# EDGAR Filing Document

**Accession Number:** 0001716885
**File Stem:** 0000894189-26-016741
**Filing Date:** 2026-5
**Character Count:** 718421
**Document Hash:** 80f7d68619adaba7a8260d3455e453c4
**Contains OCR:** False
**Source Format:** 

## Filing Content

## Filing Summary
**0000894189-26-016741.hdr.sgml**: 20260529

**ACCESSION NUMBER**: 0000894189-26-016741

**CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE**: 486BPOS

**PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT**: 21

**FILED AS OF DATE**: 20260529

**DATE AS OF CHANGE**: 20260529

**EFFECTIVENESS DATE**: 20260531

**FILER**: 

**COMPANY DATA:**
- **COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:** Angel Oak Strategic Credit Fund
- **CENTRAL INDEX KEY:** 0001716885

**ORGANIZATION NAME:**
- **EIN:** 000000000
- **STATE OF INCORPORATION:** DE
- **FISCAL YEAR END:** 0131

**FILING VALUES:**
- **FORM TYPE:** 486BPOS
- **SEC ACT:** 1940 Act
- **SEC FILE NUMBER:** 811-23289
- **FILM NUMBER:** 261045774

**BUSINESS ADDRESS:**
- **STREET 1:** ANGEL OAK CAPITAL ADVISORS, LLC
- **STREET 2:** 980 HAMMOND DRIVE, SUITE 200
- **CITY:** ATLANTA
- **STATE:** GA
- **ZIP:** 30328
- **BUSINESS PHONE:** 404-953-4900

**MAIL ADDRESS:**
- **STREET 1:** ANGEL OAK CAPITAL ADVISORS, LLC
- **STREET 2:** 980 HAMMOND DRIVE, SUITE 200
- **CITY:** ATLANTA
- **STATE:** GA
- **ZIP:** 30328
**FILER**: 

**COMPANY DATA:**
- **COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:** Angel Oak Strategic Credit Fund
- **CENTRAL INDEX KEY:** 0001716885

**ORGANIZATION NAME:**
- **EIN:** 000000000
- **STATE OF INCORPORATION:** DE
- **FISCAL YEAR END:** 0131

**FILING VALUES:**
- **FORM TYPE:** 486BPOS
- **SEC ACT:** 1933 Act
- **SEC FILE NUMBER:** 333-220480
- **FILM NUMBER:** 261045773

**BUSINESS ADDRESS:**
- **STREET 1:** ANGEL OAK CAPITAL ADVISORS, LLC
- **STREET 2:** 980 HAMMOND DRIVE, SUITE 200
- **CITY:** ATLANTA
- **STATE:** GA
- **ZIP:** 30328
- **BUSINESS PHONE:** 404-953-4900

**MAIL ADDRESS:**
- **STREET 1:** ANGEL OAK CAPITAL ADVISORS, LLC
- **STREET 2:** 980 HAMMOND DRIVE, SUITE 200
- **CITY:** ATLANTA
- **STATE:** GA
- **ZIP:** 30328

?xml version='1.0' encoding='ASCII'? ck0001716885-20260529

**As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 29, 2026** 

**Registration File No. 333-220480**

**Registration File No. 811-23289**

**U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549** 

**FORM N-2** 

**[x] REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933**

**[x] Post-Effective Amendment No. 26**

**[x] REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940**

**[x]&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amendment No. 28**

**ANGEL OAK STRATEGIC CREDIT FUND** (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

**980 Hammond Drive**

**Suite 200**

**Atlanta, Georgia 30328**

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

Registrant's Telephone Number, including Area Code: **(404) 953-4900**

**Ward Bortz, President**

**c/o Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC**

**980 Hammond Drive**

**Suite 200**

**Atlanta, Georgia 30328**

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

**Copies of information to:** 

**Douglas P. Dick**

**Stephen T. Cohen**

**Dechert LLP**

**1900 K Street NW**

**Washington, DC 20006**

**Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering: From time to time after the effective date of this Registration Statement.** 

**[ ]** **Check box if the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans.**

**[x]** **Check 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 box if this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction A.2 or a post-effective amendment thereto.**

**[ ]** **Check 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 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.**

------

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**

**[x]** **on May 31, 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: <u>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</u>.**

**[ ]** **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: <u>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</u>.**

**[ ]** **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: <u>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</u>.**

Check each box that appropriately characterizes the Registrant:

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

**[x]** **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 Exchange Act of 1934 ("Exchange Act").**

**[ ]** **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 Securities Act.**

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

**PROSPECTUS**

**May 31, 2026**

**ANGEL OAK STRATEGIC CREDIT FUND**

**CLASS A SHARES (ASCAX), INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (ASCIX),** 

**CLASS U SHARES (ASCUX), CLASS FI SHARES (ASCNX)**

**OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST**

The Angel Oak Strategic Credit Fund (the "Fund") is a Delaware statutory trust that is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), as a diversified, closed-end management investment company.

*Investment Objective*. The Fund seeks total return.

*Interval Fund.* The Fund operates as an "interval fund" (defined below) pursuant to which it, subject to applicable law, will conduct quarterly repurchase offers for between 5% and 25% of the Fund's outstanding common shares of beneficial interest ("Shares") at net asset value ("NAV"). The Fund will not be required to repurchase Shares at a shareholder's option nor will Shares be exchangeable for units, interests or shares of any investment of the Fund. In connection with each repurchase offer, it is possible that the Fund may offer to repurchase only the minimum amount of 5% of its outstanding Shares. It is also 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. The Fund does not currently intend to list its Shares for trading on any national securities exchange. The Shares are, therefore, not readily marketable. Even though the Fund will make quarterly repurchase offers to repurchase a portion of the Shares to try to provide liquidity to shareholders, investors should consider the Shares to be illiquid.

*Principal Investment Strategies*. In pursuing its investment objective, the Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in credit-related instruments. These credit-related instruments may consist of a broad range of instruments across liquid and illiquid asset classes, including: corporate debt, with a focus on subordinated debt and senior debt of banks and diversified financials companies; agency and non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities ("RMBS"); commercial mortgage-backed securities ("CMBS"); collateralized loan obligations ("CLOs"); collateralized debt obligations ("CDOs"); collateralized mortgage obligations ("CMOs"); asset-backed securities ("ABS"); residential loans and mortgages; and municipal securities. For purposes of the Fund's 80% investment policy, the Fund may also invest in derivative instruments that are linked to, or provide investment exposure to, credit instruments. The Fund's investments in RMBS and ABS will span a broad segment of consumer creditworthiness segments, which will include exposure to prime, near-prime, and subprime consumers. The Fund may invest without limit in below investment grade fixed income instruments, which are commonly referred to as "junk" or "high-yield" instruments and are regarded as speculative with respect to the issuer's ability to pay interest and repay principal. The fixed income instruments in which the Fund invests may include those of issuers from the United States and other countries. The Fund may also invest in preferred securities. The Fund will concentrate its investments (*i.e.*, invest 25% or more of its total assets) in agency and non-agency RMBS and CMBS (measured at the time of purchase).

*Unlisted Closed-End Fund.* An investment in the Fund is subject to, among others, the following risks:

**• There is not expected to be any secondary trading market in the Shares.**

**• Unlike an investor in most closed-end funds, Shareholders should not expect to be able to sell their Shares regardless of how the Fund performs. An investment in the Fund is considered illiquid.**

**• An investor may pay a sales charge of up to 2.25% for Class A shares.**

**• Unlike most closed-end funds, the Shares are not listed on any securities exchange. The Fund intends to provide liquidity through quarterly offers to repurchase a limited amount of the Fund's Shares (at least 5%).**

**• There is no assurance that monthly distributions paid by the Fund will be maintained at a certain level or that dividends will be paid at all.** 

**• The Fund's distributions may be funded from unlimited amounts of offering proceeds or borrowings, which may constitute a return of capital and reduce the amount of capital available to the Fund for investment. Any capital returned to Shareholders through distributions will be distributed after payment of fees and expenses.**

**• A return of capital to Shareholders is a return of a portion of their original investment in the Fund, thereby reducing the tax basis of their investment. 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.**

**Investing in Shares involves a high degree of risk. See "Types of Investments and Related Risks" beginning on page <u>[19](#i41f086bc928f48fc8749234453ee746b_204)</u> this Prospectus.**

------

---

| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| | **Per Class A Share** <sup>1</sup> | **Per Institutional Class Share** <sup>1</sup> | **Per Class U Share** <sup>1, 2</sup> | **Per Class FI Share** <sup>1</sup> | **Total** <sup>1</sup> |
| Public Offering Price | Current NAV, <br>plus sales charge | Current NAV | Current NAV | Current NAV | Up to $250,000,000 |
| Sales Charge (Load) <sup>1</sup> | Up to 2.25% |  |  |  | N/A |
| Proceeds to the Fund (before Expenses) <sup>3</sup> | $Amount invested at current NAV | $Amount invested at current NAV | $Amount invested at current NAV | $Amount invested at current NAV | Up to $250,000,000 |

---

<sup>1</sup>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The minimum initial investment for Class A shares of the Fund is $1,000, and the minimum subsequent investment for Class A shares of the Fund is $100. The minimum initial investment for Institutional Class shares of the Fund is $50,000. The minimum initial investment for Class U shares of the Fund is $25,000. The minimum initial investment for Class FI shares of the Fund is $25,000,000. These minimums may be waived for certain investors. Class A shares are subject to a sales charge of up to 2.25%. Institutional Class shares, Class U shares, and Class FI shares of the Fund are not subject to sales charges. The table assumes the maximum sales charge is imposed.

<sup>2</sup>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Class U shares of the Fund are only available to clients of financial intermediaries with whom the Fund has a selling agreement to distribute Class U shares.

<sup>3</sup>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Assumes all Shares currently registered are sold in the continuous offering. The Adviser will also bear certain ongoing offering costs associated with the Fund's continuous offering of Shares. See "Fund Expenses."

*Investment Adviser.* The investment adviser to the Fund is Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC (the "Adviser" or "Angel Oak"), an investment adviser registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the "Advisers Act"). The Adviser oversees the management of the Fund's activities and is responsible for making investment decisions for the Fund's portfolio.

*Securities Offered.* The Fund is offering on a continuous basis up to 10,000,000 Shares. For Class A shares, the maximum sales charge is 2.25% of the amount invested. Institutional Class shares, Class U shares, and Class FI shares are not subject to sales charges. The minimum initial investment for Class A shares of the Fund is $1,000, and the minimum subsequent investment for Class A shares of the Fund is $100. The minimum initial investment for Institutional Class Shares is $50,000, while subsequent investments may be made in any amount. The minimum initial investment for Class U shares of the Fund is $25,000, while subsequent investments may be made in any amount. The minimum initial investment for Class FI Shares is $25,000,000, while subsequent investments may be made in any amount. The Fund reserves the right to waive the investment minimum. Shares are being offered through Quasar Distributors, LLC (the "Distributor") at an offering price equal to the Fund's then current NAV per Share plus any applicable sales charge.

This Prospectus concisely provides the information that a prospective investor should know about the Fund before investing. Investors are advised to read this Prospectus carefully and to retain it for future reference. Additional information about the Fund, including a statement of additional information, dated May 31, 2026 (the "Statement of Additional Information"), has been filed with the SEC and is incorporated by reference in its entirety into this Prospectus. The Statement of Additional Information and the Fund's annual and semi-annual reports and other information filed with the SEC, can be obtained upon request and without charge by writing to the Fund at c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services at PO Box 219252, Kansas City, MO 64121-9252, by calling (855) 751-4324 or by visiting the Fund's website at *www.angeloakcapital.com*. Investors may request the Statement of Additional Information, annual and semi-annual reports, and other information about the Fund or make Shareholder inquiries by calling (855) 751-4324 or by visiting *www.angeloakcapital.com*. In addition, the contact information provided above may be used to request additional information about the Fund and to make Shareholder inquiries. The Statement of Additional Information, other material incorporated by reference into this Prospectus and other information about the Fund is also available on the SEC's website at *http://www.sec.gov*. The address of the SEC's website is provided solely for the information of prospective investors and is not intended to be an active link.

**Shares are not deposits or obligations of, and are not guaranteed or endorsed by, any bank or other insured depository institution, and Shares are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or any other government agency.**

**Neither the SEC nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this Prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.**

------

**TABLE OF CONTENTS**

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
| | **<u>Page</u>** |
| SUMMARY OF TERMS | [1](#i41f086bc928f48fc8749234453ee746b_10) |
| SUMMARY OF FEES AND EXPENSES | [10](#i41f086bc928f48fc8749234453ee746b_123) |
| FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS | [11](#i41f086bc928f48fc8749234453ee746b_136) |
| THE FUND | [15](#i41f086bc928f48fc8749234453ee746b_151) |
| THE ADVISER | [15](#i41f086bc928f48fc8749234453ee746b_165) |
| USE OF PROCEEDS | [15](#i41f086bc928f48fc8749234453ee746b_178) |
| INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND STRATEGIES | [15](#i41f086bc928f48fc8749234453ee746b_191) |
| TYPES OF INVESTMENTS AND RELATED RISKS | [19](#i41f086bc928f48fc8749234453ee746b_204) |
| MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND | [36](#i41f086bc928f48fc8749234453ee746b_243) |
| FUND EXPENSES | [38](#i41f086bc928f48fc8749234453ee746b_256) |
| MANAGEMENT FEE | [38](#i41f086bc928f48fc8749234453ee746b_276) |
| DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE | [39](#i41f086bc928f48fc8749234453ee746b_291) |
| CONFLICTS OF INTEREST | [39](#i41f086bc928f48fc8749234453ee746b_304) |
| SHARE REPURCHASE PROGRAM | [40](#i41f086bc928f48fc8749234453ee746b_317) |
| DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STRUCTURE | [42](#i41f086bc928f48fc8749234453ee746b_330) |
| TAX ASPECTS | [44](#i41f086bc928f48fc8749234453ee746b_343) |
| CHOOSING A SHARE CLASS | [51](#i41f086bc928f48fc8749234453ee746b_356) |
| PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION | [52](#i41f086bc928f48fc8749234453ee746b_369) |
| SALES CHARGES – CLASS A SHARES | [52](#i41f086bc928f48fc8749234453ee746b_382) |
| HOW TO BUY SHARES | [57](#i41f086bc928f48fc8749234453ee746b_394) |
| DISTRIBUTIONS | [60](#i41f086bc928f48fc8749234453ee746b_406) |
| FISCAL YEAR; REPORTS | [61](#i41f086bc928f48fc8749234453ee746b_421) |
| INQUIRIES | [62](#i41f086bc928f48fc8749234453ee746b_435) |
| APPENDIX A—WAIVERS AND DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE FROM INTERMEDIARIES | A-[1](#i41f086bc928f48fc8749234453ee746b_13) |

---

------

**SUMMARY OF TERMS**

This is only a summary and does not contain all of the information that a prospective investor should consider before investing in the Fund. Before investing, a prospective investor in the Fund should carefully read the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this Prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information.

**THE FUND**

The Fund is a Delaware statutory trust that is registered under the 1940 Act as a diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund is operated as an "interval fund" (as defined below).

**THE ADVISER**

Angel Oak serves as the Fund's investment adviser. Angel Oak is registered as an investment adviser with the SEC under the Advisers Act.

**INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE**

The Fund seeks total return. The Fund's investment objective is not fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval. The Fund will provide 60 days' advance notice of any change in its investment objective.

**INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND STRATEGIES**

In pursuing its investment objective, the Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in credit-related instruments. These credit-related instruments may consist of a broad range of instruments across liquid and illiquid asset classes, including: corporate debt, with a focus on subordinated debt and senior debt of banks and diversified financials companies; agency and non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities ("RMBS"); commercial mortgage-backed securities ("CMBS"); collateralized loan obligations ("CLOs"); collateralized debt obligations ("CDOs"); collateralized mortgage obligations ("CMOs"); asset-backed securities ("ABS"); residential loans and mortgages; and municipal securities. For purposes of the Fund's 80% investment policy, the Fund may also invest in derivative instruments that are linked to, or provide investment exposure to, credit instruments. Such derivative instruments will be valued on a mark-to-market basis. The Fund's 80% investment policy is not fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval. The Fund will provide shareholders with 60 days' notice of any change in its 80% investment policy.

The Fund will concentrate its investments in agency and non-agency RMBS and CMBS. This means that, under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest more than 25% of its total assets in RMBS and CMBS (measured at the time of purchase). The Fund's policy to concentrate its investments in RMBS and CMBS is fundamental and may not be changed without shareholder approval.

The Fund may also invest in preferred securities.

The Fund may invest in other investment companies, including closed-end investment companies and open-end investment companies, which may operate as traditional mutual funds, exchange-traded funds ("ETFs") or business development companies ("BDCs"). The other investment companies in which the Fund invests may be part of the same group of investment companies as the Fund.

The Fund's investments in RMBS and ABS will span a broad segment of consumer creditworthiness segments, which will include exposure to prime, near-prime, and subprime consumers.

The Fund may invest in high-yield securities and securities that are not rated by any rating agencies. These "high-yield" securities (also known as "junk bonds") will generally be rated BB+ or lower by S&P Global Ratings ("S&P") or will be of equivalent quality rating from another Nationally Recognized Statistical Ratings Organization. If a bond is unrated, the Adviser may determine whether it is of comparable quality and therefore eligible for the Fund's investment. Although the Fund will not acquire investments of issuers that are in default at the time of investment, the Fund may hold such securities if an investment subsequently defaults.

The fixed income instruments in which the Fund invests may include those of issuers from the United States and other countries. The Fund's investments in foreign debt securities will typically be denominated in U.S. dollars.

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities of any maturity or duration. Maturity refers to the length of time until a bond's principal is repaid with interest. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates. Duration incorporates a security's yield, coupon, final maturity, call and put features, and prepayment exposure into one measure, with a higher duration indicating greater sensitivity to interest rates. For example, if a portfolio has a duration of two years, and interest rates increase (fall) by 1%, the portfolio would decline (increase) in value by approximately 2%. However, duration may not accurately reflect the true interest rate sensitivity of instruments held by the Fund and, therefore the Fund's exposure to changes in interest rates.

In pursuing its investment objectives or for hedging purposes, the Fund may utilize short selling, borrowing and various types of derivative instruments, including swaps, futures contracts, and options, although not all such derivatives will be used at all times. Such derivatives may trade over-the-counter or on an exchange and may principally be used for one or more of the

------

following purposes: speculation, currency hedging, duration management, credit deterioration hedging, hedges against broad market movements, or to pursue the Fund's investment objective. The Fund may borrow to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, which generally means that the Fund may borrow up to one-third of its total assets. The Fund may also invest in repurchase agreements and reverse repurchase agreements.

The Fund's allocation of its assets into various asset classes within its investment strategy will depend on the views of the Adviser as to the best value relative to what is currently presented in the marketplace. Investment decisions are made based on fundamental research and analysis to identify issuers with the ability to improve their credit profile over time with attractive valuations, resulting in both income and potential capital appreciation. In selecting investments, the Adviser may consider maturity, yield and ratings information and opportunities for price appreciation among other criteria. The Adviser also analyzes a variety of factors when selecting investments for the Fund, such as collateral quality, credit support, structure and market conditions. The Adviser attempts to diversify risks that arise from position sizes, geography, ratings, duration, deal structure and collateral values. The Adviser will also seek to invest in securities that have relatively low volatility. The Adviser seeks to limit risk of principal by targeting assets that it considers undervalued. From time to time, the Fund may allocate its assets so as to focus on particular types of securities. As part of its investment process, the Adviser also considers certain environmental, social and governance ("ESG") and sustainability factors that it believes could have a material impact on certain securities in which the Fund may invest. These determinations may not be conclusive, and securities that may be negatively impacted by such factors may be purchased and retained by the Fund while the Fund may divest or not invest in securities that may be positively impacted by such factors.

**PORTFOLIO COMPOSITION**

The Fund's portfolio will consist primarily of:

**• *Subordinated Debt, Senior Debt and Preferred Securities of Banks and Diversified Financials Companies****.* Subordinated debt securities, sometimes also called "junior debt" or "sub-debt," are debt securities for which the issuer's obligations to make principal and interest payment are secondary to the issuer's payment obligations to more senior debt securities. Such investments will consist primarily of debt issued by community banks or savings institutions (or their holding companies), which are subordinated to senior debt issued by the banks and deposits held by the bank, but are senior to trust preferred obligations, preferred stock, and common stock issued by the bank. The Fund may also invest in similar securities of other U.S. and non-U.S. financial services companies of any size. These companies may include, but are not limited to, banks, thrifts, finance companies, business development companies ("BDCs") that invest primarily in loans, commercial mortgage and residential mortgage real estate investment trusts ("REITs"), brokerage and advisory firms, insurance companies and financial holding companies. Many subordinated debt securities may be unrated and some may be considered high-yield securities or "junk bonds." See "High Yield Securities." Preferred securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return and are subject to many of the risks associated with debt securities, as well as issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. A company's preferred securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt.

Subordinated debt securities and Structured Products (defined below) collateralized by such securities typically have floating or variable interest rates, or may have a fixed coupon for a period of years and then convert to a floating rate, and are subject to the risks associated with securities tied to floating rates. See "Risks—Floating Rate Risk."

**• *Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities***. RMBS are fixed income instruments that may be secured by interests in a single residential mortgage loan or a pool of mortgage loans secured by residential property. The Fund may purchase, without limitation, RMBS that may be senior, subordinate, interest-only, principal-only, investment-grade, non-investment grade, unrated or in default. The Fund acquires RMBS from private originators as well as from other mortgage loan investors, including savings and loan associations, mortgage bankers, commercial banks, finance companies and investment banks. The credit quality of any RMBS issue depends primarily on the credit quality of the underlying mortgage loans. The investment characteristics of RMBS differ from traditional debt securities. Among the major differences are that interest and principal payments are made more frequently, usually monthly, and that principal may be prepaid at any time because the underlying residential mortgage loans or other assets generally may be prepaid at any time.

**• *Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities***. CMBS are fixed income instruments that are secured by mortgage loans on commercial real property. CMBS typically take the form of multi-class debt or pass-through certificates secured by mortgage loans on commercial properties. They generally are structured to provide protection to investors in senior tranches against potential losses on the underlying mortgage loans. Such protection generally is provided by causing holders of subordinated classes of securities ("Subordinated CMBS") to take the first loss in the event of 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 CMBS of any credit quality, including, without limitation, Subordinated CMBS, CMBS that are rated below investment grade or are unrated and CMBS that are in default.

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**• *High Yield Securities***. The Fund may invest in below investment grade bonds of corporate issuers. These "high-yield" securities (also known as "junk bonds") will be rated BB+ or lower by S&P or will be of equivalent quality rating from another Nationally Recognized Statistical Ratings Organization, or if unrated, considered by the Adviser to be of comparable quality. There is no minimum credit quality for securities in which the Fund may invest. The Fund will not acquire defaulted bonds of corporate issuers but may hold such securities in the event that a corporate issuer defaults.

**• *Structured Products***. The Fund may invest in CLOs, CDOs, CMOs, and other asset-backed securities and debt securitizations ("Structured Products"). The risks of an investment in a Structured Product depend largely on the type of the collateral securities and the class of the Structured Product in which the Fund invests. Some Structured Products have credit ratings, but are typically issued in various classes with various priorities. Normally, Structured Products are privately offered and sold (that is, they are not registered under the securities laws) and may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities; however, an active dealer market may exist for Structured Products that qualify for Rule 144A transactions. In addition to the normal interest rate, default and other risks of fixed income securities, Structured Products carry additional risks, including the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments, the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default, the Fund will, at times, invest in Structured Products that are subordinate to other classes, values may be volatile, and disputes with the issuer may produce unexpected investment results. The most subordinate tranche of a Structured Product has the highest risk of default and losses to the Fund.

**• *Derivatives.*** Derivatives, which are instruments that have a value based on another instrument, exchange rate or index, may be used as substitutes for securities in which the Fund can invest. The Fund uses derivatives to gain or adjust exposure to markets, sectors, securities and currencies and to manage exposure to risks relating to creditworthiness, interest rate spreads, volatility and changes in yield curves. In certain market environments, the Fund may use interest rate swaps and futures contracts to help protect its portfolio from interest rate risk. The Fund may also utilize foreign currency transactions, including currency options and forward currency contracts, to hedge non-U.S. Dollar investments or to establish or adjust exposure to particular foreign securities, markets or currencies.

**• *International Securities.*** The Fund may invest in the debt securities of non-U.S. issuers, including direct investments in companies whose securities are principally traded outside the United States on foreign exchanges or foreign over-the-counter markets. The Fund is not limited in the amount of assets it may invest in such international securities.

**• *Residential Loans and Mortgages.*** The Fund may acquire residential loans and mortgages (including through participations, assignments and whole loans) from third-party mortgage originators. The Fund may purchase residential loans and mortgages from a variety of geographical locations, such loans and mortgages may be of any credit quality, including, without limitation, instruments that are rated below investment grade or are unrated and instruments that are in default.

**• *Municipal Securities.*** Municipal securities are types of debt obligations, which may have a variety of issuers, including governmental entities or other qualifying issuers. Issuers may be states, territories and possessions of the United States and the District of Columbia and their political subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities. Municipal securities include, among other instruments, general obligation bonds, revenue bonds, municipal leases, certificates of participation, private activity bonds, and moral obligation bonds, as well as short-term, tax-exempt obligations such as municipal notes and variable rate demand obligations. The Fund may purchase municipal securities of any credit quality, including, without limitation, municipal securities that are rated below investment grade or are unrated and municipal securities that are in default.

**LEVERAGE**

The Fund may use leverage to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. The Fund is permitted to obtain leverage using any form or combination of financial leverage instruments, including through funds borrowed from banks or other financial institutions (*i.e.*, a credit facility), margin facilities, the issuance of preferred shares or notes and leverage generated by certain transactions in an aggregate amount up to 33 1/3% of the Fund's total assets, including any assets purchased with borrowed money, immediately after giving effect to the leverage. Since the Management Fee (as defined below) is calculated based on the Fund's average daily net assets, any leverage employed by the Fund will be offset by a corresponding liability in the calculation of the Management Fee. Accordingly, to the extent the Fund employs leverage, the Adviser will not be paid on Fund assets attributable to leverage. The Fund may use leverage opportunistically and may use different types, combinations or amounts of leverage over time, based on the Adviser's views concerning market conditions and investment opportunities. The Fund's strategies relating to its use of leverage may not be successful, and the Fund's use of leverage will cause the Fund's NAV to be more volatile than it would otherwise be. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will leverage its assets or, to the extent the Fund does utilize leverage, what percentage of its assets such leverage will represent. See "Investment Objective and Strategies—Leverage."

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**MANAGEMENT FEE**

Pursuant to the investment advisory agreement, dated as of October 1, 2025 (the "Investment Advisory Agreement"), by and between the Fund and the Adviser, and in consideration of the advisory services provided by the Adviser to the Fund, the Adviser is entitled to a management fee (the "Management Fee") equal to 1.25% of the Fund's average daily net assets. A discussion of the factors that the Board of Trustees ("Board") considered in approving the Fund's advisory agreement is available in the Fund's <u>[semi-annual report](https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/0001716885/000119312525231382/d905856dncsrs.htm)</u> for the fiscal period ended July 31, 2025**.**

**ADMINISTRATOR, TRANSFER AGENT, FUND ACCOUNTANT**

U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, doing business as U.S. Bank Global Fund Services ("Fund Services"), 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, acts as administrator, fund accountant and transfer agent to the Fund.

Pursuant to the Fund's agreements with Fund Services, Fund Services receives fees from the Fund for services performed as administrator, transfer agent and fund accountant. Fund Services receives a fee based on the average daily net assets of the Fund, subject to an annual minimum amount.

**INVESTING THROUGH AN INTERMEDIARY**

If you invest in the Fund through an investment adviser, bank, broker-dealer, 401(k) plan, trust company or other financial intermediary, the policies and fees for transacting business may be different than those described in this Prospectus. Some financial intermediaries may charge transaction fees and may set different minimum investments or limitations on buying or selling shares. Some financial intermediaries do not charge a direct transaction fee, but instead charge a fee for services such as sub-transfer agency, accounting and/or shareholder services that the financial intermediary provides on the Fund's behalf. This fee may be based on the number of accounts or may be a percentage of the average value of the Fund's shareholder accounts for which the financial intermediary provides services. The Fund may pay a portion of this fee, which is intended to compensate the financial intermediary for providing the same services that would otherwise be provided by the Fund's transfer agent (the "Transfer Agent") or other service providers if the Shares were purchased directly from the Fund. To the extent that these fees are not paid by the Fund, the Adviser may pay a fee to financial intermediaries for such services.

**DISTRIBUTIONS**

The Fund intends to distribute to its shareholders as dividends all or substantially all of its net investment income and any realized net capital gains. Distributions from the Fund's net investment income are accrued daily and typically paid monthly. See "Distributions."

The Board reserves the right to change the distribution policy from time to time.

**DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT PLAN**

Unless a shareholder indicates another option on the account application, any dividends and capital gain distributions paid to the shareholder by the Fund automatically will be invested in additional Shares (net of applicable withholding tax). Alternatively, a shareholder may choose one of the following options: (1) receive dividends in cash and reinvest capital gain distributions in additional Shares; (2) reinvest dividends in additional Shares and receive capital gains in cash; or (3) receive all distributions in cash. Dividends are taxable whether reinvested in additional Shares or received in cash.

**BOARD OF TRUSTEES**

The Board has overall responsibility for monitoring and overseeing the Fund's management and operations. A majority of the Trustees are Independent Trustees. See "Management of the Fund."

**PURCHASES OF SHARES**

The Fund's Shares are offered on a daily basis. Please see "Plan of Distribution" on page 51 for purchase instructions and additional information.

The minimum initial investment for Class A shares of the Fund is $1,000, and the minimum subsequent investment for Class A shares of the Fund is $100. The minimum initial investment for Institutional Class shares of the Fund is $50,000; subsequent investments may be made in any amount. The minimum initial investment for Class U shares of the Fund is $25,000; subsequent investments may be made in any amount. The minimum initial investment for Class FI shares of the Fund is $25,000,000; subsequent investments may be made in any amount. The Fund reserves the right to waive the investment minimum. See "Distributions—Dividend Reinvestment Plan."

**EXCHANGE OF SHARES**

Subject to certain restrictions, you may convert your Shares in the Fund for shares of another class of the Fund or exchange your Shares for shares of another Angel Oak fund if you meet the minimum investment requirements for the class into which you would like to convert or exchange. See "How to Buy Shares—Exchange Privilege" on page 56 for additional information.

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**SHARE REPURCHASE PROGRAM**

The Shares have no history of public trading, nor is it intended that the Shares will be listed on a public exchange at this time. No secondary market is expected to develop for the Fund's Shares.

The Fund is an "interval fund," which is designed to provide some liquidity to Shareholders by making quarterly offers to repurchase between 5% and 25% of its outstanding Shares at NAV, pursuant to Rule 23c-3 under the 1940 Act, unless such offer is suspended or postponed in accordance with relevant regulatory requirements (as discussed below). If Shareholders tender for repurchase more than the amount of Shares that the Fund has offered to repurchase (the "Repurchase Offer Amount") for a given repurchase offer, the Fund may, but is not required to, repurchase an additional amount of Shares not to exceed 2.00% of the outstanding Shares. 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 2.00% of the outstanding Shares, the Fund will repurchase Shares on a pro rata basis. However, the Fund may accept all Shares tendered for repurchase by Shareholders who own less than one hundred Shares and who tender all of their Shares, before prorating other amounts tendered. In connection with any given repurchase offer, it is possible that the Fund may offer to repurchase only the minimum allowable amount of 5% of its outstanding Shares. Quarterly repurchases will occur in the months of March, June, September and December. The Fund's offer to purchase Shares is a fundamental policy that may not be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the Fund's outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act). Written notifications of each quarterly repurchase offer (the "Repurchase Offer Notice") will be sent to Shareholders at least 21 calendar days before the repurchase request deadline (*i.e.*, the date by which Shareholders can tender their Shares in response to a repurchase offer) (the "Repurchase Request Deadline"), which is ordinarily on the third Friday of the month in which the repurchase occurs. The NAV will be calculated no later than the 14th calendar day (or the next business day if the 14th calendar day is not a business day) after the Repurchase Request Deadline (the "Repurchase Pricing Date"), although the NAV is expected to be determined as of the close of business on the Repurchase Request Deadline if doing so is not likely to result in significant dilution of the prices of the shares. The Fund will distribute payment to Shareholders no later than seven calendar days after such Date. 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. 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 "Types of Investments and Related Risks—Repurchase Offers Risks."

**PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION**

Quasar Distributors, LLC, (the "Distributor" or "Quasar"), 190 Middle Street, Suite 301, Portland, Maine 04101, serves as the Fund's principal underwriter and acts as the Distributor of the Fund's Shares on a best efforts basis, subject to various conditions. The Fund's Shares are offered for sale through the Distributor at NAV plus any applicable sales charge. The Distributor also may enter into broker-dealer selling agreements with other broker dealers for the sale and distribution of the Fund's Shares.

The Distributor is not required to sell any specific number or dollar amount of the Fund's Shares, but will use its best efforts to solicit orders for the sale of the Shares. Shares of the Fund will not be listed on any national securities exchange and the Distributor will not act as a market maker in Fund Shares.

**ERISA PLANS AND OTHER TAX-EXEMPT ENTITIES**

Investors subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended ("ERISA"), and other tax-exempt entities, including employee benefit plans, individual retirement accounts ("IRAs"), 401(k) plans and Keogh plans, may purchase Shares. Because the Fund is registered as an investment company under the 1940 Act, the underlying assets of the Fund will not be considered to be "plan assets" of the ERISA plans investing in the Fund for purposes of ERISA's fiduciary responsibility and prohibited transaction rules. Thus, neither the Fund nor the Adviser will be a fiduciary within the meaning of ERISA with respect to the assets of any ERISA plan that becomes a Shareholder, solely as a result of the ERISA plan's investment in the Fund. See "ERISA Considerations."

**UNLISTED CLOSED-END INTERVAL FUND STRUCTURE**

The Fund has been organized as a continuously offered, diversified closed-end management investment company. Closed-end funds differ from open-end funds (commonly known as mutual funds) in that closed-end fund shareholders do not have the right to redeem their shares on a daily basis. Unlike many closed-end funds, which typically list their shares on a securities exchange, the Fund does not currently intend to list the Shares for trading on any securities exchange, and the Fund does not anticipate any secondary market to develop for the Shares in the foreseeable future. Accordingly, an investment in the Fund, unlike an investment in a typical closed-end fund, should not be considered to be a liquid investment. In order to provide some liquidity to shareholders, the Fund is structured as an "interval fund" and will conduct quarterly repurchase offers for a limited amount of the Fund's Shares (at least 5%).

The Fund believes that an unlisted closed-end structure is most appropriate in light of the long-term nature of the Fund's strategy and the characteristics of its portfolio. This is because, among other things, certain features of open-end funds (such as daily redemptions, which can necessitate the premature sale of investments) could diminish the Fund's ability to execute

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its investment strategy. Accordingly, an unlisted closed-end structure may help the Fund achieve its investment objective. The Fund's NAV per Share may be volatile. As the Shares are not traded, investors will not be able to dispose of their investment in the Fund no matter how poorly the Fund performs.

**VALUATIONS**

The price you pay for your Shares is based on the Fund's NAV plus any applicable sales charge. The Fund's NAV is calculated at the close of trading (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time) on each day the NYSE is open for business (the NYSE is closed on weekends, most federal holidays and Good Friday). The Fund's NAV is calculated by dividing the value of the Fund's total assets (including interest and dividends accrued but not yet received) minus liabilities (including accrued expenses) by the total number of Shares outstanding. Requests to purchase Shares are processed at the NAV next calculated after the Fund receives your order in proper form plus any applicable sales charge. If the NYSE is closed due to inclement weather, technology problems or any other reason on a day it would normally be open for business, or the NYSE has an unscheduled early closing on a day it has opened for business, the Fund reserves the right to treat such day as a business day and accept purchase orders until, and calculate the Fund's NAV as of, the normally scheduled close of regular trading on the NYSE for that day.

In the event the Fund holds portfolio securities that trade in foreign markets or that are primarily listed on foreign exchanges that trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares, the NAV of the Fund's shares may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase the Fund's shares.

In calculating the Fund's NAV, portfolio investments for which market quotations are readily available are valued at market value, which is ordinarily determined based on official closing prices or the last reported sale prices of an instrument. Where no such closing price or sale price is reported, market value is determined based on quotes obtained from market makers or prices supplied by one or more third-party pricing source ("Pricing Services"), which may include evaluated prices. The types of investments in which the Fund typically invests are generally valued on the basis of evaluated prices provided by Pricing Services. Such prices may be based on a number of factors, including, among other things, information obtained from market makers and estimates based on recent market prices for investments with similar characteristics. If market or evaluated prices are not readily available (including when they are not reliable), or if an event occurs after the close of the trading market but before the calculation of the applicable NAV that materially affects the values, assets may be valued at a fair value, pursuant to guidelines established by the Adviser as the Fund's valuation designee, which are approved by the Board. For example, the Fund may be obligated to fair value a foreign security because many foreign markets operate at times that do not coincide with those of the major U.S. markets. Events that could affect the values of foreign portfolio holdings may occur between the close of the foreign market and the time of determining the NAV, and would not otherwise be reflected in the NAV. When pricing securities using the fair value guidelines, the Adviser (with the assistance of Fund's Pricing Services and other service providers) seeks to assign the value that represents the amount that the Fund might reasonably expect to receive upon a current sale of the securities. The Fund's fair value guidelines include the consideration of pricing information from one or more Pricing Services, which information is monitored by the Adviser daily. The Board oversees the Adviser's implementation of the fair value guidelines.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, given the subjectivity inherent in fair valuation and the fact that events could occur after NAV calculation, the actual market prices for a security may differ from the fair value of that security as determined by the Adviser at the time of NAV calculation. Thus, discrepancies between fair values and actual market prices may occur on a regular and recurring basis. These discrepancies do not necessarily indicate that the Fund's fair value methodology is inappropriate. The Adviser will adjust the fair values assigned to securities in the Fund's portfolio, to the extent necessary, as soon as market prices become available. The Adviser (and the Fund's service providers) continually monitor and evaluate the appropriateness of their fair value methodologies through systematic comparisons of fair values to the actual next available market prices of securities contained in the Fund's portfolio. To the extent the Fund invests in mutual funds, the Fund's NAV is calculated based, in part, upon the NAVs of such mutual funds; the prospectuses for those mutual funds in which the Fund will invest describe the circumstances under which those mutual funds will use fair value pricing, which, in turn, affects their NAVs.

Because the Fund relies on various sources to calculate its NAVs, the Fund is subject to certain operational risks associated with reliance on the Pricing Services and other service providers and data sources. The Fund's NAV calculation may be impacted by operational risks arising from factors such as failures in systems and technology. Such failures may result in delays in the calculation of the Fund's NAV and/or the inability to calculate NAV over extended time periods. The Fund may be unable to recover any losses associated with such failures.

**SUMMARY OF TAXATION**

The Fund has elected to be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and intends to qualify annually, as a regulated investment company ("RIC") under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"). As a RIC, the Fund generally will not be subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes on any net ordinary income or capital gains that is currently distributed as dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to Shareholders, as applicable. To qualify and maintain its qualification as a RIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the Fund is required to meet certain specified

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source-of-income and asset diversification requirements, and is required to distribute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes of an amount at least equal to 90% of the sum of its net ordinary income and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term capital losses each tax year to Shareholders, as applicable. See "Distributions" and "Tax Aspects."

**FISCAL YEAR**

For accounting purposes, the Fund's fiscal year is the 12-month period ending on January 31.

**REPORTS TO SHAREHOLDERS**

As soon as practicable after the end of each calendar year, a statement on Form 1099-DIV identifying the sources of the distributions paid by the Fund to Shareholders for tax purposes will be furnished to Shareholders subject to Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") reporting. In addition, the Fund will prepare and transmit to Shareholders an unaudited semi-annual and an audited annual report within 60 days after the close of the period for which the report is being made, or as otherwise required by the 1940 Act.

**RISK FACTORS**

The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. There may be circumstances that could prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective and you may lose money by investing in the Fund. You should carefully consider the Fund's investment risks before deciding whether to invest in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit at a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

For a more complete discussion of the risks of investing in the Fund, see "Types of Investments and Related Risks." Shareholders should consider carefully the following principal risks before investing in the Fund.

**• *General Market Risk.*** Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. Securities in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in general financial markets, a particular financial market or other asset classes due to a number of factors, including inflation (or expectations for inflation), deflation (or expectations for deflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, market instability, debt crises and downgrades, embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers, regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the value of the Fund's investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics or pandemics.

**• *Credit Risk.*** The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations;

**• *Interest Rate Risk.*** The Fund is exposed to risks associated with changes in interest rates. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, including market volatility, and may adversely affect the Fund's performance. Any such change in interest rates may be sudden and significant, with unpredictable effects on the financial markets and the Fund's investments;

**• *Prepayment Risk.*** An issuer could exercise its right to pay principal on an obligation held by the Fund (such as a mortgage-backed security) earlier than expected. This may happen when there is a decrease in interest rates. Under these circumstances, the Fund will forgo future interest income on the portion of the security's principal repaid early and the Fund may be forced to reinvest the proceeds in securities with lower prevailing interest rates;

**• *Leverage.*** The Fund may use leverage, which will cause the Fund's NAV to be more volatile than it would otherwise be, may cause the Fund to experience losses if earnings on the investments made with borrowed money do not cover the costs of borrowing and may increase the risk of investing with the Fund;

**• *Extension Risk****.* An issuer could exercise its right to pay principal on an obligation held by the Fund (such as a mortgage-backed security) later than expected. This may happen when there is a rise in interest rates. Under these circumstances, the value of the obligation will decrease, and the Fund will also suffer from the inability to reinvest in higher yielding securities;

**• *Concentration in Certain Mortgage-Backed Securities.*** The risks of concentrating in RMBS (agency and non-agency) and CMBS include susceptibility to changes in lending standards, interest rates and lending rates, and the risks associated with the market's perception of issuers, the creditworthiness of the parties involved and investing in real estate securities;

**• *Residential Loans and Mortgages Risk.*** In addition to interest rate, default and other risks of fixed income securities, investments in whole loans and debt instruments backed by residential loans or mortgages (or pools of loans or mortgages) carry additional risks, including the possibility that the quality of the collateral may decline in value and the potential for the liquidity of residential loans and mortgages to vary over time. These risks are greater for subprime residential and mortgage loans. Because they do not trade in a liquid market, residential loans can typically only be sold

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to a limited universe of institutional investors and may be difficult for the Fund to value. In addition, in the event that a loan is foreclosed on, the Fund could become the owner (in whole or in part) of any collateral, which may include, among other things, real estate or other real or personal property, and the Fund would bear the costs and liabilities of owning, holding or disposing of such property;

**• *Management Risk.*** The Fund's financial condition and results of operations could be negatively affected if a significant investment fails to perform as expected;

**• *Valuation Risk.*** The valuation of securities or instruments that lack a central trading place (such as fixed-income securities or instruments) may carry greater risk than those that trade on an exchange. Accordingly, there is a risk that the determination of the fair value of a security or instrument will not approximate the price at which the Fund could sell the security or instrument at the time of the fair valuation;

***• Floating or Variable Rate Securities Risk.*** Securities with floating or variable interest rates are generally less sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with fixed interest rates but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as comparable market interest rates. Although floating or variable rate securities are generally less sensitive to interest rate risk than fixed rate securities, they are subject to credit, liquidity and default risk and may be subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale, which could impair their value. Instruments in which the Fund invests may pay interest at floating rates or may be subject to interest caps or floors tied to floating rates. The Fund and issuers of instruments in which the Fund invests may also obtain financing at floating rates, such as the Secured Overnight Financing Rate. Derivative instruments utilized by the Fund and/or issuers of instruments in which the Fund may invest may also reference floating rates. The Fund also may utilize leverage or borrowings primarily based on floating rates.

**• *Illiquidity Risk.*** It is expected that most of the securities and instruments held by the Fund will not trade on an exchange. Illiquid securities may be difficult to dispose of at a fair price at the times when the Fund believes it is desirable to do so. The Fund may be forced to sell securities at inopportune prices to meet shareholder repurchase requests;

**• *Regulatory and Legal Risk.*** Legal and regulatory changes, including those implemented in connection with the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the "Dodd-Frank Act"), could occur, which may materially adversely affect the Fund;

**• *International Securities Risk.*** International securities may be traded in undeveloped, inefficient and less liquid markets and may experience greater price volatility and changes in value;

**• *Foreign Currency Risk.*** Changes in foreign currency exchange rates may adversely affect the U.S. dollar value of and returns on foreign denominated investments;

**• *High-Yield Securities.*** The below investment grade instruments in which the Fund invests (also known as "junk bonds") have predominantly speculative characteristics and may be particularly susceptible to economic downturns, which could cause losses;

**• *Derivatives Risks.*** Derivative investments have risks, including the imperfect correlation between the value of such instruments and the underlying assets of the Fund;

**• *Risk Relating to the Fund's RIC Status.*** To qualify and remain eligible for the special tax treatment accorded to RICs and their shareholders under the Code, the Fund must meet certain source-of-income, asset diversification and annual distribution requirements, and failure to do so could result in the loss of RIC status;

**• *Conflicts of Interest Risk.*** There are significant and potential conflicts of interest that could impact the Fund's investment returns, including the potential for portfolio managers to devote unequal time and attention to the management of the Fund and any other accounts managed; identify a limited investment opportunity that may be suitable for more than one client; and acquire material non-public information or otherwise be restricted from trading in certain potential investments;

**• *Repurchase Offers Risk.*** Although the Fund intends to implement a quarterly share repurchase program, there is no guarantee that an investor will be able to sell all of the Shares he or she desires to sell. Accordingly, the Fund should be considered an illiquid investment;

**• *Distributions.*** The Fund's distributions may include a return of capital, thus reducing a shareholder's cost basis in his or her Fund shares and reducing the amount of capital available to the Fund for investment and likely increasing the Fund's expense ratio. A shareholder who receives a capital distribution may be subject to tax even though the shareholder has experienced a net loss on his or her investment in the Fund. Any capital returned to shareholders through distributions will be distributed after the payment of fees and expenses. Shareholders who periodically receive payment of a distribution consisting of a return of capital may be under the impression that they are receiving net income or profits when they are not. A return of capital to Shareholders is a return of a portion of their original investment in the Fund. Shareholders should not assume that the source of a distribution from the Fund is net income or profit;

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**• *Non-Fundamental Policies Risk.*** The Fund's non-fundamental policies (including its policy to invest under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in credit-related instruments) may be changed by a vote of the Board without the approval of shareholders. In the event of such a change, you may hold an investment with a strategy you did not anticipate, with limited means by which to dispose of your investment in a timely manner.

Accordingly, the Fund should be considered a speculative investment that entails substantial risks, and prospective investors should invest in the Fund only if they can sustain a complete loss of their investment.

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**SUMMARY OF FEES AND EXPENSES**

The following table illustrates the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts or waivers if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in Class A shares of the Fund. More information about these and other discounts or waivers is available from your financial professional, in the section "Sales Charges—Class A Shares" on page 52 of the Prospectus, and in Appendix A—Waivers and Discounts Available from Intermediaries. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and examples below.

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| | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **SHAREHOLDER TRANSACTION EXPENSES** | **Class A** | **Institutional Class** | **Class U** | **Class FI** |
| Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases | 2.25%¹ |  |  |  |
| Maximum Contingent Deferred Sales Charge (Load) <sup>2</sup> |  |  | 1.50% | 3.00% |
| **ANNUAL FUND EXPENSES**<br>(as a percentage of average net assets attributable to Shares (*i.e.*, common shares)) |  |  |  |  |
| Management Fee | 1.25% | 1.25% | 1.25% | 1.25% |
| Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees | 0.25% |  |  |  |
| Other Expenses<sup>3</sup>  | 0.89% | 0.89% | 0.89% | 0.89% |
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 2.39% | 2.14% | 2.14% | 2.14% |

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<sup>1</sup>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For Class A shares, the maximum sales charge is 2.25% of the amount invested.

<sup>2</sup>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There is no initial sales charge on purchases of Class A shares of $500,000 or more, however, a contingent deferred sales charge of up to 1.00% may be imposed if such Class A shares are repurchased within twelve (12) months of their purchase. A contingent deferred sales charge of up to 1.50% may be imposed if Class U shares are repurchased within twelve (12) months of their purchase. A contingent deferred sales charge of up to 3.00% may be imposed if Class FI shares are repurchased within thirty-six (36) months of their purchase.

<sup>3</sup>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Other Expenses" include interest expense of 0.41% for each class of shares, and 0.01% of acquired fund fees and expenses ("AFFE"). Interest expense and AFFE are borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to the Adviser.

Example:

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 the Fund. In calculating the following expense amounts, the Fund has assumed its direct and indirect annual operating expenses would remain at the percentage levels set forth in the table above.

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

**If your shares are repurchased at the end of each period:**

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| | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Share Class** | **1 Year** | **3 Years** | **5 Years** | **10 Years** |
| Class A | $46 | $95 | $147 | $289 |
| Institutional Class | $22 | $67 | $115 | $247 |
| Class U | $37 | $67 | $115 | $247 |
| Class FI | $53 | $67 | $115 | $247 |

---

**If your shares are not repurchased at the end of each period:**

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| | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Share Class** | **1 Year** | **3 Years** | **5 Years** | **10 Years** |
| Class A | $46 | $95 | $147 | $289 |
| Institutional Class | $22 | $67 | $115 | $247 |
| Class U | $22 | $67 | $115 | $247 |
| Class FI | $22 | $67 | $115 | $247 |

---

**The example and the expenses in the tables above should not be considered a representation of the Fund's future expenses, and actual expenses may be greater or less than those shown**. While the example assumes a 5.0% annual return, as required by the SEC, the Fund's performance will vary and may result in a return greater or less than 5.0%. For a more complete description of the various fees and expenses borne directly and indirectly by the Fund, see "Fund Expenses" and "Management Fee."

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**FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS**

The financial highlights table is intended to help you understand the Fund's financial performance. This information has been derived from the Fund's financial statements, which have been audited by Cohen & Company, Ltd., an independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with this information and additional Fund performance and portfolio information, appears in the Fund's <u>[Annual Report](https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000119312526146810/d18667dncsr.htm)</u> dated January 31, 2026. To request the Fund's Annual Report or Semi-Annual Report, please call 855-751-4324. No financial highlights are shown for Class A or Class U shares of the Fund because Class A and Class U shares of the Fund were not yet operational as of January 31, 2026.

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**Angel Oak Strategic Credit Fund – Institutional Class**

**Financial Highlights**

**(For a share outstanding during each year)**

---

| | | | | | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| | **For the Year Ended January 31,** | **For the Year Ended January 31,** | **For the Year Ended January 31,** | **For the Year Ended January 31,** | **For the Year Ended January 31,** | **For the Year Ended January 31,** | **For the Year Ended January 31,** | **For the Year Ended January 31,** | **For the Year Ended January 31,** |
| | **2026 (a)** | | **2025 (a)** | | **2024** | | **2023** | | **2022** |
| **Selected Per Share Data:** |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Net asset value, beginning of year | $**21.07** |  | $**20.86** |  | $**20.61** |  | $**22.76** |  | $**23.03** |
| Income from investment operations: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net investment income (loss) | 1.81 |  | 1.85 |  | 1.74 |  | 1.84 |  | 3.22 (b) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments (c) | (0.18) |  | 0.23 |  | 0.22 |  | (2.06) |  | (0.32) |
| Total from investment operations | 1.63 |  | 2.08 |  | 1.96 |  | (0.22) |  | 2.90 |
| Less distributions to shareholders: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;From net investment income | (1.78) |  | (1.87) |  | (1.71) |  | (1.93) |  | (3.17) |
| Total distributions | (1.78) |  | (1.87) |  | (1.71) |  | (1.93) |  | (3.17) |
| Net asset value, end of year | $**20.92** |  | $**21.07** |  | $**20.86** |  | $**20.61** |  | $**22.76** |
| Total return (d) | 8.02% |  | 10.26% |  | 9.98% |  | -0.78% | (e) | 13.31% |
| **Ratios and Supplemental Data:** |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Net assets, end of year (000's omitted) | $64962 |  | $80667 |  | $76438 |  | $71012 |  | $14948 |
| Interest expense to average net assets (f) | 0.41% |  | 0.21% |  | 0.42% |  | 0.08% |  | N/A |
| Ratio of expenses to average net assets before waiver and reimbursement/recoupment (f) | 2.13% | (g) | 1.90% | (g) | 2.14% | (g) | 1.96% | (g) | 3.36% |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ratio of expenses to average net assets after waiver and reimbursement/<br>recoupment (f) | 2.13% | (g) | 1.90% | (g) | 2.14% | (g) | 0.93% | (g)(h) | 0.75% |
| Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets before waiver and reimbursement/recoupment (f) | 8.57% | (g) | 8.74% | (g) | 8.48% | (g) | 7.56% | (g) | 11.27% |
| Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets after waiver and reimbursement/recoupment (f) | 8.57% | (g) | 8.74% | (g) | 8.48% | (g) | 8.59% | (g)(h) | 13.88% |
| Portfolio turnover rate (d) | 82% |  | 81% |  | 49% |  | 29% |  | 52% |
| Reverse repurchase agreements, end of year (000's) | $4149 |  | $4262 |  | $1549 |  | $6796 |  | N/A |
| Asset coverage per $1,000 unit of senior indebtedness (i) | $21969 |  | $24716 |  | $62896 |  | $12838 |  | N/A |

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(a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Financial Highlights have been consolidated.

(b)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Calculated using the average shares outstanding method.

(c)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) per share may include balancing amounts necessary to reconcile the change in net asset value per share for the year, and may not reconcile with the aggregate gain/(loss) in the Consolidated Statement of Operations due to share transactions for the year.

(d)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Not annualized for periods of less than one year.

(e)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Total return assumes reinvestment of dividends and would have been lower if no expense waiver was in place.

(f)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Annualized for periods less than one year.

(g)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Includes interest expense.

(h)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Effective January 1, 2023, the expense limitation agreement was terminated. Prior to January 1, 2023, the expense cap was 0.75%.

(i)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Calculated by subtracting the Fund's total liabilities (not including borrowings) from the Fund's total assets and dividing by the total number of senior indebtedness, where one unit equals $1,000 of senior indebtedness.

------

**Angel Oak Strategic Credit Fund – Institutional Class (continued)**

**Financial Highlights**

**(For a share outstanding during each year)**

---

| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| | **For the Year Ended January 31, 2020** | **For the Year Ended January 31, 2019** | **For the Period Ended January 31, 2018 (a)** |
| **Selected Per Share Data:** | | | |
| Net asset value, beginning of period | $**24.49** | $**25.23** | $**25.00** |
| Income from investment operations: |  |  |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net investment income (loss) | 1.69 | 1.76 | 0.14 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments | 0.22 | (0.60) | 0.14 |
| Total from investment operations | 1.91 | 1.16 | 0.28 |
| Less distributions to shareholders: |  |  |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;From net investment income | (1.67) | (1.85) | (0.05) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;From net realized gain |  | (0.05) |  |
| Total distributions | (1.67) | (1.90) | (0.05) |
| Net asset value, end of period | $**24.73** | $**24.49** | $**25.23** |
| Total return (b) | 8.01% | 4.72% | 1.10% |
| **Ratios and Supplemental Data:** |  |  |  |
| Net assets, end of period (000's omitted) | $12347 | $6982 | $2791 |
| Ratio of expenses to average net assets before waiver and reimbursement/recoupment (c) | 5.44% | 7.96% | 22.63% |
| Ratio of expenses to average net assets after waiver and reimbursement/recoupment (c) | 0.75% | 0.75% | 0.75% |
| Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets before waiver and reimbursement/recoupment (c) | 2.25% | 0.42% | (16.03%) |
| Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets after waiver and reimbursement/recoupment (c) | 6.94% | 7.63% | 5.85% |
| Portfolio turnover rate (b) | 72.92% | 63.83% | 69.68% |

---

(a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Fund commenced operations on December 26, 2017.

(b)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Not annualized for periods of less than one year.

(c)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Annualized for periods less than one year.

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**Angel Oak Strategic Credit Fund – Class FI**

**Financial Highlights**

**(For a share outstanding during each year or period)**

---

| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| | **For the Year or Period<br>Ended January 31,** | **For the Year or Period<br>Ended January 31,** | **For the Year or Period<br>Ended January 31,** | **For the Year or Period<br>Ended January 31,** | **For the Year or Period<br>Ended January 31,** |
| | **2026 (a)** | **2025 (a)** | **2024** | **2023 (b)** | |
| **Selected Per Share Data:** |  |  |  |  |  |
| Net asset value, beginning of year or period | $**21.08** | $**20.86** | $**20.62** | $**21.13** |  |
| Income from investment operations: |  |  |  |  |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net investment income (loss) | 1.79 | 1.86 | 1.75 | 0.98 |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments (c) | (0.17) | 0.23 | 0.20 | (0.46) |  |
| Total from investment operations | 1.62 | 2.09 | 1.95 | 0.52 |  |
| Less distributions to shareholders: |  |  |  |  |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;From net investment income | (1.78) | (1.87) | (1.71) | (1.03) |  |
| Total distributions | (1.78) | (1.87) | (1.71) | (1.03) |  |
| Net asset value, end of year or period | $**20.92** | $**21.08** | $**20.86** | $**20.62** |  |
| Total return (d) | 7.96% | 10.30% | 9.92% | 2.58% | (e) |
| **Ratios and Supplemental Data:** |  |  |  |  |  |
| Net assets, end of year or period (000's omitted) | $22038 | $20412 | $19462 | $9439 |  |
| Interest expense to average net assets (f) | 0.41% | 0.21% | 0.42% | 0.13% |  |
| Ratio of expenses to average net assets before waiver and reimbursement/recoupment (f)(g) | 2.13% | 1.90% | 2.14% | 1.86% |  |
| Ratio of expenses to average net assets after waiver and reimbursement/recoupment (f)(g) | 2.13% | 1.90% | 2.14% | 1.03% | (h) |
| Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets before waiver and reimbursement/recoupment (f)(g) | 8.47% | 8.74% | 8.50% | 7.75% |  |
| Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets after waiver and reimbursement/recoupment (f)(g) | 8.47% | 8.74% | 8.50% | 8.58% | (h) |
| Portfolio turnover rate (d) | 82% | 81% | 49% | 29% | (i) |
| Reverse repurchase agreements, end of year or period (000's omitted) | $4149 | $4262 | $1549 | $6796 |  |
| Asset coverage per $1,000 unit of senior indebtedness (j) | $21969 | $24716 | $62896 | $12838 |  |

---

(a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Financial Highlights have been consolidated.

(b)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Class commenced operations on July 12, 2022.

(c)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) per share may include balancing amounts necessary to reconcile the change in net asset value per share for the year or period, and may not reconcile with the aggregate gain/(loss) in the Consolidated Statement of Operations due to share transactions for the year or period.

(d)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Not annualized for periods of less than one year.

(e)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Total return assumes reinvestment of dividends and would have been lower if no expense waiver was in place.

(f)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Annualized for periods less than one year.

(g)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Includes interest expense.

(h)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Effective January 1, 2023, the expense limitation agreement was terminated. Prior to January 1, 2023, the expense cap was 0.75%.

(i)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Figure presented represents turnover for the Fund as a whole for the entire fiscal period.

(j)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Calculated by subtracting the Fund's total liabilities (not including borrowings) from the Fund's total assets and dividing by the total number of senior indebtedness, where one unit equals $1,000 of senior indebtedness.

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**THE FUND** 

The Fund is a diversified, closed-end management investment company that is registered under the 1940 Act. The Fund is structured as an "interval fund" and continuously offers its Shares. The Fund was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on August 18, 2017. The principal office of the Fund is located at 980 Hammond Drive, Suite 200, Atlanta, Georgia 30328, and its telephone number is (855) 751-4324.

**THE ADVISER**

Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC, 980 Hammond Drive, Suite 200, Atlanta, Georgia 30328, an investment adviser registered with the SEC under the Advisers Act, serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. The Adviser has overall supervisory management responsibility for the general management and investment of the Fund's portfolio. The Adviser was formed in 2009 and provides advisory services to registered investment companies, unregistered funds, institutions, and other investors. As of January 31, 2026, the Adviser had assets under management of approximately $11 billion. The Adviser is wholly-owned by Angel Oak Asset Management Holdings, LLC. On October 1, 2025, Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. acquired a majority of Angel Oak Companies, LP, the parent of Angel Oak Asset Management Holdings, LLC, itself the parent of the Adviser.

**USE OF PROCEEDS**

The proceeds from the sale of Shares are invested by the Fund to pursue its investment program and strategies. The Fund currently intends to fully invest substantially all of the net proceeds of its continuous offering in accordance with its investment objectives and policies within three months after receipt thereof. However, certain investments may be delayed up to an additional three months if suitable investments are unavailable at the time or for other reasons, such as market volatility and lack of liquidity in the markets of suitable investments.

**INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND STRATEGIES**

**Investment Objective**

The Fund seeks total return. The Fund's investment objective is not fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval. The Fund will provide 60 days' advance notice of any change in its investment objective.

**Investment Opportunities and Strategies**

In pursuing its investment objective, the Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in credit-related instruments. These credit-related instruments may consist of a broad range of instruments across liquid and illiquid asset classes, including: corporate debt, with a focus on subordinated debt and senior debt of banks and diversified financials companies; agency and non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities ("RMBS"); commercial mortgage-backed securities ("CMBS"); collateralized loan obligations ("CLOs"); collateralized debt obligations ("CDOs"); collateralized mortgage obligations ("CMOs"); asset-backed securities ("ABS"); residential loans and mortgages; and municipal securities. For purposes of the Fund's 80% investment policy, the Fund may also invest in derivative instruments that are linked to, or provide investment exposure to, credit instruments. Such derivative instruments will be valued on a mark-to-market basis. The Fund's 80% investment policy is not fundamental and may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval. The Fund will provide shareholders with 60 days' notice of any change in its 80% investment policy.

The Fund will concentrate its investments in agency and non-agency RMBS and CMBS. This means that, under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest more than 25% of its total assets in RMBS and CMBS (measured at the time of purchase). The Fund will not concentrate its investments in any other group of industries. The Fund's policy to concentrate its investments in RMBS and CMBS is fundamental and may not be changed without shareholder approval.

The Fund may invest in other investment companies, including closed-end investment companies and open-end investment companies, which may operate as traditional mutual funds, exchange-traded funds ("ETFs") or business development companies ("BDCs"). The other investment companies in which the Fund invests may be part of the same group of investment companies as the Fund.

The Fund may invest, without constraint, in a variety of instruments that are not limited with respect to their issuer, quality, currency, structure, yield, or any other characteristic. The Fund's investments in RMBS and ABS will span a broad segment of consumer creditworthiness segments, which will include exposure to prime, near-prime, and subprime consumers.

The Fund's portfolio will include significant investments in high-yield securities and fixed-income securities that are not rated by any rating agencies. Such bonds, if rated, will be in the lower rating categories of the major rating agencies (BB+ or lower by S&P Global Ratings or an equivalent rating from another National Recognized Statistical Ratings Organization) or will be determined by the Adviser to be of similar quality.

The fixed income instruments in which the Fund invests may include those of issuers from the United States and other countries. The Fund's investments in foreign debt securities will typically be denominated in U.S. dollars.

------

The Fund may also invest in preferred securities.

The Fund's use of borrowing, short sales, derivatives and reverse repurchase agreements may be deemed to create leverage, which can increase the Fund's volatility and the effect, positive or negative, of the Fund's investments on its NAV. The 1940 Act generally limits the extent to which the Fund may utilize bank borrowings to one-third of the Fund's total assets at the time utilized. The Fund's use of derivatives and other similar instruments is subject to a value-at-risk leverage limit, certain derivatives risk management program, and reporting requirements under Rule 18f-4. In the future, the Fund could qualify as a "limited derivatives user" as defined in Rule 18f-4 (or its use of derivatives and other similar instruments could satisfy the conditions of certain exemptions from the rule), in which case the Fund would not be required to comply with such requirements.

Derivatives, which are instruments that have a value based on another instrument, exchange rate or index, may be used as substitutes for securities in which the Fund can invest. The Fund uses derivatives to gain or adjust exposure to markets, sectors, securities and currencies and to manage exposure to risks relating to creditworthiness, interest rate spreads, volatility and changes in yield curves. In certain market environments, the Fund may use interest rate swaps and futures contracts to help protect its portfolio from interest rate risk. The Fund may also utilize foreign currency transactions, including currency options and forward currency contracts, to hedge non-U.S. Dollar investments or to establish or adjust exposure to particular foreign securities, markets or currencies. The Fund's hedging strategies may include the use of derivatives with underlying instruments that are not specified in the Fund's principal investment strategies (for example, the Fund may invest in total return swaps on the S&P 500 Index to hedge against broad market exposure).

The Fund's portfolio of fixed-income instruments will depend on the views of the Adviser as to the best value relative to what is currently presented in the marketplace. The Fund's portfolio managers lead a team of sector specialists responsible for researching opportunities within their sector and making recommendations to the Fund's portfolio managers. In selecting investments, the Adviser may consider maturity, yield and ratings information and opportunities for price appreciation among other criteria.

As part of its investment process, the Adviser also considers certain environmental, social and governance ("ESG") and sustainability factors that it believes could have a material impact on certain securities in which the Fund may invest. Examples of the types of factors the Adviser may consider include, without limitation: environmental issues, such as carbon emissions and energy efficiency; social issues, such as affordable housing and community investment; and corporate governance issues, such as board independence. These determinations may not be conclusive, and securities that may be negatively impacted by such factors may be purchased and retained by the Fund while the Fund may divest or not invest in securities that may be positively impacted by such factors. ESG and sustainability factors will not be considered with respect to investments in U.S. Treasury and U.S. government agency securities, money market instruments, and derivatives.

**Portfolio Composition**

The Fund's portfolio will consist primarily of:

***Subordinated Debt, Senior Debt and Preferred Securities of Banks and Diversified Financials Companies.*** Subordinated debt securities, sometimes also called "junior debt," are debt securities for which the issuer's obligations to make principal and interest payment are secondary to the issuer's payment obligations to more senior debt securities. Such investments will consist primarily of debt issued by community banks or savings institutions (or their holding companies), which are subordinated to senior debt issued by the banks and deposits held by the bank, but are senior to trust preferred obligations, preferred stock, and common stock issued by the bank. The Fund may also invest in similar securities of other U.S. and non-U.S. financial services companies of any size. These companies may include, but are not limited to, banks, thrifts, finance companies, brokerage and advisory firms, insurance companies and financial holding companies. Many debt securities may be unrated and some may be considered high-yield securities or "junk bonds." See "High Yield Securities." Preferred securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return and are subject to many of the risks associated with debt securities, as well as issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. A company's preferred securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt.

Subordinated debt securities and Structured Products collateralized by such securities typically have floating or variable interest rates, or may have a fixed coupon for a period of years and then convert to a floating rate, and are subject to the risks associated with securities tied to floating rates. See "Risks—Floating Rate Risk."

***Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities*.** RMBS are fixed income instruments that may be secured by interests in a single residential mortgage loan or a pool of mortgage loans secured by residential property. The Fund may purchase, without limitation, RMBS that may be senior, subordinate, interest-only, principal-only, investment-grade, non-investment grade, unrated or in default. The Fund acquires RMBS from private originators as well as from other mortgage loan investors, including savings and loan associations, mortgage bankers, commercial banks, finance companies and investment banks. The credit quality of any RMBS issue depends primarily on the credit quality of the underlying mortgage loans. The investment characteristics of RMBS differ from traditional debt securities. Among the major differences are that interest and principal payments are made more frequently, usually monthly, and that principal may be prepaid at any time because the underlying residential mortgage loans or other assets generally may be prepaid at any time.

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***Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities*.** CMBS are fixed income instruments that are secured by mortgage loans on commercial real property. CMBS typically take the form of multi-class debt or pass-through certificates secured by mortgage loans on commercial properties. They generally are structured to provide protection to investors in senior tranches against potential losses on the underlying mortgage loans. Such protection generally is provided by causing holders of subordinated classes of securities ("Subordinated CMBS") to take the first loss in the event of 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 CMBS of any credit quality, including, without limitation, Subordinated CMBS, CMBS that are rated below investment grade or are unrated and CMBS that are in default.

***High Yield Securities*.** The Fund may invest in below investment grade bonds of corporate issuers. These "high-yield" securities (also known as "junk bonds") will be rated BB+ or lower by S&P or will be of equivalent quality rating from another Nationally Recognized Statistical Ratings Organization, or if unrated, considered by the Adviser to be of comparable quality. There is no minimum credit quality for securities in which the Fund may invest. The Fund will not acquire defaulted bonds of corporate issuers but may hold such securities in the event that a corporate issuer defaults.

***Structured Products*.** The Fund may invest in CLOs, CDOs, CMOs, and other asset-backed securities and debt securitizations ("Structured Products"). The risks of an investment in a Structured Product depend largely on the type of the collateral securities and the class of the Structured Product in which the Fund invests. Some Structured Products have credit ratings, but are typically issued in various classes with various priorities. Normally, Structured Products are privately offered and sold (that is, they are not registered under the securities laws) and may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities; however, an active dealer market may exist for Structured Products that qualify for Rule 144A transactions. In addition to the normal interest rate, default and other risks of fixed income securities, Structured Products carry additional risks, including the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments, the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default, the Fund will, at times, invest in Structured Products that are subordinate to other classes, values may be volatile, and disputes with the issuer may produce unexpected investment results. The most subordinate tranche of a Structured Product has the highest risk of default and losses to the Fund.

***Derivatives*.** Derivatives, which are instruments that have a value based on another instrument, exchange rate or index, may be used as substitutes for securities in which the Fund can invest. The Fund uses derivatives to gain or adjust exposure to markets, sectors, securities and currencies and to manage exposure to risks relating to creditworthiness, interest rate spreads, volatility and changes in yield curves. In certain market environments, the Fund may use interest rate swaps and futures contracts to help protect its portfolio from interest rate risk. The Fund may also utilize foreign currency transactions, including currency options and forward currency contracts, to hedge non-U.S. Dollar investments or to establish or adjust exposure to particular foreign securities, markets or currencies.

***Leverage*.** The Fund may use leverage to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. The Fund is permitted to obtain leverage using any form or combination of financial leverage instruments, including through funds borrowed from banks or other financial institutions (*i.e.*, a credit facility), margin facilities, the issuance of preferred shares or notes and leverage generated by certain transactions in an aggregate amount up to 33 1/3% of the Fund's total assets, including any assets purchased with borrowed money, immediately after giving effect to the leverage. Since the Management Fee is calculated based on the Fund's average daily net assets, any leverage employed by the Fund will be offset by a corresponding liability in the calculation of the Management Fee. Accordingly, to the extent the Fund employs leverage, the Adviser will not be paid on Fund assets attributable to leverage. The Fund may use leverage opportunistically and may use different types, combinations or amounts of leverage over time, based on the Adviser's views concerning market conditions and investment opportunities. The Fund's strategies relating to its use of leverage may not be successful, and the Fund's use of leverage will cause the Fund's NAV to be more volatile than it would otherwise be. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will leverage its assets or, to the extent the Fund does utilize leverage, what percentage of its assets such leverage will represent.

***International Securities.*** The Fund may invest in the debt securities of non-U.S. issuers, including direct investments in companies whose securities are principally traded outside the United States on foreign exchanges or foreign over-the-counter markets. The Fund is not limited in the amount of assets it may invest in such international securities.

***Residential Loans and Mortgages.*** The Fund may acquire residential loans and mortgages (including through participations, assignments and whole loans) from third-party mortgage originators. The Fund may purchase residential loans and mortgages from a variety of geographical locations, such loans and mortgages may be of any credit quality, including, without limitation, instruments that are rated below investment grade or are unrated and instruments that are in default.

***Municipal Securities.*** Municipal securities are types of debt obligations, which may have a variety of issuers, including governmental entities or other qualifying issuers. Issuers may be states, territories and possessions of the United States and the District of Columbia and their political subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities. Municipal securities include, among other instruments, general obligation bonds, revenue bonds, municipal leases, certificates of participation, private activity bonds, and moral obligation bonds, as well as short-term, tax-exempt obligations such as municipal notes and variable rate demand obligations. The Fund may purchase municipal securities of any credit quality, including, without limitation, municipal securities that are rated below investment grade or are unrated and municipal securities that are in default.

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***Subsidiary.*** The Fund may implement its strategy by making investments directly or through one or more wholly-owned and controlled subsidiaries formed by the Fund and organized in the United States (each, a "Subsidiary"). A Subsidiary may invest in residential and commercial real estate whole loans (including second lien loans such as home equity line of credit ("HELOC") loans) and consumer loans, as well as participations in such loans or instruments representing the right to receive interest payments and principal due on such loans. The Subsidiary may invest in residential and commercial real estate loans and consumer loans of any credit rating or no credit rating, including without limit in loans that are rated below investment grade. The principal risks of investments in the Subsidiary are the same as those relating to residential loans and mortgages, second lien loans and consumer loans. See "Residential Loans and Mortgages Risk," "Second Lien Risk" and "Consumer Loans Risk." The allocation of the Fund's investments, if any, in a Subsidiary will vary over time.

**The Investment Process**

Angel Oak's investment strategies employ a top-down approach focused on identifying valuation dislocations within the structured fixed income markets and a bottom-up selection process for fixed income instruments. The Adviser will invest opportunistically at various levels of the capital structure of its investments based on its relative value analysis.

The Adviser analyzes a variety of factors when selecting investments for the Fund, such as collateral quality, credit support, structure and market conditions, all of which are tailored to the unique characteristics of each asset class. The Adviser will seek to hold a portfolio with a range of position sizes, geography, ratings, duration, structure and collateral values. The Adviser will also seek to invest in securities that have relatively low volatility. In constructing the Fund's portfolio, the Adviser seeks to limit risk to principal by targeting assets that it considers undervalued.

*Portfolio Construction*

The Adviser does not manage the Fund's asset allocation to track the Fund's benchmark, but positions the portfolio from a total return perspective. The Adviser has the capability to analyze numerous fixed income assets classes, including both traditional and non-traditional (ABS, CMBS, non-agency RMBS, CLOs, etc.). Generally, the relative value of these non-traditional asset classes will be primary drivers of security selection and sector allocation. The Fund's portfolio management process is continuous and ongoing, resulting in regular performance monitoring and relative-value trading. Forward-looking expectations are re-calibrated given market changes and security performance. The Fund's portfolio is re-positioned as market conditions and global economic trends warrant. In monitoring, trading, and re-positioning the Fund's portfolio, the Adviser's primary focus is on credit and yield optimization.

*Idea Generation*

The Adviser's portfolio managers utilize various data sources to generate investment ideas. Most of the "idea generation" and sourcing of potential alpha opportunities (both at the asset class and individual security level) is driven by internal research and analysis. In addition, portfolio managers and analysts regularly monitor market conditions, trade flows, and trade execution. Active market participation provides a strong understanding of current market trends, which leads to formation of immediate views on relative value within the structured fixed income markets, thus generating new investment ideas in real time.

Angel Oak's investment committee meets frequently to discuss strategies in the context of current market events and their impact on the Fund, and existing approaches to each strategy are affirmed or altered based on these discussions. The Adviser makes its asset allocation decisions based on its view of macroeconomic trends as well as by identifying opportunities in the capital markets it believes are providing the greatest relative value. Investment opportunities are evaluated on a relative value basis while consideration is also given to liquidity. The portfolio management process involves four main disciplines that form a continuous process, consisting of: (i) strategy and target allocation; (ii) security selection; (iii) sourcing, execution and allocation; and (iv) surveillance and optimization.

*Research*

The Adviser uses a combination of proprietary fundamental and quantitative research to analyze opportunities across the fixed income spectrum. This discipline is conducted from a bottom-up perspective. The research team's risk modeling analysis provides a granular focus on seeking to mitigate credit risk and creating a diversified portfolio.

Scenario analysis is conducted to help portfolio managers understand how an individual security would perform under a range of economic and capital market conditions. Scenario analysis is completed by applying multiple interest rate, credit, and cash flow assumptions. Once the critical factors for individual security selection have been evaluated, a recommendation is made. The Adviser also makes use of various third-party analytical systems and uses proprietary models to confirm or eliminate results of non-proprietary models. Portfolio managers and analysts merge the outputs of these analytical models with their own views on future market and economic conditions to generate more qualified pre-purchase assumptions.

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**TYPES OF INVESTMENTS AND RELATED RISKS**

*Investors should carefully consider the risk factors described below before deciding on whether to make an investment in the Fund.* 

**Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund**

**• Fixed-Income Instruments Risks.** Changes in interest rates generally will cause the value of fixed-income instruments held by the Fund to vary inversely to such changes. Prices of longer-term fixed-income instruments generally fluctuate more than the prices of shorter-term fixed income instruments as interest rates change. In addition, a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security's price to changes in interest rates that incorporates a security's yield, coupon, final maturity and call features, among other characteristics. For example, if a portfolio has a duration of three years, and interest rates increase (fall) by 1%, the portfolio would decline (increase) in value by approximately 3%. However, duration may not accurately reflect the true interest rate sensitivity of instruments held by the Fund and, therefore the Fund's exposure to changes in interest rates. A fund with a negative average portfolio duration may increase in value when interest rates rise, and generally incurs a loss when interest rates decline. If an issuer calls or redeems an instrument held by a fund during a time of declining interest rates, the Fund might need to reinvest the proceeds in an investment offering a lower yield, and therefore may not benefit from any increase in value as a result of declining interest rates.

Fixed-income instruments that are fixed-rate are generally more susceptible than floating rate instruments to price volatility related to changes in prevailing interest rates. The prices of floating rate fixed-income instruments tend to have less fluctuation in response to changes in interest rates, but will have some fluctuation, particularly when the next interest rate adjustment on such security is further away in time or adjustments are limited in amount over time. The Fund may invest in short-term securities that, when interest rates decline, affect the Fund's yield as these securities mature or are sold and the Fund purchases new short-term securities with lower yields. Subordinated debt securities that receive payments of interest and principal after other more senior security holders are paid carry the risk that the issuer will not be able to meet its obligations and that the subordinated investments may lose value. An obligor's willingness and ability to pay interest or to repay principal due in a timely manner may be affected by its cash flow.

**• General Market Risk.** In general, the value of securities is affected by activities specific to their issuer as well as general market, economic and political conditions. The NAV of the Fund and investment return will fluctuate based upon changes in the value of its portfolio securities. The market value of securities in which the Fund invests is based upon the market's perception of value and is not necessarily an objective measure of the securities' value. Other general market risks include: (i) the market may not recognize what the Adviser believes to be the true value or growth potential of the securities held by the Fund; (ii) the earnings of the companies in which the Fund invests will not continue to grow at expected rates, thus causing the price of the underlying securities to decline; (iii) the smaller a company's market capitalization, the greater the potential for price fluctuations and volatility of its securities due to lower trading volume for the securities, less publicly available information about the company and less liquidity in the market for the securities; (iv) the potential for price fluctuations in the securities of a medium capitalization company may be greater than that of a large capitalization company; (v) the Adviser's judgment as to the growth potential or value of a security may prove to be wrong; and (vi) a decline in investor demand for the securities held by the Fund also may adversely affect the value of the securities.

In addition, securities in the Fund's portfolio may cause the Fund to lose value and/or underperform in comparison to securities in general financial markets, a particular financial market or other asset classes due to a number of factors, including inflation (or expectations for inflation), deflation (or expectations for deflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, market instability, debt crises and downgrades, embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers, regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the value of the Fund's investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of global events, such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics/pandemics. These events could reduce consumer demand or economic output, result in market closures, travel restrictions or quarantines, and significantly adversely impact the economy. Governmental and quasi-governmental authorities and regulators throughout the world have previously responded to serious economic disruptions with a variety of significant fiscal and monetary policy changes, including but not limited to, direct capital infusions into companies, new monetary programs and dramatically lower interest rates. An unexpected or sudden reversal of these policies, or the ineffectiveness of these policies, could increase volatility in securities markets, which could adversely affect the Fund's investments. Any market disruptions could also prevent the Fund from executing advantageous investment decisions in a timely manner. Increasing interconnectivity between global economies and financial markets can lead to events or conditions in one country, region or financial market adversely impacting a different country, region or financial market. Thus, investors should closely monitor current market conditions to determine whether the Fund meets their individual financial needs and tolerance for risk.

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**• Credit Risk.** Credit risk is the risk that securities owned by the Fund will decline in value or the issuer of a security owned by the Fund will not be able to make interest or principal payments on the security when due because the issuer of the security experiences a decline in its financial circumstances. Certain investments may be exposed to the credit risk of the counterparties with whom the Fund deals. The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivatives contract or repurchase agreement, is unable or unwilling, or is perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as unable or unwilling, to make timely principal and/or interest payments, or to otherwise honor its obligations. The downgrade of the credit of a security held by the Fund may decrease its value. Securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which are often reflected in credit ratings. Measures such as average credit quality may not accurately reflect the true credit risk of the Fund. This is especially the case if the Fund consists of securities with widely varying credit ratings. Therefore, if the Fund has an average credit rating that suggests a certain credit quality, the Fund may in fact be subject to greater credit risk than the average would suggest. This risk is greater to the extent the Fund uses leverage or derivatives in connection with the management of the Fund.

**• Interest Rate Risk.** Rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. The value of longer-term securities generally changes more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, securities may exhibit additional volatility and may lose value. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, including market volatility, and may adversely affect the Fund's performance. A change in interest rates may be sudden and significant, with unpredictable effects on the financial markets and the Fund's investments and, the Fund's investments in certain variable-rate and fixed-rate debt securities may be adversely affected.

**• Prepayment Risk.** When interest rates decline, fixed income securities with stated interest rates may have their principal paid earlier than expected. This may result in the Fund having to reinvest that money at lower prevailing interest rates, which can reduce the returns of the Fund.

**• Structured Products Risks*.*** The Fund may invest in Structured Products, including CLOs, CDOs, CMOs, and other asset-backed securities and debt securitizations. Structured Products are subject to the normal interest rate, default and other risks associated with fixed-income securities and asset-backed securities. Additionally, the risks of an investment in a Structured Product depend largely on the type of the collateral securities and the class of the Structured Product or other asset-backed security in which the Fund invests. The Fund generally may have the right to receive payments only from the Structured Product, and generally does not have direct rights against the issuer or the entity that sold the underlying collateral assets. While certain Structured Products 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 Products generally pay their share of the Structured Product's administrative and other expenses. Although it is difficult to predict whether the prices of assets underlying Structured Products will rise or fall, these prices (and, therefore, the prices of Structured Products) 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 Product 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 short-term financing, which may adversely affect the value of the Structured Products owned by the Fund. Such collateral may be insufficient to meet payment obligations and the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default. Also, the class of the Structured Product may be subordinate to other classes, values may be volatile, and disputes with the issuer may produce unexpected investment results.

Structured Products are typically privately offered and sold, and thus, are not registered under the securities laws, which means less information about the security may be available as compared to publicly offered securities and only certain institutions may buy and sell them. As a result, investments in certain Structured Products or other asset-backed securities may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities. An active dealer market may exist for Structured Products that can be resold in Rule 144A transactions, but there can be no assurance that such a market will exist or will be active enough for a Fund to sell such securities. The Fund may invest in any tranche of a Structured Product, including the subordinated/equity tranches. If applicable accounting pronouncements or SEC staff guidance require the Fund to consolidate the Structured Product's financial statements with the Fund's financial statements, any debt issued by the Structured Product would be generally treated as if it were issued by the Fund for purposes of the asset coverage ratio applicable to the Fund. Further, there can be no assurance that a bankruptcy court, in the exercise of its broad equitable powers, would not order that the Fund's assets and liabilities be substantively consolidated with those of a Structured Product, rather than kept separate, and that creditors of the Structured Product would have claims against the consolidated bankruptcy estate (including the Fund's assets). If a Structured Product is not consolidated with the Fund, the Fund's interest in the Structured Product will be the value of its retained subordinated interest and the income allocated to it, which may be more or less than the cash the Fund received from the Structured Product, and none of the Structured Product's liabilities would be reflected as the Fund's liabilities. If the assets of a Structured Product are not consolidated with the Fund's assets and liabilities, then the leverage incurred by such Structured Product may or may not be treated as borrowings by the Fund for purposes applicable limitations on the Fund's ability to issue debt.

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In addition to the general risks associated with fixed-income securities discussed herein, Structured Products carry additional risks, including, but not limited to: (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 default, decline in value or quality or be downgraded by a rating agency; (iii) the possibility that the investments in Structured Products are subordinate to other classes or tranches thereof; (iv) the complex structure of the security may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes among investors or with the issuer or unexpected investment results; and (v) a forced "fire sale" liquidation may occur due to technical defaults such as coverage test failures.

The activities of the issuers of certain Structured Products, including bank debt securitizations, will generally be directed by a collateral manager. In the Fund's capacity as holder of interests in such a Structured Product, the Fund is generally not able to make decisions with respect to the management, disposition or other realization of any investment, or other decisions regarding the business and affairs, of the Structured Product. Consequently, the success of the securitizations in will depend, in part, on the financial and managerial expertise of the collateral manager. To the extent that an affiliate of the Adviser serves as the sponsor and/or collateral manager of a Structured Product in which the Fund invests, or the Adviser or its affiliates hold other interests in Structured Products in which the Fund invests, the Fund may be limited in its ability to participate in certain transactions with the Structured Product and may not be able to dispose of its interests in the Structured Product if no secondary market exists for the interests. Even if a secondary market exists, the Adviser or its affiliates at times may possess material non-public information that may restrict the Fund's ability to dispose of its interests in the Structured Product. The Fund does not currently contemplate making investments in any specific investments sponsored by the Adviser or an affiliate; however, to the extent the Fund does, it will do so only as permitted under the 1940 Act and the rules thereunder.

To the extent the Fund invests in the equity tranches of a Structured Product, such investments typically represent the first loss position, are unrated and are subject to greater risk. To the extent that any losses are incurred by the Structured Product in respect of any collateral, such losses will be borne first by the owners of the equity interests, which may include the Fund. Any equity interests that the Fund holds in a Structured Product will not be secured by the assets of the Structured Product or guaranteed by any party, and the Fund will rank behind all creditors of the Structured Product, including the holders of the secured notes issued by the Structured Product. Equity interests are typically subject to certain payment restrictions in the indenture governing the senior tranches. Accordingly, equity interests may not be paid in full, may be adversely impacted by defaults by a relatively small number of underlying assets held by the Structured Product and may be subject to up to 100% loss. Structured Products may be highly levered, and therefore equity interests may be subject to a higher risk of loss, including the potential for total loss. The market value of equity interests may be significantly affected by a variety of factors, including changes in interest rates, changes in the market value of the collateral held by the securitization, defaults and recoveries on that collateral and other risks associated with that collateral. The leveraged nature of equity interest is likely to magnify these impacts. Equity interests typically do not have a fixed coupon and payments on equity interests will be based on the income received from the underlying collateral and the payments made to the senior tranches, both of which may be based on floating rates. While the payments on equity interest will be variable, equity interests may not offer the same level of protection against changes in interest rates as other floating rate instruments. Equity interests are typically illiquid investments and subject to extensive transfer restrictions, and no party is under any obligation to make a market for equity interests. At times, there may be no market for equity interests, and the Fund may not be able to sell or otherwise transfer equity interests at their fair value, or at all, in the event that it determines to sell them.

**• Borrowing Risks and Leverage Risks.** Borrowing for investment purposes creates leverage, which will exaggerate the effect of any change in the value of securities in the Fund's portfolio on the Fund's net asset value ("NAV") and, therefore, may increase the volatility of the Fund. Money borrowed will be subject to interest and other costs (including commitment fees and/or the cost of maintaining minimum average balances). Unless the income and capital appreciation, if any, on securities acquired with borrowed funds exceed the cost of borrowing, the use of leverage will diminish the investment performance of the Fund. The Fund may borrow money through a credit facility or other arrangements for investment purposes, to satisfy Shareholder repurchase requests, and to provide the Fund with liquidity. The amount the Fund may borrow is limited by the provisions of Section 18 of the 1940 Act, which requires a fund to have net asset coverage of 300% of the amount of its indebtedness, including amounts borrowed. As a result, the value of the Fund's total indebtedness may not exceed one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets, including the value of the any assets purchased using the proceeds of the indebtedness.

**• Extension Risk.** An issuer could exercise its right to pay principal on an obligation held by the Fund (such as a mortgage-backed security) later than expected. This may happen when there is a rise in interest rates. Under these circumstances, the value of the obligation will decrease, and the Fund will also suffer from the inability to reinvest in higher yielding securities.

• **Concentration in Certain Mortgage-Backed Securities.** Concentration risk results from maintaining increased exposure to the performance of the residential and commercial mortgages held in the mortgage-backed securities in which the Fund will invest. The risk of concentrating in these types of investments is that the Fund will be more susceptible to the risks associated with mortgage-backed securities as discussed below, changes in lending standards,

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interest rates and lending rates, and the risks associated with the market's perception of issuers, the creditworthiness of the parties involved and investing in real estate securities.

**• U.S. Government Securities Risks.** Some obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies, instrumentalities or U.S. government sponsored enterprises ("GSEs"), including, for example, pass-through certificates issued by Ginnie Mae, are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury. Other obligations issued by or guaranteed by federal agencies or GSEs, such as securities issued by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase certain obligations of the federal agency or GSE, while other obligations issued by or guaranteed by federal agencies or GSEs, such as those of the Federal Home Loan Banks, are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. government securities held by the Fund may greatly exceed their current resources, including their legal right to support from the U.S. Treasury. It is possible that these issuers will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future.

• **Mortgage-Backed and Asset-Backed Securities Risks.** The price paid by the Fund for asset-backed securities, including CLOs, the yield the Fund expects to receive from such securities and the average life of such securities are based on a number of factors, including the anticipated rate of prepayment of the underlying assets. The value of these securities may be significantly affected by changes in lending standards, interest rates and lending rates, and the risks associated with the market's perception of issuers, the creditworthiness of the parties involved and investing in real estate securities. The foregoing risks or similar developments may adversely impact the default risk for the properties and loans underlying mortgage-backed securities investments, the value of and income generated by these investments, and could also result in reduced mortgage-backed securities liquidity.

The ability of the Fund to successfully utilize these instruments may depend on the ability of the Adviser to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These securities may have a structure that makes their reaction to interest rate changes and other factors difficult to predict, making their value highly volatile.

In addition to the risks associated with other asset-backed securities as described above, mortgage-backed securities are subject to the general risks associated with investing in real estate securities; that is, they may lose value if the value of the underlying real estate to which a pool of mortgages relates declines. In addition, mortgage-backed securities comprised of subprime mortgages and investments in other asset-backed securities collateralized by subprime loans may be subject to a higher degree of credit risk and valuation risk. Additionally, such securities may be subject to a higher degree of liquidity risk, because the liquidity of such investments may vary dramatically over time.

Mortgage-backed securities may be issued by governments or their agencies and instrumentalities, such as, in the United States, Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. They may also be issued by private issuers but represent an interest in or are collateralized by pass-through securities issued or guaranteed by a government or one of its agencies or instrumentalities. In addition, mortgage-backed securities may be issued by private issuers and be collateralized by securities without a government guarantee. Such securities usually have some form of private credit enhancement.

**• Unrated Securities Risks.** The Fund may purchase unrated securities which are not rated by a rating agency if the Adviser determines that the security is of comparable quality to a rated security that the Fund may purchase. Unrated securities may be less liquid than comparable rated securities and involve the risk that the Adviser may not accurately evaluate the security's comparative credit rating. Analysis of creditworthiness of issuers of high yield securities may be more complex than for issuers of higher-quality debt securities. To the extent that the Fund purchases unrated securities, the Fund's success in achieving its investment objective may depend more heavily on the Adviser's creditworthiness analysis than if the Fund invested exclusively in rated securities.

**• Residential Loans and Mortgages Risk.** The Fund may acquire residential loans and mortgages (including through participations, assignments and whole loans) from third-party mortgage originators. In addition to interest rate, default and other risks of fixed income securities, residential loans and mortgages carry additional risks, including the possibility

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that the quality of the collateral may decline in value and the potential for the liquidity of residential loans and mortgages to vary over time. In addition, in the event that a loan is foreclosed on, the Fund could become the owner (in whole or in part) of any collateral, which may include, among other things, real estate or other real or personal property, and the Fund would bear the costs and liabilities of owning, holding or disposing of such property. These risks are greater for subprime residential and mortgage loans.

The Fund may also experience difficulty disposing of loans, which do not trade in a liquid market and typically can only be sold to a limited universe of institutional investors. The absence of a liquid market for these instruments could adversely impact their value and may inhibit the Fund's ability to dispose of them at times when it would be desirable to do so, including in response to particular economic events, such as a deterioration in the creditworthiness of the borrower. Because they do not trade in a liquid market residential loans may also be difficult for the Fund to value.

Investing in loans may subject the Fund to greater levels of credit risk, call risk, settlement risk and liquidity risk than other types of fixed income instruments. Transactions involving loans may also involve greater costs than transactions involving more actively traded securities. In addition, a number of factors, including restrictions on transfers, irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods may make it more difficult for the Fund to acquire, dispose of or accurately price such instruments compared with other types of investments. As a result, the Fund may not be able to realize the full value for loans and there may be extended delays in the Fund's receipt of proceeds from the sale of a loan, which could adversely impact the Fund's performance. Because transactions in many loans are subject to extended trade settlement periods, proceeds from the sale of a loan may not be immediately available to the Fund. As a result, proceeds related to the sale of loans may not be available to make additional investments or to meet the Fund's share repurchase obligations for a period after the sale of the loans, and, as a result, the Fund may have to sell other investments or engage in borrowing transactions if necessary to raise cash to meet its obligations.

When acquiring residential loans, the Fund relies on third-party mortgage originators to originate mortgage loans that comply with applicable law. Mortgage loan originators and brokers are subject to strict and evolving consumer protection laws and other legal obligations with respect to the origination of residential mortgage loans. These laws may be highly subjective and open to interpretation and, as a result, a regulator or court may determine that that there has been a violation where an originator or servicer of mortgage loans reasonably believed that the law or requirement had been satisfied. Failure or alleged failure of originators or servicers to comply with these laws and regulations could subject the Fund, as an assignee or purchaser of these loans or securities backed by these loans, to, among other things, delays in foreclosure proceedings, increased litigation expenses, monetary penalties and defenses to foreclosure, including by recoupment or setoff of finance charges and fees collected, and in some cases could also result in rescission of the affected residential mortgage loans, which could adversely impact the Fund's business and financial results. While some of these laws may not explicitly hold the Fund responsible for the legal violations of these third parties, federal and state agencies and private litigants have increasingly sought to impose such liability. Various regulators and plaintiffs' lawyers have also sought to hold assignees of mortgage loans liable for the alleged violations of the originating lender under theories of express or implied assignee liability. Accordingly, the Fund may be subject to fines, penalties or civil liability based upon the conduct of the mortgage lenders that originated the mortgage loans the Fund holds.

Despite the Fund's efforts to manage credit risk related to the residential mortgage loans the Fund acquires, there are many aspects of credit risk that the Fund cannot control. The Fund's due diligence process may not be effective at preventing or limiting compliance violations or borrower delinquencies and defaults, and the loan servicing companies that service the mortgage loans may not comply with applicable servicing regulations or investor requirements. Prior to acquiring loans, the Fund will perform due diligence and the Fund will rely on resources and data available to it from the seller, which may be limited. The Fund's due diligence efforts may not detect matters that could lead to losses. If the Fund's due diligence processes are not adequate, and the Fund fails to detect certain loan defects or compliance issues related to origination, the Fund may incur losses. The Fund could also incur losses if a counterparty that sold the Fund a loan is unwilling or unable (*e.g.*, due to its financial condition) to repurchase that loan or asset or pay damages to the Fund if the Fund determines subsequent to purchase that one or more of the representations or warranties made to the Fund in connection with the sale was inaccurate. There may be less readily available information about loans and their underlying borrowers than is the case for other types of investments and issuers. In addition, because loans may not be considered "securities," investors in loans, such as the Fund, may not be entitled to rely on the anti-fraud protections of the federal securities laws, although they may be entitled to certain contractual remedies.

The mortgage loans that the Fund purchases, and in which the Fund directly and indirectly invests through RMBS, CMBS or other investments, may be concentrated in a specific state or states. Weak economic conditions in these locations or any other location (which may or may not affect real property values), may affect the ability of borrowers to repay their mortgage loans on time. Properties in certain jurisdictions may be more susceptible than homes located in other parts of the country to certain types of uninsurable hazards, such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, wildfires and other natural disasters. Declines in the residential real estate market of a particular jurisdiction may reduce the values of properties located in that jurisdiction, which would result in an increase in the loan-to-value ratios. Any increase in the market value of properties located in a particular jurisdiction would reduce the loan-to-value ratios of the mortgage loans

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and could, therefore, make alternative sources of financing available to the borrowers at lower interest rates, which could result in an increased rate of prepayment of the mortgage loans.

**• Management Risk.** The Fund is actively managed and its performance may reflect the Adviser's ability to make decisions which are suited to achieving the Fund's investment objective. Due to its active management, the Fund could underperform other funds with similar investment objectives.

**• Sector Risk.** To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.

**• Floating or Variable Rate Securities Risk.** Floating or variable rate securities pay interest at rates that adjust in response to changes in a specified interest rate or reset at predetermined dates (such as the end of a calendar quarter). Securities with floating or variable interest rates are generally less sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with fixed interest rates, but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as comparable market interest rates. Conversely, floating or variable rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. The impact of interest rate changes on floating or variable rate securities is typically mitigated by the periodic interest rate reset of the investments. Floating or variable rate securities can be rated below investment grade or unrated; therefore, the Fund relies heavily on the analytical ability of the Adviser. Lower-rated floating or variable rate securities are subject to many of the same risks as high yield securities, although these risks are reduced when the instruments are senior and secured as opposed to many high yield securities that are junior and unsecured. Floating or variable rate securities are often subject to restrictions on resale, which can result in reduced liquidity.

Instruments in which the Fund invests may pay interest at floating rates or may be subject to interest caps or floors tied to floating rates. The Fund and issuers of instruments in which the Fund invests may also obtain financing at floating rates. Derivative instruments utilized by the Fund and/or issuers of instruments in which the Fund may invest may also reference floating rates. The Fund also may utilize leverage or borrowings primarily based on floating rates, such as the Secured Overnight Financing Rate.

**• Liquidity and Valuation Risks.** It may be difficult for the Fund to purchase and sell particular investments within a reasonable time at a favorable price. The capacity of traditional fixed-income market makers has not kept pace with the consistent growth in the fixed-income markets in recent years, which has led to reductions in the capacity of such market makers to engage in fixed-income trading and, as a result, dealer inventories of corporate fixed-income and floating rate instruments are at or near historic lows relative to market size. These concerns may be more pronounced in the case of high yield fixed-income and floating rate instruments than higher quality fixed-income instruments. Market makers tend to provide stability and liquidity to debt-securities markets through their intermediary services, and their reduced capacity and number could lead to diminished liquidity and increased volatility in the fixed-income markets. In addition, the Fund's ability to sell an instrument under favorable conditions may also be negatively impacted by, among other things, the sale of the same or similar instruments by other market participants at the same time.

To the extent that there is not an established liquid market for instruments in which the Fund invests, or there is a reduced number or capacity of traditional market makers with respect to certain instruments, trading in such instruments may be relatively inactive or irregular. In addition, during periods of reduced market liquidity or market turmoil, or in the absence of readily accessible market quotations for an investment in the Fund's portfolio, the ability of the Fund to assign an accurate daily value to that investment may be limited and the Adviser, on behalf of the Fund, may be required to perform a fair valuation of the instrument. Fair value determinations are inherently subjective and reflect good faith judgments based on available information. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the determination of an instrument's fair value, conducted in accordance with the valuation procedures, will in fact approximate the price at which the Fund could sell that instrument at the time of the fair valuation. The Fund relies on various sources of information to value investments and calculate NAV. The Fund may obtain pricing information from third parties that are believed to be reliable. In certain cases, this information may be unavailable or this information may be inaccurate because of errors by the third parties, technological issues, absence of current or reliable market data or otherwise, which could impact the Fund's ability to accurately value its investments or calculate its NAV.

Investors who purchase shares of the Fund on, or whose repurchase requests are valued on, days when the Fund is holding instruments that have been fair valued may receive fewer or more shares or lower or higher repurchase proceeds than they would have received if the instruments had not been fair valued or if an alternative valuation methodology had been employed. Such risks may be more pronounced in a rising interest rate environment, and, to the extent the Fund holds a significant percentage of fair valued or otherwise difficult to value securities, it may be particularly susceptible to the risks associated with valuation. For additional information about valuation determinations, see "Determination of Net Asset Value" below. Portions of the Fund's portfolio that are fair valued or difficult to value vary from time to time. The Fund's shareholder reports contain detailed information about the Fund's holdings that are fair valued or difficult to value, including values of such holdings as of the dates of the reports.

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**• Rating Agencies Risk.** Rating agencies may fail to make timely changes in credit ratings and an issuer's current financial condition may be better or worse than a rating indicates. In addition, rating agencies are subject to an inherent conflict of interest because they are often compensated by the same issuers whose securities they grade.

**• Distressed and Defaulted Investments Risk.** Investments in obligations of financially distressed obligors involve substantial risks. These obligations 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. To the extent the Fund invests in mortgage loans that are in default, the Fund may not be able to repossess and sell the underlying properties in a timely manner. The resulting time delay could reduce the value of the investment in the defaulted mortgage loans. In any reorganization or liquidation proceeding relating to an obligor, 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 obligor is the fact that it frequently may be difficult to obtain information as to the obligor's true financial condition. The Adviser's judgment about the credit quality of an obligor and the relative value and liquidity of its investments may prove to be wrong.

**• Illiquid Securities Risks.** It is expected that a substantial portion of the securities and instruments in which the Fund invests will not trade on any exchange and will be illiquid. The Fund may also invest in restricted securities. Investments in restricted securities could have the effect of increasing the amount of the Fund's assets invested in illiquid securities if qualified institutional buyers are unwilling to purchase these securities.

Illiquid and restricted securities may be difficult to dispose of at a fair price at the times when the Fund believes it is desirable to do so. The market price of illiquid and restricted securities generally is more volatile than that of more liquid securities, which may adversely affect the price that the Fund pays for or recovers upon the sale of such securities. Illiquid and restricted securities are also more difficult to value, especially in challenging markets. The Adviser's judgment may play a greater role in the valuation process. Investment of the Fund's assets in illiquid and restricted securities may restrict the Fund's ability to take advantage of market opportunities. To dispose of an unregistered security, the Fund, where it has contractual rights to do so, may have to cause such security to be registered. A considerable period may elapse between the time the decision is made to sell the security and the time the security is registered, thereby enabling the Fund to sell it. Contractual restrictions on the resale of securities vary in length and scope and are generally the result of a negotiation between the issuer and acquiror of the securities. In either case, the Fund would bear market risks during that period. Liquidity risk may impact the Fund's ability to meet shareholder repurchase requests and as a result, the Fund may be forced to sell securities at inopportune prices.

Certain fixed-income instruments are not readily marketable and may be subject to restrictions on resale. Fixed-income instruments may not be listed on any national securities exchange and no active trading market may exist for certain of the fixed-income instruments in which the Fund will invest. Where a secondary market exists, the market for some fixed-income instruments may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods. In addition, dealer inventories of certain securities are at historic lows in relation to market size, which indicates a potential for reduced liquidity as dealers may be less able to "make markets" for certain fixed-income securities.

Certain Structured Products may be thinly traded or have a limited trading market. Structured Products are typically privately offered and sold, and thus, are not registered under the securities laws, which means less information about the security may be available as compared to publicly offered securities and only certain institutions may buy and sell them. As a result, investments in Structured Products may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities.

**• Regulatory and Legal Risks.** U.S. and non-U.S. government agencies and other regulators regularly adopt new regulations and legislatures enact new statutes that affect the investments held by the Fund, the strategies used by the Fund or the level of regulation or taxation that applies to the Fund. These statutes and regulations may impact the investment strategies, performance, costs and operations of the Fund or the taxation of its shareholders.

**• International Securities Risks*.*** Certain foreign countries may impose exchange control regulations, restrictions on repatriation of profit on investments or of capital invested, local taxes on investments, and restrictions on the ability of issuers of non-U.S. securities to make payments of principal and interest to investors located outside the country, whether from currency blockage or otherwise. In addition, the Fund will be subject to risks associated with adverse political and economic developments in foreign countries, including seizure or nationalization of foreign deposits, the imposition of economic sanctions or other similar measures, different legal systems and laws relating to bankruptcy and creditors' rights and the potential inability to enforce legal judgments, all of which could cause the Fund to lose money on its investments in non-U.S. securities. The type and severity of sanctions and other similar measures, including counter sanctions and other retaliatory actions, that may be imposed could vary broadly in scope, and their impact is difficult to ascertain. These types of measures may include, but are not limited to, banning a sanctioned country or certain persons or entities associated with such country from global payment systems that facilitate cross-border payments, restricting the settlement of securities transactions by certain investors, and freezing the assets of particular countries, entities or persons. The imposition of sanctions and other similar measures could, among other things, result in a decline in the value and/or liquidity of securities issued by the sanctioned country or companies located in or

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economically tied to the sanctioned country, downgrades in the credit ratings of the sanctioned country's securities or those of companies located in or economically tied to the sanctioned country, currency devaluation or volatility, and increased market volatility and disruption in the sanctioned country and throughout the world. Sanctions and other similar measures could directly or indirectly limit or prevent the Fund from buying and selling securities (in the sanctioned country and other markets), significantly delay or prevent the settlement of securities transactions, and adversely impact the Fund's liquidity and performance. 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. Because non-U.S. securities may trade on days when the Fund's shares are not priced, NAV may change at times when the Fund's shares cannot be sold.

Foreign banks and securities depositories at which the Fund holds its international securities and cash may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business and may be subject to only limited or no regulatory oversight. Additionally, many foreign governments do not supervise and regulate stock exchanges, brokers and the sale of securities to the same extent as does the United States and may not have laws to protect investors that are comparable to U.S. securities laws. Settlement and clearance procedures in certain foreign markets may result in delays in payment for or delivery of securities not typically associated with settlement and clearance of U.S. investments.

Less information may be publicly available with respect to foreign issuers than is available with respect to U.S. companies. Accounting standards in non-U.S. countries may differ from U.S. accounting standards. If the accounting standards in another country do not require as much detail as U.S. accounting standards, it may be more difficult to completely and accurately assess a company's financial condition.

The volume of transactions on foreign stock exchanges is generally lower than the volume of transactions on U.S. exchanges. Therefore, the market for securities that trade on foreign stock exchanges may be less liquid and their prices may be more volatile than securities that trade on U.S. securities. In recent years, the European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns in, or rising government debt levels of, several European countries. These events may spread to other countries in Europe, including countries that do not use the Euro. These events may affect the value and liquidity of certain of the Fund's investments.

**• Foreign Currency Risks.** Investments made by the Fund, and the income received by the Fund with respect to such investments, may be denominated in various non-U.S. currencies. However, the books of the Fund are maintained in U.S. dollars. The Adviser 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. The Fund may incur costs in connection with the conversions between various currencies. In addition, certain countries may impose foreign currency exchange controls or other restrictions on the repatriation, transferability or convertibility of currency.

A forward foreign currency contract is a negotiated agreement between two parties to exchange specified amounts of two or more currencies at a specified future time at a specified rate. The rate specified by the forward contract can be higher or lower than the spot rate between the currencies that are the subject of the contract. Currency futures are similar to currency forward contracts, except that they are traded on an exchange and standardized as to contract size and delivery date. Most currency futures call for payment or delivery in U.S. dollars. Unanticipated changes in currency prices may result in losses to the Fund and poorer overall performance for the Fund than if it had not entered into currency forward or futures contracts. The Fund may enter into forward or futures contracts under various circumstances, including for hedging purposes.

**• High-Yield Securities Risks.** Below investment grade instruments are commonly referred to as "junk" or high-yield instruments and are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's capacity to pay interest and repay principal. Lower grade instruments may be particularly susceptible to economic downturns. It is likely that a prolonged or deepening economic recession could adversely affect the ability of the issuers of such instruments to repay principal and pay interest thereon, increase the incidence of default for such instruments and severely disrupt the market value of such instruments.

Lower grade instruments, though higher yielding, are characterized by higher risk. The retail secondary market for lower grade instruments, which are often thinly traded or subject to irregular trading, may be less liquid than that for higher rated instruments. Such instruments can be more difficult to sell and to value than higher rated instruments because there is generally less public information available about such securities. As a result, subjective judgment may play a greater role in valuing such instruments. Adverse conditions could make it difficult at times for the Fund to sell certain instruments 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 instruments, investors could lose money on their investment in the Fund, both in the short-term and the long-term.

**• Financials Sector Risk.** Companies in the group of industries related to banks and diversified financials are often subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of capital they must maintain. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the group of industries related to banks and

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diversified financials, including effects not intended by such regulation. The impact of recent or future regulation in various countries on any individual financial company or on the industries as a whole cannot be predicted.

Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the group of industries related to banks and diversified financials more severely than those of investments outside these industries, including the risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage. Companies in the group of industries related to banks and diversified financials may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the availability of money or asset valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets.

Insurance companies are subject to extensive government regulation in some countries and can be significantly affected by changes in interest rates, general economic conditions, price and marketing competition, the imposition of premium rate caps, or other changes in government regulation or tax law. Different segments of the insurance industry can be significantly affected by mortality and morbidity rates, environmental clean-up costs and catastrophic events such as earthquakes, hurricanes and terrorist acts.

During the financial crisis that began in 2007, the deterioration of the credit markets impacted a broad range of mortgage, asset-backed, auction rate, sovereign debt and other markets, including U.S. and non-U.S. credit and interbank money markets, thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets. A number of large financial institutions failed during that time, merged with stronger institutions or had significant government infusions of capital. Instability in the financial markets caused certain financial companies to incur large losses. Some financial companies experienced declines in the valuations of their assets, took actions to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity securities), or even ceased operations. Some financial companies borrowed significant amounts of capital from government sources and may face future government-imposed restrictions on their businesses or increased government intervention. Those actions caused the securities of many financial companies to decline in value.

The group of industries related to banks and diversified financials is also a target for cyber attacks and may experience technology malfunctions and disruptions. In recent years, cyber attacks and technology failures have become increasingly frequent and have caused significant losses.

Risks specific to the banks and diversified financials group of industries also may include:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;◦ *Asset Quality and Credit Risk.* When financial institutions loan money, commit to loan money or enter into a letter of credit or other contract with a counterparty, they incur credit risk, or the risk of losses if their borrowers do not repay their loans or their counterparties fail to perform according to the terms of their contract. The companies in which the Fund will invest offer a number of products which expose them to credit risk, including loans, leases and lending commitments, derivatives, trading account assets and assets held-for-sale. Financial institutions allow for and create loss reserves against credit risks based on an assessment of credit losses inherent in their credit exposure (including unfunded credit commitments). This process, which is critical to their financial results and condition, requires difficult, subjective and complex judgments, including forecasts of economic conditions and how these economic predictions might impair the ability of their borrowers to repay their loans. As is the case with any such assessments, there is always the chance that the financial institutions in which the Fund invests will fail to identify the proper factors or that they will fail to accurately estimate the impacts of factors that they identify. Failure to identify credit risk factors or the impact of credit factors may result in increased non-performing assets, which will result in increased loss reserve provisioning and reduction in earnings. Poor asset quality can also affect earnings through reduced interest income which can impair a bank's ability to service debt obligations or to generate sufficient income for equity holders. Bank failure may result due to inadequate loss reserves, inadequate capital to sustain credit losses or reduced earnings due to non-performing assets. The Fund will not have control over the asset quality of the financial institutions in which the Fund will invest, and these institutions may experience substantial increases in the level of their non-performing assets which may have a material adverse impact on the Fund's investments.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;◦ *Capital Risk.* A bank's capital position is extremely important to its overall financial condition and serves as a cushion against losses. U.S. banking regulators have established specific capital requirements for regulated banks. Federal banking regulators proposed amended regulatory capital regulations in response to the Dodd-Frank Act and the international capital and liquidity requirements set forth by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision ("Basel III") protocols which would impose even more stringent capital requirements. In the event that a regulated bank falls below certain capital adequacy standards, it may become subject to regulatory intervention including, but not limited to, being placed into a FDIC-administered receivership or conservatorship. The regulatory provisions under which the regulatory authorities act are intended to protect depositors. The deposit insurance fund and the banking system are not intended to protect shareholders or other investors in other securities issued by a bank or its holding company. The effect of inadequate capital can have a potentially adverse consequence on the institution's financial condition, its ability to operate as a going concern and its ability to operate as a regulated financial institution and may have a material adverse impact on the Fund's investments.

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;◦ *Earnings Risk.* Earnings are the primary means for financial institutions to generate capital to support asset growth, to provide for loan losses and to support their ability to pay dividends to shareholders. The quantity as well as the quality of earnings can be affected by excessive or inadequately managed credit risk that may result in losses and require additions to loss reserves, or by high levels of market risk that may unduly expose an institution's earnings to volatility in interest rates. The quality of earnings may also be diminished by undue reliance on extraordinary gains, nonrecurring events, or favorable tax effects. Future earnings may be adversely affected by an inability to forecast or control funding and operating expenses, net interest margin compression improperly executed or ill-advised business strategies, or poorly managed or uncontrolled exposure to other risks. Deficient earnings can result in inadequate capital resources to support asset growth or insufficient cash flow to meet the financial institution's near term obligations. Under certain circumstances, this may result in the financial institution being required to suspend operations or the imposition of a cease-and-desist order by regulators which could potentially impair the Fund's investments.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;*◦ Management Risk.* The ability of management to identify, measure, monitor and control the risks of an institution's activities and to ensure a financial institution's safe, sound and efficient operation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations are critical. Depending on the nature and scope of an institution's activities, management practices may need to address some or all of the following risks: credit, market, operating, reputation, strategic, compliance, legal, liquidity and other risks. The Fund will not have direct or indirect control over the management of the financial institutions in which the Fund will invest and the management teams and their policies may change. The inability of management to operate their financial institution in a safe, sound and efficient manner in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, or changes in management of financial institutions in which the Fund invests, may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investment.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;*◦ Litigation Risk.* Financial institutions face significant legal risks in their businesses, and the volume of claims and amount of damages and penalties claimed in litigation and regulatory proceedings against financial institutions remain high. Substantial legal liability or significant regulatory action against the companies in which the Fund invests could have material adverse financial effects or cause significant reputational harm to these companies, which in turn could seriously harm their business prospects. Legal liability or regulatory action against the companies in which the Fund invests could have material adverse financial effects on the Fund and adversely affect the Fund's earnings and book value.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;◦ *Market Risk.* The financial institutions in which the Fund will invest are directly and indirectly affected by changes in market conditions. Market risk generally represents the risk that values of assets and liabilities or revenues will be adversely affected by changes in market conditions. Market risk is inherent in the financial instruments associated with the operations and activities including loans, deposits, securities, short-term borrowings, long-term debt, trading account assets and liabilities and derivatives of the financial institutions in which the Fund will invest. Market risk includes, but is not limited to, fluctuations in interest rates, equity and futures prices, changes in the implied volatility of interest rates, equity and futures prices and price deterioration or changes in value due to changes in market perception or actual credit quality of the issuer. Accordingly, depending on the instruments or activities impacted, market risks can have wide ranging, complex adverse effects on the operations and overall financial condition of the financial institutions in which the Fund will invest as well as adverse effects on the Fund's results from operations and overall financial condition.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;◦ *Monetary Policy Risk.* Monetary policies have had, and will continue to have, significant effects on the operations and results of financial institutions. There can be no assurance that a particular financial institution will not experience a material adverse effect on its net interest income in a changing interest rate environment. Factors such as the liquidity of the global financial markets, and the availability and cost of credit may significantly affect the activity levels of customers with respect to the size, number and timing of transactions. Fluctuation in interest rates, which affect the value of assets and the cost of funding liabilities, are not predictable or controllable, may vary and may impact economic activity in various regions.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;◦ *Competition.* The group of industries related to banks and diversified financials, including the banking sector, is extremely competitive, and it is expected that the competitive pressures will increase. Merger activity in the financial services industry has resulted in and is expected to continue to result in, larger institutions with greater financial and other resources that are capable of offering a wider array of financial products and services. The group of industries related to banks and diversified financials has become considerably more concentrated as numerous financial institutions have been acquired by or merged into other institutions. The majority of financial institutions in which the Fund will invest will be relatively small with significantly fewer resources and capabilities than larger institutions; this size differential puts them at a competitive disadvantage in terms of product offering and access to capital. Technological advances and the growth of e-commerce have made it possible for non-financial institutions and non-bank financial institutions to offer products and services that have traditionally been offered by banking and other financial institutions. It is expected that the cross-industry

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competition and inter-industry competition will continue to intensify and may be adverse to the financial institutions in which the Fund invests.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;◦ *Regulatory Risk.* Financial institutions, including community banks, are subject to various state and federal banking regulations that impact how they conduct business, including but not limited to how they obtain funding, their ability to operate and the value of the Fund's investments. Changes to these regulations could have an adverse effect on their operations and operating results and the Fund's investments. The Fund expects to make investments in financial institutions that are subject to various state and federal regulations and oversight. Congress, state legislatures and the various bank regulatory agencies frequently introduce proposals to change the laws and regulations governing the banking industry in response to the Dodd-Frank Act, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the "CFPB") rulemaking or otherwise. The likelihood and timing of any proposals or legislation and the impact they might have on the Fund's investments in financial institutions affected by such changes cannot be determined and any such changes may be adverse to the Fund's investments. Ownership of the stock of certain types of regulated banking institutions may subject the Fund to additional regulations. Investments in banking institutions and transactions related to the Fund's investments may require approval from one or more regulatory authorities. If the Fund were deemed to be a bank holding company or thrift holding company, bank holding companies or thrift holding companies that invest in the Fund would be subject to certain restrictions and regulations. To the extent the Fund invests in brokers, dealers or registered investment advisers, it will do so in compliance with Rule 12d3-1 under the 1940 Act and applicable SEC interpretive positions and guidance thereunder.

**• Reverse Repurchase Agreement Risks.** A reverse repurchase agreement is the sale by the Fund of a debt obligation to a party for a specified price, with the simultaneous agreement by the Fund to repurchase that debt obligation from that party on a future date at a higher price. Similar to borrowing, reverse repurchase agreements provide the Fund with cash for investment purposes, which creates leverage and subjects the Fund to the risks of leverage, including increased volatility. Reverse repurchase agreements also involve the risk that the other party may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could lose money if it is unable to recover the securities and the value of collateral held by the Fund, including the value of the investments made with cash collateral, is less than the value of securities. Reverse repurchase agreements also create Fund expenses and require that the Fund have sufficient cash available to purchase the debt obligations when required. Reverse repurchase agreements also involve the risk that the market value of the debt obligation that is the subject of the reverse repurchase agreement could decline significantly below the price at which the Fund is obligated to repurchase the security.

In the event the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, the Fund's use of the proceeds from the sale of the securities may be restricted pending a determination by the other party, or its trustee or receiver, whether to enforce the Fund's obligations to repurchase the securities. Reverse repurchase agreements are a form of leverage which also may increase the volatility of the Fund.

**• Derivatives Risks*.*** The Fund's derivatives and other similar instruments (collectively referred to in this section as "derivatives" or "derivative investments") have risks similar to their underlying assets and may have additional risks, including leverage, market, counterparty, liquidity, operational, and legal risks. They also involve the risk of imperfect correlation between the value of such instruments and the underlying instrument, rate or index, which creates the possibility that the loss on such instruments may be greater than the gain in the value of the underlying instrument, rate or index; the loss of principal; the possible default of the other party to the transaction; illiquidity of the derivative investments; risks arising from margin requirements; and risks arising from mispricing or valuation complexity. If a counterparty becomes bankrupt or otherwise fails to perform its obligations under a derivative contract due to financial difficulties, the Fund may experience significant delays in obtaining any recovery under the derivative contract in a bankruptcy or other reorganization proceeding, or may not recover at all. In addition, in the event of the insolvency of a counterparty to a derivative transaction, the derivative contract would typically be terminated at its fair market value. If the Fund is owed this fair market value in the termination of the derivative contract and its claim is unsecured, the Fund will be treated as a general creditor of such counterparty, and will not have any claim with respect to the underlying instrument. Certain of the derivative investments in which the Fund may invest may, in certain circumstances, give rise to a form of financial leverage, which may magnify the risk of owning such instruments. The ability to successfully use derivative investments depends on the ability of the Adviser to predict pertinent market movements, which cannot be assured. In addition, amounts paid by the Fund as premiums and cash or other assets held in margin accounts with respect to the Fund's derivative investments would not be available to the Fund for other investment purposes, which may result in lost opportunities for gain.

Regulation of the derivatives market presents additional risks to the Fund and may limit the ability of the Fund to use, and the availability or performance of, such instruments. Pursuant to Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act, a fund's derivatives exposure is limited through a value-at-risk ("VaR") test and requires the adoption and implementation of a derivatives risk management program for certain derivatives users. However, subject to certain conditions, funds that do not invest heavily in derivatives may be deemed limited derivatives users (as defined in Rule 18f-4) and are not subject to the full requirements of Rule 18f-4. In connection with the adoption of Rule 18f-4, the SEC also eliminated the asset segregation

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and cover framework arising from prior SEC guidance for covering derivatives and certain financial instruments When the Fund trades reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions, including certain tender option bonds, it needs to aggregate the amount of indebtedness associated with the reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions with the aggregate amount of any other senior securities representing indebtedness (*e.g.*, bank borrowings, if applicable) when calculating the Fund's asset coverage ratio or treat all such transactions as derivatives transactions. Reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions aggregated with other indebtedness do not need to be included in the calculation of whether a fund satisfies the limited derivatives users exception, but for funds subject to the VaR testing requirement, reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions must be included for purposes of such testing whether treated as derivatives transactions or not. In addition, Rule 18f-4 could limit the Fund's ability to engage in certain derivatives and other transactions and/or increase the costs of such transactions.

The derivative instruments and techniques that the Fund may principally use include:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;◦ *Futures.* A futures contract is a standardized agreement to buy or sell a specific quantity of an underlying instrument at a specific price at a specific future time. The value of a futures contract tends to increase and decrease in tandem with the value of the underlying instrument. Depending on the terms of the particular contract, futures contracts are settled through either physical delivery of the underlying instrument on the settlement date or by payment of a cash settlement amount on the settlement date. A decision as to whether, when and how to use futures involves the exercise of skill and judgment and even a well-conceived futures transaction may be unsuccessful because of market behavior or unexpected events. In addition to the derivatives risks discussed above, the prices of futures can be highly volatile, using futures can lower total return, and the potential loss from futures can exceed the Fund's initial investment in such contracts.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;◦ *Options*. If the Fund buys an option, it buys a legal contract giving it the right to buy or sell a specific amount of the underlying instrument or futures contract on the underlying instrument at an agreed-upon price typically in exchange for a premium paid by the Fund. If the Fund sells an option, it sells to another person the right to buy from or sell to the Fund a specific amount of the underlying instrument or futures contract on the underlying instrument at an agreed-upon price typically in exchange for a premium received by the Fund. A decision as to whether, when and how to use options involves the exercise of skill and judgment and even a well-conceived option transaction may be unsuccessful because of market behavior or unexpected events. The prices of options can be highly volatile and the use of options can lower total returns.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;◦ *Swaps.* A swap contract is an agreement between two parties pursuant to which the parties exchange payments at specified dates on the basis of a specified notional amount, with the payments calculated by reference to specified securities, indexes, reference rates, currencies or other instruments. Most swap agreements provide that when the period payment dates for both parties are the same, the payments are made on a net basis (*i.e.*, the two payment streams are netted out, with only the net amount paid by one party to the other). The Fund's obligations or rights under a swap contract entered into on a net basis 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 counterparty. Swap agreements are particularly subject to counterparty credit, liquidity, valuation, correlation, leverage, and operational and legal risk. Certain standardized swaps are now subject to mandatory central clearing requirements and are required to be exchange-traded. While central clearing and exchange-trading are intended to reduce counterparty and liquidity risk, they do not make swap transactions risk-free. Swaps could result in losses if interest rate or foreign currency exchange rates or credit quality changes are not correctly anticipated by the Fund or if the reference index, security or investments do not perform as expected. The Fund's use of swaps may include those based on the credit of an underlying instrument, commonly referred to as "credit default swaps." Where the Fund is the buyer of a credit default swap contract, it would be entitled to receive the par (or other agreed-upon) value of a referenced debt obligation from the counterparty to the contract only in the event of a default or similar event by a third party on the debt obligation. If no default occurs, the Fund would have paid to the counterparty a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract and received no benefit from the contract. When the Fund is the seller of a credit default swap contract, it receives the stream of payments but is obligated to pay an amount equal to the par (or other agreed-upon) value of a referenced debt obligation upon the default or similar event of that obligation. The use of credit default swaps can result in losses if the Fund's assumptions regarding the creditworthiness of the underlying obligation prove to be incorrect. Periodically, the CFTC and exchanges change the position limits to which futures, options on futures and some swaps are subject. To the extent these contracts are traded, the Fund may be constrained by how many contracts it may trade. For example, in October 2020 the CFTC adopted amendments to its position limits rules that establish certain new and amended position limits for 25 specified physical commodity futures and related options contracts traded on exchanges, other futures contracts and related options directly or indirectly linked to such 25 specified contracts, and any over the counter transactions that are economically equivalent to the 25 specified contracts.

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**• RIC-Related Risks of Investments Generating Non-Cash Taxable Income.** Certain of the Fund's investments, particularly, debt obligations that will be treated as having "market discount" and/or OID for U.S. federal income tax purposes and certain CLOs that may be considered passive foreign investment companies or controlled foreign corporations, will require the Fund to recognize taxable income in a taxable year in excess of the cash generated on those investments during that year. In particular, the Fund expects to invest in debt obligations that will be treated as having "market discount" and/or OID for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Additionally, some of the CLOs in which the Fund invests may be considered passive foreign investment companies, or under certain circumstances, controlled foreign corporations. Because the Fund may be required to recognize income in respect of these investments before, or without receiving, cash representing such income, the Fund may have difficulty satisfying the annual distribution requirements applicable to RICs and avoiding Fund-level U.S. federal income and/or excise taxes. Accordingly, the Fund may be required to sell assets, including at potentially disadvantageous times or prices, raise additional debt or equity capital, make taxable distributions of its shares or debt securities, or reduce new investments, to obtain the cash needed to make these income distributions. If the Fund liquidates assets to raise cash, the Fund may realize gain or loss on such liquidations; in the event the Fund realizes net capital gains from such liquidation transactions, the Fund shareholders may receive larger capital gain distributions than they would in the absence of such transactions.

**• Risks Relating to the Fund's RIC Status.** To qualify and remain eligible for the special tax treatment accorded to a RIC and its shareholders under the Code, the Fund must meet certain source-of-income, asset diversification and annual distribution requirements. Very generally, to qualify as a RIC, the Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income for each taxable year from dividends, interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, net income from certain publicly traded partnerships or other income derived with respect to its business of investing in stock or other securities. The Fund must also meet certain asset diversification requirements at the end of each quarter of each of its taxable years. Failure to meet these diversification requirements on the last day of a quarter may result in the Fund having to dispose of certain investments quickly to prevent the loss of RIC status. Any such dispositions could be made at disadvantageous prices or times, and may result in substantial losses to the Fund. In addition, to be eligible for the special tax treatment accorded RICs, the Fund must meet the annual distribution requirement, requiring it to distribute with respect to each taxable year an amount at least equal to 90% of the sum of its "investment company taxable income" (generally its taxable ordinary income and realized net short-term capital gains in excess of realized net long-term capital losses, if any, and determined without regard to any deduction for dividends paid) and its net tax-exempt income (if any), to its shareholders. If the Fund fails to qualify as a RIC for any reason and becomes subject to corporate tax, the resulting corporate taxes could substantially reduce its net assets, the amount of income available for distribution and the amount of its distributions. Such a failure would have a material adverse effect on the Fund and its shareholders. In addition, the Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest and make substantial distributions to re-qualify as a RIC.

**• Conflicts of Interest Risk.** There are significant and potential conflicts of interest that could impact the Fund's investment returns, including the potential for portfolio managers to devote unequal time and attention to the management of the Fund and any other accounts managed; identify a limited investment opportunity that may be suitable for more than one client; and acquire material non-public information or otherwise be restricted from trading in certain potential investments. While the Fund generally may not purchase Structured Products sponsored by the Adviser or its affiliates directly from the issuer thereof, the Fund may, under certain circumstances, purchase Structured Products sponsored by the Adviser or its affiliates from third parties in secondary market transactions. The Fund does not currently contemplate making investments in any specific investments sponsored by the Adviser or an affiliate; however, to the extent the Fund does, it will do so only as permitted under the 1940 Act and the rules thereunder. To the extent that the Fund holds Structured Products sponsored by the Adviser or its affiliates, or holds Structured Products in which the Adviser or its affiliates also hold interests, certain conflicts of interest may arise. The Fund may be limited in its ability to participate in certain transactions with the Structured Product and may not be able to dispose of its interests in the Structured Product if no secondary market exists for the interests. Even if a secondary market exists, the Adviser or its affiliates at times may possess material non-public information that may restrict the Fund's ability to dispose of its interests in the Structured Product.

**• Repurchase Offers Risks.** As described under "Share Repurchase Program," 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 Shares at NAV, pursuant to Rule 23c-3 under the 1940 Act. The Fund believes that these repurchase offers are generally beneficial to the Fund's Shareholders, and repurchases generally will be funded from available cash or sales of portfolio securities. 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 or to achieve its investment objective. 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

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Fund expenses and reducing any net investment income. 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 quarter, thereby increasing the likelihood that proration will occur. 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 "Share Repurchase Program."

**• Distributions Risk.** The Fund's distributions may include a return of capital, thus reducing a shareholder's cost basis in his or her Fund Shares and reducing the amount of capital available to the Fund for investment and likely increasing the Fund's expense ratio. A shareholder who receives a capital distribution may be subject to tax even though the shareholder has experienced a net loss on his or her investment in the Fund. Any capital returned to Shareholders through distributions will be distributed after the payment of fees and expenses. Shareholders who periodically receive payment of a distribution consisting of a return of capital may be under the impression that they are receiving net income or profits when they are not. A return of capital to shareholders is a return of a portion of their original investment in the Fund. Shareholders should not assume that the source of a distribution from the Fund is net income or profit.

**• Uncertain Tax Treatment.** The Fund may invest a portion of its net assets in below investment grade instruments. Investments in these types of instruments and certain other investments 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 accruing interest, OID or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless instruments, how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income and whether exchanges of debt obligations in a bankruptcy or workout context are taxable. Although the Fund will seek to address these and other issues to the extent necessary to seek to ensure that it distributes sufficient income that it does not become subject to U.S. federal income or excise tax, no assurances can be given that the Fund will not be adversely affected as a result of such issues.

**• Non-Fundamental Policies Risk.** The Fund's non-fundamental policies (including its policy to invest under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in credit-related instruments) may be changed by a vote of the Board without the approval of shareholders. In the event of such a change, you may hold an investment with a strategy you did not anticipate, with limited means by which to dispose of your investment in a timely manner.

**• Non-Listed Closed-end Interval Fund; Liquidity Risks.** The Fund is a diversified, closed-end management investment company structured as an "interval fund" and designed primarily for long-term investors. Closed-end funds differ from open-end management investment companies (commonly known as mutual funds) because investors in a closed-end fund do not have the right to redeem their shares on a daily basis. Unlike most closed-end funds, which typically list their shares on a securities exchange, the Fund does not currently intend to list the Shares for trading on any securities exchange, and the Fund does not expect any secondary market to develop for the Shares in the foreseeable future. Therefore, an investment in the Fund, unlike an investment in a typical closed-end fund, is not a liquid investment. The Fund is not intended to be a typical traded investment. Although the Fund, as a fundamental policy, will make quarterly offers to repurchase at least 5% and up to 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 not all of your Shares tendered in that offer will be repurchased. In connection with any given repurchase offer, it is possible 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 or in the amount that you desire.

**• Risk of Not Being Treated as a "Publicly Offered Regulated Investment Company".** The Fund will be treated as a "publicly offered regulated investment company" (within the meaning of Section 67 of the Code) if either (i) shares of the Fund's common stock and preferred stock (if any) collectively are held by at least 500 persons at all times during a taxable year, (ii) shares of the Fund's common stock are treated as regularly traded on an established securities market or (iii) shares of the Fund's common stock are continuously offered pursuant to a public offering (within the meaning of Section 4 of the Securities Act). 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 calendar year, each U.S. shareholder that is an individual, trust or estate will be treated as having received a dividend from the Fund in the amount of such U.S. shareholder's allocable share of the management fees and certain of the Fund's other expenses for the calendar year, and these fees and expenses will be treated as miscellaneous itemized deductions of such U.S. shareholder. Miscellaneous itemized deductions generally are not deductible by a U.S. shareholder that is an individual, trust or estate.

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**• Subordinated Debt, Senior Debt and Preferred Securities of Banks and Diversified Financials Companies Risk.** Banks may issue subordinated debt securities, which have a lower priority to full payment behind other more senior debt securities. This means, for example, that if the issuing bank were to become insolvent, subordinated debt holders may not receive a full return of their principal because the bank would have to satisfy the claims of senior debt holders first.

In addition to the risks generally associated with fixed income instruments (*e.g.*, interest rate risk, counterparty risk, credit risk, etc.), bank subordinated debt is also subject to risks inherent to banks. Because banks are highly regulated and operate in a highly competitive environment, it may be difficult for a bank to meet its debt obligations. Banks also may be affected by changes in legislation and regulations applicable to the financial markets. Bank subordinated debt is often issued by smaller community banks that may be overly concentrated in a specific geographic region, lack the capacity to comply with new regulatory requirements or lack adequate capital. Some preferred securities allow the issuer to convert its preferred stock into common stock, these preferred securities are often sensitive to declining common stock values. Preferred security values can be affected by changes in interest rates. Preferred securities may trade less frequently and in a more limited volume and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements than many other securities. Although the Fund will invest in securities and other obligations of FDIC-insured depository institutions and their affiliates, neither those securities and obligations nor your investment in the Fund will be protected by FDIC insurance.

To the extent a bank in which the Fund invests were to be placed into a FDIC-administered receivership or conservatorship, the Fund would not be entitled to the same rights that it would have as a creditor in a typical bankruptcy proceeding, and creditors of failed banking organizations typically receive little or no recovery. See "Risks—Financials Sector Risk—Capital Risk." In addition to the risks generally associated with fixed income instruments (*e.g.*, interest rate risk, credit risk, etc.), bank subordinated debt is also subject to risks inherent to banks. Because banks are highly regulated and operate in a highly competitive environment, it may be difficult for a bank to meet its debt obligations. Banks also may be affected by changes in legislation and regulations applicable to the financial markets. This is especially true in light of the large amount of regulatory developments in recent years. Bank subordinated debt is often issued by smaller community banks that may be overly concentrated in a specific geographic region, lack the capacity to comply with new regulatory requirements or lack adequate capital. Smaller banks may also have a lower capacity to withstand negative developments in the market in general. If any of these or other factors were to negatively affect a bank's operations, the bank could fail to make payments on its debt obligations, which would hurt the Fund's bank subordinated debt investments.

Preferred securities are subject to risks associated with both equity and debt instruments. Because many preferred securities allow the issuer to convert its preferred stock into common stock, preferred securities are often sensitive to declining common stock values. In addition, certain preferred securities contain provisions that allow an issuer to skip or defer distributions, which may be more likely when the issuer is less able to make dividend payments as a result of financial difficulties. Preferred securities can also be affected by changes in interest rates, especially if dividends are paid at a fixed rate, and may also include call features in favor of the issuer. In the event of redemptions by the issuer, the Fund may not be able to reinvest the proceeds at comparable or favorable rates of return. Preferred securities are generally subordinated to bonds and other debt securities in an issuer's capital structure in terms of priority for corporate income and liquidation payments, and may trade less frequently and in a more limited volume and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements than many other securities.

Although the Fund may invest in securities and other obligations of FDIC-insured depository institutions and their affiliates, neither those securities and obligations nor your investment in the Fund will be protected by FDIC insurance.

Subordinated debt, senior debt and preferred securities of banks and diversified companies are subject to the risks generally associated with the financials sector. See "Financials Sector Risk."

**• Subsidiary Risk.** To the extent the Fund invests through a Subsidiary, it will be exposed to the risks associated with the Subsidiary's investments, which principally include residential and commercial real estate loans. See "Residential Loans and Mortgages Risk" above. Subsidiaries will not be registered as investment companies under the 1940 Act and, therefore, will not be subject to the investor protections and substantive regulation of the 1940 Act, although any Subsidiary will be managed pursuant to all applicable 1940 Act compliance policies and procedures of the Fund. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the state in which a Subsidiary is organized could result in the inability of the Fund and/or a Subsidiary to operate as described in this Prospectus and could adversely affect the Fund.

**• Repurchase Agreement Risks.** Repurchase agreements typically involve the acquisition by the Fund of fixed-income securities from a selling financial institution such as a bank or broker-dealer. The agreement provides that the Fund will sell the securities back to the institution at a fixed time in the future. Repurchase agreements involve the risk that a seller will become subject to bankruptcy or other insolvency proceedings or fail to repurchase a security from the Fund. In such situations, the Fund may incur losses including as a result of (i) a possible decline in the value of the underlying security during the period while the Fund seeks to enforce its rights thereto, (ii) a possible lack of access to income on the underlying security during this period, and (iii) expenses of enforcing its rights.

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**• Municipal Securities Risks.** Municipal securities may be general obligation or revenue bonds and 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 and 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. The Fund also may purchase municipal securities that represent lease obligations. These carry special risks because the issuer of the bonds may not be obligated to appropriate money annually to make payments under the lease. The yields on municipal bonds are dependent on a variety of factors, including prevailing interest rates and the condition of the general money market and the municipal bond market, the size of a particular offering, the maturity of the obligation and the rating of the issuer. The market value of municipal bonds will vary with changes in interest rate levels and as a result of changing evaluations of the ability of bond issuers to meet interest and principal payments.

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 bonds and certain other securities, and the investment performance of the Fund's investments in municipal securities may therefore be dependent on the analytical abilities of the Adviser. The secondary market for municipal securities, particularly non-investment grade bonds, 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.

In addition, certain state and municipal governments that issue securities may be 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 generally 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, issuers of municipal securities might seek protection under the bankruptcy laws. In the event of bankruptcy of such an issuer, holders of municipal bonds 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.

**Non-Principal Risks Relating to the Fund**

**• Cybersecurity Risks.** Cybersecurity refers to the combination of technologies, processes and procedures established to protect information technology systems and data from unauthorized access, attack or damage. The Fund and its respective affiliates and third-party service providers are subject to cybersecurity risks. Cybersecurity risks have significantly increased in recent years, and the Fund could suffer material losses relating to cyber attacks or other information security breaches in the future. The Fund's and its respective affiliates' and third-party service providers' computer systems, software and networks may be vulnerable to unauthorized access, computer viruses or other malicious code and other events that could have a security impact. If one or more of such events occur, this potentially could jeopardize confidential and other information, including nonpublic personal information and sensitive business data, processed and stored in, and transmitted through, computer systems and networks, or otherwise cause interruptions or malfunctions in the Fund's operations or the operations of its respective affiliates and third-party service providers. This could result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. These failures or breaches may also result in disruptions to business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses; interference with the Fund's ability to calculate its NAV, process shareholder transactions or otherwise transact business with shareholders; impediments to trading; violations of applicable privacy and other laws; regulatory fines; penalties; reputational damage; reimbursement or other compensation costs; or additional compliance costs. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in an attempt to prevent any cyber incidents in the future. The Fund has established risk management systems and business continuity plans designed to reduce the risks associated with cybersecurity. However, there is no guarantee that such efforts will succeed, especially since the Fund does not directly control the cybersecurity systems of issuers or third-party service providers. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

**• Large Shareholder Transactions Risk.** Shares of the Fund are offered to certain other investment companies, large retirement plans and other large investors. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that those shareholders may purchase or request repurchase of a large amount of shares of the Fund. To satisfy such large shareholder repurchase requests, the Fund may have to sell portfolio securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact the Fund's NAV and liquidity. In addition, large purchases of Fund shares could adversely affect the Fund's performance to the extent that the Fund does not immediately invest cash it receives and therefore holds more cash than it ordinarily would. Large shareholder activity could also generate increased transaction costs and cause adverse tax

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consequences. For example, the sale of portfolio securities will accelerate the realization of taxable capital gains or losses for the Fund, which may increase taxable distributions to shareholders, and purchases or redemptions of a large number of Fund shares relative to the size of the Fund will have adverse tax consequences limiting the use of any capital loss carryforwards and certain other losses to offset any future realized capital gains.

**• Other Investment Companies Risks.** To the extent the Fund invests in other investment companies that invest in fixed-income securities, risks associated with investments in other investment companies will include fixed-income securities risks. In addition to the brokerage costs associated with the Fund's purchase and sale of the underlying securities, ETFs, mutual funds and closed-end funds incur fees that are separate from those of the Fund. As a result, the Fund's Shareholders will indirectly bear a proportionate share of the operating expenses of the ETFs, mutual funds and closed-end funds, in addition to Fund expenses. Because the Fund is not required to hold shares of underlying funds for any minimum period, it may be subject to, and may have to pay, short-term redemption fees imposed by the underlying funds. ETFs are subject to additional risks such as the fact that the market price of its shares may trade above or below its NAV or an active market may not develop. The Fund has no control over the investments and related risks taken by the underlying funds in which it invests.

In addition to risks generally associated with investments in mutual fund securities, ETFs and closed-end funds are subject to the following risks that do not apply to traditional mutual funds: (i) the market price of an ETF's or closed-end fund's shares may be above or below its NAV; (ii) an active trading market for an ETF's and closed-end fund's shares may not develop or be maintained; (iii) the ETF or closed-end fund may employ an investment strategy that utilizes high leverage ratios; (iv) trading of an ETF's or closed-end fund's shares may be halted if the listing exchange's officials deem such action appropriate; and (v) underlying ETF or closed-end fund shares may be de-listed from the exchange or the activation of market-wide "circuit breakers" (which are tied to large decreases in stock prices) may temporarily stop stock trading.

The Adviser may be subject to potential conflicts of interest in allocating the Fund's assets to underlying funds, such as a potential conflict in selecting affiliated underlying funds over unaffiliated underlying funds. In addition, the Fund's portfolio managers may be subject to potential conflicts of interest in allocating the Fund's assets among underlying funds, as certain of the Fund's portfolio managers may also manage an affiliated underlying fund in which the Fund may invest. Both the Adviser and the Fund's portfolio managers have a fiduciary duty to the Fund to act in the Fund's best interest when selecting underlying funds. Under the oversight of the Board of Trustees, the Adviser will carefully analyze any such potential conflicts of interest and will take steps to minimize and, where possible, eliminate them.

Additionally, to the extent that the Fund serves as an "acquired fund" to another affiliated or unaffiliated investment company, the Fund's ability to invest in other investment companies and private funds may be limited and, under these circumstances, the Fund's investments in other investment companies and private funds will be consistent with applicable law and/or exemptive rules adopted by or exemptive orders obtained from the SEC. For example, to the extent the Fund serves as an acquired fund in a fund of funds arrangement in reliance on Rule 12d1-4 under the Investment Company Act, the Fund would be prohibited from purchasing or otherwise acquiring the securities of an investment company or private fund if, after such purchase or acquisition, the aggregate value of the Fund's investments in such investment companies and private funds would exceed 10% of the value of the Fund's total assets, subject to limited exceptions (including for investments in money market funds).

**• Short Sales Risks*.*** If a security sold short increases in price, the Fund may have to cover its short position at a higher price than the short sale price, resulting in a loss. Short sales involve the risk that losses may exceed the amount invested and may be unlimited. The Fund will ordinarily engage in short sales where it does not own or have the immediate right to acquire the security sold short, and as such must borrow those securities to make delivery to the buyer under the short sale transaction. The Fund may not be able to borrow a security that it needs to deliver or it may not be able to close out a short position at an acceptable price and may have to sell related long positions earlier than it had expected. Thus, the Fund may not be able to successfully implement its short sale strategy due to limited availability of desired securities or for other reasons. Also, there is the risk that the counterparty to a short sale may fail to honor its contractual terms, causing a loss to the Fund.

Until the Fund replaces a security borrowed in connection with a short sale, it may be required to maintain a segregated account of cash or liquid assets with a broker or custodian to cover the Fund's short position. Generally, securities held in a segregated account cannot be sold unless they are replaced with other liquid assets. The Fund's ability to access the pledged collateral may also be impaired in the event the broker becomes bankrupt, insolvent or otherwise fails to comply with the terms of the contract. In such instances, the Fund may not be able to substitute or sell the pledged collateral and may experience significant delays in obtaining any recovery in a bankruptcy or other reorganization proceeding.

In times of unusual or adverse market, economic, regulatory or political conditions, the Fund may not be able, fully or partially, to implement its short selling strategy. Periods of unusual or adverse market, economic, regulatory or political conditions generally may exist for as long as six months and, in some cases, much longer.

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**• Consumer Loans Risk*.*** Investments in consumer loans expose the Fund to additional risks beyond those normally associated with more traditional debt instruments. The Fund's ability to receive payments in connection with a consumer loan depends primarily on the financial condition of the borrower. The consumer loans the Fund may invest in will generally not be secured by collateral. Unsecured loans are subject to greater risk of nonpayment in the event of default than secured loans since they do not afford the lender recourse to collateral. In addition, consumer loans often have contractual restrictions on resale, which can delay the sale and adversely impact the sale price. The absence of a liquid market for consumer loans could adversely impact their value and may inhibit the Fund's ability to dispose of them at times when it would be desirable to do so. Transactions involving consumer loans may have significantly longer settlement periods than more traditional investments (settlement can take longer than 7 days) and often involve borrowers whose financial condition is troubled or highly leveraged, which increases the risk that the Fund may not receive its proceeds in a timely manner.

In addition, when acquiring consumer loans, the Fund relies on third-party loan originators to originate consumer loans that comply with applicable law. Consumer loan originators and brokers are subject to strict and evolving consumer protection laws and other legal obligations with respect to the origination of consumer loans. These laws may be highly subjective and open to interpretation and, as a result, a regulator or court may determine that that there has been a violation where an originator or servicer of consumer loans reasonably believed that the law or requirement had been satisfied. Failure or alleged failure of originators or servicers to comply with these laws and regulations could subject the Fund, as an assignee or purchaser of these loans or securities backed by these loans, to, among other things, delays in foreclosure proceedings, increased litigation expenses, monetary penalties and defenses to foreclosure, including by recoupment or setoff of finance charges and fees collected, and in some cases could also result in rescission of the affected consumer loans, which could adversely impact the Fund's business and financial results. While some of these laws may not explicitly hold the Fund responsible for the legal violations of these third parties, federal and state agencies and private litigants have increasingly sought to impose such liability. Various regulators and plaintiffs' lawyers have also sought to hold assignees of consumer loans liable for the alleged violations of the originating lender under theories of express or implied assignee liability. Accordingly, the Fund may be subject to fines, penalties or civil liability based upon the conduct of the lenders that originated the consumer loans the Fund holds.

**• Second Lien Risk*.*** Second lien loans, such as HELOC loans, are generally subject to similar drivers of delinquency and default as those associated with investments in senior loans. However, the risk of loss associated with second lien loans are higher than that of loans with first priority over the collateral, because 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 recovery value would remain for the second priority lien holder and therefore result in a loss of investment to the Fund. Second lien loans also generally have greater price volatility than senior loans and may be less liquid. Second lien loans are generally of below investment grade quality, and therefore share the same risks as other below investment grade securities.

**MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND** 

**Trustees**

Pursuant to the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust ("Declaration of Trust") and Amended and Restated By-Laws ("By-Laws"), the Fund's business and affairs are managed under the direction of the Board, which has overall responsibility for monitoring and overseeing the Fund's management and operations. The Board consists of five members, four of whom are considered Independent Trustees. The Trustees are subject to removal or replacement in accordance with Delaware law and the Declaration of Trust. The Trustees serving on the Board were elected by the organizational Shareholder of the Fund. The Statement of Additional Information provides additional information about the Trustees.

Angel Oak serves as the Fund's investment adviser pursuant to the terms of the Investment Advisory Agreement and subject to the authority of, and any policies established by, the Board. Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser manages the Fund's investment portfolio, directs purchases and sales of portfolio securities and reports thereon to the Fund's officers and Trustees regularly.

The Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, oversees and monitors the Fund's investment performance. After an initial two-year term, the Board reviews on an annual basis the Investment Advisory Agreement to determine, among other things, whether the fees payable thereunder are reasonable in light of the services provided.

**Investment Personnel**

The Adviser's investment team includes:

Matthew R. Kennedy, CFA, is a Senior Portfolio Manager of the Adviser and a Portfolio Manager of the Fund. Prior to Angel Oak, Matthew was the Director of Rainier Investment Management's fixed income management team and served as a Portfolio Manager and Analyst. Previously, he was a Senior Analyst and made investment recommendations for investment grade, high yield, and private placement portfolios at GE Financial Assurance in Seattle, where he began his investment career in 1995. From 1991 to 1994, he was a CPA and auditor with Deloitte & Touche. Matthew holds a B.A. degree in

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Business Administration, with specializations in Finance and Accounting from Washington State University. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) designation and is a member of the CFA Institute and the Seattle Society of Financial Analysts.

Sreeniwas (Sreeni) V. Prabhu is Managing Partner, Co-CEO, and Chief Investment Officer of the Adviser and a Portfolio Manager of the Fund. Prior to co-founding the Adviser in 2009, Sreeni was the Chief Investment Officer of the investment portfolio at Washington Mutual Bank in Seattle where he managed a $25 billion portfolio. He was also part of the macro asset strategy team at the bank. Sreeni previously worked for six years at SunTrust Bank in Atlanta, where he was responsible for investment strategies and served as Head Portfolio Manager for the $3 billion commercial mortgage-backed securities portfolio. He began his career at SunTrust in 1998 as a Bank Analyst focused on asset/liability management and liquidity strategies. Sreeni holds a B.B.A. degree in Economics from Georgia College and State University and an M.B.A. in Finance from Georgia State University.

Namit Sinha is Chief Investment Officer of the Adviser and a Portfolio Manager of the Fund. He has extensive mortgage-credit expertise and focuses on managing non-qualified mortgage and commercial investment strategies. Namit also focuses on opportunities in other areas such as prime jumbo mortgages, reperforming loan strategies, and mortgage servicing rights. He has over 20 years of experience in fixed income products including structured credit. Prior to Angel Oak, Namit spent four years as Senior Vice President at Canyon Capital and established the residential loan trading business in addition to covering its structured products operations. Prior to joining Canyon, Namit worked at Nomura as Executive Director of Mortgage Trading and was involved in the acquisition and financing of non-performing loans, reperforming loans, non-qualified mortgages, and prime jumbo loans. Prior to that, Namit worked at both Lehman Brothers and Barclays as a non-agency whole loan trader. Namit holds an M.S. from Rutgers University and a B. Tech degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in Mumbai, India.

Clayton Triick, CFA<sup>®</sup>, is Head of Portfolio Management, Public Strategies of the Adviser and a Portfolio Manager of the Fund. In this role, he leads the overall investment framework, including asset allocation, sector positioning, and duration management for the firm's public mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and related SMAs. He heads the Public Strategies Investment Committee and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of portfolio management for the Public Strategies, which are primarily comprised of multi-sector portfolios. Prior to joining Angel Oak in 2011, Clayton worked for YieldQuest Advisors, where he was a member of the investment committee focusing on interest rate and currency risk management of the mutual funds alongside directly managing the closed-end fund allocations within YieldQuest portfolios and individual accounts. Clayton holds a B.B.A. in Finance from the Farmer School of Business at Miami University. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) designation.

The Fund's Statement of Additional Information provides additional information about the portfolio managers, including their compensation structure, other accounts managed and ownership of Shares of the Fund.

**Control Persons**

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 30, 2026, Charles Schwab & Co Inc. owned approximately 49.62% of the voting securities of the Fund and Northern Trust Co owned approximately 25.96% of the voting securities of the Fund. For so long as Charles Schwab & Co Inc. and Northern Trust Co have a greater than 25% interest in the Fund, they each may be deemed to be a "control person" of the Fund for purposes of the 1940 Act.

**Administrator and Transfer Agent**

U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, doing business as U.S. Bank Global Fund Services, 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, acts as administrator, fund accountant and transfer agent to the Fund pursuant to respective agreements. Fund Services provides certain administrative services to the Fund, including, among other responsibilities, coordinating the negotiation of contracts and fees with, and the monitoring of performance and billing of, the Fund's independent contractors and agents; preparation for signature by an officer of the Fund of all documents required to be filed for compliance by the Fund with applicable laws and regulations excluding those of the securities laws of various states; arranging for the computation of performance data, including NAV and yield; responding to shareholder inquiries; and arranging for the maintenance of books and records of the Fund, and providing, at its own expense, office facilities, equipment and personnel necessary to carry out its duties. In this capacity, Fund Services does not have any responsibility or authority for the management of the Fund, the determination of investment policy, or for any matter pertaining to the distribution of Fund Shares.

Pursuant to the Fund's agreements with Fund Services, Fund Services receives fees from the Fund for services performed as administrator, transfer agent and fund accountant. Fund Services receives a fee based on the average daily net assets of the Fund, subject to an annual minimum amount.

**Custodian**

U.S. Bank National Association, which has its principal office at 1555 North Rivercenter Drive, Suite 302, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212, serves as custodian for the Fund.

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**FUND EXPENSES**

The Adviser bears all of its own costs incurred in providing investment advisory services to the Fund. As described below, however, the Fund bears all other expenses incurred in the business and operation of the Fund, including amounts that the Fund pays Angel Oak and Fund Services for certain services that Angel Oak and Fund Services provide or arrange to be provided to the Fund.

Expenses borne directly by the Fund include:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• the cost of calculating the NAV of Shares, including the cost of any third-party pricing or valuation services;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• the cost of effecting sales and repurchases of Shares and other securities;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• the Management Fee;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• investment related expenses (*e.g.*, expenses that, in the Adviser's discretion, are related to the investment of the Fund's assets, whether or not such investments are consummated), including, as applicable, brokerage commissions, borrowing charges on securities sold short, clearing and settlement charges, recordkeeping, interest expense, dividends on securities sold but not yet purchased, and margin fees;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• transfer agent and custodial fees;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• federal and any state registration or notification fees;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• federal, state and local taxes;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• fees and expenses of Trustees not also serving in an executive officer capacity for the Fund or the Adviser;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• the costs of preparing, printing and mailing reports and other communications, including repurchase offer correspondence or similar materials, to Shareholders (except that the Adviser bears the cost of printing and distributing extra copies of the Fund's prospectus, statement of additional information, and sales and advertising materials to prospective investors (but not to existing Shareholders));

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• fidelity bond, Trustees and officers errors and omissions liability insurance and other insurance premiums;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• legal expenses (including those expenses associated with preparing the Fund's public filings, attending and preparing for Board meetings, as applicable, and generally serving as counsel to the Fund);

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• external accounting expenses (including fees and disbursements and expenses related to the annual audit of the Fund and the preparation of the Fund's tax information);

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• costs associated with reporting and compliance obligations under the 1940 Act and applicable federal and state securities laws, including compliance with The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• any expenses incurred outside of the ordinary course of business, including, without limitation, costs incurred in connection with any claim, litigation, arbitration, mediation, government investigation or similar proceeding and indemnification expenses as provided for in the Fund's organizational documents.

**Organization and Offering Costs**

Organizational costs include, among other things, the cost of organizing as a Delaware statutory trust, including the cost of legal services and other fees pertaining to the Fund's organization. These costs were paid by the Adviser on behalf of the Fund.

The Fund's initial offering costs included, among other things, legal, accounting, printing and other expenses pertaining to this offering. These costs were paid by the Adviser on behalf of the Fund.

**MANAGEMENT FEE**

Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, and in consideration of the advisory services provided by the Adviser to the Fund, the Adviser is entitled to a Management Fee. The Management Fee is calculated and payable monthly in arrears at the annual rate of 1.25% of the average daily value of the Fund's net assets.

The Adviser has contractually agreed through at least September 30, 2027 to waive the amount of the Fund's management fee to the extent necessary to offset the proportionate share of the management fees incurred by the Fund through its investment in an underlying fund for which the Adviser also serves as investment adviser. This arrangement may only be changed or eliminated by the Board of Trustees upon 60 days' written notice to the Adviser.

After fee waivers and expense reimbursements, the advisory fee paid to the Adviser for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2026 was equal to 1.25% of the Fund's average daily net assets.

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**Approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement**

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board's approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement is available in the Fund's semi-annual report for the fiscal period ended July 31, 2025, which is publicly filed with the SEC.

**DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE**

The price you pay for your Shares is based on the Fund's NAV. The Fund's NAV is calculated at the close of trading (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) on each day the NYSE is open for business (the NYSE is closed on weekends, most federal holidays and Good Friday). The Fund's NAV is calculated by dividing the value of the Fund's total assets (including interest and dividends accrued but not yet received) minus liabilities (including accrued expenses) by the total number of Shares outstanding. Requests to purchase Shares are processed at the NAV next calculated after the Fund receives your order in proper form. If the NYSE is closed due to inclement weather, technology problems or any other reason on a day it would normally be open for business, or the NYSE has an unscheduled early closing on a day it has opened for business, the Fund reserves the right to treat such day as a business day and accept purchase orders until, and calculate the Fund's NAV as of, the normally scheduled close of regular trading on the NYSE for that day, so long as Fund management believes there remains an adequate market to meet purchase orders for that day.

In the event the Fund holds portfolio securities that trade in foreign markets or that are primarily listed on foreign exchanges that trade on weekends or other days when the Fund does not price its shares, the NAV of the Fund's shares may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase the Fund's shares.

In calculating the Fund's NAV, portfolio investments for which market quotations are readily available are valued at market value, which is ordinarily determined based on official closing prices or the last reported sale prices of an instrument. Where no such closing price or sale price is reported, market value is determined based on quotes obtained from market makers or prices supplied by one or more third-party pricing source ("Pricing Services"), which may include evaluated prices. The types of investments in which the Fund typically invests are generally valued on the basis of evaluated prices provided by Pricing Services. Such prices may be based on a number of factors, including, among other things, information obtained from market makers and estimates based on recent market prices for investments with similar characteristics. If market or evaluated prices are not readily available (including when they are not reliable), or if an event occurs after the close of the trading market but before the calculation of the applicable NAV that materially affects the values, assets may be valued at a fair value, pursuant to guidelines established by the Adviser as the Fund's valuation designee. For example, the Fund may be obligated to fair value a foreign security because many foreign markets operate at times that do not coincide with those of the major U.S. markets. Events that could affect the values of foreign portfolio holdings may occur between the close of the foreign market and the time of determining the NAV, and would not otherwise be reflected in the NAV. When pricing securities using the fair value guidelines, the Adviser (with the assistance of the Fund's Pricing Services and other service providers) seeks to assign the value that represents the amount that the Fund might reasonably expect to receive upon a current sale of the securities. The fair value guidelines include the consideration of pricing information from one or more Pricing Services, which information is monitored by the Adviser daily. The Board oversees the Adviser's implementation of the fair value guidelines.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, given the subjectivity inherent in fair valuation and the fact that events could occur after NAV calculation, the actual market prices for a security may differ from the fair value of that security as determined by the Fund at the time of NAV calculation. Thus, discrepancies between fair values and actual market prices may occur on a regular and recurring basis. These discrepancies do not necessarily indicate that the fair value methodology is inappropriate. The Adviser will adjust the fair values assigned to securities in the Fund's portfolio, to the extent necessary, as soon as market prices become available. The Adviser (and the Fund's service providers) continually monitor and evaluate the appropriateness of their fair value methodologies through systematic comparisons of fair values to the actual next available market prices of securities contained in the Fund's portfolio. To the extent the Fund invests in other mutual funds, the Fund's NAV is calculated based, in part, upon the NAVs of such mutual funds; the prospectuses for those mutual funds in which the Fund will invest describe the circumstances under which those mutual funds will use fair value pricing, which, in turn, affects their NAVs.

Because the Fund relies on various sources to calculate its NAVs, the Fund is subject to certain operational risks associated with reliance on the Pricing Services and other service providers and data sources. The Fund's NAV calculation may be impacted by operational risks arising from factors such as failures in systems and technology. Such failures may result in delays in the calculation of the Fund's NAV and/or the inability to calculate NAV over extended time periods. The Fund may be unable to recover any losses associated with such failures.

**CONFLICTS OF INTEREST**

Actual or apparent conflicts of interest may arise when a portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities with respect to more than one fund or other account. More specifically, portfolio managers who manage multiple funds and/or other accounts may experience the following potential conflicts: The management of multiple accounts may result in a portfolio manager devoting unequal time and attention to the management of each account. Investment decisions for client accounts are also made consistent with a client's individual investment objective and needs. Accordingly, there may be

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circumstances when purchases or sales of securities for one or more client accounts will have an adverse effect on other clients. The Adviser may seek to manage such competing interests by, among other things, having a portfolio manager focus on a particular investment discipline and/or reviewing performance differences between similarly managed accounts on a periodic basis to ensure that any such differences are attributable by differences in investment guidelines and timing of cash flows. The Adviser also maintains a Code of Ethics to establish standards and procedures for the detection and prevention of activities by which persons having knowledge of the investments and investment intentions of the Fund may abuse their fiduciary duties to the Fund.

If a portfolio manager identifies a limited investment opportunity that may be suitable for more than one client, the Fund may not be able to take full advantage of that opportunity due to an allocation of filled purchase or sale orders across all eligible accounts. There has been significant growth in the number of firms organized to make investments similar to those which the Fund intends to make, which may result in increased competition to the Fund in obtaining suitable investments. Because the Adviser manages other funds and accounts with similar investments strategies as the Fund that seek to invest in these limited investment opportunities, the Adviser may have to allocate available investment opportunities among the Fund and other funds and accounts it manages. To deal with these situations, the Adviser has adopted Trade Aggregation and Allocation Policies and Procedures for allocating portfolio transactions across multiple accounts. In accordance with these procedures, at times, the Fund may receive a smaller portion of an investment opportunity than desired or certain investment opportunities may be allocated to other funds or accounts managed by the Adviser as part of the allocation procedures.

From time to time, the Fund and other funds or accounts managed by the Adviser may make investments at different levels of an issuer's capital structure or otherwise in different classes of an issuer's securities. These investments could inherently give rise to conflicts of interest between or among the Fund and the other holders of various classes of securities. The Adviser 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. Prices, availability, liquidity and terms of the Fund's investments may be negatively impacted by the activities of the Adviser and its clients, and Fund transactions may be impaired or effected at prices or terms that may be less favorable than would otherwise have been the case.

Through the various activities of the Adviser and its affiliates, the Adviser and/or its affiliates may acquire material non-public information or otherwise be restricted from trading in certain potential investments that the Fund otherwise might have purchased or sold.

With respect to securities transactions for clients, the Adviser determines which dealer to use to execute each order. However, the Adviser may direct securities transactions to a particular dealer for various reasons including receipt of research or participation interests in initial public offerings that may or may not benefit the Fund. To deal with these situations, the Adviser has adopted procedures to help ensure best execution of all client transactions.

Investment decisions for the Fund are made independently from those for any other account or investment company that is or may in the future become advised by the Adviser or its affiliates. Investment decisions are the product of many factors, including basic suitability for the particular client involved. Likewise, a particular security may be bought or sold for certain clients even though it could have been bought or sold for other clients at the same time. Likewise, a particular security may be bought for one or more clients when one or more clients are selling the security. In some instances, one client may sell a particular security to another client. In addition, two or more clients may simultaneously purchase or sell the same security, in which event, each day's transactions in such security are, insofar as is possible, averaged as to price and allocated between such clients in a manner which, in the Adviser's opinion, is in the best interest of the affected accounts and is equitable to each and in accordance with the amount being purchased or sold by each. There may be circumstances when purchases or sales of a portfolio security for one client could have an adverse effect on another client that has a position in that security. In addition, when purchases or sales of the same security for the Fund and other client accounts managed by the Adviser occurs contemporaneously, the purchase or sale orders may be aggregated to obtain any price advantages available to large denomination purchases or sales.

**SHARE REPURCHASE PROGRAM**

The Fund does not currently intend to list the Shares on a securities exchange and does not expect a secondary market to develop in the foreseeable future. Accordingly, Shareholders should expect that they will be unable to sell their Shares for an indefinite time or at a desired price. No Shareholder will have the right to require the Fund to repurchase or redeem such Shareholder's Shares or any portion thereof. Shareholders are not permitted to transfer their investment from the Fund to any other registered investment company. Because no public market exists for the Shares, and no such market is expected to develop in the foreseeable future, Shareholders will not be able to liquidate their investment, other than through the Fund's share repurchase program, or, in limited circumstances, as a result of transfers of Shares to other investors.

The Fund is an "interval fund," which is designed to provide some liquidity to Shareholders by making quarterly offers to repurchase between 5% and 25% of its outstanding Shares at NAV, pursuant to Rule 23c-3 under the 1940 Act, unless such offer is suspended or postponed in accordance with relevant regulatory requirements (as discussed below). In connection with any given repurchase offer, it is possible that the Fund may offer to repurchase only the minimum allowable amount of 5% of its outstanding Shares. Quarterly repurchases will occur in the months of March, June, September and December. The Fund's

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offer to purchase Shares is a fundamental policy that may not be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the Fund's outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act). Written notifications of each quarterly repurchase offer (the "Repurchase Offer Notice") will be sent to Shareholders at least 21 calendar days before the repurchase request deadline (*i.e.*, the date by which Shareholders can tender their Shares in response to a repurchase offer) (the "Repurchase Request Deadline"), which is ordinarily on the third Friday of the month in which the repurchase occurs. The NAV will be calculated no later than the 14th calendar day (or the next business day if the 14th calendar day is not a business day) after the Repurchase Request Deadline (the "Repurchase Pricing Date"), although the NAV is expected to be determined as of the close of business on the Repurchase Request Deadline if doing so is not likely to result in significant dilution of the prices of the shares. The Fund will distribute such payment no later than seven calendar days after such Repurchase Pricing Date. 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. 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 "Types of Investments and Related Risks—Repurchase Offers Risks."

**Determination of Repurchase Offer Amount**

The Board, or a committee thereof, in its sole discretion, will determine the number of Shares that the Fund will offer to repurchase (the "Repurchase Offer Amount") in connection with any given Repurchase Request Deadline. However, the Repurchase Offer Amount, will be no less than 5% and no more than 25% of the total number of Shares outstanding on the Repurchase Request Deadline.

If Shareholders tender more than the Repurchase Offer Amount for a given repurchase offer, the Fund will repurchase the Shares on a pro rata basis. However, the Fund is permitted to accept all Shares tendered for repurchase by Shareholders who own less than one hundred Shares and who tender all of their Shares, before prorating other amounts tendered.

**Notice to Shareholders**

No less than 21 days and more than 42 days before each Repurchase Request Deadline, the Fund will send each Shareholder of record and each beneficial owner of the Shares that are the subject of the repurchase offer a Repurchase Offer Notice. The Repurchase Offer Notice will contain information Shareholders should consider in deciding whether to tender Shares for repurchase. The notice also will include detailed instructions on how to tender shares for repurchase, state the Repurchase Offer Amount and set forth the Repurchase Request Deadline, the scheduled Repurchase Pricing Date, and the date the repurchase proceeds are scheduled for payment (the "Repurchase Payment Deadline"). The notice will also indicate the NAV that has been computed no more than seven days before the date of notification, and the process through which Shareholders may ascertain the NAV after the notification date.

**Repurchase Price**

The repurchase price of the shares will be the NAV of the share class as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE on the Repurchase Pricing Date. Investors may call (855) 751-4324 to learn the NAV. The Repurchase Offer Notice also will provide information concerning the NAV, such as the NAV as of a recent date or a sampling of recent NAVs of the Fund, 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 purchase payment date, which will be no more than seven days after the Repurchase Pricing Date. The Board may establish other policies for repurchases of shares that are consistent with the 1940 Act, regulations thereunder and other pertinent laws.

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 amount of Shares not to exceed 2.00% of the outstanding Shares 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 2.00% of the outstanding Shares on the Repurchase Request Deadline, the Fund will repurchase Shares on a pro rata basis. However, the Fund may accept all Shares tendered for repurchase by Shareholders who own less than one hundred Shares and who tender all of their Shares, before prorating other amounts tendered.

**Consequences of Repurchase Offers**

From the time the Fund sends the Repurchase Offer Notice until the Repurchase Pricing Date for that offer, the Fund must maintain assets at least equal to the percentage of its Shares subject to the repurchase offer. For this purpose, such assets will consist of investments that may be sold or otherwise disposed of in the ordinary course of business, at approximately the price at which the Fund values them, within the period between the Repurchase Request Deadline and the repurchase

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payment deadline, or which mature by the Repurchase Payment Deadline. The Fund is also permitted to borrow up to the maximum extent permitted under the 1940 Act to meet repurchase requests.

If the Fund borrows to finance repurchases, interest on that borrowing will negatively affect shareholders who do not tender their Shares by increasing the Fund's expenses and reducing any net investment income. There is no assurance that the Fund will be able sell a significant amount of additional Shares so as to mitigate these effects.

These and other possible risks associated with the Fund's repurchase offers are described under "Types of Investment and Related Risks — Repurchase Offers Risks" above. In addition, the repurchase of Shares by the Fund will be a taxable event to shareholders. For a discussion of these tax consequences, see "Tax Aspects" below and in the Statement of Additional Information.

**DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STRUCTURE**

**Shares of Beneficial Interest**

The Declaration of Trust authorizes the Fund's issuance of an unlimited number of Shares of beneficial interest of each class. There is currently no market for Shares and the Fund does not expect that a market for Shares will develop in the foreseeable future. Pursuant to the Declaration of Trust and as permitted by Delaware law, Shareholders are entitled to the same limitation of personal liability extended to stockholders of private corporations organized for profit incorporated in the State of Delaware and therefore generally will not be personally liable for the Fund's debts or obligations.

*Share Classes*

The Fund applied for and was granted exemptive relief from the SEC that permits the Fund to issue multiple classes of shares. The Fund currently offers four classes of shares, Class A, Institutional Class, Class U, and Class FI. The Fund may offer additional classes of shares in the future.

*Shares*

Under the terms of the Declaration of Trust, all Shares, when consideration for Shares is received by the Fund, will be fully paid and nonassessable. Distributions may be paid to Shareholders if, as and when authorized and declared by the Board. Except as otherwise provided by the Trustees, Shares will have no preemptive or other right to subscribe to any additional Shares or other securities issued by the Fund, and will be freely transferable, except where their transfer is restricted by law or contract. The Declaration of Trust provides that the Board shall have the power to repurchase or redeem Shares. In the event of the Fund's dissolution, after the Fund pays or adequately provides for the payment of all claims and obligations of the Fund, and upon the receipt of such releases, indemnities and refunding agreements deemed necessary by the Board, each Share will be entitled to receive, according to its respective rights, a *pro rata* portion of the Fund's assets available for distribution for the applicable class, subject to any preferential rights of holders of the Fund's outstanding preferred Shares, if any. Each whole Share will be entitled to one vote as to any matter on which it is entitled to vote and each fractional Share will be entitled to a proportionate fractional vote. However, to the extent required by the 1940 Act or otherwise determined by the Board, classes of the Fund will vote separately from each other. Shareholders shall be entitled to vote on all matters on which a vote of Shareholders is required by the 1940 Act, the Declaration of Trust or a resolution of the Board. There will be no cumulative voting in the election of Trustees. Under the Declaration of Trust, the Fund is not required to hold annual meetings of Shareholders. The Fund only expects to hold Shareholder meetings to the extent required by the 1940 Act or pursuant to special meetings called by the Board or a majority of Shareholders.

*Preferred Shares and Other Securities*

The Declaration of Trust provides that the Board may, subject to the Fund's investment policies and restrictions and the requirements of the 1940 Act, authorize and cause the Fund to issue securities of the Fund other than Shares (including preferred Shares, debt securities or other senior securities), by action of the Board without the approval of Shareholders. The Board may determine the terms, rights, preferences, privileges, limitations and restrictions of such securities as the Board sees fit.

Preferred Shares could be issued with rights and preferences that would adversely affect Shareholders. Preferred Shares could also be used as an anti-takeover device. Every issuance of preferred Shares will be required to comply with the requirements of the 1940 Act. The 1940 Act requires, among other things, that (i) immediately after issuance of preferred Shares and before any distribution is made with respect to the Shares and before any purchase of Shares is made, the aggregate involuntary liquidation preference of such preferred Shares together with the aggregate involuntary liquidation preference or aggregate value of all other senior securities must not exceed an amount equal to 50% of the Fund's total assets after deducting the amount of such distribution or purchase price, as the case may be; and (ii) the holders of preferred Shares, if any are issued, must be entitled as a class to elect two Trustees at all times and to elect a majority of the Trustees if distributions on such preferred Shares are in arrears by two years or more. Certain matters under the 1940 Act require the separate vote of the holders of any issued and outstanding preferred Shares.

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**OUTSTANDING SECURITIES**

The following table sets forth information about the Fund's outstanding Shares as of May 1, 2026:

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| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Title of Class** | **Amount Authorized** | **Amount Held by <br>the Fund for its<br>Own Account** | **Amount Outstanding** |
| Class A Shares of Beneficial Interest | Unlimited |  |  |
| Class U Shares of Beneficial Interest | Unlimited |  |  |
| Institutional Class Shares of Beneficial Interest | Unlimited |  | 3012524 |
| Class FI Shares of Beneficial Interest | Unlimited |  | 1074397 |

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**Limitation on Liability of Trustees and Officers; Indemnification and Advance of Expenses**

Pursuant to the Declaration of Trust, Trustees and officers of the Fund will not be subject in such capacity to any personal liability to the Fund or Shareholders, unless the liability arises from bad faith, willful misfeasance, gross negligence or reckless disregard for the Trustee's or officer's duty.

Except as otherwise provided in the Declaration of Trust, the Fund will indemnify and hold harmless any current or former Trustee or officer of the Fund against any liabilities and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees relating to the defense of any claim, action, suit or proceeding with which such person is involved or threatened), while and with respect to acting in the capacity of a Trustee or officer of the Fund, except with respect to matters in which such person did not act in good faith in the reasonable belief that his or her action was in the best interest of the Fund. In accordance with the 1940 Act, the Fund will not indemnify any Trustee or officer for any liability to which such person would be subject by reason of his or her willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties of his or her position. The Fund will provide indemnification to Trustees and officers prior to a final determination regarding entitlement to indemnification as described in the Declaration of Trust.

The Fund has entered into the Investment Advisory Agreement with Angel Oak. The Investment Advisory Agreement provides that, in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard for its obligations and duties thereunder, the Adviser is not liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss the Fund suffers.

Pursuant to the Declaration of Trust, the Fund will advance the expenses of defending any action for which indemnification is sought if the Fund receives an undertaking by the indemnitee which provides that the indemnitee will reimburse the Fund unless it is subsequently determined that the indemnitee is entitled to such indemnification.

**Number of Trustees; Appointment of Trustees; Vacancies; Removal**

The Declaration of Trust provides that the number of Trustees shall be no less than two and no more than 10, as determined in writing by a majority of the Trustees then in office. As set forth in the Declaration of Trust, a Trustee's term of office shall continue until his or her death, resignation or removal. Subject to the provisions of the 1940 Act, individuals may be appointed by the Trustees at any time to fill vacancies on the Board by the appointment of such persons by a majority of the Trustees then in office. Each Trustee shall hold office until his or her successor shall have been appointed pursuant to the Declaration of Trust. To the extent that the 1940 Act requires that Trustees be elected by Shareholders, any such Trustees will be elected by a plurality of all Shares voted at a meeting of Shareholders at which a quorum is present.

The Declaration of Trust provides that any Trustee may be removed (provided that after the removal the aggregate number of Trustees is not less than the minimum required by the Declaration of Trust) (i) with or without cause, by at least two-thirds (66 2/3%) of the remaining Trustees; or (ii) with or without cause, at any meeting of Shareholders, by at least two-thirds (66 2/3%) of the outstanding shares of the Trust.

**Action by Shareholders**

The Declaration of Trust provides that Shareholder action can be taken only at a meeting of Shareholders or by unanimous written consent in lieu of a meeting. Subject to the 1940 Act, the Declaration of Trust or a resolution of the Board specifying a greater or lesser vote requirement, the affirmative vote of a majority of Shares present in person or represented by proxy at a meeting and entitled to vote on the subject matter shall be the act of the Shareholders with respect to any matter submitted to a vote of the Shareholders.

**Amendment of Declaration of Trust and By-Laws**

Subject to the provisions of the 1940 Act, and subject to certain exceptions described in the Declaration of Trust, the Board may amend the Declaration of Trust without any vote of Shareholders. Pursuant to the Declaration of Trust and By-Laws, the Board has the exclusive power to amend or repeal the By-Laws or adopt new By-Laws at any time.

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**No Appraisal Rights**

In certain extraordinary transactions, some jurisdictions provide the right to dissenting Shareholders to demand and receive the fair value of their Shares, subject to certain procedures and requirements set forth in such statute. Those rights are commonly referred to as appraisal rights. The Declaration of Trust provides that Shares shall not entitle Shareholders to appraisal rights.

**Conflict with Applicable Laws and Regulations**

The Declaration of Trust provides that if and to the extent that any provision of the Declaration of Trust conflicts with any provision of the 1940 Act, the provisions under the Code applicable to the Fund as a RIC or other applicable laws and regulations, the conflicting provision shall be deemed never to have constituted a part of the Declaration of Trust; provided, however, that such determination shall not affect any of the remaining provisions of the Declaration of Trust or affect the validity of any action taken or omitted to be taken prior to such determination.

**TAX ASPECTS** 

The following is a general summary of certain material U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to the Fund and an investment in the Fund. The discussion below provides general tax information related to an investment in the Fund, but does not purport to be a complete description of the U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in the Fund and does not address any state, local, non-U.S. or other tax consequences. It is based on the Code and U.S. Treasury regulations thereunder and administrative pronouncements, all as of the date hereof, any of which is subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. In addition, it does not describe all of the tax consequences that may be relevant in light of a Shareholder's particular circumstances, including (but not limited to) alternative minimum tax consequences and tax consequences applicable to Shareholders subject to special tax rules, such as certain financial institutions; dealers or traders in securities who use a mark-to-market method of tax accounting; persons holding Shares as part of a hedging transaction, wash sale, conversion transaction or integrated transaction or persons entering into a constructive sale with respect to Shares; entities classified as partnerships or other pass-through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes; insurance companies; U.S. Shareholders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar; or tax-exempt entities, including "individual retirement accounts" or "Roth IRAs." As with any taxable investment, Shareholders may be subject to the federal alternative minimum tax on their income (including taxable income from the Fund), depending on their individual circumstances. Unless otherwise noted, the following discussion applies only to a Shareholder that holds Shares as a capital asset and is a U.S. Shareholder. A "U.S. Shareholder" generally is a beneficial owner of Shares who is for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• a corporation, or other entity taxable as a corporation, created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• a trust if it (a) is subject to the primary supervision of a court within the United States and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (b) has a valid election in effect under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.

If a partnership (including an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds Shares, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. A prospective Shareholder that is a partner in a partnership holding Shares should consult his, her or its tax advisors with respect to the purchase, ownership and disposition of Shares.

The discussion set forth herein does not constitute tax advice. Tax laws are complex and often change, and Shareholders should consult their tax advisors about the U.S. federal, state, local or non-U.S. tax consequences of an investment in the Fund.

**Taxation of the Fund** 

The Fund has elected to be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and intends to qualify annually, as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. As a RIC, the Fund generally will not be subject to corporate-level U.S. federal income taxes on any ordinary income or capital gains that it distributes as dividends to Shareholders. To qualify as a RIC in any tax year, the Fund must, among other things, satisfy both a source of income test and asset diversification tests. The Fund will qualify as a RIC if (i) at least 90% of the Fund's gross income for such tax year consists of dividends; interest; payments with respect to certain securities loans; gains from the sale or other disposition of shares, securities or foreign currencies; other income (including, but not limited to, gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such shares, securities or currencies; and net income derived from interests in "qualified publicly-traded partnerships" (such income, "Qualifying RIC Income"); and (ii) the Fund's holdings are diversified so that, at the end of each quarter of such tax year, (a) at least 50% of the value of the Fund's total assets is represented by cash and cash equivalents, securities of other RICs, U.S. government securities and other securities, with such other securities limited, in respect of any

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one issuer, to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund's total assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer and (b) not more than 25% of the value of the Fund's total assets is invested (x) in securities (other than U.S. government securities or securities of other RICs) of any one issuer or of two or more issuers that the Fund controls and that are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses or (y) in the securities of one or more "qualified publicly-traded partnerships." The Fund's share of income derived from a partnership other than a "qualified publicly-traded partnership" will be treated as Qualifying RIC Income only to the extent that such income would have constituted Qualifying RIC Income if derived directly by the Fund. A "qualified publicly-traded partnership" is generally defined as an entity that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes if (1) interests in such entity are traded on an established securities market or are readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof and (2) less than 90% of its gross income for the relevant tax year consists of Qualifying RIC Income. The Code provides that the Treasury Department may by regulation exclude from Qualifying RIC Income foreign currency gains that are not directly related to the RIC's principal business of investing in shares or securities (or options and futures with respect to shares or securities). The Fund anticipates that, in general, its foreign currency gains will be directly related to its principal business of investing in shares and securities.

In addition, to maintain RIC tax treatment, the Fund must distribute on a timely basis with respect to each tax year dividends of an amount at least equal to 90% of the sum of its "investment company taxable income" and its net tax-exempt interest income, determined without regard to any deduction for dividends paid, to Shareholders (the "90% distribution requirement"). If the Fund qualifies as a RIC and satisfies the 90% distribution requirement, the Fund generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its "investment company taxable income" and net capital gains (that is, the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) that it distributes as dividends to Shareholders (including amounts that are reinvested pursuant to the Dividend Reinvestment Plan). In general, a RIC's "investment company taxable income" for any tax year is its taxable income, determined without regard to net capital gains and with certain other adjustments. The Fund intends to distribute all or substantially all of its "investment company taxable income," net tax-exempt interest income (if any) and net capital gains on an annual basis. Any taxable income, including any net capital gains that the Fund does not distribute in a timely manner, will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate rates.

If the Fund retains any net capital gains for reinvestment, it may elect to treat such capital gains as having been distributed to Shareholders. If the Fund makes such an election, each Shareholder will be required to report its share of such undistributed net capital gains attributed to the Fund as long-term capital gain and will be entitled to claim its share of the U.S. federal income taxes paid by the Fund on such undistributed net capital gains as a credit against its own U.S. federal income tax liability, if any, and to claim a refund on a properly-filed U.S. federal income tax return to the extent that the credit exceeds such liability. In addition, each Shareholder will be entitled to increase the adjusted tax basis of its Shares by the difference between its share of such undistributed net capital gain and the related credit. There can be no assurance that the Fund will make this election if it retains all or a portion of its net capital gain for a tax year.

As a RIC, the Fund will be, subject to a nondeductible 4% federal excise tax on certain undistributed amounts for each calendar year (the "4% excise tax"). To avoid the 4% excise tax, the Fund must distribute in respect of each calendar year dividends of an amount at least equal to the sum of (1) 98% of its ordinary taxable income (taking into account certain deferrals and elections) for the calendar year, (2) 98.2% of its capital gain net income (adjusted for certain ordinary losses) generally for the one-year period ending on October 31 of the calendar year and (3) any ordinary income and capital gains for previous calendar years that were not distributed during those calendar years. For purposes of determining whether the Fund has met this distribution requirement, the Fund will be deemed to have distributed any income or gains previously subject to U.S. federal income tax. Furthermore, any distribution declared by the Fund in October, November or December of any calendar year, payable to Shareholders, of record on a specified date in such a month and actually paid during January of the following calendar year, will be treated for tax purposes as if it had been paid on December 31 of the calendar year in which the distribution was declared. The Fund generally intends to avoid the imposition of the 4% excise tax, but there can be no assurance in this regard.

If the Fund fails to qualify as a RIC or fails to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement in respect of any tax year, the Fund would be subject to U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate rates on its taxable income, including its net capital gains, even if such income were distributed, and all distributions out of earnings and profits would be taxed as ordinary dividend income. Such distributions generally would be eligible for the dividends-received deduction in the case of certain corporate Shareholders and may be eligible to be qualified dividend income in the case of certain non-corporate Shareholders. In addition, the Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay taxes and make distributions (any of which could be subject to interest charges) before re-qualifying for taxation as a RIC. If the Fund fails to satisfy either the income test or asset diversification test described above, in certain cases, however, the Fund may be able to avoid losing its status as a RIC by timely providing notice of such failure to the IRS, curing such failure and possibly paying an additional tax or penalty.

Some of the investments that the Fund is expected to make, such as investments in debt instruments having market discount and/or treated as issued with OID, may cause the Fund to recognize income or gain for U.S. federal income tax purposes prior to the receipt of any corresponding cash or other property. As a result, the Fund may have difficulty meeting the 90% distribution requirement necessary to maintain RIC tax treatment. Because this income will be included in the Fund's investment company taxable income for the tax year it is accrued, the Fund may be required to make a distribution to

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Shareholders to meet the distribution requirements described above, even though the Fund will not have received any corresponding cash or property. The Fund may be required to borrow money, dispose of other securities or forgo new investment opportunities for this purpose.

There may be uncertainty as to the appropriate treatment of certain of the Fund's investments for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In particular, the Fund expects to invest a portion of its net assets in below investment grade instruments. U.S. federal income tax rules with respect to such instruments are not entirely clear about issues such as whether and to what extent the Fund should recognize interest, OID or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless instruments, how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income and whether exchanges of debt obligations in a bankruptcy or workout context are taxable. These and other issues will be addressed by the Fund, to the extent necessary, in connection with the Fund's general intention to distribute sufficient income to qualify, and maintain its qualification to be subject to tax as a RIC and to minimize the risk that it becomes subject to U.S. federal income or excise tax.

Income received by the Fund from sources outside the United States may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by such countries, thereby reducing income available to the Fund. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. The Fund generally intends to conduct its investment activities to minimize the impact of foreign taxation, but there is no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in this regard. If more than 50% of the value of the Fund's total assets at the close of its tax year consists of securities of foreign corporations, the Fund will be eligible to elect to "pass-through" to the Fund the foreign source amount of income deemed earned and the respective amount of foreign taxes paid by the Fund. If at least 50% of the value of the Fund's total assets at the close of each quarter of its tax year is represented by interests in other RICs, the Fund may elect to "pass-through" to Shareholders the foreign source amount of income deemed earned and the respective amount of foreign taxes paid or deemed paid by the Fund. If the Fund so elects, each Shareholder would be required to include in gross income, even though not actually received, each Shareholder's *pro rata* share of the foreign taxes paid or deemed paid by the Fund, but would be treated as having paid its *pro rata* share of such foreign taxes and would therefore be allowed to either deduct such amount in computing taxable income or use such amount (subject to various limitations) as a foreign tax credit against federal income tax (but not both).

The Fund may invest in shares of foreign companies that are classified under the Code as passive foreign investment companies ("PFICs"). In general, a foreign company is considered a PFIC if at least 50% of its assets constitute investment-type assets or 75% or more of its gross income is investment-type income. In general under the PFIC rules, an "excess distribution" received with respect to PFIC shares is treated as having been realized ratably over the period during which the Fund held the PFIC shares. The Fund generally will be subject to tax on the portion, if any, of the excess distribution that is allocated to the Fund's holding period in prior tax years (and an interest factor will be added to the tax, as if the tax had actually been payable in such prior tax years) even though the Fund distributes the corresponding income to Shareholders. Excess distributions include any gain from the sale of PFIC shares as well as certain distributions from a PFIC. All excess distributions are taxable as ordinary income.

The Fund may be eligible to elect alternative tax treatment with respect to PFIC shares. Under one such election (*i.e.*, a "QEF" election), the Fund generally would be required to include in its gross income its share of the earnings of a PFIC on a current basis, regardless of whether any distributions are received from the PFIC. If this election is made, the special rules, discussed above, relating to the taxation of excess distributions, would not apply. Alternatively, the Fund may be able to elect to mark its PFIC shares to market, resulting in any unrealized gains at the Fund's tax year end being treated as though they were recognized and reported as ordinary income. Any mark-to-market losses and any loss from an actual disposition of the PFIC's Shares would be deductible as ordinary losses to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains included in income in prior tax years with respect to shares in the same PFIC.

Because the application of the PFIC rules may affect, among other things, the character of gains, the amount of gain or loss and the timing of the recognition of income, gain or loss with respect to PFIC shares, as well as subject the Fund itself to tax on certain income from PFIC shares, the amount that must be distributed to Fund Shareholders, and which will be recognized by Fund Shareholders as ordinary income or long-term capital gain, may be increased or decreased substantially as compared to a fund that did not invest in PFIC shares. Note that distributions from a PFIC are not eligible for the reduced rate of tax on distributions of "qualified dividend income" as discussed below.

Some of the CLOs in which the Fund invests may be PFICs, which are generally subject to the tax consequences described above. Investment in certain equity interests of CLOs that are subject to treatment as PFICs for U.S. federal income tax purposes may cause the Fund to recognize income in a tax year in excess of the Fund's distributions from such CLOs, PFICs and the Fund's proceeds from sales or other dispositions of equity interests in other CLOs and other PFICs during that tax year. As a result, the Fund generally would be required to distribute such income to satisfy the distribution requirements applicable to RICs. The Fund's income inclusion with respect to a PFIC with respect to which the Fund has made a "QEF" election, is generally treated as qualifying income for purposes of determining the Fund's ability to be subject to tax as a RIC if (A) there is a current distribution out of the earnings and profits of the PFIC that are attributable to such income inclusion or (B) such inclusion is derived with respect to the Fund's business of investing in stock, securities, or currencies.

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If the Fund holds more than 10% of the interests treated as equity for U.S. federal income tax purposes in a foreign corporation that is treated as a controlled foreign corporation ("CFC"), including equity tranche investments and certain debt tranche investments in a CLO treated as CFC, the Fund may be treated as receiving a deemed distribution (taxable as ordinary income) each tax year from such foreign corporation of an amount equal to the Fund's *pro rata* share of the foreign corporation's earnings for such tax year (including both ordinary earnings and capital gains), whether or not the corporation makes an actual distribution to the Fund during such tax year. This deemed distribution is required to be included in the income of certain U.S. shareholders of a CFC, such as the Fund, regardless of whether a U.S. shareholder has made a QEF election with respect to such CFC. The Fund is generally required to distribute such income in order to satisfy the distribution requirements applicable to RICs, even to the extent the Fund's income from a CFC exceeds the distributions from the CFC and the Fund's proceeds from the sales or other dispositions of CFC stock during that tax year. In general, a foreign corporation will be treated as a CFC for U.S. federal income tax purposes if more than 50% of the shares of the foreign corporation, measured by reference to combined voting power or value, is owned (directly, indirectly or by attribution) by U.S. Shareholders. A "U.S. Shareholder," for this purpose, is any U.S. person that possesses (actually or constructively) 10% or more of the combined value or voting power of all classes of shares of a corporation. The Fund's income inclusion with respect to a CFC is generally treated as qualifying income for purposes of determining the Fund's ability to be subject to tax as a RIC either if (A) there is a current distribution out of the earnings and profits of the CFC that are attributable to such income inclusion or (B) such inclusion is derived with respect to the Fund's business of investing in stock, securities, or currencies.

The functional currency of the Fund, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is the U.S. dollar. Gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates that occur between the time the Fund accrues interest income or other receivables or accrues expenses or other liabilities denominated in a foreign currency and the time the Fund actually collects such receivables or pays such liabilities generally are respectively characterized as ordinary income or ordinary loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Similarly, on the sale of other disposition of certain investments, including debt securities, certain forward contracts, as well as other derivative financial instruments, denominated in a foreign currency, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in the value of foreign currency between the date of acquisition of the security or contract and the date of disposition also are generally treated as ordinary gain or loss. These gains and losses, referred to under the Code as "section 988" gains and losses, may increase or decrease the amount of the Fund's investment company taxable income subject to distribution to Fund Shareholders as ordinary income. For example, fluctuations in exchange rates may increase the amount of income that the Fund must distribute to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC and to prevent application of an excise tax on undistributed income. Alternatively, fluctuations in exchange rates may decrease or eliminate income available for distribution. If section 988 losses exceed other investment company taxable income during a tax year, the Fund would not be able to distribute amounts considered dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and any distributions during a tax year made by the Fund before such losses were recognized would be re-characterized as a return of capital to Fund Shareholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes, rather than as ordinary dividend income, and would reduce each Fund Shareholder's tax basis in Fund Shares.

If the Fund utilizes leverage through the issuance of preferred Shares or borrowings, it will be prohibited from declaring a distribution or dividend if it would fail the applicable asset coverage test(s) under the 1940 Act after the payment of such distribution or dividend. In addition, certain covenants in credit facilities or indentures may impose greater restrictions on the Fund's ability to declare and pay dividends on Fund Shares. Limits on the Fund's ability to pay dividends on Fund Shares may prevent the Fund from meeting the distribution requirements described above and, as a result, may affect the Fund's ability to be subject to tax as a RIC or subject the Fund to the 4% excise tax. The Fund endeavors to avoid restrictions on its ability to make distribution payments. If the Fund is precluded from making distributions on Fund Shares because of any applicable asset coverage requirements, the terms of preferred Shares (if any) may provide that any amounts so precluded from being distributed, but required to be distributed by the Fund to enable the Fund to satisfy the distribution requirements that would enable the Fund to be subject to tax as a RIC, will be paid to the holders of preferred Shares as a special distribution. This distribution can be expected to decrease the amount that holders of preferred Shares would be entitled to receive upon repurchase or liquidation of such preferred Shares.

Certain of the Fund's investments are expected to be subject to special U.S. federal income tax provisions that may, among other things, (1) disallow, suspend or otherwise limit the allowance of certain losses or deductions, (2) convert lower-taxed long-term capital gains into higher-taxed short-term capital gains or ordinary income, (3) convert an ordinary loss or a deduction into a capital loss, the deductibility of which is more limited, (4) adversely affect when a purchase or sale of shares or securities is deemed to occur, (5) adversely alter the intended characterization of certain complex financial transactions, (6) cause the Fund to recognize income or gain without a corresponding receipt of cash, (7) treat dividends that would otherwise constitute qualified dividend income as non-qualified dividend income, (8) treat dividends that would otherwise be eligible for the corporate dividends received deduction as ineligible for such treatment and (9) produce income that will not constitute Qualifying RIC Income. The application of these rules could cause the Fund to be subject to U.S. federal income tax or the 4% excise tax and, under certain circumstances, could affect the Fund's status as a RIC. The Fund monitors its investments and may make certain tax elections to mitigate the effect of these provisions.

The remainder of this discussion assumes that the Fund has qualified and maintained its qualification as a RIC and has satisfied the distribution requirements described above.

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**Taxation of U.S. Shareholders**

***Distributions***

Distributions of the Fund's ordinary income and net short-term capital gains will, except as described below with respect to distributions of "qualified dividend income," generally be taxable to Shareholders as ordinary income to the extent such distributions are paid out of the Fund's current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Distributions (or deemed distributions, as described above), if any, of net capital gains will be taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of the length of time a Shareholder has owned Shares. The ultimate tax characterization of the Fund's distributions made in a tax year cannot be determined until after the end of the tax year. As a result, the Fund may make total distributions during a tax year in an amount that exceeds the current and accumulated earnings and profits of the Fund. A distribution of an amount in excess of the Fund's current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated by a Shareholder as a return of capital that will be applied against and reduce the Shareholder's tax basis in its Shares. To the extent that the amount of any such distribution exceeds the Shareholder's tax basis in its Shares, the excess will be treated as gain from a sale or exchange of Shares. Distributions will be treated in the manner described above regardless of whether such distributions are paid in cash or invested in additional Shares. Generally, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, a Shareholder receiving Shares under the Dividend Reinvestment Plan will be treated as having received a distribution equal to the fair market value of such Shares on the date the Shares are credited to the Shareholder's account.

A return of capital to Shareholders is a return of a portion of their original investment in the Fund, thereby reducing the tax basis of their investment. 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.

It is expected that a substantial portion of the Fund's income will consist of ordinary income. For example, interest and OID derived by the Fund characterized as ordinary income for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In addition, gain derived by the Fund from the disposition of debt instruments with "market discount" (generally, securities with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance acquired by the Fund at a price below the lesser of their stated redemption price at maturity or accreted value, in the case of securities with OID) will be characterized as ordinary income for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent of the market discount that has accrued, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes, at the time of such disposition, unless the Fund makes an election to accrue market discount on a current basis. In addition, certain of the Fund's investments will be subject to other special U.S. federal income tax provisions that may affect the character, increase the amount and/or accelerate the timing of distributions to Shareholders.

Distributions made by the Fund to a corporate Shareholder will qualify for the dividends-received deduction only to the extent that the distributions consist of qualifying dividends received by the Fund. In addition, any portion of the Fund's dividends otherwise qualifying for the dividends-received deduction will be disallowed or reduced if the corporate Shareholder fails to satisfy certain requirements, including a holding period requirement, with respect to its Shares. Distributions of "qualified dividend income" to an individual or other non-corporate Shareholder will be treated as "qualified dividend income" to such Shareholder and generally will be taxed at long-term capital gain rates, provided the Shareholder satisfies the applicable holding period and other requirements. "Qualified dividend income" generally includes dividends from domestic corporations and dividends from foreign corporations that meet certain specified criteria. Given the Fund's investment strategy, it is not expected that a significant portion of the distributions made by the Fund will be eligible for the dividends-received deduction or the reduced rates applicable to "qualified dividend income."

Certain distributions reported by the Fund as Section 163(j) interest dividends may be treated as interest income by shareholders for purposes of the tax rules applicable to interest expense limitations under Section 163(j) of the Code. Such treatment by the shareholder is generally subject to holding period requirements and other potential limitations, although the holding period requirements are generally not applicable to dividends declared by money market funds and certain other funds that declare dividends daily and pay such dividends on a monthly or more frequent basis. The amount that the Fund is eligible to report as a Section 163(j) dividend for a tax year is generally limited to the excess of the Fund's business interest income over the sum of the Fund's (i) business interest expense and (ii) other deductions properly allocable to the Fund's business interest income.

If a person acquires Shares before the record date of a distribution, the price of the Shares may include the value of the distribution, and the person will be subject to tax on the distribution even though economically it may represent a return of his, her or its investment in such Shares.

Distributions paid by the Fund generally will be treated as received by a Shareholder at the time the distribution is made. However, the Fund may, under certain circumstances, elect to treat a distribution that is paid during the following tax year as if it had been paid during the tax year in which the income or gains supporting the distribution was earned. If the Fund makes such an election, the Shareholder will still be treated as receiving the distribution in the tax year in which the distribution is received. In this instance, however, any distribution declared by the Fund in October, November or December of any calendar year, payable to Shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month and actually paid during January of the following calendar year, will be treated for tax purposes as if it had been received by Shareholders on December 31 of the calendar year in which the distribution was declared.

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Shareholders will be notified annually, as promptly as practicable after the end of each calendar year, as to the U.S. federal tax status of distributions, and Shareholders receiving distributions in the form of additional Shares will receive a report as to the NAV of those Shares. The Fund (or if a U.S. Shareholder holds Shares through an intermediary, such intermediary) will send to each of its U.S. Shareholders, as promptly as possible after the end of each calendar year, a notice detailing, on a per Share and per distribution basis, the amounts includible in such U.S. Shareholder's taxable income for such year as ordinary income and as long-term capital gain. In addition, the federal tax status of each year's distributions generally will be reported to the IRS, including the amount of distributions, if any, eligible for the preferential maximum rate generally applicable to long-term capital gains. Distributions may also be subject to additional state, local and foreign taxes depending on a U.S. Shareholder's particular situation.

***Sale, Exchange or Repurchase of Shares***

The repurchase or transfer of Shares may result in a taxable gain or loss to the tendering Shareholder. Different tax consequences may apply for tendering and non-tendering Shareholders in connection with a repurchase offer. For example, if a Shareholder does not tender all of his or her Shares, such repurchase may be treated as a dividend (as opposed to a sale or exchange) for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and may result in deemed distributions to non-tendering Shareholders. On the other hand, Shareholders holding Shares as capital assets who tender all of their Shares (including Shares deemed owned by Shareholders under constructive ownership rules) will be treated as having sold their Shares and generally will recognize capital gain or loss. The amount of the gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the amount received for the Shares and the Shareholder's adjusted tax basis in the relevant Shares. Such gain or loss generally will be a long-term capital gain or loss if the Shareholder has held such Shares as capital assets for more than one year. Otherwise, the gain or loss will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss.

Losses realized by a Shareholder on the sale or exchange of Shares held as capital assets for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital losses to the extent of any distribution of long-term capital gains received (or deemed received, as discussed above) with respect to such Shares. In addition, no loss will be allowed on a sale or other disposition of Shares if the Shareholder acquires (including through reinvestment of distributions or otherwise) Shares, or enters into a contract or option to acquire Shares, within 30 days before or after any disposition of such Shares at a loss. In such a case, the basis of the Shares acquired will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss. Under current law, net capital gains recognized by non-corporate Shareholders are generally subject to U.S. federal income tax at lower rates than the rates applicable to ordinary income.

In general, U.S. Shareholders currently are generally subject to a maximum federal income tax rate of either 15% or 20% (depending on whether the Shareholder's income exceeds certain threshold amounts) on their net capital gain (*i.e.*, the excess of realized net long-term capital gains over realized net short-term capital losses), including any long-term capital gain derived from an investment in Shares. Such rate is lower than the maximum rate on ordinary income currently payable by individuals. Corporate U.S. Shareholders currently are subject to U.S. federal income tax on net capital gain at the maximum 21% rate also applied to ordinary income. Non-corporate Shareholders with net capital losses for a tax year (*i.e.*, capital losses in excess of capital gains) generally may deduct up to $3,000 of such losses against their ordinary income each tax year. Any net capital losses of a non-corporate Shareholder in excess of $3,000 generally may be carried forward and used in subsequent tax years as provided in the Code. Corporate Shareholders generally may not deduct any net capital losses for a tax year, but may carry back such losses for three tax years or carry forward such losses for five tax years.

Reporting of adjusted cost basis information is required for covered securities, which generally include shares of a RIC acquired after January 1, 2012, to the IRS and to Shareholders. Shareholders should contact their financial intermediaries with respect to reporting of cost basis and available elections for their accounts.

***Medicare Tax on Net Investment Income***

An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from the Fund and net gains from repurchases or other taxable dispositions of Shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such person's "modified adjusted gross income" (in the case of an individual) or "adjusted gross income" (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts. U.S. persons that are individuals, estates or trusts are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the applicability of this tax to their income and gains in respect of their investment in the Fund.

***Tax Shelter Reporting Regulations***

Under U.S. Treasury regulations, if a Shareholder recognizes losses with respect to Shares of $2 million or more for an individual Shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate Shareholder, the Shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on IRS Form 8886. Direct owners of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a RIC are not excepted. Future guidance may extend the current exception from this reporting requirement to shareholders of most or all RICs. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer's treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.

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***Backup Withholding and Information Reporting***

Information returns will be filed with the IRS in connection with payments on Shares and the proceeds from a sale or other disposition of Shares. A Shareholder will be subject to backup withholding on all such payments if it fails to provide the payor with its correct taxpayer identification number (generally, in the case of a U.S. resident Shareholder, on an IRS Form W-9) and to make required certifications or otherwise establish an exemption from backup withholding. Corporate Shareholders and certain other Shareholders generally are exempt from backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld as backup withholding may be credited against the applicable Shareholder's U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

**Taxation of Non-U.S. Shareholders**

Whether an investment in the Fund is appropriate for a non-U.S. Shareholder (as defined below) will depend upon that investor's particular circumstances. An investment in the Fund by a non-U.S. Shareholder may have adverse tax consequences. Non-U.S. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors before investing in Shares.

The U.S. federal income taxation of a Shareholder that is a nonresident alien individual, a foreign trust or estate or a foreign corporation, as defined for U.S. federal income tax purposes (a "non-U.S. Shareholder"), depends on whether the income that the Shareholder derives from the Fund is "effectively connected" with a U.S. trade or business carried on by the Shareholder.

If the income that a non-U.S. Shareholder derives from the Fund is not "effectively connected" with a U.S. trade or business carried on by such non-U.S. Shareholder, distributions of "investment company taxable income" (including any deemed distributions with respect to a repurchase offer) will generally be subject to a U.S. federal withholding tax at a rate of 30% (or a lower rate provided under an applicable treaty). Alternatively, if the income that a non-U.S. Shareholder derives from the Fund is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the non-U.S. Shareholder, the Fund will not be required to withhold U.S. federal tax if the non-U.S. Shareholder complies with applicable certification and disclosure requirements, although such income will be subject to U.S. federal income tax in the manner described below and at the rates applicable to U.S. residents. Backup withholding will not, however, be applied to payments that have been subject to this 30% withholding tax applicable to non-U.S. Shareholders.

A non-U.S. Shareholder whose income from the Fund is not "effectively connected" with a U.S. trade or business will generally be exempt from U.S. federal income tax on capital gains distributions, any amounts retained by the Fund that are reported as undistributed capital gains and any gains realized upon the sale or exchange of Shares. If, however, such a non-U.S. Shareholder is a nonresident alien individual and is physically present in the United States for 183 days or more during the tax year and meets certain other requirements such capital gains distributions, undistributed capital gains and gains from the sale or exchange of Shares will be subject to a 30% U.S. tax. In addition, a repurchase of Shares may be subject to U.S. federal income tax withholding to the extent such repurchase is treated as a taxable distribution, as described above.

Furthermore, properly reported distributions by the Fund and received by non-U.S. Shareholders are generally exempt from U.S. federal withholding tax when they (a) are paid by the Fund in respect of the Fund's "qualified net interest income" (*i.e.,* the Fund's U.S. source interest income, subject to certain exceptions, reduced by expenses that are allocable to such income), or (b) are paid by the Fund in connection with the Fund's "qualified short-term capital gains" (generally, the excess of the Fund's net short-term capital gains over the Fund's long-term capital losses for such tax year). However, depending on the circumstances, the Fund may report all, some or none of the Fund's potentially eligible distributions as derived from such qualified net interest income or from such qualified short-term capital gains, and a portion of such distributions (*e.g.*, derived from interest from non-U.S. sources or any foreign currency gains) would be ineligible for this potential exemption from withholding. Moreover, in the case of Shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may have withheld amounts even if the Fund reported all or a portion of a distribution as exempt from U.S. federal withholding tax. To qualify for this exemption from withholding, a non-U.S. Shareholder must comply with applicable certification requirements relating to its non-U.S. tax residency status (including, in general, furnishing an IRS Form W-8BEN, IRS Form W-8BEN-E, IRS Form W-8ECI, IRS Form W-8IMY or IRS Form W-8EXP, or an acceptable substitute or successor form). Thus, an investment in the Shares by a non-U.S. Shareholder may have adverse tax consequences as compared to a direct investment in the assets in which the Fund will invest.

If the income from the Fund is "effectively connected" with a U.S. trade or business carried on by a non-U.S. Shareholder, any distributions of "investment company taxable income," capital gains distributions, amounts retained by the Fund that are reported as undistributed capital gains and any gains realized upon the sale or exchange of Shares will be subject to U.S. income tax, on a net income basis, in the same manner, and at the graduated rates applicable to, U.S. persons. If such a non-U.S. Shareholder is a corporation, it may also be subject to the U.S. branch profits tax.

A non-U.S. Shareholder other than a corporation may be subject to backup withholding on net capital gains distributions that are otherwise exempt from withholding tax or on distributions that would otherwise be taxable at a reduced treaty rate if such Shareholder does not certify its non-U.S. status under penalties of perjury or otherwise establish an exemption.

If the Fund distributes net capital gains in the form of deemed rather than actual distributions, a non-U.S. Shareholder will be entitled to a U.S. federal income tax credit or tax refund equal to the Shareholder's allocable share of the tax the Fund pays

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on the capital gains deemed to have been distributed. To obtain the refund, the non-U.S. Shareholder must obtain a U.S. taxpayer identification number and file a federal income tax return even if the non-U.S. Shareholder would not otherwise be required to obtain a U.S. taxpayer identification number or file a federal income tax return.

Distributions will be treated in the manner described above regardless of whether such distributions are paid in cash or invested in additional Shares pursuant to the Dividend Reinvestment Plan. A non-U.S. Shareholder receiving distributions in the form of additional Shares will generally be treated as receiving a distribution in the amount of the fair market value of the distributed Shares. If the distribution is subject to withholding tax as described above, only the net after-tax amount will be reinvested in additional Shares. If the distribution is "effectively connected" with a U.S. trade or business of the non-U.S. Shareholder (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment of the non-U.S. Shareholder), and the non-U.S. Shareholder complies with the applicable certification and disclosure requirements, the full amount of the distribution generally will be reinvested in additional Shares and will nevertheless be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the rates and in the manner applicable to U.S. persons generally. The additional Shares received by a non-U.S. Shareholder pursuant to the Dividend Reinvestment Plan will have a new holding period commencing on the day following the day on which the Shares were credited to the non-U.S. Shareholder's account.

Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act provisions of the Code, withholding of U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) is required on payments of taxable dividends made to certain non-U.S. entities that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive reporting and withholding requirements in the Code designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. Shareholders may be requested to provide additional information to the Fund to enable the Fund to determine whether withholding is required.

The tax consequences to a non-U.S. Shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of an applicable tax treaty may differ from those described herein. Non-U.S. Shareholders are advised to consult their tax advisors with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in the Fund, including the potential application of the U.S. estate tax.

**Other Taxes**

Shareholders may be subject to state, local and non-U.S. taxes applicable to their investment in the Fund. In those states or localities, entity-level tax treatment and the treatment of distributions made to Shareholders under those jurisdictions' tax laws may differ from the treatment under the Code. Accordingly, an investment in Shares may have tax consequences for Shareholders that are different from those of a direct investment in the Fund's portfolio investments. Shareholders are advised to consult their tax advisors with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in the Fund.

**CHOOSING A SHARE CLASS** 

The Fund offers four classes of shares: Class A, Institutional Class, Class U, and Class FI. Each class of shares is designed for specific types of investors and has its own fee structure, allowing you to choose the class that best meets your situation. The class that may be best for you depends on a number of factors, including the amount and the length of time that you expect to invest. Not all financial intermediaries make all classes of shares available to their clients. Third parties making Fund shares available to their clients determine which share class(es) to make available.

Class A shares are available through registered broker-dealers, banks, advisers and other financial institutions. Class A shares of the Fund are purchased at net asset value, plus an initial sales charge and subject to 12b-1 fees. There is no initial sales charge on purchases of Class A shares of $500,000 or more; however, a contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC") of up to 1.00% may be imposed if such Class A shares are repurchased within twelve (12) months of their purchase. Class A shares of the Fund received as a result of a conversion from Class U shares of the Fund will not be subject to a CDSC upon repurchase by the Fund. Class A shares are intended for (i) investors who meet the investment minimum for Class A shares, (ii) investors investing through omnibus accounts held by financial intermediaries that charge transaction fees and have entered into arrangements with the Fund's distributor to offer Class A shares and (iii) retirement plans whose sponsors or administrators have entered into arrangements with the Fund's distributor.

Institutional Class shares are purchased at net asset value and are not subject to any 12b-1 fees. Institutional Class shares can be purchased directly through the distributor or other financial institutions, which may charge transaction fees with respect to your purchase. Institutional Class shares are intended for (i) investors who meet the investment minimum for Institutional Class shares; (ii) institutional investors (*e.g.*, financial institutions, corporations, trusts, foundations); (iii) funds of funds; (iv) pension plans whose sponsors or administrators have entered into arrangements with the Fund's distributor; (v) investors investing through omnibus accounts held by financial intermediaries that charge transaction fees and have entered into arrangements with the Fund's distributor to offer Institutional Class shares; (vi) current and former trustees of the Fund; and (vii) other investors that have been approved by the Fund or the Adviser.

Class U shares of the Fund are available exclusively to clients of financial intermediaries with whom the Fund has a selling agreement to distribute Class U shares ("Authorized Intermediaries"). Class U shares of the Fund are purchased at net asset value. A contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC") of up to 1.50% may be imposed if Class U shares are repurchased within twelve (12) months of their purchase.

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Class FI shares of the Fund are purchased at net asset value. A contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC") of up to 3.00% may be imposed if Class FI shares are repurchased within thirty-six (36) months of their purchase.

The minimum initial investment in the Fund is $1,000 for all account types for Class A shares, $50,000 for all account types for Institutional Class shares, $25,000 for all account types for Class U shares, and $25,000,000 for all account types for Class FI Shares. The Adviser may, in its sole discretion, waive these minimums for accounts participating in an automatic investment program and in certain other circumstances. The Fund may waive or lower investment minimums for investors who invest in the Fund through an asset-based fee program made available through a financial intermediary. If your investment is aggregated into an omnibus account established by an investment adviser, broker or other financial intermediary, the account minimums apply to the omnibus account, not to your individual investment. The financial intermediary may also impose minimum requirements that are different from those set forth in this Prospectus. If you choose to purchase shares from or effect repurchase requests directly with the Fund, you will not incur charges on repurchases. However, if you purchase shares or effect repurchase requests through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary, you may be charged a fee by that intermediary.

Information about sales charges, including applicable waivers, breakpoints and discounts to the sales charges, is fully disclosed in this Prospectus, which is available, free of charge, on the Fund's website at www.angeloakcapital.com. The Fund believes that it is very important that an investor fully consider all aspects of their investment and be able to access all relevant information in one location. Therefore, the Fund does not make the sales charge information available to investors on the website independent of the Prospectus.

**PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION**

Quasar Distributors, LLC, located at 190 Middle Street, Suite 301, Portland, Maine 04101 (the "Distributor"), is the principal underwriter of Shares of the Fund. Shares may be purchased only through the Distributor. The Distributor acts as the distributor of Shares for the Fund on a best efforts basis, subject to various conditions, pursuant to the terms of its contract with the Fund. The Distributor is not obligated to sell any specific amount of Shares of the Fund. The Distributor will also act as agent for the Fund in connection with repurchases of Shares.

Shares of the Fund will be continuously offered through the Distributor, as the exclusive distributor. The Fund has authorized one or more intermediaries (*e.g.*, brokers, investment advisers, etc. collectively "Intermediaries") to receive orders on its behalf. Such Intermediaries are authorized to designate other Intermediaries to receive orders on the Fund's behalf. The Fund will be deemed to have received an order when an authorized broker or, if applicable, a broker's authorized designee, receives the order. The Shares are offered at NAV per share (plus any applicable sales charge) calculated each regular business day.

The Fund and the Distributor will have the sole right to accept orders to purchase Shares and reserve the right to reject any order in whole or in part.

Investors may be charged a fee if they effect transactions through a financial intermediary.

The Fund has adopted a plan under Rule 12b-1 of the 1940 Act with respect to Class A shares (the "Plan").

The Plan provides that the Fund will pay a distribution fee of 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Class A shares of the Fund in connection with the distribution of the class's shares, including, but not necessarily limited to, compensation to underwriters, dealers and selling personnel, the printing and mailing of prospectuses to other than current Fund shareholders, the printing and mailing of sales literature. The Class A distribution fee may include up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Fund's Class A shares for shareholder services. The Distributor may pay all or a portion of these fees to any registered securities dealer, financial institution or any other person who renders assistance in distributing or promoting the sale of the class's shares, or who provides certain shareholder services, pursuant to a written agreement.

Over time, 12b-1 fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges because these fees are paid out of the Fund's assets on an on-going basis.

No market currently exists for the Shares. The Shares are not listed and the Fund does not currently intend to list its Shares for trading on any securities exchange, and does not anticipate that a secondary market will develop for its Shares. Neither the Adviser nor the Distributor intends to make a market in the Shares.

The Distributor is not obligated to buy any of the Shares and does not intend to make a market in the Shares. The Fund has agreed to indemnify the Distributor and certain of the Distributor's affiliates against certain liabilities, including certain liabilities arising under the 1933 Act. To the extent consistent with applicable law, the Distributor has agreed to indemnify the Fund and each Trustee and former Trustee against certain liabilities under the 1933 Act and in connection with the services rendered to the Fund.

Pursuant to the Fund's agreement with the Distributor, the Distributor receives fees from the Fund for services performed as the distributor of Shares.

**SALES CHARGES**

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**Sales Charges - Class A Shares**

*Purchase of Class A Shares*

Class A shares of the Fund are purchased at the public offering price. The public offering price is the next determined NAV per share plus a sales charge as shown in the table below. Because of rounding in the calculation of the "offering price," the actual sales charge you pay may be more or less than that calculated using the percentages shown below. Certain persons may be entitled to purchase Class A shares of the Fund without paying a sales charge. See "Waivers of Class A Sales Charge." The table below also shows the portion of the sales charge that may be re-allowed to the broker-dealer or financial intermediary through whom you purchased your Class A shares.

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| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| | **Sales Charge as a % of:** | **Sales Charge as a % of:** | **Dealer Concession as a % of Public Offering Price** |
| **Amount of Investment** | **Public Offering Price** | **Net Amount Invested** | **Dealer Concession as a % of Public Offering Price** |
| Less than $100,000 | 2.25% | 2.30% | 2.25% |
| $100,000 but less than $250,000 | 1.75% | 1.78% | 1.75% |
| $250,000 but less than $500,000 | 1.25% | 1.27% | 1.25% |
| $500,000 or more | None\* | None\* | 1.00% |

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\*&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A maximum CDSC of 1.00% will be imposed on repurchases of these shares (exclusive of shares purchased with reinvested dividends and/or distributions) within the first 12 months after the initial sale. Class A Shares received as a result of a conversion from Class U shares of the Fund will not be subject to a CDSC upon repurchase by the Fund. The Adviser intends to pay a commission to financial intermediaries who place an order for a single purchaser based on the rates set forth in the section below entitled "Contingent Deferred Sales Charge and Dealer Concession."

Under certain circumstances, the Distributor may change the concession to dealers and may also compensate dealers out of its own assets. Dealers engaged in the sale of shares of the Fund may be deemed to be underwriters under the 1933 Act. The Distributor retains the entire sales charge on all direct initial investments in the Fund and on all investments in accounts with no designated dealer of record and any portion of a sales charge that is not re-allowed to a broker-dealer or financial intermediary.

The following sections discuss ways to obtain discounts on sales charges and waivers of contingent deferred sales charges on Class A shares of the Fund.

**The availability of sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on the particular financial intermediary or type of account through which you purchase or hold Fund shares. The Fund's sales charge waivers and discounts described in this Prospectus are available for Fund share purchases made directly from the Fund (or the Distributor) and are generally available through financial intermediaries. The sales charge waivers and discounts available through certain other financial intermediaries are set forth in <u>Appendix A-Waivers and Discounts Available from Intermediaries</u>, attached to this Prospectus, which may differ from the sales charge waivers and discounts available for purchases made directly from the Fund (or the Distributor). Please contact your financial intermediary for information about which classes of shares of the Fund they offer and to take advantage of the sales charge waivers and discounts described in this Prospectus or in <u>Appendix A</u>.**

*Rights of Accumulation*

Any "purchaser" (as defined below) may buy Class A shares of the Fund at a reduced sales charge by aggregating the dollar amount of the new purchase and the total amount invested of all Class A shares of the Fund and the series of Angel Oak Funds Trust (together with the Fund, the "Angel Oak Funds") then held by the purchaser and applying the sales charge applicable to such aggregate. To obtain such discount, the purchaser must provide sufficient information at the time of purchase to permit verification that the purchase qualifies for the reduced sales charge. The rights of accumulation is subject to modification or discontinuance at any time with respect to all shares purchased thereafter.

For purposes of determining the applicable sales charge discount, a "purchaser" includes an individual, the individual's spouse and the individual's children under the age of 21, purchasing Class A shares for the individual's own account or account with the individual's spouse and/or children; or a trustee or other fiduciary purchasing Class A shares for a single fiduciary account although more than one beneficiary may be involved; or employees of a common employer, provided that purchases are aggregated and submitted by a single source and quarterly confirmation of such purchases can be provided to that single source; or an organized group, provided that the purchases are made through a central administrator, or a single dealer.

*Letter of Intent*

A Letter of Intent (a "LOI") provides an opportunity for an investor to obtain a reduced sales charge by aggregating investments over a 13-month period, provided that the investor refers to such LOI when placing orders. For purposes of an LOI, the "Amount of Investment" as referred to in the preceding sales charge table includes all purchases of Class A shares of the Fund over the 13-month period based on the total amount of intended purchases plus the value of all shares previously

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purchased and still owned. An alternative is to compute the 13-month period starting up to 90 days before the date of execution of an LOI. Each investment made during the period receives the reduced sales charge applicable to the total amount of the investment goal. The LOI imposes no obligation to purchase or sell additional shares and provides for a price adjustment depending upon the actual amount purchased within such period. The LOI provides that the first purchase following execution of the LOI must be at least 2.25% of the amount of the intended overall purchase, and that 2.25% of the amount of the intended purchase normally will be held in escrow in the form of shares pending completion of the intended purchase. If the total investments under the LOI are less than the intended amount and thereby qualify for a higher sales charge than actually paid, the appropriate number of escrowed shares is repurchased and the proceeds are used towards satisfaction of the obligation to pay the increased sales charge. If a repurchase order is received for an account prior to the satisfaction of the LOI, any shares not held in escrow will be repurchased first. Shares held in escrow will then be repurchased and a portion of the proceeds will be used to satisfy the obligation to pay the higher sales charge. Please contact the Fund's Transfer Agent to obtain an LOI application at (855) 751-4324.

*Shareholder's Responsibility with Respect to Breakpoint Discounts*

To obtain any of the Class A sales charge discounts set forth above, you must inform your financial intermediary of the existence of any eligible amounts under any Rights of Accumulation or LOI, in accounts held by family members at the time of purchase. You must inform your financial intermediary of all Shares of the Angel Oak Funds held (i) in your account(s) at the financial intermediary, (ii) in your account(s) by another financial intermediary, and (iii) in any other accounts held at any financial intermediary belonging to family members. IF YOU FAIL TO INFORM YOUR FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARY OR THE FUND OF ALL ELIGIBLE HOLDINGS OR PLANNED PURCHASES, YOU MAY NOT RECEIVE A SALES CHARGE DISCOUNT TO WHICH YOU WOULD OTHERWISE BE ENTITLED. The Fund will require the names and account numbers of all accounts claimed in connection with a request for a sales charge discount. You may also be required to provide verification of holdings (such as account statements and/or copies of documents that reflect the original purchase cost of your holdings) that qualify you for a sales charge reduction. **As such, it is very important that you retain all records that may be needed to substantiate an original purchase price of your holdings, as the Fund, the Transfer Agent, and financial intermediaries may not maintain this information.**

*Waivers of Class A Sales Charge*

Class A shares of the Fund may be purchased at NAV under the following circumstances, provided that you notify the Fund in advance that the trade qualifies for this privilege. The Fund reserves the right to modify or terminate these arrangements at any time.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Purchases by: (i) current and former officers, Trustees/Directors, and employees of the Fund, the Adviser, or any of the Adviser's current affiliates and those that may in the future be created and (ii) legal counsel to the Fund. At the direction of such persons, their family members (regardless of age), and any employee benefit plan established by any of the foregoing entities may also purchase shares at NAV.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Repurchases from retirement plans qualified under Section 401 of the Code. The CDSC will be waived for benefit payments made directly to plan participants. Benefit payments will include, but are not limited to, payments resulting from death, disability, retirement, separation from service, required minimum distributions (as described under Section 401(a)(9) of the Code), in-service distributions, hardships, loans, and qualified domestic relations orders. The CDSC waiver will not apply in the event of termination of the plan or transfer of the plan to another financial intermediary.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Purchases by bank employees who provide services in connection with agreements between the bank and unaffiliated brokers or dealers concerning sales of shares of the Fund.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Investments made by plan level and/or participant retirement accounts that are for the purpose of repaying a loan taken from such accounts.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Purchases resulting from the reinvestment of a distribution.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Purchases through eligible Retirement Plans. "Retirement Plans" include 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, rabbi trusts, profit-sharing plans, non-qualified deferred compensation plans and other similar employer-sponsored retirement plans. Retirement Plans do not include individual retirement vehicles, such as traditional and Roth individual retirement accounts, Coverdell education savings accounts, individual 403(b)(7) custodial accounts, Keogh plans, SEPs, SARSEPs, SIMPLE IRAs or similar accounts.

*Contingent Deferred Sales Charge and Dealer Concession*

There is no initial sales charge on purchases of Class A shares of $500,000 or more, however, a CDSC of up to 1.00% may be imposed if such Class A shares are repurchased within twelve (12) months of their purchase, based on the lower of the shares' NAV at the time of purchase or current NAV.

The Distributor may pay a commission of up to 1.00% to a dealer of record for an investor's purchases of Class A shares in amounts of $500,000 or more. In such cases, starting in the thirteenth month after purchase, the dealer of record will also

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receive an annual distribution and/or shareholder servicing fee of up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets represented by the Class A shares held by its clients. Prior to the thirteenth month, the Distributor will retain this fee. Where the dealer of record does not receive the payment of this commission, the dealer of record will instead receive the annual distribution and/or shareholder servicing fee starting immediately after purchase. Please contact your dealer of record for more information.

The Distributor may pay a commission to a dealer of record for an investor's purchases of Class A shares that are subject to a sales charge waiver due to the investor's cumulative holdings of $500,000 or more. Starting in the thirteenth month after such a purchase, the dealer of record will also receive an annual distribution and/or shareholder servicing fee of up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets represented by that purchase. Prior to the thirteenth month, the Distributor will retain this fee. Where the dealer of record does not receive the payment of this commission, the dealer of record will instead receive the annual distribution and/or shareholder servicing fee starting immediately after purchase. Please contact your dealer of record for more information.

In determining whether a CDSC is payable, the Fund will first repurchase Class A shares not subject to any charge. The Distributor receives the entire amount of any CDSC you pay. No CDSC is applied in the following instances:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• The repurchase is due to the death or post-purchase disability of a shareholder or settlor of a living trust account.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Repurchases from retirement plans qualified under Section 401 of the Code. The CDSC will be waived for benefit payments made directly to plan participants. Benefit payments will include, but are not limited to, payments resulting from death, disability, retirement, separation from service, required minimum distributions (as described under Section 401(a)(9) of the Code), in-service distributions, hardships, loans, and qualified domestic relations orders. The CDSC waiver will not apply in the event of termination of the plan or transfer of the plan to another financial intermediary.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• In the case of a divorce, where there exists a court decree that requires repurchase of the Shares.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Circumstances that the officers of the Fund, in their discretion, deem to warrant a waiver of the CDSC.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• The repurchase relates to shares for which no commission was paid to the dealer of record (as described below).

Documentation may be required prior to the waiver of the CDSC, including death certificates, physicians' certificates, etc., in applicable instances.

Under certain circumstances, the Distributor may change the concession to dealers and may also compensate dealers out of its own assets. Dealers engaged in the sale of shares of the Fund may be deemed to be underwriters under the Securities Act of 1933. The Distributor retains the entire sales charge on all direct initial investments in the Fund and on all investments in accounts with no designated dealer of record and any portion of a sales charge that is not re-allowed to a broker-dealer or financial intermediary.

**CDSC waivers and discounts available through certain financial intermediaries are set forth in <u>Appendix A– Waivers and Discounts Available from Intermediaries</u>, attached to this Prospectus, which may differ from the CDSC waivers and discounts available for purchases made directly from the Fund (or the Distributor), as described in this Prospectus.**

**Sales Charges – Class U Shares**

*Purchase of Class U Shares*

Class U shares of the Fund are purchased at the public offering price, which is the next determined NAV per share.

The Adviser will pay a commission of up to 1.50% to a dealer of record for an investor's purchase of Class U shares.

*Contingent Deferred Sales Charge and Dealer Concession*

There is no sales charge on Class U shares of the Fund. However, a CDSC of up to 1.50% may be imposed if such Class U shares are repurchased within twelve (12) months of their purchase, based on the lower of the shares' NAV at the time of purchase or current NAV.

In determining whether a CDSC is payable, the Fund will first repurchase Class U shares not subject to any charge. The Adviser receives the entire amount of any CDSC you pay. No CDSC is applied in the following instances:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• The repurchase is due to the death or post-purchase disability of a shareholder or settlor of a living trust account.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Repurchases from retirement plans qualified under Section 401 of the Code. The CDSC will be waived for benefit payments made directly to plan participants. Benefit payments will include, but are not limited to, payments resulting from death, disability, retirement, separation from service, required minimum distributions (as described under Section 401(a)(9) of the Code), in-service distributions, hardships, loans, and qualified domestic relations

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orders. The CDSC waiver will not apply in the event of termination of the plan or transfer of the plan to another financial intermediary.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• In the case of a divorce, where there exists a court decree that requires repurchase of the Shares.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Circumstances that the officers of the Fund, in their discretion, deem to warrant a waiver of the CDSC.

Documentation may be required prior to the waiver of the CDSC, including death certificates, physicians' certificates, etc., in applicable instances.

**Sales Charges - Class FI Shares**

*Contingent Deferred Sales Charge – Class FI Shares*

A CDSC of up to 3.00% may be imposed if such Class FI shares are repurchased within thirty-six (36) months of their purchase, based on the lower of the shares' NAV at the time of purchase or current NAV.

In determining whether a CDSC is payable, the Fund will first repurchase Class FI shares not subject to any charge. The Fund receives the entire amount of any CDSC you pay. No CDSC is applied in the following instances:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• The repurchase is due to the death or post-purchase disability of a shareholder or settlor of a living trust account.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Repurchases from retirement plans qualified under Section 401 of the Code. The CDSC will be waived for benefit payments made directly to plan participants. Benefit payments will include, but are not limited to, payments resulting from death, disability, retirement, separation from service, required minimum distributions (as described under Section 401(a)(9) of the Code), in-service distributions, hardships, loans, and qualified domestic relations orders. The CDSC waiver will not apply in the event of termination of the plan or transfer of the plan to another financial intermediary.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• In the case of a divorce, where there exists a court decree that requires repurchase of the Shares.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Circumstances that the officers of the Fund, in their discretion, deem to warrant a waiver of the CDSC.

Documentation may be required prior to the waiver of the CDSC, including death certificates, physicians' certificates, etc., in applicable instances.

**Additional Payments to Intermediaries** 

In addition to dealer concessions, the Adviser or its affiliates, at their own expense and out of their own assets, may make payments ("Additional Payments") to, or enter into arrangements with, financial intermediaries or other persons in consideration of services, arrangements, significant investments in Fund shares or other activities that the Adviser and its affiliates believe may, among other things, benefit the Fund's business, facilitate investment in Fund shares or otherwise benefit the Fund's shareholders. Additional Payments include payments to certain selling or shareholder servicing agents for the Fund, including broker-dealers, in connection with the sale and distribution of shares of the Fund or for services to the Fund and its shareholders. These Additional Payments, which may be significant, are paid by the Adviser or its affiliates, out of their own resources, which may include profits derived from servicing the Fund. Such payments by such parties may create an incentive for these financial institutions to recommend that you purchase Fund shares. Payments of the type described above are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments.

In return for these Additional Payments, the Adviser expects to receive certain marketing or servicing advantages that are not generally available to funds that do not make such payments. Such advantages are expected to include, without limitation, significant investments in the Fund; placement of the Fund on a list of funds offered as investment options to the selling agent's clients (sometimes referred to as "Shelf Space"); access to the selling agent's registered representatives; and the ability to assist in training and educating the selling agent's registered representatives.

Certain selling or shareholder servicing agents receive these Additional Payments to supplement amounts payable by the Fund under its distribution plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act (described in the Statement of Additional Information). In exchange, these agents provide services including, but not limited to, establishing and maintaining accounts and records; answering inquiries regarding purchases, exchanges and redemptions; processing and verifying purchase, redemption and exchange transactions; furnishing account statements and confirmations of transactions; processing and mailing monthly statements, prospectuses, shareholder reports and other SEC-required communications; and providing the types of services that might typically be provided by the Transfer Agent (*e.g.*, the maintenance of omnibus or omnibus-like accounts, the use of the National Securities Clearing Corporation for the transmission of transaction information and the transmission of shareholder mailings) or other service providers.

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The Additional Payments may create potential conflicts of interests between an investor and a selling agent who is recommending a particular fund over other funds. Before investing, you should consult with your financial consultant and review carefully any disclosure by the selling agent as to what monies they receive from fund advisers and distributors, as well as how your financial consultant is compensated.

**HOW TO BUY SHARES** 

Shareholders who invest in the Fund through a financial intermediary should contact their intermediary regarding purchase procedures. All investors must complete and submit the necessary account registration forms in good order. The Fund reserves the right to reject any initial or additional investment and to suspend the offering of Shares. Purchase through a financial intermediary does not affect these eligibility requirements.

A purchase of Shares will be made at the NAV per share (plus any applicable sales charge) next determined following receipt of a purchase order in good order by the Fund, its authorized agent, its Distributor's authorized agent, or authorized financial intermediary or the intermediary's authorized designee if received at a time when the Fund is open to new investments. A purchase order is in "good order" when the Fund, its Distributor's agent, an authorized financial intermediary or, if applicable, an intermediary's authorized designee, receives all required information, including properly completed and signed documents, and the purchase order is approved by the Adviser. Once the Fund (or one of its authorized agents) accepts a purchase order, you may not cancel or revoke it. The Fund reserves the right to cancel any purchase order it receives if the Fund believes that it is in the best interest of the Fund's shareholders to do so.

Clients of investment advisory organizations may also be subject to investment advisory fees under their own arrangements with such organizations.

Some Intermediaries may impose different or additional eligibility requirements. The Adviser has the discretion to further modify or waive their eligibility requirements.

Shares of the Fund generally may be sold only to U.S. citizens, U.S. residents, and U.S. domestic corporations, partnerships, trusts or estates. The Fund reserves the right to refuse any request to purchase Shares. The Shares are subject to the investment minimums described below.

**Purchase by Mail.** To purchase Fund shares by mail, simply complete and sign the Account Application and mail it, or for subsequent purchases include name, fund name and account number along with a check made payable to the Fund:

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| **Regular Mail** | **Overnight or Express Mail** |
| Angel Oak Strategic Credit Fund | Angel Oak Strategic Credit Fund |
| c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services | c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services |
| PO Box 219252 | 801 Pennsylvania Ave., Suite 219252 |
| Kansas City, MO 64121-9252 | Kansas City, MO 64105-1307 |

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The Fund does not consider the U.S. Postal Service or other independent delivery services to be its agents. Therefore, deposit in the mail or with such services, or receipt at U.S. Bank Global Fund Services post office box does not constitute receipt by the Transfer Agent. Receipt is determined at the time the order is received at the Transfer Agent's offices.

All checks must be in U.S. Dollars drawn on a domestic bank. The Fund will not accept payment in cash or money orders. The Fund does not accept postdated checks or any conditional order or payment. To prevent check fraud, the Fund will not accept third party checks, Treasury checks, credit card checks, traveler's checks or starter checks for the purchase of shares.

The transfer agent will charge a $25 fee against a shareholder's account, in addition to any loss sustained by the Fund, for any payment that is returned. It is the policy of the Fund not to accept applications under certain circumstances or in amounts considered disadvantageous to shareholders. The Fund reserves the right to reject any application.

**Purchase by Wire – Initial Investment.** If you are making your first investment in the Funds, before you wire funds, the transfer agent must have a completed account application. You may mail or overnight deliver your account application to the transfer agent. Upon receipt of your completed account application, the transfer agent will establish an account for you. The account number assigned will be required as part of the instruction that should be provided to your bank to send the wire. Your bank must include both the name of the Fund you are purchasing, the account number, and your name so that monies can be correctly applied.

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| |
|:---|
| **Instruct your bank to send the wire to:** |
| U.S. Bank, N.A.<br>777 East Wisconsin Avenue<br>Milwaukee, WI 53202<br>ABA #075000022<br>Credit:<br>U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC<br>Account #112-952-137<br>Further Credit:<br>Angel Oak Strategic Credit Fund<br>(shareholder registration)<br>(shareholder account number) |

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**Purchase by Wire – Subsequent Investments.** Before sending your wire, please contact the Transfer Agent to advise them of your intent to wire funds. This will ensure prompt and accurate credit upon receipt of your wire.

**Wired Funds Disclaimer.** Wired funds must be received prior to 4:00 p.m. Eastern time to be eligible for same day pricing. The Fund and U.S. Bank, N.A. are not responsible for the consequences of delays resulting from the banking or Federal Reserve wire system, or from incomplete wiring instructions.

**Purchase by Telephone.** Investors may purchase additional shares of the Fund by calling 1-855-751-4324. If you elected this option on your account application, and your account has been open for at least 7 business days, telephone orders will be accepted via electronic funds transfer from your bank account through the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network. You must have banking information established on your account prior to making a purchase. If your order is received prior to 4 p.m. Eastern time, your shares will be purchased at the net asset value calculated on the day your order is placed.

Telephone trades must be received by or prior to market close. During periods of high market activity, shareholders may encounter higher than usual call waits. Please allow sufficient time to place your telephone transaction.

Before executing an instruction received by telephone, the Transfer Agent will use reasonable procedures to confirm that the telephone instructions are genuine. The telephone call may be recorded and the caller may be asked to verify certain personal identification information. If the Fund or its agents follow these procedures, they cannot be held liable for any loss, expense or cost arising out of any telephone repurchase request that is reasonably believed to be genuine. This includes fraudulent or unauthorized requests. If an account has more than one owner or authorized person, the Fund will accept telephone instructions from any one owner or authorized person.

**Automatic Investment Plan.** Once your account has been opened with the initial minimum investment you may make additional purchases at regular intervals through the Automatic Investment Plan. This Plan provides a convenient method to have monies deducted from your bank account, for investment into the Fund, on a monthly or quarterly basis. In order to participate in the Plan, your financial institution must be a member of the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network. If your bank rejects your payment, the Fund's transfer agent will charge a $25 fee to your account. To begin participating in the Plan, please complete the Automatic Investment Plan section on the account application or call the Fund's transfer agent at 1-855-751-4324 for instructions. Any request to change or terminate your Automatic Investment Plan should be submitted to the transfer agent 5 days prior to the effective date.

**Investment Minimum**

The minimum initial investment in Class A shares of the Fund is $1,000, and the minimum subsequent investment in Class A shares of the Fund is $100. The minimum initial investment in Institutional Class shares of the Fund is $50,000. The minimum initial investment in Class U shares of the Fund is $25,000. The minimum initial investment in Class FI shares of the Fund is $25,000,000. The Adviser may, in its sole discretion, waive these minimums for accounts participating in an automatic investment program and in certain other circumstances. The Fund may waive or lower investment minimums for investors who invest in the Fund through an asset-based fee program made available through a financial intermediary. If your investment is aggregated into an omnibus account established by an investment adviser, broker or other financial intermediary, the account minimums apply to the omnibus account, not to your individual investment. The financial intermediary may also impose minimum requirements that are different from those set forth in this Prospectus. If you choose to purchase shares from or effect repurchase requests directly with the Fund, you will not incur charges on such purchases and repurchases. However, if you purchase shares or effect repurchase requests through a broker-dealer or other intermediary, you may be charged a fee by that intermediary.

**Exchange Privilege**

Except as described below, you may exchange all or a portion of your Shares in the Fund for shares in an identically registered account of the same class of another Angel Oak mutual fund. Additionally, except as described below, you may convert your Shares in the Fund for Shares of another class of the Fund if you meet the minimum investment requirements

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for the class into which you would like to convert. Any new account established through an exchange will be subject to the minimum investment requirements applicable to the shares acquired. Exchanges will be executed on the basis of the relative NAV of the Shares exchanged. Consequently, you may receive fewer shares or more shares than originally owned, depending on that day's net asset values. Your total value of the initially held Shares, however, will equal the total value of the converted shares. The exchange privilege may be exercised only in those states where the class of shares of the fund being acquired legally may be sold. Be sure to read the current prospectus for the fund into which you are exchanging.

You may only exchange your Shares in the Fund for shares in another Angel Oak mutual fund in conjunction with a quarterly repurchase offer and for an amount equal to the amount of the Shares tendered and repurchased. See "Share Repurchase Program."

Sales charge (including CDSCs) and repurchase fees are not applied to any exchange of all or a portion of your Shares in the Fund for shares of another Angel Oak fund.

When you exchange or convert Shares subject to a CDSC, no CDSC will be charged at that time. However, for purposes of determining the amount of CDSC applicable to those shares acquired in the exchange or conversion, the length of time you have owned the shares will be measured from the date you acquired the original Shares subject to a CDSC, and the amount and terms of the CDSC will be those applicable to the original Shares acquired and will not be affected by a subsequent exchange or conversion.

An exchange of Shares in the Fund for shares of another fund is considered to be a sale of shares for federal income tax purposes on which you may realize a taxable capital gain or loss unless you are a tax-exempt investor or hold your shares through a tax-deferred account such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Such tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of monies from those arrangements. A conversion from Shares of one class to Shares of another class within the Fund is generally not a taxable transaction for federal income tax purposes.

**Other Policies**

***No Share Certificates.*** The issuance of Shares is recorded electronically on the books of the Fund. You will receive a confirmation of, or account statement reflecting, each new transaction in your account, which will also show the total number of Shares of the Fund you own. You can rely on these statements in lieu of certificates. The Fund does not issue certificates representing Shares of the Fund.

**Customer Identification Program**

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 that opens a new account, and to determine whether such person's name appears on government lists of known or suspected terrorists and terrorist organizations. As a result, the Fund must obtain the following information for each person that opens a new account:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Name;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Date of birth (for individuals);

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Residential or business street address (although post office boxes are still permitted for mailing); and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Social Security number, taxpayer identification number, or other identifying information.

You may also be asked for a copy of your driver's license, passport or other identifying document in order to verify your identity. In addition, it may be necessary to verify your identity by cross-referencing your identification information with a consumer report or other electronic database. Additional information may be required to open accounts for corporations and other entities. If you are opening the account in the name of a legal entity (*e.g.*, partnership, limited liability company, business trust, corporation, etc.), you must also supply the identity of the beneficial owners.

Federal law prohibits the Fund and other financial institutions from opening a new account on behalf of a natural person unless they receive the minimum identifying information listed above. After an account is opened, the Fund may restrict your ability to purchase additional Shares until your identity is verified. The Fund may close your account or take other appropriate action if it is unable to verify your identity within a reasonable time. The Fund and its agents will not be responsible for any loss in an investor's account resulting from the investor's delay in providing all required identifying information or from closing an account and repurchasing an investor's Shares when an investor's identity is not verified.

In addition, the Fund may be required to "freeze" your account if there appears to be suspicious activity or if account information matches information on a government list of known terrorists or other suspicious persons.

**Householding**

In an effort to decrease costs, the Fund intends to reduce the number of duplicate prospectuses and other similar documents you receive by sending only one copy of each to those addresses shared by two or more accounts and to shareholders we reasonably believe are from the same family or household. Once implemented, if you would like to discontinue householding for your accounts, please call toll-free at 1-855-751-4324 to request individual copies of these documents. Once the Fund

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receives notice to stop householding, we will begin sending individual copies thirty days after receiving your request. This policy does not apply to account statements.

**Lost Shareholders, Inactive Accounts and Unclaimed Property**

It is important that the Fund maintain a correct address for each investor. An incorrect address may cause an investor's account statements and other mailings to be returned to the Fund. Based upon statutory requirements for returned mail, the Fund will attempt to locate the investor or rightful owner of the account. If the Fund is unable to locate the investor, then they will determine whether the investor's account can legally be considered abandoned. Fund accounts may be transferred to the state government of an investor's state of residence if no activity occurs within the account during the "inactivity period" specified in the applicable state's abandoned property laws, which varies by state. The Fund is legally obligated to escheat (or transfer) abandoned property to the appropriate state's unclaimed property administrator in accordance with statutory requirements. The investor's last known address of record determines which state has jurisdiction. Please proactively contact the Transfer Agent toll-free at 855-751-4324 at least annually to ensure your account remains in active status.

**Fund Closings**

The Fund (or a share class) may close at any time to new investments and, during such closings, only the reinvestment of dividends by existing shareholders will be permitted. The Fund may re-open to new investment and subsequently close again to new investment at any time at the discretion of the Adviser. Any such opening and closing of the Fund will be disclosed to investors via a supplement to this Prospectus.

**Liquidation or Reorganization**

To the extent authorized by law, the Fund reserves the right to discontinue offering Shares at any time, to merge or reorganize itself or a class of Shares, or to cease operations and liquidate at any time. A liquidation may have adverse tax consequences to Shareholders. If the Fund were to liquidate, Shareholders would receive a liquidating distribution in cash or in-kind equal to their proportionate interest in the Fund. A liquidating distribution would generally be a taxable event to Shareholders, resulting in a gain or loss for tax purposes, depending upon a Shareholder's basis in his or her Shares of the Fund. A Shareholder would not be entitled to any refund or reimbursement of expenses borne, directly or indirectly, by the Shareholder (such as sales loads, account fees, or fund expenses), and a Shareholder may receive an amount in liquidation less than his or her original investment.

**DISTRIBUTIONS**

The Fund intends to distribute to its shareholders as dividends all or substantially all of its net investment income and any realized net capital gains. Distributions from the Fund's net investment income are accrued daily and typically paid monthly.

In certain circumstances, a distribution by the Fund could constitute a return of capital. For example, in some instances, distributions may be made on the basis of estimates regarding the depreciation and drawdown of certain assets, and there may be a mismatch between those estimates and the income ultimately realized, which may result in a distribution payment that exceeds the Fund's net investment income and realized net capital gains. To the extent that any portion of the Fund's monthly distributions are considered a return of capital to Shareholders, such portion would not be considered dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and would represent a return of the amounts that such Shareholders invested. Although such return of capital distributions are not currently taxable to Shareholders, such distributions will have the effect of lowering a Shareholder's tax basis in such Shares, and could result in a higher tax liability when the Shares are sold, even if they have not increased in value, or in fact, have lost value. The Fund's final distribution for each tax year is expected to include any remaining investment company taxable income and net tax-exempt income undistributed during the tax year, as well as any undistributed net capital gain realized during the tax year. If the total distributions made in any tax year exceed investment company taxable income, net tax-exempt income and net capital gain, such excess distributed amount would be treated as ordinary dividend income to the extent of the Fund's current and accumulated earnings and profits and as return of capital thereafter.

Each year, a statement on Form 1099-DIV identifying the sources of the distributions (*i.e.*, paid from ordinary income, paid from net capital gains on the sale of securities, and/or a return of capital, which is a nontaxable distribution) will be furnished to Shareholders subject to IRS reporting. Fund ordinary distributions may exceed the Fund's earnings, especially during the period before the Fund has substantially invested the proceeds from this offering. To the extent that the Fund pays distributions to Shareholders using offering proceeds, such distributions generally would constitute a return of investor capital and generally 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. There can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to pay distributions at a specific rate or at all.

The dividend distributions described above may result in the payment of approximately the same amount or percentage to the Fund's shareholders each quarter. Section 19(a) of the 1940 Act and Rule 19a-1 thereunder require the Fund to provide a written statement accompanying any such payment that adequately discloses its source or sources. Thus, if the source of the dividend or other distribution were the original capital contribution of the shareholder, and the payment amounted to a return of capital, the Fund would be required to provide written disclosure to that effect. Please refer to the Fund's most recent

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Section 19(a) notice, available at www.angeloakfunds.com, for additional information regarding the composition of distributions. Nevertheless, persons who periodically receive the payment of a dividend or other distribution may be under the impression that they are receiving net profits when they are not. Shareholders should read any written disclosure provided pursuant to Section 19(a) and Rule 19a-1 carefully and should not assume that the source of any distribution from the Fund is net profit.

As discussed in the "Tax Aspects" section, to qualify for and maintain RIC tax treatment, the Fund is required to distribute on a timely basis with respect to each tax year dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes of an amount at least equal to the sum of 90% of "investment company taxable income" and net tax-exempt interest income, determined without regard to any deduction for dividends paid, for such tax year. To avoid certain excise taxes imposed on RICs, the Fund is required to distribute in respect of each calendar year dividends of an amount at least equal to the sum of (1) 98% of ordinary income (taking into account certain deferrals and elections) for the calendar year, (2) 98.2% of capital gain net income (adjusted for certain ordinary losses) generally for the one-year period ending on October 31 of the calendar year and (3) any ordinary income and capital gain net income for previous calendar years that were not distributed during such calendar years and on which the Fund paid no U.S. federal income tax. The Fund can offer no assurance that it will achieve results that will permit the payment of any cash distributions. If the Fund issues senior securities, the Fund will be prohibited from making distributions if doing so causes it to fail to maintain the asset coverage ratios stipulated by the 1940 Act or if distributions are limited by the terms of any of the Fund's borrowings. Any such limitations would adversely impact the Fund's ability to make distributions to Shareholders.

**Dividend Reinvestment Plan**

All distributions will be reinvested in Shares (net of applicable withholding tax) unless a Shareholder chooses one of the following options: (1) receive dividends in cash while reinvesting capital gain distributions in additional Shares; (2) reinvest dividends in additional Shares and receive capital gains in cash; or (3) receive all distributions in cash. Dividends are taxable whether reinvested in additional Shares or received in cash. You may notify the Transfer Agent in writing to:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Choose to receive dividends or distributions (or both) in cash; or

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Change the way you currently receive distributions

Shareholders have the option of having Shares distributed in lieu of cash. The number of Shares that will be distributed in lieu of cash is determined by dividing the dollar amount of the distribution to be reinvested by the NAV as of the close of business on the day of the distribution. There is no sales or other charge for reinvestment. Shareholders can withdraw from the plan and elect to receive cash at any time by giving written notice to the Transfer Agent at least five calendar days prior to the record date of the distribution. Your distribution option will automatically be converted to having all dividends and other distributions reinvested in additional shares if any of the following occur:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Postal or other delivery service is unable to deliver checks to the address of record; or

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Dividend and capital gain distribution checks are not cashed within 180 days.

Dividend and capital gain distribution checks issued by the Fund that are not cashed within 180 days will be reinvested in the Fund at the current day's NAV. When reinvested, those amounts are subject to risk of loss like any other investment in the Fund.

Your taxable income is the same regardless of which option you choose. For further information about dividend reinvestment, contact the Transfer Agent by telephone at (855) 751-4324.

**FISCAL YEAR; REPORTS**

For accounting purposes, the Fund's fiscal year and tax year end is January 31. As soon as practicable after the end of each calendar year, a statement on Form 1099-DIV identifying the sources of the distributions paid by the Fund to Shareholders for tax purposes will be furnished to Shareholders subject to IRS reporting. In addition, the Fund will prepare and transmit to Shareholders an unaudited semi-annual and an audited annual report within 60 days after the close of the period for which the report is being made, or as otherwise required by the 1940 Act.

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**INQUIRIES**

Inquiries concerning the Fund and the Shares should be directed to:

Angel Oak Strategic Credit Fund

c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services

PO Box 219252

Kansas City, MO 64121-9252

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**APPENDIX A—WAIVERS AND DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE FROM INTERMEDIARIES**

The availability of certain sales charge waivers and discounts will depend on whether you purchase your shares directly with the Fund or through a financial intermediary. Intermediaries may have different policies and procedures regarding the availability of front-end sales charge waivers or contingent deferred (back-end) sales charge ("CDSC") waivers, which are discussed below. In all instances, it is the purchaser's responsibility to notify the Fund or the purchaser's financial intermediary at the time of purchase of any relationship or other facts qualifying the purchaser for sales charge waivers or discounts. The availability of certain initial or deferred sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on the particular financial intermediary or type of account through which you purchase or hold Shares. For waivers or discounts not available through a particular financial intermediary described in this <u>Appendix A</u>, investors will have to purchase Fund shares directly from the Fund (or the Distributor) or through another intermediary to receive these waivers or discounts.

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***Janney Montgomery Scott LLC ("Janney")***

Effective May 1, 2020, shareholders purchasing fund shares through a Janney Montgomery Scott LLC ("Janney") account will be eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this fund's Prospectus or SAI.

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| |
|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Janney** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family). |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Janney or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Janney. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within ninety (90) days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (i.e., right of reinstatement). |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Class C shares that are no longer subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and are converted to Class A shares of the same fund pursuant to Janney's policies and procedures. |

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| |
|:---|
| **Sales Charge Waivers on Class A Shares available at Janney** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares sold upon the death or disability of the shareholder. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the fund's Prospectus. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased in connection with a return of excess contributions from an IRA account. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching the qualified age based on applicable Internal Revenue Service regulations as described in a Fund's Prospectus. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares sold to pay Janney fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Janney. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement. |

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| |
|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**Front-end Sales Load Discounts available at Janney: Breakpoints and/or Rights of Accumulation** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Breakpoints as described in the Fund's Prospectus. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Rights of accumulation ("ROA"), which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser's household at Janney. Eligible fund family assets not held at Janney may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets. |

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***Merrill Lynch***

Purchases or sales of front-end (for example, Class A) or level-load (for example, Class C) mutual fund shares through a Merrill platform or account will be eligible only for the following sales load waivers (front-end, contingent deferred, or back-end waivers) and discounts, which differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund's prospectus. Purchasers will have to buy mutual fund shares directly from the mutual fund company or through another intermediary to be eligible for waivers or discounts not listed below.

It is the client's responsibility to notify Merrill at the time of purchase or sale of any relationship or other facts that qualify the transaction for a waiver or discount. A Merrill representative may ask for reasonable documentation of such facts and Merrill may condition the granting of a waiver or discount on the timely receipt of such documentation.

Additional information on waivers, discounts, and share class exchanges is available in the Merrill Sales Load Waiver and Discounts Supplement (the "Merrill SLWD Supplement") and in the Mutual Fund Investing at Merrill pamphlet at ml.com/funds. Clients are encouraged to review these documents and speak with their financial advisor to determine whether a transaction is eligible for a waiver or discount.

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| |
|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**Front-end Load Waivers Available at Merrill** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares of mutual funds available for purchase by employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation, and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans provided the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan. For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased through a Merrill investment advisory program |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Brokerage class shares exchanged from advisory class shares due to the holdings moving from a Merrill investment advisory program to a Merrill brokerage account |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased through the Merrill Edge Self-Directed platform |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased through the systematic reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same mutual fund in the same account |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares exchanged from level-load shares to front-end load shares of the same mutual fund in accordance with the description in the Merrill SLWD Supplement |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased by eligible employees of Merrill or its affiliates and their family members who purchase shares in accounts within the employee's Merrill Household (as defined in the Merrill SLWD Supplement) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased by eligible persons associated with the fund as defined in this prospectus (e.g. the fund's officers or trustees) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased from the proceeds of a mutual fund redemption in front-end load shares provided (1) the repurchase is in a mutual fund within the same fund family; (2) the repurchase occurs within 90 calendar days from the redemption trade date, and (3) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account (known as Rights of Reinstatement). Automated transactions (i.e. systematic purchases and withdrawals) and purchases made after shares are automatically sold to pay Merrill's account maintenance fees are not eligible for Rights of Reinstatement |

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| |
|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**Contingent Deferred Sales Charge ("CDSC") Waivers on Front-end, Back-end, and Level Load Shares Available at Merrill** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares sold due to the client's death or disability (as defined by Internal Revenue Code Section 22(e)(3)) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares sold pursuant to a systematic withdrawal program subject to Merrill's maximum systematic withdrawal limits as described in the Merrill SLWD Supplement |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares sold due to return of excess contributions from an IRA account |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the investor reaching the qualified age based on applicable IRS regulation |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Front-end or level-load shares held in commission-based, non-taxable retirement brokerage accounts (e.g. traditional, Roth, rollover, SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans) that are transferred to fee-based accounts or platforms and exchanged for a lower cost share class of the same mutual fund |

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| |
|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**Front-end Load Discounts Available at Merrill: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Breakpoint discounts, as described in this prospectus, where the sales load is at or below the maximum sales load that Merrill permits to be assessed to a front-end load purchase, as described in the Merrill SLWD Supplement |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Rights of Accumulation (ROA), as described in the Merrill SLWD Supplement, which entitle clients to breakpoint discounts based on the aggregated holdings of mutual fund family assets held in accounts in their Merrill Household<br>On or about May 1, 2026, assets not held at Merrill will no longer be included in the ROA calculation. For more detail on the timing and calculation, please refer to the Merrill SLWD Supplement. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Letters of Intent (LOI), which allow for breakpoint discounts on eligible new purchases based on anticipated future eligible purchases within a fund family at Merrill, in accounts within your Merrill Household, as further described in the Merrill SLWD Supplement<br>On or about May 1, 2026, Merrill will no longer accept new LOIs. For more detail on the timing, please refer to the Merrill SLWD Supplement. |

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***Morgan Stanley Wealth Management***

Effective July 1, 2018, shareholders purchasing Fund Shares through a Morgan Stanley Wealth Management platform or account will be eligible only for the following front-end sales charge waivers and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in the Fund's Prospectus or SAI.

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| |
|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**Front-end Sales Charge Waivers on Class A Shares available at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans, and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs, or Keogh plans |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Morgan Stanley employee and employee-related accounts according to Morgan Stanley's account linking rules |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased through reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions when purchasing shares of the Fund |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased through a Morgan Stanley self-directed brokerage account |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (i) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (ii) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (iii) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge |

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***Raymond James & Associates, Inc., Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. and each entity's affiliates ("Raymond James")***

Effective March 1, 2019, shareholders purchasing fund shares through a Raymond James platform or account, or through an introducing broker-dealer or independent registered investment adviser for which Raymond James provides trade execution, clearance, and/or custody services, will be eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in the Funds' Prospectus or SAI.

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| |
|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at Raymond James** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased in an investment advisory program. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased within the same fund family through a systematic reinvestment of capital gains and dividend distributions. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Employees and registered representatives of Raymond James or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Raymond James. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of Reinstatement). |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;A shareholder in the Fund's Class C shares will have their shares converted at net asset value to Class A shares (or the appropriate share class) of the Fund if the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC and the conversion is in line with the policies and procedures of Raymond James. |

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---

| |
|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**CDSC Waivers on Class A Shares available at Raymond James** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Death or disability of the shareholder. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Funds' Prospectus. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching the qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations as described in the fund's prospectus. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares sold to pay Raymond James fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Raymond James. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement. |

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---

| |
|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**Front-end Sales Load Discounts available at Raymond James:** <br>**Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Breakpoints as described in this prospectus. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Rights of accumulation which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser's household at Raymond James. Eligible fund family assets not held at Raymond James may be included in the calculation of rights of accumulation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Letters of intent which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, over a 13-month time period. Eligible fund family assets not held at Raymond James may be included in the calculation of letters of intent only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets. |

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***Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. ("OPCO")***

Effective February 26, 2020, shareholders purchasing Fund shares through an Oppenheimer & Co Inc. ("OPCO") platform or account are eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund's Prospectus or SAI.

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| |
|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at OPCO** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan.  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased by or through a 529 Plan. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased through an OPCO affiliated investment advisory program.  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family).  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same amount, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales loan (known as Rights of Reinstatement).  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;A shareholder in the Fund's Class C Shares will have their shares converted at net asset value to Class A Shares (or the appropriate share class) of the Fund if the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC and the conversion is in line with the policies and procedures of OPCO.  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Employees and registered representatives of OPCO or its affiliates and their family members.  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Directors or Trustees of the Fund, and employees of the Fund's investment adviser or any of its affiliates, as described in this prospectus.  |

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---

| |
|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**CDSC Waivers on A Shares available at OPCO** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Death or disability of the shareholder. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund's Prospectus. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Return of excess contributions from an IRA account. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching the qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations as described in the Prospectus. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares sold to pay OPCO fees but only if the transaction is initiated by OPCO. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement. |

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---

| |
|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**Front-end Load Discounts available at OPCO: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letter of Intent** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Breakpoints as described in this Prospectus. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Rights of accumulation ("ROA"), which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser's household at OPCO. Eligible fund family assets not held at OPCO may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets. |

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***Robert W. Baird & Co. ("Baird")*** 

Effective January 1, 2026, shareholders purchasing fund shares through a Baird platform or account will only be eligible for the following sales charge waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and CDSC waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this prospectus or the SAI

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| |
|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**Front-End Sales Charge Waivers on Class A shares Available at Baird** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Baird or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Baird |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased within 90 days following a redemption from an Angel Oak Fund, provided (1) the redemption and purchase occur within the purchaser's Baird household and (2) the redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (known as rights of reinstatement) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;A shareholder in the Fund's Investor C Shares will have their share converted at net asset value to Investor A shares of the same fund if the shares are no longer subject to CDSC and the conversion is in line with the policies and procedures of Baird |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Employer-sponsored retirement plans or charitable accounts in a transactional brokerage account at Baird, including 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans. For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs or SAR-SEPs |

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---

| |
|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**CDSC Waivers on Class A and C shares Available at Baird** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares sold due to death or disability of the shareholder |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund's Prospectus |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares bought due to returns of excess contributions from an IRA Account |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching the qualified age based on applicable Internal Revenue Service regulations as described in the Fund's prospectus |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares sold to pay Baird fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Baird |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement |

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---

| |
|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**Front-End Sales Charge Discounts Available at Baird: Breakpoints and/or Rights of Accumulation** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Breakpoints as described in this prospectus  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Rights of accumulations which entitles shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of Angel Oak assets held by accounts within the purchaser's household at Baird. Eligible Angel Oak assets not held at Baird may be included in the rights of accumulations calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Letters of Intent (LOI) allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases of Angel Oak through Baird, over a 13-month period of time |

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***J.P. Morgan Securities LLC:***

If you purchase or hold fund shares through an applicable J.P. Morgan Securities LLC brokerage account, you will be eligible for the following sales charge waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC"), or back-end sales charge, waivers), share class conversion policy and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information ("SAI").

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| |
|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**Front-end sales charge waivers on Class A shares available at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares exchanged from Class C (i.e., level-load) shares that are no longer subject to a CDSC and are exchanged into Class A shares of the same fund pursuant to J.P. Morgan Securities LLC's share class exchange policy |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Qualified employer-sponsored defined contribution and defined benefit retirement plans, nonqualified deferred compensation plans, other employee benefit plans and trusts used to fund those plans. For purposes of this provision, such plans do not include SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, SAR-SEPs or 501(c)(3) accounts |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares of funds purchased through J.P. Morgan Securities LLC Self-Directed Investing accounts  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased through rights of reinstatement |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the fund family) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of J.P. Morgan Securities LLC or its affiliates and their spouse or financial dependent as defined by J.P. Morgan Securities LLC |

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| |
|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**Class C to Class A share conversion** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;A shareholder in the fund's Class C shares will have their shares converted by J.P. Morgan Securities LLC to Class A shares (or the appropriate share class) of the same fund if the shares are no longer subject to a CDSC and the conversion is consistent with J.P. Morgan Securities LLC's policies and procedures |

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| |
|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**CDSC waivers on Class A and C shares available at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares sold upon the death or disability of the shareholder |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the fund's prospectus |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased in connection with a return of excess contributions from an IRA account |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement |

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| |
|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**Front-end load discounts available at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC: breakpoints, rights of accumulation & letters of intent** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Breakpoints, as described in this prospectus. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Rights of Accumulation ("ROA") which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts as described in the fund's prospectus will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets held by accounts within the purchaser's household at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC. Eligible fund family assets not held at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC (including 529 program holdings, where applicable) may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies their financial advisor about such assets. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Letters of Intent ("LOI") which allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases within a fund family, through J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, over a 13-month period of time (if applicable). |

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***Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated ("Stifel")***

Effective May 31, 2026, shareholders purchasing or holding fund shares, including existing fund shareholders, through a Stifel or affiliated platform that provides trade execution, clearance, and/or custody services, will be eligible for the following sales charge load waivers (including front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, (CDSC) sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this prospectus or the Fund's SAI.

**CLASS A SHARES**

As described elsewhere in this prospectus, Stifel may receive compensation out of the front-end sales charge if you purchase Class A shares through Stifel.

**Rights of accumulation**

Rights of accumulation (ROA) that entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts on front-end sales charges will be calculated by Stifel based on the aggregated holding of eligible assets in the fund held by accounts within the purchaser's household at Stifel. Ineligible assets include class A Money Market Funds not assessed a sales charge. Fund Family assets not held at Stifel may be included in the calculation of ROA only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.

The employer maintaining a SEP IRA plan and/or SIMPLE IRA plan may elect to establish or change ROA for the IRA accounts associated with the plan to a plan-level grouping as opposed to including all share classes at a shareholder or pricing group level.

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| |
|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**Front-end sales charge waivers on Class A shares available at Stifel** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Class C shares that have been held for more than seven (7) years may be converted to Class A shares or other front-end share class(es) of the same fund pursuant to Stifel's policies and procedures. To the extent that this prospectus elsewhere provides for a waiver with respect to the exchange or conversion of such shares following a shorter holding period, those provisions shall continue to apply. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Stifel or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Stifel. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased in a Stifel fee-based advisory program, often referred to as a "wrap" program. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same or other fund within Angel Oak Funds Trust. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased from the proceeds of redeemed shares of Angel Oak Funds so long as the proceeds are from the sale of shares from an account with the same owner/beneficiary within 90 days of the purchase. For the absence of doubt, automated transactions (i.e. systematic purchases, including salary deferral transactions and withdrawals) and purchases made after shares are sold to cover Stifel Nicolaus' account maintenance fees are not eligible for rights of reinstatement. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares from rollovers into Stifel from retirement plans to IRAs. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares exchanged into Class A shares from another share class so long as the exchange is into the same fund and was initiated at the direction of Stifel. Stifel is responsible for any remaining CDSC due to the fund company, if applicable. Any future purchases are subject to the applicable sales charge as disclosed in this prospectus. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Purchases of Class 529-A shares through a rollover from another 529 plan. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Purchases of Class 529-A shares made for reinvestment of refunded amounts. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs or SAR-SEPs. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Charitable organizations and foundations, notably 501(c)(3) organizations. |

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| |
|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**Contingent Deferred Sales Charges Waivers on Class A and C Shares** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Death or disability of the shareholder or, in the case of 529 plans, the account beneficiary. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan not to exceed 12% annually. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching the qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares sold to pay Stifel fees or costs in such cases where the transaction is initiated by Stifel. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares exchanged or sold in a Stifel fee-based program. |

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| |
|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**Share Class Conversions in Advisory Accounts** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Stifel continually looks to provide our clients with the lowest cost share class available based on account type. Stifel reserves the right to convert shares to the lowest cost share class available at Stifel upon transfer of shares into an advisory program. |

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***Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC and Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC (collectively, "Wells Fargo Advisors")***

***Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC operates a First Clearing business, but these rules are not intended to include First Clearing firms.***

Effective April 1, 2026, Clients of Wells Fargo Advisors purchasing fund shares through Wells Fargo Advisors are eligible for the following sales charge discounts (also referred to as "breakpoints") and waivers, which can differ from discounts and waivers described elsewhere in the prospectus or statement of additional information ("SAI"). In all instances, it is the investor's responsibility to inform Wells Fargo Advisors at the time of purchase of any relationship, holdings, or other facts qualifying the investor for discounts or waivers. Wells Fargo Advisors can ask for documentation supporting the qualification.

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| |
|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**Wells Fargo Advisors Class A share front-end sales charge waivers information.** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Wells Fargo Advisors clients purchasing or converting to Class A shares of the fund in a Wells Fargo Advisors brokerage account are entitled to a waiver of the front-end load in the following circumstances: |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Wells Fargo Advisors employee and employee-related accounts according to Wells Fargo Advisor's employee account linking rules. Legacy accounts and positions receiving affiliate discounts prior to the effective date will continue to receive discounts. Going forward employees of affiliate businesses will not be offered NAV. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased through reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions when purchasing shares of the same fund. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;WellsTrade, the firm's online self-directed brokerage account, generally offers no-load share classes but there could be instances where a Class A share is offered without a front-end sales charge. |

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| |
|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**Wells Fargo Advisors Class 529-A share front-end sales charge waivers information.** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Wells Fargo Advisors clients purchasing or converting to Class 529-A shares of the fund through Wells Fargo Advisors transactional brokerage accounts are entitled to a waiver of the front-end load in the following circumstances: |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Shares purchased through a rollover from another 529 plan. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Recontribution(s) of distributed funds are only allowed during the NAV reinstatement period as dictated by the sponsor's specifications outlined by the plan. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Wells Fargo Advisors is not able to apply the NAV Reinstatement privilege for 529 Plan account purchases placed directly at the fund company. Investors wishing to utilize this privilege outside of Wells Fargo systems will need to do so directly with the Plan or a financial intermediary that supports this feature. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Unless specifically described above, other front-end load waivers are not available on mutual fund purchases through Wells Fargo Advisors. |

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| |
|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**Wells Fargo Advisors Contingent Deferred Sales Charge information.** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Contingent deferred sales charges (CDSC) imposed on fund redemptions will not be rebated based on future purchases. |

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| |
|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**Wells Fargo Advisors Class A front-end load discounts** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Wells Fargo Advisors Clients purchasing Class A shares of the fund through Wells Fargo Advisors brokerage accounts will follow the following aggregation rules for breakpoint discounts: |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Effective April 1, 2026, SEP or SIMPLE IRAs will not be aggregated as a group plan. They will aggregate with the client's personal accounts based on Social Security Number. Previously established SEP and SIMPLE IRAs may still be aggregated as a group plan. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Effective April 1, 2026, Employer-sponsored retirement plan (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans) accounts will aggregate with other plan accounts under the same Tax ID and will not be aggregated with other retirement plan accounts under a different Tax ID or personal accounts. For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;Gift of shares will not be considered when determining breakpoint discounts |

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Investors should rely only on the information contained in this Prospectus. No dealer, salesperson or other individual has been authorized to give any information or to make any representations that are not contained in this Prospectus. If any such information or statements are given or made, investors should not rely upon such information or representations. This Prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell any securities other than those to which this Prospectus relates, or an offer to sell to, or a solicitation of an offer to buy from, any person in any jurisdiction where such an offer or solicitation would be unlawful. This Prospectus speaks as of the date set forth below. Investors should not assume that the delivery of this Prospectus or that any sale made pursuant to this Prospectus implies that the information contained in this Prospectus will remain fully accurate and correct as of any time subsequent to the date of this Prospectus.

**ANGEL OAK STRATEGIC CREDIT FUND**

**CLASS A SHARES, INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES, CLASS U SHARES, AND CLASS FI SHARES OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST**

**PROSPECTUS**

**May 31, 2026**

**ANGEL OAK STRATEGIC CREDIT FUND**

**CLASS A SHARES (ASCAX), INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES (ASCIX), CLASS U SHARES (ASCUX), AND CLASS FI SHARES (ASCNX) OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST**

**STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION**

**May 31, 2026**

This Statement of Additional Information (the "SAI") provides additional information to the Prospectus for Angel Oak Strategic Credit Fund (the "Fund") dated May 31, 2026, as it may be amended from time to time. This SAI is not a prospectus and should only be read in conjunction with the Prospectus. You may obtain the Prospectus without charge by writing to the Angel Oak Funds, c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services at PO Box 219252, Kansas City, MO 64121-9252, by calling (855) 751-4324 or by visiting the Fund's website at www.angeloakcapital.com.

Investors in the Fund will be informed of the Fund's progress through periodic reports. Financial statements certified by an independent registered public accounting firm will be submitted to shareholders at least annually. Copies of the <u>[Annual Report](https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000119312526146810/d18667dncsr.htm)[to](https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000119312526146810/d18667dncsr.htm)[S](https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000119312526146810/d18667dncsr.htm)[harehol](https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000119312526146810/d18667dncsr.htm)[ders](https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000119312526146810/d18667dncsr.htm)</u> may be obtained upon request, without charge, by contacting the Fund at the address or telephone number listed above.

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**TABLE OF CONTENTS**

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| [INVESTMENT POLICIES AND RISKS](#i302179cb045a45e1ab36c8a370906828_4) | [1](#i302179cb045a45e1ab36c8a370906828_4) |
| [INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS](#i302179cb045a45e1ab36c8a370906828_60) | [20](#i302179cb045a45e1ab36c8a370906828_60) |
| [REPURCHASE OF SHARES](#i302179cb045a45e1ab36c8a370906828_91) | [30](#i302179cb045a45e1ab36c8a370906828_91) |
| [PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS](#i302179cb045a45e1ab36c8a370906828_106) | [31](#i302179cb045a45e1ab36c8a370906828_106) |
| [PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROXY VOTING RECORD](#i302179cb045a45e1ab36c8a370906828_121) | [33](#i302179cb045a45e1ab36c8a370906828_121) |
| [TAXATION](#i302179cb045a45e1ab36c8a370906828_137) | [34](#i302179cb045a45e1ab36c8a370906828_137) |
| [CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF SECURITIES](#i302179cb045a45e1ab36c8a370906828_152) | [41](#i302179cb045a45e1ab36c8a370906828_152) |
| [OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS](#i302179cb045a45e1ab36c8a370906828_167) | [41](#i302179cb045a45e1ab36c8a370906828_167) |
| [DISTRIBUTION PLAN](#i302179cb045a45e1ab36c8a370906828_182) | [42](#i302179cb045a45e1ab36c8a370906828_182) |
| [OTHER MATTERS](#i302179cb045a45e1ab36c8a370906828_197) | [43](#i302179cb045a45e1ab36c8a370906828_197) |
| [FINANCIAL STATEMENTS](#i302179cb045a45e1ab36c8a370906828_213) | [43](#i302179cb045a45e1ab36c8a370906828_213) |

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**INVESTMENT POLICIES AND RISKS**

The Fund's principal investment strategies and the risks associated with the same are described in the "Summary of Terms" and "Types of Investments and Related Risks" sections of the Prospectus. The following discussion provides additional information about those principal investment strategies and related risks, as well as information about investment strategies (and related risks) that the Fund may utilize, even though they are not considered to be "principal" investment strategies. Accordingly, an investment strategy (and related risk) that is described below, but which is not described in the Prospectus, should not be considered to be a principal strategy (or related risk) applicable to the Fund.

**<u>Borrowing</u>.** The Fund may borrow for investment purposes and for other purposes permitted by the 1940 Act. Under current law as interpreted by the SEC and its staff, the Fund may borrow money in the amount of up to one-third of the Fund's total assets for any purpose and up to 5% of the Fund's total assets from banks or other lenders for temporary purposes. The Fund's total assets include the amounts being borrowed. Under the 1940 Act, the Fund is required to maintain continuous asset coverage of 300% with respect to permitted borrowings. Borrowing tends to amplify the effects on the Fund's NAV of any change in the Fund's portfolio securities. Borrowing subjects the Fund to costs in the form of interest, which the Fund may not recover through investment earnings. The Fund may also be required to maintain minimum average balances in connection with a borrowing or to pay a commitment or other fee to maintain a line of credit. These types of requirements would increase the cost of borrowing to the Fund over the stated interest rate.

**<u>Cash Investments</u>.** When Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC ("Angel Oak" or the "Adviser") believes market, economic or political conditions are unfavorable for investors, the Adviser may invest up to 100% of the Fund's net assets in cash, cash equivalents or other short-term investments. Unfavorable market or economic conditions may include excessive volatility or a prolonged general decline in the securities markets, or the U.S. economy. The Adviser also may invest in these types of securities or hold cash while looking for suitable investment opportunities or to maintain liquidity.

**<u>Collateralized Debt Obligations ("CDOs")</u>.** The Fund may invest in CDOs. A CDO is a security backed by a pool of bonds, loans and other debt obligations. CDOs are not limited to investing in one type of debt and accordingly, a CDO may own corporate bonds, commercial loans, asset-backed securities, residential mortgage-backed securities, commercial mortgage-backed securities, and emerging market debt. The CDO's securities are typically divided into several classes, or bond tranches, that have differing levels of investment grade or credit tolerances. Most CDO issues are structured in a way that enables the senior bond classes and mezzanine classes to receive investment-grade credit ratings. Credit risk is shifted to the most junior class of securities. If any defaults occur in the assets backing a CDO, the senior bond classes are first in line to receive principal and interest payments, followed by the mezzanine classes and finally by the lowest rated (or non-rated) class, which is known as the equity tranche. Similar in structure to a collateralized mortgage obligation (described above) CDOs are unique in that they represent different types of debt and credit risk.

**<u>Collateralized Fund Obligations ("CFOs").</u>** The Fund may invest in CFOs. A CFO is a security that is collateralized by private fund interests and other assets. A CFO issuer's securities are typically divided into several classes, or tranches. The most senior tranche of notes will have the highest rating. Each successive tranche (other than the most junior tranche) will correspond to notes that are more junior to, and lower rated than, the immediately prior (i.e., more senior) tranche. The most subordinated tranche will be an equity tranche. Accordingly, the returns on tranches, in turn, can vary in line with gains or losses on the underlying investments. This tranched capital structure allows the investors in a CFO issuer to determine their preferred risk/return investments. Since many private fund interests do not have specified or consistent periodic payments, the timing of payments to investors in a CFO can be difficult to predict. CFOs are also generally subject to the same risks as the underlying private funds and other assets.

**<u>Collateralized Loan Obligations ("CLOs")</u>.** The Fund may invest in CLOs, which are debt instruments typically backed by a pool of loans. The risks of an investment in a CLO depend largely on the type of the collateral securities and the class of the CLO in which the Fund invests. Some CLOs have credit ratings, but are typically issued in various classes with various priorities. Normally, CLOs are privately offered and sold (that is, they are not registered under the securities laws) and may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities; however, an active dealer market may exist for CLOs that qualify for Rule 144A transactions. In addition to the normal interest rate, default and other risks of fixed income securities, CLOs carry additional risks, including the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments, the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default, the Fund may invest in CLOs that are subordinate to other classes, values may be volatile, and disputes with the issuer may produce unexpected investment results.

**<u>Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (CMOs)</u>.** The Fund may invest in CMOs. A CMO is a hybrid between a mortgage-backed bond and a mortgage pass-through security. A CMO is a type of mortgage-backed security that creates separate classes with varying maturities and interest rates, called tranches. Similar to a bond, interest and prepaid principal is paid, in most cases, semiannually. CMOs may be collateralized by whole mortgage loans, but are more typically collateralized by portfolios of mortgage pass-through securities guaranteed by GNMA, FHLMC, or FNMA, and their income streams.

CMOs are structured into multiple classes, each bearing a different fixed or floating interest rate and stated maturity. Actual maturity and average life will depend upon the prepayment experience of the collateral. CMOs provide for a modified form of call

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protection through a de facto breakdown of the underlying pool of mortgages according to how quickly the loans are repaid. Monthly payment of principal received from the pool of underlying mortgages, including prepayments, is first returned to investors holding the shortest maturity class. Investors holding the longer maturity classes receive principal only after the first class has been retired. An investor is partially guarded against a sooner than desired return of principal because of the sequential payments.

In a typical CMO transaction, a corporation (issuer) issues multiple series (*e.g.*, Series A, B, C and Z) of CMO bonds (Bonds). Proceeds of the Bond offering are used to purchase mortgages or mortgage pass-through certificates (Collateral). The Collateral is pledged to a third party trustee as security for the Bonds. Principal and interest payments from the Collateral are used to pay principal on the Bonds in the following order: Series A, B, C and Z. The Series A, B, and C Bonds all bear current interest. Interest on a Series Z Bond is accrued and added to principal and a like amount is paid as principal on the Series A, B, or C Bond currently being paid off. Only after the Series A, B, and C Bonds are paid in full does the Series Z Bond begin to receive payment. With some CMOs, the issuer serves as a conduit to allow loan originators (primarily builders or savings and loan associations) to borrow against their loan portfolios.

CMOs that are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or by any of its agencies or instrumentalities will be considered U.S. government securities by the Fund, while other CMOs, even if collateralized by U.S. government securities, will have the same status as other privately issued securities for purposes of applying the Fund's diversification tests.

FHLMC CMOs are debt obligations of FHLMC issued in multiple classes having different maturity dates which are secured by the pledge of a pool of conventional mortgage loans purchased by FHLMC. Payments of principal and interest on the FHLMC CMOs are made semiannually. The amount of principal payable on each semiannual payment date is determined in accordance with FHLMC's mandatory sinking fund schedule, which, in turn, is equal to approximately 100% of FHA prepayment experience applied to the mortgage collateral pool. All sinking fund payments in the FHLMC CMOs are allocated to the retirement of the individual classes of bonds in the order of their stated maturities. Payment of principal on the mortgage loans in the collateral pool in excess of the amount of FHLMC's minimum sinking fund obligation for any payment date are paid to the holders of the FHLMC CMOs as additional sinking fund payments. Because of the "pass-through" nature of all principal payments received on the collateral pool in excess of FHLMC's minimum sinking fund requirement, the rate at which principal of the FHLMC CMOs is actually repaid is likely to be such that each class of bonds will be retired in advance of its scheduled maturity date. If collection of principal (including prepayments) on the mortgage loans during any semiannual payment period is not sufficient to meet FHLMC CMO's minimum sinking fund obligation on the next sinking fund payment date, FHLMC agrees to make up the deficiency from its general funds.

Classes of CMOs may also include interest only ("IOs") and principal only ("POs"). IOs and POs are stripped mortgage-backed securities representing interests in a pool of mortgages the cash flow from which has been separated into interest and principal components. IOs (interest only securities) receive the interest portion of the cash flow while POs (principal only securities) receive the principal portion. IOs and POs can be extremely volatile in response to changes in interest rates. As interest rates rise and fall, the value of IOs tends to move in the same direction as interest rates. POs perform best when prepayments on the underlying mortgages rise since this increases the rate at which the investment is returned and the yield to maturity on the PO. When payments on mortgages underlying a PO are slow, the life of the PO is lengthened and the yield to maturity is reduced.

CMOs are generally subject to the same risks as mortgage-backed securities. In addition, CMOs may be subject to credit risk because the issuer or credit enhancer has defaulted on its obligations and the Fund may not receive all or part of its principal. Obligations issued by U.S. government-related entities are guaranteed as to the payment of principal and interest, but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. The performance of private label mortgage-backed securities, issued by private institutions, is based on the financial health of those institutions. Although GNMA guarantees timely payment of GNMA certificates even if homeowners delay or default, tracking the "pass-through" payments may, at times, be difficult.

**<u>Convertible Securities</u>.** The Fund may invest in convertible securities which are preferred stocks or bonds that pay a fixed dividend or interest payment and are convertible into common stock or other equity interests at a specified price or conversion ratio during a specified period. Although convertible bonds, convertible preferred stocks, and other securities convertible into equity securities may have some attributes of income securities or debt securities, the Fund generally treats such securities as equity securities. By investing in convertible securities, the Fund may seek income, and may also seek the opportunity, through the conversion feature, to participate in the capital appreciation of the common stock or other interests into which the securities are convertible, while potentially earning a higher fixed rate of return than is ordinarily available in common stocks. While the value of convertible securities depends in part on interest rate changes and the credit quality of the issuers, the value of these securities will also change based on changes in the value of the underlying stock. Income paid by a convertible security may provide a limited cushion against a decline in the price of the security; however, convertible securities generally have less potential for gain than common stocks. Also, convertible bonds generally pay less income than non-convertible bonds.

The Fund may invest in contingent securities structured as contingent convertible securities, also known as "CoCos." Contingent convertible securities are a hybrid debt securities typically issued by non-U.S. banks and are designed to behave like bonds in times of economic health and either convert into equity at a predetermined share price or are written down in value based on the specific terms

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of the individual security if a pre-specified trigger event occurs. Unlike traditional convertible securities, the conversion of a contingent convertible security from debt to equity is "contingent" and will occur only in the case of a trigger event. Trigger events vary by instrument and are defined by the documents governing the contingent convertible security. Trigger events 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.

Contingent convertible securities are subject to the credit, interest rate, high yield security, foreign security and markets risks associated with bonds and equities, and to the risks specific to convertible securities in general. Contingent convertible securities are also subject to additional risks specific to their structure including conversion risk. Because trigger events are not consistently defined among contingent convertible securities, this risk is greater for contingent convertible securities that are issued by banks with capital ratios close to the level specified in the trigger event.

In addition, coupon payments on contingent convertible securities are discretionary and may be cancelled by the issuer at any point, for any reason, and for any length of time. Due to the uncertainty surrounding coupon payments, contingent convertible securities may be volatile and their price may decline rapidly in the event that coupon payments are suspended.

Convertible contingent securities are a newer form of instrument and the regulatory environment for these instruments continues to evolve. Because the market for contingent convertible securities is evolving, it is uncertain how the larger market for contingent convertible securities would react to a trigger event or coupon suspension applicable to a single issuer.

**<u>Corporate Debt Securities</u>.** Corporate debt securities are long- and short-term debt obligations issued by companies (such as publicly issued and privately placed bonds, notes and commercial paper). The Adviser considers corporate debt securities to be of investment grade quality if they are rated BBB or higher by S&P Global Ratings ("S&P"), a division of the McGraw Hill Companies, or Baa or higher by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's"), or if unrated, determined by the Adviser to be of comparable quality. Investment grade debt securities generally have adequate to strong protection of principal and interest payments. In the lower end of this category, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity to pay interest and repay principal than in higher rated categories.

**<u>Credit Linked Notes ("CLNs")</u>.** The Fund may invest in CLNs. A CLN is a security with an embedded credit default swap allowing the issuer to transfer a specific credit risk to credit investors.

**<u>Cybersecurity Risk</u>.** As technology becomes more integrated into the Fund's operations, the Fund will face greater operational risks through breaches in cybersecurity. A breach in cybersecurity refers to both intentional and unintentional events that may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption, or lose operational capacity. This in turn could cause the Fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures, and/or financial loss. Cybersecurity threats may result from unauthorized access to the Fund's digital information systems (*e.g.*, through "hacking" or malicious software coding), but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks (*i.e.*, efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). In addition, because the Fund works closely with third-party service providers (*e.g.*, administrators, transfer agents, custodians and sub-advisers), cybersecurity breaches at such third-party service providers may subject the Fund to many of the same risks associated with direct cybersecurity breaches. The same is true for cybersecurity breaches at any of the issuers in which the Fund may invest. While the Fund has established risk management systems designed to reduce the risks associated with cybersecurity, there can be no assurance that such measures will succeed.

**<u>Derivative Instruments</u>*.*** The Fund's derivatives and other similar instruments (collectively referred to in this section as "derivatives" or "derivative investments") have risks, including leverage, market, counterparty, liquidity, operational, and legal risks. They also involve risks of imperfect correlation between the value of such instruments and the underlying assets of the Fund, which creates the possibility that the loss on such instruments may be greater than the gain in the value of the underlying assets in the Fund's portfolio; the loss of principal; the possible default of the other party to the transaction; and illiquidity of the derivative investments. If a counterparty becomes bankrupt or otherwise fails to perform its obligations under a derivative contract due to financial difficulties, the Fund may experience significant delays in obtaining any recovery under the derivative contract in a bankruptcy or other reorganization proceeding. In addition, in the event of the insolvency of a counterparty to a derivative transaction, the derivative contract would typically be terminated at its fair market value. If the Fund is owed this fair market value in the termination of the derivative contract and its claim is unsecured, the Fund will be treated as a general creditor of such counterparty, and will not have any claim with respect to the underlying security.

The counterparty risk for cleared derivative transactions is generally lower than for uncleared over-the-counter ("OTC") derivatives because 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 house for performance of financial obligations. However, there can be no assurance that the clearing house, or its members, will satisfy its obligations to the Fund.

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Certain of the derivative investments in which the Fund may invest may, in certain circumstances, give rise to a form of financial leverage, which may magnify the risk of owning such instruments. The ability to successfully use derivative investments depends on the ability of the Adviser to predict pertinent market movements, which cannot be assured. In addition, amounts paid by the Fund as premiums and cash or other assets held in margin accounts with respect to the Fund's derivative investments would not be available to the Fund for other investment purposes, which may result in lost opportunities for gain.

OTC derivatives may be more difficult to purchase, sell or value than other investments. 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, the liquidity of a secondary 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. 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 beyond the daily limit on a number of consecutive trading days. 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 cash payments of variation (or mark-to-market) 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 variation margin requirements at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. The absence of liquidity may also make it more difficult for the Fund to ascertain a market value for such instruments. The inability to close derivatives transactions positions also could have an adverse impact on the Fund's ability to effectively hedge its portfolio. OTC derivatives that are not cleared are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party to the contract will not fulfill its contractual obligation to complete the transaction with the Fund. If a counterparty were to default on its obligations, the Fund's contractual remedies against such counterparty may be subject to bankruptcy and insolvency laws, which could affect the Fund's rights as a creditor (*e.g.*, the Fund may not receive the net amount of payments that it is contractually entitled to receive). In addition, the use of certain derivatives may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of income or short-term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates).

The Adviser, with respect to the Fund, has filed a notice of eligibility with the National Futures Association ("NFA") claiming an exclusion from the definition of the term Commodity Pool Operator ("CPO") pursuant to Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC") Regulation 4.5, as promulgated under the Commodity Exchange Act, as amended ("CEA"), with respect to the Fund's operations. Therefore, neither the Fund nor the Adviser (with respect to the Fund) is subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool or CPO under the CEA. If the Adviser or the Fund becomes subject to these requirements, as well as related NFA rules, the Fund may incur additional compliance and other expenses.

The derivatives markets have become subject to comprehensive statutes, regulations and margin requirements. In particular, in the United States the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the "Dodd-Frank Act") regulates the OTC derivatives market by, among other things, requiring many derivative transactions to be cleared and traded on an exchange, expanding entity registration requirements, imposing business conduct requirements on dealers and requiring banks to move some derivatives trading units to a non-guaranteed affiliate separate from the deposit-taking bank or divest them altogether. Rulemaking proposed or implemented under the Dodd-Frank Act could potentially limit or completely restrict the ability of the Fund to use these instruments as a part of its investment strategies, increase the costs of using these instruments or make them less effective. Limits or restrictions applicable to the counterparties with which the Fund engages in derivative transactions could also prevent the Fund from using these instruments or affect the pricing or other factors relating to these instruments, or may change availability of certain investments.

Regulation of the derivatives market presents additional risks to the Fund and may limit the ability of the Fund to use, and the availability or performance of such instruments. Pursuant to Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act, a fund's derivatives exposure is limited through a value-at-risk ("VaR") test and requires the adoption and implementation of a derivatives risk management program for certain derivatives users. However, subject to certain conditions, funds that do not invest heavily in derivatives may be deemed limited derivatives users (as defined in Rule 18f-4) and are not subject to the full requirements of Rule 18f-4. When the Fund trades reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions, including certain tender option bonds, it needs to aggregate the amount of indebtedness associated with the reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions with the aggregate amount of any other senior securities representing indebtedness (*e.g.*, bank borrowings, if applicable) when calculating the Fund's asset coverage ratio or treat all such transactions as derivatives transactions. Reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions aggregated with other indebtedness do not need to be included in the calculation of whether a fund satisfies the limited derivatives users exception, but for funds subject to the VaR testing requirement, reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions must be included for purposes of such testing whether treated as derivatives transactions or not. In addition, Rule 18f-4 could limit the Fund's ability to engage in certain derivatives and other transactions and/or increase the costs of such transactions.

The Fund's investments in regulated derivatives instruments, such as swaps, futures and options, will be subject to maximum position limits established by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the "CFTC") and U.S. and foreign futures exchanges. Under the exchange rules all accounts owned or managed by advisers, such as the Adviser, their principals and affiliates would be combined for position limit purposes. To comply with the position limits established by the CFTC and the relevant

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exchanges, the Adviser may in the future reduce the size of positions that would otherwise be taken for the Fund or not trade in certain markets on behalf of the Fund to avoid exceeding such limits. A violation of position limits by the Adviser could lead to regulatory action resulting in mandatory liquidation of certain positions held by the Adviser on behalf of the Fund. There can be no assurance that the Adviser will liquidate positions held on behalf of all the Adviser's accounts in a proportionate manner or at favorable prices, which may result in substantial losses to the Fund. Such policies could affect the nature and extent of derivatives use by the Fund.

***Swaps.*** The Fund may invest in credit default swaps, total return swaps, interest rate swaps, equity swaps, currency swaps and other types of swaps. Such transactions are subject to market risk, liquidity risk, risk of default by the other party to the transaction, known as "counterparty risk," regulatory risk and risk of imperfect correlation between the value of such instruments and the underlying assets and may involve commissions or other costs.

A credit default swap agreement may reference one or more debt securities or obligations that are not currently held by the Fund. The Fund is permitted to enter into a credit default swap as either the protection buyer or seller in the discretion of the Adviser. When buying protection under a credit default swap, the Fund is generally obligated to pay the protection seller an upfront or periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract until a credit event occurs, such as a default of the reference obligation. If no credit event occurs, the Fund may recover nothing if the swap is held through the termination date. However, if a credit event does occur, the Fund may receive the full notional value of the swap in exchange for the face amount of the obligations underlying the swap, the value of which may have significantly decreased. When selling protection under a credit default swap, the Fund receives an upfront or periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract provided that a credit event does not occur. However, as the seller of protection, the Fund effectively adds leverage to its portfolio because it gains exposure to the notional amount of the swap. Entering into a credit default swap may subject the Fund to greater risk than if the Fund had invested in the reference obligation directly. In addition to general market risks, credit default swaps also involve illiquidity risk, counter-party risk (for OTC swaps) and credit risk.

Swap agreements are primarily entered into by institutional investors and the value of such agreements may be extremely volatile. Certain swap agreements are traded OTC between two parties, while other more standardized swaps must be transacted through a Futures Commission Merchant and centrally cleared and exchange-traded. While central clearing and exchange-trading are intended to reduce counterparty credit and liquidity risk, they do not make a swap transaction risk-free. The current regulatory environment regarding swap agreements is subject to change. The Adviser will continue to monitor these developments, particularly to the extent regulatory changes affect the Fund's ability to enter into swap agreements.

The swap market has matured in recent years with a large number of banks and investment banking firms acting both as principals and as agents utilizing standardized swap documentation. As a result, the swap market has become relatively liquid; however there is no guarantee that the swap market will continue to provide liquidity and may be subject to liquidity risk, which exists when a particular swap is difficult to purchase or sell. The absence of liquidity may also make it more difficult for the Fund to ascertain a market value for such instruments. The inability to close derivative positions also could have an adverse impact on the Fund's ability to effectively hedge its portfolio. If the Adviser is incorrect in its forecasts of market values, interest rates or currency exchange rates, the investment performance of the Fund would be less favorable than it would have been if these investment techniques were not used. In a total return swap, the Fund pays the counterparty a floating short-term interest rate and receives in exchange the total return of underlying loans or debt securities. The Fund bears the risk of default on the underlying loans or debt securities, based on the notional amount of the swap and, therefore, incurs a form of leverage. The Fund would typically have to post collateral to cover this potential obligation.

***Options and Futures Risk.*** The Fund may utilize options, including equity options, futures contracts and so-called "synthetic" options or other derivatives written by broker-dealers or other permissible financial intermediaries. Options transactions may be effected on securities exchanges or in the OTC market. When options are purchased OTC, the Fund's portfolio bears the risk that the counterparty that wrote the option will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the option contract. Options may also be illiquid and, in such cases, the Fund may have difficulty closing out its position. OTC options also may include options on baskets of specific securities.

The Fund may purchase call and put options on specific securities in pursuing its investment objectives. 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, typically at any time prior to the expiration of the option for American options or only at expiration for European options. 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, typically at any time prior to the expiration of the option.

The Fund may close out a position when writing options by purchasing an option on the same underlying security with the same exercise price and expiration date as the option that it has previously written on the security. In such a case, the Fund will realize a profit or loss if the amount paid to purchase an option is less or more than the amount received from the sale of the option.

Engaging in transactions in futures contracts and options involves risk of loss to the Fund. No assurance can be given that a liquid market will exist for any particular futures contract or option at any particular time. Many futures exchanges and boards of trade

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limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in futures contract prices during a single trading day. Once the daily limit has been reached in a particular contract, no trades may be made that day at a price beyond that limit or trading may be suspended for specified periods during the trading day. Futures contract prices could move to the limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, preventing prompt liquidation of futures positions and potentially subjecting the Fund to substantial losses.

A market could become unavailable if one or more exchanges were to stop trading options or it could become unavailable with respect to options on a particular underlying security if the exchanges stopped trading options on that security. In addition, a market could become temporarily unavailable if unusual events (*e.g.*, volume exceeds clearing capability) were to interrupt normal exchange operations. If an options market were to become illiquid or otherwise unavailable, an option holder would be able to realize profits or limit losses only by exercising and an options seller or writer would remain obligated until it is assigned an exercise or until the option expires.

If trading is interrupted in an underlying security, the trading of options on that security is usually halted as well. Holders and writers of options will then be unable to close out their positions until options trading resumes, and they may be faced with considerable losses if the security reopens at a substantially different price. Even if options trading is halted, holders of options will generally be able to exercise them. However, if trading has also been halted in the underlying security, option holders face the risk of exercising options without knowing the security's current market value. If exercises do occur when trading of the underlying security is halted, the party required to deliver the underlying security may be unable to obtain it, which may necessitate a postponed settlement and/or the fixing of cash settlement prices.

***Structured Notes.*** Structured notes are derivative debt securities, the interest rate and/or principal of which is determined by an unrelated indicator. The value of the principal of and/or interest on structured notes is determined by reference to changes in the return, interest rate or value at maturity of a specific asset, reference rate or index (the "reference instrument") or the relative change in two or more reference instruments. The interest rate or the principal amount payable upon maturity or redemption may be increased or decreased, depending upon changes in the applicable reference instruments. Structured notes may be positively or negatively indexed, so that an increase in value of the reference instrument may produce an increase or a decrease in the interest rate or value of the structured note at maturity. In addition, changes in the interest rate or the value of the structured note at maturity may be calculated as a specified multiple of the change in the value of the reference; therefore, the value of such note may be very volatile. Structured notes may entail a greater degree of market risk than other types of debt securities because the investor bears the risk of the reference instrument. Structured notes may also be more volatile, less liquid and more difficult to accurately price than less complex securities or more traditional debt securities.

**<u>Dollar Rolls</u>.** A dollar roll transaction involves a sale by the Fund of a security concurrently with an agreement by the Fund to repurchase a similar security at a later date at an agreed-upon price. A dollar roll may be considered a borrowing giving rise to leverage. The securities that are repurchased will bear the same interest rate and a similar maturity as those sold, but the assets collateralizing these 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 investments, and the income from these investments will generate income for the Fund. If such income does not exceed the income, capital appreciation and gain or loss 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 rolls involve the risk that the market value of the securities subject to the Fund's forward purchase commitment may decline below, or the market value of the securities subject to the Fund's forward sale commitment may increase above, the exercise price of the forward commitment. In the event the buyer of the securities files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, the Fund's use of the proceeds of the current sale portion of the transaction may be restricted.

**<u>Energy Sector Risk</u>.** The Fund may invest in securities tied to the energy sector and energy infrastructure. Energy infrastructure companies are engaged in the (i) gathering, transporting, processing, treating, terminalling, storing, refining, distributing, mining or marketing of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, refined products or coal, (ii) the acquisition, exploitation and development of crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids, (iii) processing, treating, and refining of natural gas liquids and crude oil, (iv) owning, managing and transporting alternative fuels such as ethanol, hydrogen and biodiesel. The energy sector is highly regulated. Companies operating in the energy sector are subject to significant regulation of virtually every aspect of their operations by federal, state and local governmental agencies, including how facilities are constructed, maintained and operated, environmental and safety controls, and the prices they may charge for the products and services they provide. Companies in the energy sector may be affected by fluctuations in the prices of energy commodities, including natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil and coal. Companies engaged in the exploration, development, management or production of energy commodities are at risk of the natural resources depleting over time, which may cause the market value of the company to decline over time. Companies operating in the energy sector may be adversely affected by reductions in the supply or demand for energy commodities, including as a result of sanctions, international political developments or conflicts in or near major energy-producing regions. Companies in the energy sector may be subject to various operational risks, such as disruption of operations, inability to timely and effectively integrate newly acquired assets, unanticipated operation and maintenance expenses, underestimated cost projections, and other risks arising from specific business strategies. Rising interest rates which could adversely impact the financial performance of these companies by increasing their costs of capital, which

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may reduce a company's ability to execute acquisitions or expansion projects in a cost-effective manner. Extreme weather or other natural disasters could adversely impact the value of the debt and equity securities of the companies operating in the energy sector in which the Fund invests. Threats of attacks by terrorists on energy assets could impact the market for companies operating in the energy sector. If a significant accident or event occurs and a company is not fully insured, it could adversely affect a company's operations and financial condition and the securities issued by the company.

**<u>Equity Securities</u>.** 

***Common and Preferred Stock.*** The Fund may invest in common stock. Common stock represents an equity (ownership) interest in a company, and usually possesses voting rights and earns dividends. Dividends on common stock are not fixed but are declared at the discretion of the issuer. Common stock generally represents the riskiest investment in a company. In addition, common stock generally has the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential because increases and decreases in earnings are usually reflected in a company's stock price.

The Fund may invest in preferred stock. Preferred stock is a class of stock having a preference over common stock as to the payment of dividends and the recovery of investment should a company be liquidated, although preferred stock is usually junior to the debt securities of the issuer. Preferred stock typically does not possess voting rights and its market value may change based on changes in interest rates.

The fundamental risk of investing in common and preferred stock is the risk that the value of the stock might decrease. Stock values fluctuate in response to the activities of an individual company or in response to general market and/or economic conditions. Historically, common stocks have provided greater long-term returns and have entailed greater short-term risks than preferred stocks, fixed-income and money market investments. The market value of all securities, including common and preferred stocks, is based upon the market's perception of value and not necessarily the book value of an issuer or other objective measures of a company's worth. If you invest in the Fund, you should be willing to accept the risks of the stock market and should consider an investment in the Fund only as a part of your overall investment portfolio.

***Warrants.*** The Fund may invest in warrants. Warrants are securities, typically issued with preferred stock or bonds that give the holder the right to purchase a given number of shares of common stock at a specified price and time. The price of the warrant usually represents a premium over the applicable market value of the common stock at the time of the warrant's issuance. Warrants have no voting rights with respect to the common stock, receive no dividends and have no rights with respect to the assets of the issuer. Investments in warrants involve certain risks, including the possible lack of a liquid market for the resale of the warrants, potential price fluctuations due to adverse market conditions or other factors and failure of the price of the common stock to rise. If the warrant is not exercised within the specified time period, it becomes worthless.

***Depositary Receipts.*** The Fund may invest in sponsored and unsponsored American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), European Depositary Receipts ("EDRs"), Global Depositary Receipts ("GDRs"), Holding Company Depositary Receipts ("HOLDRs"), New York Registered Shares ("NYRs") or American Depositary Shares ("ADSs"). ADRs typically are issued by a U.S. bank or trust company, evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign company, and are designed for use in U.S. securities markets. EDRs are issued by European financial institutions and typically trade in Europe and GDRs are issued by European financial institutions and typically trade in both Europe and the United States. HOLDRs trade on the American Stock Exchange and are fixed baskets of U.S. or foreign stocks that give an investor an ownership interest in each of the underlying stocks. NYRs, also known as Guilder Shares since most of the issuing companies are Dutch, are dollar-denominated certificates issued by foreign companies specifically for the U.S. market. ADSs are shares issued under a deposit agreement that represents an underlying security in the issuer's home country. (An ADS is the actual share trading, while an ADR represents a bundle of ADSs.) The Fund invests in depositary receipts to obtain exposure to foreign securities markets. For purposes of the Fund's investment policies, the Fund's investments in an ADR will be considered an investment in the underlying securities of the applicable foreign company.

Unsponsored depositary receipts may be created without the participation of the foreign issuer. Holders of these receipts generally bear all the costs of the depositary receipt facility, whereas foreign issuers typically bear certain costs of a sponsored depositary receipt. The bank or trust company depositary of an unsponsored depositary receipt may be under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the foreign issuer or to pass through voting rights. Accordingly, available information concerning the issuer may not be current and the prices of unsponsored depositary receipts may be more volatile than the prices of sponsored depositary receipts.

**<u>ESG Integration</u>**. As part of its investment process, the Adviser also considers certain environmental, social and governance ("ESG") and sustainability factors that it believes could have a material impact on certain securities in which the Fund may invest. These determinations may not be conclusive, and securities that may be negatively impacted by such factors may be purchased and retained by the Fund while the Fund may divest or not invest in securities that may be positively impacted by such factors.

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In evaluating a security's ESG and sustainability factors, the Adviser will use its own proprietary assessments of such factors and may also reference standards as set forth by recognized global organizations, including the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals ("UN SDGs") and the United Nations' Principles for Responsible Investing ("UN PRI"). Examples of the types of factors the Adviser may consider include, without limitation: environmental issues, such as carbon emissions and energy efficiency; social issues, such as affordable housing and community investment; and corporate governance issues, such as board independence. The Fund may also invest in other investment companies that focus on ESG and sustainability factors. ESG and sustainability factors will not be considered with respect to investments in U.S. Treasury and U.S. government agency securities, money market instruments, and derivatives. The Adviser's consideration of certain ESG and sustainability factors when making investment decisions may affect the Fund's performance relative to that of funds that do not consider ESG and sustainability factors.

**<u>European Securities</u>.** European countries can be significantly affected by the actions of their own individual governments as well as the actions of other European institutions, such as the European Union ("EU"), the European Economic and Monetary Union ("EMU") and the European Central Bank. The EU is an intergovernmental and supranational union consisting of 27 member states. One of the key responsibilities of the EU is to create and administer a unified trade policy. The member states created the EMU that established different stages and commitments that member states need to follow to achieve greater economic policy coordination and monetary cooperation. Member states relinquish their monetary control to the European Central Bank and use a single unified currency, the euro.

Investments in Europe are also subject to currency risks. Further, because many countries are dependent on foreign exports, any fluctuations in the euro exchange rate could have a negative effect on an issuer's profitability and performance.

The EU has been extending its influence to the east as it has accepted several new Eastern European countries as members. Some of the new members remain burdened by the inherited inefficiencies of centrally planned economies. Additionally, these countries are dependent on Western Europe for trade and credit. Russia has attempted, and may attempt in the future, to assert its influence in Eastern Europe through economic or military measures. In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, which amplified existing geopolitical tensions. The current and future status of the EU continues to be the subject of political and regulatory controversy, with widely differing views both within and between member countries.

The European financial markets have experienced uncertainty over the past few years, largely because of concerns about rising government debt levels and increased budget deficits. Political and regulatory responses to address structural and policy issues have created even greater instability throughout the region. The high levels of public debt increases the likelihood that certain European issuers will either default or restructure their debt obligations, which would have a negative effect on asset values. The use of austerity measures in countries such as Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal and Ireland during times in which the Eurozone has high levels of unemployment has limited economic growth. European countries can be adversely affected by the tight fiscal and monetary controls that the EMU requires its members to comply with.

**<u>Exchange-Traded Notes</u>.** The Fund may invest in exchange-traded notes ("ETNs"). ETNs are a type of senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt security issued by financial institutions that combines both aspects of bonds and exchange traded funds ("ETFs"). An ETN's returns are based on the performance of a market index 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 market index to which the ETN is linked minus certain fees.

Unlike regular bonds, ETNs do not make periodic interest payments and principal is not protected. ETNs are subject to credit risk and the value of an ETN may drop due to a downgrade in the issuer's credit rating, despite the underlying market benchmark or strategy remaining unchanged. The value of an ETN may also be influenced by time to maturity, level of supply and demand for the ETN, volatility and lack of liquidity in underlying assets, changes in the applicable interest rates, changes in the issuer's credit rating, and economic, legal, political, or geographic events that affect the referenced underlying asset. When the Fund invests in ETNs it will bear its proportionate share of any fees and expenses borne by the ETN. The Fund's decision to sell its ETN holdings may be limited by the availability of a secondary market. In addition, although an ETN may be listed on an exchange, the issuer may not be required to maintain the listing and there can be no assurance that a secondary market will exist for an ETN.

ETNs are also subject to tax risk. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") will accept, or a court will uphold, how the Fund characterizes and treats ETNs for tax purposes. Further, the IRS and Congress have considered proposals that would change the timing and character of income and gains from ETNs.

An ETN that is tied to a specific market benchmark or strategy may not be able to replicate and maintain exactly the composition and relative weighting of securities, commodities or other components in the applicable market benchmark or strategy. 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. Leveraged ETNs are subject to the same risk as other instruments that use leverage in any form.

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The market value of ETN shares may differ from their market benchmark or strategy. 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 securities, commodities or other components underlying the market benchmark or strategy that the ETN seeks to track. As a result, there may be times when an ETN share trades at a premium or discount to its market benchmark or strategy.

**<u>Fixed Income Securities</u>.** The Fund may invest in fixed income securities. Even though interest-bearing securities are investments that promise a stable stream of income, the prices of such securities are affected by changes in interest rates. In general, fixed income security prices rise when interest rates fall and fall when interest rates rise. Securities with shorter maturities, while offering lower yields, generally provide greater price stability than longer term securities and are less affected by changes in interest rates. The values of fixed income securities also may be affected by changes in the credit rating or financial condition of the issuing entities. Once the rating of a portfolio security has been changed, the Fund will consider all circumstances deemed relevant in determining whether to continue to hold the security. A fund with a negative average portfolio duration may increase in value when interest rates rise, and generally incurs a loss when interest rates decline. If an issuer calls or redeems an instrument held by the Fund during a time of declining interest rates, the Fund might need to reinvest the proceeds in an investment offering a lower yield, and therefore may not benefit from any increase in value as a result of declining interest rates. A fund with a negative average portfolio duration may decline in value as interest rates decrease.

Fixed income investments bear certain risks, including credit risk, or the ability of an issuer to pay interest and principal as they become due. Generally, higher yielding bonds are subject to more credit risk than lower yielding bonds. Interest rate risk refers to the fluctuations in value of fixed income securities resulting from the inverse relationship between the market value of outstanding fixed income securities and changes in interest rates. An increase in interest rates will generally reduce the market value of fixed income investments and a decline in interest rates will tend to increase their value.

Call risk is the risk that an issuer will pay principal on an obligation earlier than scheduled or expected, which would accelerate cash flows from, and shorten the average life of, the security. Bonds are typically called when interest rates have declined. In the event of a bond being called, the Adviser may have to reinvest the proceeds in lower yielding securities to the detriment of the Fund.

Extension risk is the risk that an issuer may pay principal on an obligation slower than expected, having the effect of extending the average life and duration of the obligation. This typically happens when interest rates have increased.

A number of factors, including changes in a central bank's monetary policies or general improvements in the economy, may cause interest rates to rise. Fixed income securities with longer durations are more sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with shorter durations, making them more volatile. This means their prices are more likely to experience a considerable reduction in response to a rise in interest rates.

**<u>General Risk</u>.** The value of the Fund's portfolio securities may fluctuate with changes in the financial condition of an issuer or counterparty, changes in specific economic or political conditions that affect a particular security or issuer and changes in general economic or political conditions. An investor in the Fund could lose money over short or long periods of time.

There can be no guarantee that a liquid market for the securities held by the Fund will be maintained. The existence of a liquid trading market for certain securities may depend on whether dealers will make a market in such securities. There can be no assurance that a market will be made or maintained or that any such market will be or remain liquid. The price at which securities may be sold and the value of the Fund will be adversely affected if trading markets for the Fund's portfolio securities are limited or absent, or if bid/ask spreads are wide.

**<u>High Yield Securities</u>.** When investing in fixed income securities, the Fund may purchase securities regardless of their rating, including fixed income securities rated below investment grade – securities rated below investment grade are often referred to as high yield securities or "junk bonds". Investments in securities rated below investment grade that are eligible for purchase by the Fund are described as "speculative" by Moody's Investors Services, Inc. ("Moody's"), S&P and Fitch Ratings, Inc. ("Fitch"). Investments in lower rated corporate debt securities generally provide greater income and increased opportunity for capital appreciation than investments in higher quality securities, but they also typically entail greater price volatility and principal and income risk. These high yield securities are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. Analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers of debt securities that are high yield may be more complex than for issuers of higher quality debt securities.

High yield securities may be more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions than investment grade securities. The prices of high yield securities have been found to be more sensitive to adverse economic downturns or individual corporate developments. A projection of an economic downturn or of a period of rising interest rates, for example, could cause a decline in high yield security prices because the advent of a recession could lessen the ability of a highly leveraged company to make principal and interest payments on its debt securities. If an issuer of high yield securities defaults, in addition to risking payment of all or a portion of interest and principal, the Fund by investing in such securities may incur additional expenses to obtain

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recovery. In the case of high yield securities structured as zero-coupon or pay-in-kind securities, their market prices are affected to a greater extent by interest rate changes, and therefore tend to be more volatile than securities that pay interest periodically and in cash.

The secondary market on which high yield securities are traded may be less liquid than the market for higher grade securities. Less liquidity in the secondary trading market could adversely affect the price at which the Fund could sell a high yield security, and could adversely affect the daily net asset value ("NAV") of the shares. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may decrease the values and liquidity of high yield securities, especially in a thinly-traded market. When secondary markets for high yield securities are less liquid than the market for higher grade securities, it may be more difficult to value the securities because such valuation may require more research, and elements of judgment may play a greater role in the valuation because there is less reliable, objective data available.

The use of credit ratings to evaluate high yield securities can involve certain risks. For example, credit ratings evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments, not the market value risk of high yield securities. Also, credit rating agencies may fail to change credit ratings in a timely fashion to reflect events since the security was last rated. The Adviser does not rely solely on credit ratings when selecting securities for the Fund, and develops its own analysis of issuer credit quality. If a credit rating agency changes the rating of a portfolio security held by the Fund, the Fund may retain the security if the Adviser deems it in the best interest of shareholders.

**<u>Hybrid Securities</u>.** Preferred stock, including trust-preferred stocks, has a preference in liquidation (and, generally dividends) over common stock but is subordinated in liquidation to debt. As a general rule the market value of preferred stocks with fixed dividend rates and no conversion rights varies inversely with interest rates and perceived credit risk, with the price determined by the dividend rate. Some preferred stocks are convertible into other securities (for example, common stock) at a fixed price and ratio or upon the occurrence of certain events. The market price of convertible preferred stocks generally reflects an element of conversion value. Because many preferred stocks lack a fixed maturity date, these securities generally fluctuate substantially in value when interest rates change; such fluctuations often exceed those of long-term bonds of the same issuer. Some preferred stocks pay an adjustable dividend that may be based on an index, formula, auction procedure or other dividend rate reset mechanism. In the absence of credit deterioration, adjustable rate preferred stocks tend to have more stable market values than fixed rate preferred stocks. All preferred stocks are also subject to the same types of credit risks of the issuer as corporate bonds. In addition, because preferred stock is junior to debt securities and other obligations of an issuer, deterioration in the credit rating of the issuer will cause greater changes in the value of a preferred stock than in a more senior debt security with similar yield characteristics. Preferred stocks may be rated by S&P and Moody's although there is no minimum rating which a preferred stock must have (and a preferred stock may not be rated) to be an eligible investment for the Fund. The Adviser expects, however, that generally the preferred stocks in which the Fund invests will be rated at least CCC by S&P or Caa by Moody's or, if unrated, of comparable quality in the opinion of the Adviser. Preferred stocks rated CCC by S&P are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's capacity to pay preferred stock obligations and represent the highest degree of speculation among securities rated between BB and CCC; preferred stocks rated Caa by Moody's are likely to be in arrears on dividend payments. Moody's rating with respect to preferred stocks does not purport to indicate the future status of payments of dividends.

**<u>Illiquid Securities</u>.** The Fund may invest in illiquid securities (*i.e.*, securities that are not readily marketable). Illiquid securities include, but are not limited to, restricted securities (securities the disposition of which is restricted under the federal securities laws), securities that may only be resold pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") but that are deemed to be illiquid; and repurchase agreements with maturities in excess of seven days. The Adviser determines and monitors the liquidity of the portfolio securities and reports periodically on its decisions to the Board. In making such determinations it takes into account a number of factors in reaching liquidity decisions, including but not limited to: (1) the frequency of trades and quotations for the security; (2) the number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the security and the number of other potential buyers; (3) the willingness of dealers to undertake to make a market in the security; and (4) the nature of the marketplace trades, including the time needed to dispose of the security, the method of soliciting offers and the mechanics of the transfer.

An institutional market has developed for certain restricted securities. Accordingly, contractual or legal restrictions on the resale of a security may not be indicative of the liquidity of the security. If such securities are eligible for purchase by institutional buyers in accordance with Rule 144A under the Securities Act or other exemptions, the Adviser may determine that the securities are liquid.

Restricted securities may be sold only in privately negotiated transactions or in a public offering with respect to which a registration statement is in effect under the Securities Act. Where registration is required, the Fund may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expenses and a considerable period may elapse between the time of the decision to sell and the time the Fund may be permitted to sell a security under an effective registration statement. If, during such a period, adverse market conditions were to develop, the Fund might obtain a less favorable price than that which prevailed when it decided to sell. Illiquid securities will be priced at fair value as determined in good faith under procedures approved by the Board.

**<u>Industrial Development Bonds</u>.** The Fund may invest in municipal securities, such as industrial development bonds that are backed only by the assets and revenues of the non-governmental user (such as hospitals and airports). Municipal securities are issued

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to obtain funds for a variety of public purposes, including general financing for state and local governments, or financing for specific projects or public facilities. Municipal securities are classified as general obligation or revenue bonds or notes. Private activity bonds and industrial revenue bonds do not carry the pledge of the credit of the issuing municipality, but generally are guaranteed by the corporate entity on whose behalf they are issued.

Municipal leases are entered into by state and local governments and authorities to acquire equipment and facilities such as fire and sanitation vehicles, telecommunications equipment, and other assets. Municipal leases (which normally provide for title to the leased assets to pass eventually to the government issuer) have evolved as a means for governmental issuers to acquire property and equipment without meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements for the issuance of debt. The debt-issuance limitations of many state constitutions and statutes are deemed to be inapplicable because of the inclusion in many leases or contracts of "non-appropriation" clauses that provide that the governmental issuer has no obligation to make future payments under the lease or contract unless money is appropriated for such purpose by the appropriate legislative body on a yearly or periodic basis.

**<u>International Securities</u>*.*** The Fund may invest directly in international securities. Investing in securities of foreign companies and countries involves certain considerations and risks that are not typically associated with investing in U.S. government securities and securities of domestic companies. There may be less publicly available information about a foreign issuer than a domestic one, and foreign companies are not generally subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial standards and requirements comparable to those applicable to U.S. companies. There may also be less government supervision and regulation of foreign securities exchanges, brokers and listed companies than exists in the United States. Interest and dividends paid by foreign issuers as well as gains or proceeds realized from the sale or other disposition of international securities may be subject to withholding and other foreign taxes, which may decrease the net return on such investments as compared to dividends and interest paid to the Fund by domestic companies or the U.S. government. There may be the possibility of expropriations, seizure or nationalization of foreign deposits, the imposition of economic sanctions or other similar measures, confiscatory taxation, political, economic or social instability or diplomatic developments that could affect assets of the Fund held in foreign countries. The type and severity of sanctions and other similar measures, including counter sanctions and other retaliatory actions, that may be imposed could vary broadly in scope, and their impact is difficult to ascertain. These types of measures may include, but are not limited to, banning a sanctioned country or certain persons or entities associated with such country from global payment systems that facilitate cross-border payments, restricting the settlement of securities transactions by certain investors, and freezing the assets of particular countries, entities or persons. The imposition of sanctions and other similar measures could, among other things, result in a decline in the value and/or liquidity of securities issued by the sanctioned country or companies located in or economically tied to the sanctioned country, downgrades in the credit ratings of the sanctioned country's securities or those of companies located in or economically tied to the sanctioned country, currency devaluation or volatility, and increased market volatility and disruption in the sanctioned country and throughout the world. Sanctions and other similar measures could directly or indirectly limit or prevent the Fund from buying and selling securities (in the sanctioned country and other markets), significantly delay or prevent the settlement of securities transactions, and adversely impact the Fund's liquidity and performance. The establishment of exchange controls or other foreign governmental laws or restrictions could adversely affect the payment of obligations. In addition, investing in international securities will generally result in higher commissions than investing in similar domestic securities.

Decreases in the value of currencies of the foreign countries in which the Fund will invest relative to the U.S. dollar will result in a corresponding decrease in the U.S. dollar value of the Fund's assets denominated in those currencies (and possibly a corresponding increase in the amount of securities required to be liquidated to meet distribution requirements). Conversely, increases in the value of currencies of the foreign countries in which the Fund invests relative to the U.S. dollar will result in a corresponding increase in the U.S. dollar value of the Fund's assets (and possibly a corresponding decrease in the amount of securities to be liquidated).

Investing in emerging markets can have more risk than investing in developed foreign markets. The risks of investing in these markets may be exacerbated relative to investments in foreign markets. Governments of developing and emerging market countries may be more unstable as compared to more developed countries. Developing and emerging market countries may have less developed securities markets or exchanges, and legal and accounting systems. It may be more difficult to sell securities at acceptable prices and security prices may be more volatile than in countries with more mature markets. Currency values may fluctuate more in developing or emerging markets. Developing or emerging market countries may be more likely to impose government restrictions, including confiscatory taxation, expropriation or nationalization of a company's assets, and restrictions on foreign ownership of local companies. In addition, emerging markets may impose restrictions on the Fund's ability to repatriate investment income or capital and thus, may adversely affect the operations of the Fund. Certain emerging markets may impose constraints on currency exchange and some currencies in emerging markets may have been devalued significantly against the U.S. Dollar. For these and other reasons, the prices of securities in emerging markets can fluctuate more significantly than the prices of securities of companies in developed countries. The less developed the country, the greater effect these risks may have on the Fund.

International trade tensions may arise from time to time which could result in trade tariffs, embargos or other restrictions or limitations on trade. The imposition of any actions on trade could trigger a significant reduction in international trade, an oversupply of certain manufactured goods, substantial price reductions of goods, possible failure of individual companies or industries, slower economic growth or recession, inflation, increased unemployment or market volatility, any of which could have a negative impact on

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the Fund's performance. An increase in tariffs or trade restrictions, or even the threat of such developments, could lead to retaliatory actions by other countries and an escalation of trade barriers, and could heighten the aforementioned risks to the Fund. Events such as these are difficult to predict and may or may not occur in the future.

**<u>Investment Company Securities</u>.** The Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies, including ETFs, closed-end funds and open-end (mutual) funds (also called underlying funds). The Fund may invest in inverse ETFs, including leveraged ETFs. Inverse ETFs seek to provide investment results that match a certain percentage of the inverse of the results of a specific index on a daily or monthly basis.

To the extent such underlying funds are index-based, these underlying funds will generally attempt to replicate the performance of a particular index. An underlying fund may not always hold all of the same securities as the index it attempts to track. An underlying fund may use statistical sampling techniques to attempt to replicate the returns of an index. Statistical sampling techniques attempt to match the investment characteristics of the index and the fund by taking into account such factors as capitalization, industry exposures, dividend yield, price/earnings (P/E) ratio, price/book (P/B) ratio, and earnings growth. An underlying fund may not track the index perfectly because differences between the index and the fund's portfolio can cause differences in performance. In addition, expenses and transaction costs, the size and frequency of cash flow into and out of the fund, and differences between how and when the fund and the index are valued can cause differences in performance.

When the Fund invests in underlying funds it will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any fees and expenses payable directly by the underlying fund. In connection with its investments in other investment companies, the Fund will incur higher expenses, many of which may be duplicative. Furthermore, because the Fund invests in shares of ETFs and underlying funds their performances are directly related to the ability of the ETFs and underlying funds to meet their respective investment objectives, as well as the allocation of the Fund's assets among the ETFs and underlying funds by the Adviser. Accordingly, the Fund's investment performance will be influenced by the investment strategies of and risks associated with the ETFs and underlying funds in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund allocates to the ETFs and underlying funds utilizing such strategies.

Investments in ETFs involve certain inherent risks generally associated with investments in a broadly-based portfolio of stocks, including risks that: (1) the general level of stock prices may decline, thereby adversely affecting the value of each unit of the ETF or other instrument; (2) an ETF, to the extent such ETF is index-based, may not fully replicate the performance of its benchmark index because of the temporary unavailability of certain index securities in the secondary market or discrepancies between the ETF and the index with respect to the weightings of securities or number of stocks held; (3) an ETF may also be adversely affected by the performance of the specific index, market sector or group of industries on which it is based; and (4) an ETF, to the extent such ETF is index-based, may not track an index as well as a traditional index mutual fund because ETFs are valued by the market and, therefore, there may be a difference between the market value and the ETF's NAV. Additionally, investments in fixed income ETFs involve certain inherent risks generally associated with investments in fixed income securities, including the risk of fluctuation in market value based on interest rates rising or declining and risks of a decrease in liquidity, such that no assurances can be made that an active trading market for underlying ETFs will be maintained.

There is also a risk that the underlying funds or ETFs may terminate due to extraordinary events. For example, any of the service providers to the underlying fund or ETF, such as the trustee or sponsor, may close or otherwise fail to perform their obligations to the underlying fund or ETF, and the underlying fund or ETF may not be able to find a substitute service provider. Also, the underlying fund or ETF may be dependent upon licenses to use the various indices as a basis for determining their compositions and/or otherwise to use certain trade names. If these licenses are terminated, the respective underlying fund or ETF may also terminate. In addition, an underlying fund or ETF may terminate if its net assets fall below a certain amount. Although the Fund believes that in the event of the termination of an underlying fund or ETF, the Fund will be able to invest instead in shares of an alternate underlying fund or ETF tracking the same market index or another index covering the same general market, there can be no assurance that shares of an alternate underlying fund or ETF would be available for investment at that time.

Inverse and leveraged ETFs are subject to additional risks not generally associated with traditional ETFs. To the extent that the Fund invests in inverse ETFs, the value of the Fund's investments will decrease when the index underlying the ETF's benchmark rises, a result that is the opposite from traditional equity or bond funds. The NAV and market price of leveraged or inverse ETFs are usually more volatile than the value of the tracked index or of other ETFs that do not use leverage. This is because inverse and leveraged ETFs use investment techniques and financial instruments that may be considered aggressive, including the use of derivative transactions and short selling techniques. The use of these techniques may cause the inverse or leveraged ETFs to lose more money in market environments that are adverse to their investment strategies than other funds that do not use such techniques.

Generally, under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act"), a fund may not acquire shares of another investment company (including ETFs) if, immediately after such acquisition, (i) such fund would hold more than 3% of the other investment company's total outstanding shares, (ii) if such fund's investment in securities of the other investment company would be more than 5% of the value of the total assets of the fund, or (iii) if more than 10% of such fund's total assets would be invested in investment companies. In accordance with Section 12(d)(1)(F) of the 1940 Act, the Fund may invest in underlying funds in excess of the 5% and

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10% limits described above as long as the Fund (and all of is affiliated persons, including the Adviser) do not acquire more than 3% of the total outstanding stock of such underlying fund. If the Fund seeks to redeem shares of an underlying fund purchased in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(F), the underlying fund is not obligated to redeem an amount exceeding 1% of the underlying fund's outstanding shares during a period of less than 30 days.

In addition, Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act allows a fund to acquire shares of an underlying fund in excess of the limits described above. Fund of funds arrangements relying on Rule 12d1-4 are subject to several conditions, certain of which are specific to a fund's position in the arrangement (*i.e.*, as an acquiring or acquired fund). Notable conditions include those relating to: (i) control and voting that prohibit an acquiring fund, its investment adviser (or a subadviser) and their respective affiliates from beneficially owning more than 25% of the outstanding voting securities of an unaffiliated acquired fund; (ii) certain required findings relating to complexity, fees and undue influence (among other things); (iii) fund of funds investment agreements; and (iv) general limitations on an acquired fund's investments in other investment companies and private funds to no more than 10% of the acquired fund's assets, except in certain circumstances. To the extent the Fund is an acquired fund in reliance on Rule 12d1-4, the limitations placed on acquired funds under Rule 12d1-4 may limit or restrict the Fund's ability to acquire certain investments.

**Leveraged Loan Risk.** The Fund may invest in leveraged loans. Leveraged loans carry significant credit risk. Borrowers in the leveraged loan market are typically highly indebted companies with below investment-grade credit profiles, and the risk of default on scheduled principal and interest payments is meaningfully elevated compared to investment-grade debt. An economic downturn may accelerate default rates, and a loan may lose substantial value even before a formal default occurs.

The leveraged loan market presents distinct liquidity challenges. Unlike publicly traded securities, leveraged loans are privately negotiated instruments that may trade infrequently or not at all, and their valuation can be difficult to determine with precision. Settlement of leveraged loan transactions may take longer than that of other securities, potentially exceeding seven days, which may constrain the Fund's ability to manage its portfolio efficiently.

The terms governing leveraged loans have in many cases become more borrower-friendly over time. So-called "covenant lite" loans omit or significantly limit the financial maintenance covenants that traditionally gave lenders ongoing oversight of a borrower's financial health. This reduces the Fund's ability to detect early signs of credit deterioration or to take protective action before a borrower's condition worsens materially. Even where collateral secures a loan, there is no guarantee that such collateral will retain sufficient value to cover the borrower's obligations or that it can be liquidated in a timely manner. In addition, courts may in certain circumstances subordinate senior loans to other creditors' claims.

**<u>Money Market Funds</u>.** The Fund may invest in underlying money market funds that either seek to maintain a stable $1 NAV ("stable NAV money market funds") or that have a share price that fluctuates ("variable NAV money market funds"). Although an underlying stable NAV money market fund seeks to maintain a stable $1 NAV, it is possible for the Fund to lose money by investing in such a money market fund. Because the share price of an underlying variable NAV money market fund will fluctuate, when the Fund sells the shares it owns they may be worth more or less than what the Fund originally paid for them. In addition, neither type of money market fund is designed to offer capital appreciation. Certain underlying money market funds may impose a fee upon the sale of shares.

**<u>Market Disruptions Risk</u>.** The Fund is subject to investment and operational risks associated with financial, economic and other global market developments and disruptions, including those arising from, but not limited to, war; terrorism; market manipulation; government interventions, defaults and shutdowns; political changes or diplomatic developments; embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers; public health emergencies (such as the spread of infectious diseases, pandemics and epidemics); and natural/environmental disasters. Any of these events could negatively impact the securities markets and cause a Fund to lose value. These events can also impair the technology and other operational systems upon which the Fund's service providers, including Angel Oak as the Fund's investment adviser, rely, and could otherwise disrupt the Fund's service providers' ability to fulfill their obligations to the Fund.

U.S. and global markets recently have experienced increased volatility, including as a result of the recent failures of certain U.S. and non-U.S. banks, which could be harmful to the Fund and issuers in which it invests. For example, if a bank in which the Fund or an issuer has an account fails, any cash or other assets in bank accounts may be temporarily inaccessible or permanently lost by the Fund or issuer. If a bank that provides a subscription line credit facility, asset-based facility, other credit facility and/or other services to an issuer fails, the issuer could be unable to draw funds under its credit facilities or obtain replacement credit facilities or other services from other lending institutions with similar terms. Even if banks used by issuers in which the Fund invests remain solvent, continued volatility in the banking sector could cause or intensify an economic recession, increase the costs of banking services or result in the issuers being unable to obtain or refinance indebtedness at all or on as favorable terms as could otherwise have been obtained. Conditions in the banking sector are evolving, and the scope of any potential impacts to the Fund and issuers, both from market conditions and also potential legislative or regulatory responses, are uncertain.

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The foregoing could lead to a significant economic downturn or recession, increased market volatility, a greater number of market closures, higher default rates and adverse effects on the values and liquidity of securities or other assets. Such impacts, which may vary across asset classes, may adversely affect the performance of the Fund. In certain cases, an exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on specific securities or even the entire market, which may result in the Fund being, among other things, unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments or to accurately price its investments.

To satisfy any shareholder redemption requests during periods of extreme volatility, it is more likely the Fund may be required to dispose of portfolio investments at unfavorable prices compared to their intrinsic value.

**<u>Mortgage-Backed and Asset-Backed Securities</u>.** The Fund may invest in mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. Mortgage-backed securities are mortgage-related securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities, or issued by nongovernment entities. Mortgage-related securities represent ownership in pools of mortgage loans assembled for sale to investors by various government agencies such as the Government National Mortgage Association ("GNMA") and government-related organizations such as the Federal National Mortgage Association ("FNMA") and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("FHLMC"), as well as by nongovernment issuers such as commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, mortgage bankers and private mortgage insurance companies. Although certain mortgage-related securities are guaranteed by a third party or otherwise similarly secured, the market value of the security, which may fluctuate, is not so secured. These securities differ from conventional bonds in that the principal is paid back to the investor as payments are made on the underlying mortgages in the pool. Accordingly, the Fund receives monthly scheduled payments of principal and interest along with any unscheduled principal prepayments on the underlying mortgages. Because these scheduled and unscheduled principal payments must be reinvested at prevailing interest rates, mortgage-backed securities do not provide an effective means of locking in long-term interest rates for the investor.

In addition, there are a number of important differences among the agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. government that issue mortgage-related securities and among the securities they issue. Mortgage-related securities 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. That guarantee is backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury. GNMA is a corporation wholly owned by the U.S. government within the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Mortgage-related securities issued by FNMA include FNMA Guaranteed Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates (also known as Fannie Maes) and are guaranteed as to payment of principal and interest by FNMA itself and backed by a line of credit with the U.S. Treasury. FNMA is a government-sponsored entity wholly owned by public stockholders. Mortgage-related securities issued by FHLMC include FHLMC Mortgage Participation Certificates (also known as Freddie Macs) guaranteed as to payment of principal and interest by FHLMC itself and backed by a line of credit with the U.S. Treasury. FHLMC is a government-sponsored entity wholly owned by public stockholders.

In September 2008, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) placed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into conservatorship. As the conservator, FHFA succeeded to all rights, titles, powers and privileges of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and of any stockholder, officer or director of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with respect to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the assets of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In connection with the conservatorship, the U.S. Treasury entered into a Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement (SPA) with each of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pursuant to which the U.S. Treasury agreed to purchase up to 1,000,000 shares of senior preferred stock with an aggregate initial liquidation preference of $1 billion and obtained warrants and options to the purchase of common stock of each of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Under the SPAs as currently amended, the U.S. Treasury has pledged to provide financial support to a government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) in any quarter in which the GSE has a net worth deficit as defined in the respective SPA.

The conditions attached to entering into the SPAs place significant restrictions on the activities of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae must obtain the consent of the U.S. Treasury to, among other things, (i) make any payment to purchase or redeem its capital stock or pay any dividend other than in respect of the senior preferred stock, (ii) issue capital stock of any kind, (iii) terminate the conservatorship of the FHFA except in connection with a receivership, or (iv) increase its debt beyond certain specified levels. Under a letter agreement entered into in January 2021, each enterprise is permitted to retain earnings and raise private capital to enable them to meet the minimum capital requirements under the FHFA's Enterprise Regulatory Capital Framework ("ERCF"). The letter agreement also permits each enterprise to develop a plan to exit conservatorship, but may not do so until litigation involving the conservatorships is resolved and each enterprise has the minimum capital required by FHFA's rules. In addition, significant restrictions are placed on the maximum size of each of Freddie Mac's and Fannie Mae's respective portfolios of mortgages and mortgage-backed securities, and the purchase agreements entered into by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae provide that the maximum size of their portfolios of these assets must decrease by a specified percentage each year. The future status and role of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae could be impacted by (among other things) the actions taken and restrictions placed on Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae by the FHFA in its role as conservator, the restrictions placed on Freddie Mac's and Fannie Mae's operations and activities as a result of the senior preferred stock investment made by the U.S. Treasury, market responses to developments at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and future legislative and regulatory action that alters the operations, ownership, structure and/or mission of these institutions, each of which may, in turn, impact the value of, and cash flows on, any mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, including any such mortgage-backed securities held by the Fund.

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Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are continuing to operate as going concerns while in conservatorship and each remain liable for all of its obligations, including its guaranty obligations, associated with its mortgage-backed securities. The SPAs are intended to enhance each of Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's ability to meet its obligations. The FHFA has indicated that the conservatorship of each enterprise will end when the director of the FHFA determines that the FHFA's plan to restore the enterprise to a safe and solvent condition has been completed. Under amendments to the ERCF, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have published capital disclosures which provide additional information about their capital position and capital requirements on a quarterly basis since the first quarter of 2023 and delivered their first capital plans to FHFA in May 2023. The FHFA finalized amendments to certain provisions of the ERCF in November 2023 that modify various capital requirements for Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Should Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac be taken out of conservatorship, it is unclear whether the U.S. Treasury would continue to enforce its rights or perform its obligations under the SPAs. It is also unclear how the capital structure of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would be constructed post-conservatorship, and what effects, if any, the privatization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will have on their creditworthiness and guarantees of certain mortgage-backed securities. The ERCF requires Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, upon exit from conservatorship, to maintain higher levels of capital than prior to conservatorship to satisfy their risk-based capital requirements, leverage ratio requirements and prescribed buffer amounts. Accordingly, should the FHFA take Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac out of conservatorship, there could be an adverse impact on the value of their securities which could cause the Fund's investments to lose value.

Asset-backed securities are structured like mortgage-backed securities, but instead of mortgage loans or interests in mortgage loans, the underlying assets may include such items as motor vehicle installment sales contracts or installment loan contracts, leases of various types of real and personal property, and receivables from credit card agreements and from sales of personal property. Regular payments received on asset-backed securities include both interest and principal. Asset-backed securities typically have no U.S. government backing. Additionally, the ability of an issuer of asset-backed securities to enforce its security interest in the underlying assets may be limited.

If the Fund purchases a mortgage-backed or other asset-backed security at a premium, the premium may be lost if there is a decline in the market value of the security whether resulting from changes in interest rates or prepayments in the underlying collateral. As with other interest-bearing securities, the prices of such securities are inversely affected by changes in interest rates. Although the value of a mortgage-backed or other asset-backed security may decline when interest rates rise, the converse is not necessarily true, since in periods of declining interest rates the mortgages and loans underlying the securities are prone to prepayment, thereby shortening the average life of the security and shortening the period of time over which income at the higher rate is received. When interest rates are rising, the rate of prepayment tends to decrease, thereby lengthening the period of time over which income at the lower rate is received. For these and other reasons, a mortgage-backed or other asset-backed security's average maturity may be shortened or lengthened as a result of interest rate fluctuations and, therefore, it is not possible to predict accurately the security's return. In addition, while the trading market for short-term mortgages and asset-backed securities is ordinarily quite liquid, in times of financial stress the trading market for these securities may become restricted.

**<u>Municipal Securities</u>.** Municipal securities include, among other instruments, general obligation bonds, revenue bonds, municipal leases, certificates of participation, private activity bonds, and moral obligation bonds, as well as short-term, tax-exempt obligations such as municipal notes and variable rate demand obligations. The yields on municipal securities are dependent on a variety of factors, including prevailing interest rates and the condition of the general money market and the municipal securities market, the size of a particular offering, the maturity of the obligation and the rating of the issuer. The market value of municipal securities will vary with changes in interest rate levels and as a result of changing evaluations of the ability of bond issuers to meet interest and principal payments.

To be tax-exempt, municipal securities must meet certain regulatory requirements. If a municipal security fails to meet such requirements, the interest may be taxable, which could impact the value of the security.

***General Obligation Bonds.*** General obligation bonds are backed by the issuer's full faith and credit and taxing authority for the payment of principal and interest. The taxing authority of any governmental entity may be limited, however, by provisions of its state constitution or laws, and an entity's creditworthiness will depend on many factors, including potential erosion of its tax base due to population declines, natural disasters, declines in the state's industrial base or inability to attract new industries, economic limits on the ability to tax without eroding the tax base, state legislative proposals or voter initiatives to limit ad valorem real property taxes and the extent to which the entity relies on Federal or state aid, access to capital markets or other factors beyond the state's or entity's control. Accordingly, the capacity of the issuer of a general obligation bond as to the timely payment of interest and the repayment of principal when due is affected by the issuer's maintenance of its tax base.

***Revenue Bonds.*** Revenue bonds are issued to finance a wide variety of capital projects, including: electric, gas, water and sewer systems; port, airport, and mass transit facilities; colleges and universities; and hospitals. Revenue bonds may be repaid only from the revenues of a specific facility or source. An investment in revenue bonds is subject to greater risk of delay or non-payment if revenue does not accrue as expected or if other conditions are not met for reasons outside the control of the Fund. Conversely, if revenue accrues more quickly than anticipated, the Fund may receive payment before expected and have difficulty reinvesting the proceeds on equally favorable terms.

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Private activity bonds are, in most cases, revenue bonds. Private activity bonds are issued by or on behalf of public authorities to obtain funds to provide privately operated facilities. Private activity bonds generally are not secured by a pledge of the taxing power of the issuer of such bonds. Therefore, the repayment of such bonds generally depends on the revenues of a private entity. Continued ability of a private entity to generate sufficient revenues for the payment of principal and interest on such bonds will be affected by many factors including the size of the entity, capital structure, demand for its products or services, competition, general economic conditions, government regulation and the entity's dependence on revenues for the operation of the particular facility being financed.

***Moral Obligation Bonds.*** The Fund also may invest in "moral obligation" bonds, which are normally issued by special purpose public authorities. If an issuer of moral obligation bonds is unable to meet its obligations, the repayment of such bonds becomes a moral commitment but not a legal obligation of the state or municipality in question.

***Municipal Lease Obligations and Certificates of Participation.*** Municipal leases and certificates of participation involve special risks not normally associated with general obligations or revenue bonds. Leases and installment purchase or conditional sale contracts (which normally provide for title to the leased asset to pass eventually to the governmental issuer) have evolved as a means for governmental issuers to acquire property and equipment without meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements for the issuance of debt. The debt issuance limitations are deemed to be inapplicable because of the inclusion in many leases or contracts of "non-appropriation" clauses that relieve the governmental issuer of any obligation to make future payments under the lease or contract unless money is appropriated for such purpose by the appropriate legislative body on a yearly or other periodic basis. In addition, such leases or contracts may be subject to the temporary abatement of payments in the event that the governmental issuer is prevented from maintaining occupancy of the lease premises or utilizing the leased equipment. Although the obligations may be secured by the leased equipment or facilities, the disposition of the property in the event of non-appropriation or foreclosure might prove difficult, time consuming and costly, and may result in a delay in recovering or the failure to fully recover ownership of the assets.

Certificates of participation, which represent interests in unmanaged pools of municipal leases or installment contracts, involve the same risks as the underlying municipal leases. In addition, the Fund may be dependent upon the municipal authority issuing the certificate of participation to exercise remedies with respect to the underlying securities. Certificates of participation also entail a risk of default or bankruptcy, both of the issuer of the municipal lease and also the municipal agency issuing the certificate of participation.

**<u>Operational and Reputational Risk</u>.** An investment in the Fund involves operational risk arising from factors such as processing errors, human errors, inadequate or failed internal or external processes, failures in systems and technology, changes in personnel and errors caused by third-party service providers. Any of these errors, failures or breaches could result in a loss of information, regulatory scrutiny, reputational damage or other events, any of which could have a materially adverse effect on the Fund. While the Fund seeks to minimize such events through controls and oversight, there is no guarantee that the Fund will not suffer losses due to operational risk.

The Fund may be adversely affected if the reputation of the Adviser, its affiliates, or counterparties with whom the Fund associates is harmed. Reputational harm could result from, among other things: real or perceived legal or regulatory violations; failure in performance, risk management, governance, technology, or operations; or claims related to employee misconduct, allegations of employee wrongful termination, conflict of interests, ethical issues, or failure to protect private information. Similarly, market rumors and actual or perceived association with counterparties whose own reputations may become under question could ultimately harm the Fund as well. These harms could include, for example, large redemptions of shares of the Fund, a negative effect on the Fund's ability to conduct business with counterparties, or hindering of the Adviser's abilities to attract and/or retain personnel, including key personnel.

**<u>Repurchase Agreements</u>.** The Fund may engage in repurchase agreement transactions involving the type of securities in which it is permitted to invest. Repurchase agreements are transactions by which the Fund purchases a security and simultaneously commits to resell that security to the seller (a bank or securities dealer) at an agreed upon price on an agreed upon date (usually within seven days of purchase). The resale price reflects the purchase price plus an agreed upon market rate of interest which is unrelated to the coupon rate or date of maturity of the purchased security. Repurchase agreements involve certain risks not associated with direct investments in the underlying securities. In the event of a default or bankruptcy by the seller, the Fund will seek to liquidate such collateral. 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. Certain repurchase agreements the Fund may enter into may or may not be subject to an automatic stay in bankruptcy proceedings. Repurchase agreements are considered to be loans by an investment company under the 1940 Act. The Fund will not invest more than 33 1/3% of its net assets in repurchase agreements.

The use of repurchase agreements involves certain risks. For example, if the seller of the agreements defaults on its obligation to repurchase the underlying securities at a time when the value of these securities has declined, the Fund may incur a loss upon disposition of them. If the seller of the agreement becomes insolvent and subject to liquidation or reorganization under the Bankruptcy Code or other laws, a bankruptcy court may determine that the underlying securities are collateral not within the control of the Fund

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and therefore subject to sale by the trustee in bankruptcy. Finally, it is possible that the Fund may not be able to substantiate their interest in the underlying securities. While the management of the Fund acknowledges these risks, it is expected that they can be controlled through stringent security selection criteria and careful monitoring procedures.

**<u>Restricted Securities</u>.** Within its limitation on investment in illiquid securities, the Fund may purchase restricted securities that generally can be sold in privately negotiated transactions, pursuant to an exemption from registration under the federal securities laws, or in a registered public offering. Where registration is required, the Fund may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expense and a considerable period may elapse between the time it decides to seek registration and the time the Fund may be permitted to sell a security under an effective registration statement. If during such a period adverse market conditions were to develop, the Fund might obtain a less favorable price than prevailed when it decided to seek registration of the security. Restricted securities that can be offered and sold to qualified institutional buyers under Rule 144A of the Securities Act ("144A Securities") and are determined to be liquid are not subject to the limitations on illiquid securities.

**<u>Reverse Repurchase Agreements</u>.** The Fund may engage in reverse repurchase agreements. Reverse repurchase agreements are agreements that involve the sale of securities held by the Fund to financial institutions such as banks and broker-dealers, with an agreement that the Fund will repurchase the securities at an agreed upon price and date. During the reverse repurchase agreement period, the Fund continues to receive interest and principal payments on the securities sold. The Fund may employ reverse repurchase agreements (i) for temporary emergency purposes or to meet repurchase requests so as to avoid liquidating other portfolio securities during unfavorable market conditions; (ii) to cover short-term cash requirements resulting from the timing of trade settlements; or (iii) to take advantage of market situations where the interest income to be earned from the investment of the proceeds of the transaction is greater than the interest expense of the transaction.

Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of securities to be purchased by the Fund may decline below the price at which the Fund is obligated to repurchase the securities, or that the other party may default on its obligation, so that the Fund is delayed or prevented from completing the transaction. In the event the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, the Fund's use of the proceeds from the sale of the securities may be restricted pending a determination by the other party, or its trustee or receiver, whether to enforce the Fund's obligations to repurchase the securities.

**<u>Securities Lending</u>.** The Fund may lend portfolio securities in an amount up to one-third of its total assets to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions. In a portfolio securities lending transaction, the Fund receives from the borrower an amount equal to the interest paid or the dividends declared on the loaned securities during the term of the loan as well as the interest on the collateral securities, less any fees (such as finders or administrative fees) the Fund pays in arranging the loan. The terms of the Fund's loans permit each Fund to reacquire loaned securities upon demand within a customary settlement period. Loans are subject to termination at the option of the Fund or borrower at any time, and the borrowed securities must be returned when the loan is terminated. The Fund may pay fees to arrange for securities loans.

The SEC currently requires that the following conditions must be met whenever the Fund's portfolio securities are loaned: (1) the Fund must receive at least 100% collateral from the borrower; (2) the borrower must increase such collateral whenever the market value of the securities rises above the level of such collateral; (3) the Fund must be able to terminate the loan at any time; (4) the Fund must receive reasonable interest on the loan, as well as any dividends, interest or other distributions on the loaned securities, and any increase in market value; (5) the Fund may pay only reasonable custodian fees approved by the Board in connection with the loan; and (6) while voting rights on the loaned securities may pass to the borrower, the Board must terminate the loan and regain the right to vote the securities if a material event adversely affecting the investment occurs. These conditions may be subject to future modification. Such loans will be terminable at any time upon specified notice. The Fund might experience the risk of loss if the institution with which it has engaged in a portfolio loan transaction breaches its agreement with the Fund. In addition, the Fund will not enter into any portfolio security lending arrangement having a duration of longer than one year. The principal risk of portfolio lending is potential default or insolvency of the borrower. In either of these cases, the Fund could experience delays in recovering securities or collateral or could lose all or part of the value of the loaned securities. As part of participating in a lending program, the Fund may be required to invest in securities that bear the risk of loss of principal. In addition, all investments made with the collateral received are subject to the risks associated with such investments. If such investments lose value, the Fund will have to cover the loss when repaying the collateral.

Any loans of portfolio securities are fully collateralized based on values that are marked-to-market daily. Any securities that the Fund may receive as collateral will not become part of the Fund's investment portfolio at the time of the loan and, in the event of a default by the borrower, the Fund will, if permitted by law, dispose of such collateral except for such part thereof that is a security in which the Fund is permitted to invest. During the time securities are on loan, the borrower will pay the Fund any accrued income on those securities, and the Fund may invest the cash collateral and earn income or receive an agreed-upon fee from a borrower that has delivered, as collateral, cash, U.S. government securities and standby letters of credit issued by a bank that is not the Fund's lending agent.

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**<u>Short Sales</u>.** The Fund may make short sales as part of its overall portfolio management strategies or to offset a potential decline in value of an ETF. The Fund may engage in short sales with respect to ETFs. A short sale involves the sale of an ETF that is borrowed from a broker or other institution to complete the sale. The Fund may engage in short sales with respect to ETFs it owns, as well as securities that it does not own. Short sales expose the Fund to the risk that it will be required to acquire, convert or exchange ETFs to replace the borrowed ETF (also known as "covering" the short position) at a time when the ETF sold short have appreciated in value, thus resulting in a loss to the Fund. The Fund's investment performance may also suffer if the Fund is required to close out a short position earlier than it had intended. The Fund will be required to pledge its liquid assets to the broker to secure its performance on short sales. As a result, the assets pledged may not be available to meet the Fund's needs for immediate cash or other liquidity. In addition, the Fund may be subject to expenses related to short sales that are not typically associated with investing in ETFs directly, such as costs of borrowing and margin account maintenance costs associated with the Fund's open short positions. These types of short sales expenses are sometimes referred to as the "negative cost of carry," and will tend to cause the Fund to lose money on a short sale even in instances where the price of the ETF sold short does not change over the duration of the short sale. Dividend expenses on ETFs sold short are not covered under the Adviser's expense limitation agreements with the Fund and, therefore, these expenses will be borne by the shareholders of the Fund.

**<u>Subordinated Debt Securities</u>.** Subordinated debt securities, sometimes also called "junior debt" are debt securities for which the issuer's obligations to make principal and interest payments are secondary to the issuer's payment obligations to more senior debt securities. Subordinated debt securities are subject to the same risks as other fixed income securities and are also subject to increased credit risk because the issuer, by definition, has issued other, more senior debt securities. The Fund may invest in subordinated debt securities, including those issued by banks.

**<u>U.S. Government Obligations</u>.** U.S. government securities include direct obligations issued by the United States Treasury, such as U.S. Treasury bills (maturities of one year or less), U.S. Treasury notes (maturities of one to ten years) and U.S. Treasury bonds (generally maturities of greater than ten years). They also include U.S. government agencies and instrumentalities that issue or guarantee securities, such as the Federal Home Loan Banks, The Federal National Mortgage Association and the Student Loan Marketing Association. Except for U.S. Treasury securities, obligations of U.S. government agencies and instrumentalities may or may not be supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. Some, such as those of the Federal Home Loan Banks, are backed by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, others by discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase the agencies' obligations, while still others, such as the Student Loan Marketing Association, are supported only by the credit of the instrumentality. In the case of securities not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, the investor must look principally to the agency issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment and may not be able to assess a claim against the United States itself in the event the agency or instrumentality does not meet its commitment.

The total public debt of the United States as a percentage of gross domestic product has grown rapidly since the beginning of the 2008–2009 financial downturn. Although high debt levels do not necessarily indicate or cause economic problems, they may create certain systemic risks if sound debt management practices are not implemented. A high national debt can raise concerns that the U.S. government will not be able to make principal or interest payments when they are due. This increase has also necessitated the need for the U.S. Congress to negotiate adjustments to the statutory debt limit to increase the cap on the amount the U.S. government is permitted to borrow to meet its existing obligations and finance current budget deficits. In August 2011, S&P lowered its long term sovereign credit rating of the U.S. government. In explaining the downgrade at that time, S&P cited, among other reasons, controversy over raising the statutory debt limit and growth in public spending. More recently, in August 2023 and again in May 2025, the long term sovereign credit rating of the U.S. government was downgraded by Fitch and Moody's, respectively, due to a combination of expected fiscal deterioration, a high and growing government debt burden, rising interest costs, and an erosion of governance relative to peers. Further downgrades in the future could increase volatility in domestic and foreign financial markets, result in higher interest rates, lower prices of U.S. Treasury securities and increase the costs of different kinds of debt. Any controversy or ongoing uncertainty regarding the statutory debt limit negotiations may impact the U.S. long term sovereign credit rating and may cause market uncertainty. As a result, market prices and yields of securities supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government may be adversely affected.

**<u>Variable and Floating Rate Securities</u>.** The Fund may invest in variable and floating rate securities. Fixed Income securities that have variable or floating rates of interest may, under certain limited circumstances, have varying principal amounts. These securities pay interest at rates that are adjusted periodically according to a specified formula, usually with reference to one or more interest rate indices or market interest rates (the "underlying index"). The interest paid on these securities is a function primarily of the underlying index upon which the interest rate adjustments are based. These adjustments minimize changes in the market value of the obligation. Similar to fixed rate debt instruments, variable and floating rate instruments are subject to changes in value based on changes in market interest rates or changes in the issuer's creditworthiness. The rate of interest on securities may be tied to U.S. government securities or indices on those securities as well as any other rate of interest or index.

Variable and floating rate demand notes of corporations are redeemable upon a specified period of notice. These obligations include master demand notes that permit investment of fluctuating amounts at varying interest rates under direct arrangements with the

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issuer of the instrument. The issuer of these obligations often has the right, after a given period, to prepay the outstanding principal amount of the obligations upon a specified number of days' notice.

Certain securities may have an initial principal amount that varies over time based on an interest rate index, and, accordingly, the Fund might be entitled to less than the initial principal amount of the security upon the security's maturity. The Fund intends to purchase these securities only when the Adviser believes the interest income from the instrument justifies any principal risks associated with the instrument. The Adviser may attempt to limit any potential loss of principal by purchasing similar instruments that are intended to provide an offsetting increase in principal. There can be no assurance that the Adviser will be able to limit the effects of principal fluctuations and, accordingly, the Fund may incur losses on those securities even if held to maturity without issuer default.

There may not be an active secondary market for any particular floating or variable rate instruments, which could make it difficult for the Fund to dispose of the instrument during periods that the Fund is not entitled to exercise any demand rights it may have. The Fund could, for this or other reasons, suffer a loss with respect to those instruments. The Adviser monitors the liquidity of the Fund's investments in variable and floating rate instruments, but there can be no guarantee that an active secondary market will exist.

**<u>When-Issued Securities and Forward Commitments</u>.** The Fund may purchase securities offered on a "when-issued" and "forward commitment" basis (including a delayed delivery basis). Securities purchased on a "when-issued" or "forward commitment basis" are securities not available for immediate delivery despite the fact that a market exists for those securities. A purchase is made on a "delayed delivery" basis when the transaction is structured to occur sometime in the future.

When these 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. Normally, the settlement date occurs within two months after the transaction, but delayed settlements beyond two months may be negotiated. During the period between a commitment and settlement, no payment is made for the securities purchased by the purchaser and, thus, no interest accrues to the purchaser from the transaction. At the time the Fund makes the commitment to purchase securities on a when-issued basis or forward commitment, the Fund will record the transaction as a purchase and thereafter reflect the value each day of such securities in determining its NAV.

**<u>Zero-Coupon, Delayed Interest and Capital Appreciation Securities</u>.** Zero-coupon, delayed interest, pay-in-kind ("PIK") and capital appreciation securities are securities that make no periodic interest payments, but are sold at a discount from their face value. The buyer recognizes a rate of return determined by the gradual appreciation of the security, which is redeemed at face value on a specified maturity date. The discount varies depending on the time remaining until maturity, as well as market interest rates, liquidity of the security, and the issuer's perceived credit quality. The discount, in the absence of financial difficulties of the issuer, typically decreases as the final maturity date approaches. If the issuer defaults, the Fund may not receive any return on its investment. Because such securities bear no interest and generally compound periodically at the rate fixed at the time of issuance, their value generally is more volatile than the value of other fixed income securities. Since such bondholders do not receive interest payments, when interest rates rise, zero-coupon, delayed interest and capital appreciation securities fall more dramatically in value than bonds paying interest on a current basis. When interest rates fall, zero-coupon, delayed interest and capital appreciation securities rise more rapidly in value because the bonds reflect a fixed rate of return. An investment in zero-coupon, delayed interest and capital appreciation securities may cause the Fund to recognize income and make distributions to shareholders before it receives any cash payments on its investment. To generate cash to satisfy distribution requirements, the Fund may have to sell portfolio securities that it otherwise would have continued to hold or to use cash flows from other sources such as the sale of Fund shares.

PIK securities may be debt obligations or preferred shares that provide the issuer with the option of paying interest or dividends on such obligations in cash or in the form of additional securities rather than cash. Similar to zero-coupon bonds and delayed interest securities, PIK securities are designed to give an issuer flexibility in managing cash flow. PIK securities that are debt securities can be either senior or subordinated debt and generally trade flat (*i.e.*, without interest). The trading price of PIK debt securities generally reflects the market value of the underlying debt plus an amount representing accrued interest since the last interest payment.

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**INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS**

<u>Fundamental</u>. The investment policies described below have been adopted by the Fund and are fundamental (*i.e.*, they may not be changed without the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund). As used in the Prospectus and this SAI, the term "majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund" means the lesser of: (1) 67% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund are present or represented at such meeting; or (2) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund. Except for those investment policies specifically identified as fundamental in the Prospectus and this SAI, the Fund's investment objective as described in the Prospectus and all other investment policies and practices described in the Prospectus and this SAI are non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board without the approval of shareholders.

The fundamental policies adopted with respect to the Fund are as follows:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1. <u>Borrowing Money</u>. The Fund will borrow money as permitted under the 1940 Act.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2. <u>Senior Securities</u>. The Fund will issue senior securities as permitted under the 1940 Act.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;3. <u>Underwriting</u>. The Fund will not act as underwriter of securities issued by other persons. This limitation is not applicable to the extent that, in connection with the disposition of portfolio securities (including restricted securities), the Fund may be deemed an underwriter under certain federal securities laws.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4. <u>Real Estate</u>. The Fund will not purchase or sell real estate. This limitation is not applicable to investments in securities that are secured by or represent interests in real estate. This limitation does not preclude the Fund from investing in mortgages, loans, mortgage-related securities or investing in companies engaged in the real estate business or that have a significant portion of their assets in real estate (including real estate investment trusts).

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;5. <u>Commodities</u>. The Fund will not purchase or sell commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other investments. This limitation does not preclude the Fund from purchasing or selling options or futures contracts, from investing in securities or other instruments backed by commodities or from investing in companies that are engaged in a commodities business or have a significant portion of their assets in commodities.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;6. <u>Loans</u>. The Fund will make loans to other persons as permitted under the 1940 Act.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;7. <u>Concentration</u>. The Fund will concentrate its investments in residential mortgage-backed securities (agency and non-agency) and commercial mortgage-backed securities.

In addition, the Fund has adopted a fundamental policy that it will make quarterly repurchase offers pursuant to Rule 23c-3 under the 1940 Act, as such rule may be amended from time to time, for between 5% and 25% of the Shares outstanding at NAV, unless suspended or postponed in accordance with regulatory requirements, and 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.

The following are interpretations of the fundamental investment policies of the Fund and may be revised without shareholder approval, consistent with current laws and regulations as such may be interpreted or modified by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction, from time to time:

<u>Borrowing Money</u>. Under current law as interpreted by the SEC and its staff, the Fund may borrow money in the amount of up to one-third of the Fund's total assets for any purpose and up to 5% of the Fund's total assets from banks or other lenders for temporary purposes. The Fund's total assets include the amounts being borrowed. To limit the risks that accompany borrowing, the 1940 Act requires the Fund to maintain at all times an asset coverage of 300% of the amount of its borrowings. The Fund expects to use proceeds from borrowing for investment purposes and to satisfy shareholder repurchase requests. This limitation does not preclude the Fund from entering into reverse repurchase transactions, provided that the Fund, in accordance with Rule 18f-4, aggregates the amount of indebtedness associated with the reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions with the aggregate amount of any other senior securities representing indebtedness when calculating the Fund's asset coverage ratio or treats all such transactions as derivatives transactions.

<u>Senior Securities</u>. Senior securities may include any obligation or instrument issued by an investment company evidencing indebtedness, including the issuance of debt or preferred shares of beneficial interest. The Fund's limitation with respect to issuing senior securities is not applicable to activities that may be deemed to involve the issuance or sale of a senior security by the Fund, provided that the Fund's engagement in such activities is consistent with or permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. The SEC adopted Rule 18f-4 related to the use of derivatives and other similar transactions by an investment company. The Fund's trading of derivatives and other similar transactions that create future payment or delivery obligations is generally subject to value-at-risk leverage limits, derivatives risk management program and reporting requirements, unless the Fund

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satisfies a "limited derivatives users" exception that is included in the rule. In the case of a senior security representing indebtedness, a closed-end investment company must have asset coverage of 300% immediately after such issuance, and no dividends on the company's stock may be made unless the indebtedness generally has an asset coverage at that time of 300%. In the case of a class of senior security representing a stock, a closed-end investment company must have asset coverage of 200% immediately after such issuance, and no dividends on the company's stock may be made unless the preferred stock generally has an asset coverage at that time of 200%. Shareholders of preferred stock also must have the right, as a class, to elect at least two trustees at all times and to elect a majority of trustees if dividends on their stock are unpaid in certain amounts.

<u>Underwriting</u>. Under the 1940 Act, underwriting securities generally involves an investment company purchasing securities directly from an issuer for the purpose of selling (distributing) them or participating in any such activity either directly or indirectly. The Fund's limitation with respect to underwriting securities is not applicable to the extent that, in connection with the disposition of portfolio securities (including restricted securities), the Fund may be deemed an underwriter under certain federal securities laws.

<u>Real Estate</u>. The 1940 Act does not directly restrict an investment company's ability to invest in real estate, but does require that every investment company have a fundamental investment policy governing such investments. The Fund's limitation with respect to investing in real estate is not applicable to investments in securities or mortgages or loans that are secured by or represent interests in real estate. This limitation does not preclude the Fund from purchasing or selling mortgage-related securities or securities of companies engaged in the real estate business or that have a significant portion of their assets in real estate (including real estate investment trusts). In addition, this limitation does not preclude the Fund from holding or selling real estate acquired as a result of ownership through securities or other instruments.

<u>Commodities</u>. The 1940 Act does not directly restrict an investment company's ability to invest in commodities, but does require that every investment company have a fundamental investment policy governing such investments. The Fund may hold commodities acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other investments. This limitation does not preclude the Fund from purchasing or selling options or futures contracts, from investing in securities or other instruments backed by commodities or from investing in companies that are engaged in a commodities business or have a significant portion of their assets in commodities.

<u>Loans</u>. Under current law as interpreted by the SEC and its staff, the Fund may not lend any security or make any other loan if, as a result, more than 33 1/3% of its total assets would be lent to other parties (this restriction does not apply to purchases of debt securities or repurchase agreements). Subject to this limitation, the Fund may make loans, for example: (a) by loaning portfolio securities; (b) by engaging in repurchase agreements; (c) by making loans secured by real estate; (d) by making loans to affiliated funds as permitted by the SEC; or (e) by purchasing non-publicly offered debt securities. For purposes of this limitation, the term "loans" shall not include the purchase of a portion of an issue of publicly distributed bonds, debentures or other securities.

<u>Concentration</u>. Under current SEC and SEC staff interpretation, the Fund would "concentrate" its investments if 25% or more of the Fund's total assets would be invested in securities of issuers conducting their principal business activities in the same industry. For purposes of this limitation, there is no limit on: (1) investments in U.S. government securities, in repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, or in tax-exempt securities issued by the states, territories, or possessions of the United States ("municipal securities"), excluding private activity municipal securities whose principal and interest payments are derived principally from the assets and revenues of a non-governmental entity; (2) investments in issuers domiciled in a single jurisdiction provided that the Fund does not invest greater than 25% in a particular industry; or (3) certain asset-backed securities that are backed by a pool of loans issued to companies in a wide variety of industries unrelated to each other such that the economic characteristics of such a security are not predominantly related to a single industry to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the Fund may invest in one or more investment companies; provided that, except to the extent the Fund invests in other investment companies pursuant to Section 12(d)(1)(A) or (F) of the 1940 Act, the Fund treats the assets of the investment companies in which it invests as its own for purposes of this policy.

With respect to the percentages adopted by the Fund as maximum limitations on its investment policies and limitations, an excess above the fixed percentage will not be a violation of the policy or limitation unless the excess results immediately and directly from the acquisition of any security or the action taken. This paragraph does not apply to fundamental policy 1.

Notwithstanding any of the foregoing policies, any investment company, whether organized as a trust, association or corporation, or a personal holding company, may be merged or consolidated with or acquired by the Fund, provided that if such merger, consolidation or acquisition results in an investment in the securities of any issuer prohibited by said paragraphs, the Fund shall, within 90 days after the consummation of such merger, consolidation or acquisition, dispose of all of the securities of such issuer so acquired or such portion thereof as shall bring the total investment therein within the limitations imposed by said paragraphs above as of the date of consummation.

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**MANAGEMENT**

**<u>Trustees and Officers</u>**

The Board is responsible for the overall management of the Fund, including general supervision and review of the investment activities of the Fund. The Board, in turn, elects the officers of the Fund, who are responsible for administering the day-to-day operations of the Fund. Unless otherwise indicated in the table below, the address of each Trustee and officer of the Fund is c/o Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC, 980 Hammond Drive, Suite 200, Atlanta, Georgia 30328. Additional information about the Trustees and officers of the Fund is provided in the table below.

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| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name and <br>Year of Birth** | **Position with the Trust** | **Term of Office and Length of Time Served** | **Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years** | **Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex**<sup>(1)</sup> **Overseen by Trustee** | **Other Directorships Held <br>During the Past 5 Years** |
| **Independent Trustees of the Trust**<sup>(2)</sup> | **Independent Trustees of the Trust**<sup>(2)</sup> | **Independent Trustees of the Trust**<sup>(2)</sup> | **Independent Trustees of the Trust**<sup>(2)</sup> | **Independent Trustees of the Trust**<sup>(2)</sup> | **Independent Trustees of the Trust**<sup>(2)</sup> |
| Ira P. Cohen<br>1959 | Independent<br>Trustee, Chair | Trustee since 2017, Chair since 2017; indefinite terms | Independent financial services consultant (since 2005). | 10 | Trustee, Valued Advisers Trust (since 2010); Trustee, Apollo Diversified Real Estate Fund (formerly, Griffin Institutional Access Real Estate Fund) (since 2014); Trustee, Angel Oak Funds Trust (since 2014); Trustee, Angel Oak Financial Strategies Income Term Trust (since 2018); Trustee and Chair, U.S. Fixed Income Trust (Trustee since 2019, Chair since 2025); Trustee, Angel Oak Credit Opportunities Term Trust (since 2021); Trustee, CRM Mutual Fund Trust (since 2025); Trustee, Angel Oak Dynamic Financial Strategies Income Term Trust (2019-2022); Trustee, Apollo Diversified Credit Fund (formerly, Griffin Institutional Access Credit Fund) (2017-2022). |
| Alvin R. Albe, Jr.<br>1953 | Independent Trustee | Since 2017; indefinite term | Retired. | 10 | Trustee, Angel Oak Funds Trust (since 2014); Trustee, Angel Oak Financial Strategies Income Term Trust (since 2018); Trustee, Angel Oak Credit Opportunities Term Trust (since 2021); Trustee, Angel Oak Dynamic Financial Strategies Income Term Trust (2019-2022). |
| Keith M. Schappert<br>1951 | Independent Trustee | Since 2017; indefinite term | President, Schappert Consulting LLC (since 2008); Retired, President and CEO of JP Morgan Investment Management. | 10 | Trustee, Angel Oak Funds Trust (since 2014); Trustee, Angel Oak Financial Strategies Income Term Trust (since 2018); Trustee, Angel Oak Credit Opportunities Term Trust (since 2021); Trustee, Angel Oak Dynamic Financial Strategies Income Term Trust (2019-2022); Director, Commonfund Capital, Inc. (2015-2022); Trustee, Mirae Asset Discovery Funds (2010-2023). |
| Andrea N. Mullins<br>1967 | Independent Trustee | Since 2019; indefinite term | Private Investor; Independent Contractor, SWM Advisors (since 2014). | 10 | Trustee and Audit Committee Chair, Valued Advisers Trust (since 2013, Chair since 2017); Trustee, Angel Oak Funds Trust (since 2019); Trustee, Angel Oak Financial Strategies Income Term Trust (since 2019); Trustee, Angel Oak Credit Opportunities Term Trust (since 2021); Trustee and Audit Committee Chair, NXG Cushing Midstream Energy Fund (formerly, Cushing MLP & Infrastructure Fund)(since 2021); Trustee and Audit Committee Chair, NXG NextGen Infrastructure Income Fund (formerly, Cushing NextGen Infrastructure Income Fund) (since 2021); Trustee, Chair, and Audit Committee Chair CRM Mutual Fund Trust (since 2025); Trustee, Angel Oak Dynamic Financial Strategies Income Term Trust (2019-2022); Trustee and Audit Committee Chair, Cushing Mutual Funds Trust (2021-2023). |
| **Interested Trustee of the Trust** | **Interested Trustee of the Trust** | **Interested Trustee of the Trust** | **Interested Trustee of the Trust** | **Interested Trustee of the Trust** | **Interested Trustee of the Trust** |
| Clayton Triick<br>1986 | Interested Trustee | Since 2024, indefinite term | Head of Portfolio Management, Public Strategies, Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC (since 2024); Senior Portfolio Manager, Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC (since 2011). | 9 | Trustee, Angel Oak Funds Trust (since 2024); Trustee, Angel Oak Credit Opportunities Term Trust (since 2024); Trustee, Angel Oak Financial Strategies Income Term Trust (2024-2025). |

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(1)The Fund Complex includes the Trust, as well as each series of Angel Oak Funds Trust, Angel Oak Financial Strategies Income Term Trust, and Angel Oak Credit Opportunities Term Trust, affiliated registrants not discussed in this SAI.

(2)The Trustees of the Trust who are not "interested persons" of the Trust as defined in the 1940 Act ("Independent Trustees").

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| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name and <br>Year of Birth** | **Position with the Trust** | **Term of Office and Length of Time Served** | **Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years** |
| **Officers of the Trust** | **Officers of the Trust** | **Officers of the Trust** | |
| Ward Bortz<br>1983 | President | Since 2025; indefinite term | Head of U.S. Wealth and ETF Portfolio Manager, Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC (since 2022); Head of ETFs and Senior Researcher, Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC (2022); Client Portfolio Manager, Fixed Income Factors, Invesco (2019-2022). |
| Michael Colombo<br>1984 | Secretary | Since 2023; indefinite term | Chief Risk Officer, Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC (since 2023); Director of Valuation, Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC (2022-2023); Director of Trade Operations, Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (2022); Manager of Trade Operations, Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (2019-2022). |
| Nilesh Likhite<br>1984 | Treasurer | Since 2025; indefinite term | Fund Controller, Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC (since 2025); Fund Controller, Warren Equity Partners (2023-2025); Senior Manager, Ernst & Young LLP (2019-2023). |
| Chase Eldredge<br>1989 | Chief Compliance Officer | Since 2022; indefinite term | Chief Compliance Officer, Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC (since 2022); Chief Compliance Officer of Falcons I, LLC (since 2022); Chief Compliance Officer, Angel Oak Funds Trust (since 2022); Chief Compliance Officer, Angel Oak Financial Strategies Income Term Trust (since 2022); Chief Compliance Officer, Angel Oak Credit Opportunities Term Trust (since 2022); Senior Compliance Officer, Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC (2020-2022); Compliance Officer, Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC (2017-2020). |

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**<u>Additional Information Concerning the Board of Trustees</u>**

*The Role of the Board*

The Board oversees the management and operations of the Fund. Like all registered funds, the day-to-day management and operation of the Fund is the responsibility of the various service providers to the Fund, such as the Adviser, the distributor, administrator, the custodian and the transfer agent, each of whom are discussed in greater detail in this SAI. The Board has appointed various senior employees of the Adviser as officers of the Fund, with responsibility to monitor and report to the Board on the Fund's operations. In conducting this oversight, the Board receives regular reports from these officers and the service providers. For example, the Treasurer reports as to financial reporting matters. In addition, the Adviser provides regular reports on the investment strategy and performance of the Fund. The Board has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer ("CCO") who administers the Fund's compliance program and regularly reports to the Board as to compliance matters. These reports are provided as part of the Board's regular Board meetings, which are typically held quarterly, and involve the Board's review of recent operations. While Angel Oak compensates the CCO for his services to the Fund, the Fund reimburses Angel Oak for a portion of the CCO's salary.

*Board Structure, Leadership*

The Board has structured itself in a manner that it believes allows it to perform its oversight function effectively. It has established four standing committees—an Audit, Financial, and Administrative Oversight Committee, a Nominating and Governance Committee, a Compliance Oversight Committee and a Valuation and Risk Management Oversight Committee—that are discussed in greater detail below under "Board Committees." At least a majority of the Board is comprised of Independent Trustees who are not affiliated with the Adviser, the principal underwriter, or their affiliates. The Committees are each comprised entirely of Independent Trustees.

The Board has an Independent Chair. Except for any duties specified herein or pursuant to the Fund's Declaration of Trust and By-Laws, the designation of Chair does not impose on Mr. Cohen any duties, obligations or liability that are greater than the duties, obligations or liability imposed on such person as a member of the Board. As Chair, Mr. Cohen acts as a spokesperson for the Trustees in between meetings of the Board, serves as a liaison for the Trustees with the Fund's service providers, officers, and legal counsel to discuss ideas informally, and participates in setting the agenda for meetings of the Board and separate meetings or executive sessions of the Independent Trustees. As noted, the majority of the Board is comprised of Independent Trustees, and the Board believes that maintaining a Board that has a majority of Independent Trustees allows the Board to operate in a manner that provides for an appropriate level of independent oversight and action. In accordance with applicable regulations regarding the governance of the Fund, the Independent Trustees have an opportunity to meet in a separate quarterly executive session in conjunction with each quarterly meeting of the Board during which they may review matters relating to their independent oversight of the Fund.

The Board reviews annually the structure and operation of the Board and its committees. The Board has determined that the composition of the Board and the function and composition of its various committees provide the appropriate means and communication channels to address any potential conflicts of interest that may arise.

*Board Oversight of Risk Management*

As part of its oversight function, the Board receives and reviews various risk management reports and discusses these matters with appropriate management and other personnel. Because risk management is a broad concept comprised of many elements (*e.g.*, investment risk, issuer and counterparty risk, compliance risk, operational risks, business continuity risks), the oversight of different types of risks is handled in different ways. For example, the Audit, Financial, and Administrative Oversight Committee meets with the

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Treasurer and the Fund's independent registered public accounting firm to discuss, among other things, the internal control structure of the Fund's financial reporting function. The Board and the Compliance Oversight Committee meet regularly with the Chief Compliance Officer and the Chief Operating Officer to discuss compliance and operational risks and how they are managed. The Board and Valuation and Risk Management Oversight Committee also receive reports from the Adviser and its Chief Risk Officer as to investment and other risks of the Fund.

*Information about Each Trustee's Qualification, Experience, Attributes or Skills* 

The Board believes that each of the Trustees has the qualifications, experience, attributes and skills ("Trustee Attributes") appropriate to their continued service as Trustees of the Fund in light of the Fund's business and structure. In addition to a demonstrated record of business and/or professional accomplishment, each of the Trustees has demonstrated a commitment to discharging their oversight duties as trustees in the interests of shareholders. The Board annually conducts a "self-assessment" wherein the effectiveness of the Board is reviewed.

In addition to the information provided in the table above, below is certain additional information concerning each particular Trustee and his Trustee Attributes.

*Mr. Cohen's Trustee Attributes.* 

Mr. Cohen has over 44 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has served as Executive Vice President of Recognos Financial, a premier provider of semantic data analysis for the financial services industry, from 2015 to 2021 and he has been an independent financial services consultant since 2005. Mr. Cohen has served a variety of management roles for various financial and investment companies throughout his career. Additionally, Mr. Cohen serves as an independent trustee of the trust in which the Adviser's first mutual fund was launched. Mr. Cohen also serves as a trustee for multiple other funds. The Board believes that Mr. Cohen's experience, qualifications, attributes and skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Trustees lead to the conclusion that he possesses the requisite skills and attributes as a Trustee to carry out oversight responsibilities with respect to the Fund.

*Mr. Albe's Trustee Attributes*.

Mr. Albe has over 40 years of experience in the investment management industry, including having served as executive management for a large asset management firm and its affiliated investment companies. Mr. Albe is a Certified Public Accountant (non-practicing) and has past experience as a member of the board and audit committee of a publicly held company. Mr. Albe is an audit committee financial expert of the Fund. The Board believes that Mr. Albe's experience, qualifications, attributes and skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Trustees lead to the conclusion that he possesses the requisite skills and attributes as a Trustee to carry out oversight responsibilities with respect to the Fund.

*Mr. Schappert's Trustee Attributes*.

Mr. Schappert has over 50 years of experience in the investment management industry. He has been an independent financial services consultant for his own consulting business, Schappert Consulting, LLC, since 2008 and has served a variety of management roles for various financial and investment companies throughout his career, including as President and CEO of J.P. Morgan Investment Management, President and CEO of Federated Investment Advisory Companies, and Vice Chairman of the Americas for Credit Suisse. The Board believes that Mr. Schappert's experience, qualifications, attributes and skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Trustees lead to the conclusion that he possesses the requisite skills and attributes as a Trustee to carry out oversight responsibilities with respect to the Fund.

*Ms. Mullins' Trustee Attributes.*

Ms. Mullins worked in the Asset Management and Mutual Funds industry at Raymond James from 1990-2010 and her experience includes accounting, compliance, and operations. Ms. Mullins retired as Chief Financial Officer of Eagle Family of Funds (now Carillon Family of Funds) in 2010. Since 2014, Ms. Mullins has been an independent contractor with SWM Advisors, an SEC-registered investment adviser. In addition to this experience, Ms. Mullins also has experience serving as a trustee for Valued Advisers Trust since 2013 and as its Chairperson since 2017. Ms. Mullins also serves as a trustee for multiple other funds. The Board believes that Ms. Mullins' experience, qualifications, attributes and skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Trustees lead to the conclusion that she possesses the requisite skills and attributes as a Trustee to carry out oversight responsibilities with respect to the Fund.

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*Mr. Triick's Trustee Attributes.*

Mr. Triick has served in various portfolio management capacities for Angel Oak since 2011. In his current role, he leads the overall investment framework, including asset allocation, sector positioning, and duration management for the firm's public mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and related SMAs. He heads the Public Strategies Investment Committee and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of portfolio management for the Public Strategies, which are primarily comprised of multi-sector portfolios. Prior to joining Angel Oak in 2011, Clayton worked for YieldQuest Advisors, where he was a member of the investment committee focusing on interest rate and currency risk management of the mutual funds alongside directly managing the closed-end fund allocations within YieldQuest portfolios and individual accounts. The Board believes that Mr. Triick's experience, qualifications, attributes and skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Trustees lead to the conclusion that he possesses the requisite skills and attributes as a Trustee to carry out oversight responsibilities with respect to the Fund.

**<u>Board Committees</u>** 

The Board has four standing committees: the Audit, Financial, and Administrative Oversight Committee, the Nominating and Governance Committee, the Compliance Oversight Committee, and the Valuation and Risk Management Oversight Committee.

The Audit, Financial, and Administrative Oversight Committee is comprised of all of the Independent Trustees. The function of the Audit, Financial, and Administrative Oversight Committee is to review the scope and results of the annual audit of the Fund and any matters bearing on the audit or the Fund's financial statements and to ensure the integrity of the Fund's financial reporting. The Audit, Financial, and Administrative Oversight Committee also recommends to the Board the annual selection of the independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund, and it reviews and pre-approves audit and certain non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm. The Committee also assists the Board in overseeing the review of financial and administrative reports and discussing with the Fund's management financial and administrative matters relating to the Fund. For the fiscal year ended January 31, 2026, the Audit, Financial and Administrative Oversight Committee met four times.

The Nominating and Governance Committee, comprised of all the Independent Trustees, is responsible for seeking and reviewing candidates for consideration as nominees for Trustees. The Committee has a policy in place for considering Trustee candidates recommended by shareholders. Nomination submissions must be accompanied by all information relating to the recommended nominee that is required to be disclosed in solicitations or proxy statements for the election of Trustees, as well as information sufficient to evaluate the individual's qualifications. Nomination submissions must be accompanied by a written consent of the individual to stand for election if nominated by the Board and to serve if elected by the shareholders. In addition, a nominee must provide such additional information as reasonably requested by the Committee. The Committee will consider recommendations by shareholders for up to one year from receipt. Nomination submissions should be sent to:

Secretary, Angel Oak Strategic Credit Fund

c/o Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC

980 Hammond Drive, Suite 200

Atlanta, GA 30328

The Committee meets on an as needed basis. For the fiscal year ended January 31, 2026, the Nominating and Governance Committee met four times.

The Compliance Oversight Committee, comprised of all the Independent Trustees, assists the full Board in connection with matters relating to the compliance of the Fund and its service providers with applicable laws. The Committee coordinates the Board's oversight of the implementation and administration of the Fund's compliance program through the periodic review of reports and discussions with appropriate management of the Adviser, including the CCO, and other service providers. The Committee reviews and makes recommendations to the Board regarding the Fund's compliance matters such as compliance with and any proposed changes to the Fund's compliance program and the Codes of Ethics of the Fund and Adviser. The Committee meets on an as needed basis. For the fiscal year ended January 31, 2026, the Compliance Oversight Committee met four times.

The Valuation and Risk Management Oversight Committee, comprised of all the Independent Trustees, oversees valuation matters of the Fund delegated to the Adviser's Valuation Committee, including the fair valuation determinations and methodologies proposed and utilized by the Adviser's Valuation Committee, reviews the Fund's valuation procedures and their application by the Adviser's Valuation Committee, reviews pricing errors and procedures for calculation of NAV of the Fund and responds to other matters deemed appropriate by the Board. The actions of the Committee are subsequently reviewed and ratified by the Board. The Committee also oversees the policies, procedures, practices and systems relating to identifying and managing the various risks that are or may be applicable to the Fund. The Committee shall not assume any day-to-day risk management functions or activities. The Adviser and other service providers ("Fund management") are responsible for the day-to-day implementation, maintenance, and administration of policies, procedures, systems and practices designed to identify, monitor and control risks to which the Fund is or may be exposed. The Chief Risk Officer of the Adviser oversees Fund management's execution of its risk management

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responsibilities. The actions of the Committee are reviewed and ratified by the Board. The Committee meets at least annually. For the fiscal year ended January 31, 2026, the Valuation and Risk Management Oversight Committee met four times.

**<u>Trustee Ownership of Fund Shares and Other Interests</u>**

The table below shows for each Trustee, the amount of the Fund's equity securities beneficially owned by each Trustee, and the aggregate value of all investments in equity securities of the Fund, as of December 31, 2025, and stated as one of the following ranges: A = None; B = $1-$10,000; C = $10,001-$50,000; D = $50,001-$100,000; and E = over $100,000.

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| | **Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the**<br>**Fund** | **Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by the Trustees in Family of Investment Companies** |
| **Name of Trustee** | **Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the**<br>**Fund** | **Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in all Registered Investment Companies Overseen by the Trustees in Family of Investment Companies** |
| **Non-Interested Trustees** | | |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Alvin R. Albe, Jr. | E | E |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ira P. Cohen | A | A |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Keith M. Schappert | A | E |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Andrea N. Mullins | A | E |
| **Interested Trustee** | | |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Clayton Triick | A | E |

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Furthermore, neither the Independent Trustees nor members of their immediate family own securities beneficially or of record in the Adviser, the Fund's principal underwriter, or any of their affiliates.

**<u>Compensation</u>**

Each Trustee who is not an "interested person" (*i.e.*, an "Independent Trustee") of the Fund Complex (which includes affiliated registrants not disclosed in this report) receives an annual retainer of $95,000 ($75,000 prior to November 1, 2025), (pro-rated for any periods less than one year), paid quarterly as well as $12,000 for attending each regularly scheduled meeting in connection with his or her service on the Board of the Fund Complex. In addition, each Committee Chair receives additional annual compensation of $12,000 (pro-rated for any periods less than one year) and the Chair of the Board receives an additional $27,000 ($17,000 prior to November 1, 2025). Independent Trustees are eligible for reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with attendance at meetings and applicable industry conferences when in line with applicable expense policy.

The Trust does not have any pension nor retirement plans.

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name of Person/Position** | **Aggregate Compensation from the Fund** | **Total Compensation from the Fund and Fund Complex**<sup>(1)</sup> **Paid to Trustees** |
| **Non-Interested Trustees** | | |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Alvin R. Albe, Jr., Trustee | $9871 | $140000 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ira P. Cohen, Trustee, Chair | $11257 | $159500 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Keith M. Schappert, Trustee | $9871 | $140000 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Andrea N. Mullins, Trustee | $9871 | $140000 |
| **Interested Trustee**<sup>(2)</sup> |  |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Clayton Triick | $0 | $0 |

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(1)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Fund Complex includes the Trust, as well as each series of Angel Oak Funds Trust, Angel Oak Financial Strategies Income Term Trust, and Angel Oak Credit Opportunities Term Trust, affiliated registrants not discussed in this SAI.

(2)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As an Interested Trustee, Mr. Triick does not receive compensation from the Fund Complex.

**<u>Investment Adviser</u>**

The Fund's Adviser is Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC, 980 Hammond Drive, Suite 200, Atlanta, Georgia 30328. Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC was formed in 2009 by the Managing Partners of the Adviser, Michael A. Fierman and Sreeniwas (Sreeni) V. Prabhu. The Adviser is wholly-owned by Angel Oak Asset Management Holdings, LLC. On October 1, 2025, Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. acquired a majority of Angel Oak Companies, LP, the parent of Angel Oak Asset Management Holdings, LLC, itself the parent of the Adviser.

Under the terms of the investment advisory agreement (the "Agreement"), the Adviser manages the Fund's investments subject to oversight by the Board. As compensation for its management services, the Fund is obligated to pay the Adviser a fee computed and accrued daily and paid monthly at an annual rate of 1.25% of the average daily net assets of the Fund.

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The Adviser has contractually agreed through at least September 30, 2027 to waive the amount of the Fund's management fee to the extent necessary to offset the proportionate share of the management fees incurred by the Fund through its investment in an underlying fund for which the Adviser also serves as investment adviser. This arrangement may only be changed or eliminated by the Board of Trustees upon 60 days' written notice to the Adviser.

In addition, effective April 1, 2020 through December 31, 2022, the Adviser had contractually agreed to waive its fees and/or reimburse certain expenses (exclusive of any front-end sales loads, 12b-1 fees, taxes, interest on borrowings, dividends on securities sold short, brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses, expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization and extraordinary expenses) to limit the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses after fee waiver/expense reimbursement to 0.75% of the Fund's average daily net assets (the "Expense Limit"). The Expense Limit excluded certain expenses and consequently, the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses after fee waiver/expense reimbursement could be higher than the Expense Limit. The contractual arrangement could only be changed or eliminated by the Board upon 60 days' written notice to the Adviser. The Adviser may recoup from the Fund any waived amount or reimbursed expenses with respect to the Fund pursuant to this agreement if such recoupment does not cause the Fund to exceed the current Expense Limit or the Expense Limit in place at the time of the waiver or reimbursement (whichever is lower) and the recoupment is made within three years after the end of the month in which the Adviser incurred the expense.

The following table describes the advisory fees paid to the Adviser by the Fund for the periods indicated:

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| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Fiscal Year Ended** | **Advisory Fees Accrued** | **Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement** | **Net Advisory Fees Paid (or Expenses Reimbursed)** |
| January 31, 2026 | $1147583 | $0 | $1147583 |
| January 31, 2025 | $1245197 | $0 | $1245197 |
| January 31, 2024 | $1105751 | $0 | $1105751 |

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The Adviser retains the right to use the name "Angel Oak" in connection with another investment company or business enterprise with which the Adviser is or may become associated. The Fund's right to use the name "Angel Oak" automatically ceases 90 days after termination of the Agreement and may be withdrawn by the Adviser on 90 days' written notice.

The Adviser may make payments to banks or other financial institutions that provide shareholder services and administer shareholder accounts. If a bank or other financial institution were prohibited from continuing to perform all or a part of such services, management of the Fund believes that there would be no material impact on the Fund or shareholders. Banks and other financial institutions may charge their customers fees for offering these services to the extent permitted by applicable regulatory authorities, and the overall return to those shareholders availing themselves of the bank services will be lower than to those shareholders who do not. The Fund may from time to time purchase securities issued by banks and other financial institutions that provide such services; however, in selecting investments for the Fund, no preference will be shown for such securities.

**<u>About the Portfolio Managers</u>**

Matthew R. Kennedy, Sreeniwas V. Prabhu, Namit Sinha, and Clayton Triick are the Portfolio Managers of the Fund. As of January 31, 2026, the Portfolio Managers were responsible for managing the following types of accounts for the Adviser, other than the Fund(s) for which they serve as a portfolio manager:

**<u>Matthew R. Kennedy</u>**

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| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Number and Assets of Other Accounts** | **Number and Assets of Other Accounts** | **Number and Assets of Other Accounts** | **Number and Assets of Accounts for which Advisory Fee is Performance Based** | **Number and Assets of Accounts for which Advisory Fee is Performance Based** | **Number and Assets of Accounts for which Advisory Fee is Performance Based** |
| Registered Investment Companies | Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | Other<br>Accounts | Registered Investment Companies | Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | Other Accounts |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| $122734928 | $3645541 | $0 | $0 | $3645541 | $0 |

---

------

**<u>Sreeniwas (Sreeni) V. Prabhu</u>**

---

| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Number and Assets of Other Accounts** | **Number and Assets of Other Accounts** | **Number and Assets of Other Accounts** | **Number and Assets of Accounts for which Advisory Fee is Performance Based** | **Number and Assets of Accounts for which Advisory Fee is Performance Based** | **Number and Assets of Accounts for which Advisory Fee is Performance Based** |
| Registered Investment Companies | Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | Other<br>Accounts | Registered Investment Companies | Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | Other Accounts |
| 5 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| $5342967974 | $2005357855 | $0 | $0 | $1938389544 | $0 |

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**<u>Namit Sinha</u>**

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| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Number and Assets of Other Accounts** | **Number and Assets of Other Accounts** | **Number and Assets of Other Accounts** | **Number and Assets of Accounts for which Advisory Fee is Performance Based** | **Number and Assets of Accounts for which Advisory Fee is Performance Based** | **Number and Assets of Accounts for which Advisory Fee is Performance Based** |
| Registered Investment Companies | Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | Other<br>Accounts | Registered Investment Companies | Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | Other Accounts |
| 7 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| $5893527039 | $2064234508 | $457033866 | $0 | $1977676357 | $0 |

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**<u>Clayton Triick</u>**

---

| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Number and Assets of Other Accounts** | **Number and Assets of Other Accounts** | **Number and Assets of Other Accounts** | **Number and Assets of Accounts for which Advisory Fee is Performance Based** | **Number and Assets of Accounts for which Advisory Fee is Performance Based** | **Number and Assets of Accounts for which Advisory Fee is Performance Based** |
| Registered Investment Companies | Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | Other<br>Accounts | Registered Investment Companies | Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | Other Accounts |
| 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| $6402092914 | $3645541 | $184410674 | $0 | $3645541 | $0 |

---

<u>Compensation</u>: The Portfolio Managers receive an annual base salary from the Adviser. Each of the Portfolio Managers is eligible to receive a discretionary bonus, which is based on: profitability of the Adviser; assets under management; investment performance of managed accounts; compliance with the Adviser's policies and procedures; contribution to the Adviser's goals and objectives; anticipated compensation levels of competitor firms; effective research; role and responsibilities; client satisfaction; asset retention; teamwork; leadership; and risk management. Mr. Prabhu has an ownership interest in the Adviser's ultimate parent company and may receive distributions from the Adviser's ultimate parent company, which may come from profits generated by the Adviser. Portfolio Managers may have membership or profit sharing interests in the Adviser's ultimate parent company in addition to their salary, bonus, and benefits package.

<u>Potential Conflicts of Interest</u>: Actual or apparent conflicts of interest may arise when a portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities with respect to more than one fund or other account. More specifically, portfolio managers who manage multiple funds and/or other accounts may experience the following potential conflicts: The management of multiple accounts may result in a portfolio manager devoting unequal time and attention to the management of each account. Investment decisions for client accounts are also made consistent with a client's individual investment objective and needs. Accordingly, there may be circumstances when purchases or sales of securities for one or more client accounts will have an adverse effect on other clients. The Adviser may seek to manage such competing interests by: (1) having a portfolio manager focus on a particular investment discipline; (2) utilizing a quantitative model in managing accounts; and/or (3) reviewing performance differences between similarly managed accounts on a periodic basis to ensure that any such differences are attributable by differences in investment guidelines and timing of cash flows. The Adviser also maintains a Code of Ethics to establish standards and procedures for the detection and prevention of activities by which persons having knowledge of the investments and investment intentions of the Fund may abuse their fiduciary duties to the Fund.

If a portfolio manager identifies a limited investment opportunity that may be suitable for more than one client, the Fund may not be able to take full advantage of that opportunity due to an allocation of filled purchase or sale orders across all eligible accounts. To deal with these situations, the Adviser has adopted procedures for allocating portfolio transactions across multiple accounts.

With respect to securities transactions for clients, the Adviser determines which broker to use to execute each order. However, the Adviser may direct securities transactions to a particular broker/dealer for various reasons including receipt of research or participation interests in initial public offerings that may or may not benefit the Fund. To deal with these situations, the Adviser has adopted procedures to help ensure best execution of all client transactions.

------

From time to time, the Adviser may make investments at different levels of an issuer's or borrower's capital structure (including but not limited to investments in debt versus equity). In managing such investments, the Adviser will consider the interests of the Fund's shareholders in deciding what actions to take with respect to a given issuer or borrower. These potential conflicts of interest may become more pronounced in situations in which an issuer or borrower experiences financial or operational challenges, or as a result of a Fund's use of certain investment strategies, including small capitalization, emerging market, distressed or less liquid strategies.

Finally, the appearance of a conflict of interest may arise where the Adviser has an incentive, such as a performance-based management fee, which relates to the management of one but not all accounts for which a portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities.

<u>Potential Restrictions and Issues Related to Material Non-Public Information</u>: The Adviser and its affiliates may acquire confidential or material non-public information, and as a result, the Adviser may be restricted from trading in certain securities and instruments. The Adviser will not be free to divulge, or to act upon, any such confidential or material non-public information and, due to these restrictions, the Adviser may be unable to initiate a transaction for the Fund's account that it otherwise might have initiated. As a result, the Fund may be frozen in an investment position that it otherwise might have liquidated or closed out or may not be able to acquire a position that it might otherwise have acquired.

The Fund is required to show the dollar amount ranges of the portfolio managers' beneficial ownership of shares of the Fund as of January 31, 2026:

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| **Portfolio Manager** | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Fund** |
| Matthew R. Kennedy | None |
| Sreeni V. Prabhu | None |
| Namit Sinha | None |
| Clayton Triick | None |

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------

**REPURCHASE OF SHARES**

In order to provide some liquidity to shareholders, the Fund makes quarterly offers to repurchase between 5% and 25% of its outstanding Shares at NAV. Notices of each quarterly repurchase offer are sent to shareholders at least 21 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 Fund determines the NAV applicable to repurchases no later than the 14 calendar days after the Repurchase Request Deadline (or the next business day, if the 14th calendar day is not a business day) (the "Repurchase Pricing Date"). The Fund expects to distribute payment to shareholders between one and three business days after the Repurchase Pricing Date and will distribute such payment no later than seven calendar days after such date. 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. Thus, 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.

The section entitled "Share Repurchase Program" in the Prospectus discusses the type and timing of notice for repurchase offers, the effects of oversubscribed repurchase offers, the determination of the repurchase price, payment by the Fund for Shares tendered in a repurchase offer, the effect of repurchase policies on the liquidity of the Fund, the consequences of repurchase offers and other details regarding the repurchase offers, including associated risks. The Fund's fundamental policies with respect to repurchase offers are discussed in "Investment Restrictions" in this SAI.

See "Types of Investments and Related Risks – Repurchase Offers Risks" in the Prospectus for a description of the risks associated with the Fund's repurchase offers. In addition, the repurchase of Shares by the Fund will be a taxable event to shareholders. For a discussion of these tax consequences, see "Taxation" below.

Subject to its investment limitations, the Fund may borrow to finance the repurchase of shares or to make a tender offer. Interest on any borrowings to finance share repurchase transactions or the accumulation of cash by the Fund in anticipation of share repurchases or tenders will reduce the Fund's net income and gains. Any share repurchase, tender offer or borrowing that might be approved by the Board would have to comply with the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder and other applicable law.

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**PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS**

**<u>How Securities are Purchased and Sold</u>** 

Purchases and sales of portfolio securities that are fixed income securities (for instance, money market instruments and bonds, notes and bills) usually are principal transactions. In a principal transaction, the party from whom the Fund purchases or to whom the Fund sells is acting on its own behalf (and not as the agent of some other party such as its customers). These securities normally are purchased directly from the issuer or from an underwriter or market maker for the securities. There usually are no brokerage commissions paid for these securities.

Purchases and sales of portfolio securities that are equity securities (for instance common stock and preferred stock) are generally effected: (1) if the security is traded on an exchange, through brokers who charge commissions; and (2) if the security is traded in the "over-the-counter" markets, in a principal transaction directly from a market maker. In transactions on stock exchanges, commissions are negotiated. When transactions are executed in an over-the-counter market, the Adviser will seek to deal with the primary market makers; but when necessary to obtain best execution, the Adviser will utilize the services of others.

The price of securities purchased from underwriters includes a disclosed fixed commission or concession paid by the issuer to the underwriter, and prices of securities purchased from dealers serving as market makers reflects the spread between the bid and asked price.

In the case of fixed income and equity securities traded in the over-the-counter markets, there is generally no stated commission, but the price usually includes an undisclosed commission or markup.

**<u>Commissions Paid</u>** 

The Fund paid $9,629 in brokerage commissions for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2026, $3,904 in brokerage commissions for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2025, and $60 in brokerage commissions for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2024.

**<u>Adviser Responsibility for Purchases and Sales</u>** 

The Adviser places orders for the purchase and sale of securities with broker-dealers selected by and in the discretion of the Adviser. The Fund does not have any obligation to deal with a specific broker or dealer in the execution of portfolio transactions. Allocations of transactions to brokers and dealers and the frequency of transactions are determined by the Adviser in its best judgment and in a manner deemed to be in the best interest of the Fund rather than by any formula.

The Adviser seeks "best execution" for all portfolio transactions. This means that the Adviser seeks the most favorable price and execution available. The Adviser's primary consideration in executing transactions for the Fund is prompt execution of orders in an effective manner and at the most favorable price available.

**<u>Choosing Broker-Dealers</u>** 

The Fund may not always pay the lowest commission or spread available. Rather, in determining the amount of commissions (including certain dealer spreads) paid in connection with securities transactions, the Adviser takes into account factors such as size of the order, difficulty of execution, efficiency of the executing broker's facilities (including the research services described below) and any risk assumed by the executing broker.

Consistent with applicable rules and the Adviser's duties, the Adviser may consider payments made by brokers effecting transactions for the Fund. These payments may be made to the Fund or to other persons on behalf of the Fund for services provided to the Fund for which those other persons would be obligated to pay.

The Adviser may also utilize a broker and pay a slightly higher commission if, for example, the broker has specific expertise in a particular type of transaction (due to factors such as size or difficulty), or it is efficient in trade execution.

**<u>Securities of Regular Broker-Dealers</u>**

From time to time, the Fund may acquire and hold securities issued by its "regular brokers and dealers" or the parents of those brokers and dealers. For this purpose, regular brokers and dealers are the 10 brokers or dealers that: (1) received the greatest amount of brokerage commissions during the Fund's last fiscal year; (2) engaged in the largest amount of principal transactions for portfolio transactions of the Fund during the Fund's last fiscal year; or (3) sold the largest amount of the Fund's shares during the Fund's last fiscal year. As of January 31, 2026, the Fund held $247,941 of securities of its regular broker, Jefferies Finance LLC / JFIN Co.-Issuer Corp.

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**<u>Obtaining Research from Brokers</u>** 

The Adviser has full brokerage discretion. The Adviser evaluates the range and quality of a broker's services in placing trades such as securing best price, confidentiality, clearance and settlement capabilities, promptness of execution and the financial stability of the broker-dealer. The Adviser may give consideration to research services furnished by brokers to the Adviser for its use and may cause the Fund to pay these brokers a higher amount of commission than may be charged by other brokers. This research is designed to augment the Adviser's own internal research and investment strategy capabilities. This research may include reports that are common in the industry such as industry research reports and periodicals, quotation systems, software for portfolio management and formal databases. Typically, the research will be used to service all of the Adviser accounts, although a particular client may not benefit from all the research received on each occasion. The Adviser fees are not reduced by reason of receipt of research services. Most of the brokerage commissions for research are for investment research on specific companies or industries. And, because the Adviser will follow a limited number of securities most of the commission dollars spent on research will directly benefit clients and the Fund's investors.

**<u>Counterparty Risk</u>** 

The Adviser monitors the creditworthiness of counterparties to the Fund's transactions and intends to enter into a transaction only when it believes that the counterparty presents minimal and appropriate credit risks.

**<u>Transactions through Affiliates</u>** 

The Adviser may effect brokerage transactions through affiliates of the Adviser (or affiliates of those persons) pursuant to procedures adopted by the Fund.

**<u>Other Accounts of the Adviser</u>** 

Investment decisions for the Fund are made independently from those for any other account or investment company that is or may in the future become advised by the Adviser or its affiliates. Investment decisions are the product of many factors, including basic suitability for the particular client involved. Likewise, a particular security may be bought or sold for certain clients even though it could have been bought or sold for other clients at the same time. Likewise, a particular security may be bought for one or more clients when one or more clients are selling the security. In some instances, one client may sell a particular security to another client. In addition, two or more clients may simultaneously purchase or sell the same security, in which event, each day's transactions in such security are, insofar as is possible, averaged as to price and allocated between such clients in a manner which, in the Adviser's opinion, is in the best interest of the affected accounts and is equitable to each and in accordance with the amount being purchased or sold by each. There may be circumstances when purchases or sales of a portfolio security for one client could have an adverse effect on another client that has a position in that security. In addition, when purchases or sales of the same security for the Fund and other client accounts managed by the Adviser occurs contemporaneously, the purchase or sale orders may be aggregated to obtain any price advantages available to large denomination purchases or sales.

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**PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROXY VOTING RECORD**

The Board has adopted Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures (the "Policies") on behalf of the Fund which delegate the responsibility for voting proxies to the Adviser, subject to the Board's continuing oversight. The Policies require that the Adviser vote proxies received in a manner consistent with the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. The Policies also require the Adviser to present to the Board, at least annually, the Adviser's Proxy Policies (as defined below) and a record of each proxy voted by the Adviser on behalf of the Fund, including a report on the resolution of all proxies identified by the Adviser as involving a conflict of interest. The Adviser has also adopted the following Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures ("Adviser's Proxy Policies").

In its role as investment adviser to the Fund, the Adviser has adopted those proxy voting policies adopted by the Fund. To the extent that the Fund's policies do not cover potential voting issues with respect to proxies received by the Fund, the Fund has delegated to the Adviser the authority to act on its behalf to promote the Fund's investment objective, subject to the provisions of the Fund's policies regarding resolution of a conflict of interest with respect to the Adviser.

The Adviser will vote proxies in the best interests of the Fund. The Adviser will generally vote in favor of routine corporate housekeeping proposals such as the election of directors and the selection of auditors, absent conflicts of interest (*e.g.*, an auditor's provision of non-audit services). The Adviser will generally vote against proposals that cause board members to become entrenched or cause unequal voting rights. In reviewing proposals, the Adviser may also consider the opinion of management, the effect on management, the effect on shareholder value and the issuer's business practices.

The Adviser recognizes that under certain circumstances it may have a conflict of interest in voting proxies on behalf of the Fund. A "conflict of interest," means any circumstance when the Adviser (including officers, directors, agents and employees) knowingly does business with, receives compensation from, or sits on the board of, a particular issuer or closely affiliated entity, and, therefore, may appear to have a conflict of interest between its own interests and the interests of fund shareholders in how proxies of that issuer are voted. The Adviser has adopted the Fund's procedures as they relate to the resolution of conflicts of interest with respect to voting shares of the Fund.

The Fund will file a Form N-PX, with the Fund's complete proxy voting record for the 12 months ended June 30, no later than August 31st of each year. Form N-PX for the Fund will be available without charge, upon request, by calling toll-free (855) 751-4324 and on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

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**TAXATION**

The tax information set forth in the Prospectus and the information in this section relates solely to U.S. federal income tax law and assumes that the Fund qualifies as a regulated investment company (as discussed below). Such information is only a summary of certain key U.S. federal income tax considerations affecting the Fund and its shareholders and is in addition to the information provided in the Prospectus. No attempt has been made to present a complete explanation of the Federal tax treatment of the Fund or the tax implications to shareholders. The discussions here and in the Prospectus are not intended as substitutes for careful tax planning.

This "Taxation" section is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), and applicable regulations in effect on the date of the Prospectus. Future legislative or administrative changes or court decisions may significantly change the tax rules applicable to the Fund and its shareholders. Any of these changes or court decisions may have a retroactive effect.

*All investors should consult their own tax advisors as to the Federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences of an investment in the Fund.*

**<u>Qualification as a Regulated Investment Company</u>**

The Fund intends, for each tax year, to qualify as a "regulated investment company" under the Code.

**<u>U.S. federal Income Tax Consequences of Qualification</u>**

As a regulated investment company, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its investment company taxable income (that is, taxable interest, dividends, net short-term capital gains and other taxable ordinary income, net of expenses) and net capital gain (that is, the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses) that it distributes to shareholders. To be subject to tax as a regulated investment company, generally the Fund must satisfy the following requirements:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• The Fund must distribute an amount at least equal to the sum of 90% of its investment company taxable income, determined without regard to any deduction for dividends paid, and 90% of its net tax-exempt interest, if any, each tax year (certain distributions made by the Fund after the close of its tax year are considered distributions attributable to the previous tax year for purposes of satisfying this requirement ("Distribution Requirement")).

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• The Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income each tax year from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of securities, or other income (including gains from options and futures contracts) derived from its business of investing in securities and net income derived from interests in qualified publicly traded partnerships.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• The Fund must satisfy the following asset diversification test at the close of each quarter of the Fund's tax year: (1) at least 50% of the value of the Fund's assets must consist of cash, cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other regulated investment companies, and securities of other issuers (as to which the Fund has not invested more than 5% of the value of the Fund's total assets in securities of an issuer and as to which the Fund does not hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of the issuer); and (2) no more than 25% of the value of the Fund's total assets may be invested in the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. government securities and securities of other regulated investment companies), or in two or more issuers which the Fund controls and which are engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses or in the securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships.

While the Fund presently intends to make cash distributions (including distributions reinvested in Fund shares) for each tax year in an aggregate amount sufficient to satisfy the Distribution Requirement and eliminate Federal income tax, the Fund may use "equalization accounting" (in lieu of making some or all cash distributions) for those purposes. To the extent that the Fund uses equalization accounting it will allocate a portion of its undistributed investment company taxable income and net capital gain to repurchases of Fund shares and will correspondingly reduce the amount of such income and gain that it distributes in cash. If the IRS determines that the Fund's allocation is improper and that the Fund has under-distributed its income and gain for any tax year, the Fund may be liable for Federal income and/or excise tax, and, if the Distribution Requirement has not been met, may also be unable to continue to qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company (see discussion below on what happens if the Fund fails to qualify for that treatment).

If the Fund retains any net capital gains for reinvestment, it may elect to treat such capital gains as having been distributed to shareholders. If the Fund makes such an election, each shareholder will be required to report its share of such undistributed net capital gains attributed to the Fund as long-term capital gain and will be entitled to claim its share of the U.S. federal income taxes paid by the Fund on such undistributed net capital gains as a credit against its own U.S. federal income tax liability, if any, and to claim a refund on a properly-filed U.S. federal income tax return to the extent that the credit exceeds such liability. In addition, each shareholder will be entitled to increase the adjusted tax basis of its Shares by the difference between its share of such undistributed net capital gain and

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the related credit. There can be no assurance that the Fund will make this election if it retains all or a portion of its net capital gain for a tax year.

The Fund is permitted to carry forward a net capital loss to offset its capital gain indefinitely. The excess of the Fund's net short-term capital loss over its net long-term capital gain is treated as a short-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund's next taxable year and the excess of the Fund's net long-term capital loss over its net short-term capital gain is treated as a long-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund's next taxable year. If future capital gain is offset by carried-forward capital losses, such future capital gain is not subject to fund-level U.S. federal income tax, regardless of whether it is distributed to shareholders. Accordingly, the Fund does not expect to distribute any such offsetting capital gain. In the event that the Fund were to experience an ownership change as defined under the Code, the capital loss carryforwards and other favorable tax attributes of the Fund, if any, may be subject to limitation. The Fund cannot carry back or carry forward any net operating losses.

As of the most recent fiscal year ended January 31, 2026, the Fund had capital loss carry-forwards approximating the amount indicated for U.S. federal income tax purposes, expiring in the year indicated (if applicable):

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;No expiration long-term | $1490446 |

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**<u>Failure to Qualify</u>**

If for any tax year the Fund does not qualify as a regulated investment company, all of its taxable income (including its net capital gain) will be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for dividends paid to shareholders, and the dividends will generally be taxable to the shareholders as ordinary income to the extent of the Fund's current and accumulated earnings and profits. In addition, the Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay taxes and make distributions (any of which could be subject to interest charges) before re-qualifying for taxation as a regulated investment company. If the Fund fails to satisfy either the income test or asset diversification test described above, in certain cases, however, the Fund may be able to avoid losing its status as a regulated investment company by timely providing notice of such failure to the IRS, curing such failure and possibly paying an additional tax or penalty.

Failure to qualify as a regulated investment company would thus have a negative impact on the Fund's income and performance. It is possible that the Fund will not qualify as a regulated investment company in any given tax year.

**<u>Fund Distributions</u>**

The Fund anticipates distributing substantially all of its investment company taxable income and net tax-exempt interest (if any) for each tax year. Distributions paid to you generally would be characterized as ordinary income. A portion of these distributions may qualify for the dividends-received deduction when paid to certain corporate shareholders to the extent that the Fund receives dividend income from taxable domestic corporations, provided that holding period and other requirements are met by the Fund and the shareholder.

A portion of the Fund's distributions paid to individuals may be treated as "qualified dividend income," and may be subject to a maximum U.S. federal income tax rate of either 15% or 20% (depending on whether the individual's income exceeds certain threshold amounts). A distribution is treated as qualified dividend income to the extent that the Fund receives dividend income from taxable domestic corporations and certain qualified foreign corporations, provided that holding period and other requirements are met by the Fund and the shareholder. To the extent the Fund's distributions are attributable to other sources, such as interest or capital gains, such distributions are not treated as qualified dividend income.

Given the Fund's investment strategies, it is not expected that a significant portion of the Fund's dividends will be eligible to be reported as qualified dividend income or as eligible for the dividends-received deduction.

Certain distributions reported by the Fund as Section 163(j) interest dividends may be treated as interest income by shareholders for purposes of the tax rules applicable to interest expense limitations under Section 163(j) of the Code. Such treatment by the shareholder is generally subject to holding period requirements and other potential limitations, although the holding period requirements are generally not applicable to dividends declared by money market funds and certain other funds that declare dividends daily and pay such dividends on a monthly or more frequent basis. The amount that the Fund is eligible to report as a Section 163(j) dividend for a tax year is generally limited to the excess of the Fund's business interest income over the sum of the Fund's (i) business interest expense and (ii) other deductions properly allocable to the Fund's business interest income.

An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from the Fund and net gains from repurchases or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such person's "modified adjusted gross income" (in the case of an individual) or "adjusted gross income" (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts.

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The Fund anticipates distributing substantially all of its net capital gain for each tax year. These distributions generally are made only once a year, usually in November or December, but the Fund may make additional distributions of net capital gain at any time during the year. These distributions to you generally would be characterized as long-term capital gain, regardless of how long you have held shares. These distributions do not qualify for the dividends-received deduction.

The Fund intends to operate, each year, using a fiscal and taxable year ending January 31.

Distributions by the Fund that exceed its earnings and profits will be treated as a return of capital. Return of capital distributions reduce your tax basis in the shares and are treated as gain from the sale of the shares to the extent your basis would be reduced below zero.

All distributions by the Fund will be treated in the manner described above regardless of whether the distribution is paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares of the Fund (or of another fund). If you receive distributions in the form of additional shares, you will be treated as receiving a distribution in an amount equal to the amount of cash that could have been received instead of shares.

You may purchase shares with a NAV at the time of purchase that reflects undistributed net investment income or recognized capital gain, or unrealized appreciation in the value of the assets of the Fund. Distributions of these amounts are taxable to you in the manner described above, although the distribution economically constitutes a return of capital to you.

Ordinarily, you are required to take distributions by the Fund into account in the year in which they are made. A distribution declared in October, November or December of any calendar year and payable to shareholders of record on a specified date in those months, however, is deemed to be paid by the Fund and received by you on December 31 of that calendar year if the distribution is actually paid in January of the following year.

The Fund will send you information annually as to the U.S. federal income tax consequences of distributions made (or deemed made) during the year.

The Fund will be treated as a "publicly offered regulated investment company" (within the meaning of Section 67 of the Code) if either (i) shares of the Fund are held by at least 500 persons at all times during a taxable year, (ii) shares of the Fund are treated as regularly traded on an established securities market or (iii) shares of the Fund are continuously offered pursuant to a public offering (within the meaning of section 4 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended). If the Fund is not treated as a publicly offered regulated investment company for any calendar year, for purposes of computing the taxable income of U.S. shareholders that are individuals, trusts or estates, (i) the Fund's earnings will be computed without taking into account such U.S. shareholders' allocable shares of the management fees paid to the Fund's investment adviser and certain of the Fund's other 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 calendar year, (iii) each such U.S. shareholder will be treated as having paid or incurred such U.S. shareholder's allocable share of these fees and expenses for the calendar 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 generally are not deductible by a U.S. shareholder that is an individual, trust or estate.

**<u>Certain Tax Rules Applicable to Fund Transactions</u>**

For U.S. federal income tax purposes, when put and call options purchased by the Fund expire unexercised, the premiums paid by the Fund give rise to short- or long-term capital losses at the time of expiration (depending on the length of the respective exercise periods for the options). When put and call options written by the Fund expire unexercised, the premiums received by the Fund give rise to short-term capital gains at the time of expiration. When the Fund exercises a call, the purchase price of the underlying security is increased by the amount of the premium paid by the Fund. When the Fund exercises a put, the proceeds from the sale of the underlying security are decreased by the premium paid. When a put or call written by the Fund is exercised, the purchase price (selling price in the case of a call) of the underlying security is decreased (increased in the case of a call) for tax purposes by the premium received.

Some of the debt securities that may be acquired by the Fund may be treated as debt securities that are issued with original issue discount ("OID"). Generally, the amount of the OID is treated as interest income and is included in income over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, usually when the debt security matures. Additionally, some of the debt securities that may be acquired by a Fund in the secondary market may be treated as having market discount. Generally, any gain recognized on the disposition of, and any partial payment of principal on, 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 such debt security. The Fund may make one or more of the elections applicable to debt securities having market discount, which could affect the character and timing of recognition of income. The Fund generally will be required to distribute dividends to shareholders representing discount on debt securities that is currently includable in income, even though cash representing such income may not have been received by the Fund. Cash to pay such dividends may be obtained from sales proceeds of securities held by the Fund.

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The Fund may invest a portion of its net assets in below investment grade instruments. Investments in these types of instruments 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 accruing interest, OID or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless instruments, how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income and whether exchanges of debt obligations in a bankruptcy or workout context are taxable. These and other issues will be addressed by the Fund to the extent necessary to seek to ensure that it distributes sufficient income that it does not become subject to U.S. federal income or excise tax.

Certain listed options, regulated futures contracts and forward currency contracts are considered "Section 1256 contracts" for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Section 1256 contracts held by the Fund at the end of each tax year are "marked to market" and treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as though sold for fair market value on the last business day of the tax year. Gains or losses realized by the Fund on Section 1256 contracts generally are considered 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gains or losses. The Fund can elect to exempt its Section 1256 contracts that are part of a "mixed straddle" (as described below) from the application of Section 1256 of the Code.

Any option, futures contract or other position entered into or held by the Fund in conjunction with any other position held by the Fund may constitute a "straddle" for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A straddle of which at least one, but not all, the positions are Section 1256 contracts, may constitute a "mixed straddle." In general, straddles are subject to certain rules that may affect the character and timing of the Fund's gains and losses with respect to straddle positions by requiring, among other things, that: (1) the loss realized on disposition of one position of a straddle may not be recognized to the extent that the Fund has unrealized gains with respect to the other position in such straddle; (2) the Fund's holding period in straddle positions being suspended while the straddle exists (possibly resulting in a gain being treated as short-term capital gain rather than long-term capital gain); (3) the losses recognized with respect to certain straddle positions which are part of a mixed straddle and which are non-Section 1256 contracts being treated as 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital loss; (4) losses recognized with respect to certain straddle positions which would otherwise constitute short-term capital losses be treated as long-term capital losses; and (5) the deduction of interest and carrying charges attributable to certain straddle positions may be deferred. Various elections are available to the Fund, which may mitigate the effects of the straddle rules, particularly with respect to mixed straddles. In general, the straddle rules described above do not apply to any straddles held by the Fund if all of the offsetting positions consist of Section 1256 contracts.

Under the Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates which occur between the time the Fund accrues interest or other receivables or accrues expenses or other liabilities denominated in a foreign currency and the time the Fund actually collects such receivables or pays such liabilities are treated as ordinary income or ordinary loss. Similarly, gains or losses from the disposition of foreign currencies, from the disposition of debt securities denominated in a foreign currency, or from the disposition of a forward contract, futures contract or similar financial instrument denominated in a foreign currency which are attributable to fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency between the date of acquisition of the asset and the date of disposition also are treated as ordinary income or loss. These gains or losses, referred to under the Code as "Section 988" gains or losses, increase or decrease the amount of the Fund's investment company taxable income available to be distributed to its shareholders as ordinary income, rather than increasing or decreasing the amount of the Fund's net capital gain.

The Fund may invest in shares of foreign corporations (including equity interests in certain CLOs) which may be treated as passive foreign investment companies ("PFICs") under the Code. In general, a foreign corporation is treated as a PFIC if at least one-half of its assets constitute investment-type assets or 75% or more of its gross income is investment-type income. If the Fund receives a so-called "excess distribution" with respect to PFIC stock, the Fund itself may be subject to a tax on a portion of the excess distribution, whether or not the corresponding income is distributed by the Fund to shareholders. In general, under the PFIC rules, an excess distribution is treated as having been realized ratably over the period during which the Fund held the PFIC shares. The Fund itself will be subject to tax on the portion, if any, of an excess distribution that is so allocated to prior Fund tax years and an interest factor will be added to the tax, as if the tax had been payable in such prior tax years. Certain distributions from a PFIC as well as gain from the sale of PFIC shares are treated as excess distributions. Excess distributions are characterized as ordinary income even though, absent application of the PFIC rules, certain excess distributions might have been characterized as capital gain.

The Fund may be eligible to elect alternative tax treatment with respect to PFIC shares. Under an election that currently is available in some circumstances (a qualified electing fund, or "QEF", election), the Fund generally would be required to include in its gross income its share of the earnings of a PFIC on a current basis, regardless of whether distributions are received from the PFIC in a given tax year. If this election were made, the special rules, discussed above, relating to the taxation of excess distributions, would not apply.

Alternatively, the Fund may elect to mark-to-market its PFIC shares at the end of each taxable year, with the result that unrealized gains would be treated as though they were realized and reported as ordinary income. Any mark-to-market losses would be deductible as ordinary losses to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains included in income in prior tax years.

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Because the application of the PFIC rules may affect, among other things, the character of gains, the amount of gain or loss and the timing of the recognition of income with respect to PFIC shares, as well as subject the Fund itself to tax on certain income from PFIC shares, the amount that must be distributed to shareholders, and which will be taxed to shareholders as ordinary income or long-term capital gain, may be increased or decreased substantially as compared to a fund that did not invest in PFIC shares. The Fund's income inclusion with respect to a PFIC with respect to which the Fund has made a qualified electing fund, or "QEF", election, is generally treated as qualifying income for purposes of determining the Fund's ability to be subject to tax as a regulated investment company if (A) there is a current distribution out of the earnings and profits of the PFIC that are attributable to such income inclusion or (B) such inclusion is derived with respect to the Fund's business of investing in stock, securities, or currencies.

If the Fund holds 10% or more of the interests treated as equity for U.S. federal income tax purposes in a foreign corporation that is treated as a controlled foreign corporation ("CFC") (including equity tranche investments and certain debt tranche investments in a CLO treated as CFC), the Fund may be treated as receiving a deemed distribution (taxable as ordinary income) each tax year from such foreign corporation in an amount equal to the Fund's pro rata share of the corporation's income for the tax year (including both ordinary earnings and capital gains), whether or not the corporation makes an actual distribution during such year. In general, a foreign corporation will be classified as a CFC if more than 50% of the shares of the corporation, measured by reference to combined voting power or value, is owned (directly, indirectly or by attribution) by U.S. Shareholders. A "U.S. Shareholder," for this purpose, is any U.S. person that possesses (actually or constructively) 10% or more of the combined value or voting power of all classes of shares of a corporation. If the Fund is treated as receiving a deemed distribution from a CFC, the Fund will be required to include such distribution in the Fund's investment company taxable income regardless of whether the Fund receives any actual distributions from such CFC, and the Fund must distribute such income to satisfy the distribution requirements applicable to regulated investment companies. The Fund's income inclusion with respect to a CFC is generally treated as qualifying income for purposes of determining the Fund's ability to be subject to tax as a regulated investment company either if (A) there is a current distribution out of the earnings and profits of the CFC that are attributable to such income inclusion or (B) such inclusion is derived with respect to the Fund's business of investing in stock, securities, or currencies.

The Funds might invest directly or indirectly in residual interests in real estate mortgage investment conduits ("REMICs") or equity interests in taxable mortgage pools ("TMPs"). Under a notice issued by the IRS in October 2006 and Treasury regulations that have not yet been issued (but may apply with retroactive effect) a portion of the Fund's income from a real estate investment trust ("REIT") that is attributable to the REIT's residual interest in a REMIC or a TMP (referred to in the Code as an "excess inclusion") will be subject to U.S. federal income tax in all events. This notice also provides, and the regulations are expected to provide, that excess inclusion income of a regulated investment company, such as the Fund, will generally be allocated to shareholders of the regulated investment company in proportion to the dividends received by such shareholders, with the same consequences as if the shareholders held the related REMIC or TMP residual interest directly.

In general, excess inclusion income allocated to shareholders (i) cannot be offset by net operating losses (subject to a limited exception for certain thrift institutions) and (ii) will constitute unrelated business taxable income ("UBTI") to entities (including a qualified pension plan, an individual retirement account, a 401(k) plan, a Keogh plan or other tax-exempt entity) subject to tax on UBTI, thereby potentially requiring such an entity that is allocated excess inclusion income, and otherwise might not be required to file a tax return, to file a tax return and pay tax on such income. In addition, because the Code provides that excess inclusion income is ineligible for treaty benefits, a regulated investment company must withhold tax on excess inclusions attributable to its foreign shareholders at a 30% rate of withholding, regardless of any treaty benefits for which a shareholder is otherwise eligible.

Any investment in residual interests of a CMO that has elected to be treated as a REMIC can create complex tax problems, especially if the Fund has state or local governments or other tax-exempt organizations as shareholders. Under current law, the Fund serves to block UBTI from being realized by its tax-exempt shareholders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a tax-exempt shareholder will recognize UBTI by virtue of its investment in the Fund if shares in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of Section 514(b) of the Code. Furthermore, a tax-exempt shareholder may recognize UBTI if a Fund recognizes "excess inclusion income" derived from direct or indirect investments in REMIC residual interests or TMPs if the amount of such income recognized by the Fund exceeds the Fund's investment company taxable income (after taking into account deductions for dividends paid by the Fund).

In addition, special tax consequences apply to charitable remainder trusts ("CRTs") that invest in regulated investment companies that invest directly or indirectly in residual interests in REMICs or in TMPs. Under legislation enacted in December 2006, a CRT, as defined in Section 664 of the Code, that realizes UBTI for a tax year is subject to an excise tax annually of an amount equal to such UBTI. Under IRS guidance issued in October 2006, a CRT will not recognize UBTI solely as a result of investing in a Fund that recognizes "excess inclusion income." Rather, if at any time during any tax year a CRT (or one of certain other tax-exempt shareholders, such as the U.S., a state or political subdivision, or an agency or instrumentality thereof, and certain energy cooperatives) is a record holder of a share in the Fund that recognizes "excess inclusion income," then the Fund will be subject to a tax on that portion of its "excess inclusion income" for the tax year that is allocable to such shareholders at the highest federal corporate income tax rate. The extent to which this IRS guidance remains applicable in light of the December 2006 legislation is unclear. To the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, the Fund may elect to specially allocate any such tax to the applicable CRT, or other shareholder,

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and thus reduce such shareholder's distributions for the tax year by the amount of the tax that relates to such shareholder's interest in the Fund. The Fund has not yet determined whether such an election will be made. CRTs are urged to consult their tax advisors concerning the consequences of investing in the Fund.

**<u>Federal Excise Tax</u>**

A 4% nondeductible excise tax is imposed on a regulated investment company that fails to distribute in each calendar year an amount at least equal to the sum of: (1) 98% of its ordinary taxable income (taking into account certain deferrals and elections) for the calendar year; (2) 98.2% of its capital gain net income (adjusted for certain ordinary losses) for the one-year period ended on October 31 of the calendar year; and (3) all ordinary taxable income and capital gains for previous years that were not distributed or taxed during such years and on which the regulated investment company did not incur any Federal income tax. The balance of the Fund's income must be distributed during the next calendar year. The Fund will be treated as having distributed any amount on which it is subject to income tax for any tax year ending in the calendar year.

For purposes of calculating the excise tax, the Fund is generally required to: (1) reduce its capital gain net income (but not below its net capital gain) by the amount of any net ordinary loss for the calendar year; and (2) exclude foreign currency gains and losses (and certain other ordinary gains and losses) incurred after October 31 of any tax year in determining the amount of ordinary taxable income for the current calendar year. Each Fund will include such gains and losses incurred after October 31 in determining ordinary taxable income for the succeeding calendar year.

The Fund intends to make sufficient distributions of its ordinary taxable income and capital gain net income prior to the end of each calendar year to avoid liability for the excise tax. Investors should note, however, that the Fund might in certain circumstances be required to liquidate portfolio investments to make sufficient distributions to avoid the imposition of any excise tax liability.

**<u>Sale, Exchange or Repurchase of Shares</u>**

In general, you will recognize gain or loss on the sale, exchange or repurchase of Fund shares in an amount equal to the difference between the proceeds of the sale, exchange or repurchase and your adjusted tax basis in the shares. All or a portion of any loss so recognized may be disallowed if you purchase (for example, by reinvesting dividends) shares of the same Fund within 30 days before or after the sale, exchange or repurchase (a "wash sale"). If disallowed, the loss will be reflected in an upward adjustment to the basis of the shares purchased. In general, any gain or loss arising from the sale, exchange or repurchase of Fund shares will be considered capital gain or loss and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the shares were held for longer than one year. Any capital loss arising from the sale, exchange or repurchase of shares held for six months or less, however, will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of the amount of distributions of net capital gain received on such shares. In determining the holding period of such shares for this purpose, any period during which your risk of loss is offset by means of options, short sales or similar transactions is not counted. Capital losses in any tax year are deductible only to the extent of capital gains plus, in the case of a non-corporate taxpayer, $3,000 of ordinary income.

The repurchase or transfer of shares may result in a taxable gain or loss to a tendering shareholder. Different tax consequences may apply for tendering and non-tendering shareholders in connection with a repurchase offer. For example, if a shareholder does not tender all of his or her shares, such repurchase may not be treated as a sale or exchange for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and may result in deemed distributions to non-tendering shareholders. On the other hand, shareholder holding shares as capital assets who tender all of their shares (including shares deemed owned by shareholders under constructive ownership rules) will be treated as having sold their shares and generally will recognize capital gain or loss. The amount of the gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the amount received for the shares and the shareholder adjusted tax basis in the relevant shares. Such gain or loss generally will be a long-term capital gain or loss if the shareholder has held such shares as capital assets for more than one year. Otherwise, the gain or loss will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss.

The Fund (or its administrative agent) is required to report to the IRS and furnish to shareholders the cost basis information for sale transactions of shares. Shareholders may elect to have one of several cost basis methods applied to their account when calculating the cost basis of shares sold, including average cost, FIFO ("first-in, first-out") or some other specific identification method. Unless you instruct otherwise, the Fund will use average cost as its default cost basis method. The cost basis method a shareholder elects may not be changed with respect to a repurchase of shares after the settlement date of the repurchase. Shareholders should consult with their tax advisors to determine the best cost basis method for their tax situation. Shareholders that hold their shares through a financial intermediary should contact such financial intermediary with respect to reporting of cost basis and available elections for their accounts.

**<u>Backup Withholding</u>**

The Fund will be required in certain cases to withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury at a rate under current law of 24% of taxable distributions and the proceeds of repurchases of shares paid to you if you: (1) have failed to provide your correct taxpayer

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identification number; (2) are otherwise subject to backup withholding by the IRS for failure to report the receipt of interest or dividend income properly; or (3) have failed to certify to the Fund that you are not subject to backup withholding or that you are a C corporation or other "exempt recipient." Backup withholding is not an additional tax; rather any amounts so withheld may be credited against your U.S. federal income tax liability or refunded if proper documentation is provided.

**<u>State and Local Taxes</u>**

The tax rules of the various states of the U.S. and their local jurisdictions with respect to an investment in the Fund can differ from the Federal income taxation rules described above. These state and local rules are not discussed herein. You are urged to consult your tax advisor as to the consequences of state and local tax rules with respect to an investment in the Fund.

**<u>Foreign Income Tax</u>**

Investment income received by a Fund from sources within foreign countries as well as gains or the proceeds from the sale or other disposition of foreign securities may be subject to foreign income taxes withheld at the source. The United States has entered into tax treaties with many foreign countries that may entitle the Fund to a reduced rate of such taxes or exemption from taxes on such income. It is impossible to know the effective rate of foreign tax in advance since the amount of the Fund's assets to be invested within various countries cannot be determined. If more than 50% of the value of the Fund's total assets at the close of its tax year consists of stocks or securities of foreign corporations, the Fund will be eligible and intends to file an election with the IRS to pass through to its shareholders the amount of foreign taxes paid by the Fund subject to certain exceptions. However, there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to do so. Pursuant to this election, you will be required to: (1) include in gross income (in addition to taxable dividends actually received) your pro rata share of foreign taxes paid by the Fund; (2) treat your pro rata share of such foreign taxes as having been paid by you and (3) either deduct such pro rata share of foreign taxes in computing your taxable income or treat such foreign taxes as a credit against Federal income taxes. You may be subject to rules which limit or reduce your ability to fully deduct, or claim a credit for, your pro rata share of the foreign taxes paid by the Fund.

**<u>Foreign Shareholders</u>** 

The foregoing discussion relates only to U.S. federal income tax law as applicable to U.S. persons (*i.e.*, U.S. citizens and residents and U.S. domestic corporations, partnerships, trusts and estates). Shareholders who are not U.S. persons ("foreign shareholders") should consult their tax advisors regarding U.S. and foreign tax consequences of ownership of shares of the Fund including the likelihood that taxable distributions to them (including any deemed distributions with respect to a repurchase offer) would be subject to withholding of U.S. tax at a rate of 30% (or a lower treaty rate for eligible investors). In general, U.S. withholding tax will not apply to any gain or income realized by a foreign shareholder in respect of any distributions of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses or upon the sale or other disposition of Fund shares. An investment in the Fund may also be included in determining a foreign shareholder's U.S. estate tax liability.

Properly reported dividends received by a foreign shareholder from a regulated investment company are generally exempt from U.S. Federal withholding tax when they (i) are paid in respect of the regulated investment company's "qualified net interest income" (generally, the regulated investment company's U.S. source interest income, reduced by expenses that are allocable to such income), or (ii) are paid in connection with the regulated investment company's "qualified short-term capital gains" (generally, the excess of the regulated investment company's net short-term capital gain over the regulated investment company's long-term capital loss for such taxable year). The Fund may report all, some or none of the Fund's potentially eligible dividends as derived from such qualified net interest income or as qualified short-term capital gains, and a portion of the Fund's distributions (*e.g.*, interest from non-U.S. sources or any foreign currency gains) would be ineligible for this potential exemption from withholding. Furthermore, in the case of Fund shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may have withheld U.S. Federal income tax, even if the Fund reported all or a portion of such potentially eligible dividends as having been derived from qualified net interest or income or from qualified short-term capital gains.

In order to qualify for any reduction or exemption from U.S. withholding tax, a foreign shareholder must comply with applicable certification requirements relating to its non-U.S. status (including, in general, furnishing an IRS Form W-8BEN, IRS Form W-8BEN-E, IRS Form W-8ECI, IRS Form W-8IMY or IRS Form W-8EXP, or an acceptable substitute or successor form). In addition, dividend reinvestments will be made net of any applicable U.S. withholding taxes.

Withholding of U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) is required on payments of taxable dividends made to certain non-U.S. entities that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. The information required to be reported includes the identity and taxpayer identification number of each account holder and transaction activity within the holder's account. Shareholders may be requested to provide additional information to the Fund to enable the Fund to determine whether withholding is required.

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**CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF SECURITIES**

A "principal shareholder" is any person who owns of record or beneficially 5% or more of any class of the Fund. To the best knowledge of the Fund, the names and addresses of the record and beneficial holders of 5% or more of the outstanding Institutional Class and Class FI shares of the Fund's voting securities and the percentage of the outstanding Institutional Class and Class FI shares held by such holders as of April 30, 2026, are set forth below. No principal shareholders are shown for Class A or Class U shares of the Fund because Class A and Class U shares of the Fund were not yet operational as of April 30, 2026. Unless otherwise indicated below, the Fund has no knowledge as to whether all or any portion of the shares owned of record are also owned beneficially. As of May 1, 2026, the Trustees and officers of the Trust as a group beneficially owned 2.39% of the outstanding shares of the Institutional Class and less than 1% of the outstanding shares of Class FI.

**Institutional Class**

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name and Address** | **% Ownership** | **Type of Ownership** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Charles Schwab & Co Inc.<br>Special Custody A/C FBO Customers<br>ATTN: Mutual Funds<br>211 Main St<br>San Francisco, CA 94105-1901 | 67.32% | Record |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;National Financial Services LLC<br>499 Washington Blvd., Floor 4<br>Jersey City, NJ 07310-2010 | 31.17% | Record |

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**Class FI**

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name and Address** | **% Ownership** | **Type of Ownership** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Northern Trust Co Cust<br>FBO CYMI Equity LP<br>50 S La Salle St<br>Chicago, IL 60603-1003 | 98.73% | Record |

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A "control person" is one who owns beneficially or through controlled companies more than 25% of the voting securities of the Fund or acknowledges the existence of control. As of April 30, 2026, Charles Schwab & Co Inc. owned approximately 49.62% of the voting securities of the Fund and Northern Trust Co owned approximately 25.96% of the voting securities of the Fund. For so long as Charles Schwab & Co Inc. and Northern Trust Co have a greater than 25% interest in the Fund, they each may be deemed to be a "control person" of the Fund for purposes of the 1940 Act.

**OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS**

**<u>Administrator and Transfer Agent</u>** 

U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, doing business as U.S. Bank Global Fund Services ("Fund Services"), 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, acts as administrator, fund accountant and transfer agent to the Fund pursuant to respective agreements. Fund Services provides certain administrative services to the Fund, including, among other responsibilities, coordinating the negotiation of contracts and fees with, and the monitoring of performance and billing of, the Fund's independent contractors and agents; preparation for signature by an officer of the Fund of all documents required to be filed for compliance by the Fund with applicable laws and regulations excluding those of the securities laws of various states; arranging for the computation of performance data, including NAV and yield; responding to shareholder inquiries; and arranging for the maintenance of books and records of the Fund, and providing, at its own expense, office facilities, equipment and personnel necessary to carry out its duties. In this capacity, Fund Services does not have any responsibility or authority for the management of the Fund, the determination of investment policy, or for any matter pertaining to the distribution of Fund shares.

Pursuant to the Fund's administration agreements with Fund Services, Fund Services receives fees from the Fund for services performed as administrator, transfer agent and fund accountant. Fund Services receives a fee based on the average daily net assets of the Fund, subject to an annual minimum amount.

The Fund paid $173,051 in fees to Fund Services during the fiscal year ended January 31, 2026.

------

**<u>Custodian</u>**

U.S. Bank National Association (the "Custodian") is the Custodian for the Fund and safeguards and controls the Fund's cash and securities, determines income and collects interest on Fund investments. The Custodian's address is 1555 North River Center Drive, Suite 302, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212. The Custodian does not participate in decisions relating to the purchase and sale of securities by the Fund. Fund Services and the Custodian are affiliated entities under the common control of U.S. Bancorp. The Custodian and its affiliates may participate in revenue sharing arrangements with the service providers of mutual funds in which the Fund may invest.

**<u>Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm</u>**

Cohen & Company, Ltd., 875 East Wisconsin Ave., Suite 210, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, serves as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund. Its services include auditing the Fund's financial statements. Cohen & Co Advisory, LLC, an affiliate of Cohen & Company, Ltd., provides tax services as requested.

**<u>Legal Counsel</u>**

Dechert LLP, located at 1900 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006, serves as legal counsel to the Fund.

**<u>Distributor</u>**

Quasar Distributors, LLC, (the "Distributor" or "Quasar"), located at 190 Middle Street, Suite 301, Portland, Maine 04101, serves as the Fund's principal underwriter in a continuous public offering of the Fund's shares. Pursuant to a distribution agreement between the Fund and Quasar (the "Distribution Agreement"), Quasar acts as the Fund's principal underwriter and distributor and provides certain administration services and promotes and arranges for the sale of the Fund's shares. Quasar is a registered broker-dealer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA").

The Distribution Agreement between the Fund and Quasar had an initial term of two years and subsequently will continue in effect only if such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Board or by vote of a majority of the Fund's outstanding voting securities and, in either case, by a majority of the Independent Trustees. The Distribution Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Fund upon a 60-day written notice when authorized either by a majority vote of the Fund's shareholders or by vote of a majority of the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, or by Quasar upon a 60-day written notice, and will automatically terminate in the event of its "assignment" (as defined in the 1940 Act).

Pursuant to the Fund's agreement with the Distributor, the Distributor receives fees from the Fund for services performed as the distributor of Shares.

**DISTRIBUTION PLAN**

The Fund has adopted a distribution plan (the "Plan") pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act with respect to its Class A shares. The Plan was approved by a majority of the Board of Trustees of the Fund, including a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons of the Fund, and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Plan or in any other Rule 12b-1 agreement.

The Plan provides that the Fund will pay the Distributor and/or any registered securities dealer, financial institution or any other person (the "Recipient") a distribution fee of 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Class A shares of the Fund in connection with the promotion and distribution of such class' shares or the provision of personal services to such class' shareholders, including, but not necessarily limited to, advertising, compensation to underwriters, dealers and selling personnel, the printing and mailing of prospectuses to other than current Fund shareholders, the printing and mailing of sales literature and servicing such class' shareholder accounts ("12b-1 Expenses"). The Class A distribution fee may include up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Fund's Class A shares for shareholder services. The Fund or the Adviser may pay all or a portion of these fees to any Recipient who renders assistance in distributing or promoting the sale of such class' shares, or who provides certain shareholder services, pursuant to a written agreement.

The Plan is a compensation plan, which means that compensation is provided regardless of 12b-1 Expenses actually incurred. It is anticipated that the Plan will benefit the Fund's shareholders because an effective sales program typically is necessary for the Fund to reach and maintain a sufficient size to achieve efficiently its investment objectives and to realize economies of scale.

For the fiscal year ended January 31, 2026, no 12b-1 Expenses were incurred by the Fund.

------

**OTHER MATTERS**

**<u>Code of Ethics</u>** 

The Fund, the Adviser and the Distributor have each adopted a code of ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act, which are designed to eliminate conflicts of interest between the Fund and personnel of the Fund, the Adviser and the Distributor. The codes permit such personnel to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund, subject to certain limitations.

**<u>Registration Statement</u>** 

This SAI and the Prospectus do not contain all the information included in the Fund's registration statement filed with the SEC under the Securities Act with respect to the securities offered hereby. The registration statement, including the exhibits filed therewith, are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or may be examined at the office of the SEC in Washington, D.C.

Statements contained herein and in the Prospectus as to the contents of any contract or other documents are not necessarily complete, and, in each instance, are qualified by, reference to the copy of such contract or other documents filed as exhibits to the registration statement.

**FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**

The Fund's financial statements from the Fund's <u>[Annual Report](https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000119312526146810/d18667dncsr.htm)</u> for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2026 (File No. 811-23289), as filed with the SEC on Form N-CSR on April 8, 2026 (Accession No. 0001193125-26-146810) are incorporated by reference.

**PART C: OTHER INFORMATION**

**Item 25. Financial Statements and Exhibits**

(1)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Financial Statements:

Part A: Financial Highlights

Part B: Incorporated by reference from the Registrant's <u>[Annual Report for the fiscal period ended January 31,](https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000119312526146810/d18667dncsr.htm)[2026](https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000119312526146810/d18667dncsr.htm)[(File No. 811-23289), as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on April](https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000119312526146810/d18667dncsr.htm)[8](https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000119312526146810/d18667dncsr.htm)[,](https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000119312526146810/d18667dncsr.htm)[2026](https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000119312526146810/d18667dncsr.htm)[(Accession No.](https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000119312526146810/d18667dncsr.htm)[0001193125-2](https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000119312526146810/d18667dncsr.htm)[6](https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000119312526146810/d18667dncsr.htm)[-](https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000119312526146810/d18667dncsr.htm)[146810](https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000119312526146810/d18667dncsr.htm)[)](https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000119312526146810/d18667dncsr.htm)[.](https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000119312526146810/d18667dncsr.htm)</u>

(2)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Exhibits:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(1)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<u>[Certificate of Trust dated August 18, 2017](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000089418917004910/trust-cert.htm)</u>.\*

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(2)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<u>[Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of Trust dated September 6, 2017](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000089418917004910/amend_trust-cert.htm)</u>.\*

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(3)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<u>[Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust dated September 6, 2017](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000089418917006195/rhf171236_exa3.htm)</u>.\*\*

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(b)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<u>[Amended and Restated By-Laws dated September 6, 2017.](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000089418917006195/rhf171236_exb.htm)</u>\*\*

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(c)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Not applicable.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(d)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<u>[Amended and Restated Rule 18f-3 Multiple Class Plan.](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000089418921008200/rule-18f3.htm)</u>\*\*\*\*

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(e)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Not applicable.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(f)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Not applicable.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(g)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(1)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<u>[Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC.](g1ascixinvadvagmtbrookfiel.htm)</u>\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(h)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(1)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<u>[Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and Quasar Distributors, LLC.](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000089418920004224/dist_agmt.htm)</u>\*\*\*\*\*

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(2)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<u>[Distribution and Shareholder Servicing Plan](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000089418921008200/plan-12b1.htm)</u>\*\*\*\*\*

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(i)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Not applicable.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(j)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<u>[Custody Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bank National Association](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000089418917006195/rhf171236_exj.htm)</u>.\*\*

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(k)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(1)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<u>[Transfer Agent Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC.](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000089418917006195/rhf171236_exk1.htm)</u>\*\*

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(2)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<u>[Fund Administration Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC.](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000089418917006195/rhf171236_exk2.htm)</u>\*\*

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(3)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<u>[Fund Accounting Servicing Agreement between the Registrant and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC.](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000089418917006195/rhf171236_exk3.htm)</u>\*\*

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(4)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<u>[Fee Waiver Agreement between the Registrant and Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC](k4feewaiveragreement.htm)</u>\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(l)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<u>[Opinion and Consent of Dechert LLP](dechertopinionandconsentma.htm)[.](dechertopinionandconsentma.htm)</u>\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(m)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Not applicable.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(n)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<u>[Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm](ascixauditorconsent5-2026.htm)[.](ascixauditorconsent5-2026.htm)</u>\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(o)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Not applicable.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(p)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<u>[Form of Subscription Agreement.](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000089418917006195/sub_agrmt.htm)</u>\*\*

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(q)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Not applicable.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(r)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(1)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<u>[Code of Ethics of the Registrant.](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000089418917006195/rhf171236_exr1.htm)</u>\*\*

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(2)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<u>[Code of Ethics of Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC.](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000089418917006195/rhf171236_exr2.htm)</u>\*\*

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(3)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<u>[Code of Ethics of Quasar Distributors, LLC.](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000089418917006195/coe_quasar.htm)</u>\*\*

------

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(s)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(1)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<u>[Powers of Attorney dated November 30, 2022](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000089418923003941/exhs-angeloakstrategiccred.htm)</u>\*\*\*\*\*\*

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(2)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<u>[Power of Attorney dated May 30, 2024](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1716885/000089418924003454/aostrategiccreditpoa5-2024.htm)</u>\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(t)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Not applicable.

\*&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Incorporated by reference to the Registrant's Initial Registration Statement on Form N-2, filed September 15, 2017.

\*\*&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, filed November 22, 2017.

\*\*\*&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, filed July 2, 2018.

\*\*\*\*&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 20 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, filed November 22, 2021.

\*\*\*\*\*&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 16 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, filed May 29, 2020.

\*\*\*\*\*\*&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 21 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, filed May 27, 2022.

\*\*\*\*\*\*\*&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 22 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, filed May 25, 2023.

\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 24 to the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-2, filed May 30, 2024.

\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Filed herewith.

**Item 26. Marketing Arrangements**

Not applicable.

**Item 27. Other Expenses of Issuance or Distribution**

Not applicable.

**Item 28. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with the Registrant**

None.

**Item 29. Number of Holder of Securities**

As of May 1, 2026:

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
| **Title of Class** | **Number of<br>Record Holders** |
| Class A Shares of Beneficial Interest | None |
| Class U Shares of Beneficial Interest | None |
| Institutional Class Shares of Beneficial Interest | 3,012,524 |
| Class FI Shares of Beneficial Interest | 1,074,397 |

---

**Item 30. Indemnification**

Reference is made to Article VII, Section 3 of Registrant's Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust (incorporated herein by reference).

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), may be permitted to the trustees, officers and controlling persons of Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions or otherwise, Registrant 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

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

------

Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by the trustees, officer or controlling person of Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by the trustees, officer or controlling person, 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**

Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC serves as the investment adviser to the Registrant. Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC is engaged in the investment advisory business. For information as to the business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC and each of its executive officers and directors is or has been, during the last two fiscal years, engaged for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, employee, partner or trustee, reference is made to the information set forth in Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC's Form ADV (File No. 801-70670), as filed with the SEC and incorporated herein by reference.

**Item 32. Location of Accounts and Records**

The books, accounts and other documents required by Section 31(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules promulgated thereunder will be maintained at the offices of:

Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC, 980 Hammond Drive, Suite 200, Atlanta, Georgia 30328 (records relating to its function as investment adviser to the Registrant).

U.S. Bank Global Fund Services, 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 (records relating to its function as administrator, fund accountant and transfer agent).

U.S. Bank National Association, 1555 North River Center Drive, Suite 302, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53212 (records relating to its function as custodian).

**Item 33. Management Services**

Not applicable.

**Item 34. Undertakings**

1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Registrant undertakes to suspend the offering of its Shares until it amends the prospectus filed herewith if (1) subsequent to the effective date of its registration statement, the net asset value declines more than ten percent from its net asset value as of the effective date of the registration statement, or (2) the net asset value increases to an amount greater than its net proceeds as stated in the prospectus.

2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Not applicable.

3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Registrant undertakes:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;a.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;to file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to the registration statement:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;to include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;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; 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;3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;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;b.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;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;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;3&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

------

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;c.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;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;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;d.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;that, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Not applicable;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;if the Registrant is subject to Rule 430C [17 CFR 230.430C]: Each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 497(b), (c), (d) or (e) under the Securities Act [17 CFR 230.497(b), (c), (d) or (e)] as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A under the Securities Act [17 CFR 230.430A], 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 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; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;e.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;that for the purpose of determining liability of the Registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of securities, 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:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned Registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 497 under the Securities Act [17 CFR 230.497];

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned Registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned Registrant;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;the portion of any other free writing prospectus or advertisement pursuant to Rule 482 under the Securities Act [17 CFR 230.482] relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned Registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned Registrant; 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;4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned Registrant to the purchaser.

4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Registrant undertakes that:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;a.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For purposes of determining any liability under the 1933 Act, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in the form of prospectus filed by the Registrant under Rule 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;b.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of the securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

5.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Not applicable.

6.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Not applicable&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

------

7.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The 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 Statement of Additional Information.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;5&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

------

**SIGNATURES**

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant certifies that it meets all the requirements for effectiveness pursuant to Rule 486(b) under the Securities Act of 1933 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Atlanta and State of Georgia on the 29<sup>th</sup> day of May, 2026.

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
| | **ANGEL OAK STRATEGIC CREDIT FUND** |
| | (A Delaware statutory trust) |
| By: | <u>/s/ Ward Bortz</u> |
|  | Ward Bortz |
|  | President and <br>Principal Executive Officer |

---

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

---

| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| <u>Name</u> | <u>Title</u> | <u>Date</u> |
| <u>Alvin R. Albe, Jr.\*</u> | Trustee | May 29, 2026 |
| Alvin R. Albe, Jr. |  |  |
| <u>Ira P. Cohen\*</u> | Trustee | May 29, 2026 |
| Ira P. Cohen |  |  |
| <u>Keith M. Schappert\*</u> | Trustee | May 29, 2026 |
| Keith M. Schappert |  |  |
| <u>Andrea N. Mullins\*</u> | Trustee | May 29, 2026 |
| Andrea N. Mullins |  |  |
| <u>Clayton Triick\*</u> | Trustee | May 29, 2026 |
| Clayton Triick |  |  |
| <u>/s/ Ward Bortz</u> | President and Principal Executive Officer | May 29, 2026 |
| Ward Bortz |  |  |
| <u>/s/ Nilesh Likhite</u> | Treasurer, Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer | May 29, 2026 |
| Nilesh Likhite |  |  |

---

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
| \*By: | <u>/s/ Matthew Barsamian</u> |
|  | Matthew Barsamian |
|  | Attorney-in-Fact pursuant<br>to Powers of Attorney |

---

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;6&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

------

**EXHIBIT INDEX**

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
| (g)(1) | <u>[Investment Advisory Agreement](g1ascixinvadvagmtbrookfiel.htm)</u> |
| (k)(4) | <u>[Fee Waiver Agreement](k4feewaiveragreement.htm)</u> |
| (l) | <u>[Opinion and Consent of Dechert LLP](dechertopinionandconsentma.htm)</u> |
| (n) | <u>[Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm](ascixauditorconsent5-2026.htm)</u> |

---

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;7&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

## Ex-99.(G)(1)

**ANGEL OAK STRATEGIC CREDIT FUND INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT**

**with**

**ANGEL OAK CAPITAL ADVISORS, LLC**

**THIS INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT** is made as of the 1st day of October, 2025, by and between Angel Oak Strategic Credit Fund, a Delaware statutory trust (hereinafter called the "Fund") and Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC, a Delaware limited liability corporation (hereinafter called the "Adviser").

**WITNESSETH:**

**WHEREAS,** the Fund is a management investment company and will be registered as such under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Investment Company Act"), prior to the commencement of operations; and

**WHEREAS,** the Adviser is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the "Advisers Act") and is engaged in the business of supplying investment advice as an independent contractor; and

**WHEREAS,** the Fund desires to retain the Adviser to render certain investment management and services pursuant to the terms and provisions of this Agreement, and the Adviser desires to furnish said advice and services; and

**WHEREAS**, the Adviser may retain sub-advisers (the "Sub-Advisers") to render portfolio management services to the Fund pursuant to Investment Sub-Advisory Agreements between the Adviser and each Sub-Adviser.

**NOW, THEREFORE,** in consideration of the covenants and the mutual promises hereinafter set forth, the parties to this Agreement, intending to be legally bound hereby, mutually agree as follows:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;APPOINTMENT OF ADVISER.** The Fund hereby employs the Adviser and the Adviser hereby accepts such employment, to render investment advice and related services, including the oversight of the portfolio management services to be rendered by any Sub-Advisers and the purchase and sale of securities held in the portfolio of the Fund, with respect to the assets of the Fund for the period and on the terms set forth in this Agreement, subject to the supervision and direction of the Fund's Board of Trustees (the "Board of Trustees" or "Trustees").

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;DUTIES OF ADVISER**

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**(a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;GENERAL DUTIES.** The Adviser shall act as investment adviser to the Fund and shall supervise investments of the Fund on behalf of the Fund in accordance with the investment objectives, policies and restrictions of the Fund as set forth in the Fund's governing documents, including, without limitation, the Fund's Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Amended and Restated By-Laws; the Fund's prospectus, statement of additional information and undertakings; and such other limitations, policies and procedures as the Trustees may impose from time to time in writing to the Adviser (collectively, the "Investment Policies"). In providing such services, the Adviser may also manage and oversee delegated sub-advisory services to be rendered by the Sub-Advisers to the Fund and shall at all times adhere to the

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provisions and restrictions contained in the federal securities laws, applicable state securities laws, the Internal Revenue Code, the Uniform Commercial Code and other applicable law.

Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Adviser shall: (i) furnish the Fund with advice and recommendations with respect to the investment of the Fund's assets and the purchase and sale of portfolio securities for the Fund, including the taking of such steps as may be necessary to implement such advice and recommendations (*i.e.*, placing the orders); (ii) manage and oversee the investments of the Fund, subject to the ultimate supervision and direction of the Fund's Board of Trustees; (iii) vote proxies for the Fund, file ownership reports under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "1934 Act"), for the Fund, and take other actions on behalf of the Fund; (iv) maintain the books and records required to be maintained by the Fund except to the extent arrangements have been made for such books and records to be maintained by the administrator or another agent of the Fund; (v) furnish reports, statements and other data on securities, economic conditions and other matters related to the investment of the Fund's assets which the Fund's administrator or distributor or the officers of the Fund may reasonably request; (vi) render to the Fund's Board of Trustees such periodic and special reports with respect to the Fund's investment activities as the Board may reasonably request; and (vii) subject to the authority of the Fund, shareholder approval and exemptive relief sought from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under Section 15(a) and Rule 18f-2 of the Investment Company Act, have full authority to retain Sub-Advisers to provide certain investment advisory services to the Fund noted herein, and may delegate certain of its duties hereunder to a Sub-Adviser and pay the Sub-Adviser a portion of the compensation received by the Adviser hereunder; provided, however, that the Adviser shall remain fully liable for all of its obligations under this Agreement.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**(b)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;BROKERAGE.** The Adviser shall be responsible for, but may delegate, decisions to buy and sell securities for the Fund, for broker-dealer selection, and for negotiation of brokerage commission rates, provided that the Adviser shall not direct orders to an affiliated person of the Adviser without general prior authorization to use such affiliated broker or dealer from the Board of Trustees. In selecting a broker-dealer to execute each particular transaction, the Adviser may rely on a list of Adviser-approved brokers or dealers selected based on criteria, including: the broker's integrity, ethics and trustworthiness regarding any relations and agreements with the Adviser and its clients; the broker's ability to generate investment ideas that consistently lead to value creation for the Adviser's clients; the broker's speed and quality of trade execution to minimize market price impact and maximize value for the Adviser's clients; the broker's capability to provide services at the lowest possible cost to the Adviser's clients; availability of and the Adviser's direct access to broker research analysts and strategists; sufficient, competent broker personnel and support staff; the quality, depth and effectiveness of the broker's investment research; the quality and effectiveness of trading ideas and their evaluation after-the-fact; the timely acknowledgement and correction of trade errors; the efficient clearance and settlement of trades; and the broker's overall ability to provide best execution for the Adviser's clients. The price to the Fund in any transaction may be less favorable than that available from another broker-dealer if the difference is reasonably justified by other aspects of the portfolio execution services offered.

------

or statistical material, or other services, to the Fund, the Adviser, or any affiliate of either. Such allocation shall be in such amounts and proportions as the Adviser shall determine, and the Adviser shall report on such allocations regularly to the Fund, indicating the broker-dealers to whom such allocations have been made and the basis therefore.

On occasions when the Adviser deems the purchase or sale of a security to be in the best interest of the Fund as well as of other clients, the Adviser, to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, may aggregate the securities to be so purchased or sold in order to obtain the most favorable price or lower brokerage commissions and the most efficient execution. In such event, allocation of the securities so purchased or sold, as well as the expenses incurred in the transaction, will be made by the Adviser in the manner it considers to be the most equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations to the Fund and to such other clients.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;REPRESENTATIONS OF THE ADVISER**

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**(a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**The Adviser shall use its best judgment and efforts in rendering the advice and services to the Fund as contemplated by this Agreement.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**(b)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**The Adviser shall maintain all licenses and registrations necessary to perform its duties hereunder in good order.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**(c)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**The Adviser shall conduct its operations at all times in conformance with the Advisers Act, the Investment Company Act, and any other applicable state and/or self-regulatory organization regulations.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**(d)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**The Adviser shall maintain errors and omissions insurance in an amount at least equal to that disclosed to the Board of Trustees in connection with their approval of this Agreement.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR.** The Adviser shall, for all purposes herein, be deemed to be an independent contractor, and shall, unless otherwise expressly provided and authorized to do so, have no authority to act for or represent the Fund in any way, or in any way be deemed an agent for the Fund. It is expressly understood and agreed that the services to be rendered by the Adviser to the Fund under the provisions of this Agreement are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Adviser shall be free to render similar or different services to others so long as its ability to render the services provided for in this Agreement shall not be impaired thereby.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**5.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ADVISER'S PERSONNEL**

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**(a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**The Adviser shall, at its own expense, maintain such staff and employ or retain such personnel and consult with such other persons as it shall from time to time determine to be necessary to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the staff and personnel of the Adviser shall be deemed to include persons employed or retained by the Adviser to furnish statistical information, research, and other factual information, advice regarding economic factors and trends, information with respect to technical and scientific developments, and such other information, advice and assistance as the Adviser or the Board of Trustees may desire and reasonably request and any compliance staff and personnel required by the Adviser.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**(b)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**As stated above, at its own expense, the Adviser may carry out any of its obligations under this Agreement by retaining, subject to the direction and control of the Board, one or more Sub-Advisers. The Adviser may with respect to the Fund: (i) evaluate, select, and recommend Sub-Advisers to manage all or a portion of the Fund's assets; (ii) allocate and, when appropriate, reallocate the Fund's assets among multiple Sub-Advisers; (iii) terminate any Fund Sub-Adviser; (iv) monitor and evaluate each Sub-Adviser's

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performance; and (v) implement procedures reasonably designed to seek to ensure that Sub-Advisers comply with the Fund's investment objective, policies, and restrictions. Despite the Adviser's ability to retain Sub-Advisers to perform certain duties set forth in Section 2 of this Agreement, the Adviser shall retain overall responsibility for the general management and investment of the Fund's assets.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**6.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;EXPENSES**

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**(a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**With respect to the operation of the Fund, the Adviser shall be responsible for: (i) providing the personnel, office space and equipment reasonably necessary for the operation of the Fund; (ii) the expenses of printing and distributing extra copies of the Fund's prospectus, statement of additional information, and sales and advertising materials (but not the legal, auditing or accounting fees attendant thereto) to prospective investors (but not to existing shareholders); (iii) the costs of any special Board of Trustees meetings or shareholder meetings convened for the primary benefit of the Adviser; (iv) the fees of any Sub-Advisers; and (v) any costs of liquidating or reorganizing the Fund (unless such cost is otherwise allocated by the Board of Trustees). If the Adviser has agreed to limit the operating expenses of the Fund, the Adviser also shall be responsible on a monthly basis for any operating expenses that exceed the agreed upon expense limit.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**(b)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**The Fund is responsible for and has assumed the obligation for payment of all of its expenses, other than as stated in Subparagraph 6(a) above, including but not limited to: fees and expenses incurred in connection with the issuance, registration and transfer of its shares; brokerage and commission expenses; all expenses of transfer, receipt, safekeeping, servicing and accounting for the cash, securities and other property of the Fund including all fees and expenses of its custodian, shareholder services agent and accounting services agent; interest charges on any borrowings; costs and expenses of pricing and calculating its daily net asset value and of maintaining its books of account required under the Investment Company Act; taxes, if any; a pro rata portion of expenditures in connection with meetings of the Fund's shareholders and the Board of Trustees that are properly payable by the Fund; salaries and expenses of officers of the Fund, including without limitation the Fund's Chief Compliance Officer, and fees and expenses of members of the Board of Trustees or members of any advisory board or committee who are not members of, affiliated with or interested persons of the Adviser; insurance premiums on property or personnel of the Fund which inure to its benefit, including liability and fidelity bond insurance; the cost of preparing and printing reports, proxy statements, prospectuses and statements of additional information of the Fund or other communications for distribution to existing shareholders; legal, auditing and accounting fees; all or any portion of trade association dues or educational program expenses determined appropriate by the Board of Trustees; fees and expenses (including legal fees) of registering and maintaining registration of its shares for sale under federal and applicable state and foreign securities laws; all expenses of maintaining and servicing shareholder accounts, including all charges for transfer, shareholder recordkeeping, dividend disbursing, redemption, and other agents for the benefit of the Fund, if any; and all other charges and costs of its operation plus any extraordinary and non-recurring expenses, except as herein otherwise prescribed.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**(c)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**The Adviser may voluntarily or contractually absorb certain Fund expenses.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**(d)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**To the extent the Adviser incurs any costs by assuming expenses which are an obligation of the Fund as set forth herein, the Fund shall promptly reimburse the Adviser for such costs and expenses, except to the extent the Adviser has otherwise agreed to bear such expenses. To the extent the services for which the Fund is obligated to pay are performed by the Adviser, the Adviser shall be entitled to recover from the Fund to the extent of the Adviser's actual costs for providing such services. In determining the Adviser's actual costs, the Adviser may take into account an allocated portion of the salaries and overhead of personnel performing such services.

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**7.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND MANAGEMENT FEE**

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**(a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**The Fund shall pay to the Adviser, and the Adviser agrees to accept, as full compensation for all services furnished or provided to the Fund pursuant to this Agreement, an annual management fee at a rate of 1.25% of the Fund's average daily net assets.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**(b)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**The management fee shall be accrued daily by the Fund and paid to the Adviser on the first business day of the succeeding month.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**(c)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**The initial fee under this Agreement shall be payable on the first business day of the first month following the effective date of this Agreement and shall be prorated as set forth below. If this Agreement is terminated prior to the end of any month, the fee to the Adviser shall be prorated for the portion of any month in which this Agreement is in effect which is not a complete month according to the proportion which the number of calendar days in the month during which the Agreement is in effect bears to the number of calendar days in the month, and shall be payable within ten (10) days after the date of termination.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**(d)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**The fee payable to the Adviser under this Agreement will be reduced to the extent of any receivable owed by the Adviser to the Fund and as required under any expense limitation applicable to the Fund.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**(e)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**The Adviser voluntarily may reduce any portion of the compensation or reimbursement of expenses due to it pursuant to this Agreement and may agree to make payments to limit the expenses which are the responsibility of the Fund under this Agreement. Any such reduction or payment shall be applicable only to such specific reduction or payment and shall not constitute an agreement to reduce any future compensation or reimbursement due to the Adviser hereunder or to continue future payments. Any such reduction will be agreed to prior to accrual of the related expense or fee and will be estimated daily and reconciled and paid on a monthly basis.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**(f)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**Any such reductions made by the Adviser in its fees or payment of expenses which are the Fund's obligation are subject to reimbursement by the Fund to the Adviser, if so requested by the Adviser, in subsequent fiscal years if the aggregate amount actually paid by the Fund toward the operating expenses for such fiscal year (taking into account the reimbursement) does not exceed the applicable limitation on Fund expenses. Under the expense limitation agreement, the Adviser may recoup reimbursements made in any fiscal year of the Fund over the following three fiscal years. Any such reimbursement is also contingent upon Board of Trustees review and approval at the time the reimbursement is made. Such reimbursement may not be paid prior to the Fund's payment of current ordinary operating expenses.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**(g)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**The Adviser may agree not to require payment of any portion of the compensation or reimbursement of expenses otherwise due to it pursuant to this Agreement. Any such agreement shall be applicable only with respect to the specific items covered thereby and shall not constitute an agreement not to require payment of any future compensation or reimbursement due to the Adviser hereunder.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**8.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;NO SHORTING; NO BORROWING.** The Adviser agrees that neither it nor any of its officers or employees shall take any short position in the shares of the Fund. This prohibition shall not prevent the purchase of such shares by any of the officers or employees of the Adviser or any trust, pension, profit-sharing or other benefit plan for such persons or affiliates thereof, at a price not less than the net asset value thereof at the time of purchase, as allowed pursuant to rules promulgated under the Investment Company Act. The Adviser agrees that neither it nor any of its officers or employees shall borrow from the Fund or pledge or use the Fund's assets in connection with any borrowing not directly for the Fund's benefit. For this purpose, failure to pay any amount due and payable to the Fund for a period of more than thirty (30) days shall constitute a borrowing.

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**9.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;CONFLICTS WITH FUND'S GOVERNING DOCUMENTS AND APPLICABLE LAWS.**

Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to require the Fund to take any action contrary to the Fund's Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust, Amended and Restated By-Laws, or any applicable statute or regulation, or to relieve or deprive the Board of Trustees of its responsibility for and control of the conduct of the affairs of the Fund. In this connection, the Adviser acknowledges that the Trustees retain ultimate plenary authority over the Fund and may take any and all actions necessary and reasonable to protect the interests of shareholders.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**10.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;REPORTS AND ACCESS.** The Adviser agrees to supply such information to the Fund's administrator and to permit such compliance inspections by the Fund's administrator as shall be reasonably necessary to permit the administrator to satisfy its obligations and respond to the reasonable requests of the Board of Trustees.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**11.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ADVISER'S LIABILITIES AND INDEMNIFICATION**

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**(a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**The Adviser shall have responsibility for the accuracy and completeness (and liability for the lack thereof) of the statements in the Fund's offering materials (including the prospectus, the statement of additional information, advertising and sales materials), except for information supplied by the administrator or the Fund or another third party for inclusion therein.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**(b)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**The Adviser shall be liable to the Fund for any loss (including brokerage charges) incurred by the Fund as a result of any improper investment made by the Adviser in contradiction of the Investment Policies.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**(c)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**In the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the obligations or duties hereunder on the part of the Adviser, the Adviser shall not be subject to liability to the Fund or to any shareholder of the Fund for any act or omission in the course of, or connected with, rendering services hereunder or for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of any security by the Fund. Notwithstanding the foregoing, federal securities laws and certain state laws impose liabilities under certain circumstances on persons who have acted in good faith, and therefore nothing herein shall in any way constitute a waiver or limitation of any rights which the Fund or any shareholder of the Fund may have under any federal securities law or state law.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**(d)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**Each party to this Agreement shall indemnify and hold harmless the other party and the shareholders, directors, officers and employees of the other party (any such person, an "Indemnified Party") against any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense (including the reasonable cost of investigating and defending any alleged loss, liability, claim, damage or expenses and reasonable counsel fees incurred in connection therewith) arising out of the Indemnified Party's performance or non-performance of any duties under this Agreement provided, however, that nothing herein shall be deemed to protect any Indemnified Party against any liability to which such Indemnified Party would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of duties hereunder or by reason of reckless disregard of obligations and duties under this Agreement.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**(e)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**No provision of this Agreement shall be construed to protect any Trustee or officer of the Fund, or officer of the Adviser, from liability in violation of Sections 17(h) and (i) of the Investment Company Act.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**12.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;NON-EXCLUSIVITY; TRADING FOR ADVISER'S OWN ACCOUNT.** The Fund's employment of the Adviser is not an exclusive arrangement. The Fund may from time to time employ other individuals or entities to furnish it with the services provided for herein. Likewise, the Adviser may act as investment adviser for any other person, and shall not in any way be limited or restricted from buying, selling or trading any securities for its or their own accounts or the accounts of others for whom it or they may be acting, provided, however, that the Adviser expressly represents that it will undertake no activities

------

which will adversely affect the performance of its obligations to the Fund under this Agreement; and provided further that the Adviser will adhere to a code of ethics governing employee trading and trading for proprietary accounts that conforms to the requirements of the Investment Company Act and the Advisers Act and has been approved by the Board of Trustees.

**13&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;TERM**

This Agreement shall become effective at the time it is executed and shall remain in effect for a period of two (2) years, unless sooner terminated as hereinafter provided. This Agreement shall continue in effect thereafter for additional periods not exceeding one year so long as such continuation is approved at least annually by: (i) the Board of Trustees or by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund and (ii) the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to this Agreement nor interested persons thereof, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The terms "majority of the outstanding voting securities" and "interested persons" shall have the meanings as set forth in the Investment Company Act.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**14.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;RIGHT TO USE NAME**

The Adviser warrants that the Fund's name is not deceptive or misleading and that the Adviser has rights to any distinctive names used by the Fund. The Fund acknowledges that its use of any distinctive name is derivative of its relationship with the Adviser. The Fund may use the name connected with the Adviser or any name derived from or using the name of the Adviser only for so long as this Agreement or any extension, renewal or amendment hereof remains in effect. Within 60 days from such time as this Agreement shall no longer be in effect, the Fund shall cease to use such name or any other name connected with the Adviser.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**15.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;TERMINATION; NO ASSIGNMENT**

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**(a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**This Agreement may be terminated by the Fund at any time without payment of any penalty, by the Board of Trustees or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, upon 60 days' written notice to the Adviser, and by the Adviser upon 60 days' written notice to the Fund. In the event of a termination, the Adviser shall cooperate in the orderly transfer of the Fund's affairs and, at the request of the Board of Trustees, transfer any and all books and records of the Fund maintained by the Adviser on behalf of the Fund.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**(b)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**This Agreement shall terminate automatically in the event of any transfer or assignment thereof, as defined in the Investment Company Act.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**16.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;NONPUBLIC PERSONAL INFORMATION.** Notwithstanding any provision herein to the contrary, the Adviser agrees on behalf of itself and its managers, members, officers, and employees: (1) to treat confidentially and as proprietary information of the Fund (a) all records and other information relative to the Fund's prior, present, or potential shareholders (and clients of said shareholders) and (b) any Nonpublic Personal Information, as defined under Section 248.3(t) of Regulation S-P ("Regulation S-P"), promulgated under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (the "G-L-B Act"); and (2) except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Fund, not to use such records and information for any purpose other than the performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, or as otherwise permitted by Regulation S-P or the G-L-B Act, and if in compliance therewith, the privacy policies adopted by the Fund and communicated in writing to the Adviser. Such written approval shall not be unreasonably withheld by the Fund and may not be withheld where the Adviser may be exposed to civil or criminal contempt or other proceedings for failure to comply after being requested to divulge such information by duly constituted authorities.

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**17.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING COMPLIANCE.** The Adviser acknowledges that, in compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended, the USA PATRIOT Act, and any implementing regulations thereunder (together, "AML Laws"), the Fund has adopted an Anti-Money Laundering Policy. The Adviser agrees to comply with the Fund's Anti-Money Laundering Policy and the AML Laws, as the same may apply to the Adviser, now and in the future. The Adviser further agrees to provide to the Fund and/or the Fund's administrator such reports, certifications and contractual assurances as may be reasonably requested by the Fund. The Fund may disclose information regarding the Adviser to governmental and/or regulatory or self-regulatory authorities to the extent required by applicable law or regulation and may file reports with such authorities as may be required by applicable law or regulation.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**18.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;CERTIFICATIONS; DISCLOSURE CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.** The Adviser

acknowledges that, in compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the "Sarbanes-Oxley Act") and the implementing regulations promulgated there under, the Fund is required to make certain certifications and has adopted disclosure controls and procedures. To the extent reasonably requested by the Fund, the Adviser agrees to use its best efforts to assist the Fund in complying with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and implementing the Fund's disclosure controls and procedures. The Adviser agrees to inform the Fund of any material development related to the Fund that the Adviser reasonably believes is relevant to the Fund's certification obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**19.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;SEVERABILITY.** If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid by a court decision, statute or rule, or shall be otherwise rendered invalid, the remainder of this Agreement shall not be affected thereby.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**21.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;CAPTIONS.** The captions in this Agreement are included for convenience of reference only and in no way define or limit any of the provisions hereof or otherwise affect their construction or effect.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**22.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;GOVERNING LAW.** This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware without giving effect to the conflict of laws principles thereof; provided that nothing herein shall be construed to preempt, or to be inconsistent with, any federal law, regulation or rule, including the Investment Company Act and the Advisers Act and any rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

------

**IN WITNESS WHEREOF**, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed by their duly authorized officers, all on the day and year first above written.

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| **ANGEL OAK STRATEGIC CREDIT FUND** | **ANGEL OAK CAPITAL ADVISORS, LLC** |
| By: <u>/s/ Chase Eldredge</u> | By: <u>/s/ Chase Eldredge</u> |
| Name: <u>Chase Eldredge</u> | Name: <u>Chase Eldredge</u> |
| Title: <u>Chief Compliance Officer</u> | Title: <u>Chief Compliance Officer</u> |

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## Ex-99.(K)(4)

**ANGEL OAK FUNDS TRUST** 

**ANGEL OAK STRATEGIC CREDIT FUND**

**ANGEL OAK FINANCIAL STRATEGIES INCOME TERM TRUST** 

**FEE WAIVER AGREEMENT**

**THIS FEE WAIVER AGREEMENT,** dated as of October 1, 2025, is made and entered into by and between each of Angel Oak Funds Trust, a Delaware statutory trust ("AOFT"), on behalf of each of its series, Angel Oak Financial Strategies Income Term Trust and Angel Oak Strategic Credit Fund, (each, a "Trust" and, collectively with the series of AOFT, the "Funds") and Angel Oak Capital Advisors, LLC (the "Adviser").

**WHEREAS**, each Trust has entered into an Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and the Adviser (each an "Advisory Agreement") pursuant to which the Adviser has been appointed the investment adviser of each Fund; and

**WHEREAS**, each Fund, and its respective classes, as applicable, are responsible for, and have assumed the obligation for, payment of certain expenses pursuant to the respective Advisory Agreement (the "Advisory Fee") that have not been assumed by the Adviser; and

**WHEREAS,** each Fund, in accordance with its investment objectives and restrictions, as specified in such Fund's prospectus, may invest a portion of its assets in other investment companies for which the Adviser serves as investment adviser (each an "Underlying Fund"); and

**WHEREAS,** pursuant to the respective Advisory Agreement, each Underlying Fund pays to the Adviser a separate advisory fee for investment advisory services provided by the Adviser (the "Underlying Fund Fee"); and

**WHEREAS,** each Fund indirectly pays its proportionate share of the Underlying Fund Fee charged by the Adviser to each Underlying Fund;

**NOW THEREFORE**, in consideration of the covenants and the mutual promises hereinafter set forth, the parties, intending to be legally bound hereby, mutually agree as follows:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1.**UNDERLYING FUND FEE WAIVER.** In consideration of any Underlying Fund Fee indirectly paid by a Fund, each day the Adviser agrees to waive all or any portion of the Advisory Fee that would otherwise be borne by such Fund to the Adviser in an amount equal to the amount of the Underlying Fund Fee, if any, indirectly borne by such Fund in connection with its investment in an Underlying Fund. In no event will the Adviser be required to reimburse a Fund for any amount in excess of the Fund's accrued Advisory Fees attributable to any day.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2.**TERM**. This Agreement shall become effective on the date specified herein and shall remain in effect indefinitely and for a period of not less than one year, unless sooner terminated as provided in Section 3 of this Agreement.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;3.**TERMINATION**. This Agreement may be terminated with respect to a Fund at any time, and without payment of any penalty, by the Board of Trustees of the respective Trust,

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on behalf of its series, as applicable, upon sixty (60) days' written notice to the Adviser. This Agreement may not be terminated by the Adviser without the consent of the Board of Trustees of the relevant Trust, which consent will not be unreasonably withheld. This Agreement will automatically terminate with respect to a Trust (or a series of a Trust, if applicable) if the applicable Advisory Agreement is terminated, with such termination effective upon the effective date of the Advisory Agreement's termination.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4.**ASSIGNMENT**. This Agreement and all rights and obligations hereunder may not be assigned without the written consent of the other party.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;5.**SEVERABILITY**. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid by a court decision, statute or rule, or shall be otherwise rendered invalid, the remainder of this Agreement shall not be affected thereby.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;6.**GOVERNING LAW**. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to the conflict of laws principles thereof; provided that nothing herein shall be construed to preempt, or to be inconsistent with, any federal law, regulation or rule, including, without limitation, the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, and any rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

**IN WITNESS WHEREOF**, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the date first above written.

**ANGEL OAK FUNDS TRUST**

By: <u>s/</u> <u>Chase</u> <u>Eldredge</u><u>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</u>

Name: <u>Chase</u> <u>Eldredge</u><u>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</u>

Title: <u>Chief</u> <u>Compliance</u> <u>Officer</u><u>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</u>

**ANGEL OAK FINANCIAL STRATEGIES INCOME TERM TRUST**

By:<u>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;s/</u> <u>Chase</u> <u>Eldredge</u><u>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</u>

Name: <u>Chase</u> <u>Eldredge</u><u>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</u>

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Title: <u>Chief</u> <u>Compliance</u> <u>Officer</u><u>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</u>

**ANGEL OAK STRATEGIC CREDIT FUND**

By:<u>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;s/</u> <u>Chase</u> <u>Eldredge</u><u>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</u>

Name: <u>Chase</u> <u>Eldredge</u><u>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</u>

Title: <u>Chief</u> <u>Compliance</u> <u>Officer</u><u>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</u>

**ANGEL OAK CAPITAL ADVISORS, LLC**

By:<u>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;s/</u> <u>Chase</u> <u>Eldredge</u><u>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</u>

Name: <u>Chase</u> <u>Eldredge</u><u>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</u>

Title: <u>Chief</u> <u>Compliance</u> <u>Officer</u><u>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</u>

- 3 -

## Ex-99.(L)

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|:---|:---|
| ![dechertlogo25.jpg](dechertlogo25.jpg) | 1900 K Street, N.W.<br>Washington, DC 20006<br>+1 202 261 3300 Main<br>+1 202 261 3333 Fax<br>www.dechert.com<br>_______________________________ |

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May 29, 2026

Angel Oak Strategic Credit Fund

980 Hammond Drive, Suite 200

Atlanta, Georgia 30328

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have acted as counsel for Angel Oak Strategic Credit Fund (the "Fund") and are familiar with the Fund's registration statement under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and with the registration statement relating to its shares under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (collectively, the "Registration Statement"). The Fund is organized as a statutory trust under the laws of the State of Delaware.

We have examined such governmental and corporate certificates and records as we deemed necessary to render this opinion, and we are familiar with the Fund's Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and its Amended and Restated By-Laws.

Based upon the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the Fund's shares proposed to be sold pursuant to the Registration Statement, when they are made effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission, will have been validly authorized and, when sold in accordance with the terms of such Registration Statement and the requirements of applicable federal and state law and delivered by the Fund against receipt of the net asset value of the shares of the Fund, as described in the Registration Statement, will have been legally and validly issued and will be fully paid and non-assessable by the Fund.

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to Post-Effective Amendment No. 26 to the Registration Statement, to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the continuous offering of the Fund's shares of beneficial interest, as indicated above, and to the reference to our firm, as counsel to the Fund, in the Statement of Additional Information forming a part of the Registration Statement and in any amended versions thereof, until such time as we revoke such consent. In giving such consent, we do not admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required by Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder.

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| |
|:---|
| Very truly yours, |
| <br><u>/s/ Dechert LLP</u><br>Dechert LLP |

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## Ex-99.(N)

![cohenlogoa.jpg](cohenlogoa.jpg)

**CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM**

We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form N-1A of our report dated April 1, 2026, relating to the consolidated financial statements and financial highlights of Angel Oak Strategic Credit Fund, which are included in Form N-CSR for the year ended January 31, 2026, and to the references to our firm under the headings "Financial Highlights" in the Prospectus and "Other Fund Service Providers" in the Statement of Additional Information.

![cohensignaturea.jpg](cohensignaturea.jpg)

COHEN & COMPANY, LTD.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

May 29, 2026

<br>