Trust. The Board, without the approval of the holders of Shares, may authorize an offering of Preferred Shares or may determine not to authorize such an offering, and may fix the terms of the Preferred Shares to be offered.

#### CERTAIN PROVISIONS IN THE AGREEMENT AND DECLARATION OF TRUST AND BYLAWS
The Agreement and Declaration of Trust includes provisions that could have the effect of limiting the ability of other entities or persons to acquire control of the Fund or to change the composition of the Board. This could have the effect of depriving shareholders of an opportunity to sell their shares by discouraging a third party from seeking to obtain control over the Fund. Such attempts could have the effect of increasing the expenses of the Fund and disrupting the normal operation of the Fund. The Fund does not intend to hold annual meetings of shareholders, except to the extent required by the Investment Company Act.

A Trustee may be removed from office for cause only, and only by the action of a majority of the remaining Trustees followed by a vote of the holders of at least 75% of the shares then entitled to vote for the election of the respective Trustee.

In addition, the Fund's Agreement and Declaration of Trust requires the favorable vote of a majority of the Board followed by the favorable vote of the holders of at least 75% of the outstanding shares of each affected class or series of the Fund, voting separately as a class or series, to approve, adopt or authorize certain transactions with 5% or greater holders of a class or series of shares and their associates, unless the transaction has been approved by at least 80% of the Trustees, in which case "a majority of the outstanding voting securities" (as defined in the Investment Company Act) of the Fund shall be required. These voting requirements are in addition to any regulatory relief required from the SEC with respect to such transaction. For purposes of these provisions, a 5% or greater holder of a class or series of shares (a "Principal Shareholder") refers to any person who, whether directly or indirectly and whether alone or together with its affiliates and associates, beneficially owns 5% or more of the outstanding shares of all outstanding classes or series of shares of beneficial interest of the Fund. The 5% holder transactions subject to these special approval requirements are:

• the merger or consolidation of the Fund or any subsidiary of the Fund with or into any Principal Shareholder; 

• the issuance of any securities of the Fund to any Principal Shareholder for cash (other than pursuant to any automatic dividend reinvestment plan); 

• the sale, lease or exchange of all or any substantial part of the assets of the Fund to any Principal Shareholder, except assets having an aggregate fair market value of less than 2% of the total assets of the Fund, aggregating for the purpose of such computation all assets sold, leased or exchanged in any series of similar transactions within a twelve-month period; or 

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• the sale, lease or exchange to the Fund or any subsidiary of the Fund, in exchange for securities of the Fund, of any assets of any Principal Shareholder, except assets having an aggregate fair market value of less than 2% of the total assets of the Fund, aggregating for purposes of such computation all assets sold, leased or exchanged in any series of similar transactions within a twelve-month period. 

To convert the Fund to an open-end investment company, the Fund's Agreement and Declaration of Trust requires the favorable vote of a majority of the Board followed by the favorable vote of the holders of at least 75% of the outstanding shares of each affected class or series of shares of the Fund, voting separately as a class or series, unless such conversion has been approved by at least 80% of the Trustees, in which case "a majority of the outstanding voting securities" (as defined in the Investment Company Act) of the Fund shall be required. Shareholders of an open-end investment company may require the company to redeem their shares at any time, except in certain circumstances as authorized by or under the Investment Company Act, at their NAV, less such redemption charge, if any, as might be in effect at the time of a redemption. The Fund expects to pay all such redemption requests in cash, but reserves the right to pay redemption requests in a combination of cash or securities. If such partial payment in securities were made, investors may incur brokerage costs in converting such securities to cash. Following any such conversion, it is also possible that certain of the Fund's investment policies and strategies would have to be modified to assure sufficient portfolio liquidity. The Board believes that the closed-end structure is desirable in light of the Fund's investment objective and policies. Therefore, you should assume that it is not likely that the Board would vote to convert the Fund to an open-end fund.

For the purposes of calculating "a majority of the outstanding voting securities" under the Fund's Agreement and Declaration of Trust, each class and series of the Fund shall vote together as a single class, except to the extent required by the Investment Company Act or the Fund's Declaration of Trust with respect to any class or series of shares. If a separate vote is required, the applicable proportion of shares of the class or series, voting as a separate class or series, also will be required.

The overall effect of these provisions is to render more difficult the accomplishment of a merger or the assumption of control of the Fund by a third party. However, these provisions also provide the advantage of potentially requiring persons seeking control of the Fund to negotiate with its management regarding the interests of minority shareholders and facilitating operational stability and the continuity of the Fund's investment objective and policies. The Board has therefore determined that provisions with respect to the Board and the shareholder voting requirements described above, which voting requirements are greater than the minimum requirements under Delaware law or the Investment Company Act, are in the best interests of shareholders generally. Reference should be made to the Declaration of Trust on file with the SEC for the full text of these provisions.

The Fund's Bylaws generally require that advance notice be given to the Fund in the event a shareholder desires to nominate a person for election to the Board or to transact any other business at a special meeting of shareholders. Notice of any such nomination or business must be sent to the Secretary of the Fund by registered mail, return receipt requested, requesting the Secretary to call a special meeting. Any notice by a shareholder must be accompanied by certain information as provided in the Bylaws. Reference should be made to the Bylaws on file with the SEC for the full text of these provisions.

#### CLOSED-END FUND STRUCTURE
The Fund is a diversified, closed-end management investment company (commonly referred to as a closed-end fund). Closed-end funds differ from open-end funds (which are generally referred to as mutual funds) in that closed-end funds do not redeem their shares at the request of the shareholder. This means that if you wish to sell your shares of a closed-end fund you must trade them on the stock exchange (if the closed-end fund's shares are listed on an exchange) like any other stock at the prevailing market price at that time. In a mutual fund, if the shareholder wishes to sell shares of the fund, the mutual fund will redeem or buy back the shares at NAV.

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Also, mutual funds generally offer new shares on a continuous basis to new investors and closed-end funds generally do not. The continuous inflows and outflows of assets in a mutual fund can make it difficult to manage the fund's investments. By comparison, closed-end funds are generally able to stay more fully invested in securities that are consistent with their investment objectives and also have greater flexibility to make certain types of investments and to use certain investment strategies, such as financial leverage and investments in illiquid securities.

Unlike traditional listed closed-end funds which list their common shares for trading on a securities exchange, the Shares are not listed on any securities exchange. Notwithstanding that the Fund conducts periodic repurchase offers, investors should not expect to be able to sell their Shares when and/or in the amount desired, regardless of how the Fund performs. The Fund is designed for long-term investors and an investment in the Shares, unlike an investment in a traditional listed closed-end fund, should be considered illiquid. Investors should consider that they may not have access to the money they invest. An investment in the Shares is not suitable for investors who need access to the money they invest.

Although the Fund's shareholders will have no right to redeem their Shares, the Fund conducts periodic repurchase offers as described below under "Periodic Repurchase Offers." The Fund may also, from time to time, consider taking other corporate actions that the Board determines to be in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders. Depending on the circumstances, economic and market conditions, and the availability of suitable options and alternatives, these actions could include, for example, a sale of all or substantially all of the Fund's assets either on a complete portfolio basis or individually followed by a liquidation, a merger of the Fund with another investment company, or converting the Fund into an open-end fund. The Fund would consider a variety of factors in determining whether to pursue a corporate action such as any of the foregoing, including shareholder feedback, the composition of the Fund's portfolio, portfolio performance, the Fund's financial condition, internal management considerations, existing economic and market conditions, the nature of available options and sales and repurchase trends with respect to the Shares. There can be no assurance that any such corporate action, even if considered, will be pursued or determined to be in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. In addition, certain of these corporate actions would require the approval of the Fund's shareholders.

#### PERIODIC REPURCHASE OFFERS

#### No Right of Redemption
No shareholder will have the right to require the Fund to redeem its Shares. No public market exists for the Shares, and none is expected to develop. Consequently, investors will not be able to liquidate their investment other than as a result of repurchases of Shares by the Fund, as described below.

#### Repurchase Offers
The Fund is an "interval fund," a type of fund which, in order to provide liquidity to shareholders, has adopted a fundamental investment policy to make quarterly offers to repurchase between 5% and 25% of its outstanding Shares at NAV, pursuant to Rule 23c-3 of the Investment Company Act, reduced by any applicable repurchase fee.

Once each quarter, the Fund will offer to repurchase at NAV, less any repurchase fee, no less than 5% and no more than 25% of the outstanding Shares of the Fund, unless such offer is suspended or postponed in accordance with regulatory requirements (as discussed below). The offer to purchase Shares is a fundamental policy that may not be changed without the vote of the holders of a majority of the Fund's outstanding voting securities (as defined in the Investment Company Act). Shareholders will be notified in writing of each quarterly repurchase offer and the date the repurchase offer ends (the "Repurchase Request Deadline"). The NAV per share of repurchased Shares will be determined as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE on a day to be determined but no later than the 14th day after the Repurchase Request Deadline, or the next business day if the 14th day is not a business day (each a "Repurchase Pricing Date").

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#### Determination of Repurchase Offer Amount
The Board, in its sole discretion, will determine the number of Shares that the Fund will offer to repurchase (the "Repurchase Offer Amount") for a given Repurchase Request Deadline. The Repurchase Offer Amount, however, will not be less than 5% and no more than 25% of the total number of Shares outstanding on the Repurchase Request Deadline. The Fund currently expects to offer to repurchase 5% of the Fund's outstanding Shares at the NAV applicable to the class of Shares repurchased, which is the minimum amount permitted.

If, for eight consecutive calendar quarters (each such period, a "measurement period"), the number of Shares properly submitted for repurchase during each quarterly repurchase offer by the Fund pursuant to Rule 23c-3 of the Investment Company Act exceeds the number of Shares that the Fund is offering to repurchase (including any additional amount of Shares that the Fund may repurchase if shareholders tender more than the repurchase offer amount, as permitted by Rule 23c-3) and, as a result, the Fund does not repurchase all of the Shares tendered (regardless of share class) in such quarterly repurchase offer, the Advisor will recommend that the Board approve a plan pursuant to which the Fund will not make new private credit investments or other illiquid securities with no readily available secondary market (excluding investment in any transactions for which there are binding written agreements (including investments funded in phases), follow-on investments made in existing portfolio companies, revolver or letter of credit drawdowns and obligations under any existing Fund guarantee and except as necessary for the Fund to (i) preserve its status as a regulated investment company under the Code, (ii) repay indebtedness to allow for distributions or (iii) comply with applicable law) until such time that all properly submitted tenders in a quarterly repurchase offer in respect of one quarter have been fully accepted.

#### Notice to Shareholders
No less than 21 calendar days and no more than 42 calendar days before each Repurchase Request Deadline, the Fund will send to each shareholder of record and to each beneficial owner of the shares that are the subject of the repurchase offer a notification ("Shareholder Notification"). The Shareholder Notification will contain information shareholders should consider in deciding whether to tender their Shares for repurchase. The Shareholder Notification also will include the procedures on how to tender Shares for repurchase, state the Repurchase Offer Amount and identify the dates of the Repurchase Request Deadline, the scheduled Repurchase Pricing Date, and the date by which the Fund will pay to shareholders the repurchase proceeds (the "Repurchase Payment Deadline"). The Shareholder Notification also will set forth the NAV that has been computed no more than seven days before the date of notification, and how shareholders may ascertain the NAV after the notification date. **The Repurchase Request Deadline will be strictly observed**. If a shareholder fails to submit a repurchase request in good order by the Repurchase Request Deadline, the shareholder will be unable to liquidate Shares until a subsequent repurchase offer, and will have to resubmit a repurchase request in the next repurchase offer. Shareholders may withdraw or change a Repurchase Request with a proper instruction submitted in good form at any point before the Repurchase Request Deadline.

#### Repurchase Price
The repurchase price of the Shares will be the Fund's NAV of the applicable class as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE on the Repurchase Pricing Date. During the period the offer to repurchase is open, shareholders may obtain the current NAV by calling (800) 882-0052. The notice of the repurchase offer also will provide information concerning the NAV, such as the NAV as of a recent date or a sampling of recent NAVs, and a toll-free number for information regarding the repurchase offer.

#### Repurchase Amounts and Payment of Proceeds
Shares tendered for repurchase by shareholders prior to any Repurchase Request Deadline will be repurchased subject to the aggregate Repurchase Offer Amount established for that Repurchase Request Deadline. Payment pursuant to the repurchase offer will be made by check to the shareholder's address of record, or credited directly to a predetermined bank account on the date the payment is to be made, which will be no

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more than seven calendar days after the Repurchase Pricing Date. The Board may establish other policies for repurchases of Shares that are consistent with the Investment Company Act, regulations thereunder and other pertinent laws.

There is no minimum number of Shares that must be tendered before the Fund will honor repurchase requests. If shareholders tender for repurchase more than the Repurchase Offer Amount for a given repurchase offer, the Fund may, but is not required to, repurchase an additional number of Shares not to exceed 2% of the outstanding Shares of the Fund on the Repurchase Request Deadline. If the Fund determines not to repurchase more than the Repurchase Offer Amount, or if shareholders tender Shares in an amount exceeding the Repurchase Offer Amount plus 2% of the outstanding Shares on the Repurchase Request Deadline, the Fund will repurchase the Shares on a pro rata basis, provided, that the Fund may accept all Shares tendered by persons who own, in the aggregate, fewer than 100 Shares and who tender all of their Shares, before prorating Shares tendered by others. Affiliates of the Fund may own Shares and determine to participate in the Fund's repurchase offers, which may contribute to a repurchase offer being oversubscribed and the Fund effecting repurchases on a pro rata basis.

If any Shares tendered are not repurchased because of proration, shareholders will have to wait until the next repurchase offer and resubmit a new repurchase request, and such repurchase request will not be given any priority over other shareholders' requests. Thus, there is a risk that the Fund may not purchase all of the Shares a shareholder wishes to have repurchased in a given repurchase offer or in any subsequent repurchase offer. In anticipation of the possibility of proration, some shareholders may tender more Shares than they wish to have repurchased in a particular quarter, increasing the likelihood of proration.

If a shareholder's Shares are accepted for repurchase, upon payment for such repurchased Shares, such Shares will no longer be considered outstanding and such shares will cease to have any voting rights. Shares tendered pursuant to a repurchase offer will earn dividends declared to shareholders of record only through the date on which payment for repurchased Shares is made.

#### Repurchase Fee
The Fund does not currently intend to impose a repurchase fee to help defray the costs associated with the repurchase offers. It is possible that a repurchase fee of up to two percent, as permitted by Rule 23c-3(b)(1) of the Investment Company Act, may be added in the future to each class of shares, although no such addition is presently contemplated, and that subsequent classes of shares may also include such a repurchase fee. A repurchase fee would be payable to the Fund in order to compensate long term shareholders for expenses related to short-term investors, in light of the Fund's generally longer-term investment horizons and investment operations. The Fund may also determine that any such repurchase fee will only be imposed on a shareholder's repurchase proceeds if the interval between the date of the purchase of shares and the valuation date with respect to the repurchase of such shares is less than a specified period (for example, one year).

#### Suspension or Postponement of a Repurchase Offer
The Fund may suspend or postpone a repurchase offer only: (i) if making or effecting the repurchase offer would cause the Fund to lose its status as a regulated investment company under the Code; (ii) for any period during which the NYSE or any market in which the securities owned by the Fund are principally traded is closed, other than customary weekend and holiday closings, or during which trading in such market is restricted; (iii) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal by the Fund of securities owned by it is not reasonably practicable, or during which it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund fairly to determine the value of its net assets; or (iv) for such other periods as the SEC may by order permit for the protection of Fund shareholders.

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#### Liquidity Requirements
From the time that the notification is sent to shareholders until the Repurchase Pricing Date, the Fund will ensure that a percentage of its net assets equal to at least 100% of the Repurchase Offer Amount consists of assets: (i) that can be sold or disposed of in the ordinary course of business at approximately the price at which the Fund has valued the investment within the time period between the Repurchase Request Deadline and the Repurchase Payment Deadline; or (ii) that mature by the next Repurchase Payment Deadline.

The Board has adopted procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure that the Fund's assets are sufficiently liquid so that the Fund can comply with the repurchase policy and the liquidity requirements described in the previous paragraph.

The Fund intends to finance repurchase offers with cash on hand, cash raised through borrowings, or the liquidation of portfolio securities. If the Fund is required to sell its more liquid, higher quality portfolio securities to purchase Shares that are tendered, remaining common shareholders will be subject to increased risk and increased Fund expenses as a percentage of net assets. See "Risks—Principal Risks—Repurchase Offers Risk."

#### Redemption of Senior Securities; Tax Considerations; Fund Expenses
The Fund may not purchase Shares to the extent such purchases would result in the asset coverage with respect to any indebtedness or preferred equity being reduced below the asset coverage requirement set forth in the Investment Company Act. Accordingly, in order to purchase all Shares tendered, the Fund may have to repay or redeem all or part of any then outstanding indebtedness or preferred equity to maintain the required asset coverage.

The repurchase of tendered Shares by the Fund is a taxable event to common shareholders. See "Tax Matters."

The Fund pays all costs and expenses associated with the making of any periodic repurchase offer. Selected securities dealers or other financial intermediaries may charge a processing fee to confirm a repurchase of Shares pursuant to a periodic repurchase offer.

#### TAX MATTERS
The discussion below provides general tax information related to an investment in the Shares of the Fund. A more detailed discussion of the tax rules applicable to the Fund and its common shareholders can be found in the SAI that is incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Except as otherwise noted, this discussion assumes you are a taxable U.S. person (as defined for U.S. federal income tax purposes) and that you hold your Shares as capital assets for U.S. federal income tax purposes (generally, assets held for investment). The discussion reflects applicable income tax laws of the United States as of the date of this prospectus, which income tax laws may be changed or subject to new interpretations by the courts or the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") retroactively or prospectively. No attempt is made to present a detailed explanation of all U.S. federal income tax concerns affecting the Fund and its shareholders (including shareholders subject to special provisions of the Code, including, without limitation, financial institutions, insurance companies, a partnership or other pass-through entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes, common shareholders whose "functional currency" is not the U.S. dollar, tax-exempt organizations, a controlled foreign corporation or a passive foreign investment company, dealers in securities or currencies, traders in securities or commodities that elect mark-to-market treatment, or persons that will hold the Shares as a position in a "straddle," "hedge" or as part of a "constructive sale" for federal income tax purposes), and the discussions set forth here and in the SAI do not constitute tax advice. If a partnership (or any other entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds Shares, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership generally will depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Partnerships that hold Shares and partners in such a partnership should consult their tax

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advisors about the U.S. federal income tax considerations of the purchase, ownership and disposition of the Shares. Because tax laws are complex and often change, and because the application of tax law may depend on the particular circumstances of a shareholder, you should consult your tax advisor about the tax consequences of an investment in the Fund.

#### Taxation of the Fund
The Fund has elected to be treated and to qualify for taxation as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code, which will require the Fund to meet certain requirements related to, among other things, the Fund's sources of income, diversification of assets and distribution of earnings to shareholders. Although the Fund intends to meet these requirements, no assurances can be given in this regard.

To maintain its status as a RIC, the Fund must derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from the following sources: (a) dividends, interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including gain from options, futures and forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or foreign currencies; and (b) net income derived from interests in "qualified publicly traded partnerships" (as defined in the Code). Generally, a qualified publicly traded partnership includes a partnership the interests of which are traded on an established securities market or readily tradable on a secondary market (or the substantial equivalent thereof) and that derives less than 90% of its gross income from the items described in (a) above.

To maintain its status as a RIC, the Fund must also diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of each taxable year, (a) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund's total assets consists of cash and cash items, including receivables, U.S. Government securities, the securities of other RICs and other securities, with such other securities limited, in respect of any one issuer, to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund's total assets and not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer and (b) not more than 25% of the market value of the Fund's total assets is invested in the securities (other than U.S. Government securities and the securities of other RICs) of (i) any one issuer, (ii) any two or more issuers that the Fund controls and that are determined to be engaged in the same business or similar or related trades or businesses or (iii) any one or more "qualified publicly traded partnerships" (as defined in the Code).

As long as the Fund qualifies as a RIC, the Fund generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on income and gains that the Fund distributes to its common shareholders, provided that it distributes each taxable year at least 90% of the Fund's investment company taxable income (which includes, among other items, dividends, interest, the excess of any net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss, and other taxable income, other than any net capital gain (defined below), reduced by deductible expenses) determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid. The Fund intends to distribute substantially all of such income each year. The Fund will be subject to income tax at regular corporate rates on any taxable income or gains that it does not distribute to its common shareholders.

The Fund may either distribute or retain for reinvestment all or part of its net capital gain (which consists of the excess of its net long-term capital gain over its net short-term capital loss). If any such gain is retained, the Fund will be subject to a corporate income tax on such retained amount. In that event, the Fund expects to report the retained amount as undistributed capital gain in a notice to its common shareholders, each of whom, if subject to U.S. federal income tax on long-term capital gains, (a) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes as long-term capital gain its share of such undistributed amounts, (b) will be entitled to credit its proportionate share of the tax paid by the Fund against its U.S. federal income tax liability and to claim refunds to the extent that the credit exceeds such liability and (c) will increase its basis in its Shares by the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the shareholder's income less the tax deemed paid by the shareholder under clause (b).

The Code imposes a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the Fund to the extent the Fund does not distribute by the end of any calendar year at least the sum of (a) 98% of its ordinary income (not taking into account any

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capital gain or loss) for the calendar year and (b) 98.2% of its capital gain in excess of its capital loss (adjusted for certain ordinary losses) for a one-year period generally ending on October 31 of the calendar year (unless an election is made to use the Fund's fiscal year). In addition, the minimum amounts that must be distributed in any year to avoid the excise tax will be increased or decreased to reflect any under-distribution or over-distribution, as the case may be, from the previous year. For purposes of the excise tax, the Fund will be deemed to have distributed any income on which it paid U.S. federal income tax. While the Fund intends to distribute any income and capital gain in the manner necessary to minimize imposition of the 4% nondeductible excise tax, there can be no assurance that sufficient amounts of the Fund's taxable income and capital gain will be distributed to entirely avoid the imposition of the excise tax. In that event, the Fund will be liable for the excise tax only on the amount by which it does not meet the foregoing distribution requirement.

If for any taxable year the Fund were to fail to qualify as a RIC, all of its taxable income (including its net capital gain) would be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for distributions to common shareholders, and such distributions would be taxable to the common shareholders as ordinary dividends to the extent of the Fund's current or accumulated earnings and profits. In addition, the Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay taxes and make distributions (which could be subject to interest charges) before requalifying for taxation as a RIC.

#### Taxation of Common Shareholders
Distributions paid to you by the Fund from its net capital gain, which is the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss, if any, that the Fund properly reports as capital gain dividends ("capital gain dividends") are taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have held your Shares. All other dividends paid to you by the Fund (including dividends from short-term capital gains) from its current or accumulated earnings and profits ("ordinary income dividends") are generally subject to tax as ordinary income. Provided that certain holding period and other requirements are met, ordinary income dividends (if properly reported by the Fund) may qualify (a) for the dividends received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders to the extent that the Fund's income consists of dividend income from U.S. corporations, (b) in the case of individual shareholders, as "qualified dividend income" eligible to be taxed at long-term capital gains rates to the extent that the Fund receives qualified dividend income, and (c) in the case of individual shareholders, as "section 199A dividends" eligible for a 20% "qualified business income" deduction to the extent the Fund receives ordinary REIT dividends, reduced by allocable Fund expenses. Qualified dividend income is, in general, dividend income from taxable domestic corporations and certain qualified foreign corporations (e.g., generally, foreign corporations incorporated in a possession of the United States or in certain countries with a qualifying comprehensive tax treaty with the United States, or whose stock with respect to which such dividend is paid is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States). There can be no assurance as to what portion, if any, of the Fund's distributions will constitute qualified dividend income.

Any distributions you receive that are in excess of the Fund's current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated as a return of capital to the extent of your adjusted tax basis in your Shares, and thereafter as capital gain from the sale of Shares. The amount of any Fund distribution that is treated as a return of capital will reduce your adjusted tax basis in your Shares, thereby increasing your potential gain, or reducing your potential loss, on any subsequent sale or other disposition of your Shares.

Dividends and other taxable distributions are taxable to you even if they are reinvested in additional Shares of the Fund. Dividends and other distributions paid by the Fund are generally treated as received by you at the time the dividend or distribution is made. If, however, the Fund pays you a dividend in January that was declared in the previous October, November or December to common shareholders of record on a specified date in one of such months, then such dividend will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as being paid by the Fund and received by you on December 31 of the year in which the dividend was declared.

Subject to the discussion below of repurchases, the sale or other disposition of Shares of the Fund will generally result in capital gain or loss to you and will be long-term capital gain or loss if you have held such

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Shares for more than one year. Any loss upon the sale or other disposition of Shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of any capital gain dividends received (including amounts credited as an undistributed capital gain) by you with respect to such Shares. Any loss you recognize on a sale or other disposition of Shares will be disallowed if you acquire other Shares (whether through the automatic reinvestment of dividends or otherwise) within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after your sale or exchange of the Shares. In such case, your tax basis in the Shares acquired will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.

The repurchase of Shares through a periodic repurchase offer will be a taxable transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes, either as a "sale or exchange," or under certain circumstances, as a "dividend." In general, the transaction should be treated as a sale or exchange of shares if the receipt of cash (a) is "substantially disproportionate" with respect to the shareholder, (b) results in a "complete redemption" of the shareholder's interest, or (c) is "not essentially equivalent to a dividend" with respect to the shareholder. A "substantially disproportionate" distribution generally requires a reduction of at least 20% in the shareholder's proportionate interest in the Fund and also requires the shareholder to own less than 50% of the voting power of all classes of the Fund entitled to vote immediately after the repurchase. A "complete redemption" of a shareholder's interest generally requires that all shares of the Fund owned by such shareholder be disposed of. A distribution "not essentially equivalent to a dividend" requires that there be a "meaningful reduction" in the shareholder's proportionate interest in the Fund, which should result if the shareholder has a minimal interest in the Fund, exercises no control over Fund affairs and suffers a reduction in his proportionate interest in the Fund. In determining whether any of these tests has been met, any Fund shares actually owned, as well as shares considered to be owned by the shareholder by reason of certain constructive ownership rules set forth in section 318 of the Code, generally must be taken into account.

If the repurchase of your Shares meets any of these three tests for "sale or exchange" treatment, you will recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount of cash and the fair market value of other property received pursuant to the repurchase and the adjusted tax basis of the Shares sold. If none of the tests described above are met with respect to a repurchase, you may be treated as having received, in whole or in part, a dividend, return of capital or capital gain, depending on (i) whether there are sufficient earnings and profits to support a dividend and (ii) your tax basis in the relevant Shares. The tax basis in the Shares tendered to the Fund will be transferred to any remaining Shares held by you in the Fund. In addition, if the sale of Shares pursuant to the applicable repurchase is treated as a "dividend" to a tendering stockholder, a constructive dividend under certain provisions of the Code may result to a non-tendering shareholder whose proportionate interest in the earnings and assets of the Fund has been increased as a result of such tender.

Current U.S. federal income tax law taxes both long-term and short-term capital gain of corporations at the rates applicable to ordinary income. For non-corporate taxpayers, short-term capital gain is currently taxed at rates applicable to ordinary income while long-term capital gain generally is taxed at a reduced maximum rate. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations under the Code.

U.S. federal backup withholding may be required on dividends, distributions and sale proceeds payable to common shareholders who fail to supply their correct taxpayer identification number (in the case of individuals, generally, their social security number) or to make required certifications, or who are otherwise subject to backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amount withheld may be refunded or credited against your U.S. federal income tax liability, if any, provided that you timely furnish the required information to the IRS.

Please refer to the SAI for more detailed information, which is incorporated herein by reference. You are urged to consult your tax advisor.

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#### PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

#### Common Shares
The Fund currently offers five classes of Shares: Institutional Shares, Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares. The Fund has received exemptive relief from the SEC to, among other things, issue multiple classes of Shares and to impose asset-based distribution fees and early-withdrawal fees as applicable. The Fund may in the future register and include other classes of Shares in the offering.

Shares of each class of the Fund represent an equal pro rata interest in the Fund and, generally, have identical voting, distribution, liquidation, and other rights, preferences, powers, restrictions, limitations, qualifications and terms and conditions, except that: (a) each class has a different designation; (b) each class of Shares bears any class-specific expenses; and (c) each class shall have separate voting rights on any matter submitted to shareholders in which the interests of one class differ from the interests of any other class, and shall have exclusive voting rights on any matter submitted to shareholders that relates solely to that class.

Institutional Shares are currently available only to investors whose investment in the Fund is made through the Distributor or an asset-based fee program sponsored by a registered broker-dealer or registered investment adviser (also known as a "wrap fee" program) and whose financial advisor recommends their investment in the Fund that has an agreement with the Distributor. Wrap fee programs are arrangements between broker-dealers, investment advisers, banks and other financial institutions (typically acting as sponsors of the programs) through which the customers of such firms receive discretionary investment advisory, execution, clearing, and custodial services in a "bundled" form. In exchange for these "bundled" services, customers pay an all-inclusive—or "wrap"—fee determined as a percentage of the assets held in the wrap fee account. Not all investors are able to access Institutional Shares. Certain brokerage firms may not offer fee-based advisory programs that allow investors to access Institutional Shares as described above or investors may not qualify for any such program at their brokerage firms that allows such access. It is also possible that certain brokerage firms may not offer the Fund as part of any such fee-based advisory program. Further, the decision by investors to invest in the Fund through Institutional Shares must be made on a case by case basis after careful discussion with the investor's financial advisor to determine whether such Shares are most appropriate for the investor, such determination to be based both on economic and non-economic factors. Generally, Class A Shares, Class W Shares and Class J Shares are available only through brokerage, transactional-based accounts. Class U Shares and Class J Shares are available to clients of financial intermediaries with which the Fund has a selling agreement to distribute Class U Shares and Class J Shares, respectively. Not all Dealers offer all classes of Shares. See "—Share Class Considerations" below.

Prior to the public offering of the Shares, BlackRock Financial Management, Inc., an affiliate of the Fund and the Advisor, purchased Shares from the Fund in an amount satisfying the net worth requirements of Section 14(a) of the Investment Company Act, which requires the Fund to have a net worth of at least $100,000 prior to making a public offering. As of April 7, 2026, BFM owns 19.16% of the outstanding Institutional Shares, 100% of the outstanding Class W Shares and Class J Shares, and less than 5% of the outstanding Class A Shares and Class U Shares of the Fund. This ownership will fluctuate as other investors subscribe for Shares and the Fund repurchases Shares in connection with quarterly repurchase offers. Depending on the size of this ownership, BFM may either control the Fund or be in a position to exercise a significant influence on the outcome of any matter put to a vote of investors.

#### Distributor
BlackRock Investments, LLC, located at 50 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001, acts as the distributor of the Fund's Shares, pursuant to a distribution agreement with the Fund (the "Distribution Agreement"), on a reasonable best efforts basis, subject to various conditions. See "Risks—Principal Risks—Best-Efforts Offering Risk."

Under the Distribution Agreement, the Distributor's responsibilities include, but are not limited to, selling Shares of the Fund upon the terms set forth in this prospectus and making arrangements for the collection of

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purchase monies or the payment of purchase proceeds. The Distributor also may enter into agreements with Dealers for the sale and servicing of the Shares. Dealers or other financial intermediaries may impose terms and conditions on investor accounts and investments in the Fund that are in addition to the terms and conditions set forth in this prospectus. Any terms and conditions imposed by a Dealer or other financial intermediary, or operational limitations applicable to such parties, may affect or limit a shareholder's ability to purchase the Shares or tender the Shares for repurchase, or otherwise transact business with the Fund. Institutional Shares are not subject to a sales load; however, investors may be required to pay brokerage commissions on purchases or sales of Institutional Shares to their Dealers. The Dealers will typically expect to receive the sales load with respect to Class A Shares, Class W Shares and Class J Shares purchased by their clients. If you buy Shares through certain Dealers or other financial intermediaries, they may directly charge you a transaction fee in such amount as they may determine. Investors should consult with their Dealers or other financial intermediaries about the sales load and any transaction or other fees or charges their Dealers or other financial intermediaries might impose on each class of Shares in addition to any fees imposed by the Fund. See "—Class A Shares, Class W Shares and Class J Shares—Sales Load" below.

#### Minimum Investments
The following investment minimums apply for purchases of the Shares:

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| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  | **Institutional Shares** | **Class A Shares** | **Class W Shares** | **Class U Shares** | **Class J Shares** |
|  **Minimum Initial Investment** | $250000 | $2500 | $2500 | $2500 | $2500 |
|  **Minimum Subsequent Investment** |  |  |  |  |  |

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The $250,000 minimum initial investment for Institutional Shares set forth in the above table applies to individuals and "Institutional Investors," which include, but are not limited to, endowments, foundations, family offices, local, city, and state governmental institutions, corporations and insurance company separate accounts who may purchase shares of the Fund through a Dealer or other financial intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to purchase Institutional Shares.

For Institutional Shares, there is no minimum initial investment for:

• Employer-sponsored retirement plans (not including Simplified Employee Pension Individual Retirement Arrangements, Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees Individual Retirement Accounts or Salary Reduction Simplified Employee Pension Plans) and state sponsored 529 college savings plans, collective trust funds, investment companies or other pooled investment vehicles, unaffiliated thrifts and unaffiliated banks and trust companies. 

• Employees, officers and directors/trustees of BlackRock or its affiliates and immediate family members of such persons, if they open an account directly with BlackRock. 

• Clients of Dealers or other financial intermediaries that: (i) charge such clients a fee for advisory, investment consulting, or similar services or (ii) have entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer Institutional Shares through a no-load program or investment platform. 

The minimum initial investment for purchasing Institutional Shares is reduced to $1,000 for:

• Clients investing through Dealers or other financial intermediaries that offer Institutional Shares on a platform that charges a transaction based sales commission outside of the Fund. 

• Tax-qualified accounts for insurance agents that are registered representatives of an insurance company's broker-dealer that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer Institutional Shares, and the family members of such persons. 

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• The minimum initial investment for each class of Shares may be modified or waived by the Fund and the Distributor for the Trustees and certain employees of BlackRock, Inc., including its affiliates, vehicles controlled by such Trustees and employees and their extended family members. There is no minimum subsequent investment for the Shares. 

#### Share Class Considerations
The Fund offers five classes of Shares: Institutional Shares, Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares. When selecting a share class, you should consider the following:

• which share classes are available to you; 

• the amount you intend to invest; 

• how long you expect to own the Shares; and 

• total costs and expenses associated with a particular share class. 

Each investor's financial considerations are different. You should speak with your financial adviser to help you decide which share class is best for you. Not all Dealers offer all classes of Shares. In addition, Dealers may vary the actual sales load charged, if applicable, as well as impose additional fees and charges on each class of Shares. If your Dealer offers more than one class of Shares, you should carefully consider which class of Shares to purchase.

#### Intra-Fund Share Class Conversions
Subject to the conditions set forth in this paragraph, shares of one class of the Fund may be converted into (i.e., reclassified as) shares of a different class of the Fund at the request of a shareholder's financial intermediary. To qualify for a conversion, the shareholder must satisfy the conditions for investing in the class into which the conversion is sought (as described in the Fund's prospectus and the SAI). Also, shares are not eligible to be converted until any applicable CDSC period has expired. No sales charge will be imposed on the conversion of shares. The financial intermediary making the conversion request must submit the request in writing. In addition, the financial intermediary or other responsible party must process and report the transaction as a conversion. The value of the shares received during a conversion will be based on the relative NAV of the shares being converted and the shares received as a result of the conversion. It generally is expected that conversions will not result in taxable gain or loss.

#### Institutional Shares and Class U Shares
Institutional Shares and Class U Shares will be sold at the then-current NAV of the applicable class and are not subject to any sales load imposed by the Fund or the Distributor or, with respect to Institutional Shares, distribution fees. If you buy Institutional Shares or Class U Shares through certain selling agents or other financial intermediaries, they may directly charge you a transaction fee in such amount as they may determine. Any such fees will be in addition to your investment in the Fund and not deducted therefrom. Investors should consult with their selling agents or other financial intermediaries about any transaction or other fees their financial intermediaries might impose on Institutional Shares or Class U Shares. Because the Institutional Shares and Class U Shares are sold at the prevailing NAV of the applicable class without an upfront sales load, the entire amount of an investor's purchase is invested immediately (subject to any transaction fee charged by a selling agent or other financial intermediary).

#### Class A Shares, Class W Shares and Class J Shares
*Sales Load* 

Unless eligible for a sales load waiver, investors purchasing Class A Shares, Class W Shares and Class J Shares will pay a sales load based on the amount of their investment in the Fund. The sales load varies depending

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on the size of your purchase, as set forth in the tables below. The actual sales load paid may vary among and within Dealers, as described herein. No sales load is imposed when Class A Shares, Class W Shares or Class J Shares are issued to you pursuant to the automatic reinvestment of income dividends or capital gains distributions. A reallowance to participating broker-dealers will be made by the Distributor from the sales load paid by each investor.

Because the offering price is calculated by two decimal places, the dollar amount of the sales load as a percentage of the offering price and an investor's net amount invested for any particular purchase of Shares may be higher or lower depending on whether downward or upward rounding was required during the calculation process.

In addition, if you buy Class A Shares, Class W Shares or Class J Shares through certain selling agents or other financial intermediaries, they may directly charge you a transaction fee in such amount as they may determine. Any such fees will be in addition to your investment in the Fund and not deducted therefrom. Investors should consult with their selling agents or other financial intermediaries about any transaction or other fees their financial intermediaries might impose on Class A Shares, Class W Shares or Class J Shares.

Class A Shares of the Fund are sold subject to the following sales load:

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| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Your investment** | **Sales charge as a % of**<br>**the offering price** | **Sales charge as a % of<br>net asset value** | **Dealer compensation as**<br>**a % of offering price** |
|  Less than $100,000 | 2.50% | 2.56% | 2.50% |
|  $100,000 but less than $250,000 | 2.00% | 2.04% | 2.00% |
|  $250,000 and over<sup>1</sup> |  |  | 1.50% |

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| 1 | If you invest $250,000 or more in Class A Shares, you will not pay an initial sales load. In the case, the Advisor compensates the Dealer from its own resources. However, if the Fund repurchases your Class A Shares within 18 months after purchase, you may be charged a deferred sales charge of 1.50% of the lesser of the original cost of the Class A Shares being repurchased or your repurchase proceeds.  |

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Class W Shares of the Fund are sold subject to the following sales load:

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| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Your investment** | **Sales charge as a % of<br>the offering price** | **Sales charge as a % of<br>net asset value** | **Dealer compensation as<br>a % of offering price** |
|  Less than $250,000 | 3.50% | 3.63% | 3.50% |
|  $250,000 but less than $500,000 | 2.50% | 2.56% | 2.50% |
|  $500,000 but less than $1,000,000 | 1.50% | 1.52% | 1.50% |
|  $1,000,000 and over | 1.00% | 1.01% | 1.00% |

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Class J Shares of the Fund are sold subject to the following sales load:

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| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Your investment** | **Sales charge as a % of<br>the offering price** | **Sales charge as a % of<br>net asset value** | **Dealer compensation as<br>a % of offering price** |
|  Less than $250,000 | 3.00% | 3.09% | 3.00% |
|  $250,000 but less than $999,999 | 2.00% | 2.04% | 2.00% |
|  $1,000,000 but less than $4,999,999 | 1.00% | 1.01% | 1.00% |
|  $5,000,000 and over | 0.50% | 0.50% | 0.50% |

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*Potential Sales Load Waivers* 

Investors may be able to buy Class A Shares, Class W Shares or Class J Shares without a sales load, if applicable (i.e., "load-waived"), when they are:

• reinvesting distributions; 

• a current or former director or Trustee of the Fund; 

• an employee (including the employee's spouse, domestic partner, children, grandchildren, parents, grandparents, siblings or any dependent of the employee, as defined in section 152 of the Internal Revenue Code) of the Advisor or its affiliates or of a broker-dealer authorized to sell Class A Shares, Class W Shares or Class J Shares of the Fund; or 

• purchasing Class A Shares, Class W Shares or Class J Shares through a financial services firm that has a special arrangement with the Fund. 

In addition, the Fund will combine purchases of Class A Shares, Class W Shares or Class J Shares, as applicable, made by an investor, the investor's spouse or domestic partner, and dependent children when it calculates the applicable sales load.

It is the investor's responsibility to determine whether a reduced sales load would apply. The Fund is not responsible for making such determination. To receive a reduced sales load, notification must be provided at the time of the purchase order. Notice should be provided to the Dealer or financial intermediary through whom the purchase is made so they can notify the Fund.

*Sales Charge Waivers* 

Qualifying Holdings. Investor A and A1, Investor C, Investor P, Institutional, Class K and Premier Shares in certain BlackRock open-end funds ("Eligible BlackRock Open-End Funds"), investments in certain unlisted closed-end management investment companies sponsored and advised by BlackRock or its affiliates, including the Fund ("Eligible Unlisted BlackRock Closed-End Funds"), and investments in the BlackRock CollegeAdvantage 529 Program.

Qualifying Holdings may include shares held in accounts held at a Dealer or other financial intermediary, including personal accounts, certain retirement accounts, UGMA/UTMA accounts, Joint Tenancy accounts, trust accounts and Transfer on Death accounts, as well as shares purchased by a trust of which the investor is a beneficiary. For purposes of the right of accumulation, the investor may not combine with the investor's other holdings shares held in pension, profit sharing or other employer-sponsored retirement plans if those shares are held in the name of a nominee or custodian.

In order to receive a reduced sales charge, at the time an investor purchases shares of the Fund, the investor should inform the Dealer, financial intermediary, Eligible BlackRock Open-End Funds or Eligible Unlisted BlackRock Closed-End Funds of any other shares of the Fund or any other Eligible BlackRock Open-End Fund or Eligible Unlisted BlackRock Closed-End Fund that qualify for a reduced sales charge. Failure by the investor to notify the Dealer, financial intermediary, Eligible BlackRock Open-End Funds or Eligible Unlisted BlackRock Closed-End Funds may result in the investor not receiving the sales charge reduction to which the investor is otherwise entitled.

The Dealer, financial intermediary or Eligible BlackRock Open-End Funds may request documentation—including account statements and records of the original cost of the shares owned by the investor, the investor's spouse and/or children showing that the investor qualifies for a reduced sales charge. The investor should retain these records because—depending on where an account is held or the type of account—the Fund and/or the Dealer, financial intermediary, Eligible BlackRock Open-End Funds or Eligible Unlisted BlackRock Closed-End Funds may not be able to maintain this information.

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For more information, please contact your Dealer or financial intermediary.

*Letter of Intent*. An investor may qualify for a reduced front-end sales charge immediately by signing a "Letter of Intent" stating the investor's intention to make one or more of the following investments within the next 13 months which would, if bought all at once, qualify the investor for a reduced sales charge:

i. Buy a specified amount of Investor A, Investor C, Investor P, Institutional, Class K and/or Premier Shares of Eligible BlackRock Open-End Funds, 

ii. Make an investment in one or more Eligible Unlisted BlackRock Closed-End Funds and/or 

iii. Make an investment through the BlackRock CollegeAdvantage 529 Program in one or more Eligible BlackRock Open-End Funds. 

The initial investment must meet the minimum initial purchase requirement. The 13-month Letter of Intent period commences on the day that the Letter of Intent is received by the Fund.

The market value of current holdings in the Eligible BlackRock Open-End Funds (including Investor A, Investor C, Investor P, Institutional, Class K and Premier Shares, Eligible Unlisted BlackRock Closed-End Funds and the BlackRock CollegeAdvantage 529 Program Class A and Class C Units) as of the date of commencement that are eligible under the Right of Accumulation may be counted towards the sales charge reduction.

The investor must notify the Fund of (i) any current holdings in the Eligible BlackRock Open-End Funds, Eligible Unlisted BlackRock Closed-End Funds and/or the BlackRock CollegeAdvantage 529 Program that should be counted towards the sales charge reduction and (ii) any subsequent purchases that should be counted towards the Letter of Intent.

During the term of the Letter of Intent, the Fund will hold Class A Shares, Class W Shares or Class J Shares, as applicable, representing up to 5% of the indicated amount in an escrow account for payment of a higher sales load if the full amount indicated in the Letter of Intent is not purchased. If the full amount indicated is not purchased within the 13-month period, and the investor does not pay the higher sales load within 20 days, the Fund will redeem enough of the Class A Shares, Class W Shares or Class J Shares, as applicable, held in escrow to pay the difference.

*Right of Accumulation*. Investors have a "right of accumulation" under which purchases of any of the following may be combined with the amount of the current purchase in determining whether an investor qualifies for a breakpoint and a reduced front-end sales charge:

• The current value of an investor's existing Investor A and A1, Investor C, Investor P, Institutional, Class K and Premier Shares in most Eligible BlackRock Open-End Funds; 

• The current value of an investor's existing shares of Eligible Unlisted BlackRock Closed-End Funds; and 

• The investment in the BlackRock CollegeAdvantage 529 Program by the investor or by or on behalf of the investor's spouse and children. 

Financial Intermediaries may value current holdings of their customers differently for purposes of determining whether an investor qualifies for a breakpoint and a reduced front-end sales charge, although customers of the same Financial Intermediary will be treated similarly. In order to use this right, the investor must alert BlackRock to the existence of any previously purchased shares.

*CDSC* 

If you invest $250,000 or more in Class A Shares, you will not pay any initial sales load. However, if the Fund repurchases your Class A Shares within 18 months after purchase, you may be charged a deferred sales charge of 1.50% of the lesser of the original cost of the Class A Shares being repurchased or your repurchase proceeds. For a discussion on waivers, see "CDSC Waivers."

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*CDSC Waivers* 

The deferred sales charge relating to Class A Shares may be reduced or waived in certain circumstances, such as:

• Redemptions resulting from shareholder death as long as the waiver request is made within one year of death or, if later, reasonably promptly following completion of probate (including in connection with the distribution of account assets to a beneficiary of the decedent); 

• Withdrawals resulting from shareholder disability (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code) as long as the disability arose subsequent to the purchase of the shares; and 

• Redemptions when a shareholder can demonstrate hardship, in the absolute discretion of the Fund. 

*Distribution and Servicing Fee* 

Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares each pay to the Distributor a Distribution and Servicing Fee that accrues at an annual rate equal to 0.75% for Class A Shares, Class W Shares and Class U Shares and 0.50% for Class J Shares, in each case of the applicable class's average daily net assets. 0.25% of the fee is a shareholder servicing fee and the remaining portion is a distribution fee. See "-Distribution and Servicing Plan—Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares."

#### Distribution and Servicing Plan—Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares
The Fund has adopted the Distribution and Servicing Plan pursuant to which it pays the Distributor a Distribution and Servicing Fee for certain activities relating to the distribution of Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares to investors and maintenance of shareholder accounts. These activities include marketing and other activities to support the distribution of the Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares. The Distribution and Servicing Plan operates in a manner consistent with Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act, which regulates the manner in which an open-end investment company may directly or indirectly bear the expenses of distributing its shares. Although the Fund is not an open-end investment company, it has undertaken to comply with the terms of Rule 12b-1 in accordance with the terms of the Multi-Class Exemptive Relief. Under the Distribution and Servicing Plan, the Fund pays the Distributor a distribution fee and shareholder servicing fee that together accrue at an annual rate equal to 0.75% for Class A Shares, Class W Shares and Class U Shares and 0.50% for Class J Shares, which reduce the NAV of each of Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares. Because these fees are paid out of the Fund's assets attributable to Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares on an ongoing basis, over time, they will increase the cost of an investment in Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares, respectively, including causing the Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares to have a higher expense ratio, pay lower dividends and have a lower total return than Institutional Shares. 0.25% of the fee is a shareholder servicing fee and the remaining portion is a distribution fee.

Shareholder services may include, but are not limited to, the following functions: (i) answering shareholder inquiries regarding account status and history, the manner in which purchases, exchanges and repurchases of Shares may be effected and certain other matters pertaining to the shareholders' investments; (ii) receiving, aggregating and processing shareholder orders; (iii) furnishing shareholder sub-accounting; (iv) providing and maintaining elective shareholder services such as check writing and wire transfer services; (v) providing and maintaining pre-authorized investment plans; (vi) communicating periodically with shareholders; (vii) acting as the sole shareholder of record and nominee for shareholders; (viii) maintaining accounting records for shareholders; (ix) answering questions and handling correspondence from shareholders about their accounts; (x) issuing confirmations for transactions by shareholders; (xi) performing similar account administrative services; (xii) providing such shareholder communications and recordkeeping services as may be required for any program for which a Service Organization is a sponsor that relies on Rule 3a-4 under the Investment Company Act (i.e., a "wrap fee" program); and (xiii) providing such other similar services as may reasonably be

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requested to the extent a Service Organization is permitted to do so under applicable statutes, rules, or regulations. The distribution and/or servicing fee may be spent by the Distributor for the services rendered to holders of Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares as set forth above, but will generally not be spent by the Distributor on recordkeeping charges, accounting expenses, transfer costs or custodian fees.

Institutional Shares are not subject to any distribution fee or shareholder servicing fee.

#### How to Purchase Common Shares
The following section provides basic information about how to purchase Shares of the Fund.

The Distributor acts as the distributor of the Shares of the Fund on a reasonable best efforts basis, subject to various conditions, pursuant to the terms of the Distribution Agreement. The Distributor is not obligated to sell any specific amount of Shares of the Fund. The Shares will be continuously offered through the Distributor. As discussed below, the Fund may authorize one or more intermediaries (e.g., broker-dealers and other financial firms), who may in turn designate designees to receive orders on its behalf. Shares will be sold at a public offering price equal to the then-current NAV of the applicable class plus, in the case of Class A Shares, Class W Shares and Class J Shares, the applicable sales load.

The Fund will have the sole right to accept orders to purchase Shares and reserves the right to reject any order in whole or in part. The offering may be terminated by the Fund or the Distributor at any time.

No market currently exists for the Fund's Shares. The Shares are not listed for trading on any securities exchange. There is currently no secondary market for the Fund's Shares and the Fund does not anticipate that a secondary market will develop for its Shares. Neither the Advisor, the Distributor nor the Dealers intend to make a market in the Fund's Shares.

#### Acceptance and Timing of Purchase Orders
The Fund will accept initial and additional purchases of Shares on a daily basis. Orders to purchase Shares will be processed through the facilities of the National Securities Clearing Corporation. The applicable offering price for purchase orders is based on the net asset value of the Fund next determined after receipt of the purchase order by a Dealer that has been authorized by the Distributor by contract to accept such orders or such Dealer's designees. As to purchase orders received by the Dealers or their designees prior to the close of business on the NYSE (generally, the NYSE closes at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time), on the day the order is placed, including orders received after the close of business on the previous day, the applicable offering price is based on the net asset value determined as of the close of business on the NYSE on that day. If the purchase orders are not received by the Dealer or its designee before the close of business on the NYSE, such orders are deemed received on the next business day. It is the responsibility of brokers to transmit purchase orders and payment on a timely basis. Generally, if payment is not received within the period described in the Prospectus, the order will be canceled, notice thereof will be given, and the broker and its customers will be responsible for any loss to the Fund or its shareholders.

For shares purchased through the Distributor, order instructions must be received in good order prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE (ordinarily 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) in order to receive the current day's NAV. Instructions must include the name and signature of an appropriate person designated on the applicable account application, account name, account number, name of the Fund and dollar amount. Payments received without order instructions could result in a processing delay or a return of wire. Failure to send the accompanying payment on the same day may result in the cancellation of the order. For more information on purchasing Shares through the Distributor, please call (800) 882-0052.

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Investors may buy and sell shares of the Fund through Dealers that have made arrangements with the Fund and are authorized to buy and sell shares of the Fund. Orders will be priced at the appropriate price next computed after it is received by a Dealer or its designee. A Dealer may hold shares in an omnibus account in the Dealer's name or the Dealer may maintain individual ownership records. Dealers may charge fees for the services they provide in connection with processing your transaction order or maintaining an investor's account with them. Investors should check with their Dealer to determine if it is subject to these arrangements. Dealers are responsible for placing orders correctly and promptly with the Fund, forwarding payment promptly.

The Fund reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to accept or reject any order for purchase of the Shares. The sale of the Shares may be suspended during any period in which the NYSE is closed other than weekends or holidays, or if permitted by the rules of the SEC, when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to determine fairly the value of its net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. In a situation where the Fund suspends the sale of the Shares, the Fund may also determine to suspend or postpone a pending or scheduled repurchase offer.

To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person who opens an account. What this means to you: When you open an account, you will be asked to provide your name, address, date of birth, and other information that will allow you to be identified. If your identification is not able to be verified, the Fund reserves the right to restrict additional transactions and/or liquidate your account at the next calculated NAV after your account is closed (less any applicable sales/account charges and/or tax penalties) or take any other action required by law. The Fund has implemented an anti-money laundering compliance program, which includes designation of an anti-money laundering compliance officer.

#### Payments to Financial Intermediaries
The Advisor or its affiliates, in the Advisor's discretion and from its own resources, may pay additional compensation to Dealers in connection with the sale of the Shares (the "Additional Compensation"). In return for the Additional Compensation, the Fund may receive certain marketing advantages including but not limited to access to a broker's or dealer's registered representatives, placement on a list of investment options offered by a broker or dealer, or the ability to assist in training and educating the broker's or dealer's registered representatives, as described in more detail below. The Additional Compensation may differ among brokers or dealers in amount or in the amount of calculation. Payments of Additional Compensation may be fixed dollar amounts or, based on the aggregate value of outstanding Shares held by common shareholders introduced by the broker or dealer, or determined in some other manner. The receipt of Additional Compensation by a selling broker or dealer may create potential conflicts of interest between an investor and its broker or dealer who is recommending the Fund over other potential investments.

*Placement Fees* 

The Advisor pays a placement fee of 1.50% to Dealers on purchases of Class A Shares over $250,000.

*Servicing Arrangements* 

The Fund's Shares may be available through Dealers that have entered into shareholder servicing arrangements with respect to the Fund.

These Dealers provide varying investment products, programs, platforms and accounts, through which investors may purchase Shares. Shareholder servicing arrangements typically include processing orders for shares, generating account and confirmation statements, sub-accounting, account maintenance, tax reporting, collecting and posting distributions to investor accounts and disbursing cash dividends as well as other investment or administrative services required for the particular Dealer's products, programs, platform and accounts.

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The Advisor and/or its affiliates may make payments to Dealers for the shareholder services provided. These payments are made out of the Advisor's own resources and not Fund assets. The actual services provided by these Dealers, and the payments made for such services, vary from firm to firm. The payments may be based on a fixed dollar amount for each account and position maintained by the Dealer and/or a percentage of the value of shares held by investors through the firm. Please see the Fund's SAI for more information.

These payments may be material to Dealers relative to other compensation paid by the Fund, the Advisor and/or its affiliates and may be in addition to other fees and payments, such as distribution and/or service fees, Sub-Transfer Agency Expenses, revenue sharing or "shelf space" fees and event support, other non-cash compensation (described below). Also, the payments may vary from amounts paid to the Fund's transfer agent for providing similar services to other accounts. The Advisor and/or its affiliates do not control these Dealers' provision of the services for which they are receiving payments.

These Dealers may impose additional or different conditions than the Fund on purchases of Shares. They may also independently establish and charge their customers or program participants transaction fees, account fees and other amounts in connection with purchases of Shares in addition to any fees imposed by the Fund. These additional fees may vary and over time could increase the cost of an investment in the Fund and lower investment returns. Each Dealer is responsible for transmitting to its customers and program participants a schedule of any such fees and information regarding any additional or different conditions regarding purchases. Shareholders who are customers of these Dealers or participants in programs serviced by them should contact their Dealer for information regarding these fees and conditions.

*Other Payments to Dealers* 

Some or all of the servicing fees described above are paid or "reallowed" to the Dealer, including their financial advisors through which you purchase your Shares.

The Distributor may from time to time make payments and provide other incentives to selected Dealers as compensation for services such as providing the Fund with "shelf space" or a higher profile for the Dealers' financial advisors and their customers, placing the Fund on the Dealers' preferred or recommended fund list, granting the Distributor access to the Dealers' financial advisors and furnishing marketing support and other specified services. These payments may be significant to the Dealers.

A number of factors will be considered in determining the amount of these payments to Dealers. On some occasions, such payments may be conditioned upon levels of sales, including the sale of a specified minimum dollar amount of the shares of the Fund, other funds sponsored by the Distributor and/or a particular class of shares, during a specified period of time. The Distributor may also make payments to one or more Dealers based upon factors such as the amount of assets a Dealer's clients have invested in the Fund and the quality of the Dealer's relationship with the Distributor, the Advisor and/or their affiliates.

To the extent the additional payments described above are made, such additional payments would be made from the Distributor's own assets (and sometimes, therefore referred to as "revenue sharing") pursuant to agreements with Dealers and would not change the price paid by investors for the purchase of the Fund's Shares or the amount the Fund will receive as proceeds from such sales. These payments may be made to Dealers (as selected by the Distributor) that have sold significant amounts of Shares of the Fund.

The Distributor or its employees and representatives may make payments or reimburse Dealers for sponsorship and/or attendance at conferences, seminars or informational meetings ("event support"), provide Dealers or their personnel with occasional tickets to events or other entertainment, meals, and small gifts ("other non-cash compensation") and make financial contributions pertaining to sales incentives and contests, each to the extent permitted by applicable law, rules and regulations.

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In addition, wholesaler representatives of the Distributor visit Dealers on a regular basis to market and educate financial advisors and other personnel about the Fund. These payments, reimbursements and activities may provide additional access to financial advisors at these Dealers, which may increase purchases and/or reduce repurchases of Fund Shares.

The Distributor also may pay Dealers for certain services including technology, operations, tax, audit or data consulting services, and may pay such Dealers for the Distributor's attendance at investment forums sponsored by such Dealers or for various studies, surveys, or access to databases.

If investment advisers, distributors or affiliates of investment companies make payments and provide other incentives in differing amounts, Dealers and their financial advisors may have financial incentives for recommending a particular fund over other funds. In addition, depending on the arrangements in place at any particular time, a Dealer and its financial advisors may also have a financial incentive for recommending a particular share class over other share classes, to the extent applicable. A shareholder who holds Shares through a Dealer should consult with the shareholder's financial advisor and review carefully any disclosure by the Dealer as to its compensation received by the financial advisor.

Although the Fund may use Dealers that sell Shares to effect transactions for the Fund's portfolio, the Fund and the Advisor will not consider the sale of Shares as a factor when choosing Dealers to effect those transactions.

For further details about payments made by the Distributor to Dealers, please see the Statement of Additional Information.

#### Signature Validation
When a signature validation is called for, a Medallion signature guarantee or Signature validation program ("SVP") stamp may be required. A Medallion signature guarantee is intended to provide signature validation for transactions considered financial in nature, and an SVP stamp is intended to provide signature validation for transactions non-financial in nature. In certain situations, a notarized signature may be used instead of a Medallion signature guarantee or an SVP stamp. A Medallion signature guarantee or SVP stamp may be obtained from a domestic bank or trust company, broker, dealer, clearing agency, savings association or other financial institution which is participating in a Medallion program or Signature validation program recognized by the Securities Transfer Association. When a Medallion signature guarantee or SVP stamp is required, signature validations from financial institutions which are not participating in one of these programs will not be accepted. Please note that financial institutions participating in a recognized Medallion program may still be ineligible to provide a signature validation for transactions of greater than a specified dollar amount. The Fund may change the signature validation requirements from time to time upon notice to shareholders, which may be given by means of a new or supplemented prospectus. Shareholders should contact the Fund for additional details regarding the Fund's signature validation requirements.

#### Reinstatement Privilege
If you tender for repurchase Class A Shares, Class W Shares or Class J Shares of the Fund and buy new Class A Shares, Class W Shares or Class J Shares of the Fund or Investor A Shares of an Eligible BlackRock Open-End Fund (equal to all or a portion of the redemption amount) within 90 days of such repurchase, you will not pay a sales charge on the new purchase amount. This right may be exercised within 90 days of the repurchase, provided that Class A Shares, Class W Shares or Class J Shares, as applicable, of the Fund or the Investor A Share class of the Eligible BlackRock Open-End Fund is currently open to new investors or the shareholder has a current account in that closed fund. Shares will be purchased at the net asset value calculated at the close of trading on the day the request is received. To exercise this privilege, the Fund must receive written notification from the shareholder of record or the Dealer of record, at the time of purchase. Investors should consult a tax adviser concerning the tax consequences of exercising this reinstatement privilege.

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#### Request for Multiple Copies of Shareholder Documents
To reduce expenses, it is intended that only one copy of the Fund's prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report, when available, will be mailed to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents and your shares are held in the Fund's account, call the Fund at (800) 882-0052. You will receive the additional copy within 30 days after receipt of your request by the Fund. Alternatively, if your shares are held through a financial institution, please contact the financial institution.

#### Offering Restrictions

#### Notice to Non-U.S. Residents
In making an investment decision, prospective investors must rely on their own examination of the person or entity creating the securities and the terms of the offering, including the merits and risks involved. Prospective non-U.S. investors in the Fund should inform themselves as to the legal requirements and tax consequences within the countries of their citizenship, residence, domicile and place of business with respect to the acquisition, holding or disposal of the Shares, and any non-U.S. exchange restrictions that may be relevant thereto. It is the responsibility of any investor wishing to purchase Shares to satisfy itself as to the full observance of the laws of any relevant territory outside the United States in connection with such purchase, including the procurement of any required governmental or other consents and the observation of any other applicable formalities. This Prospectus does not constitute an offer to or solicitation of anyone in any jurisdiction in which such an offer or solicitation is not authorized.

#### Country-Specific Legends

#### NOTICE TO RESIDENTS IN ARGENTINA
In case the Shares are offered to Argentine investors from outside of Argentina, this would be an offer of securities without sufficient contact with Argentina under the terms of Section III, Chapter I, Title XX of the Regulations of the Argentine Securities and Exchange Commission, and therefore is not authorized by the Argentine Securities and Exchange Commission, and the placement of the Shares is not subject to its general and periodic reporting and control regime. The Argentine Securities and Exchange Commission has not passed judgment on the information contained herein or in any offering document of the Shares or on the veracity of any accounting, financial and economic information, or any other information provided herein or therein, which is the sole responsibility of the issuer and other parties involved in the distribution of the Shares.

#### NOTICE TO RESIDENTS IN BAHAMAS
Shares shall not be offered or sold in or from The Bahamas except in circumstances that do not constitute an offer to the public. Shares may only be offered to "accredited investors" as that term is defined in the Securities Industry Regulations, 2012 by an investment fund incorporated, registered or established outside The Bahamas.

#### NOTICE TO RESIDENTS IN BERMUDA
The Shares being offered hereby are being offered on a private basis to investors who satisfy the criteria outlined in this Prospectus. This Prospectus does not constitute, and under no circumstances is to be construed as, an offer or an invitation to the public in Bermuda to subscribe for Shares.

Shares may be offered or sold in Bermuda only in compliance with the provisions of the Investment Business Act 2003, the Companies Act 1981 and the Investment Funds Act 2006 of Bermuda (each as amended), which regulate the sale or promotion of fund interests or securities in Bermuda. This Prospectus has not been and will not be filed with the Registrar of Companies in Bermuda pursuant to Part III of the Companies Act 1981. This Prospectus is not subject to, and has not received approval from, either the Bermuda Monetary Authority or the Registrar of Companies in Bermuda, and no statement to the contrary, explicit or implicit, is authorized to be made in this regard.

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Non-Bermudian persons (including companies) may not carry on or engage in any trade or business in Bermuda unless such persons are permitted to do so under applicable Bermuda legislation. Engaging in the activity of offering or marketing the Shares in Bermuda to persons in Bermuda may be deemed to be carrying on business in Bermuda. The Fund is not carrying out promotion in or from Bermuda and as such it is not required to and has not been designated as an Overseas Fund under the Investment Funds Act 2006 (as amended) by the Bermuda Monetary Authority.

#### NOTICE TO RESIDENTS IN BRAZIL
In Brazil, this material is intended for Professional Clients only. This material is solely for educational purposes and does not constitute an offer or a solicitation to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any shares of any fund (nor shall any such shares be offered or sold to any person) in Brazil where such offer, solicitation, purchase, or sale would be unlawful under applicable Brazilian securities law. If any funds are mentioned or inferred to in this material, it is possible that they have not been registered with the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission (Comissão de Valores Mobiliários – CVM) and therefore may not be publicly offered in Brazil. The CVM has not reviewed or approved the accuracy of any information contained herein. No information discussed herein can be provided to the general public in Brazil.

#### NOTICE TO RESIDENTS OF THE BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
The Fund is not registered or recognized in the British Virgin Islands and as such the Shares may not be offered to individuals in the British Virgin Islands. However, Shares may be offered to British Virgin Islands Business Companies and/or persons who are not members of the public from outside the British Virgin Islands. A British Virgin Islands Business Company is a company formed under or otherwise governed by the British Virgin Islands Business Companies Act, 2004.

The Prospectus and any other document or material issued in connection with the offer or sale of Shares of the Fund does not constitute or form part of any investment advice or an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy any investment products in the British Virgin Islands. Any resident of the jurisdictions named herein that receives a copy of the Prospectus should note that there may be restrictions or limitations as to whom these materials may be made available. The Prospectus is directed at and intended for institutional investors (as such term is defined in the applicable local laws). The Prospectus is provided on a confidential basis and may not be reproduced in any form. Before acting on any information in the Prospectus, prospective clients should inform themselves of and observe all applicable laws and regulations of any relevant jurisdiction, including, inter alia, any foreign exchange restrictions that may be relevant thereto. Any entity responsible for forwarding this material to other parties takes responsibility for ensuring compliance with applicable securities laws and regulations.

#### NOTICE TO RESIDENTS OF CANADA
*The Prospectus constitutes an offering of Shares only in those jurisdictions and to those persons where and to whom they may be lawfully offered for sale, and therein only by persons permitted to sell such securities. This is not, and under no circumstances is to be construed as, a prospectus, an advertisement or a public offering of the securities described herein in Canada. No securities commission or similar authority in Canada has reviewed or in any way passed upon the Prospectus or the merits of the securities described herein, and any representation to the contrary is an offence.* 

*Representations of Canadian Purchasers* 

Each purchaser of Shares located and resident in Canada will be deemed to have represented, covenanted and acknowledged to the Fund, the Advisor and any dealer serving as the Fund's placement agent (the "Canadian Placement Agent" and collectively, the "Fund Parties") that:

(a) the purchaser is located and resident in, and was offered the Shares in, one of the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia, and the purchaser is not subject to the requirements of the securities laws of any other province or territory of Canada, or any other jurisdiction in connection with its purchase of the Shares; 

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(b) the purchaser is basing its investment decision solely on the Prospectus which has been provided to the purchaser and not on any other information concerning the Fund or the offering; 

(c) the purchaser is purchasing the Shares as principal for its own account or is deemed to be purchasing the Shares as principal for its own account in accordance with applicable securities laws; 

(d) The Shares have not been and will not be qualified for sale to the public by prospectus under applicable Canadian securities laws and, accordingly, any sale of the Shares in Canada will only be made on a basis which is exempt from the prospectus requirements of Canadian securities laws. Even if the Prospectus states that the Shares may be transferred by the purchaser, any such transfer may only be effected pursuant to a prospectus exemption under Canadian securities laws, or in a transaction not subject to the prospectus requirements of Canadian securities laws. In addition, such transfer may only be effected by a person not required to register as a dealer under Canadian securities laws or through a dealer that is appropriately registered or exempt from registration in the jurisdiction of the transfer; 

(e) the purchaser is an "accredited investor" as defined in Section 1.1 of National Instrument 45-106 *Prospectus Exemptions* ("NI 45-106") or Section 73.3 of the *Securities Act* (Ontario); and 

(f) the purchaser is a "permitted client" as defined in Section 1.1 of National Instrument 31-103 *Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations*, as modified by Multilateral Instrument 32-102 *Registration Exemptions for Non-Resident Investment Fund Managers.* 

*Enforcement of Legal Rights* 

Each Fund Party and its respective directors and officers, as well as any experts named in the Prospectus, are or may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible for purchasers to effect service of process within Canada upon the Fund Parties or those persons. All or a substantial portion of the assets of the Fund Parties or those persons may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible to satisfy a judgment against the Fund Parties or those persons in Canada or to enforce a judgment obtained in Canadian courts against the Fund Parties or those persons outside of Canada.

*International Investment Fund Manager* 

The Advisor is considered to be an investment fund manager for purposes of Canadian securities laws; however, the Advisor is not registered as an investment fund manager in any province or territory of Canada, and is relying on an exemption from registration as an investment fund manager in Ontario and Québec. All or substantially all of the assets of the Advisor may be situated outside of Canada and there may be difficulty enforcing legal rights against the Advisor for these reasons. The head office of the Advisor is located at 100 Bellevue Parkway, Wilmington, Delaware 19809, United States of America. The agent for service of process of the Advisor in Ontario is BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited, 161 Bay Street, Suite 2500, P.O. Box 614, Toronto, ON M5J 2S1 and the agent for service of process of the Advisor in Québec is BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited, 1000 Sherbrooke Street West, Suite 1730, Montreal, QC H3A 3G4.

*International Dealer Exemption* 

The Canadian Placement Agent is not registered as a securities broker or as a securities dealer or in any other capacity in any province or territory in Canada. All or substantially all of the assets of the Canadian Placement Agent may be situated outside of Canada and there may be difficulty enforcing legal rights against the Canadian Placement Agent for these reasons. The location of the Canadian Placement Agent's head office and the address of its agent for service of process in your jurisdiction of residence are set out in the Canadian Placement Agent's client disclosure document which has been delivered to you by the Canadian Placement Agent.

*Rights of Action* 

In connection with this distribution of Shares which constitute "eligible foreign securities" as defined in Ontario Securities Commission Rule 45-501 *Ontario Prospectus and Registration Exemptions* and Multilateral

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Instrument 45-107 *Listing Representations and Statutory Rights of Action Disclosure Exemptions* or other applicable provisions, a Fund Party has delivered to the purchaser the Prospectus which may constitute an offering memorandum under applicable securities laws in Canada. The purchaser may have, depending on the province or territory of Canada in which the trade was made to the purchaser, remedies for rescission or damages if the Prospectus contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser's province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser's province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.

*French Language Waiver* 

The Fund Parties and the purchaser shall be deemed to have confirmed that the subscription documents, Prospectus, and all documents, notices and other communications relating to the Fund shall be in English. *Il est la volonté expresse des parties que le contrat et tous les documents, avis et autres communications qui concernent le contrat soient rédigés en langue anglaise.* If you are a resident of or subject to the laws of Quebec, the parties agree that this document and any other agreement entered into in connection with the Prospectus shall be effective only upon its execution or acceptance by the Fund or the Advisor outside of Quebec and that, accordingly, all such agreements shall be deemed to be entered into outside of Quebec.

*Suppression of Terrorism and Canadian Sanctions* 

The purchaser shall be deemed to have confirmed that to the best of the purchaser's knowledge, the funds being used to purchase the Shares: (i) were not obtained or derived, directly or indirectly, as a result of illegal activities; (ii) are not intended to be used, directly or indirectly, in order to carry out a criminal offence, a terrorist activity or for the benefit of a terrorist group, (iii) are not owned or controlled by a terrorist group; and (iv) are not being tendered on behalf of a person or entity who has not been identified to the purchaser.

The purchaser shall be deemed to have confirmed that the purchaser is not a person or entity identified on a list established under section 83.05 of the *Criminal Code* (Canada) or in any Regulations made under the *United Nations Act* (Canada), the *Freezing Assets of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act* (Canada), the *Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (Sergei Magnitsky Law)* (Canada), the *Special Economic Measures Act* (Canada) or any other Canadian statutes or regulations which take legislative measures against terrorist financing and against financial dealings with certain sanctioned individuals and entities (collectively, "STCS Legislation").

Each Fund Party may in the future be required by law to disclose the purchaser's name and other information relating to the purchaser, on a confidential basis, pursuant to STCS Legislation and the purchaser is deemed to have agreed to the foregoing.

The purchaser shall promptly notify the Fund Parties if the purchaser discovers that any such representations cease to be true, and shall provide the Fund Parties with appropriate information in connection therewith.

*Indirect Collection of Personal Information* 

By purchasing the Shares, the purchaser shall be deemed to have acknowledged that information such as its name and other specified information, including specific purchase details, will be disclosed to Canadian securities regulatory authorities as part of a Report of Exempt Distribution on Form 45-106F1 (the "Report") and may become available to the public in accordance with the requirements of applicable laws. The purchaser consents to the disclosure of that information.

The purchaser is hereby notified that the following personal information about the purchaser will be disclosed to Canadian securities regulatory authorities in the Report: his or her full legal name, residential street address, telephone number, email address (if available), specific purchase details and details of the prospectus exemption relied on. Such information is collected on behalf of and used by the securities regulatory authority or regulator under the authority granted in securities legislation for the purposes of the administration and

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enforcement of the securities legislation. By purchasing the Shares the purchaser authorizes this indirect collection of information by the securities regulatory authorities and regulators. Questions about the collection and use of this information should be directed to the securities regulatory authority or regulator in the province where the purchaser is located or resident, as listed below.

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|  **Alberta Securities Commission**<br> Suite 600, 250 – 5th Street SW<br> Calgary, Alberta T2P 0R4<br> Telephone: 403-297-6454<br> Toll free in Canada: 1-877-355-0585<br> Facsimile: 403-297-2082<br> Public official contact regarding indirect<br> collection of information: FOIP Coordinator<br>**British Columbia Securities Commission**<br>P.O. Box 10142, Pacific Centre<br> 701 West Georgia Street<br> Vancouver, British Columbia V7Y 1L2<br> Inquiries: 604-899-6854<br> Toll free in Canada: 1-800-373-6393<br> Facsimile: 604-899-6581<br> Email: FOI-privacy@bcsc.bc.ca<br> Public official contact regarding indirect collection of information: FOI Inquiries | **Ontario Securities Commission**<br> 20 Queen Street West, 22nd Floor<br> Toronto, Ontario M5H 3S8<br> Telephone: 416-593-8314<br> Toll free in Canada: 1-877-785-1555<br> Facsimile: 416-593-8122<br> Email: exemptmarketfilings@osc.gov.on.ca<br> Public official contact regarding indirect collection of<br> information: Inquiries Officer<br>**Autorité des marchés financiers**<br>800, rue du Square-Victoria, 22e étage<br> C.P. 246, tour de la Bourse<br> Montréal, Québec H4Z 1G3<br> Telephone: 514-395-0337 or 1-877-525-0337<br> Facsimile: 514-873-6155<br> (For filing purposes only)<br> Facsimile: 514-864-6381<br> (For privacy requests only)<br> Email: financementdessocietes@lautorite.qc.ca (For<br> corporate finance issuers);<br> fonds_dinvestissement@lautorite.qc.ca<br> (For investment fund issuers)<br> Public official contact regarding indirect collection of<br> information: Corporate Secretary |

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*Canadian Tax Considerations* 

THE PROSPECTUS DOES NOT ADDRESS THE CANADIAN TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE ACQUISITION, HOLDING OR DISPOSITION OF THE SHARES. PROSPECTIVE PURCHASERS OF INTERESTS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS WITH RESPECT TO THE CANADIAN AND OTHER TAX CONSIDERATIONS APPLICABLE TO THEM.

*Conversion of Amounts into Canadian Dollar Equivalent* 

Unless specifically stated otherwise, all dollar amounts contained in the Prospectus are in U.S. dollars and must be converted into Canadian dollars based on the prevailing relevant foreign exchange rate at the time such amounts arise.

*Financial Information* 

Financial information contained in the Prospectus may have been prepared in accordance with accounting practices which differ in certain respects from those accounting principles used in other jurisdictions, including Canada. Prospective purchasers should conduct their own investigation and analysis of the business, data and transaction described herein and consult their own financial advisers.

*Responsibility* 

Except as otherwise expressly required by applicable law or as agreed to in contract, no representation, warranty or undertaking (express or implied) is made and no responsibilities or liabilities of any kind or nature whatsoever are accepted by any dealer as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in the Prospectus or any other information provided by the issuer in connection with the offering of these securities in Canada.

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Investing in these securities involves risks. Prospective investors should refer to the risk factors set forth in the Prospectus for additional information concerning these risks.

#### NOTICE TO RESIDENTS OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS
These Shares have not been registered with the securities regulator of the Cayman Islands, and thus, may not be publicly offered in the Cayman Islands. The Prospectus is not an invitation to the public in the Cayman Islands to subscribe for Shares. Engaging in marketing, offering or selling any fund from within the Cayman Islands to persons or entities in the Cayman Islands may be deemed carrying on business in the Cayman Islands. The Fund does not intend to establish a place of business or otherwise intend to carry on business in or from within the Cayman Islands, including offering Shares to the public in the Islands (as defined under Cayman law). Accordingly, the fund should not be subject to the supervision of any Cayman Islands authority.

#### NOTICE TO RESIDENTS IN CHILE
This private offer commences on the launch date set forth on the cover page of this Prospectus pursuant to General Regulation No. 336 of the Superintendence of Securities and Insurances (currently the Financial Markets Commission).

This offer relates to securities not registered pursuant to the securities market law with the Securities Registry or the Registry of Foreign Securities of the Financial Markets Commission (*Comisión para el Mercado Financiero*), and therefore such securities are not subject to oversight by the latter. Being unregistered securities, there is no obligation for the issuer to provide public information in Chile regarding such securities.

These securities may not be subject to a public offer in Chile until they are registered in the corresponding Securities Registry.

This content does not include or entail any investment, legal, tax or other recommendation or evaluation and should not be construed as investment advice or of any other nature. Each investor should consult their investment advisor, tax and legal advisor before making any investment decision. BlackRock has not considered the suitability of any investment based on the savings needs, investment profile, expectations, circumstances or risk tolerance of any person and accepts no liability in relation thereto.

Investing involves risks including possible loss of principal. Investments in financial assets involve a certain degree of risk. The value of the investments and the income they generate may vary, therefore, the value of the initial investment cannot be guaranteed. There is no guarantee of any forecasts or opinions expressed herein.

Esta oferta privada se inicia el día indicado en la portada de este Prospecto y se acoge a las disposiciones de la Norma de Carácter General Nº 336 de la Superintendencia de Valores y Seguros, hoy Comisión para el Mercado Financiero.

Esta oferta versa sobre valores no inscritos bajo la Ley de Mercado de Valores en el Registro de Valores o en el Registro de Valores Extranjeros que lleva la Comisión para el Mercado Financiero, por lo que tales valores no están sujetos a la fiscalización de ésta.

Por tratarse de valores no inscritos, no existe obligación por parte del emisor de entregar en chile información pública respecto de los valores sobre los que versa esta oferta. Estos valores no podrán ser objeto de oferta pública en Chile mientras no sean inscritos en el registro de valores correspondiente.

Este contenido no contiene ninguna recomendación o evaluación de inversión, legal, fiscal o de otro tipo y no debe interpretarse como asesoría de inversión o de cualquier otra naturaleza. Cada inversionista debe consultar a su asesor de inversión, asesor fiscal y legal antes de tomar cualquier decisión de inversión.

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BlackRock no ha considerado la idoneidad o razonabilidad de cualquier inversión en función de las necesidades de ahorro, perfil de inversión, expectativas, circunstancias o tolerancia al riesgo de persona alguna y no asume responsabilidad alguna en relación con ello.

Invertir implica riesgos, incluyendo la posible pérdida del capital. Las inversiones en activos financieros implican cierto grado de riesgo. El valor de las inversiones y el ingreso que generen las mismas puede variar, por lo cual, el valor de la inversión inicial no puede ser garantizado. No existe garantía alguna de que se cumplan las previsiones u opiniones expresadas en este documento.

#### NOTICE TO RESIDENTS OF CHINA
No invitation to offer, or offer for, or sale of, the Shares will be made in the People's Republic of China ("PRC") (which, for such purpose, does not include the Hong Kong or Macau Special Administrative Regions or Taiwan) or by any means that would be deemed public under the laws of the PRC. The information relating to the Shares contained in the Prospectus has not been submitted to or approved by the China Securities Regulatory Commission, the Asset Management Association of China or any other relevant governmental authority in the PRC. The Shares may only be offered or sold to investors in the PRC that are expressly authorized under the laws and regulations of the PRC to buy and sell securities denominated in a currency other than the Renminbi (or RMB), which is the official currency of the PRC. Potential investors who are resident in the PRC may be subject to foreign exchange control approval and filing requirements under the relevant Chinese foreign exchange regulations, as well as offshore investment approval requirements, and are responsible for obtaining such required approvals and/or filings from all relevant government authorities in the PRC, including, but not limited to, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, before purchasing the Shares. No offering material or information contained in this document relating to the Shares may be supplied to the public in China or used in connection with any offer for the subscription or sale of Shares to the public in the PRC.

Neither this document nor the information contained in this document constitutes any securities or investment advice to citizens of the PRC, or nationals with permanent residence in the PRC, or to any corporation, Fund, or other entity incorporated or established in the PRC.

#### NOTICE TO RESIDENTS IN COLOMBIA
This prospectus does not constitute a public offer in the Republic of Colombia. The Shares are offered under circumstances which do not constitute a public offer of securities under applicable Colombian securities laws and regulations. The offer of the Fund is addressed to less than one hundred specifically identified investors, and the Fund may not be promoted or marketed in Colombia or to Colombian residents unless such promotion and marketing is made in compliance with Decree 2555 of 2010 and other applicable rules and regulations related to the promotion of foreign securities in Colombia.

Each recipient that is a resident in Colombia acknowledges and agrees that it has contacted the Fund or its affiliates at its own initiative and not as a result of any promotion or publicity by the Fund or any of its respective agents or representatives. Colombian residents acknowledge that (1) the receipt of this prospectus does not constitute a solicitation from the Fund, and (2) they are not receiving from the Fund any direct or indirect promotion or marketing.

The information contained in this prospectus is for general guidance only, and it is the responsibility of any person or persons in possession of this Prospectus and wishing to make application for Shares to inform themselves of, and to observe, all applicable laws and regulations of any relevant jurisdiction. Prospective applicants for Shares should inform themselves of any applicable legal requirements, exchange control regulations and applicable taxes in the countries of their respective citizenship, residence or domicile.

#### NOTICE TO RESIDENTS IN COSTA RICA
This is an individual and private offer which is made in Costa Rica upon reliance on an exemption from registration before the General Superintendence of Securities ("SUGEVAL"), pursuant to articles 7 and 8 of the

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Regulations on the Public Offering of Securities ("Reglamento sobre Oferta Pública de Valores"). This information is confidential, and is not to be reproduced or distributed to third parties as this is NOT a public offering of securities in Costa Rica. The Shares are not intended for the Costa Rican public or market and neither are they registered or will be registered before the SUGEVAL, nor can they be traded in the secondary market in Costa Rica.

As this is NOT a public offering of securities under the definition set forth in the Securities Market Statute ("*Ley Reguladora del Mercado de Valores*"), the Shares are not intended for the Costa Rican public or market, neither are they registered or will be registered before the SUGEVAL and, accordingly, they are not covered by the supervision, disciplinary regime and protections afforded to local investors by the Securities Market Statute with regards to the public offerings of securities, and they are not registered in the National Registry of Securities and Intermediaries ("*Registro Nacional de Valores e Intermediarios*").

As this is a private offering of securities, the investor will not have access to ongoing reporting required by the regulations set forth by the National Council for Supervision of the Financial System ("CONASSIF") and the SUGEVAL.

#### NOTICE TO RESIDENTS IN EL SALVADOR
If any recipient of this documentation receives this document in El Salvador, such recipient acknowledges that the same has been delivered upon his request and instructions, and on a private placement basis.

This Prospectus has been produced for the purpose of providing information about the Shares. This Prospectus is made available on the condition that it is for the use only by the recipient and may not be passed on to any other person or be reproduced in any part. The Shares have not been and will not be offered in the course of a public offering or of equivalent marketing in El Salvador and therefore, the provisions of the Securities Market Law of 1994 (Ley del Mercado de Valores) as amended, relating to registration requirements and to prospectus requirements do not apply. The Shares have thus neither been registered for public distribution in El Salvador with the Financial System Superintendency (Superintendencia del Sistema Financiero) nor been the subject matter of a prospectus compliant with the Securities Market Law. Any subscription application by any person other than the initial recipient of the Prospectus will be rejected.

#### NOTICE TO RESIDENTS OF ISRAEL
The Shares described in this Prospectus have not been registered and are not expected to be registered in Israel. Capitalized terms that are used in the following paragraphs and are not otherwise defined herein, shall have the meaning ascribed to them under the Regulation of Investment Advice, of Investment Marketing, and of Portfolio Management Law, 1995 (the "Investment Advice Law").

The Prospectus, as well as investment in the Fund described herein, is directed at and intended for investors that fall within at least one category in each of: (1) the First Schedule of the Israeli Securities Law, 1968 ("Sophisticated Investors"); and (2) the First Schedule of the Investment Advice Law ("Qualified Clients").

No action has been taken or will be taken in Israel that would permit the public offering of the Fund, or distribution of materials that relate to investment therein to the public in Israel. Neither this document, nor any other document that relates to the Fund, has been approved by the Israel Securities Authority.

It is hereby noted that with respect to Qualified Clients, the Advisor is not obliged to comply with the following requirements of the Investment Advice Law: (1) ensuring the compatibility of service to the needs of client; (2) engaging in a written agreement with the client, the content of which is as described in section 13 of the Investment Advice Law; (3) providing the client with appropriate disclosure regarding all matters that are material to a proposed transaction or to the advice given; (4) a prohibition on preferring certain Securities or

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other Financial Assets; (5) providing disclosure about "extraordinary risks" entailed in a transaction (and obtaining the client's approval of such transactions, if applicable); (6) a prohibition on making Portfolio Management fees conditional upon profits or number of transactions; (7) maintaining records of advisory/discretionary actions.

By receiving this document you hereby declare that you are a Sophisticated Investor and a Qualified Client, that you are aware of the implications of being considered a Sophisticated Investor and a Qualified Client (including the implications mentioned in the above paragraph), and consent thereto. Any Investor which is either: (1) not a Sophisticated Investor; or (2) not a Qualified Client – must immediately return the Prospectus to the Advisor or the Fund. The Prospectus is for the use of the named addressee only and should not be given, forwarded or shown to any other person (other than employees, agents or consultants in connection with the addressee's consideration thereof). In any case, the Fund shall not be offered or sold to any investor in Israel which is not a Sophisticated Investor.

The Prospectus is not intended to serve, and should not be treated as Investment Advice or Investment Marketing. Accordingly, the content of the Prospectus does not replace and should not serve as substitution for Investment Marketing or Investment Advising that take into account the special characteristics and needs of each investor. The Advisor is affiliated with the Fund, has a personal interest in the sale of the Fund and might prefer the Fund over other Financial Assets. The Advisor does not hold a license or have insurance as required under the Investment Advice Law.

#### NOTICE TO RESIDENTS IN MEXICO
The Shares have not been, and will not be, registered with the Mexican National Securities Registry (*Registro Nacional de Valores*) maintained by the Mexican National Banking and Securities Commission (*Comisión Nacional Bancaria y de Valores*) and may not be publicly offered or sold in the United Mexican States, except that the Shares may be sold to Mexican Institutional and Qualified investors (as defined under Mexican law) solely pursuant to the private placement exemption set forth in Article 8 of the Mexican Securities Market Law (Ley del Mercado de Valores). This Prospectus may not be distributed publicly in Mexico and the Shares may not be traded in Mexico. The CNBV has not reviewed or approved this Prospectus. This is not a public offering of securities in Mexico.

This Prospectus is shared for informational purposes only, does not constitute investment advice, and is being shared in the understanding that the addressee is an Institutional or Qualified investor. Each potential investor shall make its own investment decision based on their own analysis of the available information. Please note that by receiving these materials, it shall be construed as a representation by the receiver that it is an Institutional or Qualified investor. Potential investors are required to inform themselves of, and to observe, any legal restrictions on their involvement in the offering.

#### NOTICE TO RESIDENTS IN PANAMA
The Shares, as well as their offer, sale or their trading procedures, have not been and will not be registered with the Superintendence of Capital Markets of the Republic of Panama (Superintendencia del Mercado de Capitales de la República de Panamá), under the Unified Text of the Law Decree N°1 of July 8, 1999, as amended from time to time (the "Panamanian Securities Act") and may not be publicly offered or sold within Panama, except in certain limited transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the Panamanian Securities Act. The Shares are exempt from registration pursuant to Article 129, Item 3 of the Panamanian Securities Act. Consequently, the Shares do not benefit from the tax treatment set forth in Articles 334 to 336 of the Panamanian Securities Act, and they are not subject to regulation or supervision by the Superintendence of Capital Markets of the Republic of Panama.

#### NOTICE TO RESIDENTS IN PERU
This private offer does not constitute a public offer, and is not registered with the Securities Market Public Registry of the Peruvian Securities Market Commission (Superintendencia del Mercado de Valores, or the

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"SMV") or the Lima Stock Exchange (Bolsa de Valores de Lima). The information included in this Prospectus is for use only with institutional investors, and is not for public distribution. In making an investment decision, institutional investors must rely on their own examination of the terms of the offering of the Common Shares to determine their ability to invest in the Common Shares. The SMV does not exercise any supervision over this Fund or its management.

Accordingly, the Common Shares may not be offered or sold in Peru except, among others, if such offering is considered a private offer under the securities laws and regulations of Peru. The Common Shares cannot be offered or sold in Peru except in compliance with the securities laws thereof.

#### NOTICE TO RESIDENTS OF TAIWAN
The Shares are being made available in Taiwan on a private placement basis only to banks, bills houses, trust enterprises, insurance companies, securities firms, financial holding companies and other qualified entities or institutions (collectively, "Qualified Institutions") and other entities and individuals meeting specific criteria ("Other Qualified Investors") pursuant to the private placement provisions of Taiwan Rules Governing Offshore Funds and/or other ruling(s) promulgated by the Taiwan Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC). No public offering or sale of the Shares in Taiwan is permitted. Taiwan purchasers of the Shares may not sell or otherwise dispose of their holdings except by redemption, transfer effected to a Qualified Institution or Other Qualified Investor, transfer by operation of law or other means approved by the FSC.

#### NOTICE TO RESIDENTS OF URUGUAY
The sale of Shares of the Fund qualifies as a private placement pursuant to section 2 of Uruguayan Law Nº 18,627. The Shares are not and will not be registered with the Financial Services Superintendency of the Central Bank of Uruguay. The Shares are not and will not be offered publicly in or from Uruguay and are not and will not be traded on any Uruguayan stock exchange. This offer has not been and will not be announced to the public and offering materials will not be made available to the general public except in circumstances which do not constitute a public offering of securities in Uruguay, in compliance with the requirements of the Uruguayan Securities Market Law (Law Nº 18.627 and Decree 322/011). The Shares correspond to funds that are not investment funds regulated by Uruguayan Law Nº 16,774, dated September 27, 1996, as amended.

#### CUSTODIAN AND TRANSFER AGENT
The custodian of the assets of the Fund is State Street Bank and Trust Company, whose principal business address is One Congress Street, Suite 1, Boston, Massachusetts 02114-2016. The custodian is responsible for, among other things, receipt of and disbursement of funds from the Fund's accounts, establishment of segregated accounts as necessary, and transfer, exchange and delivery of the Fund's portfolio securities.

BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (U.S.) Inc., whose principal business address is 118 Flanders Road, Westborough, MA 01581, serves as the Fund's transfer agent with respect to the Shares ("Transfer Agent").

#### ADMINISTRATION AND ACCOUNTING SERVICES
State Street Bank and Trust Company provides certain administration and accounting services to the Fund pursuant to an Administration and Accounting Services Agreement (the "Administration Agreement"). Pursuant to the Administration Agreement, State Street Bank and Trust Company provides the Fund with, among other things, customary fund accounting services, including computing the Fund's NAV and maintaining books, records and other documents relating to the Fund's financial and portfolio transactions, and customary fund administration services, including assisting the Fund with regulatory filings, tax compliance and other oversight activities. For these and other services it provides to the Fund, State Street Bank and Trust Company is paid a monthly fee from the Fund at an annual rate ranging from 0.0075% to 0.015% of the Fund's Managed Assets, along with an annual fixed fee ranging from $0 to $10,000 for the services it provides to the Fund.

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#### INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Deloitte & Touche LLP, whose principal business address is 115 Federal Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, is the independent registered public accounting firm of the Fund and is expected to render an opinion annually on the financial statements of the Fund.

#### LEGAL MATTERS
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, New York, New York, serves as counsel to the Fund.

Certain legal matters in connection with the Shares have been passed upon for the Fund by Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP, Wilmington, Delaware.

#### BLACKROCK PRIVACY PRINCIPLES
BlackRock is committed to maintaining the privacy of its current and former Fund investors and individual clients (collectively, "Clients") and to safeguarding their non-public personal information. The following information is provided to help you understand what personal information BlackRock collects, how we protect that information, and why in certain cases we may share such information with select other parties.

If you are located in a jurisdiction where specific laws, rules or regulations require BlackRock to provide you with additional or different privacy-related rights beyond what is set forth below, then BlackRock will comply with those specific laws, rules or regulations.

BlackRock obtains or verifies personal non-public information from and about you from different sources, including the following: (i) information we receive from you or, if applicable, your broker-dealer, on applications, forms or other documents; (ii) information about your transactions with us, our affiliates, or others; (iii) information we receive from a consumer reporting agency; and (iv) from visits to our website.

BlackRock does not sell or disclose to non-affiliated third parties any non-public personal information about its Clients, except as permitted by law, or as is necessary to respond to regulatory requests or to service Client accounts. These non-affiliated third parties are required to protect the confidentiality and security of this information and to use it only for its intended purpose.

We may share information with our affiliates to service your account or to provide you with information about other BlackRock products or services that may be of interest to you. In addition, BlackRock restricts access to non-public personal information about its Clients to those BlackRock employees with a legitimate business need for the information. BlackRock maintains physical, electronic and procedural safeguards that are designed to protect the non-public personal information of its Clients, including procedures relating to the proper storage and disposal of such information.

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### BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund

### Institutional Shares

### Class A Shares

### Class W Shares

### Class U Shares

### Class J Shares

#### PROSPECTUS

### April 30, 2026
All dealers that buy, sell or trade Shares, whether or not participating in this offer, may be required to deliver a prospectus when acting on behalf of the Distributor.

PRO-CSF-0426

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![LOGO](g147802g01x72.jpg)

#### BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund

#### STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund (the "Fund") is a diversified, closed-end management investment company that operates as an "interval fund." This Statement of Additional Information ("SAI") relating to Shares does not constitute a prospectus, but should be read in conjunction with the prospectus relating thereto dated April 30, 2026. This SAI, which is not a prospectus, does not include all information that a prospective investor should consider before purchasing the Fund's common shares of beneficial interest (the "Shares"), and investors should obtain and read the prospectus prior to purchasing such shares. A copy of the prospectus may be obtained without charge by calling (800) 882-0052. You may also obtain a copy of the prospectus on the Securities and Exchange Commission's (the "SEC") website (http://www.sec.gov). Capitalized terms used but not defined in this SAI have the meanings ascribed to them in the prospectus.

References to the Investment Company Act or other applicable law, will include any rules promulgated thereunder and any guidance, interpretations or modifications by the SEC, SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, including court interpretations, and exemptive, no-action or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority.

#### This Statement of Additional Information is dated April 30, 2026.

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#### **TABLE OF CONTENTS**

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| | |
|:---|:---|
|  [INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND POLICIES](#sai147802_26) | S-1 |
|  [INVESTMENT POLICIES AND TECHNIQUES](#sai147802_27) | S-3 |
|  [ADDITIONAL RISK FACTORS](#sai147802_28) | S-16 |
|  [MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND](#sai147802_29) | S-40 |
|  [DISTRIBUTION OF FUND SHARES](#sai147802_30) | S-56 |
|  [PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE](#sai147802_31) | S-61 |
|  [CONFLICTS OF INTEREST](#sai147802_32) | S-66 |
|  [DESCRIPTION OF SHARES](#sai147802_33) | S-76 |
|  [TAX MATTERS](#sai147802_34) | S-77 |
|  [CUSTODIAN AND TRANSFER AGENT](#sai147802_35) | S-83 |
|  [INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM](#sai147802_36) | S-83 |
|  [CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF SECURITIES](#sai147802_37) | S-84 |
|  [FINANCIAL STATEMENTS](#sai147802_38) | S-84 |
|  [APPENDIX A – DESCRIPTION OF BOND RATINGS](#sai147802_39) | A-1 |
|  [APPENDIX B – CLOSED-END FUND PROXY VOTING POLICY](#sai147802_40) | B-1 |

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#### INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND POLICIES

#### Investment Restrictions
The Fund has adopted restrictions and policies relating to the investment of the Fund's assets and its activities, as described below.

The restrictions and polices described below as "fundamental" may not be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the Fund's outstanding voting securities (which for this purpose and under the Investment Company Act means the lesser of (i) 67% of the shares represented at a meeting at which more than 50% of the outstanding shares are represented or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares), including class approval by a majority of the Fund's outstanding Preferred Shares, if any (which for this purpose and under the Investment Company Act means the lesser of (i) 67% of the Preferred Shares, as a single class, represented at a meeting at which more than 50% of the Fund's outstanding Preferred Shares are represented or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding Preferred Shares).

*Fundamental Investment Restrictions*. Under its fundamental investment restrictions, the Fund may not:

1. Concentrate its investments in a particular industry, as that term is used in the Investment Company Act.

2. Borrow money, except as permitted under the Investment Company Act.

3. Issue senior securities to the extent such issuance would violate the Investment Company Act.

4. Invest in real estate, except the Fund may purchase and hold securities or other instruments that are secured by, or linked to, real estate or interests therein, securities of real estate investment trusts, mortgage-related securities and securities of issuers engaged in the real estate business, and the Fund may purchase and hold real estate as a result of the ownership of securities or other instruments.

5. Underwrite securities issued by others, except to the extent that the sale of portfolio securities by the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriting or as otherwise permitted by applicable law.

6. Purchase or sell commodities or commodity contracts, except as permitted by the Investment Company Act.

7. Make loans to the extent prohibited by the Investment Company Act.

*Fundamental Policy*. The Fund has adopted a fundamental policy that it will make quarterly repurchase offers pursuant to Rule 23c-3 of the Investment Company Act, as such rule may be amended from time to time, for no less than 5% nor more than 25% of the Shares outstanding at NAV, less any repurchase fee, unless suspended or postponed in accordance with regulatory requirements. This repurchase offer fundamental policy may be changed only with approval of a majority of the Fund's outstanding voting securities. Each repurchase pricing shall occur no later than the 14th day after the Repurchase Request Deadline (as defined in the Prospectus), or the next business day if the 14th day is not a business day. Shareholders will be notified in writing about each quarterly repurchase offer, how they may request that the Fund repurchase their Shares and the Repurchase Request Deadline, which is the date the repurchase offer ends.

Notations Regarding the Fund's Fundamental Investment Restrictions. The fundamental investment restrictions set forth above restrict the ability of the Fund to engage in certain practices and purchase securities and other instruments other than as permitted by, or consistent with, applicable law, including the Investment Company Act. Relevant limitations of the Investment Company Act as they presently exist are described below. These limitations are based either on the Investment Company Act itself, the rules or regulations thereunder or applicable orders of the SEC. In addition, interpretations and guidance provided by the SEC staff may be taken into account to determine if a certain practice or the purchase of securities or other instruments is permitted by the Investment Company Act, the rules or regulations thereunder or applicable orders of the SEC. As a result, the

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foregoing fundamental investment restrictions may be interpreted differently over time as the statutes, rules, regulations or orders (or, if applicable, interpretations) that relate to the meaning and effect of these restrictions change, and no vote of the shareholders will be required or sought.

The following notations are not considered to be part of the Fund's fundamental investment restrictions and are subject to change without shareholder approval.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to concentration set forth in (1) above, the Investment Company Act does not define what constitutes "concentration" in an industry. The SEC staff has taken the position that investment of 25% or more of a fund's total assets in one or more issuers conducting their principal activities in the same industry or group of industries constitutes concentration. It is possible that interpretations of concentration could change in the future. The policy in (1) above will be interpreted to refer to concentration as that term may be interpreted from time to time. The policy also will be interpreted to permit investment without limit in the following: securities of the U.S. Government and its agencies or instrumentalities; securities of state, territory, possession or municipal governments and their authorities, agencies, instrumentalities or political subdivisions; and repurchase agreements collateralized by any such obligations. Accordingly, issuers of the foregoing securities will not be considered to be members of any industry. There also will be no limit on investment in issuers domiciled in a single jurisdiction or country. Finance companies will be considered to be in the industries of their parents if their activities are primarily related to financing the activities of the parents. Each foreign government will be considered to be a member of a separate industry. With respect to the Fund's industry classifications, the Fund currently utilizes any one or more of the industry sub-classifications used by one or more widely recognized market indexes or rating group indexes, and/or as defined by Fund management. The policy also will be interpreted to give broad authority to the Fund as to how to classify issuers within or among industries.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to borrowing money set forth in (2) above, the Investment Company Act, including the rules and regulations thereunder, generally prohibits the Fund from borrowing money (other than certain temporary borrowings) unless immediately after the borrowing the Fund has satisfied the asset coverage test with respect to senior securities representing indebtedness prescribed by the Investment Company Act; that is, the value of the Fund's total assets less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities (for these purposes, "total net assets") is at least 300% of the senior securities representing indebtedness (effectively limiting the use of leverage through senior securities representing indebtedness to 33 1/3% of the Fund's total net assets, including assets attributable to such leverage). Certain trading practices and investments, such as reverse repurchase agreements, may be considered to be borrowings or involve leverage and thus are subject to the Investment Company Act restrictions. In accordance with Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act, when the Fund engages in reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions, the Fund may either (i) maintain asset coverage of at least 300% with respect to such transactions and any other borrowings in the aggregate, or (ii) treat all such transactions as "derivatives transactions" and comply with Rule 18f-4 with respect to such transactions. Under the Investment Company Act, the Fund may not issue senior securities representing stock unless immediately after such issuance the value of the Fund's total net assets is at least 200% of the liquidation value of the Fund's outstanding senior securities representing stock, plus the aggregate amount of any senior securities representing indebtedness (effectively limiting the use of leverage through senior securities to 50% of the Fund's total net assets). In addition, the Fund is not permitted to declare any cash dividend or other distribution on common shares unless, at the time of such declaration, the asset coverage tests described above are satisfied after giving effect to such dividend or distribution. Short-term credits necessary for the settlement of securities transactions and arrangements with respect to securities lending will not be considered to be borrowings under the policy. Practices and investments that may involve leverage but are not considered to be borrowings are not subject to the policy.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to underwriting set forth in (5) above, the Investment Company Act does not prohibit the Fund from engaging in the underwriting business or from underwriting the securities of other issuers. A fund engaging in transactions involving the acquisition or disposition of portfolio

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securities may be considered to be an underwriter under the Securities Act of 1933 ("Securities Act"). Although it is not believed that the application of the Securities Act provisions described above would cause the Fund to be engaged in the business of underwriting, the policy in (5) above will be interpreted not to prevent the Fund from engaging in transactions involving the acquisition or disposition of portfolio securities, regardless of whether the Fund may be considered to be an underwriter under the Securities Act or is otherwise engaged in the underwriting business to the extent permitted by applicable law.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to lending set forth in (7) above, the Investment Company Act does not prohibit the Fund from making loans (including lending its securities); however, SEC staff interpretations currently prohibit funds from lending more than one-third of their total assets (including lending its securities), except through the purchase of debt obligations or the use of repurchase agreements. In addition, collateral arrangements with respect to options, forward currency and futures transactions and other derivative instruments (as applicable), as well as delays in the settlement of securities transactions, will not be considered loans.

The Fund is currently classified as a diversified fund under the Investment Company Act. This means that the Fund may not purchase securities of an issuer (other than (i) obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities and (ii) securities of other investment companies) if, with respect to 75% of its total assets, (a) more than 5% of the Fund's total assets would be invested in securities of that issuer or (b) the Fund would hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of that issuer. With respect to the remaining 25% of its total assets, the Fund can invest more than 5% of its assets in one issuer. Under the Investment Company Act, a fund cannot change its classification from diversified to non-diversified without shareholder approval.

Non-Fundamental Investment Restrictions. Under its non-fundamental investment restrictions, which may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval, the Fund may not make short sales of securities or maintain a short position, except to the extent permitted by the Fund's prospectus and SAI, as amended from time to time, and applicable law.

Unless otherwise indicated, all limitations under the Fund's fundamental or non-fundamental investment restrictions apply only at the time that a transaction is undertaken. Any change in the percentage of the Fund's assets invested in certain securities or other instruments resulting from market fluctuations or other changes in the Fund's total assets, including changes resulting from the Fund having a smaller base of assets after a repurchase offer, will not require the Fund to dispose of an investment until the Advisor determines that it is practicable to sell or close out the investment without undue market or tax consequences.

#### INVESTMENT POLICIES AND TECHNIQUES
The following information supplements the discussion of the Fund's investment objective, policies and techniques that are described in the prospectus.

#### Municipal Securities
The Fund may invest in municipal securities, which include debt obligations issued to obtain funds for various public purposes, including the construction of a wide range of public facilities, refunding of outstanding obligations and obtaining funds for general operating expenses and loans to other public institutions and facilities. In addition, certain types of private activity bonds ("PABs") (or industrial development bonds, under pre-1986 law) are issued by or on behalf of public authorities to finance various privately owned or operated facilities, including among other things, airports, public ports, mass commuting facilities, multi-family housing projects, as well as facilities for water supply, gas, electricity, sewage or solid waste disposal and other specialized facilities. Other types of PABs, the proceeds of which are used for the construction, equipment or

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improvement of privately operated industrial or commercial facilities, may constitute municipal securities. The interest on municipal securities may bear a fixed rate or be payable at a variable or floating rate. The two principal classifications of municipal securities are "general obligation" bonds and "revenue" bonds, which latter category includes PABs. Municipal securities typically are issued to finance public projects, such as roads or public buildings, to pay general operating expenses or to refinance outstanding debt. Municipal securities may also be issued for private activities, such as housing, medical and educational facility construction, or for privately owned industrial development and pollution control projects. General obligation bonds are backed by the full faith and credit, or taxing authority, of the issuer and may be repaid from any revenue source. Revenue bonds may be repaid only from the revenues of a specific facility or source. Municipal securities may be issued on a long term basis to provide permanent financing. The repayment of such debt may be secured generally by a pledge of the full faith and credit taxing power of the issuer, a limited or special tax, or any other revenue source, including project revenues, which may include tolls, fees and other user charges, lease payments and mortgage payments. Municipal securities may also be issued to finance projects on a short-term interim basis, anticipating repayment with the proceeds of the later issuance of long-term debt. Obligations are included within the term municipal securities if the interest paid thereon is excluded from gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes in the opinion of bond counsel to the issuer.

*Taxable Municipal Securities*. The Fund may invest in taxable municipal securities, which include obligations issued pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the "ARRA") or other legislation providing for the issuance of taxable municipal debt on which the issuer receives federal support (any bonds so issued are considered "Build America Bonds"). If the Fund invests in Build America Bonds, it expects to invest in direct pay Build America Bonds and "principal only" strips of tax credit Build America Bonds. Provisions of the ARRA relevant to the issuance of Build America Bonds expired on December 31, 2010 and, as such, issuance has ceased.

#### Short-Term Securities
For temporary defensive purposes or to keep cash on hand fully invested, the Fund may invest up to 100% of its total assets in cash equivalents and short-term securities, which may be either tax-exempt or taxable.

*Short-Term Taxable Fixed Income Securities*. Short-term taxable fixed income investments include, without limitation, the following:

1. U.S. Government securities, including bills, notes and bonds differing as to maturity and rates of interest that are either issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury or by U.S. Government agencies or instrumentalities. U.S. Government securities include securities issued by (a) the Federal Housing Administration, Farmers Home Administration, Export-Import Bank of the United States, Small Business Administration, and Government National Mortgage Association, whose securities are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States; (b) the Federal Home Loan Banks, Federal Intermediate Credit Banks, and Tennessee Valley Authority, whose securities are supported by the right of the agency to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; (c) the Federal National Mortgage Association, whose securities are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase certain obligations of the agency or instrumentality; and (d) the Student Loan Marketing Association, whose securities are supported only by its credit. While the U.S. Government provides financial support to such U.S. Government-sponsored agencies or instrumentalities, no assurances can be given that it always will do so since it is not so obligated by law. The U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities do not guarantee the market value of their securities. Consequently, the value of such securities may fluctuate.

2. Certificates of deposit issued against funds deposited in a bank or a savings and loan association. Such certificates are for a definite period of time, earn a specified rate of return, and are normally negotiable. The issuer of a certificate of deposit agrees to pay the amount deposited plus interest to the bearer of the certificate on the date specified thereon. Certificates of deposit purchased by the Fund may not be fully insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

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3. Repurchase agreements, which involve purchases of debt securities.

4. Commercial paper, which consists of short-term unsecured promissory notes, including variable rate master demand notes issued by corporations to finance their current operations. Master demand notes are direct lending arrangements between the Fund and a corporation. There is no secondary market for such notes. However, they are redeemable by the Fund at any time. The Advisor will consider the financial condition of the corporation (e.g., earning power, cash flow and other liquidity ratios) and will continuously monitor the corporation's ability to meet all of its financial obligations, because the Fund's liquidity might be impaired if the corporation were unable to pay principal and interest on demand.

Short-Term Tax-Exempt Fixed Income Securities. Short-term tax-exempt fixed income securities are securities that are exempt from regular U.S. federal income tax and mature within three years or less from the date of issuance. Short-term tax-exempt fixed income securities are defined to include, without limitation, the following:

1. Bond Anticipation Notes ("BANs") are usually general obligations of state and local governmental issuers which are sold to obtain interim financing for projects that will eventually be funded through the sale of long-term debt obligations or bonds. The ability of an issuer to meet its obligations on its BANs is primarily dependent on the issuer's access to the long-term municipal bond market and the likelihood that the proceeds of such bond sales will be used to pay the principal and interest on the BANs.

2. Tax Anticipation Notes ("TANs") are issued by state and local governments to finance the current operations of such governments. Repayment is generally to be derived from specific future tax revenues. TANs are usually general obligations of the issuer. A weakness in an issuer's capacity to raise taxes due to, among other things, a decline in its tax base or a rise in delinquencies could adversely affect the issuer's ability to meet its obligations on outstanding TANs.

3. Revenue Anticipation Notes ("RANs") are issued by governments or governmental bodies with the expectation that future revenues from a designated source will be used to repay the notes. In general, they also constitute general obligations of the issuer. A decline in the receipt of projected revenues, such as anticipated revenues from another level of government, could adversely affect an issuer's ability to meet its obligations on outstanding RANs. In addition, the possibility that the revenues would, when received, be used to meet other obligations could affect the ability of the issuer to pay the principal and interest on RANs.

4. Construction loan notes are issued to provide construction financing for specific projects. Frequently, these notes are redeemed with funds obtained from the Federal Housing Administration.

5. Bank notes are notes issued by local government bodies and agencies as those described above to commercial banks as evidence of borrowings. The purposes for which the notes are issued are varied but they are frequently issued to meet short-term working capital or capital-project needs. These notes may have risks similar to the risks associated with TANs and RANs.

6. Tax-Exempt Commercial Paper ("municipal paper") represents very short-term unsecured, negotiable promissory notes, issued by states, municipalities and their agencies. Payment of principal and interest on issues of municipal paper may be made from various sources, to the extent the funds are available therefrom. Maturities on municipal paper generally will be shorter than the maturities of TANs, BANs or RANs. There is a limited secondary market for issues of municipal paper.

Certain municipal securities may carry variable or floating rates of interest whereby the rate of interest is not fixed but varies with changes in specified market rates or indices, such as a bank prime rate or tax-exempt money market indices.

While the various types of notes described above as a group represent the major portion of the tax-exempt note market, other types of notes are available in the marketplace and the Fund may invest in such other types of

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notes to the extent permitted under its investment objective, policies and limitations. Such notes may be issued for different purposes and may be secured differently from those mentioned above.

#### Preferred Shares
The Fund may leverage its portfolio by issuing Preferred Shares. The Board would consider numerous factors when deciding whether to issue Preferred Shares. Preferred Shares may at times afford more structuring flexibility and better rates than some forms of borrowing. In addition, the Fund may issue a greater amount of Preferred Shares as compared to borrowings.

Under the Investment Company Act, the Fund is not permitted to issue Preferred Shares if, immediately after such issuance, the liquidation value of the Fund's outstanding Preferred Shares exceeds 50% of its assets (including the proceeds from the issuance) less liabilities other than borrowings (i.e., the value of the Fund's assets must be at least 200% of the liquidation value of its outstanding Preferred Shares). In addition, the Fund would not be permitted to declare any cash dividend or other distribution on its Shares unless, at the time of such declaration, the value of the Fund's assets less liabilities other than borrowings is at least 200% of such liquidation value.

The Fund expects that Preferred Shares, if issued, will pay dividends at a fixed rate as described in the offering documents accompanying the offering of any such shares. The Fund may also issue Preferred Shares that would pay adjustable rate dividends based on shorter-term interest rates, which would be redetermined periodically by a fixed spread or remarketing process, subject to a maximum rate which would increase over time in the event of an extended period of unsuccessful remarketing. The adjustment period for such Preferred Share dividends could be as short as one day or as long as a year or more. Preferred Shares, if issued, could include a liquidity feature that allows holders of Preferred Shares to have their shares purchased by a liquidity provider in the event that sell orders have not been matched with purchase orders and successfully settled in a remarketing. The Fund expects that it would pay a fee to the provider of this liquidity feature, which would be borne by common shareholders of the Fund. The terms of such liquidity feature could require the Fund to redeem Preferred Shares still owned by the liquidity provider following a certain period of continuous, unsuccessful remarketing, which may adversely impact the Fund.

If Preferred Shares are issued, the Fund may, to the extent possible, purchase or redeem Preferred Shares from time to time to the extent necessary in order to maintain asset coverage of any Preferred Shares of at least 200%. In addition, as a condition to obtaining ratings on the Preferred Shares, the terms of any Preferred Shares issued are expected to include asset coverage maintenance provisions which will require the redemption of the Preferred Shares in the event of non-compliance by the Fund and may also prohibit dividends and other distributions on the Shares in such circumstances. In order to meet redemption requirements, the Fund may have to liquidate portfolio securities. Such liquidations and redemptions would cause the Fund to incur related transaction costs and could result in capital losses to the Fund. Prohibitions on dividends and other distributions on the Shares could impair the Fund's ability to qualify as a RIC under the Code. If the Fund has Preferred Shares outstanding, two of the Trustees will be elected by the holders of Preferred Shares voting separately as a class. The remaining Trustees will be elected by holders of Shares and Preferred Shares voting together as a single class. In the event the Fund failed to pay dividends on Preferred Shares for two years, holders of Preferred Shares would be entitled to elect a majority of the Trustees.

If the Fund issues Preferred Shares, the Fund expects that it will be subject to certain restrictions imposed by guidelines of one or more rating agencies that may issue ratings for Preferred Shares issued by the Fund. These guidelines are expected to impose asset coverage or portfolio composition requirements that are more stringent than those imposed on the Fund by the Investment Company Act. It is not anticipated that these covenants or guidelines would impede the Advisor from managing the Fund's portfolio in accordance with the Fund's investment objective and policies.

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#### Event Driven Investments
The Fund may invest in companies that are subject to corporate events such as mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, spin-offs, shareholder activism, or other special situations that alter a company's financial structure or operating strategy. The prices of securities of the companies involved in these events are typically influenced more by the dynamics of the particular event or situation. Typically, these strategies rely on fundamental research that extends beyond the evaluation of the issues affecting a single company to include an assessment of the legal and structural issues surrounding the extraordinary event or transaction. The intended goal of the investment strategies within the event driven strategy is to profit when the price of a security changes to reflect more accurately the likelihood and potential impact of the occurrence, or non-occurrence, of the extraordinary event.

#### Real Estate Investment Trusts
The Fund may invest in equity interests and debt securities issued by real estate investment trusts ("REITs"). REITs possess certain risks which differ from an investment in common stocks. REITs are financial vehicles that pool investors' capital to purchase or finance real estate. REITs may concentrate their investments in specific geographic areas or in specific property types (i.e., hotels, shopping malls, residential complexes and office buildings). The market value of REIT shares and the ability of REITs to distribute income may be adversely affected by several factors, including rising interest rates, changes in the national, state and local economic climate and real estate conditions, occupancy and rental rates, perceptions of prospective tenants of the safety, convenience and attractiveness of the properties, the ability of the owners to provide adequate management, maintenance and insurance, the cost of complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act, increased competition from new properties, the impact of present or future environmental legislation and compliance with environmental laws, changes in real estate taxes and other operating expenses, adverse changes in governmental rules and fiscal policies, adverse changes in zoning laws and other factors beyond the control of the REIT issuers. To the extent that assets underlying a REIT are concentrated geographically, by property type, or in certain other respects, these risks may be heightened.

In addition, distributions received by the Fund from REITs may consist of dividends, capital gains and/or return of capital. As REITs generally pay a higher rate of dividends (on a pre-tax basis) than operating companies, to the extent application of the Fund's investment strategy results in the Fund investing in REIT shares, the percentage of the Fund's dividend income received from REIT shares will likely exceed the percentage of the Fund's portfolio which is comprised of REIT shares.

There are three general categories of REITs: equity REITs, mortgage REITs and hybrid REITs. Equity REITs invest primarily in direct fee ownership or leasehold ownership of real property, which derive most of their income from rents. Mortgage REITs invest mostly in mortgages on real estate, which may secure construction, development or long-term loans, and the main source of their income is mortgage interest payments. Hybrid REITs hold both ownership and mortgage interests in real estate.

#### Alternative Lending
Alternative lending, which is sometimes referred to as peer-to-peer lending, online lending or marketplace lending, is a method of financing in which an alternative lending platform facilitates the borrowing and lending of money while generally not relying on deposits for capital to fund loans. It is considered an alternative to more traditional debt financing done through a bank. There are several different models of alternative lending but, very generally, a platform typically matches consumers, small or medium-sized businesses or other types of borrowers with investors that are interested in gaining investment exposure to the loans made to such borrowers. Prospective borrowers are usually required to provide or give access to certain financial information to the platform, such as the intended purpose of the loan, income, employment information, credit score, debt-to-income ratio, credit history (including defaults and delinquencies) and home ownership status, and, in the

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case of small business loans, business financial statements and personal credit information regarding any guarantor, some of which information is made available to prospective lenders. Often, platforms charge fees to borrowers to cover these screening and administrative costs. Based on this and other relevant supplemental information, the platform usually assigns its own credit rating to the borrower and sets the interest rate for the requested borrowing. Platforms then post the borrowing requests online and investors may choose among the loans, based on the interest rates the loans are expected to yield less any servicing or origination fees charged by the platform or others involved in the lending arrangement, the background data provided on the borrowers and the credit rating assigned by the platform. In some cases, a platform partners with a bank to originate a loan to a borrower, after which the bank sells the loan to the platform or directly to the investor; alternatively, some platforms may originate loans themselves. Some investors, including the Fund, may not review the particular characteristics of the loans in which they invest at the time of investment, but rather negotiate in advance with platforms the general criteria of the investments, as described above. As a result, the Fund is dependent on the platforms' ability to collect, verify and provide information to the Fund about each loan and borrower.

Platforms may set minimum eligibility standards for borrowers to participate in alternative lending arrangements and may limit the maximum permitted borrowings. Depending on the purpose and nature of the loan, its term may, for example, be as short as six months or shorter, or as long as thirty years or longer. Set forth below is additional information about some of the Fund's alternative lending-related investments.

*Whole Loans*. The Fund may invest in whole loans. When the Fund invests directly or indirectly in whole loans, it typically purchases all rights, title and interest in the loans pursuant to a loan purchase agreement directly from the platform or its affiliate. The platform or a third-party servicer typically continues to service the loans, collecting payments and distributing them to investors, less any servicing fees assessed against the Fund, and the servicing entity typically will make all decisions regarding acceleration or enforcement of the loans following any default by a borrower. Where a platform or its affiliate acts as the loan servicer, there is typically a backup servicer in place in case that platform or affiliate ceases or fails to perform these servicing functions. The Fund, as an investor in a whole loan, would be entitled to receive payment only from the borrower and/or any guarantor, and would not be able to recover any deficiency from the platform, except under very narrow circumstances, which may include fraud by the borrower in some cases. As described above, the whole loans in which the Fund may invest may be secured or unsecured.

*Asset-Backed Securities*. The Fund may directly or indirectly invest in, and/or sell certain of its alternative lending-related investments to, special purpose entities, sometimes referred to as securitization vehicles, formed by third parties for the purpose of acquiring alternative lending-related investments and issuing securities, the payments on which are funded by payments received on such entities' underlying investments. Such asset-backed securities may be issued in different tranches of debt and residual equity interests with different rights and preferences. The Fund may hold any tranche of such asset-backed securities. Such a securitization vehicle may be formed by a platform, a pooled investment vehicle or any other entity.

*Shares, Certificates, Notes or Other Securities*. The Fund may also invest directly or indirectly in shares, certificates, notes or other securities representing the right to receive principal and interest payments due on fractions of whole loans or pools of whole loans. The platform or a separate special purpose entity organized by or on behalf of the platform may hold the whole loans underlying such securities on its books and issue to the Fund, as an investor, a share, certificate, note or other security, the payments on which track and depend upon the borrower payments on the underlying loans. As with whole loans, the platforms or third-party servicers typically continue to service the underlying loans on which the performance of such securities is based. Such securities may be linked to any of the types of whole loans in which the Fund may invest directly. Such securities may also track fractions of a whole loan. These securities may be sold through publicly registered offerings or through unregistered private offerings.

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#### Funding Agreements
The Fund may invest in Guaranteed Investment Contracts and similar funding agreements. In connection with these investments, the Fund makes cash contributions to a deposit fund of an insurance company's general account. The insurance company then credits to the Fund payments at an agreed upon rate (which may be a fixed or variable rate). The funding agreements provide that this guaranteed interest will not be less than a certain minimum rate. The purchase price paid for a funding agreement becomes part of the general assets of the insurance company, and the contract is paid from the general assets of the insurance company. Generally, funding agreements are not assignable or transferable without the permission of the issuing insurance companies, and an active secondary market in some funding agreements does not currently exist.

#### Litigation Finance
Litigating and settling private lawsuits can be a very lengthy and expensive process. Parties to a litigation and/or their counsel are in need of immediate funds for a variety of reasons. The Fund may enter into arrangement with a plaintiff or law firm in order to provide capital to fund litigation in exchange for a portion of the award or settlement. Generally, the recipient of such financing is not obligated to make any payment unless and until litigation proceeds are actually received by the litigant or their counsel. If the matter fails to be resolved, or is resolved adversely to the plaintiff, there is generally no obligation to pay anything and the Fund would suffer a complete loss of the capital invested.

#### Guarantees
The Fund may purchase securities which contain guarantees issued by an entity separate from the issuer of the security. Generally, the guarantor of a security (often an affiliate of the issuer) will fulfill an issuer's payment obligations under a security if the issuer is unable to do so.

#### Rights Offerings and Warrants to Purchase
The Fund may participate in rights offerings and may purchase warrants, which are privileges issued by corporations enabling the owners to subscribe to and purchase a specified number of shares of the corporation at a specified price during a specified period of time. Subscription rights normally have a short life span to expiration. The purchase of rights or warrants involves the risk that the Fund could lose the purchase value of a right or warrant if the right to subscribe to additional shares is not exercised prior to the rights' and warrants' expiration. Also, the purchase of rights and/or warrants involves the risk that the effective price paid for the right and/or warrant added to the subscription price of the related security may exceed the value of the subscribed security's market price such as when there is no movement in the level of the underlying security. Buying a warrant does not make the Fund a shareholder of the underlying stock.

#### Depositary Receipts
The Fund may invest in American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), European Depositary Receipts ("EDRs"), Global Depositary Receipts ("GDRs") and other similar global instruments, which are generally subject to risks associated with equity securities and investments in non-U.S. securities. ADRs typically are issued by a U.S. bank or trust company and evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a non-U.S. corporation. EDRs, which are sometimes referred to as Continental Depositary Receipts, are receipts issued in Europe, typically by non-U.S. banks and trust companies, that evidence ownership of either non-U.S. or domestic underlying securities. GDRs are depositary receipts structured like global debt issues to facilitate trading on an international basis. Unsponsored ADR, EDR and GDR programs are organized independently and without the cooperation of the issuer of the underlying securities. As a result, available information concerning the issuer may not be as current as for sponsored ADRs, EDRs and GDRs, and the prices of unsponsored ADRs, EDRs and GDRs may be more volatile than if such instruments were sponsored by the issuer.

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#### Master Limited Partnerships
Master Limited Partnerships ("MLPs") are limited partnerships or limited liability companies taxable as partnerships. MLPs may derive income and gains from the exploration, development, mining or production, processing, refining, transportation (including pipelines transporting gas, oil, or products thereof), or the marketing of any mineral or natural resources. MLPs generally have two classes of owners, the general partner and limited partners. When investing in an MLP, the Fund intends to purchase publicly traded common units issued to limited partners of the MLP. The general partner is typically owned by a major energy company, an investment fund, the direct management of the MLP or is an entity owned by one or more of such parties. The general partner may be structured as a private or publicly traded corporation or other entity. The general partner typically controls the operations and management of the MLP through an up to 2% equity interest in the MLP plus, in many cases, ownership of common units and subordinated units. Limited partners own the remainder of the partnership, through ownership of common units, and have a limited role in the partnership's operations and management.

#### Exchange Traded Notes ("ETNs")
The Fund may invest in ETNs. ETNs are generally notes representing debt of the issuer, usually a financial institution. ETNs combine aspects of both bonds and ETFs. An ETN's returns are based on the performance of one or more underlying assets, reference rates or indexes, minus fees and expenses. Similar to ETFs, ETNs are listed on an Exchange and traded in the secondary market. However, unlike an ETF, an ETN can be held until the ETN's maturity, at which time the issuer will pay a return linked to the performance of the specific asset, index or rate ("reference instrument") to which the ETN is linked minus certain fees. Unlike regular bonds, ETNs do not make periodic interest payments, and principal is not protected.

The value of an ETN may be influenced by, among other things, time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying markets, changes in the applicable interest rates, the performance of the reference instrument, changes in the issuer's credit rating and economic, legal, political or geographic events that affect the reference instrument. ETNs are subject to credit risk and the value of the ETN may drop due to a downgrade in an issuer's credit rating, despite the underlying reference instrument remaining unchanged. When the Fund invests in ETNs, it will bear its proportionate share of any fees and expenses borne by the ETN.

An ETN that is tied to a reference instrument may not replicate the performance of the reference instrument. ETNs also incur certain expenses not incurred by their applicable reference instrument. Some ETNs that use leverage can, at times, be relatively illiquid and, thus, they may be difficult to purchase or sell at a fair price. Levered ETNs are subject to the same risk as other instruments that use leverage in any form. While leverage allows for greater potential return, the potential for loss is also greater. Finally, additional losses may be incurred if the investment loses value because, in addition to the money lost on the investment, the loan still needs to be repaid.

Because the return on the ETN is dependent on the issuer's ability or willingness to meet its obligations, the value of the ETN may change due to a change in the issuer's credit rating, despite no change in the underlying reference instrument. The market value of ETN shares may differ from the value of the reference instrument. This difference in price may be due to the fact that the supply and demand in the market for ETN shares at any point in time is not always identical to the supply and demand in the market for the assets underlying the reference instrument that the ETN seeks to track.

There may be restrictions on the Fund's right to redeem its investment in an ETN, which are generally meant to be held until maturity. The Fund's decision to sell its ETN holdings may be limited by the availability of a secondary market. An investor in an ETN could lose some or all of the amount invested.

ETNs are also subject to tax risks. The Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS") may not accept, and a court may not uphold, how the Fund characterizes and treats ETNs for tax purposes. The timing and character of income and gains derived by the Fund from investments in ETNs may be affected by future legislation.

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#### Participation Notes
The Fund may buy participation notes from a bank or broker-dealer ("issuer") that entitle the Fund to a return measured by the change in value of an identified underlying security or basket of securities (collectively, the "underlying security"). Participation notes are typically used when a direct investment in the underlying security is restricted due to country-specific regulations.

The Fund is subject to counterparty risk associated with each issuer. Investment in a participation note is not the same as investment in the constituent shares of the company. A participation note represents only an obligation of the issuer to provide the Fund the economic performance equivalent to holding shares of an underlying security. A participation note does not provide any beneficial or equitable entitlement or interest in the relevant underlying security. In other words, shares of the underlying security are not in any way owned by the Fund. However, each participation note synthetically replicates the economic benefit of holding shares in the underlying security. Because a participation note is an obligation of the issuer, rather than a direct investment in shares of the underlying security, the Fund may suffer losses potentially equal to the full value of the participation note if the issuer fails to perform its obligations. The Fund attempts to mitigate that risk by purchasing only from issuers determined to be creditworthy.

The counterparty may, but is not required to, purchase the shares of the underlying security to hedge its obligation. The Fund may, but is not required to, purchase credit protection against the default of the issuer. When the participation note expires or the Fund exercises the participation note and closes its position, the Fund receives a payment that is based upon the then-current value of the underlying security converted into U.S. dollars (less transaction costs). The price, performance and liquidity of a participation note are all linked directly to the underlying security. The Fund's ability to redeem or exercise a participation note generally is dependent on the liquidity in the local trading market for the security underlying the participation note.

#### Life Settlement Investments
The Fund may invest in life settlements, which are sales to third parties, such as the Fund, of existing life insurance contracts for more than their cash surrender value but less than the net benefits to be paid under the policies. When the Fund acquires such a contract, it pays the policy premiums in return for the expected receipt of the net benefit as the beneficiary under the policy. Investments in these contracts involve certain risks, including liquidity risk, credit risk of the insurance company, and inaccurate estimations of life expectancy of the insured individuals (viators). These policies may be considered illiquid because they are bought and sold in a secondary market through life settlement agents. Also, in the event of a bankruptcy of the insurance carrier for a policy, the Fund may receive reduced or no benefits under the contract. The Fund seeks to minimize credit risk by investing in policies issued by a diverse range of highly-rated insurance carriers. Furthermore, the Fund may encounter losses on its investments if there is an inaccurate estimation of the life expectancies of viators. The Fund intends to reduce this life expectancy risk by investing only in contracts where the life expectancy was reviewed by an experienced actuary, as well as by diversifying its investments across viators of varying ages and medical profiles. In addition, it is unclear whether the income from life settlements is qualifying income for purposes of the IRS 90% gross income test the Fund must satisfy each year to qualify as a regulated investment company. The Fund intends to monitor its investments to ensure that the Fund remains qualified as a registered investment company.

#### Commodities
The Fund may invest directly in commodities. Commodities include, without limitation, minerals, metals (including precious, industrial and rare metals), steel, agricultural products and commodities, livestock, environmental commodities, wool, ethanol, chemicals, forest products (including wood, pulp and paper), plastic, rubber, sugar, cotton, cocoa, coffee, basic materials, building materials, water, oil, gas, consumable fuel, energy and other natural resources. Unlike financial instruments, there are costs of physical storage and insurance associated with purchasing a commodity, which would not be directly associated with a futures contract for the same commodity.

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#### Strategic Transactions and Other Management Techniques
As described in the prospectus, the Fund may purchase and sell futures contracts, enter into various interest rate transactions such as swaps, caps, floors or collars, currency transactions such as currency forward contracts, currency futures contracts, currency swaps or options on currency or currency futures and swap contracts (including, but not limited to, credit default swaps index products, credit default swaps, total return swaps (sometimes referred to as "contracts for difference") and interest rate swaps) and may purchase and sell exchange-listed and over-the-counter ("OTC") put and call options on securities and swap contracts, financial indices and futures contracts and use other derivative instruments or management techniques (collectively, "Strategic Transactions"). This section contains various additional information about the type of Strategic Transactions in which the Fund may engage.

*Swaptions*. A swaption is a contract that gives a counterparty the right (but not the obligation) to enter into a new swap agreement or to shorten, extend, cancel or otherwise modify an existing swap agreement, at some designated future time on specified terms. The Fund may write (sell) and purchase put and call swaptions. Depending on the terms of the particular option agreement, the Fund may incur a greater degree of risk when it writes a swaption than it would incur when it purchases a swaption with the same terms. When the Fund purchases a swaption, it risks losing only the amount of the premium it has paid should it decide to let the option expire unexercised. However, when the Fund writes a swaption, upon exercise of the option the Fund will become obligated according to the terms of the underlying agreement.

*Foreign Exchange Transactions*. The Fund may engage in spot and forward foreign exchange transactions and currency swaps, purchase and sell options on currencies and purchase and sell currency futures and related options thereon (collectively, "Currency Instruments") for purposes of hedging against the decline in the value of currencies in which its portfolio holdings are denominated against the U.S. dollar or may seek to enhance returns. Such transactions could be effected with respect to hedges on foreign dollar denominated securities owned by the Fund, sold by the Fund but not yet delivered, or committed or anticipated to be purchased by the Fund. As an illustration, the Fund may use such techniques to hedge the stated value in U.S. dollars of an investment in a yen-denominated security. In such circumstances, for example, the Fund may purchase a foreign currency put option enabling it to sell a specified amount of yen for dollars at a specified price by a future date. To the extent the hedge is successful, a loss in the value of the yen relative to the dollar will tend to be offset by an increase in the value of the put option. To offset, in whole or in part, the cost of acquiring such a put option, the Fund may also sell a call option which, if exercised, requires it to sell a specified amount of yen for dollars at a specified price by a future date (a technique called a "straddle"). By selling such a call option in this illustration, the Fund gives up the opportunity to profit without limit from increases in the relative value of the yen to the dollar. "Straddles" of the type that may be used by the Fund are considered to constitute hedging transactions. The Fund may not attempt to hedge any or all of its foreign portfolio positions.

*Forward Foreign Currency Contracts*. The Fund may enter into forward currency contracts to purchase or sell foreign currencies for a fixed amount of U.S. dollars or another foreign currency. A forward currency contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days (term) from the date of the forward currency contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time the forward currency contract is entered into. Forward currency contracts are traded directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers. The Fund may purchase a forward currency contract to lock in the U.S. dollar price of a security denominated in a foreign currency that the Fund intends to acquire. The Fund may sell a forward currency contract to lock in the U.S. dollar equivalent of the proceeds from the anticipated sale of a security or a dividend or interest payment denominated in a foreign currency. The Fund may also use forward currency contracts to shift the Fund's exposure to foreign currency exchange rate changes from one currency to another. For example, if the Fund owns securities denominated in a foreign currency and the Advisor believes that currency will decline relative to another currency, the Fund might enter into a forward currency contract to sell the appropriate amount of the first foreign currency with payment to be made in the second currency. The Fund may also purchase forward currency contracts to enhance income

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when the Advisor anticipates that the foreign currency will appreciate in value but securities denominated in that currency do not present attractive investment opportunities. The Fund may also use forward currency contracts to hedge against a decline in the value of existing investments denominated in a foreign currency. Such a hedge would tend to offset both positive and negative currency fluctuations, but would not offset changes in security values caused by other factors. The Fund could also hedge the position by entering into a forward currency contract to sell another currency expected to perform similarly to the currency in which the Fund's existing investments are denominated. This type of transaction could offer advantages in terms of cost, yield or efficiency, but may not hedge currency exposure as effectively as a simple forward currency transaction to sell U.S. dollars. This type of transaction may result in losses if the currency used to hedge does not perform similarly to the currency in which the hedged securities are denominated. The Fund may also use forward currency contracts in one currency or a basket of currencies to attempt to hedge against fluctuations in the value of securities denominated in a different currency if the Advisor anticipates that there will be a correlation between the two currencies.

The cost to the Fund of engaging in forward currency contracts varies with factors such as the currency involved, the length of the contract period and the market conditions then prevailing. Because forward currency contracts are usually entered into on a principal basis, no fees or commissions are usually involved. When the Fund enters into a forward currency contract, it relies on the counterparty to make or take delivery of the underlying currency at the maturity of the contract. Failure by the counterparty to do so would result in the loss of some or all of any expected benefit of the transaction. Secondary markets generally do not exist for forward currency contracts, with the result that closing transactions generally can be made for forward currency contracts only by negotiating directly with the counterparty. Thus, there can be no assurance that the Fund will in fact be able to close out a forward currency contract at a favorable price prior to maturity. In addition, in the event of insolvency of the counterparty, the Fund might be unable to close out a forward currency contract. In either event, the Fund would continue to be subject to market risk with respect to the position. The precise matching of forward currency contract amounts and the value of the securities involved generally will not be possible because the value of such securities, measured in the foreign currency, will change after the forward currency contract has been established. Thus, the Fund might need to purchase or sell foreign currencies in the spot (cash) market to the extent such foreign currencies are not covered by forward currency contracts. The projection of short-term currency market movements is extremely difficult and the successful execution of a short-term hedging strategy is highly uncertain.

*Options*. The Fund may also use options as Strategic Transactions.

<u>Call Options</u>. The Fund may purchase call options on any of the types of securities or instruments in which it may invest. A purchased call option gives the Fund the right to buy, and obligates the seller to sell, the underlying security at the exercise price at any time during the option period. The Fund also may purchase and sell call options on indices. Index options are similar to options on securities except that, rather than taking or making delivery of securities underlying the option at a specified price upon exercise, an index option gives the holder the right to receive cash upon exercise of the option if the level of the index upon which the option is based is greater than the exercise price of the option.

The Fund may write (i.e., sell) covered call options on the securities or instruments in which it may invest and enter into closing purchase transactions with respect to certain of such options. A covered call option is an option in which the Fund, in return for a premium, gives another party a right to buy specified securities owned by the Fund at a specified future date and price set at the time of the contract. The principal reason for writing call options is the attempt to realize, through the receipt of premiums, a greater return than would be realized on the securities alone. By writing covered call options, the Fund gives up the opportunity, while the option is in effect, to profit from any price increase in the underlying security above the option exercise price. In addition, the Fund's ability to sell the underlying security will be limited while the option is in effect unless the Fund enters into a closing purchase transaction. A closing purchase transaction cancels out the Fund's position as the writer of an option by

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means of an offsetting purchase of an identical option prior to the expiration of the option it has written. Covered call options also serve as a partial hedge to the extent of the premium received against the price of the underlying security declining.

The Fund may write (i.e., sell) uncovered call options on securities or instruments in which it may invest but that are not currently held by the Fund. The principal reason for writing uncovered call options is to realize income without committing capital to the ownership of the underlying securities or instruments. When writing uncovered call options, the Fund must deposit and maintain sufficient margin with the broker-dealer through which it made the uncovered call option as collateral to ensure that the securities can be purchased for delivery if and when the option is exercised. During periods of declining securities prices or when prices are stable, writing uncovered calls can be a profitable strategy to increase the Fund's income with minimal capital risk. Uncovered calls are riskier than covered calls because there is no underlying security held by the Fund that can act as a partial hedge. Uncovered calls have speculative characteristics and the potential for loss is unlimited. When an uncovered call is exercised, the Fund must purchase the underlying security to meet its call obligation. There is also a risk, especially with less liquid preferred and debt securities, that the securities may not be available for purchase. If the purchase price exceeds the exercise price, the Fund will lose the difference. These types of written call options, while described as "uncovered" in this context, are considered "covered" for purposes of the Fund's options writing strategy described in the prospectus.

<u>Put Options</u>. The Fund may purchase put options. By buying a put option, the Fund acquires a right to sell such underlying securities or instruments at the exercise price, thus limiting the Fund's risk of loss through a decline in the market value of the securities or instruments until the put option expires. The amount of any appreciation in the value of the underlying securities or instruments will be partially offset by the amount of the premium paid for the put option and any related transaction costs. Prior to its expiration, a put option may be sold in a closing sale transaction and profit or loss from the sale will depend on whether the amount received is more or less than the premium paid for the put option plus the related transaction costs. A closing sale transaction cancels out the Fund's position as the purchaser of an option by means of an offsetting sale of an identical option prior to the expiration of the option it has purchased.

The Fund also may write (i.e., sell) put options on the types of securities or instruments that may be held by the Fund, provided that such put options are covered, meaning that such options are secured by liquid assets segregated or earmarked on the Fund's books and records. The Fund will receive a premium for writing a put option, which increases the Fund's return.

The Fund also may write (i.e., sell) uncovered put options on securities or instruments in which it may invest but that the Fund does not currently have a corresponding short position or has not deposited cash equal to the exercise value of the put option with the broker dealer through which it made the uncovered put option as collateral. The principal reason for writing uncovered put options is to receive premium income and to acquire such securities or instruments at a net cost below the current market value. The Fund has the obligation to buy the securities or instruments at an agreed upon price if the securities or instruments decrease below the exercise price. If the securities or instruments price increases during the option period, the option will expire worthless and the Fund will retain the premium and will not have to purchase the securities or instruments at the exercise price

In selling puts, there is a risk that the Fund may be required to buy the underlying security at a price higher than the current market price.

*Additional Information About Options*. In the case of either put or call options that it has purchased, if the option expires without being sold or exercised, the Fund will experience a loss in the amount of the option premium plus any commissions paid by the Fund. When the Fund sells put and call options, it receives a premium as the seller of the option. The premium that the Fund receives for selling the option will serve as a partial and limited (to the dollar amount of the premium) hedge, in the amount of the option premium, against

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changes in the value of the securities in its portfolio. During the term of the option, however, a covered call seller has, in return for the premium on the option, given up the opportunity for capital appreciation above the exercise price of the option if the value of the underlying security increases, but has retained the risk of loss should the price of the underlying security decline. Conversely, a put seller retains the risk of loss should the market value of the underlying security decline below the exercise price of the option, less the premium received on the sale of the option. The Fund may purchase and sell exchange-listed options and OTC options ("OTC Options") which are privately negotiated with the counterparty. Listed options are issued by the Options Clearing Corporation ("OCC"), which guarantees the performance of the obligations of the parties to such options.

The Fund's ability to close out its position as a purchaser or seller of an exchange-listed put or call option is dependent upon the existence of a liquid secondary market on option exchanges. Among the possible reasons for the absence of a liquid secondary market on an Exchange are: (i) insufficient trading interest in certain options; (ii) restrictions on transactions imposed by an exchange; (iii) trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options or underlying securities; (iv) interruption of the normal operations on an Exchange; (v) inadequacy of the facilities of an exchange or OCC to handle current trading volume; or (vi) a decision by one or more exchanges to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options), in which event the secondary market on that exchange (or in that class or series of options) would cease to exist, although outstanding options on that exchange that had been listed by the OCC as a result of trades on that exchange would generally continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms. OTC Options are purchased from or sold to dealers, financial institutions or other counterparties which have entered into direct agreements with the Fund. With OTC Options, such variables as expiration date, exercise price and premium will be agreed upon between the Fund and the counterparty, without the intermediation of a third party such as the OCC. If the counterparty fails to make or take delivery of the securities underlying an option it has written, or otherwise settle the transaction in accordance with the terms of that option as written, the Fund would lose the premium paid for the option as well as any anticipated benefit of the transaction. OTC Options and assets used to cover OTC Options written by the Fund are considered by the staff of the SEC to be illiquid. The illiquidity of such options or assets may prevent a successful sale of such options or assets, result in a delay of sale, or reduce the amount of proceeds that might otherwise be realized.

The hours of trading for options on debt securities may not conform to the hours during which the underlying securities are traded. To the extent that the option markets close before the markets for the underlying securities, significant price and rate movements can take place in the underlying markets that cannot be reflected in the option markets.

*Hybrid Securities*. A hybrid instrument is a type of potentially high-risk derivative that combines a traditional bond, stock or commodity with an option or forward contract. Generally, the principal amount, amount payable upon maturity or redemption, or interest rate of a hybrid is tied (positively or negatively) to the price of some commodity, currency or securities index or another interest rate or some other economic factor (each a "benchmark"). The interest rate or (unlike most fixed income securities) the principal amount payable at maturity of a hybrid security may be increased or decreased, depending on changes in the value of the benchmark. An example of a hybrid could be a bond issued by an oil company that pays a small base level of interest with additional interest that accrues in correlation to the extent to which oil prices exceed a certain predetermined level. Such a hybrid instrument would be a combination of a bond and a call option on oil. Hybrids can be used as an efficient means of pursuing a variety of investment goals, including currency hedging, duration management and increased total return. Hybrids may not bear interest or pay dividends. The value of a hybrid or its interest rate may be a multiple of a benchmark and, as a result, may be leveraged and move (up or down) more steeply and rapidly than the benchmark. These benchmarks may be sensitive to economic and political events, such as commodity shortages and currency devaluations, which cannot be readily foreseen by the purchaser of a hybrid. Under certain conditions, the redemption value of a hybrid could be zero. Thus, an investment in a hybrid may entail significant market risks that are not associated with a similar investment in a traditional, U.S. dollar-denominated bond that has a fixed principal amount and pays a fixed rate or floating rate of interest. The purchase of hybrids also exposes the Fund to the credit risk of the issuer of the hybrids. These

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risks may cause significant fluctuations in the NAV of the Fund's Shares if the Fund invests in hybrid instruments.

*New Products*. The financial markets continue to evolve and financial products continue to be developed. The Fund reserves the right to invest in new financial products as they are developed or become more widely accepted. As with any new financial product, these products will entail risks, including risks to which the Fund currently is not subject.

The principal risks relating to the use of futures contracts and other Strategic Transactions are: (i) less than perfect correlation between the prices of the instrument and the market value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio; (ii) possible lack of a liquid secondary market for closing out a position in such instruments; (iii) losses resulting from interest rate or other market movements not anticipated by the Advisor; and (iv) the obligation to meet additional variation margin or other payment requirements, all of which could result in the Fund being in a worse position than if such transactions had not been used.

Certain provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code") may restrict or affect the ability of the Fund to engage in Strategic Transactions. See "Tax Matters."

#### Environmental, Social and Governance ("ESG") Integration
Although the Fund does not seek to implement a specific sustainability objective, strategy or process unless disclosed in the Prospectus, Fund management will consider ESG factors as part of the investment process for the Fund. Fund management views ESG integration as the practice of incorporating financially material ESG data or information into investment processes with the objective of enhancing risk-adjusted returns. These ESG considerations will vary depending on a fund's particular investment strategies and may include consideration of third-party research as well as consideration of proprietary research of the Advisor across the ESG risks and opportunities regarding an issuer. The ESG characteristics utilized in the Fund's investment process are anticipated to evolve over time and one or more characteristics may not be relevant with respect to all issuers that are eligible for investment.

Certain of these considerations may affect the Fund's exposure to certain companies or industries. While Fund management views ESG considerations as having the potential to contribute to the Fund's long-term performance, there is no guarantee that such results will be achieved.

#### ADDITIONAL RISK FACTORS

#### Municipal Securities Market Risk
Economic exposure to the municipal securities market involves certain risks. The municipal market is one in which dealer firms make markets in bonds on a principal basis using their proprietary capital, and at times these firms' capital may be severely constrained. In such event, some firms may be unwilling to commit their capital to purchase and to serve as a dealer for municipal securities. Certain municipal securities may not be registered with the SEC or any state securities commission and will not be listed on any national securities exchange. The amount of public information available about the municipal securities to which the Fund is economically exposed is generally less than that for corporate equities or bonds, and the investment performance of the Fund may therefore be more dependent on the analytical abilities of the Advisor than would be a fund investing solely in stocks or taxable bonds. The secondary market for municipal securities, particularly the below investment grade securities to which the Fund may be economically exposed, also tends to be less well-developed or liquid than many other securities markets, which may adversely affect the Fund's ability to sell such securities at attractive prices or at prices approximating those at which the Fund currently values them.

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In addition, many state and municipal governments that issue securities are under significant economic and financial stress and may not be able to satisfy their obligations. The ability of municipal issuers to make timely payments of interest and principal may be diminished during general economic downturns and as governmental cost burdens are reallocated among federal, state and local governments. The taxing power of any governmental entity may be limited by provisions of state constitutions or laws and an entity's credit will depend on many factors, including the entity's tax base, the extent to which the entity relies on federal or state aid, and other factors which are beyond the entity's control. In addition, laws enacted in the future by Congress or state legislatures or referenda could extend the time for payment of principal and/or interest, or impose other constraints on enforcement of such obligations or on the ability of municipalities to levy taxes. Issuers of municipal securities might seek protection under the bankruptcy laws. In the event of bankruptcy of such an issuer, holders of municipal securities could experience delays in collecting principal and interest and such holders may not, in all circumstances, be able to collect all principal and interest to which they are entitled. To enforce its rights in the event of a default in the payment of interest or repayment of principal, or both, the Fund may take possession of and manage the assets securing the issuer's obligations on such securities, which may increase the Fund's operating expenses. Any income derived from the Fund's ownership or operation of such assets may not be tax-exempt or may fail to generate qualifying income for purposes of the income tests applicable to RICs.

*Taxable Municipal Securities Risk*. Build America Bonds involve similar risks as municipal bonds, including credit and market risk. In particular, should a Build America Bond's issuer fail to continue to meet the applicable requirements imposed on the bonds as provided by the ARRA, it is possible that such issuer may not receive federal cash subsidy payments, impairing the issuer's ability to make scheduled interest payments. The Build America Bond program expired on December 31, 2010 and no further issuance is permitted unless Congress renews the program. As a result, the number of available Build America Bonds is limited, which may negatively affect the value of the Build America Bonds. In addition, there can be no assurance that Build America Bonds will be actively traded. It is difficult to predict the extent to which a market for such bonds will continue, meaning that Build America Bonds may experience greater illiquidity than other municipal obligations. The Build America Bonds outstanding as of December 31, 2010 will continue to be eligible for the federal interest rate subsidy, which continues for the life of the Build America Bonds; however, no bonds issued following expiration of the Build America Bond program will be eligible for the U.S. federal tax subsidy.

#### Warrants Risk
If the price of the underlying stock does not rise above the exercise price before the warrant expires, the warrant generally expires without any value and the Fund loses any amount it paid for the warrant. Thus, investments in warrants may involve substantially more risk than investments in common stock. Warrants may trade in the same markets as their underlying stock; however, the price of the warrant does not necessarily move with the price of the underlying stock.

#### Rights Risk
The failure to exercise subscription rights to purchase common stock would result in the dilution of the Fund's interest in the issuing company. The market for such rights is not well developed, and, accordingly, the Fund may not always realize full value on the sale of rights.

#### Default Risk
The value of the Fund's investments in whole loans and other alternative lending-related securities, such as shares, certificates, notes or other securities representing an interest in and the right to receive principal and interest payments due on whole loans or fractions of whole loans, is entirely dependent on the borrowers' continued and timely payments. The Fund receives payments on such investments only if the party servicing the loans receives the borrower's payments on the corresponding or underlying loan and passes such payments

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through to the Fund. If a borrower fails to make interest payments or repay principal when due on a loan in which the Fund has investment exposure, or if the value of such a loan decreases, the value of the Fund's investments will be adversely affected. There can be no assurance that payments due on underlying loans will be made.

If a borrower is unable or fails to make payments on a loan for any reason, the Fund may be greatly limited in its ability to recover any outstanding principal or interest due, as (among other reasons) the Fund may not have direct recourse against the borrower or may otherwise be limited in its ability to directly enforce its rights under the loan, whether through the borrower or the platform through which such loan was originated, the loan may be unsecured or under-collateralized and/or it may be impracticable to commence a legal proceeding against the defaulting borrower. If the Fund were unable to recover unpaid principal or interest due, this would cause the Fund's NAV to decrease. The Fund generally will not be able to offset losses on defaulting loans by looking to collateral or obligations of guarantors, insurers or governmental authorities, as many of the loans to which the Fund has exposure are obligations not secured by collateral or (except for certain loans to businesses) backed by any guarantee.

Borrowings obtained through alternative lending platforms may not limit borrowers from incurring additional debt. If a borrower incurs additional debt obligations after obtaining a loan through an alternative lending platform, the borrower's creditworthiness may diminish and any additional obligations could cause the borrower to experience financial distress, insolvency or bankruptcy, all of which would impair the borrower's ability to repay the loan underlying the Fund's investment. Furthermore, the ability of secured creditors to pursue remedies against the collateral of the borrower may impair the borrower's ability to repay its unsecured loan or it may impair the platform's or loan servicer's ability to collect on the loan upon default. The loans in which the Fund invests generally do not include any cross-default provisions. Cross-default provisions render a default on one outstanding debt obligation an automatic default on another debt obligation of the borrower, which permits creditors to react more quickly to take steps to protect their interests. In contrast, the loans in which the Fund invests typically will be placed in default or referred to collection only if there are independent defaults on such loans, irrespective of whether the borrower has defaulted on a different debt obligation. Not only will the Fund not benefit from such protective provisions, the Fund also generally will not be made aware of any additional debt incurred by a borrower or whether such debt is secured or unsecured. Default rates on loans obtained through alternative lending platforms may be adversely affected by a number of factors outside the Fund's control, such as economic downturns or general economic or political conditions, including prevailing interest rates, the rate of unemployment, the level of consumer confidence, residential real estate values, the value of the various currencies, energy prices, changes in consumer spending, the number of personal bankruptcies, insolvencies, disruptions in the credit markets, the borrower's personal circumstances and other factors.

The default history for alternative lending borrowing arrangements is limited. Future defaults may be higher than historical defaults and the timing of defaults may vary significantly from historical observations. The credit profile and interest rates available to certain borrowers who seek credit through alternative lending platforms may result in a higher rate of default for alternative lending related securities as compared with the debt instruments associated with more traditional lending models, such as banks, although pursuant to the Fund's Fundamental Investment Restrictions, the Fund may not invest in loans that are of subprime quality at the time of investment. If the impact of defaults on loans to which the Fund has exposure exceeds the profits on non-defaulting loans, the Fund will be unable to achieve its investment objective. The Fund's investments in equity securities issued by the platforms themselves (or their affiliates) are also subject to the risk of loss. If a platform defaults on its outstanding obligations, the Fund's equity interest in the platform may be diminished or extinguished and the Fund can expect to realize on any such investments only to the extent that the platform's creditors are made whole and the platform still has residual profits that would benefit equity holders.

#### Platform Risk
The Fund receives payments on whole loans or securities representing the right to receive principal and interest payments due on loans only if the platform servicing the loans receives the borrower's payments on such

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loans and passes such payments through to the Fund. If a borrower is unable or fails to make payments on a loan for any reason, the Fund may be greatly limited in its ability to recover any outstanding principal or interest due, as (among other reasons) the Fund may not have direct recourse against the borrower or may otherwise be limited in its ability to directly enforce its rights under the loan, whether through the borrower or the platform through which such loan was originated, the loan may be unsecured or under-collateralized and/or it may be impracticable to commence a legal proceeding against the defaulting borrower.

The Fund may have limited knowledge about the underlying loans and is dependent upon the platform for information regarding underlying loans. Although the Fund conducts diligence on the platforms, the Fund generally does not have the ability to independently verify the information provided by the platforms, other than payment information regarding loans and other alternative lending-related securities owned by the Fund, which the Fund observes directly as payments are received. Some investors, including the Fund, may not review the particular characteristics of the loans in which they invest at the time of investment, but rather negotiate in advance with platforms the general criteria of the investments, as described above. As a result, the Fund is dependent on the platforms' ability to collect, verify and provide information to the Fund about each loan and borrower.

The Fund relies on the borrower's credit information, which is provided by the platforms. However, such information may be out of date, incomplete or inaccurate and may, therefore, not accurately reflect the borrower's actual creditworthiness. Platforms may not have an obligation to update borrower information, and, therefore, the Fund may not be aware of any impairment in a borrower's creditworthiness subsequent to the making of a particular loan. Although the Fund conducts diligence on the credit scoring methodology used by platforms from which the Fund purchases alternative lending-related securities, the Fund typically does not have access to all of the data that platforms utilize to assign credit scores to particular loans purchased directly or indirectly by the Fund, and does not independently diligence or confirm the truthfulness of such information or otherwise evaluate the basis for the platform's credit score of those loans. As a result, the Fund may make investments based on outdated, inaccurate or incomplete information. In addition, the platforms' credit decisions and scoring models are based on algorithms that could potentially contain programming or other errors or prove to be ineffective or otherwise flawed. This could adversely affect loan pricing data and approval processes and could cause loans to be mispriced or misclassified, which could ultimately have a negative impact on the Fund's performance.

In addition, the underlying loans, in some cases, may be affected by the success of the platforms through which they are facilitated. Therefore, disruptions in the businesses of such platforms may also negatively impact the value of the Fund's investments. In addition, disruption in the business of a platform could limit or eliminate the ability of the Fund to invest in loans originated by that platform, and therefore the Fund could lose some or all of the benefit of its diligence effort with respect to that platform.

The Fund may also invest directly or indirectly in public or private equity securities of alternative lending platforms or enter into other financial transactions, including derivative transactions, to gain exposure to such investments. The performance of equity instruments issued by a platform or derivatives thereon depends on the success of the platform's business and operations. As described above, the Fund may also invest in shares, certificates, notes or other securities representing the right to receive principal and interest payments due on fractions of whole loans or pools of whole loans.

Platforms are for-profit businesses that, as a general matter, generate revenue by collecting fees on funded loans from borrowers and by assessing a loan servicing fee on investors, which may be a fixed annual amount or a percentage of the loan or amounts collected. This business could be disrupted in multiple ways; for example, a platform could file for bankruptcy or a platform might suffer reputational harm from negative publicity about the platform or alternative lending more generally and the loss of investor confidence in the event that a loan facilitated through the platform is not repaid and the investor loses money on its investment. Many platforms and/or their affiliates have incurred operating losses since their inception and may continue to incur net losses in the future, particularly as their businesses grow and they incur additional operating expenses.

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The Fund's investments could be adversely impacted if a platform that services the Fund's investments becomes unable or unwilling to fulfill its obligations to do so. In order to mitigate this risk, the Fund would seek to rely on a backup servicer provided through the platform or through an unaffiliated backup servicer. To the extent that it is not possible to collect on defaulted loans or to the extent borrowers prepay loans, a platform that services loans may no longer be able to collect a servicing fee, which would negatively impact its business operations. These or other similar negative events could adversely affect the platforms' businesses and/or investor participation in a platform's marketplace and, in turn, the business of the platforms, which creates a risk of loss for the Fund's investments in securities issued by a platform or derivatives thereon.

Platforms may have a higher risk profile than companies engaged in lines of business with a longer, more established operating history and such investments should be viewed as longer-term investments. They have met with and will continue to meet with challenges, including navigating evolving regulatory and competitive environments; increasing the number of borrowers and investors utilizing their marketplace; increasing the volume of loans facilitated through their marketplace and transaction fees received for matching borrowers and investors through their marketplace; entering into new markets and introducing new loan products; continuing to revise the marketplace's proprietary credit decisions and scoring models; continuing to develop, maintain and scale their platforms; effectively maintaining and scaling financial and risk management controls and procedures; maintaining the security of the platform and the confidentiality of the information provided and utilized across the platform; and attracting, integrating and retaining an appropriate number of qualified employees. If platforms are not successful in addressing these issues, the platforms' businesses and their results of operations may be harmed, which may reduce the possible available investments for the Fund or negatively impact the value of the Fund's investments in platforms or in alternative lending-related securities more generally.

Platforms may rely on debt facilities and other forms of borrowing in order to finance many of the borrower loans they facilitate. However, these financing sources may become unavailable after their current maturity dates or the terms may become less favorable to the borrowing platforms. As the volume of loans that a platform facilitates increases, the platform may need to expand its borrowing capacity on its existing debt arrangements or may need to seek new sources of capital. Platforms may also default on or breach their existing debt agreements, which could diminish or eliminate their access to funding at all or on terms acceptable to the platforms. Such events could cause the Fund to incur losses on its investments that are dependent upon the performance of the platforms.

The Fund's investments in the equity securities of platforms, including common stock, preferred stock, warrants or convertible stock, are subject to equity securities risk. Equity securities risk is the risk that the value of equity securities to which the Fund is exposed will fall due to general market or economic conditions; overall market changes; local, regional or global political, social or economic instability; currency, interest rate and commodity price fluctuations; perceptions regarding the industries in which the issuers participate and the particular circumstances and performance of the issuers. The prices of equities are also sensitive to rising interest rates, as the costs of capital rise and borrowing costs increase. The equity securities of smaller, less seasoned companies, such as platforms or their affiliates, are generally subject to greater price fluctuations, limited liquidity, higher transaction costs and higher investment risk. The Fund invests in unlisted equity securities, which generally involve a higher degree of valuation and performance uncertainty and greater liquidity risk than investments in listed securities. Preferred securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, preferred securities generally pay a dividend and rank ahead of common stocks and behind debt securities in claims for dividends and for assets of the issuer in a liquidation or bankruptcy. For this reason, the value of preferred securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company's financial condition or prospects. Preferred securities may also be sensitive to changes in interest rates. When interest rates rise, the fixed dividend on preferred securities may be less attractive, causing the price of preferred stocks to decline. Convertible securities are subject to the risks applicable generally to debt securities, including credit risk. Convertible securities also react to changes in the value of the common stock into which they convert, and are thus subject to market risk. In the event of a liquidation of the issuing company, holders of convertible securities typically would be paid before the company's common stockholders but after holders of any senior debt obligations of the company.

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The Fund's investments in shares, certificates, notes or other securities issued by a platform, its affiliates or a special purpose entity sponsored by a platform or its affiliates that represent the right to receive principal and interest payments due on fractions of whole loans or pools of whole loans may expose the Fund to the credit risk of the issuer. Generally, such securities are unsecured obligations of the issuer; an issuer that becomes subject to bankruptcy proceedings may be unable to make full and timely payments on its obligations to the Fund, even if the payments on the underlying loan or loans continue to be made timely and in full. In addition, when the Fund owns such fractional loans or other securities, the Fund and its custodian generally does not have a contractual relationship with, or personally identifiable information regarding, individual borrowers, so the Fund will not be able to enforce underlying loans directly against borrowers and may not be able to appoint an alternative servicing agent in the event that a platform or third-party servicer, as applicable, ceases to service the underlying loans. Therefore, the Fund is more dependent on the platform for servicing than in the case in which the Fund owns whole loans. Where such interests are secured, the Fund relies on the platform to perfect the Fund's security interest. In addition, there may be a delay between the time the Fund commits to purchase a security issued by a platform, its affiliate or a special purpose entity sponsored by the platform or its affiliate and the issuance of such security and, during such delay, the funds committed to such an investment will not earn interest on the investment nor will they be available for investment in other alternative lending-related securities, which will reduce the effective rate of return on the investment. The Fund invests primarily in whole loans, and does not expect to invest a material portion of its portfolio in such fractional loans or other securities.

#### Servicer Risk
The Fund's direct and indirect investments in loans originated by alternative lending platforms are typically serviced by that platform or a third-party servicer. In the event that the servicer is unable to service the loan, there can be no guarantee that a backup servicer will be able to assume responsibility for servicing the loans in a timely or cost-effective manner; any resulting disruption or delay could jeopardize payments due to the Fund in respect of its investments or increase the costs associated with the Fund's investments. If the servicer becomes subject to a bankruptcy or similar proceeding, there is some risk that the Fund's investments could be recharacterized as a secured loan from the Fund to the platform, which could result in uncertainty, costs and delays from having the Fund's investment deemed part of the bankruptcy estate of the platform, rather than an asset owned outright by the Fund.

#### Lender Liability
A number of judicial decisions have upheld judgments of borrowers against lending institutions on the basis of various evolving legal theories, collectively termed "lender liability." Generally, lender liability is founded on the premise that a lender has violated a duty (whether implied or contractual) of good faith, commercial reasonableness and fair dealing, or a similar duty owed to the borrower or has assumed an excessive degree of control over the borrower resulting in the creation of a fiduciary duty owed to the borrower or its other creditors or shareholders. If a loan held directly or indirectly by the Fund were found to have been made or serviced under circumstances that give rise to lender liability, the borrower's obligation to repay that loan could be reduced or eliminated or the Fund's recovery on that loan could be otherwise impaired, which would adversely impact the value of that loan.

In limited cases, courts have subordinated the loans of a senior lender to a borrower to claims of other creditors of the borrower when the senior lender or its agents, such as a loan servicer, is found to have engaged in unfair, inequitable or fraudulent conduct with respect to the other creditors. If a loan held directly or indirectly by the Fund were subject to such subordination, it would be junior in right of payment to other indebtedness of the borrower, which could adversely impact the value of that loan.

#### MLPs Risk
Investments in publicly traded MLPs, which are limited partnerships or limited liability companies taxable as partnerships, involve some risks that differ from an investment in the common stock of a corporation. MLPs

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may derive income and gains from the exploration, development, mining or production, processing, refining, transportation (including pipelines transporting gas, oil, or products thereof), or the marketing of any mineral or natural resources. MLPs generally have two classes of owners, the general partner and limited partners. When investing in an MLP, the Fund generally purchases publicly traded common units issued to limited partners of the MLP. The general partner is typically owned by a major energy company, an investment fund, the direct management of the MLP or is an entity owned by one or more of such parties. The general partner may be structured as a private or publicly traded corporation or other entity. The general partner typically controls the operations and management of the MLP through an up to 2% equity interest in the MLP plus, in many cases, ownership of common units and subordinated units. Limited partners own the remainder of the partnership, through ownership of common units, and have a limited role in the partnership's operations and management. As compared to common stockholders of a corporation, holders of MLP common units have more limited control and limited rights to vote on matters affecting the partnership.

MLPs are typically structured such that common units and general partner interests have first priority to receive quarterly cash distributions up to an established minimum amount ("minimum quarterly distributions" or "MQD"). Common and general partner interests also accrue arrearages in distributions to the extent the MQD is not paid. Once common and general partner interests have been paid, subordinated units receive distributions of up to the MQD; however, subordinated units do not accrue arrearages. Distributable cash in excess of the MQD paid to both common and subordinated units is distributed to both common and subordinated units generally on a pro rata basis. The general partner is also eligible to receive incentive distributions if the general partner operates the business in a manner which results in distributions paid per common unit surpassing specified target levels. As the general partner increases cash distributions to the limited partners, the general partner receives an increasingly higher percentage of the incremental cash distributions. A common arrangement provides that the general partner can reach a tier where it receives 50% of every incremental dollar paid to common and subordinated unit holders. These incentive distributions encourage the general partner to streamline costs, increase capital expenditures and acquire assets in order to increase the partnership's cash flow and raise the quarterly cash distribution in order to reach higher tiers. Such results benefit all security holders of the MLP.

MLP common units represent a limited partnership interest in the MLP. Common units are listed and traded on U.S. securities exchanges, with their value fluctuating predominantly based on prevailing market conditions and the success of the MLP. The Fund will generally purchase common units in market transactions. Unlike owners of common stock of a corporation, owners of common units have limited voting rights and have no ability to elect directors. In the event of liquidation, common units have preference over subordinated units, but not over debt or preferred units, to the remaining assets of the MLP.

#### Mid- and Small-Capitalization Company Risk
The Fund may invest in companies with middle and small capitalizations. Middle and small capitalization companies may be less financially secure than larger, more established companies and depend on a small number of key personnel.

In addition, it is more difficult to get information on middle and small capitalization companies, which tend to be less well known, have shorter operating histories, do not have significant ownership by large investors and are followed by relatively few securities analysts. As a result, the securities of middle and small capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger capitalization securities or the market as a whole. The purchase or sale of more than a limited number of shares of a middle and small company may affect its market price. The Fund may need a considerable amount of time to purchase or sell its positions in these securities. In addition, middle or small company stocks may not be well known to the investing public. Investing in middle and small capitalization securities requires a longer term view.

Middle and small capitalization stocks can be more volatile than, and perform differently from, larger capitalization stocks. Middle and small company stocks may be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates,

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borrowing costs and earnings. Middle and small companies may have fewer business lines; changes in any one line of business, therefore, may have a greater impact on a middle and small company's stock price than is the case for a larger company. If a product fails or there are other adverse developments, or if management changes, the Fund's investment in a middle or small capitalization company may lose substantial value.

*Investments in Unseasoned Companies Risk*. The Fund may invest in the securities of smaller, less seasoned companies. These investments may present greater opportunities for growth but also involve greater risks than customarily are associated with investments in securities of more established companies. Some of the companies in which the Fund may invest will be start-up companies which may have insubstantial operational or earnings history or may have limited products, markets, financial resources or management depth.

Some may also be emerging companies at the research and development stage with no products or technologies to market or approved for marketing. In addition, it is more difficult to get information on smaller companies, which tend to be less well known, have shorter operating histories, do not have significant ownership by large investors and are followed by relatively few securities analysts. Securities of emerging companies may lack an active secondary market and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements than securities of larger, more established companies or stock market averages in general. Competitors of certain companies, which may or may not be in the same industry, may have substantially greater financial resources than many of the companies in which the Fund may invest.

*Securities of Smaller and Emerging Growth Companies*. Investment in smaller or emerging growth companies involves greater risk than is customarily associated with investments in more established companies. The securities of smaller or emerging growth companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than larger, more established companies or the market average in general. These companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, or they may be dependent on a limited management group.

Investments in smaller or emerging growth companies may involve greater risks and thus may be considered speculative. Full development of these companies and trends frequently takes time.

Small cap and emerging growth securities will often be traded only in the OTC market or on a regional securities exchange and may not be traded every day or in the volume typical of trading on a national securities exchange. As a result, the disposition by the Fund of portfolio securities may require the Fund to make many small sales over a lengthy period of time, or to sell these securities at a discount from market prices or during periods when, in the Advisor's judgment, such disposition is not desirable.

The process of selection and continuous supervision by the Advisor does not guarantee successful investment results. Careful initial selection is particularly important in this area as many new enterprises have promise but lack certain of the fundamental factors necessary to prosper. Investing in small cap and emerging growth companies requires specialized research and analysis.

The Advisor believes that relatively small companies may have the opportunity to develop into significant business enterprises. The Fund may invest in securities of small issuers in the relatively early stages of business development that have a new technology, a unique or proprietary product or service, or a favorable market position.

Equity securities of specific small cap issuers may present different opportunities for long-term capital appreciation during varying portions of economic or securities market cycles, as well as during varying stages of their business development. The market valuation of small cap issuers tends to fluctuate during economic or market cycles.

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#### Inflation-Indexed Bonds
The Fund may invest in inflation-indexed bonds, which are fixed income securities or other instruments whose principal value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. Two structures are common. The U.S. Treasury and some other issuers use a structure that accrues inflation into the principal value of the bond. Most other issuers pay out the Consumer Price Index accruals as part of a semi-annual coupon.

Inflation-indexed securities issued by the U.S. Treasury have maturities of five, ten or thirty years, although it is possible that securities with other maturities will be issued in the future. The U.S. Treasury securities pay interest on a semi-annual basis, equal to a fixed percentage of the inflation-adjusted principal amount. For example, if the Fund purchased an inflation-indexed bond with a par value of $1,000 and a 3% real rate of return coupon (payable 1.5% semi-annually), and inflation over the first six months was 1%, the mid-year par value of the bond would be $1,010 and the first semi-annual interest payment would be $15.15 ($1,010 times 1.5%). If inflation during the second half of the year resulted in the whole year's inflation equaling 3%, the end-of-year par value of the bond would be $1,030 and the second semi-annual interest payment would be $15.45 ($1,030 times 1.5%).

If the periodic adjustment rate measuring inflation falls, the principal value of inflation-indexed bonds will be adjusted downward, and, consequently, the interest payable on these securities (calculated with respect to a smaller principal amount) will be reduced. Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity (as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed in the case of U.S. Treasury inflation-indexed bonds, even during a period of deflation. However, the current market value of the bonds is not guaranteed, and will fluctuate. The Fund may also invest in other inflation related bonds which may or may not provide a similar guarantee. If a guarantee of principal is not provided, the adjusted principal value of the bond repaid at maturity may be less than the original principal. In addition, if the Fund purchases inflation-indexed bonds offered by foreign issuers, the rate of inflation measured by the foreign inflation index may not be correlated to the rate of inflation in the United States.

The value of inflation-indexed bonds is expected to change in response to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates, in turn, are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. Therefore, if inflation were to rise at a faster rate than nominal interest rates, real interest rates might decline, leading to an increase in value of inflation-indexed bonds. In contrast, if nominal interest rates increased at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates might rise, leading to a decrease in value of inflation-indexed bonds. There can be no assurances, however, that the value of inflation-indexed bonds will be directly correlated to changes in interest rates.

While these securities are expected to be protected from long-term inflationary trends, short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in value. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation (for example, due to changes in currency exchange rates), investors in these securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the bond's inflation measure. In general, the measure used to determine the periodic adjustment of U.S. inflation-indexed bonds is the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (the "CPI-U"), which is not seasonally adjusted and which is calculated monthly by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The CPI-U is a measurement of changes in the cost of living, made up of components such as housing, food, transportation and energy. Inflation-indexed bonds issued by a foreign (non-U.S.) government are generally adjusted to reflect a comparable inflation index, calculated by that government. There can be no assurances that the CPI-U or any foreign (non-U.S.) inflation index will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services. Moreover, there can be no assurances that the rate of inflation in a foreign (non-U.S.) country will be correlated to the rate of inflation in the United States.

Any increase in the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond will be considered taxable ordinary income, even though investors do not receive their principal until maturity.

#### Litigation Finance Risk
The Fund may enter into arrangement with a plaintiff or law firm in order to provide capital to fund litigation in exchange for a portion of the award or settlement. Generally, the recipient of such financing is not

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obligated to make any payment unless and until litigation proceeds are actually received by the litigant or their counsel. If the matter fails to be resolved, or is resolved adversely to the plaintiff, there is generally no obligation to pay anything and the Fund would suffer a complete loss of the capital invested. Even if the matter is successful, there is no guarantee that the persons against whom the claim was asserted will be able or willing to satisfy any judgment. Further, the Fund would be subject to risks associated with the origination and servicing of any litigation financing.

#### Commodity Pricing Risk
The Fund's investment in commodities may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities, such as stocks and bonds. The commodities markets have experienced periods of extreme volatility. General market uncertainty and consequent repricing risk have led to market imbalances of sellers and buyers, which in turn have resulted in significant reductions in values of a variety of commodities and natural resources. Similar future market conditions may result in rapid and substantial valuation increases or decreases in the Fund's holdings.

The commodities markets may fluctuate widely based on a variety of factors. Movements in commodity and natural resources investment prices are outside of the Fund's control and may not be anticipated by the Advisor.

Price movements may be influenced by, among other things: governmental, agricultural, trade, fiscal, monetary and exchange control programs and policies; changing market and economic conditions; market liquidity; weather and climate conditions; changing supply and demand relationships and levels of domestic production and imported commodities; the availability of local, intrastate and interstate transportation systems; energy conservation; changes in international balances of payments and trade; domestic and foreign rates of inflation; currency devaluations and revaluations; domestic and foreign political and economic events; domestic and foreign interest rates and/or investor expectations concerning interest rates; foreign currency/exchange rates; domestic and foreign governmental regulation and taxation; war, acts of terrorism and other political upheaval and conflicts; governmental expropriation; investment and trading activities of mutual funds, hedge funds and commodities funds; changes in philosophies and emotions of market participants. The frequency and magnitude of such changes cannot be predicted.

Prices of various commodities and natural resources may also be affected by factors such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, changes in storage costs, embargoes, tariffs and other regulatory developments. Many of these factors are very unpredictable. The prices of commodities and natural resources can also fluctuate widely due to supply and demand disruptions in major producing or consuming regions. Certain commodities or natural resources may be produced in a limited number of countries and may be controlled by a small number of producers or groups of producers. As a result, political, economic and supply related events in such countries could have a disproportionate impact on the prices of such commodities and natural resources.

The commodity markets are subject to temporary distortions and other disruptions due to, among other factors, lack of liquidity, the participation of speculators, and government regulation and other actions. U.S. futures exchanges and some foreign exchanges limit the amount of fluctuation in futures contract prices which may occur in a single business day (generally referred to as "daily price fluctuation limits"). The maximum or minimum price of a contract as a result of these limits is referred to as a "limit price." If the limit price has been reached in a particular contract, no trades may be made beyond the limit price. Limit prices have the effect of precluding trading in a particular contract or forcing the liquidation of contracts at disadvantageous times or prices.

#### Risk Factors in Strategic Transactions and Derivatives
The Fund's use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. There are significant risks that apply generally to derivatives transactions, including:

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• *Correlation Risk* —the risk that changes in the value of a derivative will not match the changes in the value of the portfolio holdings that are being hedged or of the particular market or security to which the Fund seeks exposure. There are a number of factors which may prevent a derivative instrument from achieving the desired correlation (or inverse correlation) with an underlying asset, rate or index, such as the impact of fees, expenses and transaction costs, the timing of pricing, and disruptions or illiquidity in the markets for such derivative instrument.

• *Counterparty Risk* —the risk that the counterparty in a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its financial obligation to the Fund. In particular, derivatives traded in OTC markets often are not guaranteed by an exchange or clearing corporation and often do not require payment of margin, and to the extent that the Fund has unrealized gains in such instruments or has deposited collateral with its counterparties the Fund is at risk that its counterparties will become bankrupt or otherwise fail to honor their obligations. The Fund will typically attempt to minimize counterparty risk by engaging in OTC derivatives transactions only with creditworthy entities that have substantial capital or that have provided the Fund with a third-party guaranty or other credit support. When the Fund enters into a derivatives transaction that is centrally cleared (whether mandatorily or voluntarily), the Fund is subject to the credit risk of the clearing house and the clearing member through which it holds its cleared position. Credit risk of market participants with respect to derivatives that are centrally cleared is concentrated in a few clearing houses and increasingly fewer clearing members. It is not clear how an insolvency proceeding of a clearing house would be conducted and what impact an insolvency of a clearing house would have on the financial system. Also, the Fund will not be fully protected in the event of the bankruptcy of the Fund's clearing member because the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of the funds held by the clearing member on behalf of customers by account class for cleared derivatives. Although a clearing member is required to segregate assets from customers with respect to cleared derivatives positions from the clearing member's proprietary assets, if a clearing member does not comply with the applicable regulations, or in the event of fraud or misappropriation of customer assets by a clearing member, the Fund could have only an unsecured creditor claim in an insolvency of the clearing member with respect to the assets held by the clearing member.

• *Credit Risk* —the risk that the reference entity in a credit default swap or similar derivative will not be able to honor its financial obligations.

• *Currency Risk* —the risk that changes in the exchange rate between two currencies will adversely affect the value (in U.S. dollar terms) of an investment.

• *Illiquidity Risk* —the risk that certain securities or instruments may be difficult or impossible to sell at the time or at the price desired by the Fund in connection with payments of margin, collateral, or settlement payments. There can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to unwind or offset a derivative at its desired price, in a secondary market or otherwise. It may, therefore, not be possible for the Fund to unwind its position in a derivative without incurring substantial losses (if at all). The absence of liquidity may also make it more difficult for the Fund to ascertain a market value for such instruments. Although both OTC and exchange-traded derivatives markets may experience a lack of liquidity, certain derivatives traded in OTC markets, including swaps and OTC options, involve substantial illiquidity risk. The Fund will, therefore, acquire illiquid OTC derivatives (i) if the agreement pursuant to which the instrument is purchased contains a formula price at which the instrument may be terminated or sold, or (ii) for which the Advisor anticipates the Fund can receive on each business day at least two independent bids or offers, unless a quotation from only one dealer is available, in which case that dealer's quotation may be used. The illiquidity of the derivatives markets may be due to various factors, including congestion, disorderly markets, limitations on deliverable supplies, the participation of speculators, government regulation and intervention, and technical and operational or system failures. In addition, the liquidity of a market in an exchange-traded derivative contract may be adversely affected by "daily price fluctuation limits" established by the exchanges which limit the amount of fluctuation in an exchange-traded contract price during a single trading day.

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Once the daily limit has been reached in the contract, no trades may be entered into at a price beyond the limit, thus preventing the liquidation of open positions. Prices have in the past moved to the daily limit on a number of consecutive trading days with little to no trading. If it is not possible to close an open derivative position entered into by the Fund, the Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments of variation margin in the event of adverse price movements. In such a situation, if the Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell portfolio securities to meet daily variation margin requirements at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. <br>

• *Index Risk* —if the derivative is linked to the performance of an index, it will be subject to the risks associated with changes in that index. If the index changes, the Fund could receive lower interest payments or experience a reduction in the value of the derivative to below the price that the Fund paid for such derivative.

• *Legal Risk* —the risk of insufficient documentation, insufficient capacity or authority of counterparty, or legality or enforceability of a contract.

• *Leverage Risk—* the risk that the Fund's derivatives transactions can magnify the Fund's gains and losses. Relatively small market movements may result in large changes in the value of a derivatives position and can result in losses that greatly exceed the amount originally invested.

• *Market Risk* —the risk that changes in the value of one or more markets or changes with respect to the value of the underlying asset will adversely affect the value of a derivative. In the event of an adverse movement, the Fund may be required to pay substantial additional margin to maintain its position or the Fund's returns may be adversely affected.

• *Operational Risk* —the risk related to potential operational issues, including documentation issues, settlement issues, systems failures, inadequate controls and human error.

• *Valuation Risk* —the risk that valuation sources for a derivative will not be readily available in the market. This is possible especially in times of market distress, since many market participants may be reluctant to purchase complex instruments or quote prices for them.

• *Volatility Risk* —the risk that the value of derivatives will fluctuate significantly within a short time period.

When a derivative is used as a hedge against a position that the Fund holds, any loss generated by the derivative generally should be substantially offset by gains on the hedged investment, and vice versa. While hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains. Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying security, and there can be no assurance that the Fund's hedging transactions will be effective. The Fund could also suffer losses related to its derivative positions as a result of unanticipated market movements, which losses are potentially unlimited. The Advisor may not be able to predict correctly the direction of securities prices, interest rates and other economic factors, which could cause the Fund's derivatives positions to lose value. In addition, some derivatives are more sensitive to interest rate changes and market price fluctuations than other securities. The possible lack of a liquid secondary market for derivatives and the resulting inability of the Fund to sell or otherwise close a derivatives position could expose the Fund to losses and could make derivatives more difficult for the Fund to value accurately.

When engaging in a hedging transaction, the Fund may determine not to seek to establish a perfect correlation between the hedging instruments utilized and the portfolio holdings being hedged. Such an imperfect correlation may prevent the Fund from achieving the intended hedge or expose the Fund to a risk of loss. The Fund may also determine not to hedge against a particular risk because it does not regard the probability of the risk occurring to be sufficiently high as to justify the cost of the hedge or because it does not foresee the occurrence of the risk. It may not be possible for the Fund to hedge against a change or event at attractive prices or at a price sufficient to protect the assets of the Fund from the decline in value of the portfolio positions anticipated as a result of such change. In addition, it may not be possible to hedge at all against certain risks.

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If the Fund invests in a derivative instrument it could lose more than the principal amount invested. Moreover, derivatives raise certain tax, legal, regulatory and accounting issues that may not be presented by investments in securities, and there is some risk that certain issues could be resolved in a manner that could adversely impact the performance of the Fund.

The Fund is not required to use derivatives or other portfolio strategies to seek to increase return or to seek to hedge its portfolio and may choose not to do so. Also, suitable derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that the Fund will engage in these transactions to reduce exposure to other risks when that would be beneficial. Although the Advisor seeks to use derivatives to further the Fund's investment objective, there is no assurance that the use of derivatives will achieve this result.

*Options Risk*. There are several risks associated with transactions in options on securities and indexes. For example, there are significant differences between the securities and options markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between these markets, causing a given transaction not to achieve its objectives. In addition, a liquid secondary market for particular options, whether traded OTC or on a recognized securities exchange (e.g., NYSE), separate trading boards of a securities exchange or through a market system that provides contemporaneous transaction pricing information (an "Exchange") may be absent for reasons which include the following: there may be insufficient trading interest in certain options; restrictions may be imposed by an Exchange on opening transactions or closing transactions or both; trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options or underlying securities; unusual or unforeseen circumstances may interrupt normal operations on an Exchange; the facilities of an Exchange or the OCC may not at all times be adequate to handle current trading volume; or one or more Exchanges could, for economic or other reasons, decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options), in which event the secondary market on that Exchange (or in that class or series of options) would cease to exist, although outstanding options that had been issued by the OCC as a result of trades on that Exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms.

*Futures Transactions and Options Risk*. The primary risks associated with the use of futures contracts and options are (a) the imperfect correlation between the change in market value of the instruments held by the Fund and the price of the futures contract or option; (b) possible lack of a liquid secondary market for a futures contract and the resulting inability to close a futures contract when desired; (c) losses caused by unanticipated market movements, which are potentially unlimited; (d) the Advisor's inability to predict correctly the direction of securities prices, interest rates, currency exchange rates and other economic factors; and (e) the possibility that the counterparty will default in the performance of its obligations.

Investment in futures contracts involves the risk of imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the futures contract and the price of the security being hedged. The hedge will not be fully effective when there is imperfect correlation between the movements in the prices of two financial instruments. For example, if the price of the futures contract moves more or less than the price of the hedged security, the Fund will experience either a loss or gain on the futures contract which is not completely offset by movements in the price of the hedged securities. To compensate for imperfect correlations, the Fund may purchase or sell futures contracts in a greater dollar amount than the hedged securities if the volatility of the hedged securities is historically greater than the volatility of the futures contracts. Conversely, the Fund may purchase or sell fewer futures contracts if the volatility of the price of the hedged securities is historically lower than that of the futures contracts.

The particular securities comprising the index underlying a securities index financial futures contract may vary from the securities held by the Fund. As a result, the Fund's ability to hedge effectively all or a portion of the value of its securities through the use of such financial futures contracts will depend in part on the degree to which price movements in the index underlying the financial futures contract correlate with the price movements of the securities held by the Fund. The correlation may be affected by disparities in the average maturity, ratings, geographical mix or structure of the Fund's investments as compared to those comprising the securities index and general economic or political factors. In addition, the correlation between movements in the value of the securities index may be subject to change over time as additions to and deletions from the securities index alter

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its structure. The correlation between futures contracts on U.S. Government securities and the securities held by the Fund may be adversely affected by similar factors and the risk of imperfect correlation between movements in the prices of such futures contracts and the prices of securities held by the Fund may be greater. The trading of futures contracts also is subject to certain market risks, such as inadequate trading activity, which could at times make it difficult or impossible to liquidate existing positions.

The Fund may liquidate futures contracts it enters into through offsetting transactions on the applicable contract market. There can be no assurance, however, that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular futures contract at any specific time. Thus, it may not be possible to close out a futures position. In the event of adverse price movements, the Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments of variation margin. In such situations, if the Fund has insufficient cash, it may be required to sell portfolio securities to meet daily variation margin requirements at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. The inability to close out futures positions also could have an adverse impact on the Fund's ability to hedge effectively its investments in securities. The liquidity of a secondary market in a futures contract may be adversely affected by "daily price fluctuation limits" established by commodity exchanges which limit the amount of fluctuation in a futures contract price during a single trading day. Once the daily limit has been reached in the contract, no trades may be entered into at a price beyond the limit, thus preventing the liquidation of open futures positions. Prices have in the past moved beyond the daily limit on a number of consecutive trading days.

The successful use of transactions in futures and related options also depends on the ability of the Advisor to forecast correctly the direction and extent of interest rate movements within a given time frame. To the extent interest rates remain stable during the period in which a futures contract or option is held by the Fund or such rates move in a direction opposite to that anticipated, the Fund may realize a loss on the Strategic Transaction which is not fully or partially offset by an increase in the value of portfolio securities. As a result, the Fund's total return for such period may be less than if it had not engaged in the Strategic Transaction.

Because of low initial margin deposits made upon the opening of a futures position, futures transactions involve substantial leverage. As a result, relatively small movements in the price of the futures contracts can result in substantial unrealized gains or losses. There is also the risk of loss by the Fund of margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of a broker with which the Fund has an open position in a financial futures contract. Because the Fund will engage in the purchase and sale of futures contracts for hedging purposes or to seek to enhance the Fund's return, any losses incurred in connection therewith may, if the strategy is successful, be offset in whole or in part by increases in the value of securities held by the Fund or decreases in the price of securities the Fund intends to acquire.

The amount of risk the Fund assumes when it purchases an option on a futures contract is the premium paid for the option plus related transaction costs. In addition to the correlation risks discussed above, the purchase of an option on a futures contract also entails the risk that changes in the value of the underlying futures contract will not be fully reflected in the value of the option purchased.

*General Risk Factors in Hedging Foreign Currency*. Hedging transactions involving Currency Instruments involve substantial risks, including correlation risk. While the Fund's use of Currency Instruments to effect hedging strategies is intended to reduce the volatility of the NAV of the Fund's Shares, the NAV of the Fund's Shares will fluctuate. Moreover, although Currency Instruments may be used with the intention of hedging against adverse currency movements, transactions in Currency Instruments involve the risk that anticipated currency movements will not be accurately predicted and that the Fund's hedging strategies will be ineffective. To the extent that the Fund hedges against anticipated currency movements that do not occur, the Fund may realize losses and decrease its total return as the result of its hedging transactions. Furthermore, the Fund will only engage in hedging activities from time to time and may not be engaging in hedging activities when movements in currency exchange rates occur.

It may not be possible for the Fund to hedge against currency exchange rate movements, even if correctly anticipated, in the event that (i) the currency exchange rate movement is so generally anticipated that the Fund is

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not able to enter into a hedging transaction at an effective price, or (ii) the currency exchange rate movement relates to a market with respect to which Currency Instruments are not available and it is not possible to engage in effective foreign currency hedging. The cost to the Fund of engaging in foreign currency transactions varies with such factors as the currencies involved, the length of the contract period and the market conditions then prevailing. Since transactions in foreign currency exchange usually are conducted on a principal basis, no fees or commissions are involved.

*Foreign Currency Forwards Risk*. Forward foreign currency exchange contracts do not eliminate fluctuations in the value of Non-U.S. Securities (as defined in the prospectus) but rather allow the Fund to establish a fixed rate of exchange for a future point in time. This strategy can have the effect of reducing returns and minimizing opportunities for gain.

In connection with its trading in forward foreign currency contracts, the Fund will contract with a foreign or domestic bank, or foreign or domestic securities dealer, to make or take future delivery of a specified amount of a particular currency. There are no limitations on daily price moves in such forward contracts, and banks and dealers are not required to continue to make markets in such contracts. There have been periods during which certain banks or dealers have refused to quote prices for such forward contracts or have quoted prices with an unusually wide spread between the price at which the bank or dealer is prepared to buy and that at which it is prepared to sell. Governmental imposition of credit controls might limit any such forward contract trading. With respect to its trading of forward contracts, if any, the Fund will be subject to the risk of bank or dealer failure and the inability of, or refusal by, a bank or dealer to perform with respect to such contracts. Any such default would deprive the Fund of any profit potential or force the Fund to cover its commitments for resale, if any, at the then market price and could result in a loss to the Fund.

The Fund may also engage in proxy hedging transactions to reduce the effect of currency fluctuations on the value of existing or anticipated holdings of portfolio securities. Proxy hedging is often used when the currency to which the Fund is exposed is difficult to hedge or to hedge against the dollar. Proxy hedging entails entering into a forward contract to sell a currency whose changes in value are generally considered to be linked to a currency or currencies in which some or all of the Fund's securities are, or are expected to be, denominated, and to buy U.S. dollars. Proxy hedging involves some of the same risks and considerations as other transactions with similar instruments. Currency transactions can result in losses to the Fund if the currency being hedged fluctuates in value to a degree or in a direction that is not anticipated. In addition, there is the risk that the perceived linkage between various currencies may not be present or may not be present during the particular time that the Fund is engaging in proxy hedging. The Fund may also cross-hedge currencies by entering into forward contracts to sell one or more currencies that are expected to decline in value relative to other currencies to which the Fund has or in which the Fund expects to have portfolio exposure. For example, the Fund may hold both Canadian government bonds and Japanese government bonds, and the Advisor may believe that Canadian dollars will deteriorate against Japanese yen. The Fund would sell Canadian dollars to reduce its exposure to that currency and buy Japanese yen. This strategy would be a hedge against a decline in the value of Canadian dollars, although it would expose the Fund to declines in the value of the Japanese yen relative to the U.S. dollar.

Some of the forward non-U.S. currency contracts entered into by the Fund may be classified as non-deliverable forwards ("NDFs"). NDFs are cash-settled, short-term forward contracts that may be thinly traded or are denominated in non-convertible foreign currency, where the profit or loss at the time at the settlement date is calculated by taking the difference between the agreed upon exchange rate and the spot rate at the time of settlement, for an agreed upon notional amount of funds. All NDFs have a fixing date and a settlement date. The fixing date is the date at which the difference between the prevailing market exchange rate and the agreed upon exchange rate is calculated. The settlement date is the date by which the payment of the difference is due to the party receiving payment. NDFs are commonly quoted for time periods of one month up to two years, and are normally quoted and settled in U.S. dollars. They are often used to gain exposure to and/or hedge exposure to foreign currencies that are not internationally traded.

*Currency Futures Risk*. The Fund may also seek to hedge against the decline in the value of a currency or to enhance returns through use of currency futures or options thereon. Currency futures are similar to forward

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foreign exchange transactions except that futures are standardized, exchange-traded contracts while forward foreign exchange transactions are traded in the OTC market. Currency futures involve substantial currency risk, and also involve leverage risk.

*Currency Options Risk*. The Fund may also seek to hedge against the decline in the value of a currency or to enhance returns through the use of currency options. Currency options are similar to options on securities. For example, in consideration for an option premium the writer of a currency option is obligated to sell (in the case of a call option) or purchase (in the case of a put option) a specified amount of a specified currency on or before the expiration date for a specified amount of another currency. The Fund may engage in transactions in options on currencies either on exchanges or OTC markets. Currency options involve substantial currency risk, and may also involve credit, leverage or liquidity risk.

*Currency Swaps Risk*. The Fund may enter into currency swaps, which are transactions in which one currency is simultaneously bought for a second currency on a spot basis and sold for the second currency on a forward basis. Currency swaps involve the exchange of the rights of the Fund and another party to make or receive payments in specified currencies. Currency swaps usually involve the delivery of the entire principal value of one designated currency in exchange for the other designated currency. Because currency swaps usually involve the delivery of the entire principal value of one designated currency in exchange for the other designated currency, the entire principal value of a currency swap is subject to the risk that the other party to the swap will default on its contractual delivery obligations.

*Over-the-Counter Trading Risk*. The derivative instruments that may be purchased or sold by the Fund may include instruments not traded on an Exchange. The risk of nonperformance by the counterparty to an instrument may be greater than, and the ease with which the Fund can dispose of or enter into closing transactions with respect to an instrument may be less than, the risk associated with an exchange traded instrument. In addition, significant disparities may exist between "bid" and "asked" prices for derivative instruments that are not traded on an Exchange. The absence of liquidity may make it difficult or impossible for the Fund to sell such instruments promptly at an acceptable price. Derivative instruments not traded on exchanges also are not subject to the same type of government regulation as exchange traded instruments, and many of the protections afforded to participants in a regulated environment may not be available in connection with the transactions. Because derivatives traded in OTC markets generally are not guaranteed by an exchange or clearing corporation, to the extent that the Fund has unrealized gains in such instruments or has deposited collateral with its counterparties, the Fund is at risk that its counterparties will become bankrupt or otherwise fail to honor its obligations. Any such failure to honor its obligations may cause significant losses to the Fund.

*Rule 18f-4 Under the Investment Company Act.* Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act permits the Fund to enter into Derivatives Transactions (as defined below) and certain other transactions notwithstanding the restrictions on the issuance of "senior securities" under Section 18 of the Investment Company Act. Section 18 of the Investment Company Act, among other things, prohibits closed-end funds, including the Fund, from issuing or selling any "senior security" representing indebtedness (unless the fund maintains 300% "asset coverage") or any senior security representing stock (unless the fund maintains 200% "asset coverage").

Under Rule 18f-4, "Derivatives Transactions" include the following: (1) any swap, security-based swap (including a contract for differences), futures contract, forward contract, option (excluding purchased options), any combination of the foregoing, or any similar instrument, under which the Fund is or may be required to make any payment or delivery of cash or other assets during the life of the instrument or at maturity or early termination, whether as margin or settlement payment or otherwise; (2) any short sale borrowing; (3) reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions (e.g., recourse and non-recourse tender option bonds, and borrowed bonds), if the Fund elects to treat these transactions as Derivatives Transactions under Rule 18f-4; and (4) when-issued or forward-settling securities (e.g., firm and standby commitments, including to-be-announced ("TBA") commitments, and dollar rolls) and non-standard settlement cycle securities, unless such transactions meet the Delayed-Settlement Securities Provision (as defined in the prospectus under "The Fund's Investments—Portfolio Contents and Techniques—When-Issued Securities, Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments").

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Unless the Fund is relying on the Limited Derivatives User Exception (as defined below), the Fund must comply with Rule 18f-4 with respect to its Derivatives Transactions. Rule 18f-4, among other things, requires the Fund to adopt and implement a comprehensive written derivatives risk management program ("DRMP") and comply with a relative or absolute limit on fund leverage risk calculated based on value-at-risk ("VaR"). The DRMP is administered by a "derivatives risk manager," who is appointed by the Fund's Board of Trustees (the "Board"), including a majority of the Trustees who are not "interested persons" (as defined in the Investment Company Act) (the "Independent Trustees"), and periodically reviews the DRMP and reports to the Board.

Rule 18f-4 provides an exception from the DRMP, VaR limit and certain other requirements if the Fund's "derivatives exposure" is limited to 10% of its net assets (as calculated in accordance with Rule 18f-4) and the Fund adopts and implements written policies and procedures reasonably designed to manage its derivatives risks (the "Limited Derivatives User Exception").

*Dodd-Frank Regulations.* The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act ("Dodd-Frank"), enacted in July 2010, includes provisions that comprehensively regulate the OTC derivatives markets for the first time. While the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC") and other U.S. regulators have adopted many of the required Dodd-Frank regulations, certain regulations have only recently become effective and other regulations remain to be adopted. The full impact of Dodd-Frank on the Fund remains uncertain.

Many OTC derivatives dealers are required to register with the CFTC as "swap dealers" and/or with the SEC as "security-based swap dealers". Registered swap dealers and security-based swap dealers are subject to various regulatory requirements, including, but not limited to, margin, recordkeeping, reporting, transparency, position limits, limitations on conflicts of interest, business conduct standards, minimum capital requirements and other regulatory requirements, which indirectly impact the Fund that enters into transactions with them.

The CFTC requires that certain interest rate swaps and certain credit default swaps must be executed in regulated markets and be submitted for clearing to regulated clearinghouses. The SEC is also expected to impose similar requirements on certain security-based derivatives in the future. OTC derivatives trades submitted for clearing are subject to minimum initial and variation margin requirements set by the relevant clearinghouse, as well as margin requirements mandated by the CFTC, SEC and/or federal prudential regulators. In addition, futures commission merchants ("FCMs"), who act as clearing members on behalf of customers for cleared OTC derivatives and futures contracts, also have discretion to increase the Fund's margin requirements for these transactions beyond any regulatory and clearinghouse minimums subject to any restrictions on such discretion in the documentation between the FCM and the customer. These regulatory requirements may make it more difficult and costly for the Fund to enter into highly tailored or customized transactions, potentially rendering certain investment strategies impossible or not economically feasible. If the Fund decides to execute and clear cleared OTC derivatives and/or futures contracts through execution facilities, exchanges or clearinghouses, either indirectly through an executing broker, clearing member FCM or as a direct member, the Fund would be required to comply with the rules of the execution facility, exchange or clearinghouse and other applicable law.

With respect to cleared OTC derivatives and futures contracts and options on futures, the Fund will not face a clearinghouse directly but rather will do so through a FCM that is registered with the CFTC and/or SEC and that acts as a clearing member. The Fund may face the indirect risk of the failure of another clearing member customer to meet its obligations to its clearing member. Such scenario could arise due to a default by the clearing member on its obligations to the clearinghouse simultaneously with a customer's failure to meet its obligations to the clearing member.

Clearing member FCMs are required to post initial margin to the clearinghouses through which they clear their customers' cleared OTC derivatives and futures contracts, instead of using such initial margin in their businesses, as was widely permitted for OTC derivatives before Dodd-Frank. While an FCM may require its customer to post initial margin in excess of clearinghouse requirements, and certain clearinghouses may share a portion of their earnings on initial margin with their clearing members, some portion of the initial margin that is

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passed through to the clearinghouse does not generate earnings for the FCM. The inability of FCMs to earn the same levels of returns on initial margin for cleared OTC derivatives as they could earn with respect to non-cleared OTC derivatives may cause FCMs to charge higher fees, or provide less favorable pricing on cleared OTC derivatives than swap dealers will provide for non-cleared OTC derivatives. Furthermore, customers, including the Fund, are subject to additional fees payable to FCMs with respect to cleared OTC derivatives, which may raise the cost to the Fund of clearing as compared to trading non-cleared OTC derivatives bilaterally.

With respect to uncleared swaps, registered swap dealers and security-based swap dealers are required to exchange variation margin with the Fund and may be required by applicable regulations to collect (and in some cases exchange) initial margin with the Fund. Both initial and variation margin may be comprised of cash and/or securities, subject to applicable regulatory haircuts and other restrictions. Shares of investment companies (other than certain money market funds) may not be posted as collateral under applicable regulations.

The CFTC, certain foreign regulators, and many futures exchanges have established (and continue to evaluate and monitor) speculative position limits ("position limits") on the maximum speculative position which any person, or group of persons acting in concert, may hold or control in particular contracts. In addition, U.S. federal position limits apply to swaps that are economically equivalent to futures contracts on certain agricultural, metals and energy commodities. All positions owned or controlled by the same person or entity, even if in different accounts, must be aggregated for purposes of complying with the speculative limits. Thus, even if the Fund does not intend to exceed applicable position limits, it is possible that different clients managed by the Advisor and its affiliates may be aggregated for this purpose. Therefore, the trading decisions of the Advisor may have to be modified and positions held by the Fund liquidated in order to avoid exceeding such limits. The modification of investment decisions or the elimination of open positions, if it occurs, may adversely affect the profitability of the Fund. A violation of position limits could also lead to regulatory action materially adverse to the Fund's investment strategy. The Fund may also be affected by other regimes, including those of the European Union and United Kingdom, and trading venues that impose position limits on commodity derivative contracts.

*Additional Regulation of Derivatives.* Regulatory bodies outside the U.S. have also passed, proposed, or may propose in the future, legislation similar to Dodd-Frank or other legislation that could increase the costs of participating in, or otherwise adversely impact the liquidity of, participating in the commodities markets. For example, the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 648/2012) ("EMIR") introduced certain requirements in respect of OTC derivatives including:(i) the mandatory clearing of OTC derivative contracts declared subject to the clearing obligation; (ii) risk mitigation techniques in respect of uncleared OTC derivative contracts, including the mandatory margining of uncleared OTC derivative contracts; and (iii) reporting and recordkeeping requirements in respect of all derivatives contracts. By way of further example, the European Union Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Directive 2014/65/EU) and Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 600/2014) (together "MiFID II"), which have applied since January 3, 2018, govern the provision of investment services and activities in relation to, as well as the organized trading of, financial instruments such as shares, bonds, units in collective investment schemes and derivatives. In particular, MiFID II requires European Union Member States to apply position limits to the size of a net position a person can hold at any time in commodity derivatives traded on European Union trading venues and in "economically equivalent" OTC contracts. If the requirements of EMIR and MiFID II apply, the cost of derivatives transactions is expected to increase.

In addition, regulations adopted by global prudential regulators require certain prudentially regulated entities and certain of their affiliates and subsidiaries (including swap dealers) to include in their derivatives contracts and certain other financial contracts, terms that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties (such as the Fund) to terminate such contracts, foreclose upon collateral, exercise other default rights or restrict transfers of credit support in the event that the prudentially regulated entity and/or its affiliates are subject to certain types of resolution or insolvency proceedings. Similar regulations and laws have been adopted in non-U.S. jurisdictions that may apply to the Fund's counterparties located in those jurisdictions. In particular, in the United Kingdom and the European Union, governmental authorities could reduce, eliminate or convert to equity the liabilities to a

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Fund of a counterparty experiencing financial difficulties (sometimes referred to as a "bail in"). It is possible that these requirements, as well as potential additional related government regulation, could adversely affect the Fund's ability to terminate existing derivatives contracts, exercise default rights or satisfy obligations owed to it with collateral received under such contracts.

#### Merger or Other Event Driven Arbitrage Strategies
The Fund may invest in companies involved in (or which are the target of) acquisition attempts or takeover or tender offers or mergers or companies involved in work-outs, liquidations, demergers, spin-offs, reorganizations, bankruptcies, share buy-backs and other capital market transactions or "special situations." The level of analytical sophistication, both financial and legal, necessary for a successful investment in companies experiencing significant business and financial distress is unusually high. There is no assurance that the Advisor will correctly evaluate the nature and magnitude of the various factors that could, for example, affect the prospects for a successful reorganization or similar action. There exists the risk that the transaction in which such business enterprise is involved either will be unsuccessful, take considerable time or will result in a distribution of cash or a new security the value of which will be less than the purchase price of the security or other financial instrument in respect of which such distribution is received. Acquisitions sometimes fail because the U.S. government, European Union or some other governmental entity does not approve of aspects of a transaction due to anti-trust concerns, tax reasons, subsequent disagreements between the acquirer and target as to management transition or corporate governance matters or changing market conditions. Similarly, if an anticipated transaction does not in fact occur, or takes more time than anticipated, the Fund may be required to sell its investment at a loss. As there may be uncertainty concerning the outcome of transactions involving financially troubled companies in which the Fund may invest, there is potential risk of loss by the Fund of its entire investment in such companies. In some circumstances, investments may be relatively illiquid making it difficult to acquire or dispose of them at the prices quoted on the various exchanges. Accordingly, the Fund's ability to respond to market movements may be impaired and consequently the Fund may experience adverse price movements upon liquidation of its investments. Settlement of transactions may be subject to delay and administrative uncertainties. An investment in securities of a company involved in bankruptcy or other reorganization and liquidation proceedings ordinarily remains unpaid unless and until such company successfully reorganizes and/or emerges from bankruptcy, and the Fund may suffer a significant or total loss on any such investment during the relevant proceedings.

Investing in securities of companies in a special situation or otherwise in distress requires active monitoring of such companies and may, at times, require active participation by the Fund (including by way of board membership or corporate governance oversight) in the management or in the bankruptcy or reorganization proceedings of such companies. Such involvement may restrict the Fund's ability to trade in the securities of such companies. It may also prevent the Fund from focusing on matters relating to other existing investments or potential future investments of the Fund. In addition, as a result of its activities, the Fund may incur additional legal or other expenses, including, but not limited to, costs associated with conducting proxy contests, public filings, litigation expenses and indemnification payments to the investment manager or persons serving at the investment manager's request on the boards of directors of companies in which the Fund has an interest. It should also be noted that any such board representatives have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of all shareholders, and not simply the Fund, and thus may be obligated at times to act in a manner that is adverse to the Fund's interests. The occurrence of any of the above events may have a material adverse effect on the performance of the Fund.

#### Mortgage Servicing Rights Risk
*MSR Investment Strategy; Dependence on the Mortgage Market*. The Fund may make investments related to MSRs, although there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to locate, consummate and exit such investments. To the extent the Fund makes investments related to MSRs, the Fund's performance may be closely tied to economic and market conditions affecting mortgages and entities operating, directly or indirectly, in, or otherwise related to, the mortgage market, including sensitivity to regulatory changes, supply and demand in the mortgage market and sensitivity to overall market forecasts and swings.

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*Risk of Defaults and Delinquencies in the Mortgage Market*. The mortgage market in the United States has experienced and may continue to experience a variety of difficulties and challenging economic conditions. Deterioration of the U.S. mortgage market and declines in real estate prices could result in increased delinquencies or defaults on the mortgage loans underlying MSRs held by the Fund or require the Fund to make advances in respect of such delinquencies or defaults that may not be recovered. An increase in defaults and delinquencies or unrecovered advances could reduce MSR cash flows, which would have a material adverse effect on the value of the Fund's investments.

*Competitive MSR Market; No Servicing Platform*. In acquiring MSRs, the Fund may compete with independent mortgage loan servicers, private equity firms, hedge funds and other large financial services companies. These competitors may be significantly larger, have access to greater capital and other resources and may have other advantages over the Fund. Some competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different risk assessments, which could lead them to offer higher prices than the Fund for the assets. In addition, pooling and servicing agreements may require approval or consent of third parties to transfer MSRs to purchasers. Other potential MSR purchasers may be more attractive to sellers if the sellers believe that they can obtain any necessary third party approvals and consents to transfer their MSRs more easily. Even if other potential purchasers are not viewed by sellers as being more attractive, sellers may request a higher purchase price from the Fund if it is not able to obtain necessary approvals and consents prior to the completion of the sale of MSRs. As a result, the ability of the Fund to acquire MSRs may be adversely affected, or the availability of MSRs or the types of MSRs that the Fund seeks to acquire may be limited. Moreover, the Fund does not intend to build a mortgage servicing platform. As a result, the Fund may not be an attractive buyer for those sellers of MSRs that prefer to sell MSRs and their mortgage servicing platform together in a transaction.

*Accurate Evaluation of MSRs Affected by Assumptions*. In evaluating MSRs as potential investments, a number of assumptions may be made, including regarding rates of prepayment and repayment of the underlying mortgage loans, projected rates of delinquencies and defaults, future interest rates and cash flows. Another assumption that may be made in considering the value of an MSR is the expected prepayment speed (i.e., how quickly borrowers pay down the unpaid principal balance of their loans or how quickly loans are otherwise brought current, modified, liquidated or charged off). The use of different estimates or assumptions could produce materially different values for Fund assets, and there may be material uncertainty about the fair value of such assets. If any assumptions regarding the MSRs are inaccurate or the basis for such assumptions change, the prices the Fund pays to acquire MSRs may prove to be too high, resulting in lower than expected profitability or in losses.

*Dependency on Servicers*. The Fund will not have and in the future does not expect to have the employees, servicing platforms or technical resources necessary to service the underlying loans. Success of the Fund's investments could depend on the operations of mortgage servicers. A default by a servicer relating to its obligations under any pooling and servicing agreement or the failure of any servicer to perform its obligations related to any of the Fund's MSRs could result in a servicer termination event or event of default, which may adversely affect any associated MSRs. Such events of default may include, without limitation, the failure to comply with applicable laws and regulation, failure to perform loss mitigation obligations, a downgrade in servicer rating, failure to perform adequately in external audits, failure in operational systems or infrastructure and regulatory scrutiny regarding the foreclosure processes that may lengthen foreclosure timelines.

In addition, servicers may be terminated in the absence of default or failure to perform. For example, servicers of obligations relating to mortgages originated by Federal Housing Finance Agency enterprises (such as Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae) generally may be replaced for any reason or for no reason. In addition, servicers of obligations relating to mortgages originated by private enterprises may also be terminated for various other reasons, including by a trustee of a trust established in connection with the relevant MSR.

In addition, the Fund's rights may be affected by the bankruptcy of a servicer, which could have adverse consequences to the Fund, including, without limitation, challenges to the validity and/or priority of the Fund's ownership in the related MSR, payments by the servicer to the Fund being voided by a court, recharacterization of the sale of the related MSR as a pledge of assets in a bankruptcy proceeding or the rejection of the agreement of purchase and sale of the related MSR.

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If the servicer with respect to an MSR held by the Fund is terminated, replaced or declares bankruptcy, the Fund could lose the full value of its investments in the related MSR. Such losses may be significant.

*Legal Proceedings Involving Servicers*. The mortgage loan servicing industry may be litigious, and mortgage servicers could be subject to allegations of illegality in connection with their operations or business practices, including lawsuits related to billing and collections practices, modification protocols or foreclosure practices. Holders of MSRs may face the risk that they could be added as a defendant or investigated in actions or lawsuits that relate to servicing of mortgage loans. Defending the Fund against lawsuits or adverse legal judgments may involve significant legal fees, settlement costs, damages, penalties or other charges, or may require remedial actions pursuant to orders or court-issued injunctions, any of which could adversely affect the performance of the Fund's investments.

*Failure of Servicers' Operational Systems, Information Technology and Security Infrastructure*. The performance of MSRs may be dependent on the servicers' ability to process and monitor a large number of transactions, many of which may be complex and across diverse real estate markets. Servicers' financial, accounting, data processing, security or other operating systems and facilities may fail to operate properly or may become disabled as a result of any number of events, adversely affecting their ability to process these transactions. Given the volume of transactions servicers may be expected to process and monitor, certain errors may be repeated or compounded before they are discovered and rectified. If one or more of any such events occurs, the servicer's ability to monitor and collect mortgage payments may be adversely affected.

*Impact of Federal, State and Local Regulations, Licensing and Scrutiny on Mortgage Servicers and MSRs*. The servicing of mortgage loans is subject to extensive federal, state and local laws, regulations and administrative decisions. The volume of new or modified laws and regulations has increased in recent years and may continue to increase. The mortgage market may become subject to new or more restrictive requirements, including licensing and other regulations. Any of these outcomes may adversely affect the financial condition of the mortgage market and the performance of MSRs. Furthermore, various state banking regulators and attorneys general have initiated inquiries into banks and servicers regarding compliance with legal procedures in connection with mortgage foreclosures. Governmental bodies also may impose regulatory fines or penalties as a result of servicers' foreclosure processes or impose additional requirements or restrictions on such activities. In connection with governmental scrutiny of foreclosure processes and practices in the industry, certain government officials have called for a temporary moratorium on mortgage foreclosures. If implemented, such moratoria or other action by federal, state or municipal government bodies, regulators or courts could increase the length of time or difficulty involved in completing the foreclosure process, which could prevent the collection of cash flows until the foreclosure has been resolved. In general, these regulatory developments with respect to foreclosure practices could negatively affect the liquidity and profitability of MSRs. In addition, the implementation of governmental refinancing or principal write-down programs could result in an increase in prepayment speeds and negatively affect performance results of MSRs. The Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) or other industry stakeholders or regulators also may implement or require changes in current mortgage servicing practices and compensation, which may have a material adverse effect on the creation of new MSRs or the economics or performance of any MSRs that the Fund may acquire.

*Tax Risks Associated with MSRs*. Under guidance issued by the IRS, the cash flows from an MSR may generate two different types of income. Ordinarily, Normal MSR receipts are treated as compensation for services, which would generally be non-qualifying income for purposes of the RIC income tests and may be subject to full U.S. taxation in the hands of a foreign taxpayer such as a foreign subsidiary. An Excess MSR receipt, whether held by the servicer or another taxpayer, is generally treated as constituting interest-only strips and generally should be treated as "stripped coupons" within the meaning of Section 1286(e)(3) of the Code. Certain tax elections may affect the relative amounts of Normal MSRs and Excess MSRs.

Among other tax risks, the treatment of an investor in MSRs will depend on whether MSR cash flows have been properly allocated between Normal MSRs and Excess MSRs. Because of the tax treatment of Normal

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MSRs, they may need to be held through a U.S. corporate subsidiary that is taxable at regular corporate rates. Excess MSRs, however, if properly structured, may ordinarily be held by the Fund or a foreign subsidiary, thereby avoiding the tax costs of a taxable U.S. corporate subsidiary.

#### Whole Loan Mortgages Risk
The Fund directly or indirectly may invest in whole loan mortgages. Unlike MBS, whole loan mortgages generally are not government guaranteed or privately insured, though in some cases they may benefit from private mortgage insurance. A whole loan mortgage is directly exposed to losses resulting from default and foreclosure. Therefore, the value of the underlying property, the creditworthiness and financial position of the borrower, and the priority and enforceability of the lien are each of great importance. Whether or not the Advisor or its affiliates have participated in the negotiation of the terms of any such mortgages, there can be no assurance as to the adequacy of the protection of the terms of the loan, including the validity or enforceability of the loan and the maintenance of the anticipated priority and perfection of the applicable security interests. Furthermore, claims may be asserted that might interfere with enforcement of the rights of the Fund. In the event of a foreclosure, the Fund may assume direct ownership of the underlying real estate. The liquidation proceeds upon sale of such real estate may not be sufficient to recover the Fund's cost basis in the loan, resulting in a loss to the Fund. Any costs or delays involved in the effectuation of a foreclosure of the loan or a liquidation of the underlying property will further reduce the proceeds and thus increase the loss.

Whole loan mortgages have risks above and beyond those discussed above. For example, whole loan mortgages are subject to "special hazard" risk (property damage caused by hazards, such as earthquakes or environmental hazards, not covered by standard property insurance policies) and to bankruptcy risk (reduction in a borrower's mortgage debt by a bankruptcy court). In addition, claims may be assessed against the Fund on account of its position as mortgage holder or property owner, including responsibility for tax payments, environmental hazards and other liabilities.

#### Special Commercial and Residential Mortgage Loan Risks
The Fund directly or indirectly may invest in performing, sub-performing and non-performing mortgage loans. Such investments would subject the Fund to the risks of commercial and residential real estate and real estate-related investments. These risks include, among others: (i) continued declines in the value of commercial and residential real estate; (ii) risks related to general and local economic conditions; (iii) possible lack of availability of mortgage funds for borrowers to refinance or sell their property; (iv) overbuilding; (v) the general deterioration of the borrower's ability to keep a rehabilitated sub-performing or non-performing mortgage loan current; (vi) increases in property taxes and operating expenses; (vii) changes in zoning laws; (viii) costs resulting from the clean-up of, and liability to third parties for damages resulting from, environmental problems; (ix) casualty or condemnation losses; (x) uninsured damages from floods, earthquakes or other natural disasters; (xi) limitations on and variations in rents; (xii) fluctuations in interest rates; and (xiii) fraud by borrowers, originators and/or sellers of mortgage loans. To the extent that assets underlying such investments are concentrated geographically, by property type or in certain other respects, the Fund may be subject to certain of the foregoing risks to a greater extent. Additionally, the Fund may be required to foreclose distressed mortgage loans and such actions would subject the Fund to greater concentration of the risks of the commercial and residential real estate markets and risks related to the ownership and management of real property.

The mortgage loans and loan portfolios to which the Fund may have direct or indirect exposure generally will have been originated by third parties. There is a risk that the underlying mortgage loan documentation and calculations of outstanding principal, interest, late fees and other amounts will be deficient and/or inaccurate and that the Fund will not detect such deficiencies and inaccuracies prior to gaining such economic exposure. Accordingly, such loans or loan portfolios may be compromised, reducing the value of any investment therein by the Fund.

The borrowers under distressed mortgage loans may have a variety of rights to contest the enforceability of the mortgage loan and prevent or significantly delay and increase the cost of any foreclosure action, including, without limitation, allegations regarding fraud in the inducement by the original lender or broker, failure of the

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lender to produce the original documentation, improper recordation of the mortgage, various theories of lender liability, and relief through the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and similar state laws providing debtor relief.

Of paramount concern when investing in loans secured by real estate is the possibility of material misrepresentation or omission on the part of the borrower or seller. The actual home owner may not be responsible for such fraudulent residential mortgage loans. Such fraudulent mortgage loans may not be identified as such due to internal control weaknesses and failure of the loan originator or intermediary to be advised of such claims. Such mortgage loans could be acquired by the Fund despite the exercise of prudent due diligence. Any inaccuracy or incompleteness on the part of the borrower or seller may adversely affect the valuation of the real estate underlying the loans or may adversely affect the ability of the Fund to perfect or effectuate a lien on the real estate or other collateral securing the loan. Under certain circumstances, payments to the Fund may be reclaimed if such payment or distribution is later determined to have been a fraudulent conveyance or a preferential payment.

#### Risk of Decline in Value of Real Estate Collateral
The value of the real estate that underlies mortgage loans is subject to market conditions. Changes in the real estate market may adversely affect the value of the collateral and thereby lower the value to be derived from a liquidation. In addition, adverse changes in the real estate market increase the risk of default, as the incentive of the borrower to retain and protect equity in the property declines. Furthermore, many of the properties that may secure loans to which the Fund has direct or indirect economic exposure may be suffering varying degrees of financial distress or may be located in economically distressed areas. During the financial crisis of 2007-2009, there was a substantial decline in the value of housing in many markets in the United States. It is possible that real estate values could again decline for a substantial period. Loans to which the Fund may have direct or indirect economic exposure may become non-performing for a wide variety of reasons, including, without limitation, because the mortgaged property is too highly leveraged (and, therefore, the borrower is unable to meet debt service payments), the borrower falls upon financial distress (such as from job loss or income reduction, or the reset of interest rates on the mortgage itself, which reduces the borrower's ability to pay) or the property is in a market which has suffered a decline in home prices (and therefore, a borrower has a reduced willingness to pay). Such non-performing loans may require a substantial amount of workout negotiations and/or restructuring, which may entail, among other things, a substantial reduction in the interest rate, capitalization of interest payments and a substantial write-down of the principal of the loan. However, even if such restructuring were successfully accomplished, a risk exists that the borrower will not be able or willing to maintain the restructured payments or refinance the restructured mortgage upon maturity.

It is possible that the Fund may find it necessary or desirable to foreclose on some of the loans it acquires. The foreclosure process may be lengthy and expensive. Borrowers may resist mortgage foreclosure actions by asserting numerous claims, counterclaims and defenses against the Fund, including, without limitation, numerous lender liability claims and defenses, even when such assertions may have no basis in fact, in an effort to prolong the foreclosure action and force the lender into a modification of the loan or a favorable buy-out of the borrower's position. In some states, foreclosure actions can sometimes take several years or more to litigate. At any time prior to or during the foreclosure proceedings, the borrower may file for bankruptcy, which would have the effect of staying the foreclosure actions and further delaying the foreclosure process. Foreclosure may create a negative public image of the mortgaged property and may result in a diminution of value.

The default rate for residential mortgage rates may increase due in large part to borrowers' inability or unwillingness to carry the mortgage loan on a current basis, increased mortgage loan carrying costs resulting from resets of adjustable rate mortgages and increases in taxes and insurance, the inability of borrowers to refinance mortgage loans and general factors that reduce the ability of the borrower to pay its mortgage loan obligations, including loss of employment, increased cost of living and unexpected significant bills such as healthcare-related expenses. Lenders may exercise their foreclosure rights that will further decrease the value of the residential real estate as foreclosure sales are often at lower prices than sales in the ordinary course. Such conditions could further decrease the value of the residential real estate. The Fund could face increased default

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rates on sub-performing and non-performing mortgage loans to which it has direct or indirect economic exposure, including loans that were modified with the expectation that they would be re-performing loans.

#### Environmental Hazards
Under applicable environmental laws, owners of property may be liable for the cleanup and removal of hazardous substances even where the owner was not responsible for placing the hazardous substances on the property or where the property was contaminated prior to the time the owner took title. The kinds of hazardous substances for which liability may be incurred include, among others, chemicals and other materials commonly used by small businesses and manufacturing operations. The costs of removal and clean-up of hazardous substances and wastes can be extremely expensive and, in some cases, can exceed the value of a property. If any property acquired by the Fund through foreclosure or otherwise subsequently were found to have an environmental problem, the Fund could incur substantial costs and suffer a complete loss of its investment in such property as well as of other assets. Similarly, real estate is subject to loss due to so-called "special hazards" (e.g., floods, earthquakes and hurricanes). It may be impractical or impossible to fully insure against such events and, should such an event occur, the Fund could incur substantial costs and suffer a complete loss of its investment in such property.

#### Mortgage-Related Issuers
The Fund may invest in mortgage servicers, originators and other mortgage-related issuers, including acquiring all or substantially all of the equity of a mortgage origination business. There can be no assurance that any such investments will be made or, if made, that they will be profitable.

Because investments in mortgage-related issuers are relatively illiquid, the Fund's ability to promptly sell one or more related investments in response to changing economic, financial and investment conditions is limited. The mortgage and real estate market is affected by many factors, such as general economic conditions, availability of financing, interest rates and other factors, including supply and demand, that are beyond the Fund's control. The Fund cannot predict whether it will be able to sell any investment in a mortgage-related issuer, including a mortgage originator or servicer, for the price or on the terms set by the Fund or whether any price or other terms offered by a prospective purchaser would be acceptable to the Fund. The Fund also cannot predict the length of time needed to find a willing and suitable purchaser.

#### Special Purpose Acquisition Companies.
The Fund may invest in stock, warrants, rights and other interests issued by special purpose acquisition companies ("SPACs") or similar special purpose entities that pool funds to seek potential acquisition opportunities, including the "founder's" shares and warrants described below. A SPAC is a publicly traded company that raises investment capital via an IPO for the purpose of identifying and acquiring one or more operating businesses or assets. In connection with forming a SPAC, the SPAC's sponsors acquire "founder's" shares, generally for nominal consideration, and warrants that will result in the sponsors owning a specified percentage (typically 20%) of the SPAC's outstanding common stock upon completion of the IPO. At the time a SPAC conducts an IPO, it has selected a management team but has not yet identified a specific acquisition opportunity. Unless and until an acquisition is completed, a SPAC generally invests its assets in U.S. Government securities, money market securities and cash. If an acquisition that meets the requirements for the SPAC is not completed within a pre-established period of time, the invested funds are returned to the SPAC's public shareholders, the warrants expire, and the "founder's" shares and such warrants become worthless. Because SPACs and similar entities are in essence "blank check" companies without operating histories or ongoing business operations (other than identifying and pursuing acquisitions), the potential for the long term capital appreciation of their securities is particularly dependent on the ability of the SPAC's management to identify and complete a profitable acquisition. There is no guarantee that the SPACs in which the Fund invests will complete an acquisition or that any acquisitions completed by the SPACs in which the Fund invests will be

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profitable. Some SPACs may pursue acquisitions only within certain industries or regions, which may ultimately lead to an increase in the volatility of their prices following the acquisition. In addition, some of these securities may be considered illiquid and/or subject to restrictions on resale.

#### MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND

#### Investment Management Agreement
Although the Advisor intends to devote such time and effort to the business of the Fund as is reasonably necessary to perform its duties to the Fund, the services of the Advisor are not exclusive and the Advisor provides similar services to other investment companies and other clients and may engage in other activities.

The investment management agreement between the Advisor and the Fund (the "Investment Management Agreement") also provides that in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its obligations thereunder, the Advisor is not liable to the Fund or any of the Fund's shareholders for any act or omission by the Advisor in the supervision or management of its respective investment activities or for any loss sustained by the Fund or the Fund's shareholders and provides for indemnification by the Fund of the Advisor, its directors, officers, employees, agents and control persons for liabilities incurred by them in connection with their services to the Fund, subject to certain limitations and conditions.

The Investment Management Agreement provides that the Advisor receives an annual fee, payable monthly, in an amount equal to 1.00% of the average daily value of the Fund's Managed Assets.

The Fund and the Advisor have entered into an advisory fee waiver agreement (the "Advisory Fee Waiver Agreement"), pursuant to which the Advisor has contractually agreed, effective as of December 1, 2025, to waive the entirety of its management fee otherwise payable by the Fund through June 30, 2026. The agreement may be terminated upon 90 days' notice by a majority of the Independent Trustees or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. Any amounts waived pursuant to the Advisory Fee Waiver Agreement are inclusive of fees waived pursuant to the Fee Waiver Agreement discussed below.

The Fund and the Advisor have also entered into a fee waiver agreement (the "Fee Waiver Agreement"), pursuant to which the Advisor has contractually agreed to waive the management fee with respect to any portion of the Fund's assets attributable to investments in any equity and fixed-income mutual funds and exchange-traded funds managed by the Advisor or its affiliates and other exchange-traded products sponsored by the Advisor or its affiliates, in each case that have a contractual fee, through June 30, 2027. In addition, pursuant to the Fee Waiver Agreement, the Advisor has contractually agreed to waive its management fees by the amount of investment advisory fees the Fund pays to the Advisor indirectly through its investment in money market funds advised by the Advisor or its affiliates, through June 30, 2027. The Fee Waiver Agreement may be continued from year to year thereafter, provided that such continuance is specifically approved by the Advisor and the Fund (including by a majority of the Fund's Independent Trustees). Neither the Advisor nor the Fund is obligated to extend the Fee Waiver Agreement. The Fee Waiver Agreement may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, only by the Fund (upon the vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees of the Fund or a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund), upon 90 days' written notice by the Fund to the Advisor.

Pursuant to an Amended and Restated Expense Limitation Agreement between the Fund and the Advisor (the "Expense Agreement"), the Advisor has agreed to waive and/or reimburse certain operating and other expenses of the Fund in order to limit certain expenses to 0.50% of the Fund's average daily value of the net assets of each share class. Subject to the terms of the Expense Agreement, expenses borne by the Advisor in the prior two fiscal years of the Fund are subject to recoupment by the Advisor. Such recoupment arrangement terminated on March 1, 2026. The Expense Agreement continues from year to year if approved by a majority of the Fund's Independent Trustees. The current term of the Expense Agreement expires on June 30, 2027. Expenses covered by the Expense Cap include all of the Fund's expenses other than those expressly excluded by

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the Expense Cap. Expenses covered by the Expense Cap include, without limitation, custodial, accounting and administrative services (e.g., expenses incurred in connection with: reconciling cash and investment balances with the Fund's custodian; calculating contractual expenses, including management fees; determining net income; arranging for the computation of the Fund's NAV; preparing the Fund's Statement of Assets and Liabilities, Statement of Operations and Statements of Changes in Net Assets; preparing the Fund's annual and semi-annual reports; receiving and tabulating proxies; maintaining the register of shareholders, including any transfer or repurchase of common shares; arranging for the calculation of the issue and repurchase price of Shares; preparing repurchase offer notices and performing all work associated with repurchase offers; allocating income, expenses, gains and losses; issuing reports and transaction statements to Fund shareholders), any ongoing organizational expenses, and all initial and ongoing offering expenses (other than any applicable sales load). Expenses excluded from the Expense Cap are limited to (i) the investment advisory fee; (ii) interest expense and other financing costs, if any; (iii) portfolio transaction and other investment-related costs (including acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage commissions, dealer and underwriter spreads, commitment fees on leverage facilities, prime broker fees and expenses and dividend expenses related to short sales); (iv) taxes; (v) any other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund's business (including, without limitation, litigation expenses); and (vi) if applicable, an ongoing Distribution and Servicing Fee).

The Investment Management Agreement was approved by the sole common shareholder of the Fund as of November 15, 2018. The Investment Management Agreement will continue in effect for a period of two years from its effective date, and if not sooner terminated, will continue in effect for successive periods of 12 months thereafter, provided that each continuance is specifically approved at least annually by both (1) the vote of a majority of the Board or the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund (as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act) and (2) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to the Investment Management Agreement or "interested persons" (as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act) of any such party, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Investment Management Agreement may be terminated as a whole at any time by the Fund, without the payment of any penalty, upon the vote of a majority of the Board or a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund or by the Advisor, on 60 days' written notice by either party to the other which can be waived by the non-terminating party. The Investment Management Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its "assignment" (as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act and the rules thereunder).

A discussion regarding the basis for the approval of the Investment Management Agreement by the Board is available in the Fund's Semi-Annual Report to shareholders for the fiscal period ended June 30, 2025.

The table below sets forth information about the total management fees paid by the Fund to the Advisor (which includes amounts paid by the Advisor to the Sub-Advisors), and the amounts waived and/or reimbursed by the Advisor, for the periods indicated:

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| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  | **Paid to the Advisor** | **Waived by the Advisor** | **Reimbursed by the Advisor** |
|  Fiscal Year Ended <br>December 31, 2025 | $6245332 | $550570 | $30007 |
|  Fiscal Year Ended <br>December 31, 2024 | $5670708 | $29122 | $12821 |
|  Fiscal Year Ended <br>December 31, 2023 | $4642918 | $20083 | $0 |

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#### Sub-Investment Advisory Agreements
BlackRock International Limited, BlackRock (Singapore) Limited and BlackRock Capital Investment Advisors, LLC, each an indirect, majority-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, perform certain of the day-to-day investment management of the Fund pursuant to separate sub-investment advisory agreements.

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The Advisor, and not the Fund, pays an annual sub-advisory fee to each Sub-Advisor equal to a percentage of the management fee received by the Advisor from the Fund with respect to the average daily value of the Fund's Managed Assets allocated to the applicable Sub-Advisor. As of December 1, 2025, the Advisor allocates all or substantially all of the Fund's Managed Assets to BCIA for management.

Each sub-investment advisory agreement provides that, in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its obligations thereunder, the Fund will indemnify the applicable Sub-Advisor, its directors, officers, employees, agents, associates and control persons for liabilities incurred by them in connection with their services to the Fund, subject to certain limitations.

Although each Sub-Advisor intends to devote such time and effort to the business of the Fund as is reasonably necessary to perform its duties to the Fund, the services of each Sub-Advisor are not exclusive and each Sub-Advisor provides similar services to other investment companies and other clients and may engage in other activities.

Each sub-investment advisory agreement will continue in effect for a period of two years from its effective date, and if not sooner terminated, will continue in effect for successive periods of 12 months thereafter, provided that each continuance is specifically approved at least annually by both (1) the vote of a majority of the Board or the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund (as defined in the Investment Company Act) and (2) by the vote of a majority of the trustees who are not parties to such agreement or interested persons (as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act) of any such party, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. Each sub-investment advisory agreement may be terminated as a whole at any time by the Fund without the payment of any penalty, upon the vote of a majority of the Board or a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund or by the Advisor or the respective Sub-Advisor, on 60 days' written notice by either party to the other. The sub-investment advisory agreements will also terminate automatically in the event of their assignment (as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act and the rules thereunder).

A discussion regarding the basis for the approval of the sub-investment advisory agreements with BCIA, BIL and BSL by the Board is available in the Fund's Semi-Annual Report to shareholders for the fiscal period ended June 30, 2025.

#### Administration and Accounting Services Agreement
State Street Bank and Trust Company ("State Street") provides certain administration and accounting services to the Fund pursuant to an Administration and Accounting Services Agreement. The table below shows the amounts paid to State Street for such services for the periods indicated:

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| | |
|:---|:---|
|  | **Paid to State Street** |
|  Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2025 | $105150 |
|  Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2024 | $92931 |
|  Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2023 | $80060 |

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#### Information on Trustees and Officers
The Board consists of four individuals, three of whom are Independent Trustees. The registered investment companies advised by the Advisor or its affiliates (the "BlackRock-advised Funds") are organized into the BlackRock Multi-Asset Complex, the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex, and the iShares Complex (each, a "BlackRock Fund Complex"). The Fund is included in the BlackRock Fund Complex referred to as the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex. The Trustees also oversee as board members the operations of the other open-end and closed-end registered investment companies included in the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex.

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The Board has overall responsibility for the oversight of the Fund. The Chair of the Board and the Chief Executive Officer are different people. Not only is the Chair of the Board an Independent Trustee, but also the Chair of each Board committee (each, a "Committee") is an Independent Trustee. The Board has five standing Committees: an Audit Committee, a Governance and Nominating Committee, a Compliance Committee, a Performance Oversight Committee and a Securities Lending Committee. The role of the Chair of the Board is to preside over all meetings of the Board and to act as a liaison with service providers, officers, attorneys, and other Trustees between meetings. The Chair of each Committee performs a similar role with respect to the Committee. The Chair of the Board or Chair of a Committee may also perform such other functions as may be delegated by the Board or the Committee from time to time. The Independent Trustees meet regularly outside the presence of the Fund's management, in executive sessions or with other service providers to the Fund. The Board has regular meetings five times a year, including a meeting to consider the approval of the Fund's investment management agreement, and, if necessary, may hold special meetings before its next regular meeting. Each Committee meets regularly to conduct the oversight functions delegated to that Committee by the Board and reports its findings to the Board. The Board and each standing Committee conduct annual assessments of their oversight function and structure. The Board has determined that the Board's leadership structure is appropriate because it allows the Board to exercise independent judgment over management and to allocate areas of responsibility among Committees and the Board to enhance oversight.

The Board decided to separate the roles of Chief Executive Officer from the Chair because it believes that having an independent Chair:

• increases the independent oversight of the Fund and enhances the Board's objective evaluation of the Chief Executive Officer;

• allows the Chief Executive Officer to focus on the Fund's operations instead of Board administration;

• provides greater opportunities for direct and independent communication between shareholders and the Board; and

• provides an independent spokesman for the Fund.

The Board has engaged the Advisor to manage the Fund on a day-to-day basis. The Board is responsible for overseeing the Advisor, Sub-Advisors, other service providers, the operations of the Fund and associated risks in accordance with the provisions of the Investment Company Act, state law, other applicable laws, the Fund's charter, and the Fund's investment objective and strategies. The Board reviews, on an ongoing basis, the Fund's performance, operations, and investment strategies and techniques. The Board also conducts reviews of the Advisor and its role in running the operations of the Fund.

Day-to-day risk management with respect to the Fund is the responsibility of the Advisor, Sub-Advisors or other service providers (depending on the nature of the risk), subject to the supervision of the Advisor. The Fund is subject to a number of risks, including investment, compliance, operational and valuation risks, among others. While there are a number of risk management functions performed by the Advisor, Sub-Advisors or other service providers, as applicable, it is not possible to eliminate all of the risks applicable to the Fund. Risk oversight is part of the Board's general oversight of the Fund and is addressed as part of various Board and Committee activities. The Board, directly or through Committees, also reviews reports from, among others, management, the independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund, the Advisor, Sub-Advisors, and internal auditors for the Advisor or its affiliates, as appropriate, regarding risks faced by the Fund and management's or the service provider's risk functions. The Committee system facilitates the timely and efficient consideration of matters by the Trustees and facilitates effective oversight of compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and of the Fund's activities and associated risks. The Board has approved the appointment of a Chief Compliance Officer ("CCO"), who oversees the implementation and testing of the Fund's compliance program and reports regularly to the Board regarding compliance matters for the Fund and its service providers. The Independent Trustees have engaged independent legal counsel to assist them in performing their oversight responsibilities.

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*Audit Committee*. The Board has a standing Audit Committee composed of Arthur P. Steinmetz (Chair), who is an Independent Trustee. The principal responsibilities of the Audit Committee are to assist the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities relating to the accounting and financial reporting policies and practices of the Fund. The Audit Committee's responsibilities include, without limitation: (i) approving, and recommending to the full Board for approval, the selection, retention, termination and compensation of the Fund's independent registered public accounting firm (the "Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm") and evaluating the independence and objectivity of the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm; (ii) approving all audit engagement terms and fees for the Fund; (iii) reviewing the conduct and results of each audit; (iv) reviewing any issues raised by the Fund's Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm or management regarding the accounting or financial reporting policies and practices of the Fund, its internal controls, and, as appropriate, the internal controls of certain service providers and management's response to any such issues; (v) reviewing and discussing the Fund's audited and unaudited financial statements and disclosure in the Fund's shareholder reports relating to the Fund's performance; (vi) assisting the Board's responsibilities with respect to the internal controls of the Fund and its service providers with respect to accounting and financial matters; and (vii) resolving any disagreements between the Fund's management and the Fund's Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm regarding financial reporting. The Board has adopted a written charter for the Board's Audit Committee. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, the Audit Committee met four times.

*Governance and Nominating Committee*. The Board has a standing Governance and Nominating Committee composed of W. Carl Kester (Chair), and Cynthia L. Egan, all of whom are Independent Trustees. The principal responsibilities of the Governance and Nominating Committee are: (i) identifying individuals qualified to serve as Independent Trustees and recommending Board nominees that are not "interested persons" of the Fund (as defined in the Investment Company Act) for election by shareholders or appointment by the Board; (ii) advising the Board with respect to Board composition, procedures and Committees of the Board (other than the Audit Committee); (iii) overseeing periodic self-assessments of the Board and Committees of the Board (other than the Audit Committee); (iv) reviewing and making recommendations in respect to Independent Trustee compensation; (v) monitoring corporate governance matters and making recommendations in respect thereof to the Board; (vi) acting as the administrative committee with respect to Board policies and procedures, committee policies and procedures (other than the Audit Committee) and codes of ethics as they relate to the Independent Trustees; and (vii) reviewing and making recommendations to the Board in respect of Fund share ownership by the Independent Trustees. The Board has adopted a written charter for the Board's Governance and Nominating Committee. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, the Governance and Nominating Committee met four times.

The Governance and Nominating Committee of the Board seeks to identify individuals to serve on the Board who have a diverse range of viewpoints, qualifications, experiences, backgrounds and skill sets so that the Board will be better suited to fulfill its responsibility of overseeing the Fund's activities. In so doing, the Governance and Nominating Committee reviews the size of the Board, the ages of the current Trustees and their tenure on the Board, and the skills, background and experiences of the Trustees in light of the issues facing the Fund in determining whether one or more new trustees should be added to the Board. The Board as a group strives to achieve diversity in terms of gender, race and geographic location. The Governance and Nominating Committee believes that the Trustees as a group possess the array of skills, experiences and backgrounds necessary to guide the Fund. The Trustees' biographies included herein highlight the diversity and breadth of skills, qualifications and expertise that the Trustees bring to the Fund.

The Governance and Nominating Committee may consider nominations for Trustees made by the Fund's shareholders as it deems appropriate. Under the Fund's Bylaws, shareholders must follow certain procedures to nominate a person for election as a Trustee at a special meeting, or to introduce an item of business at a special meeting. Under these advance notice procedures, shareholders must submit the proposed nominee or item of business by delivering a notice to the Secretary of the Fund at its principal executive offices.

The Fund's Bylaws provide that notice of a proposed nomination must include certain information about the shareholder and the nominee, as well as certain other information, including a written consent of the proposed

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nominee to serve if elected. A notice of a proposed item of business must include a description of and the reasons for bringing the proposed business to the meeting, any material interest of the shareholder in the business, and certain other information about the shareholder.

Further, the Fund has adopted Trustee qualification requirements which can be found in the Fund's Bylaws and are applicable to all Trustees that may be nominated, elected, appointed, qualified or seated to serve as Trustees. The qualification requirements include: (i) age limits; (ii) limits on service on other boards; (iii) restrictions on relationships with investment advisers other than BlackRock; and (iv) character and fitness requirements. In addition to not being an "interested person" of the Fund as defined under Section 2(a)(19) of the Investment Company Act, each Independent Trustee may not be or have certain relationships with a shareholder owning five percent or more of the Fund's voting securities or owning other percentage ownership interests in investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act. Reference is made to the Fund's Bylaws for more details.

*Compliance Committee*. The Board has a Compliance Committee composed of Cynthia L. Egan (Chair) and W. Carl Kester, both of whom are Independent Trustees. The Compliance Committee's purpose is to assist the Board in fulfilling its responsibility with respect to the oversight of regulatory and fiduciary compliance matters involving the Fund, the fund-related activities of BlackRock, and the Sub-Advisors and the Fund's other third party service providers. The Compliance Committee's responsibilities include, without limitation: (i) overseeing the compliance policies and procedures of the Fund and its service providers and recommending changes or additions to such policies and procedures; (ii) reviewing information on and, where appropriate, recommending policies concerning the Fund's compliance with applicable law; (iii) reviewing information on any significant correspondence with or other actions by regulators or governmental agencies with respect to the Fund and any employee complaints or published reports that raise concerns regarding compliance matters; and (iv) reviewing reports from, overseeing the annual performance review of, and making certain recommendations in respect of, the Fund's CCO, including, without limitation, determining the amount and structure of the CCO's compensation. The Board has adopted a written charter for the Board's Compliance Committee. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, the Compliance Committee met four times.

*Performance Oversight Committee*. The Board has a Performance Oversight Committee composed of Arthur P. Steinmetz (Chair), W. Carl Kester, and Cynthia L. Egan, all of whom are Independent Trustees. The Performance Oversight Committee's purpose is to assist the Board in fulfilling its responsibility to oversee the Fund's investment performance relative to the Fund's investment objective, policies and practices. The Performance Oversight Committee's responsibilities include, without limitation: (i) reviewing the Fund's investment objective, policies and practices; (ii) recommending to the Board any required action in respect of changes in fundamental and non-fundamental investment restrictions; (iii) reviewing information on appropriate benchmarks and competitive universes; (iv) reviewing the Fund's investment performance relative to such benchmarks; (v) reviewing information on unusual or exceptional investment matters; (vi) reviewing whether the Fund has complied with its investment policies and restrictions; and (vii) overseeing policies, procedures and controls regarding valuation of the Fund's investments. The Board has adopted a written charter for the Board's Performance Oversight Committee. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, the Performance Oversight Committee met four times.

*Securities Lending Committee*. The Board has a Securities Lending Committee composed of Cynthia L. Egan (Chair) and W. Carl Kester, each of whom are Independent Trustees. The principal responsibilities of the Securities Lending Committee include, without limitation: (i) supporting, overseeing and organizing on behalf of the Board the process for oversight of the Fund's securities lending activities; and (ii) providing a recommendation to the Board regarding the annual approval of the Fund's Securities Lending Guidelines and the Fund's agreement with the lending agent. The Board has adopted a written charter for the Board's Securities Lending Committee. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, the Securities Lending Committee met two times.

The Independent Trustees have adopted a statement of policy that describes the experiences, qualifications, skills and attributes that are necessary and desirable for potential Independent Trustee candidates (the "Statement

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of Policy"). The Board believes that each Independent Trustee satisfied, at the time he or she was initially appointed a Trustee, and continues to satisfy, the standards contemplated by the Statement of Policy as well as the standards set forth in the Fund's Bylaws. Furthermore, in determining that a particular Trustee was and continues to be qualified to serve as a Trustee, the Board has considered a variety of criteria, none of which, in isolation, was controlling. The Board believes that, collectively, the Trustees have balanced and diverse experiences, skills, attributes and qualifications, which allow the Board to operate effectively in governing the Fund and protecting the interests of shareholders. Among the attributes common to all Trustees is their ability to review critically, evaluate, question and discuss information provided to them, to interact effectively with the Advisor, Sub-Advisors, other service providers, counsel and independent auditors, and to exercise effective business judgment in the performance of their duties as Trustees. Each Trustee's ability to perform his or her duties effectively is evidenced by his or her educational background or professional training; business, consulting, public service or academic positions; experience from service as a board member of the Fund or the other funds in the BlackRock Fund Complexes (and any predecessor funds), other investment funds, public companies, or not-for-profit entities or other organizations; ongoing commitment and participation in Board and Committee meetings, as well as his or her leadership of standing and other committees throughout the years; or other relevant life experiences.

The table below discusses some of the experiences, qualifications and skills of each Trustee that support the conclusion that he or she should serve on the Board.

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| **Trustees** | **Experience, Qualifications and Skills** |
|  *Independent Trustees* | *Independent Trustees* |
| W. Carl Kester | The Board benefits from W. Carl Kester's experiences as a professor and author in finance, and his experience as the George Fisher Baker Jr. Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and as Deputy Dean of Academic Affairs at Harvard Business School from 2006 through 2010 adds to the Board a wealth of expertise in corporate finance and corporate governance. Dr. Kester has authored and edited numerous books and research papers on both subject matters, including co-editing a leading volume of finance case studies used worldwide. Dr. Kester's long-standing service on the boards of directors/trustees of the closed-end funds in the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex also provides him with a specific understanding of the Fund, its operations, and the business and regulatory issues facing the Fund. Dr. Kester's independence from the Fund, the Advisor and the Sub-Advisors enhances his service as Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee and a member of the Compliance Committee, the Performance Oversight Committee and the Securities Lending Committee. |
|  **Cynthia L. Egan** | Cynthia L. Egan brings to the Board a broad and diverse knowledge of investment companies and the retirement industry as a result of her many years of experience as President, Retirement Plan Services, for T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. and her various senior operating officer positions at Fidelity Investments, |

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| **Trustees** | **Experience, Qualifications and Skills** |
|  | including her service as Executive Vice President of FMR Co., President of Fidelity Institutional Services Company and President of the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund. Ms. Egan has also served as an advisor to the U.S. Department of Treasury as an expert in domestic retirement security. Ms. Egan began her professional career at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Ms. Egan is also a director of UNUM Corporation, a publicly traded insurance company providing personal risk reinsurance, and a director and Chair of the Board of The Hanover Group, a public property casualty insurance company. Ms. Egan is also the lead independent director and non-executive Vice Chair of the Board of Huntsman Corporation, a publicly traded manufacturer and marketer of chemical products. Ms. Egan's independence from the Fund, the Advisor and the Sub-Advisors enhances her service as Chair of the Compliance Committee, Chair of the Securities Lending Committee, and a member of the Governance and Nominating Committee and the Performance Oversight Committee. |
|  **Arthur P. Steinmetz** | The Board benefits from Arthur P. Steinmetz's many years of business and leadership experience as an executive, chairman and director of various companies in the financial industry. Mr. Steinmetz's service as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of the OppenheimerFunds, Inc. and as Trustee, President and Principal Executive Officer of certain OppenheimerFunds funds provides insight into the asset management industry. He has also served as a Director of ScotiaBank (U.S.). Mr. Steinmetz's knowledge of financial and accounting matters qualifies him to serve as Chair of the Audit Committee. Mr. Steinmetz's independence from the Fund, the Advisor and the Sub-Advisors enhances his service as Chair of the Performance Oversight Committee. |
|  *Interested Trustee* | *Interested Trustee* |
|  **John M. Perlowski** | John M. Perlowski's experience as Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2009, as the Head of BlackRock Global Accounting and Product Services since 2009, and as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Fund provides him with a strong understanding of the Fund, its operations, and the business and regulatory issues facing the Fund. Mr. Perlowski's prior position as Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Global Product |

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| **Trustees** | **Experience, Qualifications and Skills** |
|  | Group at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, and his former service as Treasurer and Senior Vice President of the Goldman Sachs Mutual Funds and as Director of the Goldman Sachs Offshore Funds provides the Board with the benefit of his experience with the management practices of other financial companies. Mr. Perlowski also serves as a board member for the funds in the BlackRock Multi-Asset Complex. Mr. Perlowski is a member of BlackRock's Global Executive Committee. Mr. Perlowski's experience with BlackRock enhances his service as a member of the Executive Committee. |

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#### Biographical Information
Certain biographical and other information relating to the Trustees is set forth below, including their address and year of birth, principal occupations for at least the last five years, length of time served, total number of registered investment companies and investment portfolios overseen in the BlackRock-advised Funds and any currently held public company and other investment company directorships.

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| | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name and**<br> **Year of Birth<sup>1,2</sup>** | **Position(s)**<br> **Held**<br> **(Length of**<br> **Service)<sup>3</sup>** | **Principal Occupation(s)**<br> **During Past Five Years** | **Number of<br>BlackRock-<br>Advised<br>Registered<br>Investment<br>Companies<br>("RICs")<br>Consisting of<br>Investment<br>Portfolios<br>("Portfolios")<br>Overseen** | **Public<br>Company<br>and Other<br>Investment<br>Company<br>Directorships<br>Held During<br>Past Five<br>Years** |
|  *Independent Trustees* | *Independent Trustees* | *Independent Trustees* |  |  |
|  W. Carl Kester<br>1951 | Chair of the Board (Since 2019) and Trustee (Since 2018) | Baker Foundation<br> Professor and George Fisher Baker Jr. Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus, Harvard Business School since 2022; George Fisher Baker Jr. Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School from 2008 to 2022; Deputy Dean for | 52 RICs consisting of 85 Portfolios |  |

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| | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name and**<br> **Year of Birth<sup>1,2</sup>** | **Position(s)**<br> **Held**<br> **(Length of**<br> **Service)<sup>3</sup>** | **Principal Occupation(s)**<br> **During Past Five Years** | **Number of<br>BlackRock-<br>Advised<br>Registered<br>Investment<br>Companies<br>("RICs")<br>Consisting of<br>Investment<br>Portfolios<br>("Portfolios")<br>Overseen** | **Public<br>Company<br>and Other<br>Investment<br>Company<br>Directorships<br>Held During<br>Past Five<br>Years** |
|  |  | Academic Affairs from 2006 to 2010; Chairman of the Finance Unit, from 2005 to 2006; Senior Associate Dean and Chairman of the MBA Program from 1999 to 2005; Member of the faculty of Harvard Business School since 1981. |  |  |
|  **Cynthia L. Egan**<br>1955 | Trustee (Since 2023) | Advisor, U.S. Department of the Treasury from 2014 to 2015; President, Retirement Plan Services, for T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. from 2007 to 2012; executive positions within<br> Fidelity Investments from 1989 to 2007. | 52 RICs consisting of 85 Portfolios | Unum (insurance); The Hanover Insurance Group (Board Chair); Huntsman Corporation (Lead Independent Director and non-Executive Vice Chair of the Board) (chemical products) |
|  **Arthur P. Steinmetz**<br>1958 | Trustee (Since 2023) | Trustee of Denison University since 2020; Consultant, Posit<br> PBC (enterprise data science) since 2020; Director, ScotiaBank (U.S.) from 2020 | 52 RICs consisting of 85 Portfolios |  |

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| | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name and**<br> **Year of Birth<sup>1,2</sup>** | **Position(s)**<br> **Held**<br> **(Length of**<br> **Service)<sup>3</sup>** | **Principal Occupation(s)**<br> **During Past Five Years** | **Number of<br>BlackRock-<br>Advised<br>Registered<br>Investment<br>Companies<br>("RICs")<br>Consisting of<br>Investment<br>Portfolios<br>("Portfolios")<br>Overseen** | **Public<br>Company<br>and Other<br>Investment<br>Company<br>Directorships<br>Held During<br>Past Five<br>Years** |
|  |  | to 2023; Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of OppenheimerFunds, Inc. from 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively to 2019); Trustee, President and Principal Executive Officer of 104 OppenheimerFunds funds from 2014 to 2019; Portfolio manager of various OppenheimerFunds fixed income mutual funds from 1986 to 2014. |  |  |
|  ***Interested Trustee<sup>2,4</sup>***<br> ***John M. Perlowski<sup>4</sup>***<br>1964 | Trustee (Since 2018) President and Chief Executive Officer (Since 2018) | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2009; Head of BlackRock Global Accounting and Product Services since 2009; Advisory Director of Family Resource Network (charitable foundation) since 2009; Member of BlackRock's Global Executive Committee since 2025. | 78 RICs consisting of 254 Portfolios |  |

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<sup>1</sup> The address of each Trustee is c/o BlackRock, Inc., 50 Hudson Yards, New York, New York 10001.

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<sup>2</sup> Each Independent Trustee holds office until his or her successor is duly elected and qualifies or until his or her earlier death, resignation, retirement or removal as provided by the Fund's by-laws or charter or statute, or until December 31 of the year in which he or she turns 75. Trustees who are "interested persons," as defined in the Investment Company Act, serve until their successor is duly elected and qualifies or until their earlier death, resignation, retirement or removal as provided by the Fund's by-laws or statute, or until December 31 of the year in which they turn 72. The Board may determine to extend the terms of Independent Trustees on a case-by-case basis, as appropriate. 

<sup>3</sup> Following the combination of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, L.P. ("MLIM") and BlackRock, Inc. in September 2006, the various legacy MLIM and legacy BlackRock fund boards were realigned and consolidated into three new fund boards in 2007. Certain Independent Trustees first became members of the boards of other legacy MLIM or legacy BlackRock funds as follows: W. Carl Kester, 1995. Certain other Independent Trustees became members of the boards of the closed-end funds in the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex as follows: Cynthia L. Egan, 2016. 

<sup>4</sup> Mr. Perlowski is an "interested person," as defined in the Investment Company Act, of the Fund based on his positions with BlackRock, Inc. and its affiliates. Mr. Perlowski is also a board member of the BlackRock Multi-Asset Complex.

Certain biographical and other information relating to the officers of the Fund who are not Trustees is set forth below, including their address and year of birth, principal occupations for at least the last five years and length of time served. With the exception of the CCO, executive officers receive no compensation from the Fund. The Fund compensates the CCO for his services as its CCO.

Each executive officer is an "interested person" of the Fund (as defined in the Investment Company Act) by virtue of that individual's position with BlackRock or its affiliates described in the table below.

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name and <br>Year of Birth<sup>1,2</sup>** | **Position(s)**<br> **Held<br>(Length of**<br> **Service)** | **Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years** |
|  *Officers Who Are Not Trustees* | *Officers Who Are Not Trustees* |  |
|  **Jonathan Diorio**<br>1980 | Vice President (Since 2018) | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2015. |
|  **Lindsey Lorenz**<br>1982 | Chief Financial Officer (Since January 2025) | Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2020; Assistant Treasurer and Director of US Fund Oversight at Janus Henderson Investors from 2017 to 2020. |
|  **Jay M. Fife**<br>1970 | Treasurer<br> (Since 2018) | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2007. |
|  **Charles Park**<br>1967 | Chief Compliance Officer (Since July 2025) | Chief Compliance Officer of BlackRock Advisors, LLC and other BlackRock US-registered investment advisers since 2014; Principal of and Chief Compliance Officer for iShares<sup>®</sup> Delaware Trust Sponsor LLC since 2012 and BlackRock Fund Advisors ("BFA") since 2006; Chief Compliance Officer for BlackRock Asset Management International Inc. since 2012; Chief Compliance Officer of the Fund from 2018 to February 2024; Chief Compliance Officer of the BlackRock-advised Funds in the BlackRock Multi-Asset Complex and the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex from 2014 to 2023; Chief Compliance Officer for the BFA-advised iShares<sup>®</sup> exchange traded funds from 2006 to 2023. |

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name and <br>Year of Birth<sup>1,2</sup>** | **Position(s)**<br> **Held<br>(Length of**<br> **Service)** | **Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years** |
|  **Lisa Belle**<br> 1968 | Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer (Since 2019) | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2019; Global Financial Crime Head for Asset and Wealth Management of JP Morgan from 2013 to 2019. |
|  **Janey Ahn**<br> 1975 | Secretary (Since 2018) | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2018. |

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<sup>1</sup> The address of each Officer is c/o BlackRock, Inc., 50 Hudson Yards, New York, New York 10001.

<sup>2</sup> Officers of the Fund serve at the pleasure of the Board.

#### Share Ownership
Information relating to each Trustee's share ownership in the Fund and in all BlackRock-advised Funds that are currently overseen by the respective Trustee ("Supervised Funds") as of December 31, 2025 is set forth in the chart below. Amounts shown may include shares as to which a Trustee has indirect beneficial ownership, such as through participation in certain family accounts, 529 college savings plan interests, or similar arrangements where the Trustee has beneficial economic interest but not a direct ownership interest.

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| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name** | **Dollar Range of Equity<br>Securities in the Fund<sup>1</sup>** | **Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity<br>Securities in Supervised Funds<sup>1</sup>** | **Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity<br>Securities in Supervised Funds<sup>1</sup>** |
|  **Independent Trustees:** | | | |
| W. Carl Kester | $10001 -$50000 |  | Over $100,000 |
|  Cynthia L. Egan |  |  | Over $100,000 |
|  Arthur P. Steinmetz |  |  | Over $100,000 |
|  **Interested Trustee:** |  |  |  |
|  John M. Perlowski |  | Over $| 100000 |

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<sup>1</sup> Includes share equivalents owned under the deferred compensation plan in the Supervised Funds by certain Independent Trustees who have participated in the deferred compensation plan of the Supervised Funds.

#### Independent Trustee Ownership of Securities
As of December 31, 2025, the Independent Trustees (and their respective immediate family members) did not own, beneficially or of record, securities of the Advisor, the Sub-Advisors, or the Distributor or an entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with such entities (not including registered investment companies).

As of April 2, 2026, the Trustees and officers of the Fund, as a group, directly or indirectly beneficially owned less than 1% of any class of the outstanding common shares in the Fund.

#### Compensation of Trustees
Each Trustee who is an Independent Trustee is paid an annual retainer of $75,000 per year for his or her services as a Trustee of the Fund. The Chair of the Board is paid an additional annual retainer of $15,000 per year. The Chair of the Audit Committee is paid an additional annual retainer of $10,000 per year. The Independent Trustees do not receive any other compensation from the Fund.

The Independent Trustees have agreed that a maximum of 50% of each Independent Trustee's total compensation paid by funds in the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex may be deferred pursuant to the

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BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex's deferred compensation plan. Under the deferred compensation plan, deferred amounts earn a return for the Independent Trustees as though equivalent dollar amounts had been invested in shares of certain funds in the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex selected by the Independent Trustees. This has approximately the same economic effect for the Independent Trustees as if they had invested the deferred amounts in such funds in the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex. The deferred compensation plan is not funded and obligations thereunder represent general unsecured claims against the general assets of a fund and are recorded as a liability for accounting purposes.

The following table sets forth the compensation paid to the Trustees by the Fund for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, and the aggregate compensation, including deferred compensation amounts, paid to them by all BlackRock-advised Funds for the calendar year ended December 31, 2025.

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| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name<sup>1</sup>** | **Compensation from<br>the Fund** | **Estimated Annual<br>Benefits upon<br>Retirement** | **Aggregate Compensation<br>from the<br>Fund and Other<br>BlackRock-<br>Advised Funds<sup>2,3</sup>** |
|  ***Independent Trustees:*** | | |  |
|  Cynthia L. Egan<sup>4</sup> | $37500 |  | $580000 |
| W. Carl Kester | $45000 |  | $671500 |
|  Catherine A. Lynch<sup>5</sup> | $42500 |  | $610000 |
|  Arthur P. Steinmetz<sup>6</sup> | $37500 |  | $537500 |
|  ***Interested Trustee:*** |  |  |  |
|  John M. Perlowski |  |  |  |

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<sup>1</sup> For the number of BlackRock-advised Funds from which each Trustee receives compensation see the Biographical Information Chart beginning on page S-37.

<sup>2</sup> For the Independent Trustees, this amount represents the aggregate compensation earned from the funds in the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex during the calendar year ended December 31, 2025. Of this amount, Dr. Kester, Ms. Lynch and Mr. Steinmetz deferred $546,859, $603,900, and $268,750, respectively, pursuant to the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex's deferred compensation plan. 

<sup>3</sup> Total amount of deferred compensation payable by the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex to Dr. Kester, Ms. Lynch and Mr. Steinmetz is $2,544,830, $720,927, and $603,379, respectively, as of December 31, 2025. Ms. Egan did not participate in the deferred compensation plan as of December 31, 2025. 

<sup>4</sup> Ms. Egan became Chair of the Securities Lending Committee effective as of March 9, 2026.

<sup>5</sup> Ms. Lynch resigned as a Trustee of the Fund effective as of March 9, 2026.<sup></sup>

<sup>6</sup> Mr. Steinmetz became Chair of the Audit Committee effective March 9, 2026.

#### Indemnification of Trustees and Officers
The governing documents of the Fund generally provide that, to the extent permitted by applicable law, the Fund will indemnify its Trustees and officers against liabilities and expenses incurred in connection with litigation in which they may be involved because of their offices with the Fund unless, as to liability to the Fund or its investors, it is finally adjudicated that they engaged in willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in their offices. In addition, the Fund will not indemnify Trustees with respect to any matter as to which Trustees did not act in good faith in the reasonable belief that his or her action was in the best interest of the Fund or, in the case of any criminal proceeding, as to which Trustees had reasonable cause to believe that the conduct was unlawful. Indemnification provisions contained in the Fund's governing documents are subject to any limitations imposed by applicable law.

Closed-end funds in the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex, including the Fund, have also entered into a separate indemnification agreement with the board members of each board of such funds (the "Indemnification Agreement"). The Indemnification Agreement (i) extends the indemnification provisions contained in a fund's governing documents to board members who leave that fund's board and serve on an advisory board of a

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different closed-end fund in the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex; (ii) sets in place the terms of the indemnification provisions of a fund's governing documents once a board member retires from a board; and (iii) in the case of board members who left the board of a fund in connection with or prior to the board consolidation that occurred in 2007 as a result of the merger of BlackRock and Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.'s investment management business, clarifies that such fund continues to indemnify the director for claims arising out of his or her past service to that fund.

#### Portfolio Management
*Portfolio Manager Assets Under Management* 

The following table sets forth information about funds and accounts other than the Fund for which the portfolio manager is primarily responsible for the day-to-day portfolio management as of December 31, 2025:

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| | | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  | **Number of Other Accounts Managed<br>and Assets by Account Type** | **Number of Other Accounts Managed<br>and Assets by Account Type** | **Number of Other Accounts Managed<br>and Assets by Account Type** | **Number of Other Accounts and Assets for<br>Which Advisory Fee is Performance-Based** | **Number of Other Accounts and Assets for<br>Which Advisory Fee is Performance-Based** | **Number of Other Accounts and Assets for<br>Which Advisory Fee is Performance-Based** |
| **Name of Portfolio**<br> **Manager** | **Other<br>Registered<br>Investment<br>Companies** | **Other Pooled<br>Investment<br>Vehicles** | **Other<br>Accounts** | **Other<br>Registered<br>Investment<br>Companies** | **Other Pooled<br>Investment<br>Vehicles** | **Other<br>Accounts** |
|  Jeffrey Cucunato | 3 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|  | $2.80 Billion | $681.4 Million | $367.5 Million | $0 | $0 | $0 |
|  Michael Patterson | 0 | 69 | 114 | 0 | 66 | 99 |
|  | $0 | $46.54 Billion | $55.41 Billion | $0 | $42.00 Billion | $42.50 Billion |
|  Purnima Puri | 0 | 20 | 93 | 0 | 18 | 63 |
|  | $0 | $1.43 Billion | $25.18 Billion | $0 | $1.15 Billion | $17.30 Billion |

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*Portfolio Manager Compensation Overview* 

The discussion below describes the compensation of Messrs. Cucunato and Patterson and Ms. Puri as of December 31, 2025.

BlackRock's financial arrangements with its portfolio managers, its competitive compensation and its career path emphasis at all levels reflect the value senior management places on key resources. Compensation may include a variety of components and may vary from year to year based on a number of factors. The principal components of compensation include a base salary and a performance-based discretionary bonus, and may also include participation in various benefits programs and/or one or more of the incentive compensation programs established by BlackRock.

<u>Base Compensation</u>. Generally, portfolio managers receive base compensation based on their position with the firm.

<u>Discretionary Incentive Compensation</u>. Discretionary incentive compensation is a function of several components: the performance of BlackRock, Inc., the performance of the portfolio manager's group within BlackRock, the investment performance, including risk-adjusted returns, of the firm's assets under management or supervision by that portfolio manager, and the individual's performance and contribution to the overall performance of these portfolios and BlackRock.

Discretionary incentive compensation is generally distributed to portfolio managers in a combination of cash, deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock awards, deferred cash and/or deferred cash awards that notionally track the return of certain BlackRock investment products.

Portfolio managers receive their annual discretionary incentive compensation in the form of cash. Certain portfolio managers whose total compensation is above a specified threshold also receive deferred BlackRock, Inc.

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stock awards annually as part of their discretionary incentive compensation. Paying a portion of discretionary incentive compensation in the form of deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock puts compensation earned by a portfolio manager for a given year "at risk" based on BlackRock's ability to sustain and improve its performance over future periods. In some cases, additional deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock may be granted to certain key employees as part of a long-term incentive award to aid in retention, align interests with long-term shareholders and motivate performance. Deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock awards are generally granted in the form of BlackRock, Inc. restricted stock units that vest pursuant to the terms of the applicable plan and, once vested, settle in BlackRock, Inc. common stock. Certain of the portfolio managers of this Fund have deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock awards.

For certain portfolio managers, a portion of the discretionary incentive compensation is also distributed in the form of deferred cash or deferred cash awards that notionally track the returns of select BlackRock investment products they manage, which provides direct alignment of portfolio manager discretionary incentive compensation with investment product results. Deferred cash awards vest ratably over a number of years and, once vested, settle in the form of cash. Only portfolio managers who manage specified products and/or whose total compensation is above a specified threshold are eligible to participate in the deferred cash award program.

<u>Other Compensation Benefits</u>. In addition to base salary and discretionary incentive compensation, certain portfolio managers may be eligible to receive or participate in one or more of the following:

Incentive Savings Plans – BlackRock, Inc. has created a variety of incentive savings plans in which BlackRock, Inc. employees are eligible to participate, including a 401(k) plan, the BlackRock Retirement Savings Plan (RSP), and the BlackRock Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP).

*Securities Ownership of Portfolio Managers* 

The following table sets forth the dollar range of equity securities in the Fund beneficially owned by Messrs. Cucunato and Patterson and Ms. Puri as of December 31, 2025:

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| **Portfolio Manager** | **Dollar Range of Equity Securities<br>of the Fund Beneficially Owned** |
|  Jeffrey Cucunato | $100001 - $500000 |
|  Michael Patterson |  |
|  Purnima Puri |  |

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*Portfolio Manager Potential Material Conflicts of Interest* 

BlackRock has built a professional working environment, firm-wide compliance culture and compliance procedures and systems designed to protect against potential incentives that may favor one account over another. BlackRock has adopted policies and procedures that address the allocation of investment opportunities, execution of portfolio transactions, personal trading by employees and other potential conflicts of interest that are designed to ensure that all client accounts are treated equitably over time. Nevertheless, BlackRock furnishes investment management and advisory services to numerous clients in addition to the Fund, and BlackRock may, consistent with applicable law, make investment recommendations to other clients or accounts (including accounts which are hedge funds or have performance or higher fees paid to BlackRock, or in which portfolio managers have a personal interest in the receipt of such fees), which may be the same as or different from those made to the Fund. In addition, BlackRock, Inc., its affiliates and significant shareholders and any officer, director, shareholder or employee may or may not have an interest in the securities whose purchase and sale BlackRock recommends to the Fund. BlackRock, Inc. or any of its affiliates or significant shareholders, or any officer, director, shareholder, employee or any member of their families may take different actions than those recommended to the Fund by BlackRock with respect to the same securities. Moreover, BlackRock may refrain from rendering any advice or services concerning securities of companies of which any of BlackRock's (or its affiliates' or significant shareholders') officers, directors or employees are directors or officers, or companies as

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to which BlackRock or any of its affiliates or significant shareholders or the officers, directors and employees of any of them has any substantial economic interest or possesses material non-public information. Certain portfolio managers also may manage accounts whose investment strategies may at times be opposed to the strategy utilized for a fund. It should also be noted that Messrs. Cucunato and Patterson and Ms. Puri may be managing funds and/or accounts that are subject to incentive fees. Messrs. Cucunato and Patterson and Ms. Puri may therefore be entitled to receive a portion of any incentive fees earned on such funds and/or accounts.

As a fiduciary, BlackRock owes a duty of loyalty to its clients and must treat each client fairly. When BlackRock purchases or sells securities for more than one account, the trades must be allocated in a manner consistent with its fiduciary duties. BlackRock attempts to allocate investments in a fair and equitable manner among client accounts, with no account receiving preferential treatment. To this end, BlackRock has adopted policies that are intended to ensure reasonable efficiency in client transactions and provide BlackRock with sufficient flexibility to allocate investments in a manner that is consistent with the particular investment discipline and client base, as appropriate.

#### Proxy Voting Policies
The Board of the Fund has delegated the voting of proxies for the Fund's securities to the Advisor pursuant to the Closed-End Fund Proxy Voting Policy. The Advisor has adopted the BlackRock Active Investment Stewardship - Global Engagement and Voting Guidelines (the "BAIS Guidelines") with respect to certain funds, including the Fund.

Copies of the Closed-End Fund Proxy Voting Policy and the BAIS Guidelines are attached as Appendix B to this SAI.

Information on how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available (i) without charge, upon request, by calling (800) 882-0052, (ii) at www.blackrock.com and (iii) on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov.

#### Codes of Ethics
The Fund and the Advisor have adopted a code of ethics (the "Code of Ethics") in compliance with Section 17(j) of the Investment Company Act and Rule 17j-1 thereunder. Each Code of Ethics establishes procedures for personal investing and restricts certain transactions. Employees subject to a Code of Ethics may invest in securities for their personal investment accounts, including making investments in securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund. The Codes of Ethics are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Copies of the Codes of Ethics may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov.

#### Other Information
BlackRock is independent in ownership and governance, with no single majority stockholder and a majority of independent directors.

#### DISTRIBUTION OF FUND SHARES
BlackRock Investments, LLC, located at 50 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001, acts as the distributor of the Fund's Shares, pursuant to the Distribution Agreement, on a reasonable best efforts basis, subject to various conditions.

The Distribution Agreement will continue in effect with respect to the Fund for successive one-year periods, provided that each such continuance is specifically approved: (i) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons of the Fund (as defined in the Investment Company Act) and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the Distribution Agreement or the Investment Management Agreement; and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the entire Board cast in person at a meeting called for that purpose.

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Under the terms of the Multi-Class Exemptive Relief, the Fund is subject to Rule 18f-3 under the Investment Company Act. The Fund has adopted a Multi-Class Plan pursuant to Rule 18f-3 under the Investment the Fund and, generally, have identical voting, dividend, liquidation, and other rights, preferences, powers, restrictions, limitations, qualifications and terms and conditions, except that: (a) each class has a different designation; (b) each class of shares bears any class-specific expenses; and (c) each class shall have separate voting rights on any matter submitted to shareholders in which the interests of one class differ from the interests of any other class, and shall have exclusive voting rights on any matter submitted to shareholders that relates solely to that class.

*Distribution and Servicing Plan* 

Under the terms of the Multi-Class Exemptive Relief, the Fund is subject to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act. The Fund has adopted the Distribution and Servicing Plan pursuant to which it pays the Distribution and Servicing Fee. The Distribution and Servicing Plan operates in a manner consistent with Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act, which regulates the manner in which an open-end investment company may directly or indirectly bear the expenses of distributing its shares. The Distribution and Servicing Plan permits the Fund to compensate the Distributor for providing or procuring through financial firms, distribution, administrative, recordkeeping, shareholder and/or related services with respect to the Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares. Most or all of the distribution and/or service fees are paid to financial firms through which shareholders may purchase or hold Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and/or Class J Shares. Because these fees are paid out of the Fund's assets attributable to Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares on an ongoing basis, over time they will increase the cost of an investment in Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares, including causing the Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares to have a higher expense ratio, pay lower dividends and have a lower total return than Institutional Shares.

The maximum annual rates at which the Distribution and Servicing Fees may be paid under the Distribution and Servicing Plan (calculated as a percentage of the Fund's average daily net assets attributable to each of the Class A Shares, Class W Shares , Class U Shares and Class J Shares) is 0.75% for Class A Shares, Class W Shares and Class U Shares and 0.50% for Class J Shares. 0.25% of such fee is a shareholder servicing fee and the remaining portion is a distribution fee.

The fee payable pursuant to the Distribution and Servicing Plan may be used by the Distributor to provide or procure distribution services and shareholder services in respect of Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares (either directly or by procuring through other entities, including various financial services firms such as broker-dealers and registered investment advisors ("Service Organizations")). Distribution services include some or all of the following services and facilities in connection with direct purchases by shareholders or in connection with products, programs or accounts offered by such Service Organizations: (i) facilities for placing orders directly for the purchase of a Fund's shares; (ii) advertising with respect to Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares; (iii) providing information about the Fund; (iv) providing facilities to answer questions from prospective investors about the Fund; (v) receiving and answering correspondence, including requests for prospectuses and statements of additional information; (vi) preparing, printing and delivering prospectuses and shareholder reports to prospective shareholders; (vii) assisting investors in applying to purchase Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares and selecting dividend and other account options.

Shareholder services may include, but are not limited to, the following functions: (i) answering shareholder inquiries regarding account status and history, the manner in which purchases, exchanges and repurchases of Shares may be effected and certain other matters pertaining to the shareholders' investments; (ii) receiving, aggregating and processing shareholder orders; (iii) furnishing shareholder sub-accounting; (iv) providing and maintaining elective shareholder services such as check writing and wire transfer services; (v) providing and maintaining pre-authorized investment plans; (vi) communicating periodically with shareholders; (vii) acting as

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the sole shareholder of record and nominee for shareholders; (viii) maintaining accounting records for shareholders; (ix) answering questions and handling correspondence from shareholders about their accounts; (x) issuing confirmations for transactions by shareholders; (xi) performing similar account administrative services; (xii) providing such shareholder communications and recordkeeping services as may be required for any program for which a Service Organization is a sponsor that relies on Rule 3a-4 under the Investment Company Act (i.e., a "wrap fee" program); and (xiii) providing such other similar services as may reasonably be requested to the extent a Service Organization is permitted to do so under applicable statutes, rules, or regulations. The distribution and/or servicing fee may be spent by the Distributor for the services rendered to holders of Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares as set forth above, but will generally not be spent by the Distributor on recordkeeping charges, accounting expenses, transfer costs or custodian fees.

In accordance with Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act, the Distribution and Servicing Plan may not be amended to increase materially the costs which holders of Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares may bear under the Distribution and Servicing Plan without approval of a majority of the outstanding Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and Class J Shares, as applicable, and by vote of a majority of both: (i) the Trustees of the Fund; and (ii) those Trustees who are not "interested persons" of the Fund (as defined in the Investment Company Act) and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Distribution and Servicing Plan or any agreements related to it (the "Plan Trustees"), cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the Distribution and Servicing Plan and any related amendments. The Distribution and Servicing Plan may not take effect until approved by a vote of a majority of both: (i) the Trustees of the Fund; and (ii) the Plan Trustees. The Distribution and Servicing Plan shall continue in effect so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Trustees and the Plan Trustees. The Distribution and Servicing Plan may be terminated at any time, without penalty, by vote of a majority of the Plan Trustees or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding Class A Shares, Class W Shares, Class U Shares and/or Class J Shares, as applicable. Pursuant to the Distribution and Servicing Plan, the Board will be provided with quarterly reports of amounts expended under the Distribution and Servicing Plan and the purpose for which such expenditures were made.

FINRA rules limit the amount of distribution fees that may be paid by registered investment companies out of their assets as a percentage of total new gross sales. "Service fees," defined to mean fees paid for providing shareholder services or the maintenance of accounts (but not transfer agency or sub-account services), are not subject to these limits on distribution fees. Some portion of the fees paid pursuant to the Distribution and Servicing Plan may qualify as "service fees" (or fees for ministerial, recordkeeping or administrative activities) and therefore will not be limited by FINRA rules which limit distribution fees as a percentage of total new gross sales. However, FINRA rules limit service fees to 0.25% of a fund's average annual net assets.

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, the amount of the distribution and/or service fees paid by each of the Class A Shares, Class U Shares and Class W Shares of the Fund to the Distributor pursuant to the Distribution and Servicing Plan is listed below.

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| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Class A** | **Class U** | **Class W** | **Class J** |
| $793884 | $365486 | $1497 | $2424 |

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*Additional Payments to Dealers* 

The Distributor may from time to time make payments and provide other incentives to Dealers as compensation for services such as providing the Fund with "shelf space" or a higher profile for the Dealers' financial advisors and their customers, placing the Fund on the Dealers' preferred or recommended fund list or otherwise identifying the Fund as being part of a complex to be accorded a higher degree of marketing support than complexes not making such payments, granting the Distributor access to the Dealers' financial advisors (including through the firms' intranet websites) in order to promote the Fund, promotions in communications

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with Dealers' customers such as in the firms' internet websites or in customer newsletters, providing assistance in training and educating the Dealers' personnel, and furnishing marketing support and other specified services. The actual services provided, and any payments made for such services, may vary from firm to firm. These payments may be significant to the Dealers.

A number of factors will be considered in determining the amount of these additional payments to Dealers. On some occasions, such payments may be conditioned upon levels of sales, including the sale of a specified minimum dollar amount of the shares of the Fund and/or other funds sponsored by the Distributor together or a particular class of shares, during a specified period of time. The Distributor also may make payments to one or more Dealers based upon factors such as the amount of assets a Dealer's clients have invested in the Fund and the quality of the Dealer's relationship with the Distributor, the Advisor and/or their affiliates.

To the extent the additional payments described above are made, such additional payments would be made from the assets of the Distributor or an affiliate of the Distributor (and sometimes, therefore referred to as "revenue sharing") pursuant to agreements with Dealers and would not change the price paid by investors for the purchase of Shares or the amount the Fund will receive as proceeds from such sales. These payments may be made to Dealers (as selected by the Distributor) that have sold significant amounts of Shares.

In addition to revenue sharing payments, the Distributor may also make payments to Dealers in connection with certain transaction fees (also referred to as "ticket charges") incurred by the Dealers.

The additional payments described above may be made to a Dealer as a fixed dollar amount or may be calculated on another basis.

In addition to the payments described above, the Distributor and/or the Advisor may make payments in connection with or reimburse Dealers' sponsorship and/or attendance at conferences, seminars or informational meetings ("event support"), provide Dealers or their personnel with occasional tickets to events or other entertainment, meals and small gifts ("other non-cash compensation") to the extent permitted by applicable law, rules and regulations.

In addition, wholesale representatives of the Distributor and employees of the Advisor or its affiliates visit Dealers on a regular basis to educate financial advisors and other personnel about the Fund and to encourage the sale or recommendation of Fund Shares to their clients. The Distributor and/or the Advisor may also provide (or compensate consultants or other third parties to provide) other relevant training and education to a Dealer's financial advisors and other personnel. Although the Fund may use Dealers that sell Shares to effect transactions for the Fund's portfolio, neither the Fund nor the Advisor will consider the sale of Fund shares as a factor when choosing Dealers to effect those transactions.

The Distributor also may make payments or reimbursements to Dealers or their affiliated companies, which may be used for the development, maintenance and availability of certain services including, but not limited to, platform education and communications, relationship management support, development to support new or changing products, trading platforms and related infrastructure/technology and/or legal risk management and regulatory compliance infrastructure in support of investment-related products, programs and services (collectively, "platform support") or for various studies, surveys, industry data, research and access to information about, and contact information for, particular financial advisors who have sold, or may in the future sell, Shares of the Fund (i.e., "leads"). In addition, the Distributor may pay investment consultants or their affiliated companies for certain services including technology, operations, tax, or audit consulting services and may pay such firms for the Distributor's attendance at investment forums sponsored by such firms (collectively, "consultant services").

Payments for items including event support, platform support, leads and consultant services (but not including certain account services, discussed below), as well as revenue sharing, may be bundled and allocated among these categories in the Distributor's discretion. The Dealers receiving such bundled payments may characterize or allocate the payments differently from the Distributor's internal allocation.

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In addition to the payments, reimbursements and incentives described above, further amounts may be paid to Dealers for providing services with respect to shareholders holding Fund Shares in nominee or street name, including, but not limited to, the following services: providing explanations and answering inquiries regarding the Fund and their accounts; providing recordkeeping and other administrative services, including preparing record date shareholder lists for proxy solicitation; maintaining records of and facilitating shareholder purchases and redemptions; processing and mailing transaction confirmations, periodic statements, prospectuses, shareholder reports, shareholder notices and other SEC-required communications to shareholders; providing periodic statements to certain benefit plans and participants in such plans of the Fund held for the benefit of each participant in the plan; processing, collecting and posting distributions to their accounts; issuing and mailing dividend checks to shareholders who have selected cash distributions; assisting in the establishment and maintenance of shareholder accounts; providing account designations and other information; capturing and processing tax data; establishing and maintaining automatic withdrawals and automated investment plans and shareholder account registrations; providing sub-accounting services; providing recordkeeping services related to purchase and redemption transactions, including providing such information as may be necessary to assure compliance with applicable blue sky requirements; and performing similar administrative services as requested by the Advisor to the extent that the firm is permitted by applicable statute, rule or regulation to provide such information or services. The actual services provided, and the payments made for such services, vary from firm to firm.

These payments, taken together in the aggregate, may be material to Dealers relative to other compensation paid by the Fund and/or the Advisor and may be in addition to any (i) marketing support, revenue sharing or "shelf space" fees; and (ii) event support and other non-cash compensation. The additional servicing payments and set-up fees described above may vary from amounts paid to the Fund's transfer agent for providing similar services to other accounts.

If investment advisers, distributors or affiliated persons of registered investment companies make payments and provide other incentives in differing amounts, Dealers and their financial advisors may have financial incentives for recommending a particular fund over other funds. In addition, depending on the arrangements in place at any particular time, a Dealer and its financial advisors also may have a financial incentive for recommending a particular share class, to the extent applicable, over other share classes. Because Dealers and plan recordkeepers may be paid varying amounts per class for sub-accounting and related recordkeeping services, the service requirements of which also may vary by class, this may create an additional incentive for Dealers and their financial advisors to favor one fund complex over another or one fund share class over another, to the extent applicable. You should review carefully any disclosure by the Dealers or plan recordkeepers as to their compensation.

In certain circumstances, the Distributor or its affiliates may pay or reimburse Dealers for distribution and/or shareholder services out of the Distributor's or its affiliates' own assets. Such activities by the Distributor or its affiliates may provide incentives to Dealers to purchase or market Shares of the Fund. Additionally, these activities may give the Distributor or its affiliates additional access to sales representatives of such Dealers, which may increase sales of Fund Shares. The payments described in this paragraph may be significant to payors and payees.

As of April 1, 2026, the Dealers listed below, and, in some cases, certain of the Dealers' affiliates, may be receiving one or more types of additional payments discussed above. This list may change over time, and BlackRock may pay Dealers or their affiliates other types of additional payments in the future. Please contact your Dealer to determine whether it or its affiliate currently may be receiving such additional payments and to obtain further information regarding any such payments.

Aretec Group, Inc. dba Cetera Holdings

Cetera Advisors LLC

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Cetera Financial Specialists LLC

Cetera Investment Services LLC

Cetera Wealth Services LLC

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.

Commonwealth Equity Services, LLC

Envestnet Asset Management, Inc.

Equitable Advisors, LLC

Equity Services Inc.

Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC

Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company LLC

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

LPL Financial LLC

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC

MSCS Financial Services Division of Broadridge Business Process Outsourcing, LLC

National Financial Services LLC

Pershing, LLC

Reliance Trust Company

Snyder Kearney LLC

TD Ameritrade, Inc.

UBS Financial Services, Inc.

Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC

#### PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE
Subject to policies established by the Board, BlackRock is primarily responsible for the execution of the Fund's portfolio transactions and the allocation of brokerage. BlackRock does not execute transactions through any particular broker or dealer, but seeks to obtain the best net results for the Fund, taking into account certain factors set out below. While BlackRock generally seeks reasonable trade execution costs, the Fund does not necessarily pay the lowest spread or commission available, and payment of the lowest commission or spread is not necessarily consistent with obtaining the best price and execution in particular transactions. Subject to applicable legal requirements, BlackRock may select a broker based partly upon brokerage or research services provided to BlackRock and its clients, including the Fund. In return for such services, BlackRock may cause the Fund to pay a higher commission than other brokers would charge if BlackRock determines in good faith that the commission is reasonable in relation to the services provided.

In selecting brokers or dealers to execute portfolio transactions, the Advisor and Sub-Advisors seek to obtain the best price and most favorable execution for the Fund, taking into account a variety of factors including: (i) the size, nature and character of the security or instrument being traded and the markets in which it is purchased or sold; (ii) the desired timing of the transaction; (iii) BlackRock's knowledge of the expected commission rates and spreads currently available; (iv) the activity existing and expected in the market for the particular security or instrument, including any anticipated execution difficulties; (v) the full range of brokerage services provided; (vi) the broker's or dealer's capital; (vii) the quality of research and research services provided; (viii) the reasonableness of the commission, dealer spread or its equivalent for the specific transaction; and (ix) BlackRock's knowledge of any actual or apparent operational problems of a broker or dealer.

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Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended ("Section 28(e)") permits an investment adviser, under certain circumstances, to cause an account to pay a broker or dealer a commission for effecting a transaction that exceeds the amount another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting the same transaction in recognition of the value of brokerage and research services provided by that broker or dealer. This includes commissions paid on riskless principal transactions under certain conditions. Brokerage and research services include: (1) furnishing advice as to the value of securities, including pricing and appraisal advice, credit analysis, risk measurement analysis, performance and other analysis, as well as the advisability of investing in, purchasing or selling securities, and the availability of securities or purchasers or sellers of securities; (2) furnishing analyses and reports concerning issuers, industries, securities, economic factors and trends, portfolio strategy, and the performance of accounts; and (3) effecting securities transactions and performing functions incidental to securities transactions (such as clearance, settlement, and custody). BlackRock believes that access to independent investment research is beneficial to its investment decision-making processes and, therefore, to the Fund.

BlackRock, unless prohibited by applicable law, may participate in client commission arrangements under which BlackRock may execute transactions through a broker-dealer and request that the broker-dealer allocate a portion of the commissions or commission credits to another firm that provides research to BlackRock. BlackRock believes that research services obtained through soft dollar or commission sharing arrangements enhance its investment decision-making capabilities, thereby increasing the prospects for higher investment returns. BlackRock will engage only in soft dollar or commission sharing transactions that comply with the requirements of Section 28(e).

The Fund may be subject to additional regulations, including the restrictions of MiFID II. Under MiFID II, EU investment managers, including BlackRock International Limited ("BIL"), which acts as sub-adviser to the Fund, pay for any research out of their own resources and not through soft dollars or commission sharing arrangements. BlackRock regularly evaluates the soft dollar products and services utilized, as well as the overall soft dollar and commission sharing arrangements to ensure that trades are executed by firms that are regarded as best able to execute trades for client accounts, while at the same time providing access to the research and other services BlackRock views as impactful to its trading results.

BlackRock, unless prohibited by applicable law, may utilize soft dollars and related services, including research (whether prepared by the broker-dealer or prepared by a third-party and provided to BlackRock by the broker-dealer) and execution or brokerage services within applicable rules and BlackRock's policies to the extent that such permitted services do not compromise BlackRock's ability to seek to obtain best execution. In this regard, the portfolio management investment and/or trading teams may consider a variety of factors, including the degree to which the broker-dealer: (a) provides access to company management; (b) provides access to their analysts; (c) provides meaningful/insightful research notes on companies or other potential investments; (d) facilitates calls on which meaningful or insightful ideas about companies or potential investments are discussed; (e) facilitates conferences at which meaningful or insightful ideas about companies or potential investments are discussed; or (f) provides research tools such as market data, financial analysis, and other third-party related research and brokerage tools that aid in the investment process.

Research-oriented services for which BlackRock, unless prohibited by applicable law, might pay with Fund commissions may be in written form or through direct contact with individuals and may include information as to particular companies or industries and securities or groups of securities, as well as market, economic, or institutional advice and statistical information, political developments and technical market information that assists in the valuation of investments. Except as noted immediately below, research services furnished by brokers may be used in servicing some or all client accounts and not all services may be used in connection with the Fund or account that paid commissions to the broker providing such services. In some cases, research information received from brokers by investment company management personnel, or personnel principally responsible for BlackRock's individually managed portfolios, is not necessarily shared by and between such personnel. Any investment advisory or other fees paid by the Fund to BlackRock are not reduced as a result of BlackRock's receipt of research services. In some cases, BlackRock may receive a service from a broker that has

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both a "research" and a "non-research" use. When this occurs BlackRock makes a good faith allocation, under all the circumstances, between the research and non-research uses of the service. The percentage of the service that is used for research purposes may be paid for with client commissions, while BlackRock will use its own funds to pay for the percentage of the service that is used for non-research purposes. In making this good faith allocation, BlackRock faces a potential conflict of interest, but BlackRock believes that its allocation procedures are reasonably designed to ensure that it appropriately allocates the anticipated use of such services to their research and non-research uses.

Under MiFID II, investment managers in the EU, including BIL, are not able to use soft dollars to pay for research from brokers. Investment managers in the EU are required to either pay for research out of their own profit and loss or agree with clients to have research costs paid by clients through research payment accounts that are directly funded or funded by a specific client research charge collected alongside execution commissions, provided that the payments for research are unbundled from the payments for execution. BIL will pay for any research out of its own resources and not through soft dollars or commission sharing arrangements.

Payments of commissions to brokers who are affiliated persons of the Fund will be made in accordance with Rule 17e-1 under the Investment Company Act.

From time to time, the Fund may purchase new issues of securities in a fixed price offering. In these situations, the broker may be a member of the selling group that will, in addition to selling securities, provide BlackRock with research services. FINRA has adopted rules expressly permitting these types of arrangements under certain circumstances. Generally, the broker will provide research "credits" in these situations at a rate that is higher than that available for typical secondary market transactions. These arrangements may not fall within the safe harbor of Section 28(e).

BlackRock does not consider sales of shares of the investment companies it advises as a factor in the selection of brokers or dealers to execute portfolio transactions for the Fund; however, whether or not a particular broker or dealer sells shares of the investment companies advised by BlackRock neither qualifies nor disqualifies such broker or dealer to execute transactions for those investment companies.

The Fund anticipates that its brokerage transactions involving foreign securities generally will be conducted primarily on the principal stock exchanges of the applicable country. Foreign equity securities may be held by the Fund in the form of depositary receipts, or other securities convertible into foreign equity securities. Depositary receipts may be listed on stock exchanges, or traded in OTC markets in the United States or Europe, as the case may be. American Depositary Receipts, like other securities traded in the United States, will be subject to negotiated commission rates.

The Fund may invest in certain securities traded in the OTC market and intends to deal directly with the dealers who make a market in the particular securities, except in those circumstances in which better prices and execution are available elsewhere. Under the Investment Company Act, persons affiliated with the Fund and persons who are affiliated with such affiliated persons are prohibited from dealing with the Fund as principal in the purchase and sale of securities unless a permissive order allowing such transactions is obtained from the SEC. Since transactions in the OTC market usually involve transactions with the dealers acting as principal for their own accounts, the Fund will not deal with affiliated persons in connection with such transactions. However, an affiliated person of the Fund may serve as its broker in OTC transactions conducted on an agency basis provided that, among other things, the fee or commission received by such affiliated broker is reasonable and fair compared to the fee or commission received by non-affiliated brokers in connection with comparable transactions.

OTC issues, including most fixed-income securities such as corporate debt and U.S. Government securities, are normally traded on a "net" basis without a stated commission, through dealers acting for their own account and not as brokers. The Fund will primarily engage in transactions with these dealers or deal directly with the

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issuer unless a better price or execution could be obtained by using a broker. Prices paid to a dealer with respect to both foreign and domestic securities will generally include a "spread," which is the difference between the prices at which the dealer is willing to purchase and sell the specific security at the time, and includes the dealer's normal profit.

Purchases of money market instruments by the Fund are made from dealers, underwriters and issuers. The Fund does not currently expect to incur any brokerage commission expense on such transactions because money market instruments are generally traded on a "net" basis with dealers acting as principal for their own accounts without a stated commission. The price of the security, however, usually includes a profit to the dealer.

Securities purchased in underwritten offerings include a fixed amount of compensation to the underwriter, generally referred to as the underwriter's concession or discount. When offered securities are purchased or sold directly from or to an issuer, no commissions or discounts are paid except where required by local markets.

The Advisor may seek to obtain an undertaking from issuers of commercial paper or dealers selling commercial paper to consider the repurchase of such securities from the Fund prior to maturity at their original cost plus interest (sometimes adjusted to reflect the actual maturity of the securities), if it believes that the Fund's anticipated need for liquidity makes such action desirable. Any such repurchase prior to maturity reduces the possibility that the Fund would incur a capital loss in liquidating commercial paper, especially if interest rates have risen since acquisition of such commercial paper.

Investment decisions for the Fund and for other investment accounts managed by the Advisor or Sub-Advisors are made independently of each other in light of differing conditions. BlackRock allocates investments among client accounts in a fair and equitable manner over time. A variety of factors will be considered in making such allocations. These factors include: (i) investment objectives or strategies for particular accounts, including sector, industry, country or region and capitalization weightings, (ii) tax considerations of an account, (iii) risk or investment concentration parameters for an account, (iv) supply or demand for a security at a given price level, (v) size of available investment, (vi) cash availability and liquidity requirements for accounts, (vii) regulatory restrictions, (viii) minimum investment size of an account, (ix) relative size of account, and (x) such other factors as may be approved by BlackRock's general counsel. Moreover, investments may not be allocated to one client account over another based on any of the following considerations: (i) to favor one client account at the expense of another, (ii) to generate higher fees paid by one client account over another or to produce greater performance compensation to BlackRock, (iii) to develop or enhance a relationship with a client or prospective client, (iv) to compensate a client for past services or benefits rendered to BlackRock or to induce future services or benefits to be rendered to BlackRock, or (v) to manage or equalize investment performance among different client accounts.

Equity securities will generally be allocated among client accounts within the same investment mandate on a pro rata basis. All allocations of equity securities will be subject, where relevant, to share minimums established for accounts and compliance constraints.

Initial public offerings of securities may be over-subscribed and subsequently trade at a premium in the secondary market. In these situations, the supply of securities available for client accounts is often less than the amount of securities the accounts would otherwise take. In order to allocate these investments fairly and equitably among client accounts over time, each portfolio manager or a member of his or her respective investment team will indicate to BlackRock's trading desk their level of interest in a particular offering with respect to eligible client accounts for which that team is responsible. Initial public offerings of U.S. equity securities will be identified as eligible for particular client accounts that are managed by portfolio teams who have indicated interest in the offering based on market capitalization of the issuer of the security and the investment mandate of the client account and in the case of international equity securities, the country where the offering is taking place and the investment mandate of the client account. Generally, shares received during the initial public offering will be allocated among participating client accounts within each investment mandate on a

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pro rata basis. In situations where supply is too limited to be allocated among all accounts for which the investment is eligible, portfolio managers may rotate such investment opportunities among one or more accounts so long as the rotation system provides for fair access for all client accounts over time. Other allocation methodologies that are considered by BlackRock to be fair and equitable to clients may be used as well.

Because different accounts may have differing investment objectives and policies, BlackRock may buy and sell the same securities at the same time for different clients based on the particular investment objective, guidelines and strategies of those accounts. For example, BlackRock may decide that it may be entirely appropriate for a growth fund to sell a security at the same time a value fund is buying that security. To the extent that transactions on behalf of more than one client of BlackRock or its affiliates during the same period may increase the demand for securities being purchased or the supply of securities being sold, there may be an adverse effect on price. For example, sales of a security by BlackRock on behalf of one or more of its clients may decrease the market price of such security, adversely impacting other BlackRock clients that still hold the security. If purchases or sales of securities arise for consideration at or about the same time that would involve the Fund or other clients or funds for which BlackRock or an affiliate act as investment manager, transactions in such securities will be made, insofar as feasible, for the respective funds and clients in a manner deemed equitable to all.

In certain instances, BlackRock may find it efficient for purposes of seeking to obtain best execution, to aggregate certain contemporaneous purchases or sale orders of its advisory accounts. In general, all contemporaneous trades for client accounts under management by the same portfolio manager or investment team will be aggregated in a single order if the trader believes the aggregated trade would provide each client with an opportunity to achieve a more favorable execution at a potentially lower execution cost. The costs associated with a aggregated order will be shared pro rata among the clients in the aggregated order. Generally, if an order for a particular portfolio manager or management team is filled at several different prices through multiple trades, all accounts participating in the order will receive the average price except in the case of certain international markets where average pricing is not permitted. While in some cases this practice could have a detrimental effect upon the price or value of the security as far as the Fund is concerned, in other cases it could be beneficial to the Fund. Transactions effected by BlackRock on behalf of more than one of its clients during the same period may increase the demand for securities being purchased or the supply of securities being sold, causing an adverse effect on price. The trader will give the aggregated order to the broker-dealer that the trader has identified as being able to provide the best execution of the order. Orders for purchase or sale of securities will be placed within a reasonable amount of time of the order receipt and aggregated orders will be kept aggregated only long enough to execute the order.

The Fund will not purchase securities during the existence of any underwriting or selling group relating to such securities of which BlackRock, the Distributor or any affiliated person (as defined in the Investment Company Act) thereof is a member except pursuant to procedures adopted by the Board in accordance with Rule 10f-3 under the Investment Company Act. In no instance will portfolio securities be purchased from or sold to the BlackRock, the Distributor or any affiliated person of the foregoing entities except as permitted by SEC exemptive order or by applicable law.

The Fund's purchase and sale orders for securities may be combined with those of other investment companies, clients or accounts that the Advisor manages or advises. If purchases or sales of portfolio securities of the Fund and one or more other accounts managed or advised by the Advisor are considered at or about the same time, transactions in such securities are allocated among the Fund and the other accounts in a manner deemed equitable to all by the Fund. In some cases, this procedure could have a detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security as far as the Fund is concerned. However, in other cases, it is possible that the ability to participate in volume transactions and to negotiate lower transaction costs will be beneficial to the Fund. The Advisor may deal, trade and invest for its own account in the types of securities in which the Fund may invest. The Advisor may, from time to time, effect trades on behalf of and for the account of the Fund with brokers or dealers that are affiliated with BFA, in conformity with the Investment Company Act and SEC rules and

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regulations. Under these provisions, any commissions paid to affiliated brokers or dealers must be reasonable and fair compared to the commissions charged by other brokers or dealers in comparable transactions. The Fund will not deal with affiliates in principal transactions unless permitted by applicable SEC rules or regulations, or by SEC exemptive order.

#### Portfolio Turnover
The portfolio turnover rate is calculated by dividing the lesser of the Fund's annual sales or purchases of portfolio securities (exclusive of purchases or sales of U.S. Government securities and all other securities whose maturities at the time of acquisition were one year or less) by the monthly average value of the securities in the portfolio during the year. A high rate of portfolio turnover results in certain tax consequences, such as increased capital gain dividends and/or ordinary income dividends, and in correspondingly greater transaction costs in the form of dealer spreads and brokerage commissions, which are borne directly by the Fund.

Information about the brokerage commissions paid by the Fund, including commissions paid to affiliates is set forth in the following table:

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
|  | **Aggregate Brokerage<br>Commissions Paid** | **Commissions Paid<br>to Affiliates** |
|  Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2025 | $102108 | $0 |
|  Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2024 | $89677 | $0 |
|  Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2023 | $112726 | $0 |

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For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, the brokerage commissions paid to affiliates by the Fund represented 0% of the aggregate brokerage commissions paid and involved 0% of the dollar amount of transactions involving payment of commissions during the period.

The following table shows the dollar amount of brokerage commissions paid to brokers for providing third-party research services and the approximate dollar amount of the transactions involved for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025. The provision of third-party research services was not necessarily a factor in the placement of all brokerage business with such brokers.

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| **Amount of Commissions Paid to Brokers<br>for Providing Research Services** | **Amount of Brokerage<br>Transactions Involved** |
| $0 | $0 |

---

As of December 31, 2025, the Fund held no securities of its regular brokers or dealers (as defined in Rule 10b-1 under the Investment Company Act) or their parents whose shares were purchased during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025.

#### CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
*Certain activities of BlackRock, Inc., BlackRock Advisors, LLC, BlackRock Fund Advisors and the other subsidiaries of BlackRock, Inc. (collectively referred to in this section as "BlackRock") and their respective directors, officers or employees, with respect to the Fund and/or other accounts managed by BlackRock, may give rise to actual or perceived conflicts of interest such as those described below.* 

BlackRock is one of the world's largest asset management firms. BlackRock, its subsidiaries and their respective directors, officers and employees, including the business units or entities and personnel who may be involved in the investment activities and business operations of the Fund, are engaged worldwide in businesses, including managing equities, fixed income securities, cash and alternative investments, and other financial

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services, and have interests other than that of managing the Fund. These are considerations of which investors in the Fund should be aware, and which may cause conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. These businesses and interests include potential multiple advisory, transactional, financial and other relationships with, or interests in companies and interests in securities or other instruments that may be purchased or sold by the Fund.

BlackRock may have proprietary interests in, and may manage or advise with respect to, accounts or funds (including separate accounts and other funds and collective investment vehicles) that have investment objectives identical or similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and instruments as the Fund. Such other funds or accounts may offer exposure to strategies that are identical or substantially similar to those of the Fund but with different fees and expenses, governance and structures, and/or services provided by BlackRock. BlackRock is also a major participant in the global currency, equities, swap and fixed income markets, in each case, for the accounts of clients and, in some cases, on a proprietary basis. As such, BlackRock is or may be actively engaged in transactions in the same securities, currencies, and instruments in which the Fund invests.

Such activities could affect the prices and availability of the securities, currencies, and instruments in which the Fund invests, which could have an adverse impact on the Fund's performance. Such transactions, particularly in respect of most proprietary accounts or client accounts, will be executed independently of the Fund's transactions and thus at prices or rates that may be more or less favorable than those obtained by the Fund.

In addition, the portfolio holdings of certain BlackRock-advised investment vehicles managed in an identical or substantially similar manner as certain funds are made publicly available on a more timely basis than the applicable Fund. In some cases, such portfolio holdings are made publicly available on a daily basis. While not expected, it is possible that a recipient of portfolio holdings information for such an investment vehicle could cause harm to the Fund that is managed in an identical or substantially similar manner, including by trading ahead of or against such Fund based on the information received.

When BlackRock seeks to purchase or sell the same assets for client accounts, including the Fund, the assets actually purchased or sold may be allocated among the accounts on a basis determined in its good faith discretion to be equitable. In some cases, this system may adversely affect the size or price of the assets purchased or sold for the Fund. In addition, transactions in investments by one or more other accounts managed by BlackRock may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund, particularly, but not limited to, with respect to small capitalization, emerging market or less liquid strategies. This may occur with respect to BlackRock-advised accounts when investment decisions regarding the Fund are based on research or other information that is also used to support decisions for other accounts. When BlackRock implements a portfolio decision or strategy on behalf of another account ahead of, or contemporaneously with, similar decisions or strategies for the Fund, market impact, liquidity constraints, or other factors could result in the Fund receiving less favorable trading results and the costs of implementing such decisions or strategies could be increased or the Fund could otherwise be disadvantaged. BlackRock may, in certain cases, elect to implement internal policies and procedures designed to limit such consequences, which may cause the Fund to be unable to engage in certain activities, including purchasing or disposing of securities, when it might otherwise be desirable for it to do so. Conflicts may also arise because portfolio decisions regarding the Fund may benefit other accounts managed by BlackRock. For example, the sale of a long position or establishment of a short position by the Fund may impair the price of the same security sold short by (and therefore benefit) BlackRock or its other accounts or funds, and the purchase of a security or covering of a short position in a security by the Fund may increase the price of the same security held by (and therefore benefit) BlackRock or its other accounts or funds.

BlackRock, on behalf of other client accounts, on the one hand, and the Fund, on the other hand, may invest in or extend credit to different parts of the capital structure of a single issuer. BlackRock may pursue rights, provide advice or engage in other activities, or refrain from pursuing rights, providing advice or engaging in other activities, on behalf of other clients with respect to an issuer in which the Fund has invested, and such

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actions (or refraining from action) may have a material adverse effect on the Fund. In situations in which clients of BlackRock (including the Fund) hold positions in multiple parts of the capital structure of an issuer, BlackRock may not pursue certain actions or remedies that may be available to the Fund, as a result of legal and regulatory requirements or otherwise. BlackRock addresses these and other potential conflicts of interest based on the facts and circumstances of particular situations. For example, BlackRock may determine to rely on information barriers between different business units or portfolio management teams. BlackRock may also determine to rely on the actions of similarly situated holders of loans or securities rather than, or in connection with, taking such actions itself on behalf of the Fund.

In addition, to the extent permitted by applicable law, the Fund may invest its assets in other funds advised by BlackRock, including funds that are managed by one or more of the same portfolio managers, which could result in conflicts of interest relating to asset allocation, timing of Fund purchases and redemptions, and increased remuneration and profitability for BlackRock and/or its personnel, including portfolio managers.

Third parties, including service providers to BlackRock or the Fund, may sponsor events (including, but not limited to, marketing and promotional activities and presentations, educational training programs and conferences) for registered representatives, other professionals and individual investors. There is a potential conflict of interest as such sponsorships may defray the costs of such activities to BlackRock, and may provide an incentive to BlackRock to retain such third parties to provide services to the Fund.

In certain circumstances, BlackRock, on behalf of the Fund, may seek to buy from or sell securities to another fund or account advised by BlackRock. BlackRock may (but is not required to) effect purchases and sales between BlackRock clients ("cross trades"), including the Fund, if BlackRock believes such transactions are appropriate based on each party's investment objectives and guidelines, subject to applicable law and regulation. There may be potential conflicts of interest or regulatory issues relating to these transactions which could limit BlackRock's decision to engage in these transactions for the Fund. BlackRock may have a potentially conflicting division of loyalties and responsibilities to the parties in such transactions.

BlackRock and its clients may pursue or enforce rights with respect to an issuer in which the Fund has invested, and those activities may have an adverse effect on the Fund. As a result, prices, availability, liquidity and terms of the Fund's investments may be negatively impacted by the activities of BlackRock or its clients, and transactions for the Fund may be impaired or effected at prices or terms that may be less favorable than would otherwise have been the case.

The results of the Fund's investment activities may differ significantly from the results achieved by BlackRock for its proprietary accounts or other accounts (including investment companies or collective investment vehicles) that it manages or advises. It is possible that one or more accounts managed or advised by BlackRock and such other accounts will achieve investment results that are substantially more or less favorable than the results achieved by the Fund. Moreover, it is possible that the Fund will sustain losses during periods in which one or more proprietary or other accounts managed or advised by BlackRock achieve significant profits. The opposite result is also possible.

From time to time, the Fund may be restricted from purchasing or selling securities, or from engaging in other investment activities because of regulatory, legal or contractual requirements applicable to BlackRock or other accounts managed or advised by BlackRock, and/or the internal policies of BlackRock designed to comply with such requirements. As a result, there may be periods, for example, when BlackRock will not initiate or recommend certain types of transactions in certain securities or instruments with respect to which BlackRock is performing services or when position limits have been reached. For example, the investment activities of BlackRock for its proprietary accounts and accounts under its management may limit the investment opportunities for the Fund in certain emerging and other markets in which limitations are imposed upon the amount of investment, in the aggregate or in individual issuers, by affiliated foreign investors.

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In connection with its management of the Fund, BlackRock may have access to certain fundamental analysis and proprietary technical models developed by BlackRock. BlackRock will not be under any obligation, however, to effect transactions on behalf of the Fund in accordance with such analysis and models. In addition, BlackRock will not have any obligation to make available any information regarding its proprietary activities or strategies, or the activities or strategies used for other accounts managed by them, for the benefit of the management of the Fund and it is not anticipated that BlackRock will have access to such information for the purpose of managing the Fund. The proprietary activities or portfolio strategies of BlackRock, or the activities or strategies used for accounts managed by BlackRock or other client accounts could conflict with the transactions and strategies employed by BlackRock in managing the Fund.

The Fund may be included in investment models developed by BlackRock for use by clients and financial advisors. To the extent clients invest in these investment models and increase the assets under management of the Fund, the investment management fee amounts paid by the Fund to BlackRock may also increase. The net asset value and liquidity of the Fund may be impacted by purchases and sales of the Fund by model-driven investment portfolios, as well as by BlackRock itself and by its advisory clients.

In addition, certain principals and certain employees of the Fund's investment adviser are also principals or employees of other business units or entities within BlackRock. As a result, these principals and employees may have obligations to such other business units or entities or their clients and such obligations to other business units or entities or their clients may be a consideration of which investors in the Fund should be aware.

BlackRock may enter into transactions and invest in securities, instruments and currencies on behalf of the Fund in which clients of BlackRock, or, to the extent permitted by the Commission and applicable law, BlackRock, serves as the counterparty, principal or issuer. In such cases, such party's interests in the transaction will be adverse to the interests of the Fund, and such party may have no incentive to assure that the Fund obtains the best possible prices or terms in connection with the transactions. In addition, the purchase, holding and sale of such investments by the Fund may enhance the profitability of BlackRock.

BlackRock may also create, write or issue derivatives for clients, the underlying securities, currencies or instruments of which may be those in which the Fund invests or which may be based on the performance of the Fund. Additionally, an affiliate of BlackRock will create, write or issue options, which may be based on the performance of certain BlackRock-advised funds. BlackRock has entered into an arrangement with Markit Indices Limited, the index provider for underlying fixed-income indexes used by certain iShares ETFs, related to derivative fixed-income products that are based on such iShares ETFs. Trading activity in these derivative products could also potentially lead to greater liquidity for such products, increased purchase activity with respect to these iShares ETFs and increased assets under management for BlackRock.

The Fund may, subject to applicable law, purchase investments that are the subject of an underwriting or other distribution by BlackRock and may also enter into transactions with other clients of BlackRock where such other clients have interests adverse to those of the Fund. At times, these activities may cause business units or entities within BlackRock to give advice to clients that may cause these clients to take actions adverse to the interests of the Fund. To the extent such transactions are permitted, the Fund will deal with BlackRock on an arms-length basis.

To the extent authorized by applicable law, BlackRock may act as broker, dealer, agent, lender or adviser or in other commercial capacities for the Fund. It is anticipated that the commissions, mark-ups, mark-downs, financial advisory fees, underwriting and placement fees, sales fees, financing and commitment fees, brokerage fees, other fees, compensation or profits, rates, terms and conditions charged by BlackRock will be in its view commercially reasonable, although BlackRock, including its sales personnel, will have an interest in obtaining fees and other amounts that are favorable to BlackRock and such sales personnel, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund. Index based funds may use an index provider that is affiliated with another service provider of the Fund or BlackRock that acts as a broker, dealer, agent, lender or in other commercial capacities for the Fund or BlackRock.

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Subject to applicable law, BlackRock (and its personnel and other distributors) will be entitled to retain fees and other amounts that they receive in connection with their service to the Fund as broker, dealer, agent, lender, adviser or in other commercial capacities. No accounting to the Fund or their shareholders will be required, and no fees or other compensation payable by the Fund or its shareholders will be reduced by reason of receipt by BlackRock of any such fees or other amounts.

When BlackRock acts as broker, dealer, agent, adviser or in other commercial capacities in relation to the Fund, BlackRock may take commercial steps in its own interests, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund.

The Fund will be required to establish business relationships with its counterparties based on the Fund's own credit standing. BlackRock will not have any obligation to allow its credit to be used in connection with the Fund's establishment of its business relationships, nor is it expected that the Fund's counterparties will rely on the credit of BlackRock in evaluating the Fund's creditworthiness.

BlackRock Investment Management, LLC ("BIM") or BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. ("BTC"), as applicable, each an affiliate of BlackRock, pursuant to SEC exemptive relief, acts as securities lending agent to, and receives a share of securities lending revenues from, the Fund. BlackRock will also receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of the cash collateral from securities lending. There are potential conflicts of interests in managing a securities lending program, including but not limited to: (i) BlackRock as securities lending agent may have an incentive to, among other things, increase or decrease the amount of securities on loan or to lend particular securities in order to generate additional risk-adjusted revenue for BlackRock and its affiliates; and (ii) BlackRock as securities lending agent may have an incentive to allocate loans to clients that would provide more revenue to BlackRock. As described further below, BlackRock seeks to mitigate this conflict by providing its securities lending clients with equal lending opportunities over time in order to approximate pro rata allocation.

As part of its securities lending program, BlackRock indemnifies the Fund and certain other clients and/or funds against a shortfall in collateral in the event of borrower default. On a regular basis, BlackRock calculates the potential dollar exposure of collateral shortfall resulting from a borrower default ("shortfall risk") in the securities lending program. BlackRock establishes program-wide borrower limits ("credit limits") to actively manage borrower-specific credit exposure. BlackRock oversees the risk model that calculates projected collateral shortfall values using loan-level factors such as loan and collateral type and market value as well as specific borrower credit characteristics. When necessary, BlackRock may adjust securities lending program attributes by restricting eligible collateral or reducing borrower credit limits. As a result, the management of program-wide exposure as well as BlackRock-specific indemnification exposure may affect the amount of securities lending activity BlackRock may conduct at any given point in time by reducing the volume of lending opportunities for certain loans (including by asset type, collateral type and/or revenue profile).

BlackRock may decline to make a securities loan on behalf of the Fund, discontinue lending on behalf of the Fund or terminate a securities loan on behalf of the Fund for any reason, including but not limited to regulatory requirements and/or market rules, liquidity considerations, or credit considerations, which may impact the Fund by reducing or eliminating the volume of lending opportunities for certain types of loans, loans in particular markets, loans of particular securities or types of securities, or for loans overall. In addition, some borrowers may prefer certain BlackRock lenders that provide additional protections against lender default that are favored by their prudential regulation.

BlackRock uses a predetermined systematic process in order to approximate pro rata allocation over time. In order to allocate a loan to a portfolio: (i) BlackRock as a whole must have sufficient lending capacity pursuant to the various program limits (i.e. indemnification exposure limit and borrower credit limits); (ii) the lending portfolio must hold the asset at the time a loan opportunity arrives; and (iii) the lending portfolio must also have enough inventory, either on its own or when aggregated with other portfolios into one single market delivery, to satisfy the loan request. In doing so, BlackRock seeks to provide equal lending opportunities for all portfolios,

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independent of whether BlackRock indemnifies the portfolio. Equal opportunities for lending portfolios does not guarantee equal outcomes. Specifically, short and long-term outcomes for individual clients may vary due to asset mix, asset/liability spreads on different securities, and the overall limits imposed by the firm.

Purchases and sales of securities and other assets for the Fund may be aggregated with orders for other BlackRock client accounts, including with accounts that pay different transaction costs solely due to the fact that they have different research payment arrangements. BlackRock, however, is not required to aggregate orders if portfolio management decisions for different accounts are made separately, or if they determine that aggregating is not practicable or required, or in cases involving client direction.

Prevailing trading activity frequently may make impossible the receipt of the same price or execution on the entire volume of securities purchased or sold. When this occurs, the various prices may be averaged, and the Fund will be charged or credited with the average price. Thus, the effect of the aggregation may operate on some occasions to the disadvantage of the Fund. In addition, under certain circumstances, the Fund will not be charged the same commission or commission equivalent rates in connection with an aggregated order.

As discussed in the section entitled "Portfolio Transactions and Brokerage" in this SAI, BlackRock, unless prohibited by applicable law, may cause the Fund or account to pay a broker or dealer a commission for effecting a transaction that exceeds the amount another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting the same transaction in recognition of the value of brokerage and research services provided by that broker or dealer. Under MiFID II, EU investment managers, including BIL, pay for research from brokers and dealers directly out of their own resources, rather than through client commissions.

Subject to applicable law, BlackRock may select brokers that furnish BlackRock, the Fund, other BlackRock client accounts or personnel, directly or through correspondent relationships, with research or other appropriate services which provide, in BlackRock's view, appropriate assistance to BlackRock in the investment decision-making process (including with respect to futures, fixed-price offerings and OTC transactions). Such research or other services may include, to the extent permitted by law, research reports on companies, industries and securities; economic and financial data; financial publications; proxy analysis; trade industry seminars; computer data bases; research-oriented software and other services and products. research or other service arrangements. Such products and services may disproportionately benefit other BlackRock client accounts relative to the Fund based on the amount of brokerage commissions paid by the Fund and such other BlackRock client accounts. For example, research or other services that are paid for through one client's commissions may not be used in managing that client's account. In addition, other BlackRock client accounts may receive the benefit, including disproportionate benefits, of economies of scale or price discounts in connection with products and services that may be provided to the Fund and to such other BlackRock client accounts. To the extent that BlackRock uses soft dollars, it will not have to pay for those products and services itself.

BlackRock, unless prohibited by applicable law, may endeavor to execute trades through brokers who, pursuant to such arrangements, provide research or other services in order to ensure the continued receipt of research or other services BlackRock believes are useful in its investment decision-making process. BlackRock may from time to time choose not to engage in the above described arrangements to varying degrees. BlackRock, unless prohibited by applicable law, may also enter into commission sharing arrangements under which BlackRock may execute transactions through a broker-dealer and request that the broker-dealer allocate a portion of the commissions or commission credits to another firm that provides research to BlackRock. To the extent that BlackRock engages in commission sharing arrangements, many of the same conflicts related to traditional soft dollars may exist.

BlackRock may utilize certain electronic crossing networks ("ECNs") (including, without limitation, ECNs in which BlackRock has an investment or other interest, to the extent permitted by applicable law) in executing client securities transactions for certain types of securities. These ECNs may charge fees for their services, including access fees and transaction fees. The transaction fees, which are similar to commissions or markups/markdowns, will generally be charged to clients and, like commissions and markups/markdowns, would

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generally be included in the cost of the securities purchased. Access fees may be paid by BlackRock even though incurred in connection with executing transactions on behalf of clients, including the Fund. In certain circumstances, ECNs may offer volume discounts that will reduce the access fees typically paid by BlackRock. BlackRock will only utilize ECNs consistent with its obligation to seek to obtain best execution in client transactions.

BlackRock owns a minority interest in, and is a member of, Members Exchange ("MEMX"), a newly created U.S. stock exchange. Transactions for the Fund may be executed on MEMX if third party brokers select MEMX as the appropriate venue for execution of orders placed by BlackRock traders on behalf of client portfolios.

BlackRock has adopted policies and procedures designed to prevent conflicts of interest from influencing proxy voting decisions that it makes on behalf of advisory clients, including the Fund, and to help ensure that such decisions are made in accordance with BlackRock's fiduciary obligations to its clients. Nevertheless, notwithstanding such proxy voting policies and procedures, actual proxy voting decisions of BlackRock may have the effect of favoring the interests of other clients or businesses of other divisions or units of BlackRock, provided that BlackRock believes such voting decisions to be in accordance with its fiduciary obligations. For a more detailed discussion of these policies and procedures, see "Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures."

It is also possible that, from time to time, BlackRock and/or its advisory clients (including other funds and separately managed accounts) may, subject to compliance with applicable law, purchase and hold shares of the Fund. Increasing the Fund's assets may enhance investment flexibility and diversification and may contribute to economies of scale that tend to reduce the Fund's expense ratio. BlackRock reserves the right, subject to compliance with applicable law, to redeem at any time some or all of the shares of the Fund acquired for its own accounts. A large redemption of shares of the Fund by BlackRock could significantly reduce the asset size of the Fund, which might have an adverse effect on the Fund's investment flexibility, portfolio diversification and expense ratio. BlackRock seeks to consider the effect of redemptions on the Fund and other shareholders in deciding whether to redeem its shares but is not obligated to do so and may elect not to do so.

It is possible that the Fund may invest in securities of, or engage in transactions with, companies in which BlackRock has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund may also invest in issuances (such as structured notes) by entities for which BlackRock provides and is compensated for cash management services relating to the proceeds from the sale of such issuances. In making investment decisions for the Fund, BlackRock is not permitted to obtain or use material non-public information acquired by any unit of BlackRock, in the course of these activities. In addition, from time to time, the activities of BlackRock may limit the Fund's flexibility in purchases and sales of securities. As indicated below, BlackRock may engage in transactions with companies in which BlackRock-advised funds or other clients of BlackRock have an investment.

BlackRock and its personnel and other financial service providers may have interests in promoting sales of the Fund. With respect to BlackRock and its personnel, the remuneration and profitability relating to services to and sales of the Fund or other products may be greater than remuneration and profitability relating to services to and sales of certain funds or other products that might be provided or offered. BlackRock and its sales personnel may directly or indirectly receive a portion of the fees and commissions charged to the Fund or their shareholders. BlackRock and its advisory or other personnel may also benefit from increased amounts of assets under management. Fees and commissions may also be higher than for other products or services, and the remuneration and profitability to BlackRock and such personnel resulting from transactions on behalf of or management of the Fund may be greater than the remuneration and profitability resulting from other funds or products.

BlackRock may provide valuation assistance to certain clients with respect to certain securities or other investments and the valuation recommendations made for such clients' accounts may differ from the valuations for the same securities or investments assigned by the Fund's pricing vendors, especially if such valuations are

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based on broker-dealer quotes or other data sources unavailable to the Fund's pricing vendors. While BlackRock will generally communicate its valuation information or determinations to the Fund's pricing vendors and/or fund accountants, there may be instances where the Fund's pricing vendors or fund accountants assign a different valuation to a security or other investment than the valuation for such security or investment determined or recommended by BlackRock.

As disclosed in more detail in "Net Asset Value" in the Prospectus, when market quotations are not readily available or are believed by BlackRock to be unreliable, the Fund's investments are valued at fair value by BlackRock. BlackRock has been designated as the Fund's valuation designee pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the Investment Company Act and acts through BlackRock's Rule 2a-5 Committee (the "2a-5 Committee"), with assistance from other BlackRock pricing committees and in accordance with BlackRock's policies and procedures (the "Valuation Procedures"). When determining a "fair value price," the 2a-5 Committee seeks to determine the price that the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or liability in an arm's-length transaction. The price generally may not be determined based on what the Fund might reasonably expect to receive for selling an asset or liability at a later time or if it holds the asset or liability to maturity. While fair value determinations will be based upon all available factors that BlackRock deems relevant at the time of the determination, and may be based on analytical values determined by BlackRock using proprietary or third party valuation models, fair value represents only a good faith approximation of the value of an asset or liability. The fair value of one or more assets or liabilities may not, in retrospect, be the price at which those assets or liabilities could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used in determining the Fund's NAV. As a result, the Fund's sale or repurchase of its shares at NAV, at a time when a holding or holdings are valued by the 2a-5 Committee at fair value, may have the effect of diluting or increasing the economic interest of existing shareholders and may affect the amount of revenue received by BlackRock with respect to services for which it receives an asset-based fee.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Fund may invest all or some of its short term cash investments in any money market fund or similarly-managed private fund advised or managed by BlackRock. In connection with any such investments, the Fund, to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act, may pay its share of expenses of a money market fund or other similarly-managed private fund in which it invests, which may result in the Fund bearing some additional expenses.

BlackRock and its directors, officers and employees, may buy and sell securities or other investments for their own accounts and may have conflicts of interest with respect to investments made on behalf of the Fund. As a result of differing trading and investment strategies or constraints, positions may be taken by directors, officers and employees of BlackRock that are the same, different from or made at different times than positions taken for the Fund. To lessen the possibility that the Fund will be adversely affected by this personal trading, the Fund, BRIL and BlackRock each have adopted a Code of Ethics in compliance with Section 17(j) of the Investment Company Act that restricts securities trading in the personal accounts of investment professionals and others who normally come into possession of information regarding the Fund's portfolio transactions. Each Code of Ethics is also available on the EDGAR Database on the Commission's Internet site at http://www.sec.gov, and copies may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by e-mail at publicinfo@sec.gov.

BlackRock will not purchase securities or other property from, or sell securities or other property to, the Fund, except that the Fund may in accordance with rules or guidance adopted under the Investment Company Act engage in transactions with another fund or accounts that are affiliated with the Fund as a result of common officers, directors, or investment advisers or pursuant to exemptive orders granted to the Fund and/or BlackRock by the Commission. These transactions would be effected in circumstances in which BlackRock determined that it would be appropriate for the Fund to purchase and another client of BlackRock to sell, or the Fund to sell and another client of BlackRock to purchase, the same security or instrument on the same day. From time to time, the activities of the Fund may be restricted because of regulatory requirements applicable to BlackRock and/or BlackRock's internal policies designed to comply with, limit the applicability of, or that otherwise relate to such requirements. A client not advised by BlackRock would not be subject to some of those considerations. There may be periods when BlackRock may not initiate or recommend certain types of transactions, or may otherwise

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restrict or limit its advice regarding certain securities or instruments issued by or related to companies for which BlackRock is performing advisory or other services or has proprietary positions. For example, when BlackRock is engaged to provide advisory or risk management services for a company, BlackRock may be prohibited from or limited in purchasing or selling securities of that company on behalf of the Fund, particularly where such services result in BlackRock obtaining material non-public information about the company (e.g., in connection with participation in a creditors' committee). Moreover, applicable provisions of the Investment Company Act or other regulatory considerations may restrict the Fund or BlackRock from effecting certain portfolio transactions or taking other actions in respect of an investment on behalf of the Fund, including where BlackRock and/or clients advised by BlackRock already have an interest in such issuer or the investment. Similar situations could arise if personnel of BlackRock serve as directors of companies the securities of which the Fund wishes to purchase or sell. However, if permitted by applicable law, and where consistent with BlackRock's policies and procedures (including the necessary implementation of appropriate information barriers), the Fund may purchase securities or instruments that are issued by such companies, are the subject of an advisory or risk management assignment by BlackRock, or where personnel of BlackRock are directors or officers of the issuer.

BlackRock has adopted and implemented policies and procedures that are designed to address potential conflicts that arise in connection with the advisory services BlackRock provides to the Fund and other clients. Certain BlackRock advisory personnel may take views, and make decisions or recommendations, that are different than or opposite those of other BlackRock advisory personnel. Certain portfolio management teams within BlackRock may make decisions or take (or refrain from taking) actions with respect to clients they advise in a manner different than or adverse to the decisions made or the actions taken (or not taken) by the Fund's portfolio management teams. The various portfolio management teams may not share information with each other, including as a result of certain information barriers and other policies, and will not have any obligation or other duty to do so.

BlackRock has established certain information barriers and other policies to address the sharing of information between different businesses within BlackRock, including with respect to personnel responsible with managing portfolios and voting proxies with respect to certain index equity portfolios versus those responsible for managing portfolios and voting proxies with respect to all other portfolios. As a result of information barriers, certain units of BlackRock generally will not have access, or will have limited access, to certain information and personnel, including senior personnel, in other units of BlackRock, and generally will not manage the Fund with the benefit of information possessed by such other units. Therefore, BlackRock may not be able to review potential investments for the Fund with the benefit of information held by certain areas of BlackRock.

BlackRock may determine to move certain personnel, businesses, or business units from one side of an information barrier to the other side of the information barrier. In connection therewith, BlackRock personnel, businesses, and business units that were moved will no longer have access to the information and personnel from the side of the information barrier from which they were moved. Information obtained in connection with such changes to information barriers may limit or restrict the ability of BlackRock to engage in or otherwise effect transactions on behalf of the Fund (including purchasing or selling securities that BlackRock may otherwise have purchased or sold for a client in the absence of a change to an information barrier). Information barriers may not have their intended impact due to, for example, changes in applicable law or inadvertent crossings of the barriers, and actions by personnel on one side of a barrier may impact the potential actions of personnel on the other side of a barrier.

Although the information barriers are intended to allow for independent portfolio management decision-making and proxy voting among certain BlackRock businesses, the investment activities of BlackRock for BlackRock clients, as well as BlackRock's proprietary accounts, may nonetheless limit the investment strategies and rights of other clients (including the Fund). As BlackRock's assets under management increases, BlackRock clients may face greater negative impacts due to ownership restrictions and limitations imposed by laws, regulations, rules, regulators, or issuers. For example, in certain circumstances where a BlackRock client invests in securities issued by companies that operate in certain industries (e.g., banking, insurance, and utilities) or in certain emerging or international markets, or are subject to regulatory or corporate ownership restrictions (e.g., with mechanisms such as poison pills in place to prevent takeovers), or where a BlackRock client invests in

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certain futures and derivatives, there may be limits on the aggregate amount invested by BlackRock for its clients and BlackRock's proprietary accounts that may not be exceeded without the grant of a license or other regulatory or corporate approval, order, consent, relief, waiver or non-disapproval or, if exceeded, may cause BlackRock or its clients to be subject to enforcement actions, disgorgement of share ownership or profits, regulatory restrictions, complex compliance reporting, increased compliance costs or suffer disadvantages or business restrictions. In light of certain restrictions, BlackRock may also seek to make indirect investments (e.g., using derivatives) on behalf of its clients to receive exposure to certain securities in excess of the applicable ownership restrictions and limitations when legally permitted that will expose such clients to additional costs and additional risks, including any risks associated with investing in derivatives. There may be limited availability of derivatives that provide indirect exposure to an impacted security. BlackRock clients can be subject to more than one ownership limitation depending on each client's holdings, and each ownership limitation can impact multiple securities held by the client. Certain clients or shareholders may have their own overlapping obligations to monitor their compliance with ownership limitations across their investments.

If certain aggregate ownership thresholds are reached either through the actions of BlackRock or a BlackRock client or as a result of corporate actions by the issuer, the ability of BlackRock on behalf of clients to purchase or dispose of investments, or exercise rights (including voting) or undertake business transactions, may be restricted by law, regulation, rule, or organizational documents or otherwise impaired. For example, to meet the requirements of an ownership limitation or restriction, a client may be unable to purchase or directly hold a security the client would otherwise purchase or hold. The limitation or restriction may be based on the holdings of other BlackRock clients instead of the specific client being restricted. For index funds, this means a fund may not be able to track its index as closely as it would if it was not subject to an ownership limitation or restriction because the fund cannot acquire the amount of the impacted security included in its index. BlackRock on behalf of its clients may limit purchases, sell existing investments, utilize indirect investments, utilize information barriers, or otherwise restrict, forgo, or limit the exercise of rights (including transferring, outsourcing, or limiting voting rights or forgoing the right to receive dividends) when BlackRock, in its sole discretion, deems it appropriate in light of potential regulatory or other restrictions on ownership or other consequences resulting from reaching investment thresholds. These types of restrictions could negatively impact a client's performance or ability to meet its investment objective.

When BlackRock or a BlackRock client is subject to an ownership limitation, BlackRock may in its discretion seek permission from the applicable issuers or regulators to exceed the limitation. However, there is no guarantee that permission will be granted, or that, once granted, it will not be modified or revoked at a later date with minimal or no notice. The issuer and/or regulator may also require that BlackRock on behalf of itself and its clients take or refrain from taking certain actions in connection with the approval, order, consent, relief or non-disapproval, which BlackRock may accept if it believes the benefits outweigh the costs and may limit BlackRock from taking actions that it otherwise would take. In those circumstances where ownership thresholds or limitations must be observed, BlackRock seeks to allocate limited investment opportunities equitably among clients, taking into consideration benchmark weight and investment strategy. BlackRock may adopt certain controls designed to prevent the occurrence of a breach of any applicable ownership threshold or limits, including, for example, when ownership in certain securities nears an applicable threshold, BlackRock may limit additional purchases in such securities or, with respect to ETFs, remove such securities from the list of Deposit Securities to be delivered to the Fund in connection with purchases of Creation Units of such Fund. If client holdings of an issuer exceed an applicable threshold and BlackRock is unable to obtain relief to enable the continued holding of such investments, it may be necessary to reduce these positions to meet the applicable limitations and BlackRock or such client may be subject to regulatory actions. In these cases, the investments will be sold in a manner that BlackRock deems fair and equitable over time.

Ownership limitations are highly complex. It is possible that, despite BlackRock's intent to either comply with or be granted permission to exceed ownership limitations, it may inadvertently breach a limit or violate the corporate or regulatory approval, order, consent, relief or non-disapproval that was obtained.

In addition to the foregoing, other ownership thresholds may trigger reporting requirements to governmental and regulatory authorities, and such reports may entail the disclosure of the identity of a client or BlackRock's intended strategy with respect to such security or asset.

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BlackRock may maintain securities indices. To the extent permitted by applicable laws, the Fund may seek to license and use such indices as part of their investment strategy. Index based funds that seek to track the performance of securities indices also may use the name of the index or index provider in the fund name. Index providers, including BlackRock (to the extent permitted by applicable law), may be paid licensing fees for use of their index or index name. In instances where BlackRock charges a unitary management fee, BlackRock may have a financial incentive to use a BlackRock index that is less costly to BlackRock than a third party index. BlackRock may benefit from the Fund using BlackRock indices by creating increasing acceptance in the marketplace for such indices. BlackRock is not obligated to license its indices to the Fund and the Fund is under no obligation to use BlackRock indices. Any fund that enters into a license for a BlackRock index cannot be assured that the terms of any index licensing agreement with BlackRock will be as favorable as those terms offered to other licensees.

BlackRock may enter into contractual arrangements with third-party service providers to the Fund (e.g., custodians, administrators and index providers) pursuant to which BlackRock receives fee discounts or concessions in recognition of BlackRock's overall relationship with such service providers. BlackRock may also enter into contractual arrangements with such service providers pursuant to which BlackRock incurs additional costs if the service provider's services are terminated with respect to the Fund. To the extent that BlackRock is responsible for paying service providers out of its fees that it receives from the Fund, the benefits of lower fees, including any fee discounts or concessions, or any additional savings, may accrue, in whole or in part, to BlackRock, which could result in conflicts of interest relating to the use or termination of service providers to the Fund. In addition, conflicts of interest may arise with respect to contractual arrangements with third-party service providers to the Fund, or the selection of such providers, particularly in circumstances where BlackRock is negotiating on behalf of both funds that have a unitary management fee and those that do not or different service providers have different fee structures.

Conflicts of interest may arise as a result of simultaneous investment management of multiple client accounts by BlackRock's investment professionals. For example, differences in the advisory fee structure may create the appearance of actual or potential conflicts of interest because such differences could create pecuniary incentives for BlackRock to favor one client account over another.

BlackRock owns or has an ownership interest in certain trading, portfolio management, operations and/or information systems used by Fund service providers. These systems are, or will be, used by the Fund service provider in connection with the provision of services to accounts managed by BlackRock and funds managed and sponsored by BlackRock, including the Fund, that engage the service provider (typically the custodian). The Fund's service provider remunerates BlackRock for the use of the systems. The Fund service provider's payments to BlackRock for the use of these systems may enhance the profitability of BlackRock.

BlackRock's receipt of fees from a service provider in connection with the use of systems provided by BlackRock may create an incentive for BlackRock to recommend that the Fund enter into or renew an arrangement with the service provider.

In recognition of a BlackRock client's overall relationship with BlackRock, BlackRock may offer special pricing arrangements for certain services provided by BlackRock. Any such special pricing arrangements will not affect Fund fees and expenses applicable to such client's investment in the Fund.

Present and future activities of BlackRock and its directors, officers and employees, in addition to those described in this section, may give rise to additional conflicts of interest.

#### DESCRIPTION OF SHARES

#### Other Shares
The Board (subject to applicable law and the Fund's Declaration of Trust) may authorize an offering, without the approval of the holders of Shares and, depending on their terms, any Preferred Shares outstanding at

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that time, of other classes of shares, or other classes or series of shares, as they determine to be necessary, desirable or appropriate, having such terms, rights, preferences, privileges, limitations and restrictions as the Board sees fit. The Fund currently does not expect to issue any other classes of shares, or series of shares, except for the Shares.

#### TAX MATTERS
The following is a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences generally applicable to a shareholder of holding and disposing of Shares of the Fund. The discussion reflects applicable income tax laws of the United States as of the date of this SAI, which income tax laws may be changed or subject to new interpretations by the courts or the IRS retroactively or prospectively. No attempt is made to present a detailed explanation of all U.S. federal income tax concerns affecting the Fund and its shareholders (including shareholders subject to special provisions of the Code, including, without limitation, financial institutions, insurance companies, a partnership or other pass-through entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes, common shareholders whose "functional currency" is not the U.S. dollar, tax-exempt organizations, a controlled foreign corporation or a passive foreign investment company, dealers in securities or currencies, traders in securities or commodities that elect mark-to-market treatment, or persons that will hold Shares as a position in a "straddle," "hedge" or as part of a "constructive sale" for federal income tax purposes), and the discussions set forth here do not constitute tax advice. If a partnership (or any other entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds Shares, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership generally will depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Partnerships that hold Shares and partners in such a partnership should consult their tax advisors about the U.S. federal income tax considerations of the purchase, ownership and disposition of Shares. Except as expressly provided otherwise, this discussion assumes that you are a taxable U.S. person for U.S. federal income tax purposes and that you hold Shares of the Fund as capital assets (generally, for investment). The Fund has not sought and will not seek any ruling from the IRS regarding any matters discussed herein. No assurances can be given that the IRS would not assert, or that a court would not sustain, a position contrary to those set forth below. This summary does not discuss any aspects of foreign, state or local tax. Prospective investors should consult their own tax advisors as to the U.S. federal income tax consequences (including the alternative minimum tax consequences) of acquiring, holding and disposing of the Fund's shares, as well as the effects of state, local and non-U.S. tax laws.

#### Taxation of the Fund
The Fund has elected to be treated and to qualify to be taxed as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. To qualify as a RIC, the Fund must, among other things, satisfy certain requirements relating to the source of its income, diversification of its assets, and distributions of its income to its shareholders. First, the Fund must derive at least 90% of its annual gross income from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock or securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including but not limited to gains from options, futures and forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, or net income derived from interests in "qualified publicly traded partnerships" (as defined in the Code) (the "90% gross income test"). Second, the Fund must diversify its holdings so that, at the close of each quarter of its taxable year, (i) at least 50% of the value of its total assets is comprised of cash, cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs and other securities, with such other securities limited in respect of any one issuer to an amount not greater in value than 5% of the value of the Fund's total assets and to not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of the total assets is invested in the securities (other than U.S. government securities and securities of other RICs) of any one issuer or two or more issuers controlled by the Fund and engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or any one or more "qualified publicly traded partnerships."

As long as the Fund qualifies as a RIC, the Fund will generally not be subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income tax on income and gains that it distributes each taxable year to its shareholders, provided that in such

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taxable year it distributes at least 90% of the sum of (i) its "investment company taxable income" (which includes, among other items, dividends, taxable interest, taxable original issue discount and market discount income, income from securities lending, net short-term capital gain in excess of net long-term capital loss, and any other taxable income other than "net capital gain" (as defined below), reduced by deductible expenses) determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and (ii) its net tax-exempt interest (the excess of its gross tax-exempt interest income over certain disallowed deductions), if any. The Fund may retain for investment its net capital gain (which consists of the excess of its net long-term capital gain over its net short-term capital loss). However, if the Fund retains any net capital gain or any investment company taxable income, it will be subject to tax at regular corporate rates on the amount retained.

To avoid a 4% nondeductible U.S. federal excise tax, the Fund must distribute by December 31 of each calendar year the sum of at least 98% of its taxable ordinary income for such year, at least 98.2% of its capital gain net income (the excess of its capital gains over its capital losses, generally computed on the basis of the one-year period ending on October 31 of such year). In addition, the minimum amounts that must be distributed in any year to avoid the excise tax will be increased or decreased to reflect any under-distribution or over-distribution, as the case may be, from the previous year. For purposes of the excise tax, the Fund will be deemed to have distributed any income on which it paid U.S. federal income tax. The Fund intends to make timely distributions in compliance with these requirements, and consequently it is anticipated that it generally will not be required to pay the excise tax, although no assurances can be given in this regard.

If in any taxable year the Fund should fail to qualify under Subchapter M of the Code for tax treatment as a RIC, the Fund would incur a regular corporate U.S. federal income tax upon all of its taxable income for that year, and all distributions to its shareholders (including distributions of tax-exempt interest income or net capital gain) would be taxable to shareholders as ordinary dividend income for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent of the Fund's current or accumulated earnings and profits. In addition, to qualify again to be taxed as a RIC in a subsequent year, the Fund would be required to distribute to shareholders its earnings and profits attributable to non-RIC years. In addition, if the Fund failed to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, then to qualify as a RIC in a subsequent year, the Fund would be required to elect to recognize and pay tax on any net built-in gain (the excess of aggregate gain, including items of income, over aggregate loss that would have been realized if the Fund had been liquidated) or, alternatively, be subject to taxation on such built-in gain recognized for a period of five years. The remainder of this discussion assumes that the Fund qualifies for taxation as a RIC.

#### The Fund's Investments
Certain of the Fund's investment practices may be subject to special and complex U.S. federal income tax provisions that may, among other things, (i) disallow, suspend or otherwise limit the allowance of certain losses or deductions, (ii) convert lower taxed long-term capital gain or qualified dividend income into higher taxed short-term capital gain or ordinary income, (iii) convert tax-exempt income into taxable income, (iv) convert an ordinary loss or a deduction into a capital loss (the deductibility of which is more limited), (v) cause the Fund to recognize taxable income or gain without a corresponding receipt of cash, (vi) adversely affect when taxable income must be recognized or the time as to when a purchase or sale of stock or securities is deemed to occur, (vii) adversely alter the characterization of certain complex financial transactions or (viii) produce income that will not be qualifying income for purposes of the 90% gross income test. Although the Fund intends to monitor its transactions and may make certain tax elections to mitigate the effect of these provisions, no assurances can be made that the Fund will be able to do so.

The Fund may invest a portion of its net assets in below investment grade securities, commonly known as "junk" securities. Investments in these types of securities may present special tax issues for the Fund. U.S. federal income tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when the Fund may cease to accrue interest, original issue discount or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless securities, how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and

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income and whether modifications or exchanges of debt obligations in a bankruptcy or workout context are taxable. These and other issues could affect the Fund's ability to distribute sufficient income to preserve its status as a RIC or to avoid the imposition of U.S. federal income or excise tax.

Certain debt securities acquired by the Fund may be treated as debt securities that were originally issued at a discount. Generally, the amount of the original issue discount is treated as interest income and is included in taxable income (and required to be distributed by the Fund to qualify as a RIC and avoid U.S. federal income tax or the 4% excise tax on undistributed income) over the term of the security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, usually when the debt security matures.

If the Fund purchases a debt security on a secondary market at a price lower than its adjusted issue price, the excess of the adjusted issue price over the purchase price is "market discount." Unless the Fund makes an election to accrue market discount on a current basis, generally, any gain realized on the disposition of, and any partial payment of principal on, such a debt security having market discount is treated as ordinary income to the extent the gain, or principal payment, does not exceed the "accrued market discount" on the debt security. Market discount generally accrues in equal daily installments. If the Fund ultimately collects less on the debt instrument than its purchase price plus the market discount previously included in income, the Fund may not be able to benefit from any offsetting loss deductions.

The Fund may invest in preferred securities or other investments the U.S. federal income tax treatment of which may not be clear or may be subject to recharacterization by the IRS. To the extent the tax treatment of such investments or the income from such investments differs from the tax treatment expected by the Fund, it could affect the timing or character of income recognized by the Fund, potentially requiring the Fund to purchase or sell securities, or otherwise change its portfolio, to comply with the tax rules applicable to RICs under the Code.

Gain or loss on the sale of securities, including tax-exempt municipal securities, by the Fund will generally be long-term capital gain or loss if the securities have been held by the Fund for more than one year. Gain or loss on the sale of securities held for one year or less will be short-term capital gain or loss.

Because the Fund may invest in foreign securities, its income from such securities may be subject to non-U.S. taxes. The Fund does not expect that it will be eligible to elect to "pass through" to common shareholders of the Fund the ability to use the foreign tax deduction or foreign tax credit for foreign taxes paid by the Fund with respect to qualifying taxes.

Foreign currency gain or loss on foreign currency exchange contracts, non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities contracts, and non-U.S. dollar-denominated futures contracts, options and forward contracts that are not section 1256 contracts (as defined below) generally will be treated as ordinary income and loss.

Income from options on individual securities written by the Fund will generally not be recognized by the Fund for tax purposes until an option is exercised, lapses or is subject to a "closing transaction" (as defined by applicable regulations) pursuant to which the Fund's obligations with respect to the option are otherwise terminated. If the option lapses without exercise, the premiums received by the Fund from the writing of such options will generally be characterized as short-term capital gain. If the Fund enters into a closing transaction, the difference between the premiums received and the amount paid by the Fund to close out its position will generally be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. If an option written by the Fund is exercised, thereby requiring the Fund to sell the underlying security, the premium will increase the amount realized upon the sale of the security, and the character of any gain on such sale of the underlying security as short-term or long-term capital gain will depend on the holding period of the Fund in the underlying security.

Options on indices of securities and sectors of securities that qualify as "section 1256 contracts" will generally be "marked-to-market" for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, the Fund will generally

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recognize gain or loss on the last day of each taxable year equal to the difference between the value of the option on that date and the adjusted basis of the option. The adjusted basis of the option will consequently be increased by such gain or decreased by such loss. Any gain or loss with respect to options on indices and sectors that qualify as "section 1256 contracts" will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss to the extent of 40% of such gain or loss and long-term capital gain or loss to the extent of 60% of such gain or loss. Because the mark-to-market rules may cause the Fund to recognize gain in advance of the receipt of cash, the Fund may be required to dispose of investments to meet its distribution requirements. "Mark-to-market" losses may be suspended or otherwise limited if such losses are part of a straddle or similar transaction.

#### Taxation of Shareholders
The Fund will either distribute or retain for reinvestment all or part of its net capital gain. If any such gain is retained, the Fund will be subject to a corporate income tax on such retained amount. In that event, the Fund expects to report the retained amount as undistributed capital gain in a notice to its common shareholders, each of whom, if subject to U.S. federal income tax on long-term capital gains, (i) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes as long-term capital gain its share of such undistributed amounts, (ii) will be entitled to credit its proportionate share of the tax paid by the Fund against its U.S. federal income tax liability and to claim refunds to the extent that the credit exceeds such liability and (iii) will increase its basis in its Shares by the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the shareholder's income less the tax deemed paid by the shareholder under clause (ii).

Distributions paid to you by the Fund from its net capital gain, if any, that the Fund properly reports as capital gain dividends ("capital gain dividends") are taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have held your Shares. All other dividends paid to you by the Fund (including dividends from net short-term capital gains) from its current or accumulated earnings and profits ("ordinary income dividends") are generally subject to tax as ordinary income. Provided that certain holding period and other requirements are met, ordinary income dividends (if properly reported by the Fund) may qualify (i) for the dividends received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders to the extent that the Fund's income consists of dividend income from U.S. corporations, (ii) in the case of individual shareholders, as "qualified dividend income" eligible to be taxed at long-term capital gains rates to the extent that the Fund receives qualified dividend income, and (iii) in the case of individual shareholders, as "section 199A dividends" eligible for a 20% "qualified business income" deduction to the extent the Fund receives ordinary REIT dividends, reduced by allocable Fund expenses. Qualified dividend income is, in general, dividend income from taxable domestic corporations and certain qualified foreign corporations (e.g., generally, foreign corporations incorporated in a possession of the United States or in certain countries with a qualifying comprehensive tax treaty with the United States, or whose stock with respect to which such dividend is paid is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States). There can be no assurance as to what portion, if any, of the Fund's distributions will constitute qualified dividend income.

Any distributions you receive that are in excess of the Fund's current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated as a return of capital to the extent of your adjusted tax basis in your Shares, and thereafter as capital gain from the sale of Shares. The amount of any Fund distribution that is treated as a return of capital will reduce your adjusted tax basis in your Shares, thereby increasing your potential gain or reducing your potential loss on any subsequent sale or other disposition of your Shares.

Common shareholders may be entitled to offset their capital gain dividends with capital losses. The Code contains a number of statutory provisions affecting when capital losses may be offset against capital gain, and limiting the use of losses from certain investments and activities. Accordingly, common shareholders that have capital losses are urged to consult their tax advisers.

Dividends and other taxable distributions are taxable to you even though they are reinvested in additional Shares of the Fund. Dividends and other distributions paid by the Fund are generally treated under the Code as received by you at the time the dividend or distribution is made. If, however, the Fund pays you a dividend in January that was declared in the previous October, November or December to common shareholders of record on

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a specified date in one of such months, then such dividend will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as being paid by the Fund and received by you on December 31 of the year in which the dividend was declared. In addition, certain other distributions made after the close of the Fund's taxable year may be "spilled back" and treated as paid by the Fund (except for purposes of the 4% nondeductible excise tax) during such taxable year. In such case, you will be treated as having received such dividends in the taxable year in which the distributions were actually made.

The price of Shares purchased at any time may reflect the amount of a forthcoming distribution. Those purchasing Shares just prior to the record date for a distribution will receive a distribution which will be taxable to them even though it represents, economically, a return of invested capital.

The Fund will send you information after the end of each year setting forth the amount and tax status of any distributions paid to you by the Fund.

Subject to the discussion of repurchases below, the sale or other disposition of Shares will generally result in capital gain or loss to you and will be long-term capital gain or loss if you have held such Shares for more than one year at the time of sale. Any loss upon the sale or other disposition of Shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of any capital gain dividends received (including amounts credited as an undistributed capital gain dividend) by you with respect to such Shares. Any loss you recognize on a sale or other disposition of Shares will be disallowed if you acquire other Shares (whether through the automatic reinvestment of dividends or otherwise) within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after your sale or exchange of the Shares. In such case, your tax basis in the Shares acquired will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.

The repurchase of Shares through a periodic repurchase offer will be a taxable transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes, either as a "sale or exchange," or under certain circumstances, as a "dividend." In general, the transaction should be treated as a sale or exchange of shares if the receipt of cash (a) is "substantially disproportionate" with respect to the shareholder, (b) results in a "complete redemption" of the shareholder's interest, or (c) is "not essentially equivalent to a dividend" with respect to the shareholder. A "substantially disproportionate" distribution generally requires a reduction of at least 20% in the shareholder's proportionate interest in the Fund and also requires the shareholder to own less than 50% of the voting power of all classes of the Fund entitled to vote immediately after the repurchase. A "complete redemption" of a shareholder's interest generally requires that all shares of the Fund owned by such shareholder be disposed of. A distribution "not essentially equivalent to a dividend" requires that there be a "meaningful reduction" in the shareholder's proportionate interest in the Fund, which should result if the shareholder has a minimal interest in the Fund, exercises no control over Fund affairs and suffers a reduction in his proportionate interest in the Fund. In determining whether any of these tests has been met, any Fund shares actually owned, as well as shares considered to be owned by the shareholder by reason of certain constructive ownership rules set forth in section 318 of the Code, generally must be taken into account.

If the repurchase of your Shares meets any of these three tests for "sale or exchange" treatment, you will recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount of cash and the fair market value of other property received pursuant to the repurchase and the adjusted tax basis of the Shares sold. If none of the tests described above are met with respect to a repurchase, you may be treated as having received, in whole or in part, a dividend, return of capital or capital gain, depending on (i) whether there are sufficient earnings and profits to support a dividend and (ii) your tax basis in the relevant Shares. The tax basis in the Shares tendered to the Fund will be transferred to any remaining Shares held by you in the Fund. In addition, if the sale of Shares pursuant to the applicable repurchase is treated as a "dividend" to a tendering stockholder, a constructive dividend under certain provisions of the Code may result to a non-tendering shareholder whose proportionate interest in the earnings and assets of the Fund has been increased as a result of such tender.

Current U.S. federal income tax law taxes both long-term and short-term capital gain of corporations at the rates applicable to ordinary income. For non-corporate taxpayers, short-term capital gain is currently taxed at

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rates applicable to ordinary income while long-term capital gain generally is taxed at a reduced maximum rate. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations under the Code.

Certain U.S. holders who are individuals, estates or trusts and whose income exceeds certain thresholds will be required to pay a 3.8% Medicare tax on all or a portion of their "net investment income," which includes dividends received from the Fund and capital gains from the sale or other disposition of the Fund's stock.

The Fund generally expects to be treated as a "publicly offered regulated investment company" for U.S. federal income tax purposes. However, the Fund cannot assure you that it will be treated as a "publicly offered regulated investment company" for all years. If the Fund is not treated as a "publicly offered regulated investment company" for any taxable year, for purposes of computing the taxable income of U.S. shareholders that are individuals, trusts or estates, (i) the Fund's earnings and profits will be computed without taking into account such U.S. shareholders' allocable shares of the management fees paid by the Fund and certain other Fund expenses, (ii) each such U.S. shareholder will be treated as having received or accrued a dividend from the Fund in the amount of such U.S. shareholder's allocable share of these fees and expenses for the year, (iii) each such U.S. shareholder will be treated as having paid or incurred such its allocable share of these fees and expenses for the year and (iv) each such U.S. shareholder's allocable share of these fees and expenses will be treated as miscellaneous itemized deductions by such U.S. shareholder. Miscellaneous itemized deductions are not deductible for noncorporate taxpayers.

A common shareholder that is a nonresident alien individual or a foreign corporation (a "foreign investor") generally will be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax at the rate of 30% (or possibly a lower rate provided by an applicable tax treaty) on ordinary income dividends (except as discussed below). In general, U.S. federal withholding tax and U.S. federal income tax will not apply to any gain or income realized by a foreign investor in respect of any distribution of net capital gain (including amounts credited as an undistributed capital gain dividend) or upon the sale or other disposition of Shares of the Fund. Different tax consequences may result if the foreign investor is engaged in a trade or business in the United States or, in the case of an individual, is present in the United States for 183 days or more during a taxable year and certain other conditions are met. Foreign investors should consult their tax advisers regarding the tax consequences of investing in the Fund's Shares.

Ordinary income dividends properly reported by a RIC are generally exempt from U.S. federal withholding tax where they (i) are paid in respect of the RIC's "qualified net interest income" (generally, its U.S.-source interest income, other than certain contingent interest and interest from obligations of a corporation or partnership in which the RIC is at least a 10% shareholder, reduced by expenses that are allocable to such income) or (ii) are paid in respect of the RIC's "qualified short-term capital gains" (generally, the excess of the RIC's net short-term capital gain over its long-term capital loss for such taxable year). Depending on its circumstances, the Fund may report all, some or none of its potentially eligible dividends as qualified net interest income or as qualified short-term capital gains, and/or treat such dividends, in whole or in part, as ineligible for this exemption from withholding. To qualify for this exemption from withholding, a foreign investor needs to comply with applicable certification requirements relating to its non-U.S. status (including, in general, furnishing an IRS Form W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E, or substitute Form). In the case of Shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may withhold even if the Fund reports the payment as qualified net interest income or qualified short-term capital gain. Foreign investors should contact their intermediaries with respect to the application of these rules to their accounts. There can be no assurance as to what portion of the Fund's distributions would qualify for favorable treatment as qualified net interest income or qualified short-term capital gains.

Separately, legislation commonly known as "FATCA," and existing guidance issued thereunder require withholding at a rate of 30% on dividends in respect of common shares of the Fund held by or through certain foreign financial institutions (including investment funds), unless such institution enters into an agreement with the Treasury to report, on an annual basis, information with respect to shares in, and accounts maintained by, the institution to the extent such shares or accounts are held by certain U.S. persons and by certain non-U.S. entities that are wholly or partially owned by U.S. persons and to withhold on certain payments. Accordingly, the entity

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through which common shares of the Fund is held will affect the determination of whether such withholding is required. Similarly, dividends in respect of common shares of the Fund held by an investor that is a non-financial foreign entity that does not qualify under certain exemptions will be subject to withholding at a rate of 30%, unless such entity either (i) certifies that such entity does not have any "substantial United States owners" or (ii) provides certain information regarding the entity's "substantial United States owners," which the applicable withholding agent will in turn provide to the Secretary of the Treasury. An intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an applicable foreign country, or future Treasury regulations or other guidance, may modify these requirements. The Fund will not pay any additional amounts to shareholders in respect of any amounts withheld. Foreign investors are encouraged to consult with their tax advisers regarding the possible implications of these rules on their investment in the Fund's Shares.

U.S. federal backup withholding tax may be required on dividends, distributions and sale proceeds payable to certain non-exempt common shareholders who fail to supply their correct taxpayer identification number (in the case of individuals, generally, their social security number) or to make required certifications, or who are otherwise subject to backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amount withheld may be refunded or credited against your U.S. federal income tax liability, if any, provided that you timely furnish the required information to the IRS.

Ordinary income dividends, capital gain dividends, and gain from the sale or other disposition of Shares of the Fund also may be subject to state, local, and/or foreign taxes. Common shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisers regarding specific questions about U.S. federal, state, local or foreign tax consequences to them of investing in the Fund.

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The foregoing is a general and abbreviated summary of the provisions of the Code and the Treasury Regulations presently in effect as they directly govern the taxation of the Fund and the Fund's shareholders. For complete provisions, reference should be made to the pertinent Code sections and Treasury Regulations. The Code and the Treasury Regulations are subject to change by legislative or administrative action, and any such change may be retroactive with respect to Fund transactions. Holders of Shares are advised to consult their own tax advisors for more detailed information concerning the U.S. federal income taxation of the Fund and the income tax consequences to their holders of Shares.

#### CUSTODIAN AND TRANSFER AGENT
The custodian of the assets of the Fund is State Street Bank and Trust Company (previously defined as "State Street"), whose principal business address is One Congress Street, Suite 1, Boston, Massachusetts 02114-2016. The custodian is responsible for, among other things, receipt of and disbursement of funds from the Fund's accounts, establishment of segregated accounts as necessary, and transfer, exchange and delivery of the Fund's portfolio securities.

BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (U.S.) Inc., whose principal business address is 118 Flanders Road, Westborough, MA 01581, serves as the Fund's transfer agent with respect to the Shares.

#### INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Deloitte & Touche LLP, whose principal business address is 115 Federal Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, is the independent registered public accounting firm of the Fund and is expected to render an opinion annually on the financial statements of the Fund.

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#### CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF SECURITIES
A control person is a person who beneficially owns, either directly or indirectly, more than 25% of the voting securities of a company. Prior to the public offering of the Shares, BlackRock Financial Management, Inc. ("BFM"), an affiliate of the Fund and the Advisor, purchased Shares from the Fund in an amount satisfying the net worth requirements of Section 14(a) of the Investment Company Act, which requires the Fund to have a net worth of at least $100,000 prior to making a public offering. As of April 7, 2026, BFM owns 19.16% of the outstanding Institutional Shares, 100% of the outstanding Class W Shares and Class J Shares and less than 5% of the outstanding Class A Shares and Class U Shares of the Fund. This ownership will fluctuate as other investors subscribe for Shares and the Fund repurchases Shares in connection with quarterly repurchase offers. Depending on the size of this ownership, BFM may either control the Fund or be in a position to exercise a significant influence on the outcome of any matter put to a vote of investors. The address of BFM is 50 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001. BFM is organized under the laws of the State of Delaware and is a majority-owned subsidiary of BlackRock.

No other persons owned of record or beneficially 5% or more of any class of the Fund's outstanding Shares as of April 16, 2026, except as noted below:

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| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name** | **Address** | **Class** | **Percentage of Class** |
|  Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., Reinvest Account | 101 Montgomery Street <br>San Francisco, California 94104 | Institutional | 38.27% |
|  Pershing LLC | 1 Pershing Plaza<br> Jersey City, NJ 07399 | Institutional | 14.46% |
|  LPL Financial | 4707 Executive Drive <br>San Diego,<br> California 92121 | Institutional | 9.93% |
|  National Financial Services LLC | 499 Washington Blvd <br>Jersey City, NJ 07310 | Institutional | 7.19% |
|  Morgan Stanley Smith Barney | 1 New York Plaza <br>New York, NY 10004 | Institutional | 6.55% |
|  UBS Financial Services | 210 Forest Park Drive <br>Double Oak, TX 75077 | Class A | 67.35% |
|  LPL Financial | 4707 Executive Drive<br> San Diego,<br> California 92121 | Class A | 22.39% |
|  Morgan Stanley Smith Barney | 1 New York Plaza<br> New York, NY 10004 | Class U | 99.60% |

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#### FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The audited financial statements and financial highlights included in the [Annual Report to the Fund's shareholders for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312526093570/d105828dncsr.htm) (the "Annual Report") and together with the report of Deloitte & Touche LLP for the Fund's Annual Report, are incorporated herein by reference. All other portions of the Annual Report to shareholders are not incorporated herein by reference and are not part of the registration statement, the SAI, the prospectus or any prospectus supplement.

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#### APPENDIX A

#### Description of Bond Ratings
A rating is generally assigned to a fixed-income security at the time of issuance by a credit rating agency designated as a nationally recognized statistical rating organization ("NRSRO") by the SEC. While NRSROs may from time to time revise such ratings, they undertake no obligation to do so, and the ratings given to securities at issuance do not necessarily represent ratings which would be given to these securities on a particular subsequent date.

NRSROs may rate specific investments (e.g., bonds), issuers (e.g., corporations, governments and financial institutions) and/or programs (e.g., commercial paper programs). However, certain types of investments may not be rated by NRSROs, such as certain government/sovereign obligations, US agency securities, commercial paper, time deposits at financial institutions, and derivative instruments such as credit default swaps. For these types of investments, as well as US Treasury securities (some of which are not rated), where a NRSRO has not rated the specific investment but has rated the investment's issuer, program, financial institution or underlying reference asset, BlackRock Advisors, LLC, BlackRock Fund Advisors or their respective affiliates ("BlackRock") may consider the investment to have the same NRSRO rating as its issuer, program, financial institution or underlying reference asset, as applicable. In the case of municipal securities, where one NRSRO provides multiple ratings for the same security (e.g., "underlying," "insured" and/or "enhanced" ratings), BlackRock may consider the security to have the highest of the multiple ratings.

New issue securities (regardless of type) may not be rated by a NRSRO at the time of their initial offering. Preliminary prospectuses or term sheets for new issue securities may include an expected rating for the security (as determined by the underwriter and/or issuer) or a NRSRO rating for the issuer of the security. If applicable, when deciding whether to purchase a new issue security that has not yet been rated by a NRSRO, BlackRock may attribute an expected rating to the security based on: (i) the expected rating of the security set forth in the preliminary prospectus or term sheet for the security; (ii) the NRSRO's rating for the issuer of the security set forth in the preliminary prospectus or term sheet for the security; or (iii) with respect to asset-backed securities, the rating of a prior issuance having a similar structure or the same sponsor.

Where the investment objective of a fund is to track the performance of an index that includes credit ratings eligibility criteria as part of its index methodology, the fund may purchase any security within the index, such security having been determined by the index provider as meeting its credit ratings eligibility criteria. The credit ratings practices of an index provider may differ from BlackRock's practices, as described above. Further, the fund may invest, directly or indirectly, in securities that are not rated by a rating agency or securities with a credit rating that differs from the credit rating specified in its index methodology in various circumstances, including where a security is downgraded but not yet removed from an index, following the removal of a security from an index prior to its sale by the fund or as a result of a corporate action or restructuring affecting an issuer of a security held by the fund.

Fixed-income securities which are unrated may expose the investor to risks with respect to capacity to pay interest or repay principal which are similar to the risks of lower-rated speculative bonds. Evaluation of these securities is dependent on BlackRock's judgment, analysis and experience in the evaluation of such securities.

Investors should note that the assignment of a rating to a security by an NRSRO may not reflect the effect of recent developments on the issuer's ability to make interest and principal payments or on the likelihood of default.

Securities deemed to be high yield are rated below Baa3 by Moody's and below BBB- by S&P Global Ratings and Fitch.

The descriptions below relate to general long-term and short-term obligations of an issuer.

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#### A Description of Moody's Investors Service, Inc.'s ("Moody's") Global Rating Scales
Ratings assigned on Moody's global long-term and short-term rating scales are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations issued by non-financial corporates, financial institutions, structured finance vehicles, project finance vehicles, and public sector entities. Moody's defines credit risk as the risk that an entity may not meet its contractual financial obligations as they come due and any estimated financial loss in the event of default or impairment. The contractual financial obligations addressed by Moody's ratings are those that call for, without regard to enforceability, the payment of an ascertainable amount, which may vary based upon standard sources of variation (e.g., floating interest rates), by an ascertainable date. Moody's rating addresses the issuer's ability to obtain cash sufficient to service the obligation, and its willingness to pay. Moody's ratings do not address non-standard sources of variation in the amount of the principal obligation (e.g., equity indexed), absent an express statement to the contrary in a press release accompanying an initial rating. Long-term ratings are assigned to issuers or obligations with an original maturity of one year or more and reflect both on the likelihood of a default or impairment on contractual financial obligations and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default or impairment. Short-term ratings are assigned for obligations with an original maturity of thirteen months or less and reflect both on the likelihood of a default or impairment on contractual financial obligations and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default or impairment. Moody's issues ratings at the issuer level and instrument level on both the long-term scale and the short-term scale. Typically, ratings are made publicly available although private and unpublished ratings may also be assigned.

Moody's differentiates structured finance ratings from fundamental ratings (i.e., ratings on nonfinancial corporate, financial institution, and public sector entities) on the global long-term scale by adding (sf) to all structured finance ratings. The addition of (sf) to structured finance ratings should eliminate any presumption that such ratings and fundamental ratings at the same letter grade level will behave the same. The (sf) indicator for structured finance security ratings indicates that otherwise similarly rated structured finance and fundamental securities may have different risk characteristics. Through its current methodologies, however, Moody's aspires to achieve broad expected equivalence in structured finance and fundamental rating performance when measured over a long period of time.

#### Description of Moody's Global Long-Term Rating Scale

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| Aaa | Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk. |
| Aa | Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk. |
| A | Obligations rated A are judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk. |
| Baa | Obligations rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics. |
| Ba | Obligations rated Ba are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk. |
| B | Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk. |
| Caa | Obligations rated Caa are judged to be speculative of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk. |
| Ca | Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest. |
| C | Obligations rated C are the lowest rated and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest. |

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*Note*: Moody's appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category;

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the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. Additionally, a "(hyb)" indicator is appended to all ratings of hybrid securities issued by banks, insurers, finance companies, and securities firms.

By their terms, hybrid securities allow for the omission of scheduled dividends, interest, or principal payments, which can potentially result in impairment if such an omission occurs. Hybrid securities may also be subject to contractually allowable write-downs of principal that could result in impairment. Together with the hybrid indicator, the long-term obligation rating assigned to a hybrid security is an expression of the relative credit risk associated with that security.

#### Description of Moody's Global Short-Term Rating Scale

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| P-1 | Ratings of Prime-1 reflect a superior ability to repay short-term obligations. |
| P-2 | Ratings of Prime-2 reflect a strong ability to repay short-term obligations. |
| P-3 | Ratings of Prime-3 reflect an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations. |
| NP | Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories. |

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#### Description of Moody's U.S. Municipal Short-Term Debt and Demand Obligation Ratings

#### Description of Moody's Short-Term Obligation Ratings
Moody's uses the global short-term Prime rating scale for commercial paper issued by U.S. municipalities and nonprofits. These commercial paper programs may be backed by external letters of credit or liquidity facilities, or by an issuer's self-liquidity.

For other short-term municipal obligations, Moody's uses one of two other short-term rating scales, the Municipal Investment Grade ("MIG") and Variable Municipal Investment Grade ("VMIG") scales discussed below.

Moody's uses the MIG scale for U.S. municipal cash flow notes, bond anticipation notes and certain other short-term obligations, which typically mature in three years or less. Under certain circumstances, Moody's uses the MIG scale for bond anticipation notes with maturities of up to five years.

<u>MIG Scale</u> 

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| MIG 1 | This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing. |
| MIG 2 | This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group. |
| MIG 3 | This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established. |
| SG | This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection. |

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#### Description of Moody's Demand Obligation Ratings
In the case of variable rate demand obligations ("VRDOs"), a two-component rating is assigned. The components are a long-term rating and a short-term demand obligation rating. The long-term rating addresses the

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issuer's ability to meet scheduled principal and interest payments. The short-term demand obligation rating addresses the ability of the issuer or the liquidity provider to make payments associated with the purchase-price-upon-demand feature ("demand feature") of the VRDO. The short-term demand obligation rating uses the VMIG scale. VMIG ratings with liquidity support use as an input the short-term Counterparty Risk Assessment of the support provider, or the long-term rating of the underlying obligor in the absence of third party liquidity support. Transitions of VMIG ratings of demand obligations with conditional liquidity support differ from transitions on the Prime scale to reflect the risk that external liquidity support will terminate if the issuer's long-term rating drops below investment grade.

Moody's typically assigns the VMIG short-term demand obligation rating if the frequency of the demand feature is less than every three years. If the frequency of the demand feature is less than three years but the purchase price is payable only with remarketing proceeds, the short-term demand obligation rating is "NR".

<u>VMIG Scale</u> 

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| VMIG 1 | This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand. |
| VMIG 2 | This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand. |
| VMIG 3 | This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand. |
| SG | This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have a sufficiently strong short-term rating or may lack the structural or legal protections necessary to ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand. |

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#### Description of S&P Global Ratings ("S&P"), a Division of S&P Global Inc., Issue Credit Ratings
An S&P issue credit rating is a forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific financial obligation, a specific class of financial obligations, or a specific financial program (including ratings on medium-term note programs and commercial paper programs). It takes into consideration the creditworthiness of guarantors, insurers, or other forms of credit enhancement on the obligation and takes into account the currency in which the obligation is denominated. The opinion reflects S&P's view of the obligor's capacity and willingness to meet its financial commitments as they come due, and this opinion may assess terms, such as collateral security and subordination, which could affect ultimate payment in the event of default.

Issue credit ratings can be either long-term or short-term. Short-term issue credit ratings are generally assigned to those obligations considered short-term in the relevant market, typically with an original maturity of no more than 365 days. Short-term issue credit ratings are also used to indicate the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to put features on long-term obligations. S&P would typically assign a long-term issue credit rating to an obligation with an original maturity of greater than 365 days. However, the ratings S&P assigns to certain instruments may diverge from these guidelines based on market practices. Medium-term notes are assigned long-term ratings.

Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on S&P's analysis of the following considerations:

• The likelihood of payment—the capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitments on an obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation;

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• The nature and provisions of the financial obligation, and the promise S&P imputes; and

• The protection afforded by, and relative position of, the financial obligation in the event of a bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors' rights.

An issue rating is an assessment of default risk but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.)

#### Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings\*

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| AAA | An obligation rated 'AAA' has the highest rating assigned by S&P. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is extremely strong. |
| AA | An obligation rated 'AA' differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is very strong. |
| A | An obligation rated 'A' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is still strong. |
| BBB | An obligation rated 'BBB' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to weaken the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation. |
| BB, B, CCC, CC, and C | Obligations rated 'BB', 'B', 'CCC', 'CC', and 'C' are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. 'BB' indicates the least degree of speculation and 'C' the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposure to adverse conditions. |
| BB | An obligation rated 'BB' is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions that could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation. |
| B | An obligation rated 'B' is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated 'BB', but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor's capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitments on the obligation. |
| CCC | An obligation rated 'CCC' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitments on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation. |
| CC | An obligation rated 'CC' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The 'CC' rating is used when a default has not yet occurred but S&P expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default. |
| C | An obligation rated 'C' is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared with obligations that are rated higher. |

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D An obligation rated 'D' is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the 'D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The 'D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. A rating on an obligation is lowered to 'D' if it is subject to a distressed debt restructuring.

\* Ratings from 'AA' to 'CCC' may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the rating categories.

#### Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| A-1 | A short-term obligation rated 'A-1' is rated in the highest category by S&P. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitments on these obligations is extremely strong. |
| A-2 | A short-term obligation rated 'A-2' is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is satisfactory. |
| A-3 | A short-term obligation rated 'A-3' exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to weaken an obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation. |
| B | A short-term obligation rated 'B' is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties that could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments. |
| C | A short-term obligation rated 'C' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitments on the obligation. |
| D | A short-term obligation rated 'D' is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the 'D' rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The 'D' rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. A rating on an obligation is lowered to 'D' if it is subject to a distressed debt restructuring. |

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#### Description of S&P's Municipal Short-Term Note Ratings
An S&P U.S. municipal note rating reflects S&P's opinion about the liquidity factors and market access risks unique to the notes. Notes due in three years or less will likely receive a note rating. Notes with an original maturity of more than three years will most likely receive a long-term debt rating. In determining which type of rating, if any, to assign, S&P's analysis will review the following considerations:

• Amortization schedule—the larger the final maturity relative to other maturities, the more likely it will be treated as a note; and

• Source of payment—the more dependent the issue is on the market for its refinancing, the more likely it will be treated as a note.

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S&P's municipal short-term note rating symbols are as follows:

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| SP-1 | Strong capacity to pay principal and interest. An issue determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service is given a plus (+) designation. |
| SP-2 | Satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes. |
| SP-3 | Speculative capacity to pay principal and interest. |
| D | 'D' is assigned upon failure to pay the note when due, completion of a distressed debt restructuring, or the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. |

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#### Description of Fitch Ratings' ("Fitch's") Credit Ratings Scales
Fitch Ratings publishes opinions on a variety of scales. The most common of these are credit ratings, but the agency also publishes ratings, scores and other relative opinions relating to financial or operational strength. For example, Fitch also provides specialized ratings of servicers of residential and commercial mortgages, asset managers and funds. In each case, users should refer to the definitions of each individual scale for guidance on the dimensions of risk covered in each assessment.

Fitch's credit ratings relating to issuers are an opinion on the relative ability of an entity to meet financial commitments, such as interest, preferred dividends, repayment of principal, insurance claims or counterparty obligations. Credit ratings relating to securities and obligations of an issuer can include a recovery expectation. Credit ratings are used by investors as indications of the likelihood of receiving the money owed to them in accordance with the terms on which they invested. The agency's credit ratings cover the global spectrum of corporate, sovereign financial, bank, insurance, and public finance entities (including supranational and sub-national entities) and the securities or other obligations they issue, as well as structured finance securities backed by receivables or other financial assets.

The terms "investment grade" and "speculative grade" have established themselves over time as shorthand to describe the categories 'AAA' to 'BBB' (investment grade) and 'BB' to 'D' (speculative grade). The terms investment grade and speculative grade are market conventions and do not imply any recommendation or endorsement of a specific security for investment purposes. Investment grade categories indicate relatively low to moderate credit risk, while ratings in the speculative categories either signal a higher level of credit risk or that a default has already occurred.

For the convenience of investors, Fitch may also include issues relating to a rated issuer that are not and have not been rated on its web page. Such issues are also denoted as 'NR'.

Credit ratings express risk in relative rank order, which is to say they are ordinal measures of credit risk and are not predictive of a specific frequency of default or loss. For information about the historical performance of ratings please refer to Fitch's Ratings Transition and Default studies which detail the historical default rates and their meaning. The European Securities and Markets Authority also maintains a central repository of historical default rates.

Fitch's credit ratings do not directly address any risk other than credit risk. In particular, ratings do not deal with the risk of a market value loss on a rated security due to changes in interest rates, liquidity and other market considerations. However, in terms of payment obligation on the rated liability, market risk may be considered to the extent that it influences the ability of an issuer to pay upon a commitment.

Ratings nonetheless do not reflect market risk to the extent that they influence the size or other conditionality of the obligation to pay upon a commitment (for example, in the case of index-linked bonds).

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In the default components of ratings assigned to individual obligations or instruments, the agency typically rates to the likelihood of non-payment or default in accordance with the terms of that instrument's documentation. In limited cases, Fitch may include additional considerations (i.e. rate to a higher or lower standard than that implied in the obligation's documentation).

The primary credit rating scales can be used to provide a rating of privately issued obligations or certain note issuance programs or for private ratings. In this case the rating is not published, but only provided to the issuer or its agents in the form of a rating letter.

The primary credit rating scales may also be used to provide ratings for a more narrow scope, including interest strips and return of principal or in other forms of opinions such as credit opinions or rating assessment services. Credit opinions are either a notch- or category-specific view using the primary rating scale and omit one or more characteristics of a full rating or meet them to a different standard. Credit opinions will be indicated using a lower case letter symbol combined with either an '\*' (e.g. 'bbb+\*') or (cat) suffix to denote the opinion status. Credit opinions will be point-in-time typically but may be monitored if the analytical group believes information will be sufficiently available. Rating assessment services are a notch-specific view using the primary rating scale of how an existing or potential rating may be changed by a given set of hypothetical circumstances. While credit opinions and rating assessment services are point-in-time and are not monitored, they may have a directional watch or outlook assigned, which can signify the trajectory of the credit profile.

#### Description of Fitch's Long-Term Corporate Finance Obligations Rating Scales
Ratings of individual securities or financial obligations of a corporate issuer address relative vulnerability to default on an ordinal scale. In addition, for financial obligations in corporate finance, a measure of recovery given default on that liability is also included in the rating assessment. This notably applies to covered bonds ratings, which incorporate both an indication of the probability of default and of the recovery given a default of this debt instrument. On the contrary, Ratings of debtor-in-possession ("DIP") obligations incorporate the expectation of full repayment.

The relationship between the issuer scale and obligation scale assumes a generic historical average recovery. Individual obligations can be assigned ratings higher, lower, or the same as that entity's issuer rating or issuer default rating ("IDR"), based on their relative ranking, relative vulnerability to default or based on explicit Recovery Ratings.

As a result, individual obligations of entities, such as corporations, are assigned ratings higher, lower, or the same as that entity's issuer rating or IDR, except DIP obligation ratings that are not based off an IDR. At the lower end of the ratings scale, Fitch publishes explicit Recovery Ratings in many cases to complement issuer and obligation ratings.

Fitch long-term obligations rating scales are as follows:

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| AAA | Highest Credit Quality. 'AAA' ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events. |
| AA | Very High Credit Quality. 'AA' ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events. |
| A | High Credit Quality. 'A' ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings. |

---

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---

| | |
|:---|:---|
| BBB | Good Credit Quality. 'BBB' ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity. |
| BB | Speculative. 'BB' ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to credit risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met. |
| B | Highly Speculative. 'B' ratings indicate that material credit risk is present. |
| CCC | Substantial Credit Risk. 'CCC' ratings indicate that substantial credit risk is present. |
| CC | Very High Levels of Credit Risk. 'CC' ratings indicate very high levels of credit risk. |
| C | Exceptionally High Levels of Credit Risk. 'C' indicates exceptionally high levels of credit risk. |

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Within rating categories, Fitch may use modifiers. The modifiers "+" or "-" may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories.

For example, the rating category 'AA' has three notch-specific rating levels ('AA+'; 'AA'; 'AA–'; each a rating level). Such suffixes are not added to 'AAA' ratings and ratings below the 'CCC' category. For the short-term rating category of 'F1', a '+' may be appended.

#### Description of Fitch's Short-Term Ratings Assigned to Issuers and Obligations
A short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-term deposit ratings may be adjusted for loss severity. Short-term ratings are assigned to obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as "short term" based on market convention. Typically, this means up to 13 months for corporate, sovereign, and structured obligations and up to 36 months for obligations in U.S. public finance markets.

Fitch short-term ratings are as follows:

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| F1 | Highest Short-Term Credit Quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added "+" to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature. |
| F2 | Good Short-Term Credit Quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments. |
| F3 | Fair Short-Term Credit Quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate. |
| B | Speculative Short-Term Credit Quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions. |
| C | High Short-Term Default Risk. Default is a real possibility. |
| RD | Restricted Default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically applicable to entity ratings only. |
| D | Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation. |

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#### APPENDIX B

#### Closed-End Fund Proxy Voting Policy

#### January 1, 2025
![LOGO](g147802g01x48.jpg)

Effective Date: January 1, 2025

#### Applies to the following types of Funds registered under the 1940 Act:
☐ Index Equity Mutual Funds and Exchange-Traded Funds

☐ Open-End Mutual Funds (including money market funds)

☐ Money Market Funds Only

☒ Closed-End Funds

☐ Other

#### Objective and Scope
Set forth below is the Closed-End Fund Proxy Voting Policy.

#### Policy / Document Requirements and Statements
The Boards of Trustees/Directors (the "Directors") of the closed-end funds advised by BlackRock Advisors, LLC ("BlackRock"), (the "Funds") have the responsibility for the oversight of voting proxies relating to portfolio securities of the Funds, and have determined that it is in the best interests of the Funds and their shareholders to delegate that responsibility to BlackRock as part of BlackRock's authority to manage, acquire and dispose of account assets, all as contemplated by the Funds' respective investment management agreements.

BlackRock has adopted the "BlackRock Active Investment Stewardship Global Engagement and Voting Guidelines (as from time to time amended, the "Guidelines") governing proxy voting by accounts managed by BlackRock.

BlackRock will cast votes on behalf of each of the Funds covered by this policy on specific proxy issues in respect of securities held by each such Fund (or may refrain from voting) in accordance with the Guidelines; provided, however, that in the case of underlying closed-end funds (including business development companies and other similarly-situated asset pools) held by the Funds that have, or are proposing to adopt, a classified board structure, BlackRock will typically (a) vote in favor of proposals to adopt classification and against proposals to eliminate classification, and (b) not vote against directors as a result of their adoption of a classified board structure.

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#### Conflicts Management
BlackRock Active Investment Stewardship ("BAIS") maintains policies and procedures that seek to prevent undue influence on BlackRock's proxy voting activity and to mitigate material conflicts of interest in the exercise of proxy voting responsibilities. Potential material conflicts, and the resultant potential for undue influence, might be due to a relationship between the investee company (or any shareholder proponent or dissident shareholder) and BlackRock, BlackRock's affiliates or employees, or a Fund or a Fund's affiliates. BlackRock has taken certain steps to mitigate potential conflicts, which are outlined in detail in the Guidelines. In mitigating conflicts, BAIS will adhere to the Guidelines.

In certain instances, BAIS will engage an independent third-party voting service provider to make proxy voting recommendations as a further safeguard to avoid potential conflicts of interest, to satisfy regulatory compliance requirements, or as may be otherwise required by applicable law.

With respect to the relationship between securities lending and proxy voting, shares on loan cannot be voted and BlackRock may determine to recall them for voting, as guided by BlackRock's fiduciary responsibility to act in clients' financial interests. The Guidelines set forth BlackRock's approach to recalling securities on loan in connection with proxy voting.

#### Reports to the Board
BlackRock will report on an annual basis to the Directors on (1) a summary of the proxy voting process as applicable to the Funds covered by this Policy in the preceding year together with a representation that all votes were in accordance with the Guidelines (as modified pursuant to the immediately preceding paragraph), and (2) any material changes to the Guidelines, including material changes to conflicts management practices, that have not previously been reported.

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## BlackRock Active

## Investment

## Stewardship

## Global Engagement and Voting Guidelines

### Effective as of January 2026

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### Contents

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| | |
|:---|:---|
|  [Overview](#appb147802_41) | 4 |
|  [Introduction to BlackRock](#appb147802_42) | 5 |
|  [About BlackRock Active Investment Stewardship](#appb147802_43) | 5 |
|  [Our approach to stewardship within active equities](#appb147802_44) | 6 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Our approach to stewardship within fixed income](#appb147802_45) | 6 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Boards of Directors](#appb147802_46) | 6 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Executive compensation](#appb147802_47) | 10 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Non-executive director compensation](#appb147802_48) | 11 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Capital structure](#appb147802_49) | 11 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Transactions and special situations](#appb147802_50) | 11 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Corporate reporting, risk management and audit](#appb147802_51) | 12 |
|  [Shareholder rights and protections](#appb147802_52) | 14 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Shareholder proposals](#appb147802_53) | 15 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Corporate political activities](#appb147802_54) | 15 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Material sustainability-related risks and opportunities](#appb147802_55) | 16 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Key stakeholders](#appb147802_56) | 16 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Climate and decarbonization investment objectives](#appb147802_57) | 16 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Appendix 1: How we fulfil and oversee our investment stewardship responsibilities for non-index equity investment strategies](#appb147802_58) | 17 |

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### Overview
This document provides high level guidance on how BlackRock Active Investment Stewardship (BAIS) views corporate governance matters that are commonly put to a shareholder vote, or on which investors engage with issuers.<sup>1</sup> BAIS works in partnership with BlackRock's investment teams, excluding index equity<sup>2</sup>, providing expertise on investment stewardship and engaging with companies alongside and on behalf of those teams when appropriate. The team is responsible for establishing voting guidelines for the active equity platform, providing vote recommendations and operationalizing voting decisions. The guidance informs the voting recommendations BAIS makes to BlackRock's active portfolio managers. It applies to active equity holdings in BlackRock's

<sup>1</sup> This document includes BAIS' benchmark policy, which covers nearly all active equity holdings in BlackRock's fundamental equity, systematic equity and multi-asset solutions strategies. The benchmark policy also may apply to holdings in BlackRock's index and active fixed income strategies, to the extent those strategies hold voting securities or conduct issuer engagements. This document also includes BAIS' decarbonization policy, which covers holdings in BlackRock active funds that have climate and decarbonization objectives in addition to financial objectives.

<sup>2</sup> BlackRock segmented active and index equity investment functions, including stewardship, in January 2025 as part of a strategic initiative to unlock the full breadth of the firm's active and private markets capabilities for clients. As a result, there are two stewardship teams, which operate independently of one another and have separate voting policies.

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fundamental equity, systematic equity and multi-asset solutions strategies. It also may apply to holdings in BlackRock's index and active fixed income strategies, to the extent those strategies hold voting securities or conduct issuer engagements. The guidelines are not prescriptive as active portfolio managers have discretion as to how they integrate these guidelines within their investment processes in light of their clients' or funds' investment objectives. There are separate, independently developed principles and voting policies that are applied to BlackRock's index equity investments by a distinct and independent function, BlackRock Investment Stewardship.

### Introduction to BlackRock
BlackRock's mission is to help more people invest better. The money BlackRock manages is not its own – it belongs to BlackRock's clients, many of whom make their own asset allocation and portfolio construction decisions. As a fiduciary, BlackRock invests on clients' behalf to help them meet their investment objectives. The firm does this by understanding clients' long-term investment objectives and offering choice on how and where they wish to invest their money. BlackRock then helps clients seek the best risk-adjusted returns based on those choices, underpinning this work with research, data and analytics.

At BlackRock, investment stewardship is core to our role as an asset manager and a fiduciary to our clients. As stewards of our clients' assets, we engage with companies to discuss the corporate governance and business practices that, in our experience, support companies in delivering durable, risk-adjusted financial returns over time. We are committed to building strong relationships through constructive, ongoing dialogue with the boards and executive management of the companies in which our clients are invested.

### About BlackRock Active Investment Stewardship
BlackRock Active Investment Stewardship (BAIS) is a specialist team within the Portfolio Management Group and manages BlackRock's stewardship engagement and voting on behalf of clients invested in active strategies globally. BAIS is also responsible for engagement with issuers in index fixed income strategies, where appropriate. Our activities are informed by these Global Engagement and Voting Guidelines (the "Guidelines") and insights from active investment analysts and portfolio managers, with whom we work closely in engaging companies and voting at shareholder meetings.

Engagement with public companies is the foundation of our approach to stewardship within fundamental active investing.<sup>3</sup> Through direct dialogue with company leadership, we seek to understand their businesses and how they manage risks and opportunities to deliver durable, risk-adjusted financial returns. Portfolio managers and stewardship specialists may engage jointly or independently on material corporate governance matters. Our discussions focus on topics relevant to a company's success over time, including governance and leadership, corporate strategy, capital structure and financial performance, operations and material sustainability-related risks, as well as macro-economic, geopolitical and sector dynamics. We aim to be constructive investors and are generally supportive of management teams that have a track record of financial value creation. We aim to build and maintain strong relationships with company leadership based on open dialogue and mutual respect.

Different active equity strategies may implement these voting guidelines differently, as a result of the latitude each portfolio manager has to make independent voting decisions on their holdings. For example, BAIS will generally vote the holdings in Systematic Active Equity portfolios in accordance with these guidelines. We provide voting recommendations to fundamental equity portfolio managers, who may determine to vote differently based on each portfolio's investment objectives and strategy.

<sup>3</sup> On February 11, 2025, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) staff issued updated guidance for shareholders to maintain their eligibility to report their beneficial ownership under Schedule 13G of the Exchange Act. We comply fully with these requirements and do not engage with portfolio companies for the purpose, or with the effect, of changing or influencing control of the company.

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These guidelines discuss BAIS' views on corporate governance topics on which we may engage with management teams and board directors<sup>4</sup> and on matters that routinely come to a shareholder vote. We recognize that accepted corporate governance norms can differ across markets, and believe these guidelines represent globally applicable elements of governance that support a company's ability to manage material risks and opportunities and deliver financial returns to investors. Generally, we believe companies should observe accepted corporate governance norms within their local markets or, particularly in markets without well-established norms, aspire to widely recognized international best practices. As one of many minority shareholders, BlackRock cannot – and does not try to – direct a company's strategy or its implementation. We look to companies to provide disclosures that explain how their approach to corporate governance best aligns with the financial interests of their investors.

### Our approach to stewardship within active equities
Voting at a company's shareholder meeting is a right of share ownership and a core principle of corporate governance. The voting rights attached to clients' holdings are an important mechanism for investors to express support for, or concern about, a company's performance. As a fiduciary, BlackRock is legally required to make proxy voting determinations, on behalf of clients who have delegated voting authority to us, in a manner consistent with BlackRock's contractual arrangements with clients and funds.

In general, we tend to support the recommendations of the board of directors and management. As indicated below, we may vote against management recommendations when we have concerns about how companies are serving the financial interests of our clients as their shareholders. BAIS takes a globally consistent approach to voting but considers the different corporate governance regulations and norms across markets. Votes are determined on a case-by-case basis, in the context of a company's situation and the investment mandate we have from clients. Please see page 19 for more information about how we fulfill and oversee our investment stewardship responsibilities for BlackRock's non-index equity strategies.<sup>5</sup>

### Our approach to stewardship within fixed income
Although fixed income investors do not have the right to vote at shareholder meetings, issuer engagement is a component of fixed income investment strategies at BlackRock, particularly for those with sustainability objectives in addition to financial objectives. Most corporate governance-related fixed income engagements are undertaken in conjunction with the active investment stewardship team, and often active equity investors. In addition to the topics listed below, engagement with fixed income investment teams may help inform an issuer's approach to structuring specialist issuances and the standard terms and information in bond documentation.

### Boards of Directors

#### Roles and responsibilities
There is widespread consensus that the foundation of good corporate governance is an effective board of directors that is able to advise and supervise management in an independent and objective manner.<sup>6</sup>

We look to the board of directors (hereafter the "board") to have an oversight role in the establishment and realization of a company's strategy, purpose and culture. These constructs are interdependent and, when aligned,

<sup>4</sup> References to the board, board directors or non-executive directors should be understood to include supervisory boards and their members, where relevant.

<sup>5</sup> Non-index equity strategies include active equity holdings in BlackRock's fundamental equity, systematic equity and multi-asset solutions strategies, as well as holdings in BlackRock's index and active fixed income strategies, to the extent those strategies hold voting securities or conduct issuer engagements.

<sup>6</sup> See the Corporate Governance Codes of <u>Germany</u>, <u>Japan</u>, and the <u>UK</u>, as well as the corporate governance principles of the US <u>Business</u> <u>Roundtable</u> as examples.

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can better position a company to be resilient in the face of a changing business environment, help reduce the risks of corporate or employee misconduct, and attract and retain the caliber of workers necessary to deliver financial performance over time.

In overseeing the management of the company, the board ensures the necessary resources, policies and procedures are in place to help management meet its strategic objectives within an agreed risk tolerance.

One of the most important responsibilities of the board is to appoint, and remove as necessary, the chief executive officer ("CEO"). In addition, the board plays a meaningful role in monitoring the performance of the CEO and other key executives, determining executive compensation, ensuring a rigorous audit, overseeing strategy execution and risk management and engaging with shareholders, and other stakeholders, as necessary.

#### Composition and effectiveness

#### Appointment process
A formal and transparent process for identifying and appointing director candidates is critical to ensuring the board is composed of directors with the appropriate mix of skills and experience. Generally, the board or a sub-committee determines the general criteria given the company's circumstances (e.g., sector, maturity, geographic footprint) and any additional criteria for a specific role being filled (e.g., financial expertise, industry track record). To inform the process, we encourage companies to review the skills and experience of incumbent directors to identify any gaps and whether the skills and experience of a director candidate would be additive. We welcome disclosures that explain how the board considered different skills and experience to ensure that the directors collectively can be effective in fulfilling their responsibilities. We assess a company's board composition against that of its peer group and local market requirements.

Shareholders periodically vote to elect directors to serve on the board. We do not prescribe any particular board composition in our engagements or voting but seek to understand how well placed a board is to act in investors' interests. We may vote against the election of the most senior independent director, or the chair of the relevant committee, where a company has not demonstrated it has an appointment process that results in a high functioning board with the appropriate complement of skills and experience amongst the directors to support strong financial performance over time. We may vote against newly nominated directors who do not seem to have the appropriate skills or experience to contribute to the board's effectiveness.

#### Independence
Director independence from management, significant shareholders or other stakeholders (e.g., government or employees) is of paramount importance to the protection of the interests of minority shareholders such as BlackRock's clients. We consider it good practice for at least half the directors to be independent and free from conflicts of interest or undue influence.<sup>7</sup> This also helps to ensure that board committees are composed of a sufficient number of independent directors. Companies domiciled in markets with a higher threshold for board independence should meet those local requirements.

We may vote against the election of non-independent directors if the board does not have a sufficient balance of independence. We may also vote against the election of the chair of the committee responsible for board composition if this is a perennial issue.

#### Independent board leadership
Practices across markets differ, as do board structures, but we observe two main approaches to independent board leadership. One is a non-executive, independent chair of the board who is responsible for leading the board in the

<sup>7</sup> Common impediments to independence may include but are not limited to: current or recent employment at the company or a subsidiary; being, or representing, a shareholder with a substantial shareholding in the company; interlocking directorships; lengthy tenure, and having any other interest, business, or other relationship which could, or could reasonably be perceived to, materially interfere with a director's ability to act in the best interests of the company and shareholders.

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effective exercise of its duties. The other is a lead or senior independent director, who is responsible for coordinating with the other non-executive directors and working closely with the executive chair on the board agenda and other board procedures. In this case, the executive chair and the lead independent director work together to ensure the board is effectively fulfilling its responsibilities. In our view, the independent leader of the board, and/or the chair of a relevant committee, should be available to investors to discuss governance matters such as CEO succession, executive pay, and board performance. We look to boards to explain their board leadership model and how it serves the interests of shareholders.

We may vote against the election of the chair of the committee responsible for board composition if there is not an identified independent leader of the board with clear responsibilities for board performance. We may vote against the most senior independent director if the board has a policy of not engaging with shareholders.

#### Tenure and succession
In our view, it is good practice for boards to establish the length of time a director would normally be expected to serve, in line with market norms where those exist. We find it helpful when companies disclose their approach to director tenure particularly around the contributions of directors who have served for longer periods than typically provided for under local practice. In our experience, long-serving directors could become less independent given their long-term relationship with management and involvement in past board decisions.

Succession planning for board roles helps achieve the appropriate cadence of turnover that balances renewal through the regular introduction of directors with fresh perspectives and expertise with continuity through the retention of directors with long-term knowledge of the board and company.

In markets where there is not specific director tenure guidance from regulation or corporate governance best practices, we may vote against the election of the chair of the committee responsible for board composition if a company does not clearly disclose its approach to director tenure and board renewal. We may vote against the election of directors who have served for more years than is typical in markets with specific guidance, where the case for their continued service is not evident.

#### Capacity
To be effective and engaged, directors need to have the time and energy to commit to the role. In our view, an effective board will assess the ability of its members to maintain an appropriate focus on board matters and the company taking into consideration competing responsibilities. We recognize that board leadership roles vary across markets in responsibilities and required time commitment but note that they are generally more intensive than a standard directorship. We will take local norms and practices into consideration when making our voting determinations across markets.

We may vote against the election of directors who do not seem to have sufficient capacity to effectively fulfil their duties to the board and company.

#### Director elections
Regular election of directors, ideally annually, supports director accountability to shareholders. A classified board structure<sup>8</sup> may be justified by a company when it needs consistency and stability during a time of transition, or on the basis of its business model (e.g., a non-operating company such as closed-end funds).

Shareholders should have the opportunity to evaluate nominated directors individually rather than in bundled slates. We look to companies to provide sufficient information on each director standing for election so that shareholders can assess their capabilities and suitability. We will generally not support the election of directors whose names and biographical details have not been disclosed sufficiently in advance of the shareholder meeting.

<sup>8</sup> A classified board divides the directors into classes with different overlapping terms. As a result, only one class of directors stands for election in any one year.

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Each director's appointment should be dependent on receiving a simple majority of the votes cast at the shareholder meeting. Where a company's practices differ, we look to the board to provide a detailed explanation as to how its approach best serves investors' interests.

We may vote for shareholder or management proposals seeking to establish annual election of directors and/or a simple majority vote standard for director elections. We may vote against all the directors standing for election as part of a single slate if we have concerns about the profile or performance of an individual director.

#### Committees
Many boards establish committees to focus on specific responsibilities of the board such as audit and risk, governance and human capital, and executive compensation, amongst other matters. We do not prescribe to companies what committees they should establish, but we seek to understand the board's rationale for the committee structure it determines is appropriate. We note that, in some markets, regulation requires such committees. The responsibilities of each committee should be clear, and the board should ensure that all critical matters are assigned either to the full board or to one of the committees. It is helpful to investor understanding when the board discloses the structure, membership, proportion of independent directors, and responsibilities of each committee. The responsibilities we typically see assigned to the three most common committees include:

• Audit and risk – oversight responsibilities for the integrity of financial reporting, risk management and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements; may also play an oversight role in relation to the internal audit function and whistleblowing mechanisms.

• Nominating, governance and human capital – oversight responsibilities for corporate governance principles and practices of the company, including the periodic review of board performance; responsibility for succession planning for CEO and key board roles, as well as the director appointment process; may also have oversight responsibilities for human capital management strategies, including corporate culture and purpose.

• Executive compensation – determines the compensation policies and programs for the CEO and other executive officers, approves annual awards and payments under the policies; may also have oversight responsibilities for firm-wide compensation policies.

We may vote against the election of the chair of the committee or other directors serving as committee members to convey concerns about how a committee has undertaken its responsibilities. We may vote against the election of the most senior non-executive director if there is not a clearly disclosed approach to board committees.

#### Board and director evaluation
We consider it best practice for companies to conduct an annual review of the performance of the board, the committees, the chair and individual directors. Periodically, this review could be undertaken by an independent third party able to bring objective perspectives to the board on governance and performance. We encourage companies to disclose their approach to and the objectives of evaluations, including any changes made to the board's approach as a result.

#### Access to independent advice
To support the directors in effectively fulfilling their duties to the company and shareholders, they should have access to independent advice. In certain circumstances, it may be helpful to boards to retain independent third parties to advise on critical matters. These might include new industry developments such as emergent and disruptive technology, operating events with material consequences for the company's reputation and/or performance, or significant transactions. Board committees may similarly retain third parties to advise them on specialist matters such as audit, compensation and succession planning.

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### Executive compensation
Boards play an important role in establishing compensation arrangements that enable the company to recruit, retain and reward the caliber of executive management necessary to lead and operate the company to deliver superior financial returns over time. We focus on alignment between variable pay and a company's financial performance.

Generally, executive compensation arrangements have four components: base salary, annual bonus that rewards performance against short-term metrics, incentives – most often share-based- that reward performance against long-term metrics, and pensions and benefits. In our observation, base salary, pensions and benefits are largely set relative to market norms and benchmarks. The annual bonus and share-based incentive, or variable pay plans, tend to be tailored to the company, its sector and long-term strategy, as well as the individuals the board is seeking to recruit and motivate.

Recognizing the unique circumstances of each company, we determine whether to support a company's approach to executive compensation on a case-by-case basis. We rely on companies providing sufficient quantitative and qualitative information in their disclosures to enable shareholders to understand the compensation arrangements and assess the alignment with investors' interests. Features we look for in compensation arrangements include:

• Fixed pay components, including base salary, benefits and prerequisites that are appropriate in the context of the company's size, sector and market.

• Variable pay subject to performance metrics that are closely linked to the company's short- and long-term strategic objectives.

• Long-term incentives that motivate sustained performance across a multi-year period.

• A balance between fixed and variable pay, short- and long-term incentives, and specific instruments (cash and equity awards) that promotes pay program durability and seldom necessitates one-off, discretionary payments.

• Pay outcomes that are consistent with the returns to investors over the relevant time period.

• Board discretion, if allowed within the variable pay arrangements, to be used sparingly, responsibly and transparently.

• A requirement, that participants in long-term share-based incentive plans build a meaningful shareholding in the company within a defined time period, as determined by the board or relevant board committee.

• Change of control provisions that appropriately balance the interests of executives and shareholders.

• Clawback or malus provisions that allow the company to recoup or hold back variable compensation from individuals whose awards were based on fraudulent activities, misstated financial reports, or executive misconduct.

• Severance arrangements that protect the company's interests but do not cost more than is contractual.

We may vote against proposals to introduce new share-based incentives, approve existing policies or plans, or approve the compensation report where we do not see alignment between executive compensation arrangements and our clients' financial interests. When there is not an alternative, or where there have been multi-year issues with compensation misaligned with performance, we may vote against the election of the chair of the responsible committee, or the most senior independent director.

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### Non-executive director compensation
Companies generally pay non-executive directors an annual retainer or fee in cash, shares or a combination of the two. Some companies also pay additional fees for service on board committees or in board leadership roles. We do not support non-executive directors participating in performance-based incentive plans as doing so may create a conflict of interest and undermine their independence from management, whom they oversee.

### Capital structure
Boards are responsible for ensuring senior executive leadership has established a capital strategy that achieves appropriate capital allocation in support of long-term financial resilience.

Where company practices diverge from those set out below, we look for companies to disclose why they view these practices to be aligned with shareholders' interests. We may vote against management proposals seeking capital-related authorities, or the election of the most senior independent director, if we have concerns about a company's approach. We may also support a shareholder proposal seeking conversion of shares with differentiated voting rights to a one-share, one-vote standard.

**Share issuance** 

We assess requests for share issuance for particular transactions on a case-by-case basis. We will generally support authorities to issue shares when subject to pre-emptive rights, and up to 20% absent pre-emptive rights. We consider it good practice for companies to seek regular approval of these authorities to allow shareholders to take into consideration how prior authorities were used, as well as the current circumstances of the company and the market environment.

#### Share buybacks
We assess share buyback proposals in the context of the company's disclosed capital management strategy and management's determination of the appropriate balance between investment that supports the long-term growth of the company and returning cash to investors. We also take into consideration the effect of a buyback program on the company's balance sheet and executive compensation arrangements and the price at which shares are repurchased relative to market price. We consider it good practice for companies to seek regular approval of these authorities to allow shareholders to take into consideration how prior authorities were used, as well as the current circumstances of the company and the market environment.

#### Dividends
We generally defer to management and the board on dividend policy but may engage to seek further clarification where a proposed dividend appears out of line with the company's financial position.

#### Differentiated voting rights
We prefer companies to adopt a one-share, one-vote structure for share classes with the same economic exposure. Certain companies, particularly those new to public markets, could make the case to adopt a differentiated voting rights structure, or dual class stock. In those situations, we encourage companies to evaluate and seek approval for their capital structure on a periodic basis.

### Transactions and special situations
We monitor developments in transactions and special situations closely and undertake our own detailed analyses of proposals.

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#### Mergers and acquisitions
We evaluate proposed mergers or acquisitions by assessing the financial outcome for our clients as minority shareholders. Management should provide an assessment of the proposed transaction's strategic and financial rationale, along with its execution and operational risks. We review each transaction independently based on these factors and the degree to which the transaction enhances shareholder value. The board might consider establishing an ad hoc transaction committee to undertake an independent assessment of a significant merger or acquisition, in advance of making its recommendation to shareholders.

We will vote against transactions that, in our assessment, do not advance our clients' financial interests.

#### Anti-takeover defenses
In principle, we do not support companies using anti-takeover defenses, also known as poison pills or shareholder rights plans, as they can entrench management and boards which have not delivered long-term shareholder value. By exception, a poison pill may be supported if its purpose is to delay a takeover that is considered sub-optimal and enable management to seek an improved offer. Similarly, management could make the case to use a poison pill to block a shareholder activism campaign that may be counter to the interests of other investors. Defense mechanisms introduced in these circumstances should be limited in term and threshold, and also be closely monitored by the independent members of the board. We consider it good practice for companies to put to a shareholder vote any mechanisms expected to be in place for more than 12 months.

#### Shareholder activism
When companies are the focus of an activism campaign, we may communicate with the activist to understand their analysis and objectives, once they have publicly disclosed their campaign. We may also engage with company management and possibly board members, especially those the activist may be seeking to replace. In our assessment, we evaluate various factors, including the concerns raised by the activist and the case for change; the quality of both the activist's and management's plans; and the qualifications of each party's candidates. We evaluate each contested situation by assessing the potential financial outcome for our clients as minority shareholders.

We may support board candidates nominated by a shareholder activist if BAIS, in its independent judgment, or the relevant portfolio manager has determined that there is a case for change to enhance shareholder value, or if the incumbent board members do not demonstrate the relevant skills and expertise or have a poor track record of protecting shareholders' interests.

#### Significant shareholders and related party transactions
Boards of companies with affiliated shareholders or directors should give equitable consideration to the interests of all shareholders when evaluating related party transactions.

We consider it good practice for transactions with related parties, such as significant shareholders or companies affiliated with the public company, to be disclosed in detail and conducted on terms similar to what would objectively have been agreed with a non-related party. In our view, such transactions should be reviewed and approved by the independent members of the board, and if voted on, only disinterested shareholders should vote.

### Corporate reporting, risk management and audit
Investors depend on corporate reporting, both regulatory and voluntary, to understand a company's strategy, its implementation and financial performance, as well as to assess the quality of management and operations and potential for the company to create shareholder value over time. We consider it good practice for the board to oversee corporate reporting and the policies and procedures underpinning the internal audit function and external audit.

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A company's financial reporting should provide decision-useful information for investors, and other stakeholders, on its financial performance and position. It should provide an accurate and balanced assessment of the risks and opportunities the company faces in realizing its long-term strategy. Accordingly, the assumptions made by management and reviewed by the auditor in preparing the financial statements should be reasonable and justified. Financial statements should be prepared in accordance with globally developed reporting standards and any divergence from generally accepted accounting principles should be explained in detail and justified. Accounting restatements should be explained in detail and any remedial actions, and the implications of these, disclosed.

In this context, audit committees play a vital role in a company's financial reporting system by providing independent oversight of the accounts, material financial and, where appropriate to the jurisdiction, non-financial information, internal control frameworks and Enterprise Risk Management systems. In our view, effective audit committee oversight strengthens the quality and reliability of a company's financial statements and provides an important level of reassurance to shareholders. Audit committees should have a procedure in place for assessing the independence of the auditor and the quality of the external audit process annually.

Similarly, we encourage companies to disclose material sustainability-related factors that are integral to how a company manages risks or generates revenue. BAIS finds it helpful to our understanding when companies provide robust, standardized disclosures on their material sustainability-related risks and opportunities. The International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) is one entity working to meet these objectives through its reporting standards, which may be helpful to companies in preparing such reports.<sup>9</sup> However, we do not mandate any specific disclosure framework, and note that companies in certain jurisdictions are subject to mandatory reporting requirements under standards specified by policy makers.<sup>10</sup>

Companies should establish robust risk management and internal control processes appropriate to the company's business, risk tolerance, and regulatory environment. A credible whistleblowing system for employees, and potentially other stakeholders, can be a useful mechanism for ensuring that senior management and the board are aware of potential misconduct or breaches in risk management and internal control processes.

A comprehensive audit conducted by an independent audit firm contributes to investor confidence in the quality of corporate reporting. It is helpful when the audit report gives some insight into the scope and focus of the audit, as well as any critical audit matters identified and how these were resolved. A comprehensive and effective audit is time and resource intensive, and the audit fee should be commensurate. Fees paid to the audit firm for non-audit consulting should not exceed the audit fee to a degree that may prompt concerns about the independence of the audit. The audit committee should explain its position on auditor tenure and how it confirmed that the auditor remained independent.

We may vote against the election of the responsible directors if corporate reporting is insufficient or there are material misstatements in financial reports. In markets where relevant, we may vote against a proposal to approve the financial statements or the discharge of the board when we are concerned about the quality of corporate reporting or the audit. We may vote against proposals to appoint the auditor, ratify the audit report, or approve the audit fee if we are concerned about the auditor's independence, the quality of the audit, or there are material misstatements in financial reports and the board has not established reasonable remediation plans.

<sup>9</sup> The ISSB is an independent standard-setting body within the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Foundation. Please refer to the IFRS website to learn more about the framework and standards S1 "General Requirements for Disclosure of Sustainability-related Financial Information" and S2 "Climate-related Disclosures."

<sup>10</sup> See, for examples, <u>https://www.ifrs.org/news-and-events/news/2025/06/ifrs-foundation-publishes-jurisdictional-profiles-issb-standards/ and https://finance.ec.europa.eu/capital-markets-union-and-financial-markets/company-reporting-and-auditing/company-reporting/corporate-sustainability-reporting_en</u>

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### Shareholder rights and protections

#### General shareholder meetings
Companies normally have an annual general meeting of shareholders at which routine and non-routine items of business are discussed and voted on by shareholders in attendance or submitting proxy votes. Companies should disclose materials relevant to the shareholder meeting sufficiently in advance so that shareholders can take them into consideration in their voting decisions. Many companies offer shareholders the option of participating in the meeting virtually which, whilst welcome, should not limit the rights of shareholders to participate as they would during an in-person meeting.

We may vote against directors when materials related to the business of the shareholder meeting are not provided in a timely manner or do not provide sufficient information for us to make an informed voting decision. We may vote against directors if the format of the shareholder meeting does not accommodate reasonable shareholder participation.

#### Bylaw amendments
We review bylaw amendments proposed by management on a case-by-case basis and will generally support those that are aligned with the interests of minority shareholders. Any material changes to the bylaws should be explained in detail and put to a shareholder vote.

We may vote against bylaw amendments that reduce shareholder rights and protections or introduce additional burdens. We may vote against directors if material changes are made to the bylaws without shareholder approval.

If not provided for in the relevant corporate law, company bylaws should allow shareholders, individually or as a group, with a meaningful shareholding, the right to call a special meeting of shareholders. The shareholding required to exercise this right should balance its utility with the cost to the company of holding special meetings.

If not provided for in the relevant corporate law, company bylaws should allow shareholders, individually or as a group, with a meaningful shareholding, the right to nominate directors to the company's board. The threshold for this right should be set so that shareholders can exercise it without being unduly disruptive to the board's own nomination process.

Whilst we would not use either of these rights ourselves, we see them as important accountability mechanisms. We may vote for a shareholder proposal seeking the addition of either of these provisions to a company's bylaws.

#### Change of domicile
We generally defer to management on proposals to change a company's domicile as long as the rationale for doing so is consistent with the company's long-term strategy and business model and the related costs are immaterial.

We may vote against directors or a proposal to change a company's domicile where it does not seem aligned with our clients' financial interests.

#### Changes to a company's purpose or the nature of its business
Plans to materially change the nature of a company's business or its purpose should be disclosed and explained in the context of long-term strategy and business dynamics. Such changes may significantly alter an investor's views on the suitability of a company for their investment strategy or portfolio.

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Where relevant, we may vote against proposals to change a company's purpose or the nature of its business if the board has not provided a credible argument for change.

### Shareholder proposals
Shareholders in many markets, who meet certain eligibility criteria, have the right to submit proposals to the general shareholder meeting asking a company to take a particular course of action subject to the proposal being supported by a majority of votes cast at the meeting. The topics raised can address a range of matters that may be relevant to a company's business.

We vote on these proposals on a case-by-case basis. We assess the relevance of the topic raised to a company's business and its current approach, whether the actions sought are consistent with shareholders' interests, and what impact the proposal being acted upon might have on financial performance.

Our general approach where we have concerns about a company's governance, disclosures or performance is to engage to understand the apparent difference in perspective. If we are concerned a company is not acting in shareholders' financial interests, we may vote against the election of directors. We may support a relevant shareholder proposal if doing so is aligned with our clients' financial interests. We generally do not support shareholder proposals that are legally binding on the company, seek to alter a company's strategy or direct its operations, or are unrelated to how a company manages risk or generates financial returns.

BlackRock is subject to rules, regulations, agency guidance and contractual agreements that place restrictions and limitations on how we can interact with the companies in which we invest on behalf of our clients, including our ability to submit shareholder proposals. We do not submit shareholder proposals but can vote, on behalf of clients who authorize us to do so, on proposals put forth by others.

### Corporate political activities
A corporation's ability to engage in the policy process is subject to rules and regulations set by the jurisdictions in which they engage. When a corporation reports material financial risk related to policy and or regulatory changes, BAIS may seek to understand how it is addressing the material risk identified. We seek to understand how companies engage in corporate political activities and ensure that their participation is consistent with their public statements on policy matters material to the company's long-term strategy. The board should be aware of the approach taken by management on corporate political activities as there can be reputational risks arising from inconsistencies between a company's policy engagement and stated policy positions. Companies should, as a minimum, meet all regulatory disclosure requirements on political activities. We may engage a company where we would like to better understand its approach to policy engagement, where relevant.

To mitigate the risk of inconsistencies, companies may wish to assess the alignment between their policy priorities and the policy positions of the trade associations of which they are active members and any engagements undertaken by trade associations on behalf of members.

We may support a relevant shareholder proposal, or vote against directors, where a company's disclosures are insufficient to address the material risk it has identified.

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### Material sustainability-related risks and opportunities
We seek to understand how companies manage the material risks and opportunities inherent in their business operations. In our experience, sustainability-related factors<sup>11</sup> that are relevant to a company's business or material to its financial performance, are generally operational considerations embedded into day-to-day management systems. Certain sustainability issues may also inform long-term strategic planning, for example, investing in product innovation in anticipation of changing consumer demand or adapting supply chains in response to changing regulatory requirements.

We recognize that the specific sustainability-related factors that may be financially material or business relevant will vary by company business model, sector, key markets, and time horizon, amongst other considerations. From company disclosures and our engagement, we aim to understand how management is identifying, assessing and integrating material sustainability-related risks and opportunities into their business decision-making and practices. Doing so helps us undertake a more holistic assessment of a company's potential financial performance and the likely risk-adjusted returns of an investment.

We may vote against directors or support a relevant shareholder proposal if we have concerns about how a company is managing or disclosing its approach to material sustainability-related risks that may impact financial returns.

### Key stakeholders
In our view, companies should understand and take into consideration the interests of the various parties on whom they depend for their success over time. It is for each company to determine their key stakeholders based on what is material to their business and long-term financial performance. For many companies, key stakeholders include employees, business partners (such as suppliers and distributors), clients and consumers, regulators, and the communities in which they operate. Companies that appropriately balance the interests of investors and other stakeholders are, in our experience, more likely to be financially resilient over time.

### Climate and decarbonization investment objectives
Certain active BlackRock funds have climate and decarbonization objectives in addition to financial objectives. Consistent with the objectives of those investment strategies, our stewardship activity in relation to the holdings in those funds differs in some respects from BAIS' benchmark guidelines, which are described above. Specifically, for those funds' holdings, we look to investee companies to demonstrate that they are aligned with a decarbonization pathway that means their business model would be viable in a low-carbon economy, i.e., one in which global temperature rise is limited to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. In addition, clients in separately managed accounts may instruct BlackRock to apply these guidelines to their holdings. Both in the case of funds and separately managed accounts, these guidelines are only implemented upon explicit selection and approval by the applicable fund board or client.

contribute to real world decarbonization or have a carbon intensive business model and face outsized impacts from the low carbon transition, based on reported and estimated scopes 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions. These companies should provide disclosures that set out their governance, strategy, risk management processes and metrics and targets relevant to decarbonization. It is helpful to investors' understanding when these disclosures include an explanation of the decarbonization scenarios a company is using in its near- and long-term planning, as well as its scope 1, scope 2 and material scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reduction targets for scope 1 and 2 emissions. These decarbonization stewardship guidelines focus on companies which produce goods and services that Under these climate-

<sup>11</sup> By material sustainability-related risks and opportunities, we mean the drivers of risk and financial value creation in a company's business model that have an environmental or social dependency or impact. Examples of environmental issues include, but are not limited to, water use, land use, waste management, and climate risk. Examples of social issues include, but are not limited to, human capital management, impacts on the communities in which a company operates, customer loyalty, and relationships with regulators. It is our view that well-managed companies will effectively evaluate and manage material sustainability-related risks and opportunities relevant to their businesses. Governance is the core means by which boards can oversee the creation of durable financial value over time. Appropriate risk oversight of business-relevant and material sustainability-related considerations is a component of a sound governance framework.

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and decarbonization-specific guidelines, BAIS may recommend a vote against directors or support for a relevant shareholder proposal if a company does not appear to be adequately acting to address or disclosing material climate-related risks, consistent with the parameters set out in these climate- and decarbonization-specific guidelines. We may recommend supporting shareholder proposals seeking information relevant to a company's stated low-carbon transition strategy or targets that the company does not currently provide and that would be helpful to investment decision-making. We would not recommend support for shareholder proposals that seek to constrain board or management decision-making or direct specific business or strategic decisions. As under the BAIS benchmark approach, the active portfolio managers are ultimately responsible for voting consistent with their investment mandate and fund objectives. For the funds and accounts in scope, voting on matters not related to climate risk and the energy transition is undertaken in line with BAIS' benchmark guidelines.

### Appendix 1: How we fulfil and oversee our investment stewardship responsibilities for non-index equity investment strategies

#### Oversight
The Global Head of BAIS has primary oversight of and responsibility for the team's activities, including voting in accordance with the BlackRock Active Investment Stewardship Global Engagement and Voting Guidelines (the "Guidelines"), which require the application of professional judgment and consideration of each company's unique circumstances, as well as input from active investors. BAIS is independent from BlackRock Investment Stewardship in our engagement and voting activities, reporting lines, and oversight.

The Stewardship Leaders Group, comprised of senior active investors and other relevant stakeholders in BlackRock's legal, public policy, sustainability and communications teams, helps shape the firm's approach to investment stewardship on non-index equity investment strategies. The Group may advise on and review amendments to BAIS' policies and practices. It does not determine voting decisions, which are the responsibility of BAIS and the relevant active equity investors.

BAIS carries out engagement with companies in collaboration with active investment colleagues, executes proxy votes, and conducts vote operations (including maintaining records of votes cast) in a manner consistent with the Guidelines. BAIS also conducts research on corporate governance issues and participates in industry discussions to contribute to and keep abreast of important developments in the corporate governance field. BAIS may use third parties for certain of the foregoing activities and performs oversight of those third parties (see "Use and oversight of third-party vote services providers" below).

#### Voting guidelines and vote execution
BlackRock votes on proxy issues when our clients authorize us to do so. We carefully consider the voting items submitted to funds and other fiduciary account(s) (Fund or Funds) for which we have voting authority. BlackRock votes (or refrains from voting) for each Fund for which we have voting authority based on our evaluation of the alignment of the voting items with the long-term economic interests of our clients, in the exercise of our independent business judgment, and without regard to the relationship of the issuer (or any shareholder proponent or dissident shareholder) to the Fund, the Fund's affiliates (if any), BlackRock or BlackRock's affiliates, or BlackRock employees (see "Conflicts management policies and procedures," below).

When exercising voting rights, BAIS will normally vote on specific proxy issues in accordance with the Guidelines, although portfolio managers have the right to vote differently on their holdings if they determine doing so is more aligned with the investment objective and financial interests of clients invested in the funds they manage.

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The Guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive. BAIS applies the Guidelines on a case-by-case basis, in the context of the individual circumstances of each company and the specific issue under review. As such, the Guidelines do not indicate how BAIS will vote in every instance. Rather, they reflect our view about corporate governance issues generally, and provide insight into how we typically approach issues that are commonly put to a shareholder vote. The Guidelines are reviewed annually and updated as necessary to reflect changes in market practices, developments in corporate governance and feedback from companies and clients. In this way, BAIS aims to maintain policies that explain our approach to governance practices most aligned with clients' long-term financial interests.

In certain markets, proxy voting involves logistical issues which can affect BAIS' ability to vote such proxies, as well as the desirability of voting such proxies. These issues include, but are not limited to: i) untimely notice of shareholder meetings; ii) restrictions on a foreigner's ability to exercise votes; iii) requirements to vote proxies in person; iv) "share-blocking" (requirements that investors who exercise their voting rights surrender the right to dispose of their holdings from the point at which votes are submitted until after the after the shareholder meeting has occurred); v) potential difficulties in translating the proxy; vi) regulatory constraints; and vii) requirements to provide local agents with powers of attorney to facilitate voting instructions. We are not supportive of impediments to the exercise of voting rights such as share-blocking or overly burdensome administrative requirements.

BlackRock votes proxies in these situations on a "best-efforts" basis. In addition, BAIS may determine that it is generally in the interests of BlackRock's clients not to vote proxies (or not to vote our full allocation) if the costs (including but not limited to opportunity costs associated with share-blocking constraints) associated with exercising a vote are expected to outweigh the benefit the client would derive by voting on the proposal.

#### Voting Choice
BlackRock offers Voting Choice, a program that provides eligible clients with more opportunities to participate in the proxy voting process where legally and operationally viable.

Voting Choice is currently available for eligible clients invested in certain institutional pooled funds in the U.S., UK, and Canada that use systematic active equity (SAE) and multi-asset strategies. In addition, institutional clients in separately managed accounts (SMAs) are eligible for BlackRock Voting Choice regardless of their investment strategies.<sup>12</sup>

As a result, the shares attributed to BlackRock in company share registers may be voted differently depending on whether our clients have authorized BAIS to vote on their behalf, have authorized BlackRock to vote in accordance with a third-party policy, or have elected to vote shares in accordance with their own policy. Our clients have greater control over proxy voting because of Voting Choice.<sup>13</sup>

#### Use and oversight of third-party vote services providers
Third-party vote services providers – or proxy research firms – provide research and recommendations on proxy votes, as well as voting infrastructure. BlackRock contracts primarily with the vote services provider ISS and leverages its online platform to supply research and support voting, record keeping, and reporting processes. We also use Glass Lewis' research and analysis as an input into our voting process. It is important to note that, although proxy research firms provide important data and analysis, BAIS does not rely solely on their information or follow their voting recommendations. A company's disclosures, our engagements and voting, investment colleagues' insights and our Guidelines are important inputs into our voting decisions on behalf of clients.

<sup>12</sup> With Voting Choice, SMAs have the ability to select from a set of voting policies from third-party proxy advisers the policy that best aligns with their views and preferences. BlackRock can then use its proxy voting infrastructure to cast votes based on the client's selected voting policy.

<sup>13</sup> disclose client information, including a client's selection of proxy policy, without client consent.

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Given the large universe of actively held companies, BAIS employs the proxy services provider to streamline the voting process by making voting recommendations based on BAIS' Guidelines when the items on a shareholder meeting agenda are routine. Agenda items that are not routine are referred back to BAIS to assess, escalate as necessary to the relevant portfolio managers and vote. BAIS reviews and can override the recommendations of the vote services provider at any time prior to the vote deadline. Both BAIS and the vote services provider actively monitor securities filings, research reports, company announcements, and direct communications from companies to ensure awareness of supplemental disclosures and proxy materials that may require a modification of votes.

BAIS closely monitors the third-party vote services providers we contract with to ensure that they are meeting our service level expectations and have effective policies and procedures in place to manage potential conflicts of interest. Our oversight of service providers includes regular meetings with client service teams, systematic monitoring of vendor operations, as well as annual due diligence meetings in accordance with BlackRock's firmwide policies.

#### Conflicts management policies and procedures
BlackRock maintains policies and procedures that seek to prevent undue influence on BAIS' proxy voting activity. Such influence might stem from any relationship between the investee company (or any shareholder proponent or dissident shareholder) and BlackRock, BlackRock's affiliates, a Fund or a Fund's affiliates, or BlackRock employees. The following are examples of sources of perceived or potential conflicts of interest:

• BlackRock clients who may be issuers of securities or proponents of shareholder resolutions

• BlackRock business partners or third parties who may be issuers of securities or proponents of shareholder resolutions

• BlackRock employees who may sit on the boards of public companies held in Funds managed by BlackRock

• Significant BlackRock, Inc. investors who may be issuers of securities held in Funds managed by BlackRock

• Securities of BlackRock, Inc. or BlackRock investment funds held in Funds managed by BlackRock

• BlackRock, Inc. board members who serve as senior executives or directors of public companies held in Funds managed by BlackRock

BlackRock has taken certain steps to mitigate perceived or potential conflicts including, but not limited to, the following:

• Adopted these Guidelines which are designed to advance our clients' long-term financial interests in the companies in which BlackRock invests on their behalf

• Established a reporting structure that separates BAIS from employees with sales, vendor management, or business partnership roles. In addition, BlackRock seeks to ensure that all engagements with corporate issuers, dissident shareholders or shareholder proponents are managed consistently and without regard to BlackRock's relationship with such parties. Clients or business partners are not given preferential treatment or differentiated access. BAIS prioritizes engagements based on factors including, but not limited to, our need for additional information to make a more informed voting decision or to better understand a company's perspectives on financially material risks and opportunities. Within the normal course of business, BAIS may engage directly with BlackRock clients, business partners and/or third parties, and/or with employees with sales, vendor management, or business partnership roles, in discussions regarding our approach to stewardship, general corporate governance matters, client reporting needs, and/or to otherwise ensure that proxy-related client service levels are met

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• Determined to engage, in certain instances, an independent third-party voting service provider to make proxy voting recommendations as a further safeguard to avoid perceived or potential conflicts of interest, to satisfy regulatory requirements, or as may be otherwise required by applicable law. In such circumstances, the independent third-party voting service provider provides BlackRock with recommendations, in accordance with the Guidelines, as to how to vote such proxies. BlackRock uses an independent third-party voting service provider to make proxy voting recommendations for shares of BlackRock, Inc. and companies affiliated with BlackRock, Inc. BlackRock may also use an independent third-party voting service provider to make proxy voting recommendations for certain perceived or potential conflicts of interest, including:

• public companies that include BlackRock employees on their boards of directors

• public companies of which a BlackRock, Inc. board member serves as a senior executive or a member of the board of directors

• public companies that are the subject of certain transactions involving BlackRock Funds

• public companies that are joint venture partners with BlackRock, and

• public companies when legal or regulatory requirements compel BlackRock to use an independent third-party voting service provider

In selecting an independent third-party voting service provider, we assess several characteristics, including but not limited to: independence, an ability to analyze proxy issues and make recommendations in the economic interest of our clients in accordance with the Guidelines, reputation for reliability and integrity, and operational capacity to accurately deliver the assigned recommendations in a timely manner. We may engage more than one independent third-party voting service provider, in part to mitigate potential or perceived conflicts of interest at a single voting service provider.

#### Securities lending
If authorized, BlackRock acts as a securities lending agent on behalf of its clients. Securities lending is a well-regulated practice that contributes to capital market efficiency. It also enables funds to generate additional returns which in turn may allow fund providers to offset fund expenses.

With regard to the relationship between securities lending and proxy voting, BlackRock cannot vote shares on loan and may determine to recall them to allow for voting. This decision is guided by our fiduciary duty as an asset manager to our clients in helping them achieve their investment goals. While this has occurred in a limited number of cases, the decision to recall securities on loan as part of BlackRock's securities lending program in order to vote is based on an evaluation of various factors that include, but are not limited to, assessing potential securities lending revenue alongside the potential long-term financial value to clients of voting those securities (based on the information available at the time of recall consideration). BAIS works with active portfolio managers, as well as colleagues in the Securities Lending team, to evaluate the costs and benefits to clients of recalling shares on loan.

In almost all instances, BlackRock anticipates that the potential long-term financial value to clients of voting shares would not warrant recalling securities on loan. However, in certain instances, BlackRock may determine, in our independent business judgment as a fiduciary, that the value of voting outweighs the securities lending revenue loss to clients and would therefore recall shares to be voted in those instances.

Periodically, BlackRock reviews our process for determining whether to recall securities on loan in order to vote and may modify it as necessary.

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#### Reporting and vote transparency
BAIS is committed to transparency in the stewardship work we do on behalf of clients. We inform clients about our engagement and voting policies and activities through direct communication and disclosure on our <u>website</u>.

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Want to know more?

<u>blackrock.com/stewardship</u> \| <u>ContactActiveStewardship@blackrock.com</u>

The document is provided for information purposes only and is subject to change. Reliance upon this information is at the sole discretion of the reader.

Prepared by BlackRock, Inc.

<sup>©</sup>2025 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. BLACKROCK is a trademark of BlackRock, Inc., or its subsidiaries in the United States and elsewhere. All other trademarks are those of their respective owners.

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SAI-CSF-0426

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#### PART C

#### OTHER INFORMATION

#### Item 25. Financial Statements And Exhibits
The agreements included or incorporated by reference as exhibits to this registration statement contain representations and warranties by each of the parties to the applicable agreement. These representations and warranties were made solely for the benefit of the other parties to the applicable agreement and (i) were not intended to be treated as categorical statements of fact, but rather as a way of allocating the risk to one of the parties if those statements prove to be inaccurate; (ii) may have been qualified in such agreement by disclosures that were made to the other party in connection with the negotiation of the applicable agreement; (iii) may apply contract standards of "materiality" that are different from "materiality" under the applicable securities laws; and (iv) were made only as of the date of the applicable agreement or such other date or dates as may be specified in the agreement.

The Registrant acknowledges that, notwithstanding the inclusion of the foregoing cautionary statements, it is responsible for considering whether additional specific disclosures of material information regarding material contractual provisions are required to make the statements in this registration statement not misleading.

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| (1) | Financial Statements | Financial Statements |
|  | Part A: | Financial Highlights |
|  | Part B: | [Audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 and related Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm are incorporated by reference to the Registrant's Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2025.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312526093570/d105828dncsr.htm) |
| (2) | Exhibits |  |
| (a)(1) |  | [Second Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (a) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-227456 and 811-23380, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") on April 24, 2020.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000168386320005390/f4017d2.htm) |
| (a)(2) |  | [Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of Trust of the Trust is filed herewith.](d147802dex99a2.htm) |
| (b)(1) |  | [Amended and Restated Bylaws are incorporated by reference to Exhibit (b) to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-227456 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on September 21, 2018.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312518279554/d625057dex99b.htm) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(2) |  | [Amendment No. 1 to Amended and Restated Bylaws are incorporated by reference to Exhibit (b)(2) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-227456 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on April 29, 2021.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312521139699/d103275dex99b2.htm) |
| (c) |  | Inapplicable |
| (d) |  | Incorporated by reference to Exhibits (a) and (b) above. |
| (e) |  | [Form of Automatic Dividend Reinvestment Plan is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (e) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-227456 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on January 16, 2019.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312519010696/d625057dex99e.htm) |
| (f) |  | Inapplicable |
| (g)(1) |  | [Form of Investment Management Agreement is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (g)(1) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-227456 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on January 16, 2019.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312519010696/d625057dex99g1.htm) |

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(2) [Form of Sub-Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock Capital Investment Advisors, LLC (the "BCIA Sub-Advisory Agreement") is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (g)(2) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-227456 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on January 16, 2019.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312519010696/d625057dex99g2.htm)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(3) [Form of Amendment to the BCIA Sub-Advisory Agreement is incorporated by reference to Exhibit g(3) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 9 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-227456 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on December 1, 2025.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312525304064/d50336dex99g3.htm)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(4) [Form of Sub-Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock International Limited (the "BIL Sub-Advisory Agreement") is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (g)(3) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-227456 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on January 16, 2019.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312519010696/d625057dex99g3.htm)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(5) [Form of Amendment to the BIL Sub-Advisory Agreement is incorporated by reference to Exhibit g(5) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 9 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-227456 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on December 1, 2025.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312525304064/d50336dex99g5.htm)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(6) [Form of Sub-Investment Advisory Agreement among the Trust, BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock (Singapore) Limited (the "BSL Sub-Advisory Agreement") is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (g)(4) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-227456 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on January 16, 2019.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312519010696/d625057dex99g4.htm)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(7) [Form of Amendment to the BSL Sub-Advisory Agreement is incorporated by reference to Exhibit g(5) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 9 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-227456 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on December 1, 2025.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312525304064/d50336dex99g7.htm)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(8) [Amended and Restated Master Advisory Fee Waiver Agreement is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (g)(5) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-227456 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on April 24, 2020.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000168386320005390/f4017d3.htm)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(9) [Amendment No. 1 to Amended and Restated Master Advisory Fee Waiver Agreement is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (g)(6) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-227456 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on April 24, 2020.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000168386320005390/f4017d4.htm)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(10) [Amendment No. 2 to Amended and Restated Master Advisory Fee Waiver Agreement is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (g)(7) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-227456 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on April 29, 2021.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312521139699/d103275dex99g7.htm)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(11) [Amendment No. 3 to Amended and Restated Master Advisory Fee Waiver Agreement is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (g)(8) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-227456 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on April 29, 2021.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312521139699/d103275dex99g8.htm)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(12) [Amendment No. 4 to Amended and Restated Master Advisory Fee Waiver Agreement is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (g)(8) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-227456 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on April 29, 2021.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312521139699/d103275dex99g9.htm)

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(13) | [Form of Amendment No. 5 to Amended and Restated Master Advisory Fee Waiver Agreement is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (g)(9) of the Registration Statement on Form N-2 of BlackRock Multi-Sector Income Trust (File No. 333-262119), as filed with the Commission on January 12, 2022.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1562818/000119312522007562/d282893dex99g9.htm) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(14) | [Form of Amendment No. 6 to Amended and Restated Master Advisory Fee Waiver Agreement is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (g)(8) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to BlackRock 2037 Municipal Target Term Trust's Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-250205), as filed with the Commission on July 28, 2022.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1832871/000119312522204326/d791219dex99g8.htm) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(15) | [Amendment No. 7 to Amended and Restated Master Advisory Fee Waiver Agreement is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (g)(9) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form N-2 of BlackRock Alpha Strategies Fund (File No. 333-273507), as filed with the Commission on July 26, 2024.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1833936/000119312524185899/d841144dex99g9.htm) |
| (h)(1) | [Form of Distribution Agreement is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (h)(1) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-227456 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on January 16, 2019.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312519010696/d625057dex99h1.htm) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(2) | [Form of Dealer Agreement is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (h)(2) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-227456 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on January 16, 2019.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312519010696/d625057dex99h2.htm) |
| (i) | [Form of BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex Third Amended and Restated Deferred Compensation Plan is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (i) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-227456 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on January 16, 2019.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312519010696/d625057dex99i.htm) |
| (j) | [Form of Master Custodian Agreement is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (j) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-227456 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on April 24, 2020.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000168386320005390/f4017d5.htm) |
| (k)(1)(a) | [Transfer Agency and Service Agreement is incorporated by reference to Exhibit 8(a) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 48 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of BlackRock Series Fund, Inc. (File No. 2-69062), filed on April 18, 2014.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/319108/000089109214003195/e57600ex8a.htm) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(1)(b) | [Form of Amendment to Transfer Agency and Services Agreement is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (k)(1)(b) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-227456 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on February 22, 2019.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312519048480/d625057dex99k1b.htm) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(2) | [Form of Administration and Accounting Services Agreement is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (k)(2) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-227456 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on April 24, 2020.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000168386320005390/f4017d6.htm) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(3) | [Form of Name Licensing Agreement is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (k)(3) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-227456 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on January 16, 2019.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312519010696/d625057dex99k3.htm) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(4) | [Form of Twelfth Amended and Restated Securities Lending Agency Agreement between the Registrant and BlackRock Investment Management, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 8(p) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 1289 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of BlackRock Funds<sup>SM</sup> (File No. 33-26305), filed on January 26, 2026.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/844779/000119312526022441/d36558dex998p.htm) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(5) | [Form of Fourth Amended and Restated Distribution and Servicing Plan is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (k)(5) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 5 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-255980 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on September 13, 2024.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312524218956/d842915dex99k5.htm) |

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(6) | [Form of Fourth Amended and Restated Multi-Class Plan is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (k)(6) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 5 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-255980 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on September 13, 2024.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312524218956/d842915dex99k6.htm) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(7) | [Form of Amended and Restated Expense Limitation Agreement is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (k)(7) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-227456 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on April 24, 2020.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000168386320005390/f4017d10.htm) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(8) | [Form of Credit Agreement is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (k)(8) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-227456 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on April 24, 2020.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000168386320005390/f4017d11.htm) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(9) | [Form of Amendment to Credit Agreement is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (k)(9) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 3 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-255980 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on April 27, 2023.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312523121697/d485899dex99k9.htm) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(10) | [Form of Second Amendment to Credit Agreement is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (k)(10) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 5 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-255980 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on September 13, 2024.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312524218956/d842915dex99k10.htm) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(11) | [Form of Third Amendment to Credit Agreement is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (k)(11) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 8 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-255980 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on October 1, 2025.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312525227003/d50336dex99k11.htm) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(12) | [Form of Investment Management Agreement between CREDX Subsidiary, LLC and BlackRock Advisors, LLC is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (k)(10) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 3 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-255980 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on April 27, 2023.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312523121697/d485899dex99k10.htm) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(13) | [Form of Sub-Investment Advisory Agreement among CREDX Subsidiary, LLC, BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock Capital Investment Advisors, LLC is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (k)(11) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 3 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-255980 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on April 27, 2023.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312523121697/d485899dex99k11.htm) |
| (l) | [Opinion and Consent of Counsel is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (l) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 5 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-255980 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on September 13, 2024.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312524218956/d842915dex99l.htm) |
| (m) | Inapplicable |
| (n) | [Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Consent is filed herewith.](d147802dex99n.htm) |
| (o) | Inapplicable |
| (p) | [Initial Subscription Agreement is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (p) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-227456 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on January 16, 2019.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312519010696/d625057dex99p.htm) |
| (q) | Inapplicable |
| (r)(1) | [Code of Ethics of Registrant, BlackRock Investments, LLC, BlackRock Advisors, LLC, BlackRock Fund Advisors, BlackRock International Limited, BlackRock (Singapore) Limited and BlackRock Asset Management North Asia Limited is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (16)(a) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 1257 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of BlackRock Funds<sup>SM</sup> (File No. 33-26305), filed on May 23, 2025.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/844779/000119312525125623/d940151dex9916a.htm) |

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| r(2) | [Code of Ethics (Global Personal Investments Policy) for BlackRock, Inc. and its subsidiaries is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 16(b) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 1289 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of BlackRock Funds<sup>SM</sup> (File No. 33-26305), filed on January 26, 2026.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/844779/000119312526022441/d36558dex9916b.htm) |
| (s)(1) | [Power of Attorney is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (k)(5) to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-255980 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on May 10, 2021.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312521156447/d732236dex99s1.htm) |
| (s)(2) | [Power of Attorney (Cynthia L. Egan) is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (s)(2) to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-255980 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on April 26, 2024.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312524118134/d808932dex99s2.htm) |
| (s)(3) | [Power of Attorney (Arthur P. Steinmetz) is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (s)(3) to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, File Nos. 333-255980 and 811-23380, as filed with the Commission on April 26, 2024.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1752019/000119312524118134/d808932dex99s3.htm) |

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#### Item 26. Marketing Arrangements
See the Distribution Agreement and Dealer Agreement, forms of which are filed as Exhibit (h)(1) and (h)(2) to this Registration Statement.

#### Item 27. Other Expenses Of Issuance And Distribution
Not applicable.

#### Item 28. Persons Controlled By Or Under Common Control With The Registrant
CREDX Subsidiary, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Registrant and may be considered to be controlled by the Registrant at the time of this filing.

#### Item 29. Number Of Holders Of Shares
The following table sets forth the number of record holders of Shares as of April 7, 2026:

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Title Of Class** | **Number Of Record Holders** | **Number Of Record Holders** |
|  Institutional Shares |  | 1062 |
|  Class A Shares |  | 374 |
|  Class W Shares |  | 1 |
|  Class U Shares |  | 469 |
|  Class J Shares |  | 1 |

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#### Item 30. Indemnification
Article V of the Registrant's Agreement and Declaration of Trust provides as follows:

5.1 <u>No Personal Liability of Shareholders, Trustees, etc</u>. No Shareholder of the Trust shall be subject in such capacity to any personal liability whatsoever to any Person in connection with Trust Property or the acts, obligations or affairs of the Trust. Shareholders shall have the same limitation of personal liability as is extended to stockholders of a private corporation for profit incorporated under the Delaware General Corporation Law. No Trustee or officer of the Trust shall be subject in such capacity to any personal liability whatsoever to any Person, save only liability to the Trust or its Shareholders arising from bad faith, willful misfeasance, gross negligence or reckless disregard for his duty to such Person; and, subject to the foregoing exception, all such Persons shall look

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solely to the Trust Property for satisfaction of claims of any nature arising in connection with the affairs of the Trust. If any Shareholder, Trustee or officer, as such, of the Trust, is made a party to any suit or proceeding to enforce any such liability, subject to the foregoing exception, he shall not, on account thereof, be held to any personal liability. Any repeal or modification of this Section 5.1 shall not adversely affect any right or protection of a Trustee or officer of the Trust existing at the time of such repeal or modification with respect to acts or omissions occurring prior to such repeal or modification.

5.2 <u>Mandatory Indemnification</u>. (a) The Trust hereby agrees to indemnify each person who at any time serves as a Trustee or officer of the Trust (each such person being an "indemnitee") against any liabilities and expenses, including amounts paid in satisfaction of judgments, in compromise or as fines and penalties, and reasonable counsel fees reasonably incurred by such indemnitee in connection with the defense or disposition of any action, suit or other proceeding, whether civil or criminal, before any court or administrative or investigative body in which he may be or may have been involved as a party or otherwise or with which he may be or may have been threatened, while acting in any capacity set forth in this Article V by reason of his having acted in any such capacity, except with respect to any matter as to which he shall not have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that his action was in the best interest of the Trust or, in the case of any criminal proceeding, as to which he shall have had reasonable cause to believe that the conduct was unlawful, provided, however, that no indemnitee shall be indemnified hereunder against any liability to any person or any expense of such indemnitee arising by reason of (i) willful misfeasance, (ii) bad faith, (iii) gross negligence, or (iv) reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his position (the conduct referred to in such clauses (i) through (iv) being sometimes referred to herein as "disabling conduct"). Notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to any action, suit or other proceeding voluntarily prosecuted by any indemnitee as plaintiff, indemnification shall be mandatory only if the prosecution of such action, suit or other proceeding by such indemnitee (1) was authorized by a majority of the Trustees or (2) was instituted by the indemnitee to enforce his or her rights to indemnification hereunder in a case in which the indemnitee is found to be entitled to such indemnification. The rights to indemnification set forth in this Declaration shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a Trustee or officer of the Trust and shall inure to the benefit of his or her heirs, executors and personal and legal representatives. No amendment or restatement of this Declaration or repeal of any of its provisions shall limit or eliminate any of the benefits provided to any person who at any time is or was a Trustee or officer of the Trust or otherwise entitled to indemnification hereunder in respect of any act or omission that occurred prior to such amendment, restatement or repeal.

(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, no indemnification shall be made hereunder unless there has been a determination (i) by a final decision on the merits by a court or other body of competent jurisdiction before whom the issue of entitlement to indemnification hereunder was brought that such indemnitee is entitled to indemnification hereunder or, (ii) in the absence of such a decision, by (1) a majority vote of a quorum of those Trustees who are neither "interested persons" of the Trust (as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Investment Company Act) nor parties to the proceeding ("Disinterested Non-Party Trustees"), that the indemnitee is entitled to indemnification hereunder, or (2) if such quorum is not obtainable or even if obtainable, if such majority so directs, independent legal counsel in a written opinion concludes that the indemnitee should be entitled to indemnification hereunder. All determinations to make advance payments in connection with the expense of defending any proceeding shall be authorized and made in accordance with the immediately succeeding paragraph (c) below.

(c) The Trust shall make advance payments in connection with the expenses of defending any action with respect to which indemnification might be sought hereunder if the Trust receives a written affirmation by the indemnitee of the indemnitee's good faith belief that the standards of conduct necessary for indemnification have been met and a written undertaking to reimburse the Trust unless it is subsequently determined that the indemnitee is entitled to such indemnification and if a majority of the Trustees determine that the applicable standards of conduct necessary for indemnification appear to have been met. In addition, at least one of the following conditions must be met: (i) the indemnitee shall provide adequate security for his undertaking, (ii) the Trust shall be insured against losses arising by reason of any lawful advances, or (iii) a majority of a quorum of the

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Disinterested Non-Party Trustees, or if a majority vote of such quorum so direct, independent legal counsel in a written opinion, shall conclude, based on a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry), that there is substantial reason to believe that the indemnitee ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification.

(d) The rights accruing to any indemnitee under these provisions shall not exclude any other right which any person may have or hereafter acquire under this Declaration, the By-Laws of the Trust, any statute, agreement, vote of stockholders or Trustees who are "disinterested persons" (as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Investment Company Act) or any other right to which he or she may be lawfully entitled.

(e) Subject to any limitations provided by the Investment Company Act and this Declaration, the Trust shall have the power and authority to indemnify and provide for the advance payment of expenses to employees, agents and other Persons providing services to the Trust or serving in any capacity at the request of the Trust to the full extent corporations organized under the Delaware General Corporation Law may indemnify or provide for the advance payment of expenses for such Persons, provided that such indemnification has been approved by a majority of the Trustees.

5.3 <u>No Bond Required of Trustees</u>. No Trustee shall, as such, be obligated to give any bond or other security for the performance of any of his duties hereunder.

5.4 <u>No Duty of Investigation; No Notice in Trust Instruments, etc</u>. No purchaser, lender, transfer agent or other person dealing with the Trustees or with any officer, employee or agent of the Trust shall be bound to make any inquiry concerning the validity of any transaction purporting to be made by the Trustees or by said officer, employee or agent or be liable for the application of money or property paid, loaned, or delivered to or on the order of the Trustees or of said officer, employee or agent. Every obligation, contract, undertaking, instrument, certificate, Share, other security of the Trust, and every other act or thing whatsoever executed in connection with the Trust shall be conclusively taken to have been executed or done by the executors thereof only in their capacity as Trustees under this Declaration or in their capacity as officers, employees or agents of the Trust. The Trustees may maintain insurance for the protection of the Trust Property, the Shareholders, Trustees, officers, employees and agents in such amount as the Trustees shall deem adequate to cover possible tort liability, and such other insurance as the Trustees in their sole judgment shall deem advisable or is required by the Investment Company Act.

5.5 <u>Reliance on Experts, etc</u>. Each Trustee and officer or employee of the Trust shall, in the performance of its duties, be fully and completely justified and protected with regard to any act or any failure to act resulting from reliance in good faith upon the books of account or other records of the Trust, upon an opinion of counsel, or upon reports made to the Trust by any of the Trust's officers or employees or by any advisor, administrator, manager, distributor, selected dealer, accountant, appraiser or other expert or consultant selected with reasonable care by the Trustees, officers or employees of the Trust, regardless of whether such counsel or expert may also be a Trustee.

Registrant has also entered into an agreement with Trustees and officers of the Registrant entitled to indemnification under the Agreement and Declaration of Trust pursuant to which the Registrant has agreed to advance expenses and costs incurred by the indemnitee in connection with any matter in respect of which indemnification might be sought pursuant to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust to the maximum extent permitted by law.

Reference is also made to:

• Sections 10 and 11 of the Registrant's Investment Management Agreement, a form of which is filed by pre-effective amendment as Exhibit (g)(1) to this Registration Statement

• Sections 9 and 10 of the Registrant's Sub-Investment Advisory Agreements, forms of which is filed by pre-effective amendment as Exhibits (g)(2), (g)(3) and (g)(4) to this Registration Statement.

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• Section 9 of the Distribution Agreement, a form of which is filed by pre-effective amendment as Exhibit (h)(1) to this Registration Statement.

Additionally, the Registrant and the other funds in the BlackRock Closed-End Fund Complex jointly maintain, at their own expense, E&O/D&O insurance policies for the benefit of its Trustees, officers and certain affiliated persons. The Registrant pays a pro rata portion of the premium on such insurance policies.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, may be permitted to Directors, officers and controlling persons of the Fund, pursuant to the foregoing provisions or otherwise, the Fund has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a Director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such Director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

#### Item 31. Business And Other Connections Of Investment Adviser
BlackRock Advisors, LLC, a limited liability company organized under the laws of Delaware (the "Advisor"), acts as investment adviser to the Registrant. The Registrant is fulfilling the requirement of this Item 31 to provide a list of the officers and directors of the Advisor, together with information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by the Advisor or those officers and directors during the past two years, by incorporating by reference the information contained in the Form ADV of the Advisor filed with the commission pursuant to the Investment Advisors Act of 1940 (Commission File No. 801-47710).

BlackRock International Limited ("BIL"), BlackRock (Singapore) Limited ("BSL") and BlackRock Capital Investment Advisors, LLC's ("BCIA") serve as Sub-Advisors to the Registrant. The Registrant is fulfilling the requirement of this Item 31 to provide a list of the officers and directors of BIL, BSL and BCIA, together with information as to any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by BIL, BSL and BCIA or those officers and directors during the past two years, by incorporating by reference the information contained in the Form ADV of each of BIL, BSL and BCIA, filed with the commission pursuant to the Investment Advisors Act of 1940 (Commission File Nos. 801-51087, 801-76926 and 801-47710, respectively).

#### Item 32. Location Of Accounts And Records
Omitted pursuant to the instruction to Item 32 of Form N-2.

#### Item 33. Management Services
Not Applicable

#### Item 34. Undertakings
1. Not applicable.

2. Not applicable.

3. Registrant undertakes:

(a) to file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(1) to include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(2) to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the "Calculation of Registration Fee" table in the effective registration statement; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(3) to include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(4) if (i) it determines to conduct one or more offerings of the Fund's common shares (including rights to purchase its common shares) at a price below its net asset value per common share at the date the offering is commenced, and (ii) such offering or offerings will result in greater than a 15% dilution to the Fund's net asset value per common share.

(b) that, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of those securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof;

(c) to remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering; and

(d) that, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(1) if the Registrant is relying on Rule 430B:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(A) Each prospectus filed by the Registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(B) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (x), or (xi) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date; or

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(2) if the Registrant is relying on Rule 430C: each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a

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document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use.

(e) that for the purpose of determining liability of the Registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of securities:

The undersigned Registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned Registrant pursuant to this Registration Statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned Registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to the purchaser:

(1) any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned Registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act;

(2) free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned Registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned Registrants;

(3) the portion of any other free writing prospectus or advertisement pursuant to Rule 482 under the Securities Act relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned Registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned Registrant; and

(4) any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned Registrant to the purchaser.

4. Registrant undertakes:

(a) that, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of the Registration Statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the Registrant under Rule 424(b)(1) under the Securities Act will be deemed to be a part of the Registration Statement as of the time it was declared effective.

(b) that, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus will be deemed to be a new Registration Statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of the securities at that time will be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

5. Not applicable.

6. Not applicable.

7. Registrant undertakes to send by first class mail or other means designed to ensure equally prompt delivery, within two business days of receipt of a written or oral request, any prospectus or Statement of Additional Information constituting Part B of this Registration Statement.

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#### SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Fund certifies that this post-effective amendment to the registration statement meets all of the requirements for effectiveness under Rule 486(b) under the Securities Act of 1933 and has duly caused this amendment to its registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of New York, and State of New York, on the 29<sup>th</sup> day of April, 2026.

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| BLACKROCK HPS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND | BLACKROCK HPS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND |
| By: | /s/ John M. Perlowski<br>|
|  | John M. Perlowski |
|  | Trustee, President and Chief Executive Officer |

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Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this amendment to the registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated and on the 29<sup>th</sup> day of April, 2026.

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| **Signature** | **Title** |
| /s/ John M. Perlowski<br> John M. Perlowski | Trustee, President, and Chief Executive Officer |
| /s/ Lindsey Lorenz<br> Lindsey Lorenz | Chief Financial Officer |
| \*<br> Cynthia L. Egan | Trustee |
| \*<br> W. Carl Kester | Trustee |
| \*<br> Arthur P. Steinmetz | Trustee |

---

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
| \*By: | /s/ John M. Perlowski<br>|
|  | John M. Perlowski |
|  | *as Attorney-in-Fact* |

---

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#### EXHIBIT INDEX

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| **Exhibit Number** | **Description** |
|  (a)(2)  | [Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of Trust of the Trust](d147802dex99a2.htm) |
| (n)  | [Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Consent](d147802dex99n.htm) |

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## Ex-99.(A)(2)

**Exhibit (a)(2)** 

**CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT** 

**TO** 

**CERTIFICATE OF TRUST** 

**OF** 

**BLACKROCK CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND** 

This Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Trust of BlackRock Credit Strategies Fund (the "<u>Trust</u>") is being executed for the purpose of amending the Certificate of Trust of the Trust filed with the Office of the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware (the "State Office") on February 20, 2019, pursuant to the Delaware Statutory Trust Act, 12 <u>Del.</u> <u>C.</u> §§ 3801 <u>et</u> <u>seq.</u> (the "Act").

The undersigned hereby certifies as follows:

1. The name of the Trust is BlackRock Credit Strategies Fund.

2. The name of the Trust is hereby changed to BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund.

3. This Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Trust shall become effective on December 1, 2025.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, being a trustee of the Trust, has duly executed this Certificate of Amendment this 9th day of October, 2025, in accordance with Section 3811 of the Act.

---

| |
|:---|
|  /s/ John Perlowski |
|  Name: John Perlowski |
| Title: Trustee |

---

## Ex-99.(N)

***Exhibit (n)*** 

**CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM** 

We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement No. 333-255980 on Form N-2 of our report dated February 25, 2026, relating to the financial statements and financial highlights of BlackRock HPS Credit Strategies Fund (the "Fund"), appearing in the Form N-CSR of the Fund for the year ended December 31, 2025, and to the references to us under the headings "Financial Highlights", "Senior Securities" and "Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm" in the Prospectus and "Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm" and "Financial Statements" in the Statement of Additional Information, which are part of such Registration Statement.

/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP

Boston, Massachusetts

April 29, 2026