# EDGAR Filing Document

**Accession Number:** 0001535538
**File Stem:** 0001655589-25-000043
**Filing Date:** 2025-9
**Character Count:** 1577946
**Document Hash:** caee15d75d4d574d907d08bb08fe9def
**Contains OCR:** False
**Source Format:** 

## Filing Content

## Filing Summary
**0001655589-25-000043.hdr.sgml**: 20250926

**ACCESSION NUMBER**: 0001655589-25-000043

**CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE**: 485BPOS

**PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT**: 58

**FILED AS OF DATE**: 20250926

**DATE AS OF CHANGE**: 20250926

**EFFECTIVENESS DATE**: 20251001

**FILER**: 

**COMPANY DATA:**
- **COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:** Franklin Alternative Strategies Funds
- **CENTRAL INDEX KEY:** 0001535538

**ORGANIZATION NAME:**
- **EIN:** 000000000
- **STATE OF INCORPORATION:** DE
- **FISCAL YEAR END:** 0531

**FILING VALUES:**
- **FORM TYPE:** 485BPOS
- **SEC ACT:** 1940 Act
- **SEC FILE NUMBER:** 811-22641
- **FILM NUMBER:** 251349323

**BUSINESS ADDRESS:**
- **STREET 1:** ONE FRANKLIN PARKWAY
- **CITY:** SAN MATEO
- **STATE:** CA
- **ZIP:** 94403-1906
- **BUSINESS PHONE:** 650-312-2000

**MAIL ADDRESS:**
- **STREET 1:** ONE FRANKLIN PARKWAY
- **CITY:** SAN MATEO
- **STATE:** CA
- **ZIP:** 94403-1906
**FILER**: 

**COMPANY DATA:**
- **COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:** Franklin Alternative Strategies Funds
- **CENTRAL INDEX KEY:** 0001535538

**ORGANIZATION NAME:**
- **EIN:** 000000000
- **STATE OF INCORPORATION:** DE
- **FISCAL YEAR END:** 0531

**FILING VALUES:**
- **FORM TYPE:** 485BPOS
- **SEC ACT:** 1933 Act
- **SEC FILE NUMBER:** 333-189667
- **FILM NUMBER:** 251349322

**BUSINESS ADDRESS:**
- **STREET 1:** ONE FRANKLIN PARKWAY
- **CITY:** SAN MATEO
- **STATE:** CA
- **ZIP:** 94403-1906
- **BUSINESS PHONE:** 650-312-2000

**MAIL ADDRESS:**
- **STREET 1:** ONE FRANKLIN PARKWAY
- **CITY:** SAN MATEO
- **STATE:** CA
- **ZIP:** 94403-1906

## Series and Classes Contracts Data

### K2 Alternative Strategies Fund (Series ID: S000042023)

| Class ID   | Class Name    | Ticker Symbol   |
|:---|:---|:---|
| C000130561 | Class A       | FAAAX           |
| C000130562 | Class C       | FASCX           |
| C000130563 | Class R       | FSKKX           |
| C000130564 | Class R6      | FASRX           |
| C000130565 | Advisor Class | FABZX           |

?xml version='1.0' encoding='ASCII'?

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
| As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 26, 2025. | As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 26, 2025. |
| File Nos. File Nos. 333-189667 and 811-22641 | File Nos. File Nos. 333-189667 and 811-22641 |
| SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION | SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION |
| WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 | WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 |
| FORM N-1A | FORM N-1A |
| REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 | [X] |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Pre-Effective Amendment No. | [ ] |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Post-Effective Amendment No. | [X] |
| and/or | and/or |
| REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 | [X] |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amendment No. | [X] |
| <u>Franklin Alternative Strategies Funds</u> | <u>Franklin Alternative Strategies Funds</u> |
| (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter) | (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter) |
| <u>One Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403-1906</u> | <u>One Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403-1906</u> |
| (Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code) | (Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code) |
| (650) 312-2000 | (650) 312-2000 |
| (Registrant's Telephone Number, Including Area Code) | (Registrant's Telephone Number, Including Area Code) |
| <u>ALISON E. BAUR, ONE FRANKLIN PARKWAY, SAN MATEO, CA 94403-1906</u> | <u>ALISON E. BAUR, ONE FRANKLIN PARKWAY, SAN MATEO, CA 94403-1906</u> |
| (Name and Address of Agent for Service of Process) | (Name and Address of Agent for Service of Process) |
| Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering:  | Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering:  |
| It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box) | It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box) |
| immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) | immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) |
| on <u>October 1, 2025</u> pursuant to paragraph (b) | on <u>October 1, 2025</u> pursuant to paragraph (b) |
| 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) | 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) |
| on pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of Rule 485 | on pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of Rule 485 |
| 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) | 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) |
| on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of rule 485 | on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of rule 485 |
| If appropriate, check the following box: | If appropriate, check the following box: |
| This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment. | This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment. |

---

------

![](img_563377160fa44f2.jpg)<br>

## K2 ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUND

## FRANKLIN ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUNDS

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
| **Prospectus**  | October 1, 2025 |

---

---

| | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Class A** | **Class C** | **Class R** | **Class R6** | **Advisor Class** |
| FAAAX | FASCX | FSKKX | FASRX | FABZX |

---

<br> The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. 068 P 10/25

------

### Contents

#### Fund Summary
Information about the Fund you should know before investing

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
| [Investment Goal](#x1x2) | [2](#x1x2) |
| [Fees and Expenses of the Fund](#x2x2) | [2](#x2x2) |
| [Portfolio Turnover](#x3x2) | [4](#x3x2) |
| [Principal Investment Strategies](#x4x2) | [4](#x4x2) |
| [Principal Risks](#x5x2) | [8](#x5x2) |
| [Performance](#x6x2) | [13](#x6x2) |
| [Investment Manager](#x7x2) | [14](#x7x2) |
| [Portfolio Managers](#x8x2) | [15](#x8x2) |
| [Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares](#x9x2) | [15](#x9x2) |
| [Taxes](#x10x2) | [15](#x10x2) |
| [Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries](#x11x2) | [15](#x11x2) |

---

#### Fund Details
More information on investment policies, practices and risks/financial highlights

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
| [Investment Goal](#x12x2) | [17](#x12x2) |
| [Principal Investment Policies and Practices](#x13x2) | [17](#x13x2) |
| [Principal Risks](#x14x2) | [24](#x14x2) |
| [Management](#x15x2) | [43](#x15x2) |
| [Distributions and Taxes](#x16x2) | [47](#x16x2) |
| [Financial Highlights](#x17x2) | [51](#x17x2) |

---

#### Your Account
Information about sales charges, qualified investors, account transactions and services

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
| [Choosing a Share Class](#x18x2) | [58](#x18x2) |
| [Buying Shares](#x19x2) | [72](#x19x2) |
| [Investor Services](#x20x2) | [75](#x20x2) |
| [Selling Shares](#x21x2) | [78](#x21x2) |
| [Exchanging Shares](#x22x2) | [81](#x22x2) |
| [Account Policies](#x23x2) | [86](#x23x2) |
| [Questions](#x24x2) | [99](#x24x2) |

---

#### For More Information
Where to learn more about the Fund

Back Cover

------

K2 ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUND

FUND SUMMARY

On or about January 1, 2026, the investment management services provided by K2/D&S Management Co., L.L.C. (K2 Advisors), an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc. (Resources), and the personnel of K2 Advisors who provide such services to the Fund, will be transferred to Franklin Advisers, Inc. (Advisers), a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of Resources. In particular, Advisers will assume the duties and obligations of K2 Advisors under the Fund's investment management agreement between K2 Advisors and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and the sub-advisory agreements between K2 Advisors and the unaffiliated sub-advisors with respect to the Fund. Employees of K2 Advisors who currently provide investment management and investment-related services to the Fund will become employees of Advisers and will continue to provide the same investment management and investment-related services to the Fund under the same investment management fee schedule. Upon the transfer of the investment management agreement to Advisers, the current sub-advisory agreement between K2 Advisors and Advisers for the Fund will be terminated. This transfer will not involve a change in actual control or management of the Fund's investment manager and the same individuals will continue to provide portfolio management services to the Fund. Because there is no actual change in control or management of the investment manager, this transfer does not constitute an "assignment" of the investment management agreement or the sub-advisory agreements for purposes of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and, therefore, a shareholder vote is not required.

In connection with the transfer of investment management services to Advisers described above, the Board of Trustees of the Trust approved a change to the Fund's name, effective January 30, 2026, from K2 Alternative Strategies Fund to "Franklin Alternative Strategies Fund".

### Fund Summary
Investment Goal

Capital appreciation with lower volatility relative to the broad equity markets.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

These tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. **You may pay other fees (including on Class R6 and Advisor Class shares), such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.** You may qualify for sales charge discounts in Class A if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $25,000 in Franklin Templeton funds and certain other funds distributed through Franklin Distributors, LLC, the Fund's distributor. More information about these and other discounts is available from your

<br> 2 Prospectus www.franklintempleton.com

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K2 ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUND

FUND SUMMARY

financial professional and under "Your Account" on page 58 in the Fund's Prospectus and under "Buying and Selling Shares" on page 94 of the Fund's Statement of Additional Information. In addition, more information about sales charge discounts and waivers for purchases of shares through specific financial intermediaries is set forth in Appendix A – "Intermediary Sales Charge Discounts and Waivers" to the Fund's prospectus.

#### Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)

---

| | | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  |  | **Class A** | **Class C** | **Class R** | **Class R6** | **Advisor <br>Class** |
| Maximum Sales Charge (Load) <br>Imposed on Purchases (as percentage of offering price) | Maximum Sales Charge (Load) <br>Imposed on Purchases (as percentage of offering price) | 5.50% |  |  |  |  |
| Maximum Deferred Sales Charge <br>(Load) (as percentage of the lower of original purchase price or sale proceeds) | Maximum Deferred Sales Charge <br>(Load) (as percentage of the lower of original purchase price or sale proceeds) | None<br><sup>1</sup>  | 1.00% |  |  |  |
| <sup>1.</sup> | There is a 1% contingent deferred sales charge that applies to investments of $1 Million or more (see "Investments of $1 Million or More" under "Choosing a Share Class") and purchases by certain retirement plans without an initial sales charge on shares sold within 18 months of purchase. | There is a 1% contingent deferred sales charge that applies to investments of $1 Million or more (see "Investments of $1 Million or More" under "Choosing a Share Class") and purchases by certain retirement plans without an initial sales charge on shares sold within 18 months of purchase. | There is a 1% contingent deferred sales charge that applies to investments of $1 Million or more (see "Investments of $1 Million or More" under "Choosing a Share Class") and purchases by certain retirement plans without an initial sales charge on shares sold within 18 months of purchase. | There is a 1% contingent deferred sales charge that applies to investments of $1 Million or more (see "Investments of $1 Million or More" under "Choosing a Share Class") and purchases by certain retirement plans without an initial sales charge on shares sold within 18 months of purchase. | There is a 1% contingent deferred sales charge that applies to investments of $1 Million or more (see "Investments of $1 Million or More" under "Choosing a Share Class") and purchases by certain retirement plans without an initial sales charge on shares sold within 18 months of purchase. | There is a 1% contingent deferred sales charge that applies to investments of $1 Million or more (see "Investments of $1 Million or More" under "Choosing a Share Class") and purchases by certain retirement plans without an initial sales charge on shares sold within 18 months of purchase. |

---

#### Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

---

| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  | **Class A** | **Class C** | **Class R** | **Class R6** | **Advisor <br>Class** |
| Management fees<sup>1</sup> | 1.70% | 1.70% | 1.70% | 1.70% | 1.70% |
| Distribution and service (12b-1) fees | 0.25% | 1.00% | 0.50% |  |  |
| Other expenses |  |  |  |  |  |
| Other expenses of the Fund | 0.29% | 0.29% | 0.29% | 0.22% | 0.29% |
| Dividend expense and security borrowing <br> fees for securities sold short | 0.45% | 0.45% | 0.45% | 0.45% | 0.45% |
| Total other expenses | 0.74% | 0.74% | 0.74% | 0.67% | 0.74% |
| Acquired fund fees and expenses | 0.03% | 0.03% | 0.03% | 0.03% | 0.03% |
| Total annual Fund operating expenses<sup>2</sup> | 2.72% | 3.47% | 2.97% | 2.40% | 2.47% |
| Fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement<sup>3</sup> | -0.29% | -0.29% | -0.29% | -0.22% | -0.29% |
| **Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement<sup>4</sup>** | **2.43%** | **3.18%** | **2.68%** | **2.18%** | **2.18%** |

---

<sup>1.</sup> "Management fees" include the management fee paid by a Cayman Islands-based company that is wholly-owned by the Fund (Subsidiary). The investment manager has contractually agreed to waive the management fee it receives from the Fund in an amount equal to the management fee paid by the Subsidiary. The waiver may not be terminated and will remain in effect for as long as the investment manager's contract with the Subsidiary is in place.

<sup>2.</sup> Total annual Fund operating expenses differ from the ratio of expenses to average net assets shown in the Financial Highlights, which reflect the operating expenses of the Fund and do not include acquired fund fees and expenses.

<sup>3.</sup> The investment manager has agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse operating expenses (excluding Rule 12b-1 fees; acquired fund fees and expenses; expenses related to securities sold short; and certain non-routine expenses or costs, such as those relating to litigation, indemnification, reorganizations and liquidations) for the Fund so that the ratio of total annual fund operating expenses will not exceed 1.70% for each share class. In addition, transfer agency fees on Class R6 shares of the Fund have been capped so that transfer agency fees for that class do not exceed 0.03%. These contractual arrangements are expected to continue

<br> www.franklintempleton.com Prospectus 3

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K2 ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUND

FUND SUMMARY

until September 30, 2026. During the terms, the fee waiver and expense reimbursement agreements may not be terminated or amended without approval of the board of trustees except to add series or classes, to reflect the extension of termination dates or to lower the waiver and expense limitation (which would result in lower fees for shareholders).

<sup>4.</sup> Total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement have been restated to reflect current expenses.

#### Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of the period. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same. The Example reflects adjustments made to the Fund's operating expenses due to the fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements by management for the 1 Year numbers only. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

---

| | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  | **1 Year** | **3 Years** | **5 Years** | **10 Years** |
| **Class A** | $783 | $1323 | $1887 | $3413 |
| **Class C** | $421 | $1038 | $1778 | $3561 |
| **Class R** | $271 | $891 | $1537 | $3269 |
| **Class R6** | $221 | $727 | $1260 | $2719 |
| **Advisor Class** | $221 | $742 | $1289 | $2783 |
| If you do not sell your shares: |  |  |  |  |
| **Class C** | $321 | $1038 | $1778 | $3561 |

---

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 266.59% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment goal by predominantly allocating its assets across multiple non-traditional or "alternative" strategies, including, but not limited to, some or all of the following strategies: Long Short Equity, Relative Value, Event Driven and Global Macro, each of which is described below. The Fund's portfolio is structured as a multi-manager fund (meaning the Fund's assets are managed by the Fund's investment manager and multiple sub-advisors) and the Fund's Investment Manager (as defined below) has overall responsibility for the

<br> 4 Prospectus www.franklintempleton.com

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K2 ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUND

FUND SUMMARY

Fund's investments. The Investment Manager may allocate a substantial portion or, at times, up to all, of the Fund's assets among multiple sub-advisors (that may be unaffiliated or affiliated with the Investment Manager, or both) to implement one or more non-traditional or alternative investment strategies ("Sub-Advisors"), or directly implement such strategies for a portion or significant portion of the Fund's assets. The Investment Manager may also directly manage a small portion or a portion of the Fund's assets using derivatives and other instruments to adjust the Fund's net exposure to markets, asset classes and sectors in a manner consistent with its strategic overlay (Strategic Overlay), as described further below.

The Fund may invest in a wide range of securities and other investments including, but not limited to: equity securities (which may include common stocks, preferred stocks and convertible securities, investment vehicles and ETFs) and debt securities (which may include bonds, notes, debentures, banker's acceptances and commercial paper).

The Fund may invest in securities of U.S. and foreign companies of any capitalization size. Up to 15%of the Fund's net assets may be invested in illiquid investments. In addition, the debt securities in which the Fund may invest may have variable or fixed interest rates, may be of any maturity or credit rating, and may include sovereign debt, high yield ("junk") bonds and distressed debt securities (securities of companies that are, or are about to be, involved in reorganizations, financial restructurings, or bankruptcy) and securities that are in default. The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading as part of its investment strategies.

The Fund may also use derivatives for both hedging and non-hedging (investment) purposes, although neither the Investment Manager nor any Sub-Advisor is required to hedge any of the Fund's positions or to use derivatives. The Fund's derivative investments may include, among other instruments: (i) futures contracts, including futures based on equity or fixed income securities and indices, interest rate/bond futures, currency futures, currency index futures, and options thereon; (ii) swaps, including equity, currency, interest rate, total return and credit default swaps and options thereon; (iii) options, including call options and put options on indices, individual securities, currencies and exchange-traded funds; and (iv) currency forward contracts. These derivatives may be used to enhance Fund returns, increase liquidity, gain exposure to certain instruments or markets in a more efficient or less expensive way and/or hedge risks associated with its other portfolio investments. The results of such transactions may also represent, from time to time, a material component of the Fund's investment returns. As a result of the Fund's use of derivatives, the Fund may have economic leverage, which means the sum of the Fund's investment exposures through its use of derivatives may significantly exceed the amount of assets invested in the Fund, although these exposures may vary over time.

<br> www.franklintempleton.com Prospectus 5

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K2 ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUND

FUND SUMMARY

The Fund may take long and/or short positions in a wide range of asset classes, including equities, fixed income, commodities and currencies, among others. Long positions benefit from an increase in the price of the underlying instrument or asset class, while short positions benefit from a decrease in that price.

The Investment Manager's Strategic Overlay seeks to manage the portfolio's net exposure to the markets by neutralizing, maintaining or augmenting certain market sensitivities, based on the Investment Manager's assessment of current and anticipated market environments. The Strategic Overlay primarily involves adjustments made to augment the net equity exposure or "beta" of the Fund, but may also include adjusting the exposure to certain markets, asset classes and/or sectors through taking long and short positions in derivatives (such as futures, swaps, currency forwards and options), short-term U.S. government securities and other instruments. The amount of Fund assets allocated to the Strategic Overlay is expected to vary depending on the Investment Manager's assessment of current and anticipated market conditions and other risk factors.

#### Investment Management
The Investment Manager is responsible for allocating and re-allocating the Fund's assets among the Sub-Advisors and/or any investment funds in which the Fund may invest, retaining a portion of the Fund's assets to manage itself and for cash management. The Investment Manager's quantitative and qualitative oversight of the Fund's investment program aims to allocate assets among various strategies and select Sub-Advisors (or the Investment Manager) and/or investment funds that it believes are well-positioned to capture unique investment opportunities while preserving capital.

The Investment Manager typically first allocates the Fund's assets among various alternative investment strategies and to the Strategic Overlay strategy utilizing a top-down approach, generating the Fund's strategy weightings by taking into account market conditions, risk factors, diversification, liquidity, transparency, and availability of various Sub-Advisors and other investment options, among other things. The Investment Manager typically then allocates the Fund's assets to specific Sub-Advisors and/or retains a portion of the Fund's assets to manage itself utilizing a bottom-up approach, selecting Sub-Advisors, the portion of the Fund's assets it retains to manage directly, and weightings within the Fund's portfolio by taking into account their correlation to various markets and to each other, risk profiles and their return expectations. From time to time, the Fund may have little or no assets allocated to any one particular strategy, Sub-Advisor or retained by the Investment Manager in light of economic or other conditions, as determined by the Investment Manager in its sole discretion.

<br> 6 Prospectus www.franklintempleton.com

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K2 ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUND

FUND SUMMARY

The Investment Manager intends to allocate the Fund's assets to Sub-Advisors or retain a portion of the Fund's assets to manage itself, to implement some or all of the following strategies:

· *Long Short Equity Strategies* – Long Short Equity Strategies generally seek to produce returns from investments in the equity markets by taking long and short positions in stocks and stock indices (through the use of derivatives or through a short position in an exchange-traded fund (ETF)). These strategies are generally focused on risk-adjusted returns and capitalize on the Sub-Advisor's views and outlooks for specific equity markets, regions, sectors and securities. Examples of Long Short Equity Strategies include (i) growth focused strategies, (ii) value focused strategies, (iii) market-neutral strategies (e.g., maintaining net exposures between 20% short and 20% long), (iv) sector-focused strategies (e.g., technology, healthcare, financials) and (v) regionally or country focused strategies (e.g., U.S., Europe, Asia).

· *Relative Value Strategies* – Relative Value Strategies encompass a wide range of investment techniques that are intended to profit from pricing inefficiencies. These strategies generally involve taking a position in one financial instrument and taking an offsetting position in a related instrument in an attempt to profit from incremental changes in the price differential. Examples of Relative Value Strategies are: (a) risk premia strategies; (b) credit long short strategies; (c) credit arbitrage; (d) convertible arbitrage; and (e) volatility arbitrage.

· *Event Driven Strategies* – Event Driven Strategies generally invest in securities of companies undergoing corporate events. These strategies are generally focused on analyzing the impact of the company-specific or transaction-specific event on security valuations. Examples of such company-specific or transaction-specific events include mergers, acquisitions, transfers of assets, tender offers, exchange offers, recapitalizations, liquidations, divestitures, spin-offs, equity restructurings and reorganizations.

· *Global Macro Strategies* – Global Macro Strategies generally focus on macro-economic (economy-wide developments such as changes in unemployment, national income, rate of growth, gross domestic product, inflation and price levels) opportunities across numerous markets and investments. Investments may be long or short and are based on the relative value or direction of a market, a currency, an interest rate, a commodity or any macroeconomic variable. Examples of Global Macro Strategies include discretionary (seeking to profit by tactically investing across different asset classes, markets, and investment opportunities through a combination of fundamental market analysis and quantitative modeling) and systematic (seeking to profit by utilizing quantitative models to identify investment opportunities across

<br> www.franklintempleton.com Prospectus 7

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K2 ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUND

FUND SUMMARY

different asset classes and markets in order to construct a portfolio of investments) macro strategies.

Principal Risks

You could lose money by investing in the Fund. Mutual fund shares are not deposits or obligations of, or guaranteed or endorsed by, any bank, and are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board, or any other agency of the U.S. government.

**Market:** The market values of securities or other investments owned by the Fund will go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. The market value of a security or other investment may be reduced by market activity or other results of supply and demand unrelated to the issuer. This is a basic risk associated with all investments. When there are more sellers than buyers, prices tend to fall. Likewise, when there are more buyers than sellers, prices tend to rise. In addition, the value of the Fund's investments may go up or down due to general market or other conditions that are not specifically related to a particular issuer, such as: real or perceived adverse economic changes, including widespread liquidity issues and defaults in one or more industries; changes in interest, inflation or exchange rates; unexpected natural and man-made world events, such as diseases or disasters; financial, political or social disruptions, including terrorism and war; and U.S. trade disputes or other disputes with specific countries that could result in additional tariffs, trade barriers and/or investment restrictions in certain securities in those countries. Any of these conditions can adversely affect the economic prospects of many companies, sectors, nations, regions and the market in general, in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen.

Stock prices tend to go up and down more dramatically than those of debt securities. A slower-growth or recessionary economic environment could have an adverse effect on the prices of the various stocks held by the Fund.

**Multi-Manager Approach:** The Fund's performance depends on the skill of the Investment Manager in selecting, overseeing, and allocating Fund assets to the Sub-Advisors. The Sub-Advisors' investment styles may not always be complementary. Sub-Advisors make investment decisions independently of one another, and may make decisions that conflict with each other. Moreover, the Fund's multi-manager approach may result in the Fund investing a significant percentage of its assets in certain types of securities, which could be beneficial or detrimental to the Fund's performance depending on the performance of those securities and the overall market environment. The Sub-Advisors may underperform the market generally or underperform other investment managers that could have been selected for the Fund.

<br> 8 Prospectus www.franklintempleton.com

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K2 ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUND

FUND SUMMARY

Some Sub-Advisors may have little or no experience managing the assets of a registered investment company which, unlike the private investment funds these Sub-Advisors have been managing, are subject to daily inflows and outflows of investor cash and are subject to certain legal and tax-related restrictions on their investments and operations.

**Management and Asset Allocation:** The Fund is actively managed and could experience losses if the Investment Manager's and Sub-Advisors' judgment and decisions about markets, future volatility, interest rates, industries, sectors and regions or the attractiveness, relative values, liquidity, effectiveness or potential appreciation of particular investments made for the Fund's portfolio prove to be incorrect. The Investment Manager's allocation of Fund assets among different asset classes, Sub-Advisors and direct investments may not prove beneficial in light of subsequent market events. There can be no guarantee that these techniques or the Investment Manager's and Sub-Advisors' investment decisions will produce the desired results.

The Investment Manager and Sub-Advisors may use modeling systems to implement their investment strategies for the Fund. There is no assurance that the modeling systems are complete or accurate, or representative of future market cycles, nor will they necessarily be beneficial to the Fund even if they are accurate. They may negatively affect Fund performance and the ability of the Fund to meet its investment goal for various reasons including human judgment, inaccuracy of historical data and non-quantitative factors (such as market or trading system dysfunctions, investor fear or over-reaction).

**High-Yield Debt Instruments:** Issuers of lower-rated or "high-yield" debt instruments (also known as "junk bonds") are not as strong financially as those issuing higher credit quality debt instruments. High-yield debt instruments are generally considered predominantly speculative by the applicable rating agencies as their issuers are more likely to encounter financial difficulties because they may be more highly leveraged, or because of other considerations. In addition, high yield debt instruments generally are more vulnerable to changes in the relevant economy, such as a recession or a sustained period of rising interest rates, that could affect their ability to make interest and principal payments when due. The prices of high-yield debt instruments generally fluctuate more than those of higher credit quality. High-yield debt instruments are generally more illiquid (harder to sell) and harder to value.

**Credit:** An issuer of debt securities may fail to make interest payments or repay principal when due, in whole or in part. Changes in an issuer's financial strength or in a security's or government's credit rating may affect a security's value.

**Derivative Instruments:** The performance of derivative instruments depends largely on the performance of an underlying instrument, such as a currency,

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FUND SUMMARY

security, interest rate or index, and such instruments often have risks similar to the underlying instrument, in addition to other risks. Derivatives involve costs and can create economic leverage in the Fund's portfolio which may result in significant volatility and cause the Fund to participate in losses (as well as gains) in an amount that significantly exceeds the Fund's initial investment. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment. Other risks include illiquidity, mispricing or improper valuation of the derivative instrument, and imperfect correlation between the value of the derivative and the underlying instrument so that the Fund may not realize the intended benefits. Their successful use will usually depend on the Investment Manager's and Sub-Advisors' ability to accurately forecast movements in the market relating to the underlying instrument. Should a market or markets, or prices of particular classes of investments move in an unexpected manner, especially in unusual or extreme market conditions, the Fund may not achieve the anticipated benefits of the transaction, and it may realize losses, which could be significant. If the Investment Manager or Sub-Advisor is not successful in using such derivative instruments, the Fund's performance may be worse than if the Investment Manager or Sub-Advisor did not use such derivative instruments at all. When a derivative is used for hedging, the change in value of the derivative may also not correlate specifically with the currency, security, interest rate, index or other risk being hedged. Derivatives also may present the risk that the other party to the transaction will fail to perform. There is also the risk, especially under extreme market conditions, that an instrument, which usually would operate as a hedge, provides no hedging benefits at all.

**Foreign Securities (non-U.S.):** Investing in foreign securities typically involves different risks than investing in U.S. securities, and includes risks associated with: (i) internal and external political and economic developments – e.g., the political, economic and social policies and structures of some foreign countries may be less stable and more volatile than those in the U.S. or some foreign countries may be subject to trading restrictions or economic sanctions; diplomatic and political developments could affect the economies, industries, and securities and currency markets of the countries in which the Fund is invested, which can include rapid and adverse political changes; social instability; regional conflicts; sanctions imposed by the United States, other nations or other governmental entities, including supranational entities; terrorism; and war; (ii) trading practices – e.g., government supervision and regulation of foreign securities and currency markets, trading systems and brokers may be less than in the U.S.; (iii) availability of information – e.g., foreign issuers may not be subject to the same disclosure, accounting and financial reporting standards and practices as U.S. issuers; (iv) limited markets – e.g., the securities of certain foreign issuers may be less liquid (harder to sell) and more volatile; and (v) currency exchange rate fluctuations and policies – e.g., fluctuations may negatively affect investments denominated in foreign currencies and any income received or expenses paid by the Fund in that foreign currency.

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FUND SUMMARY

**Currency Management Strategies:** Currency management strategies may substantially change the Fund's exposure to currency exchange rates and could result in losses to the Fund if currencies do not perform as the Investment Manager or a Sub-Advisor expects. In addition, currency management strategies, to the extent that they reduce the Fund's exposure to currency risks, also reduce the Fund's ability to benefit from favorable changes in currency exchange rates. Using currency management strategies for purposes other than hedging further increases the Fund's exposure to foreign investment losses. Currency markets generally are not as regulated as securities markets. In addition, currency rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time, and can reduce returns.

**Interest Rate:** When interest rates rise, debt security prices generally fall. The opposite is also generally true: debt security prices rise when interest rates fall. Interest rate changes are influenced by a number of factors, including government policy, monetary policy, inflation expectations, perceptions of risk, and supply of and demand for bonds. In general, securities with longer maturities or durations are more sensitive to interest rate changes.

**Short Sales:** Short sales involve the risk that the Fund will incur a loss by subsequently buying a security at a higher price than the price at which the Fund previously sold the security short. This would occur if the securities lender or counterparty to a repurchase agreement required the Fund to deliver the securities the Fund had borrowed/agreed to sell at the commencement of the short sale and the Fund was unable to either purchase the security at a favorable price or to borrow the security from another securities lender. Because the Fund's loss on a short sale arises from increases in the value of the security sold short, such loss, like the price of the security sold short, is theoretically unlimited. Also, engaging in short sales strategies subjects the Fund to additional credit risk if a party to the short sale fails to honor its contractual terms, causing a loss to the Fund.

**Event Driven Investments:** A merger or other restructuring, or a tender or exchange offer, proposed or pending at the time the Fund makes an event driven investment may not be completed on the terms or within the time frame contemplated, which may result in losses to the Fund.

**Convertible Securities:** Convertible securities are subject to the risks of stocks when the underlying stock price is high relative to the conversion price (because more of the security's value resides in the conversion feature) and debt securities when the underlying stock price is low relative to the conversion price (because the conversion feature is less valuable). The value of convertible securities may rise and fall with the market value of the underlying stock or, like a debt security, vary with changes in interest rates and the credit quality of the issuer. A convertible security is not as sensitive to interest rate changes as a similar non-convertible debt security, and generally has less potential for gain or loss than the underlying stock.

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FUND SUMMARY

**Liquidity:** The trading market for a particular security or type of security or other investments in which the Fund invests may become less liquid or even illiquid. Reduced liquidity will have an adverse impact on the Fund's ability to sell such securities or other investments when necessary to meet the Fund's liquidity needs, which may arise or increase in response to a specific economic event or because the investment manager wishes to purchase particular investments or believes that a higher level of liquidity would be advantageous. Reduced liquidity will also generally lower the value of such securities or other investments. Market prices for such securities or other investments may be relatively volatile.

**Investing in Underlying Funds:** Because the Fund invests in underlying funds, and the Fund's performance is directly related to the performance of the underlying funds held by it, the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment goal is directly related to the ability of the underlying funds to meet their investment goals. In addition, shareholders of the Fund will indirectly bear the fees and expenses of the underlying funds.

**Portfolio Turnover:** Active and frequent trading may increase a shareholder's tax liability and the Fund's transaction costs, which could detract from Fund performance.

**Cybersecurity:** Cybersecurity incidents, both intentional and unintentional, may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to Fund assets, Fund or customer data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, cause the Fund, the investment manager, and/or their service providers (including, but not limited to, Fund accountants, custodians, sub-custodians, transfer agents and financial intermediaries) to suffer data breaches, data corruption or loss of operational functionality or prevent Fund investors from purchasing, redeeming or exchanging shares or receiving distributions. The investment manager has limited ability to prevent or mitigate cybersecurity incidents affecting third party service providers, and such third party service providers may have limited indemnification obligations to the Fund or the investment manager. Cybersecurity incidents may result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders, and substantial costs may be incurred in an effort to prevent or mitigate future cybersecurity incidents. Issuers of securities in which the Fund invests are also subject to cybersecurity risks, and the value of these securities could decline if the issuers experience cybersecurity incidents.

Because technology is frequently changing, new ways to carry out cyber attacks are always developing. Therefore, there is a chance that some risks have not been identified or prepared for, or that an attack may not be detected, which puts limitations on the Fund's ability to plan for or respond to a cyber attack. Like other funds and business enterprises, the Fund, the investment manager, and their service providers are subject to the risk of cyber incidents occurring from time to time.

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K2 ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUND

FUND SUMMARY

Performance

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows changes in the Fund's performance from year to year for Class A shares. The table shows how the Fund's average annual returns for 1 year, 5 years, 10 years or since inception, as applicable, compared with those of a broad measure of market performance and additional indexes with characteristics relevant to the Fund. The Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. You can obtain updated performance information at www.franklintempleton.com or by calling (800) DIAL BEN/342-5236.

Sales charges are not reflected in the bar chart, and if those charges were included, returns would be less than those shown.

#### Class A Annual Total Returns
![PerformanceBarChartData(2015:-0.12, 2016:1.68, 2017:6.57, 2018:-2.36, 2019:7.18, 2020:7.03, 2021:2.62, 2022:-8.15, 2023:2.61, 2024:11.4)](img_f7cfce0a2d714f2.jpg)

---

| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| Best Quarter:  | 2020, Q4 | 5.56% |
| Worst Quarter:  | 2020, Q1 | -6.96% |

---

As of June 30, 2025, the Fund's year-to-date return was 2.75%.<br>

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FUND SUMMARY

#### Average Annual Total Returns
(figures reflect sales charges)

For periods ended December 31, 2024

---

| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  | **1 Year** | **5 Years** | **10 Years** |
| **K2 Alternative Strategies Fund - Class A** |  |  |  |
| Return before taxes | 5.23% | 1.73% | 2.13% |
| Return after taxes on distributions | 0.81% | 0.36% | 1.23% |
| Return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares | 3.13% | 0.86% | 1.34% |
| **K2 Alternative Strategies Fund - Class C** | 9.53% | 2.12% | 1.94% |
| **K2 Alternative Strategies Fund - Class R** | 10.98% | 2.63% | 2.40% |
| **K2 Alternative Strategies Fund - Class R6** | 11.68% | 3.21% | 3.04% |
| **K2 Alternative Strategies Fund - Advisor Class**  | 11.61% | 3.15% | 2.96% |
| MSCI All Country World Index-NR (index reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes but are net of dividend tax withholding) | 17.49% | 10.06% | 9.23% |
| HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index (index reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | 5.27% | 2.81% | 1.99% |
| ICE BofA US 3-Month Treasury Bill Index (index reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | 5.25% | 2.46% | 1.77% |

---

No one index is representative of the Fund's portfolio.

The figures in the average annual total returns table above reflect the Class A shares maximum front-end sales charge of 5.50%. Prior to September 10, 2018, Class A shares were subject to a maximum front-end sales charge of 5.75%. If the prior maximum front-end sales charge of 5.75% was reflected, performance for Class A shares in the average annual total returns table would be lower.

The after-tax returns presented in the table are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-advantaged arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns are shown only for Class A and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.

Important data provider notices and terms are available at www.franklintempletondatasources.com. Such information is subject to change.

Investment Manager

K2/D&S Management Co., L.L.C. (doing business as K2 Advisors). Effective on or about January 1, 2026, the investment management services provided by K2 Advisors will be transferred to Franklin Advisers, Inc. (Advisers).

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FUND SUMMARY

Portfolio Managers

**Robert Christian**

Senior Vice President and Head of Absolute Return Portfolio Management, K2 Advisors and portfolio manager of the Fund since 2014. Effective on or about January 1, 2026, Mr. Christian will become a portfolio manager of Advisers.

**Lillian C. Knight, CFA**

Head of Investment Management of K2 Advisors and portfolio manager of the Fund since 2024. Effective on or about January 1, 2026, Ms. Knight will become a portfolio manager of Advisers.

**Art Vinokur, CFA**

Senior Vice President and Head of Manager Research of K2 Advisors and portfolio manager of the Fund since 2024. Effective on or about January 1, 2026, Mr. Vinokur will become a portfolio manager of Advisers.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

You may purchase or redeem shares of the Fund on any business day online through our website at www.franklintempleton.com, by mail (Franklin Templeton Investor Services, P.O. Box 33030, St. Petersburg, FL 33733), or by telephone at (800) 632-2301. For Class A, C and R, the minimum initial purchase for most accounts is $1,000 (or $25 under an automatic investment plan). Class R6 and Advisor Class are only available to certain qualified investors and the minimum initial investment will vary depending on the type of qualified investor, as described under "Your Account — Choosing a Share Class — Qualified Investors — Class R6" and "— Advisor Class" in the Fund's prospectus. There is no minimum investment for subsequent purchases.

Taxes

The Fund's distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case your distributions would generally be taxed when withdrawn from the tax-advantaged account.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another

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investment. Ask your financial advisor or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.

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K2 ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUND

FUND DETAILS

### Fund Details
Investment Goal

The Fund's investment goal is to seek capital appreciation with lower volatility relative to the broad equity markets. The Fund's investment goal is non-fundamental, which means it may be changed by the board of trustees without shareholder approval. Shareholders will be given at least 60 days' advance notice of any change to the Fund's investment goal.

Principal Investment Policies and Practices

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment goal by predominantly allocating its assets across multiple non-traditional or "alternative" strategies, including, but not limited to, some or all of the following strategies: Long Short Equity, Relative Value, Event Driven and Global Macro, each of which is described below. The Fund's portfolio is structured as a multi-manager fund (meaning the Fund's assets are managed by the Investment Manager and multiple sub-advisors), with the Investment Manager having overall responsibility for the Fund's investments.

The Investment Manager may allocate a substantial portion or, at times, up to all, of the Fund's assets among multiple Sub-Advisors and investment funds, including private and registered investment vehicles and exchange-traded funds ("ETFs"). The Investment Manager may also directly manage a portion or significant portion of the Fund's assets which are not allocated to Sub-Advisors to implement the Fund's non-traditional or "alternative" strategies, and through investment in various investment funds and for cash management. In addition, the Investment Manager may also directly manage a small portion or a portion of the Fund's assets using derivatives and other instruments to adjust the Fund's net exposure to markets, asset classes and sectors in a manner consistent with its Strategic Overlay, as described below. The Investment Manager and each Sub-Advisor are responsible for the day-to-day investment decisions for the portion of the Fund allocated to it, although the Investment Manager may, in its sole discretion, develop performance benchmarks and investment guidelines with the Sub-Advisors. The allocations to the Sub-Advisors are determined by the Investment Manager in its sole discretion and assets managed by a Sub-Advisor may be reallocated by the Investment Manager, in its sole discretion, to any other Sub-Advisor or to itself.

The Fund may invest in a wide range of securities and other investments including, but not limited to: equity securities, including common stocks, preferred stocks, convertible securities, rights and warrants, private and registered investment vehicles and ETFs; debt securities including bonds, notes, debentures, banker's acceptances and commercial paper; loans and loan participations; and mortgage-backed or asset-backed securities, including collateralized debt obligations.

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FUND DETAILS

The Fund may invest in securities of U.S. and foreign companies, including those located in emerging markets, of any capitalization size. Up to 15% of the Fund's net assets may be invested in illiquid investments. In addition, the debt securities in which the Fund may invest may have variable or fixed interest rates, may be of any maturity or credit rating, and may include sovereign debt, high yield ("junk") bonds and distressed debt securities (securities of companies that are, or are about to be, involved in reorganizations, financial restructurings, or bankruptcy) and securities that are in default. The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading as part of its investment strategies.

The Fund may take long and/or short positions in a wide range of asset classes, including equities, fixed income, commodities and currencies, among others. Long positions benefit from an increase in the price of the underlying instrument or asset class, while short positions benefit from a decrease in that price.

The Fund may invest in commodity-linked and other derivative instruments either directly or through a wholly-owned subsidiary (Subsidiary) established in the Cayman Islands. The purpose of investing in commodity-linked and other derivative instruments through the Subsidiary is to cause all income or gains from such commodity-related investments to qualify as "good income" for the Fund under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the Code). The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in the Subsidiary. For a more complete discussion of the tax consequences of the Fund's investment in the Subsidiary, see "Distributions and Taxes" in the "Fund Details" section. The Fund may also gain exposure to commodity-linked derivatives through investments in other investment companies or ETFs.

The Fund may also use derivatives for both hedging and non-hedging (investment) purposes, although neither the Investment Manager nor any Sub-Advisor is required to hedge any of the Fund's positions or to use derivatives. The Fund's derivative investments may include, among other instruments: (i) futures contracts, including futures based on equity or fixed income securities and indices, interest rate/bond futures, currency futures, currency index futures, and options thereon; (ii) swaps, including equity, currency, interest rate, total return and credit default swaps and options thereon; (iii) options, including call options and put options on indices, individual securities, currencies and exchange-traded funds; and (iv) currency forward contracts. These derivatives may be used to enhance Fund returns, increase liquidity, gain exposure to certain instruments or markets in a more efficient or less expensive way and/or hedge risks associated with its other portfolio investments. The results of such transactions may also represent, from time to time, a material component of the Fund's investment returns. As a result of the Fund's use of derivatives, the Fund may have economic leverage, which means the sum of the Fund's investment exposures through its use of derivatives may

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significantly exceed the amount of assets invested in the Fund, although these exposures may vary over time.

A futures contract is a standard binding agreement that trades on an exchange to buy or sell a specified quantity of an underlying instrument or asset at a specified price at a specified later date. A "sale" of a futures contract means the acquisition of a contractual obligation to deliver the underlying instrument called for by the contract at a specified price on a specified date. A "purchase" of a futures contract means the acquisition of a contractual obligation to acquire a specified quantity of the underlying instrument called for by the contract at a specified price on a specified date. The purchase or sale of a futures contract will allow the Fund to increase or decrease its exposure to the underlying instrument or asset. Although most futures contracts used by the Fund allow for a cash payment of the net gain or loss on the contract at maturity in lieu of delivery of the underlying instruments, some require the actual delivery or acquisition of the underlying instrument or asset. The Fund may buy and sell futures contracts that trade on U.S. and foreign exchanges.

A currency forward contract is an obligation to purchase or sell a specific foreign currency at an agreed exchange rate (price) at a future date. Currency forwards are typically individually negotiated and privately traded by currency traders and their customers in the interbank market. A cross currency forward is a forward contract to sell a specific foreign currency in exchange for another foreign currency and may be used when the Fund believes that the price of one of those foreign currencies will experience a substantial movement against the other foreign currency. A cross currency forward will tend to reduce or eliminate exposure to the currency that is sold, and increase exposure to the currency that is purchased, similar to when the Fund sells a security denominated in one currency and purchases a security denominated in another currency. When used for hedging purposes, a cross currency forward will protect the Fund against losses resulting from a decline in the hedged currency, but will cause the Fund to assume the risk of fluctuations in the value of the currency it purchases.

Swap agreements, such as interest rate, total return and credit default swaps, are contracts between the Fund and another party (the swap counterparty) involving the exchange of payments on specified terms over periods ranging from a few days to multiple years. A swap agreement may be negotiated bilaterally and traded over-the-counter (OTC) between the two parties (for an uncleared swap) or, in some instances, must be transacted through a futures commission merchant (FCM) and cleared through a clearinghouse that serves as a central counterparty (for a cleared swap). In a basic swap transaction, the Fund agrees with the swap counterparty to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) and/or cash flows earned or realized on a particular "notional amount" of underlying instruments. The notional amount is the set amount selected by the parties as the basis on which to calculate

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the obligations that they have agreed to exchange. The parties typically do not actually exchange the notional amount. Instead, they agree to exchange the returns that would be earned or realized if the notional amount were invested in given instruments or at given interest rates. For credit default swaps, the "buyer" of the credit default swap agreement is obligated to pay the "seller" a periodic stream of payments over the term of the agreement in return for a payment by the seller that is contingent upon the occurrence of a credit event with respect to an underlying reference debt obligation. The buyer of the credit default swap is purchasing the obligation of its counterparty to offset losses if there was such a credit event. Generally, a credit event means bankruptcy, failure to timely pay interest or principal, obligation acceleration or default, or repudiation or restructuring of the reference debt obligation. The contingent payment by the seller generally is either the face amount of the reference debt obligation in exchange for the physical delivery of the reference debt obligation or a cash payment equal to the decrease in market value of the reference debt obligation following the occurrence of the credit event. An interest rate swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange interest rate payment obligations. Typically, one is based on an interest rate fixed to maturity while the other is based on an interest rate that changes in accordance with changes in a designated benchmark (for example, LIBOR, prime, commercial paper, or other benchmarks). A currency swap is generally a contract between two parties to exchange one currency for another currency at the start of the contract and then exchange periodic floating or fixed rates during the term of the contract based upon the relative value differential between the two currencies. Unlike other types of swaps, currency swaps typically involve the delivery of the entire principal (notional) amounts of the two currencies at the time the swap is entered into. At the end of the swap contract, the parties receive back the principal amounts of the two currencies. A total return swap is an agreement between two parties pursuant to which one pays (and the other receives) an amount equal to the total return (including, typically, income and capital gains distributions, principle prepayment or credit losses) of an underlying reference asset (e.g., a note, bond or securities index) in exchange for a regular payment at a floating rate based on LIBOR, or alternatively at a fixed rate or the total rate of return on another financial instrument. The Fund may take either position in a total return swap (i.e., the Fund may receive or pay the total return on the underlying reference asset).

#### Investment Management
The Investment Manager is responsible for (i) the hiring and termination of Sub-Advisors, subject to the Board's oversight and approval; (ii) monitoring the overall investment performance of the Sub-Advisors; (iii) allocating and re-allocating assets of the Fund among the Sub-Advisors and/or any investment funds in which the Fund may invest; and (iv) cash management. The Investment Manager may also, directly manage the Fund's assets to implement the Fund's non-traditional or

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"alternative" strategies and to implement the Strategic Overlay strategy. The Investment Manager's quantitative and qualitative oversight of the Fund's investment program aims to allocate assets among various strategies and select Sub-Advisors (or the Investment Manager) and/or investment funds that it believes are well-positioned to capture unique investment opportunities while preserving capital.

The Investment Manager typically first allocates the Fund's assets among various alternative investment strategies and to the Strategic Overlay strategy utilizing a top-down approach, generating the Fund's strategy weightings by taking into account market conditions, risk factors, diversification, liquidity, transparency, and availability of various Sub-Advisors and other investment options, among other things. The Investment Manager typically then allocates the Fund's assets to specific Sub-Advisors and/or retains a portion of the Fund's assets to manage itself utilizing a bottom-up approach, selecting Sub-Advisors, the portion of the Fund's assets it retains to manage directly, and weightings within the Fund's portfolio by taking into account their correlation to various markets and to each other, risk profiles and their return expectations. From time to time, the Fund may have little or no assets allocated to any one particular strategy, Sub-Advisor or retained by the Investment Manager in light of economic or other conditions, as determined by the Investment Manager in its sole discretion.

With regard to its allocations to Sub-Advisors, the Investment Manager identifies, evaluates and selects appropriate Sub-Advisors based on its investment due diligence process, which includes, but is not limited to, evaluation of a prospective Sub-Advisor's strategy and people, investment process, risk-return profiles, and operational and compliance processes. From time to time, the Fund may have little or no assets allocated to any one particular strategy in light of economic or other conditions (including the availability of Sub-Advisors), as determined by the Investment Manager in its sole discretion.

The Investment Manager's Strategic Overlay strategy seeks to manage the portfolio's net exposure to the markets by neutralizing, maintaining or augmenting certain market sensitivities, based on the Investment Manager's assessment of current and anticipated market environments. The Strategic Overlay primarily involves adjustments made to augment the net equity exposure or "beta" of the Fund, but may also include adjusting the exposure to certain markets, asset classes and/or sectors through taking long and short positions in derivatives (such as futures, swaps, currency forwards and options), short-term U.S. government securities and other instruments. The amount of Fund assets allocated to the Strategic Overlay is expected to vary depending on the Investment Manager's assessment of current and anticipated market conditions and other risk factors. The Strategic Overlay strategy may, at times, reduce the Fund's ability to benefit from positive market movements.

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FUND DETAILS

The Investment Manager intends to primarily allocate the Fund's assets to Sub-Advisors and investment funds, and/or retain a portion of the Fund's assets to manage itself, to implement some or all of the strategies discussed below. The descriptions of such investment strategies are subjective, are not complete descriptions of any strategy and may differ from classifications made by other investment firms that implement similar investment strategies. In the future, the Investment Manager may also determine to allocate the Fund's assets to Sub-Advisors, and/or retain a portion of the Fund's assets to manage itself, and allocate to investment funds employing other strategies not described herein.

*Long Short Equity Strategies* – Long Short Equity Strategies generally seek to produce returns from investments in the equity markets by taking long and short positions in stocks and stock indices (through the use of derivatives or through a short position in an ETF). These strategies are generally focused on capitalizing on the Sub-Advisor's views and outlooks for specific equity markets, regions, sectors and securities. Typically, a Sub-Advisor uses fundamental research to identify undervalued companies in which it invests long and overvalued companies that it sells short. This strategy generally does not rely solely on the direction of the markets for performance because the Sub-Advisors typically believe the Fund can profit from both upward and downward market and securities movements. At times, Long Short Equity Strategies may underperform in strong bull markets because their short exposure can be a detractor in a rising market. However, they can outperform in bear markets and more normal market environments where stock selection and exposure management can both contribute to returns. Examples of Long Short Equity Strategies include (i) growth focused strategies, (ii) value focused strategies, (iii) market-neutral strategies (e.g., maintaining net exposures between 20% short and 20% long), (iv) sector-focused strategies (e.g., technology, healthcare, financials) and (v) regionally focused strategies (e.g., U.S., Europe, Asia).

*Relative Value Strategies* – Relative Value Strategies encompass a wide range of investment techniques that are intended to profit from pricing inefficiencies. These strategies generally involve taking a position in one financial instrument and taking an offsetting position in a related instrument in an attempt to profit from incremental changes in the price differential. Relative Value Strategies employ a variety of fundamental and quantitative techniques and are implemented in a manner intended to limit the impact of market direction on performance. The Sub-Advisors may invest in a broad range of asset classes and securities in order to implement a relative value strategy including equity securities, debt securities, convertible securities, derivatives instruments or other securities types. Examples of Relative Value Strategies are: (a) risk premia strategies (systematic strategies that seek to profit from persistent behavioral and/or structural anomalies or other factors); (b) credit long short strategies (long and short investments in credit-related securities);

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(c) credit arbitrage (long investments in an issuer's security that is senior or junior to securities elsewhere in the issuer's capital structure where the Fund has a short position, with the expectation that the relative prices of the issuer's two securities will converge); (d) convertible arbitrage (long investments in a convertible bond and short investments in related equity or debt securities in an attempt to profit from the mispricing between the two securities); and (e) volatility arbitrage (long and short investments in volatility positions, typically through options).

*Event Driven Strategies* – Event Driven Strategies generally invest in securities of companies undergoing corporate events. These strategies are generally focused on analyzing the impact of the company-specific or transaction-specific event on security valuations. Examples of such company-specific or transaction-specific events include mergers, acquisitions, transfers of assets, tender offers, exchange offers, recapitalizations, liquidations, divestitures, spin-offs, equity restructurings and reorganizations. Sub-Advisors may pursue any of these types of situations by making investments that are directional (both long and short), relative value, or trading-oriented. The Sub-Advisors may invest in securities including equities, bonds or corporate loans, along with derivatives and broad market indices. Success in the strategy depends on correctly estimating the value of relevant securities leading up to and after the event takes place, along with assigning the correct probability to the timing and outcome of the event in question.

*Global Macro Strategies* – Global Macro Strategies generally focus on macro-economic opportunities across numerous markets and investments. Macro-economic opportunities result from economy-wide developments such as changes in unemployment, national income, rate of growth, gross domestic product, inflation and price levels. Investments may be long or short and are based on the relative value or direction of a market, a currency, an interest rate, a commodity or any other macroeconomic variable. Security types range from cash securities, futures contracts and derivatives instruments, and may include asset classes such as equities, fixed income, currencies or commodities. Macroeconomic data and knowledge of the geopolitical landscape are central to the investment process. Examples of Global Macro Strategies include discretionary and systematic macro strategies. Discretionary macro strategies typically seek to profit by tactically investing across different asset classes, markets, and investment opportunities through a combination of fundamental market analysis and quantitative modeling. While the markets they invest in may be diverse, Sub-Advisors in these strategies may hold more concentrated positions in a limited number of markets and/or asset classes at any one time. Systematic macro strategies generally seek to profit by utilizing quantitative models to identify investment opportunities across different asset classes and markets in order to construct a portfolio of investments.

The identity and number of Sub-Advisors employed by the Investment Manager, and the amount of Fund assets allocated among them, will change over time.

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When the Investment Manager believes market or economic conditions are unfavorable for investors, the Investment Manager may invest up to 100% of the Fund's assets in a temporary defensive manner by holding all or a substantial portion of its assets in cash, cash equivalents or other high quality short-term investments. Temporary defensive investments generally may include short-term U.S. government securities, commercial paper, short-term bank time deposits, bankers' acceptances and money market fund shares (including shares of an affiliated money market fund), or derivative instruments. In these circumstances, the Fund may be unable to achieve its investment goal.

Principal Risks

**Market:** The market values of securities or other investments owned by the Fund will go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. The Fund's investments may decline in value due to factors affecting individual issuers (such as the results of supply and demand), or sectors within the securities markets. The value of a security or other investment also may go up or down due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular issuer, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in interest rates, inflation or exchange rates, or adverse investor sentiment generally. Furthermore, events involving limited liquidity, defaults, non-performance or other adverse developments that affect one industry, such as the financial services industry, or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds, have in the past and may in the future lead to market-wide liquidity problems, may spread to other industries, and could negatively affect the value and liquidity of the Fund's investments. In addition, unexpected events and their aftermaths, such as the spread of diseases; natural, environmental or man-made disasters; financial, political or social disruptions; terrorism and war; and other tragedies or catastrophes, can cause investor fear and panic, which can adversely affect the economic prospects of many companies, sectors, nations, regions and the market in general, in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value. When markets perform well, there can be no assurance that securities or other investments held by the Fund will participate in or otherwise benefit from the advance.

The long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its subsequent variants on economies, markets, industries and individual issuers is not known. The U.S. government and the Federal Reserve, as well as certain foreign governments and central banks, took extraordinary actions to support local and global economies and the financial markets in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This and other government intervention into the economy and financial markets have resulted in a large expansion of government deficits and debt, the long-term consequences of which are not known.

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The United States and various countries are currently involved in disputes over trade and other matters, which may result in tariffs, investment restrictions and other adverse impacts on affected companies and securities. Trade disputes may adversely affect the economies of the United States and its trading partners, as well as companies directly or indirectly affected by tariffs or restrictions and financial markets generally. For example, the United States has imposed tariffs and other trade barriers on Chinese exports, has restricted sales of certain categories of goods to China, and has established barriers to investments in China. The United States government has prohibited U.S. persons from investing in Chinese companies designated as related to the Chinese military. These and possible future restrictions could limit the Fund's opportunities for investment and require the sale of securities at a loss or make them illiquid. Moreover, the Chinese government is involved in a longstanding dispute with Taiwan that has included threats of invasion. If the political climate between the United States and China does not improve or continues to deteriorate, if China were to attempt unification of Taiwan by force, or if other geopolitical conflicts develop or get worse, economies, markets and individual securities may be severely affected both regionally and globally, and the value of the Fund's assets may go down.

Stock prices tend to go up and down more dramatically than those of debt securities. A slower-growth or recessionary economic environment could have an adverse effect on the prices of the various stocks held by the Fund.

**Multi-Manager Approach:** The Fund's performance depends on the skill of the Investment Manager in selecting, overseeing, and allocating Fund assets to the Sub-Advisors. The Sub-Advisors' investment styles may not always be complementary. Sub-Advisors make investment decisions independently of one another, and may make decisions that conflict with each other. For example, it is possible that a Sub-Advisor may purchase a security for the Fund at the same time that another Sub-Advisor sells the same security, resulting in higher expenses without accomplishing any net investment result; or that several Sub-Advisors purchase the same security at the same time, without aggregating their transactions, resulting in higher expenses. Moreover, the Fund's multi-manager approach may result in the Fund investing a significant percentage of its assets in certain types of securities, which could be beneficial or detrimental to the Fund's performance depending on the performance of those securities and the overall market environment. The Sub-Advisors may underperform the market generally or underperform other investment managers that could have been selected for the Fund.

Some Sub-Advisors may have little or no experience managing the assets of a registered investment company which, unlike the private investment funds these Sub-Advisors have been managing, are subject to daily inflows and outflows of investor cash and are subject to certain legal and tax-related restrictions on their

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investments and operations. In addition, the Sub-Advisors may manage other investment accounts with performance-based fees, which could create a conflict of interest for the portfolio managers in managing the Fund and such other accounts. Subject to the overall supervision of the Fund's investment program by the Investment Manager, each Sub-Advisor is responsible, with respect to the portion of the Fund's assets it manages, for compliance with the Fund's investment strategies and applicable law and for the prevention of conflicts of interest.

**Management and Asset Allocation: The Fund is actively managed and could experience losses if the Investment Manager's and Sub-Advisors' judgment and decisions about markets, future volatility, interest rates, industries, sectors and regions or the attractiveness, relative values, liquidity, effectiveness or potential appreciation of particular investments made for the Fund's portfolio prove to be incorrect. The Investment Manager's allocation of Fund assets among different strategies, Sub-Advisors, and direct investments may not prove beneficial in light of subsequent market events. There can be no guarantee that these techniques or the Investment Manager's and Sub-Advisors' investment decisions will produce the desired results. Additionally, legislative, regulatory, or tax developments may affect the investment techniques available to the Investment Manager and Sub-Advisors in connection with managing the Fund and may also adversely affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment goal.**

The Investment Manager and Sub-Advisors may use modeling systems to implement their investment strategies for the Fund. There is no assurance that the modeling systems are complete or accurate, or representative of future market cycles, nor will they necessarily be beneficial to the Fund even if they are accurate. The results generated by these models may perform differently than in the past, or as expected. They may negatively affect Fund performance and the ability of the Fund to meet its investment goal for various reasons. For example, human judgment plays a role in building, using, testing, and modifying the financial algorithms and formulas used in these models. Additionally, there is a possibility that the historical data may be imprecise or become stale due to new events or changing circumstances which the models may not promptly detect. Market performance can be affected by non-quantitative factors (for example, market or trading system dysfunctions, investor fear or over-reaction or other emotional considerations) that are not easily integrated into the Investment Manager's or Sub-Advisors' risk models. There may also be technical issues with the construction and implementation of quantitative models (for example, software or other technology malfunctions, or programming inaccuracies).

**High-Yield Debt Instruments:** High-yield debt instruments (including loans) and unrated instruments of similar credit quality (high-yield debt instruments or junk bonds) involve greater risk of a complete loss of the Fund's investment, or delays of interest and principal payments, than higher-quality debt instruments or loans.

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Issuers of high-yield debt instruments are not as strong financially as those issuing securities of higher credit quality. High-yield debt instruments are generally considered predominantly speculative by the applicable rating agencies as these issuers are more likely to encounter financial difficulties because they may be more highly leveraged, or because of other considerations. In addition, high yield debt instruments generally are more vulnerable to changes in the relevant economy, such as a recession or a sustained period of rising interest rates, that could affect their ability to make interest and principal payments when due. If an issuer stops making interest and/or principal payments, payments on the securities may never resume. These instruments may be worthless and the Fund could lose its entire investment.

The prices of high-yield debt instruments generally fluctuate more than higher-quality securities. Prices are especially sensitive to developments affecting the issuer's business or operations and to changes in the ratings assigned by rating agencies. In addition, the entire high-yield debt market can experience sudden and sharp price swings due to changes in economic conditions, stock market activity, large sustained sales by major investors, a high-profile default, or other factors. Prices of corporate high-yield debt instruments often are closely linked with the company's stock prices and typically rise and fall in response to factors that affect stock prices.

High-yield debt instruments are generally less liquid than higher-quality securities. Many of these instruments are not registered for sale under the federal securities laws and/or do not trade frequently. When they do trade, their prices may be significantly higher or lower than expected. At times, it may be difficult to sell these securities promptly at an acceptable price, which may limit the Fund's ability to sell securities in response to specific economic events or to meet redemption requests. As a result, certain high-yield debt instruments generally pose greater illiquidity and valuation risks.

Substantial declines in the prices of high-yield debt instruments can dramatically increase the yield of such instruments. The decline in market prices generally reflects an expectation that the issuer(s) may be at greater risk of defaulting on the obligation to pay interest and principal when due. Therefore, substantial increases in yield may reflect a greater risk by the Fund of losing some or part of its investment rather than reflecting any increase in income from the higher yield that the debt instrument may pay to the Fund on its investment.

**Credit:** The Fund could lose money on a debt security if the issuer or borrower is unable or fails to meet its obligations, including failing to make interest payments and/or to repay principal when due. Changes in an issuer's financial strength, the market's perception of the issuer's financial strength or an issuer's or security's credit rating, which reflects a third party's assessment of the credit risk presented by a particular issuer or security, may affect debt securities' values. The Fund may

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incur substantial losses on debt securities that are inaccurately perceived to present a different amount of credit risk by the market, the Investment Manager or the Sub-Advisors or the rating agencies than such securities actually do.

**Derivative Instruments:** The performance of derivative instruments depends largely on the performance of an underlying instrument, such as a currency, security, interest rate, index and such instruments often have risks similar to the underlying instrument, in addition to other risks. Derivative instruments involve costs and can create economic leverage in the Fund's portfolio, which may result in significant volatility and cause the Fund to participate in losses (as well as gains) in an amount that significantly exceeds the Fund's initial investment. Other risks include illiquidity, mispricing or improper valuation of the derivative instrument, and imperfect correlation between the value of the derivative and the underlying instrument so that the Fund may not realize the intended benefits. Their successful use will usually depend on the Investment Manager's or Sub-Advisors' ability to accurately forecast movements in the market relating to the underlying instrument. Should a market or markets, or prices of particular classes of investments move in an unexpected manner, especially in unusual or extreme market conditions, the Fund may not realize the anticipated benefits of the transaction, and it may realize losses, which could be significant. If the Investment Manager or Sub-Advisor is not successful in using such derivative instruments, the Fund's performance may be worse than if the Investment Manager or Sub-Advisor did not use such derivative instruments at all. When a derivative is used for hedging, the change in value of the derivative instrument also may not correlate specifically with the currency, security, interest rate, index or other risk being hedged. There is also the risk, especially under extreme market conditions, that an instrument, which usually would operate as a hedge, provides no hedging benefits at all.

Use of these instruments could also result in a loss if the counterparty to the transaction does not perform as promised, including because of such counterparty's bankruptcy or insolvency. This risk is heightened with respect to over-the-counter (OTC) instruments, such as certain swap agreements, and may be greater during volatile market conditions. Other risks include the inability to close out a position because the trading market becomes illiquid (particularly in the OTC markets) or the availability of counterparties becomes limited for a period of time. In addition, the presence of speculators in a particular market could lead to price distortions. To the extent that the Fund is unable to close out a position because of market illiquidity, the Fund may not be able to prevent further losses of value in its derivatives holdings. Some derivatives can be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates or other market prices. Investors should bear in mind that, while the Fund intends to use derivative strategies on a regular basis, it is not obligated to actively engage in these transactions, generally or in any particular

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kind of derivative, if the Investment Manager or Sub-Advisor elects not to do so due to availability, cost or other factors.

Many swaps currently are, and others eventually are expected to be, required to be cleared through a central counterparty. Central clearing is designed to reduce counterparty credit risk and increase liquidity compared to OTC swaps, but it does not eliminate those risks completely. With cleared swaps, there is also a risk of loss by the Fund of its initial and variation margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of the futures commission merchant (FCM) with which the Fund has an open position, or the central counterparty in a swap contract. With cleared swaps, the Fund may not be able to obtain as favorable terms as it would be able to negotiate for a bilateral, uncleared swap. In addition, an FCM may unilaterally amend the terms of its agreement with the Fund, which may include the imposition of position limits or additional margin requirements with respect to the Fund's investment in certain types of swaps. The regulation of cleared and uncleared swaps, as well as other derivatives, is a rapidly changing area of law and is subject to modification by government and judicial action. In addition, the SEC, Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the exchanges are authorized to take extraordinary actions in the event of a market emergency. It is not possible to predict fully the effects of current or future regulation.

The use of derivative strategies may also have a tax impact on the Fund. The timing and character of income, gains or losses from these strategies could impair the ability of the Investment Manager or Sub-Advisor to use derivatives when it wishes to do so.

**Foreign Securities (non-U.S.):** Investing in foreign securities, including sovereign debt securities, typically involves different risks than investing in U.S. securities, including risks related to currency exchange rates and policies, country or government specific issues, less favorable trading practices or regulation and greater price volatility. Certain of these risks also may apply to securities of U.S. companies with significant foreign operations.

Currency exchange rates: Foreign securities may be issued and traded in foreign currencies. As a result, their market values in U.S. dollars may be affected by changes in exchange rates between such foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar, as well as between currencies of countries other than the U.S. For example, if the value of the U.S. dollar goes up compared to a foreign currency, an investment traded in that foreign currency will go down in value because it will be worth fewer U.S. dollars. The Fund accrues additional expenses when engaging in currency exchange transactions, and valuation of the Fund's foreign securities may be subject to greater risk because both the currency (relative to the U.S. dollar) and the security must be considered.

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Currency management strategies: Currency management strategies may substantially change the Fund's exposure to currency exchange rates and could result in losses to the Fund if currencies do not perform as the Investment Manager or a Sub-Advisor expects. In addition, currency management strategies, to the extent that they reduce the Fund's exposure to currency risks, also reduce the Fund's ability to benefit from favorable changes in currency exchange rates. There is no assurance that the Investment Manager's or a Sub-Advisor's use of currency management strategies will benefit the Fund or that they will be, or can be, used at appropriate times. Furthermore, there may not be perfect correlation between the amount of exposure to a particular currency and the amount of securities in the Fund's portfolio denominated in that currency. Investing in foreign currencies for purposes of gaining from projected changes in exchange rates, as opposed to hedging currency risks applicable to the Fund's holdings, further increases the Fund's exposure to foreign investment losses.

Political and economic developments: The political, economic and social policies or structures of some foreign countries may be less stable and more volatile than those in the United States. Investments in these countries may be subject to greater risks of internal and external conflicts, expropriation, nationalization of assets, foreign exchange controls (such as suspension of the ability to transfer currency from a given country), restrictions on removal of assets, political or social instability, military action or unrest, diplomatic developments, currency devaluations, foreign ownership limitations, and substantial, punitive or confiscatory tax increases. It is possible that a government may take over the assets or operations of a company or impose restrictions on the exchange or export of currency or other assets. Some countries also may have different legal systems that may make it difficult or expensive for the Fund to vote proxies, exercise shareholder rights, and pursue legal remedies with respect to its foreign investments. Diplomatic and political developments could affect the economies, industries, and securities and currency markets of the countries in which the Fund is invested. These developments include rapid and adverse political changes; social instability; regional conflicts; sanctions imposed by the United States, other nations or other governmental entities, including supranational entities; terrorism; and war. In addition, such developments could contribute to the devaluation of a country's currency, a downgrade in the credit ratings of issuers in such country, or a decline in the value and liquidity of securities of issuers in that country. An imposition of sanctions upon, or other government actions impacting, certain issuers in a country could result in (i) an immediate freeze of that issuer's securities, impairing the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, receive or deliver those securities or (ii) other limitations on the Fund's ability to invest or hold such securities. These factors would affect the value of the Fund's investments and are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to predict and take into account with respect to the Fund's investments.

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Sovereign debt securities: Sovereign debt securities are subject to various risks in addition to those relating to debt securities and foreign securities generally, including, but not limited to, the risk that a governmental entity may be unwilling or unable to pay interest and repay principal on its sovereign debt, or otherwise meet its obligations when due because of cash flow problems, insufficient foreign reserves, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the government's policy towards principal international lenders such as the International Monetary Fund, or the political considerations to which the government may be subject. Sovereign debtors also may be dependent on expected disbursements from other foreign governments or multinational agencies and the country's access to, or balance of, trade. If a sovereign debtor defaults (or threatens to default) on its sovereign debt obligations, the indebtedness may be restructured. Restructuring may include obtaining additional credit to finance outstanding obligations, reduction and rescheduling of payments of interest and principal, or negotiation of new or amended credit and security agreements. Unlike most corporate debt restructurings, the fees and expenses of financial and legal advisers to the creditors in connection with a restructuring may be borne by the holders of the sovereign debt securities instead of the sovereign entity itself. Some sovereign debtors have in the past been able to restructure their debt payments without the approval of some or all debt holders or to declare moratoria on payments, and similar occurrences may happen in the future.

In the event of a default on sovereign debt, the Fund may have limited legal recourse against the defaulting government entity. As a sovereign entity, the issuing government may be immune from lawsuits in the event of its failure or refusal to pay the obligations when due, and any rights the Fund may have may be restricted pursuant to the terms of applicable treaties with such sovereign entity. If a sovereign entity defaults, it may request additional time in which to pay or for further loans. There may be no legal process for collecting principal or interest payments on sovereign debt that a government does not pay or such legal process may be relatively more expensive, nor are there bankruptcy proceedings by which the Fund may collect in whole or in part on debt issued by a sovereign entity. In certain cases, remedies must be pursued in the courts located in the country of the defaulting sovereign entity itself, which may further limit the Fund's ability to obtain recourse.

Trading practices: Brokerage commissions, withholding taxes, custodial fees, and other fees generally are higher in foreign markets. The policies and procedures followed by foreign stock exchanges, currency markets, trading systems and brokers may differ from those applicable in the United States, with possibly negative consequences to the Fund. The procedures and rules governing foreign trading, settlement and custody (holding of the Fund's assets) also may result in losses or delays in payment, delivery or recovery of money or other property.

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Foreign government supervision and regulation of foreign securities and currency markets and trading systems may be less than or different from government supervision in the United States, and may increase the Fund's regulatory and compliance burden and/or decrease the Fund's investor rights and protections.

Availability of information: Foreign issuers may not be subject to the same disclosure, accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and practices as U.S. issuers. Thus, there may be less information publicly available about foreign issuers than about most U.S. issuers. In addition, information provided by foreign issuers may be less timely or less reliable than information provided by U.S. issuers.

Limited markets: Certain foreign securities may be less liquid (harder to sell) and their prices may be more volatile than many U.S. securities. Illiquidity tends to be greater, and valuation of the Fund's foreign securities may be more difficult, due to the infrequent trading and/or delayed reporting of quotes and sales.

Emerging market countries: The Fund's investments in securities of issuers in emerging market countries are subject to all of the risks of foreign investing generally, and have additional heightened risks due to a lack of established legal, political, business and social frameworks to support securities markets. Some of the additional significant risks include:

· less social, political and economic stability;

· a higher possibility of the devaluation of a country's currency, a downgrade in the credit ratings of issuers in such country, or a decline in the value and liquidity of securities of issuers in that country if the United States, other nations or other governmental entities (including supranational entities) impose sanctions on issuers that limit or restrict foreign investment, the movement of assets or other economic activity in the country due to political, military or regional conflicts or due to terrorism or war;

· smaller securities markets with low or non-existent trading volume and greater illiquidity and price volatility;

· more restrictive national policies on foreign investment, including restrictions on investment in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to national interests;

· less transparent and established taxation policies;

· less developed regulatory or legal structures governing private and foreign investment or allowing for judicial redress for injury to private property, such as bankruptcy;

· less familiarity with a capital market structure or market-oriented economy and more widespread corruption and fraud;

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· less financial sophistication, creditworthiness and/or resources possessed by, and less government regulation of, the financial institutions and issuers with which the Fund transacts;

· less government supervision and regulation of business and industry practices, stock exchanges, brokers and listed companies than in the U.S.;

· greater concentration in a few industries resulting in greater vulnerability to regional and global trade conditions;

· higher rates of inflation and more rapid and extreme fluctuations in inflation rates;

· greater sensitivity to interest rate changes (for example, a higher interest rate environment can make it more difficult for emerging market governments to service their existing debt);

· increased volatility in currency exchange rates and potential for currency devaluations and/or currency controls;

· greater debt burdens relative to the size of the economy;

· more delays in settling portfolio transactions and heightened risk of loss from share registration and custody practices; and

· less assurance that when favorable economic developments occur, they will not be slowed or reversed by unanticipated economic, political or social events in such countries.

Because of the above factors, the Fund's investments in emerging market countries may be subject to greater price volatility and illiquidity than investments in developed markets.

Regional: Adverse conditions in a certain region or country can adversely affect securities of issuers in other countries whose economies appear to be unrelated. To the extent that the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in a specific geographic region or a particular country, the Fund will generally have more exposure to the risks affecting that specific geographic region or country. In the event of economic or political turmoil or a deterioration of diplomatic relations in a region or country where a substantial portion of the Fund's assets are invested, the Fund may experience substantial illiquidity or reduction in the value of the Fund's investments.

The risk of investments in Europe may be heightened due to the current uncertainty concerning the ultimate economic consequences and geopolitical effects of Russia's military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and concerns regarding potential escalation in the region, which has increased market volatility.

**Interest Rate:** Interest rate changes can be sudden and unpredictable, and are influenced by a number of factors, including government policy, monetary policy, inflation expectations, perceptions of risk, and supply of and demand for bonds.

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Changes in government or central bank policy, including changes in tax policy or changes in a central bank's implementation of specific policy goals, may have a substantial impact on interest rates. There can be no guarantee that any particular government or central bank policy will be continued, discontinued or changed, nor that any such policy will have the desired effect on interest rates. Debt securities generally tend to lose market value when interest rates rise and increase in value when interest rates fall. A rise in interest rates also has the potential to cause investors to rapidly sell fixed income securities. A substantial increase in interest rates may also have an adverse impact on the liquidity of a debt security, especially those with longer maturities or durations. Securities with longer maturities or durations or lower coupons or that make little (or no) interest payments before maturity tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes.

**Variable Rate Securities:** Variable rate securities (which include floating rate debt securities) generally are less price sensitive to interest rate changes than fixed rate debt securities. However, the market value of variable rate debt securities may decline or not appreciate as quickly as expected when prevailing interest rates rise if the interest rates of the variable rate securities do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Conversely, variable rate securities will not generally increase in market value if interest rates decline. When interest rates fall, there may be a reduction in the payments of interest received by the Fund from its variable rate securities.

**Short Sales:** There are certain unique risks associated with the use of short sales strategies. When selling a security short, the Fund will sell a security it does not own or is obligated to sell in the future at the then-current market price and then borrow/purchase the security to deliver to the buyer. The Fund is then obligated to buy the security on a later date so it can return the security to the lender. Short sales therefore involve the risk that the Fund will incur a loss by subsequently buying a security at a higher price than the price at which the Fund previously sold the security short. This would occur if the securities lender or counterparty to a repurchase agreement required the Fund to deliver the securities the Fund had borrowed/purchased at the commencement of the short sale and the Fund was unable to either purchase the security at a favorable price or to borrow the security from another securities lender. If this occurs at a time when other short sellers of the security also want to close out their positions, a "short squeeze" can occur. A short squeeze occurs when demand is greater than supply for the security sold short. Moreover, short selling involves a form of financial leverage that may exaggerate any losses realized by the Fund. Because the Fund's loss on a short sale arises from increases in the value of the security sold short, such loss, like the price of the security sold short, is theoretically unlimited. By contrast, the Fund's loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and therefore is limited by the fact that a security's value cannot drop below zero. It is

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possible that the Fund's securities held long will decline in value at the same time that the value of the securities sold short increases, thereby increasing the potential for loss. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it would not be advantageous to do so. Also, engaging in short sales strategies subjects the Fund to additional credit risk if a party to the short sale fails to honor its contractual terms, causing a loss to the Fund.

**Event Driven Investments:** A merger or other restructuring, or a tender or exchange offer, proposed or pending at the time the Fund makes an event driven investment may not be completed on the terms or within the time frame contemplated, which may result in losses to the Fund.

**Convertible Securities:** A convertible security is generally a debt obligation, preferred stock or other security that pays interest or dividends and may be converted by the holder within a specified period of time into common stock. The value of convertible securities may rise and fall with the market value of the underlying stock or, like a debt security, vary with changes in interest rates and the credit quality of the issuer. A convertible security tends to perform more like a stock when the underlying stock price is high relative to the conversion price (because more of the security's value resides in the option to convert) and more like a debt security when the underlying stock price is low relative to the conversion price (because the option to convert is less valuable). Because its value can be influenced by many different factors, a convertible security is not as sensitive to interest rate changes as a similar non-convertible debt security, and generally has less potential for gain or loss than the underlying stock.

**Small and Mid Capitalization Companies:** While small and mid capitalization companies may offer substantial opportunities for capital growth, they also may involve more risks than larger companies. Historically, securities issued by small and mid capitalization companies have been more volatile in price than securities that are issued by larger companies, especially over the short term. Among the reasons for the greater price volatility are the less certain growth prospects of small and mid capitalization companies, the lower degree of liquidity in the markets for such securities, and the greater sensitivity of small and mid capitalization companies to changing economic conditions.

In addition, small and mid capitalization companies may lack depth of management, be unable to generate funds necessary for growth or development, have limited product lines or be developing or marketing new products or services for which markets are not yet established and may never become established. Small and mid capitalization companies may be particularly affected by interest rate increases, as they may find it more difficult to borrow money to continue or expand operations, or may have difficulty in repaying loans, particularly those with floating interest rates.

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**Investment Funds:** The Fund's performance is directly impacted by the performance of any investment funds held by it. The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment goal is directly related to, in part, the ability of the investment funds to meet their investment goal.

Investing in other investment funds may be more costly to the Fund than if the Fund had invested in the underlying securities directly. Shareholders of the Fund will indirectly bear the fees and expenses (including management and advisory fees and other expenses) of the underlying investment funds. As the Fund's allocations among the investment funds change from time to time, or to the extent that the expense ratios of the underlying funds change, the expenses borne by the Fund may increase or decrease.

The Fund's investments in investment funds may subject the Fund to additional risks than if the Fund would have invested directly in the investment funds' underlying securities. These risks include the possibility that an unregistered fund or an ETF may experience a lack of liquidity that can result in greater volatility than its underlying securities. In addition, an ETF may trade at a premium or discount to its net asset value, as shares of an ETF are bought and sold on exchanges based on market values and not at the ETF's net asset value.

Another risk of investing in investment funds is the possibility that one investment fund may buy the same securities that another investment fund sells. If this happens, an investor in the Fund would indirectly bear the costs of these transactions without accomplishing the intended investment purpose. Also, an investor in the Fund may receive taxable gains from portfolio transactions by the investment fund, as well as taxable gains from transactions in shares of the investment fund by the Fund. The Fund or the investment funds may hold common portfolio securities, thereby reducing the diversification benefits to the Fund.

Also, some of the investment funds in which the Fund may invest are not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940 Act). Therefore, the Fund is not able to avail itself of the protections of the 1940 Act with respect to such investments.

**Commodities: The Fund's exposure to investments in physical commodities presents unique risks. Investing in physical commodities, including through commodity-linked derivative instruments such as commodity-linked total return swaps, commodity-linked futures, and options thereon, is speculative and can be extremely volatile. Market prices of commodities may fluctuate rapidly based on numerous factors, including: changes in supply and demand relationships (whether actual, perceived, anticipated, unanticipated or unrealized); weather; agriculture; trade; domestic and foreign political and economic events and policies; diseases; pestilence; technological developments; currency exchange rate fluctuations and monetary and other governmental policies, action and inaction. The current or** 

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"spot" prices of physical commodities may also affect, in a volatile and inconsistent manner, the prices of futures contracts in respect of the relevant commodity. Certain commodities are used primarily in one industry, and fluctuations in levels of activity in (or the availability of alternative resources to) one industry may have a disproportionate effect on global demand for a particular commodity. Moreover, recent growth in industrial production and gross domestic product has made China and other developing nations oversized users of commodities and has increased the extent to which certain commodities prices are influenced by those markets.

**Tax:** The tax treatment of the Fund's use of commodity-linked derivative instruments (including commodity-linked notes) may be adversely affected by changes in legislation, regulations or other legally binding authority. If, as a result of any such adverse action, the income of the Fund from certain commodity-linked derivatives was treated as non-qualifying income for purposes of the Fund's qualification as a regulated investment company, the Fund might fail to qualify as such and be subject to federal income tax at the Fund level. As a regulated investment company, the Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income for each taxable year from sources treated as qualifying income under the Code. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued a number of private letter rulings to other mutual funds, upon which the Fund cannot rely, which indicate that income from a fund's investment in certain commodity-linked notes and a wholly owned foreign subsidiary that invests in commodity-linked derivatives, such as the Subsidiary, constitutes qualifying income. However, in September 2016 the Internal Revenue Service announced that it will no longer issue private letter rulings on questions relating to the treatment of a corporation as a regulated investment company that require a determination of whether a financial instrument or position is a security under section 2(a)(36) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940 Act). A financial instrument or position that constitutes a security under section 2(a)(36) of the 1940 Act generates qualifying income for a corporation taxed as a regulated investment company. The IRS's announcement caused it to revoke the portion of any rulings relating to a mutual fund's investment in commodity-linked notes that required such a determination, some of which have been revoked prospectively as of a date agreed upon with the Internal Revenue Service. Accordingly, the Fund may invest in certain commodity-linked notes: (a) directly only to the extent that such commodity-linked notes constitute securities under section 2(a)(36) of the 1940 Act or (b) indirectly through the Subsidiary. Treasury regulations treat "Subpart F" income (defined in Section 951 of the Code to include passive income such as income from commodity-linked derivatives) as qualifying income, even if a foreign corporation, such as the Subsidiary, does not make a distribution of such income, provided that, in general, such income is derived with respect to the Fund's business of investing in stocks and securities. If a distribution is made, such income will be treated as a dividend by the Fund to the extent that, under applicable provisions of the Code, there is a distribution out of the earnings

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and profits of the foreign corporation attributable to the distribution. It is possible that the IRS may issue further guidance, or Congress may enact legislation, that adversely affects the tax treatment of the Fund's use of commodity-linked derivative instruments or the Subsidiary (which guidance might be applied retroactively to the Fund), it could limit the Fund's ability to pursue its investment strategy and the Fund might not qualify as a regulated investment company for one or more years. In this event, the Fund's board of trustees may authorize a change in investment strategy or Fund liquidation. In lieu of potential disqualification, the Fund is permitted to pay a tax for certain failures to satisfy the income requirement, which, in general, are limited to those due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect. The Fund also may incur transaction and other costs to comply with any new or additional guidance from the IRS. The Fund intends to limit its investment in the Subsidiary to no more than 25% of the value of its total assets in order to satisfy certain asset diversification requirements for taxation as a regulated investment company.

**Liquidity:** Liquidity risk exists when the markets for particular securities or types of securities or other investments are or become relatively illiquid so that the Fund is unable, or it becomes more difficult for the Fund, to sell the security or other investment at the price at which the Fund has valued the security. Illiquidity may result from political, economic or issuer specific events; supply/demand imbalances; changes in a specific market's size or structure, including the number of participants; or overall market disruptions. Securities or other investments with reduced liquidity or that become illiquid may involve greater risk than securities with more liquid markets. Market prices or quotations for illiquid securities may be volatile, and there may be large spreads between bid and ask prices. Reduced liquidity may have an adverse impact on market price and the Fund's ability to sell particular securities when necessary to meet the Fund's liquidity needs, which may arise or increase in response to a specific economic event or because the Investment Manager or the Sub-Advisors wishes to purchase particular investments or believes that a higher level of liquidity would be advantageous. An investment may become illiquid if the Fund and its affiliates receive material non-public information about the issuer or the investment. To the extent that the Fund and its affiliates hold a significant portion of an issuer's outstanding securities, the Fund may be subject to greater liquidity risk than if the issuer's securities were more widely held.

**Illiquid Securities:** Certain securities are illiquid due to a limited trading market, financial weakness of the issuer, legal or contractual restrictions on resale or transfer, or are otherwise illiquid in the sense that they cannot be sold within seven days at approximately the price at which the Fund values them. Securities that are illiquid involve greater risk than securities with more liquid markets. Market quotations for such securities may be volatile and/or subject to large spreads

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between bid and ask prices. Illiquidity may have an adverse impact on market price and the Fund's ability to sell particular securities when necessary to meet the Fund's liquidity needs or in response to a specific economic event.

**Portfolio Turnover:** Active and frequent trading may increase a shareholder's tax liability and the Fund's transaction costs, which could detract from Fund performance.

**Income:** The Fund's distributions to shareholders may decline when prevailing interest rates fall, when the Fund experiences defaults on debt securities it holds or when the Fund realizes a loss upon the sale of a debt security. The Fund's income generally declines during periods of falling benchmark interest rates because the Fund must reinvest the proceeds it receives from existing investments (upon their maturity, prepayment, amortization, sale, call, or buy-back) at a lower rate of interest or return.

**Prepayment:** Debt securities are subject to prepayment risk when the issuer can "call" the security, or repay principal, in whole or in part, prior to the security's maturity. When the Fund reinvests the prepayments of principal it receives, it may receive a rate of interest that is lower than the rate on the existing security, potentially lowering the Fund's income, yield and its distributions to shareholders. Securities subject to partial or complete prepayment(s) may offer less potential for gains during a declining interest rate environment and have greater price volatility. Prepayment risk is greater in periods of falling interest rates for fixed-rate investments, and for floating or variable rate securities, rising interest rates generally increase the risk of refinancings or prepayments.

**Unrated Debt Securities:** Unrated debt securities determined by the Investment Manager to be of comparable credit quality to rated securities which the Fund may purchase may pay a higher interest rate than such rated debt securities and be subject to a greater risk of illiquidity or price changes. Less public information and independent credit analysis are typically available about unrated securities or issuers, and therefore they may be subject to greater risk of default.

**Mortgage Securities and Asset-Backed Securities: Mortgage securities differ from conventional debt securities because principal is paid back over the life of the security rather than at maturity. The Fund may receive unscheduled prepayments of principal due to voluntary prepayments, refinancing or foreclosure on the underlying mortgage loans. To the Fund this means a loss of anticipated interest, and a portion of its principal investment represented by any premium the Fund may have paid. Mortgage prepayments generally increase when interest rates fall. Because of prepayments, mortgage securities may be less effective than some other types of debt securities as a means of "locking in" long-term interest rates and may have less potential for capital appreciation during periods of falling interest** 

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rates. When the Fund reinvests the prepayments of principal it receives, it may receive a rate of interest that is lower than the rate on the existing security.

Mortgage securities also are subject to extension risk. An unexpected rise in interest rates could reduce the rate of prepayments on mortgage securities and extend their life. This could cause the price of the mortgage securities and the Fund's share price to fall and would make the mortgage securities more sensitive to interest rate changes.

Since September 2008, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), an agency of the U.S. government, has acted as the conservator to operate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac until they are stabilized. It is unclear how long the conservatorship will last or what effect this conservatorship will have on the securities issued or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac for the long-term.

Although the mortgage-backed securities that are delivered in TBA transactions must meet certain standards, there is a risk that the actual securities received by the Fund may be less favorable than what was anticipated when entering into the transaction. TBA transactions also involve the risk that a counterparty will fail to deliver the security, exposing the Fund to losses. Whether or not the Fund takes delivery of the securities at the termination date of a TBA transaction, it will nonetheless be exposed to changes in the value of the underlying investments during the term of the agreement. Entering into a when-issued, delayed delivery or TBA transaction may also be viewed as a form of leverage and will result in associated risks for the Fund. Sales of debt securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis are also subject to the risk that the Fund is unable to purchase securities for delivery at the settlement date with the characteristics agreed upon at the time of the transaction, which may subject the Fund to market losses or other penalties.

Issuers of asset-backed securities may have limited ability to enforce the security interest in the underlying assets, and credit enhancements provided to support the securities, if any, may be inadequate to protect investors in the event of default. Like mortgage securities, asset-backed securities are subject to prepayment and extension risks.

**Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDOs):** The risks of an investment in a CDO depend largely on the type of collateral held by the special purpose entity (SPE) and the tranche of the CDO in which the Fund invests. Investment risk may also be affected by the performance of a CDO's collateral manager (the entity responsible for selecting and managing the pool of collateral securities held by the SPE trust), especially during a period of market volatility. CDOs may be deemed to be illiquid and subject to the Fund's restrictions on investments in illiquid investments. The Fund's investment in CDOs will not receive the same investor protection as an investment in registered securities.

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In addition, prices of CDO tranches can decline considerably. In addition to the normal risks associated with debt securities and asset backed securities (e.g., interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk), CDOs 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 decline in value or quality or go into default or be downgraded; (iii) the Fund may invest in tranches of a CDO that are subordinate to other classes; and (iv) the complex structure of the security may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the issuer, difficulty in valuing the security or unexpected investment results. These risks are amplified in tranches of CDOs that are subordinate to other tranches.

**Floating Rate Corporate Investments: Certain corporate loans may not be considered "securities," and investors, such as the Fund, therefore may not be entitled to rely on the antifraud protections of the federal securities laws and may have limited legal remedies.** 

Floating rate corporate loans and corporate debt securities generally have credit ratings below investment grade and may be subject to resale restrictions. They are often issued in connection with highly leveraged transactions, and may be subject to greater credit risks than other investments including the possibility of default or bankruptcy. In addition, a secondary market in corporate loans may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which may impair the ability to accurately value existing and prospective investments and to realize in a timely fashion the full value upon the sale of a corporate loan. A significant portion of floating rate investments may be "covenant lite" loans that may contain fewer or less restrictive constraints on the borrower or other borrower-friendly characteristics.

**Impairment of Collateral:** The terms of the senior secured corporate loans and corporate debt securities in which the Fund typically invests require that collateral and/or cash flow generating capacity be maintained to support payment of the obligation. Generally, the collateral for a secured corporate loan or corporate debt security has a fair market value at least equal to 100% of the amount of such corporate loan or corporate debt security when initially syndicated. However, the value of the collateral and/or the cash flow generating capacity may decline after the Fund invests and there is a risk that the value of the collateral may not be sufficient to cover the amount owed to the Fund. In addition, collateral securing a loan may be found invalid, may be used to pay other outstanding obligations of the borrower under applicable law or more senior claims under applicable credit agreements, or may be difficult to sell.

In the event that a borrower defaults, the Fund's access to the collateral may be limited by bankruptcy and other insolvency laws. There is also the risk that the collateral may be difficult to liquidate, or that a majority of the collateral may be

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illiquid. As a result, the Fund might not receive timely payments or may not ultimately receive payments to which it is entitled.

**Artificial Intelligence Risk:** The use and development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is rapidly increasing and may be used by issuers in which the Fund invests. It also may be used by service providers that provide services to the Fund including, without limitation, the Investment Manager and the Fund's sub-advisors, Fund administrator, custodian and transfer agent. AI technologies are highly reliant on the collection and analysis of large amounts of data and complex algorithms, and it is possible that the information generated from AI technologies could be incomplete, inaccurate or biased, which could lead to adverse effects for the issuers or service providers using such technology. Because of these challenges, the use of AI could result in reputational harm, legal liability, adverse effects on business operations and/or operational errors and investment losses, all of which could impact the Fund. In addition, the increasing development and use of AI technologies could impact the market as a whole and may face regulatory scrutiny in the future, which could limit the development of this technology and impede the growth of companies that develop and use AI. AI technologies continue to rapidly evolve, and it is impossible to predict the full extent of risks that could impact the Fund.

**Cybersecurity:** Cybersecurity incidents, both intentional and unintentional, may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to Fund assets, Fund or customer data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, cause the Fund, the investment manager, and/or their service providers (including, but not limited to, Fund accountants, custodians, sub-custodians, transfer agents and financial intermediaries) to suffer data breaches, data corruption or loss of operational functionality or prevent Fund investors from purchasing, redeeming or exchanging shares or receiving distributions. The investment manager has limited ability to prevent or mitigate cybersecurity incidents affecting third party service providers, and such third party service providers may have limited indemnification obligations to the Fund or the investment manager. Cybersecurity incidents may result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders, and substantial costs may be incurred in an effort to prevent or mitigate future cybersecurity incidents. Issuers of securities in which the Fund invests are also subject to cybersecurity risks, and the value of these securities could decline if the issuers experience cybersecurity incidents.

Because technology is frequently changing, new ways to carry out cyber attacks are always developing. Therefore, there is a chance that some risks have not been identified or prepared for, or that an attack may not be detected, which puts limitations on the Fund's ability to plan for or respond to a cyber attack. Like other funds and business enterprises, the Fund, the investment manager, and their

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service providers are subject to the risk of cyber incidents occurring from time to time.

More detailed information about the Fund and its policies and risks can be found in the Fund's Statement of Additional Information (SAI).

A description of the Fund's policies and procedures regarding the release of portfolio holdings information is also available in the Fund's SAI. Portfolio holdings information can be viewed online at www.franklintempleton.com.

Management

K2/D&S Management Co., L.L.C. (K2 Advisors or Investment Manager), 100 First Stamford Place, Stamford, CT 06902, is the Fund's investment manager. K2 Advisors is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc. (Resources).

Effective on or about January 1, 2026, the investment management services provided by K2 Advisors and the personnel of K2 Advisors who provide such services to the Fund, will be transferred to Franklin Advisers, Inc. (Advisers or effective on or about January 1, 2026, Investment Manager), a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of Resources. In particular, Advisers will assume the duties and obligations of K2 Advisors under the Fund's investment management agreement between K2 Advisors and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and the sub-advisory agreements between K2 Advisors and the unaffiliated sub-advisors with respect to the Fund. Employees of K2 Advisors who currently provide investment management and investment-related services to the Fund will become employees of Advisers and will continue to provide the same investment management and investment-related services to the Fund under the same investment management fee schedule. Upon the transfer of the investment management agreement to Advisers, the current sub-advisory agreement between K2 Advisors and Advisers for the Fund will be terminated.

Together, K2 Advisors, Advisers and its affiliates manage, as of August 31, 2025, approximately $1.64 trillion in assets, and have been in the investment management business since 1947.

Under a separate agreement with the Investment Manager, each of the following Sub-Advisors serves as a sub-advisor to the Fund and is authorized to manage a portion of the Fund's portfolio, as allocated by the Investment Manager:

---

| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name of Sub-Advisor** | **Strategy** | **Address of Sub-Advisor** |
| ActusRayPartners Limited | Long Short Equity | Room 6-8, 40/F Lee Garden One, 33 Hysan Avenue,<br>Causeway Bay, Hong Kong |
| Electron Capital Partners, LLC | Long Short Equity | 10 East 3rd Street, 19th  |

---

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---

| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
|  |  | Floor<br>New York, New York 10022 |
| Jennison Associates, LLC | Long Short Equity | 55 East 52<sup>nd</sup> Street<br>New York, New York 10055 |
| Apollo Credit Management LLC | Relative Value | 9 West 57th Street, 43rd Floor<br>New York, New York 10019 |
| Franklin Advisers, Inc.\* | Relative Value | One Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403 |
| Lazard Asset Management, LLC | Relative Value | 30 Rockefeller Plaza, 56<sup>th</sup> Floor<br>New York, New York 10112 |
| Capital Fund Management S.A. | Global Macro | 23 Rue de L'Universié<br>Paris, France 75007 |
| Graham Capital Management, L.P. | Global Macro | 40 Highland Avenue<br>Rowayton, Connecticut 06853 |
| RBC Global Asset Management (UK) Limited (formerly, BlueBay Asset Management LLP)  | Global Macro | 100 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AA, United Kingdom |
| RBC Global Asset Management (US) Inc. | Global Macro | 250 Nicollet Mall, Suite 1550<br>Minneapolis, MN 55401 |

---

\*Effective on or about January 1, 2026, Franklin Advisers, Inc. will replace K2 Advisors as the Investment Manager of the Fund and will cease to be a sub-advisor to the Fund.

The Fund is managed by a team of dedicated professionals focused on investments in non-traditional and alternative investment strategies. The portfolio managers of the Fund are as follows:

**Robert Christian, Senior Vice President and Head of Absolute Return Portfolio Management, K2 Advisors**

Mr. Christian has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since 2014. He joined K2 Advisors in 2010. Effective on or about January 1, 2026, Mr. Christian will become a portfolio manager of Advisers.

**Lillian C. Knight, CFA Head of Investment Management of K2 Advisors** 

Ms. Knight has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since 2024. She joined K2 Advisors in 2004. Effective on or about January 1, 2026, Ms. Knight will become a portfolio manager of Advisers.

**Art Vinokur, CFA** S**enior Vice President and Head of Manager Research of K2 Advisors** 

Mr. Vinokur has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since 2024. He joined K2 Advisors in 2004. Effective on or about January 1, 2026, Mr. Vinokur will become a portfolio manager of Advisers.

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The portfolio managers are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each portfolio manager has equal authority over all aspects of the Fund's investment portfolio, including but not limited to, the selection and monitoring of the Fund's Sub-Advisors, portfolio risk assessment, and the management of daily cash balances in accordance with anticipated investment management requirements. The degree to which each portfolio manager may perform these functions, and the nature of these functions, may change from time to time.

CFA<sup>®</sup> and Chartered Financial Analyst<sup>®</sup> are trademarks owned by CFA Institute.

The Fund's SAI provides additional information about portfolio manager compensation, other accounts that they manage and their ownership of Fund shares.

The Fund pays the Investment Manager a fee for managing the Fund's assets.

the Investment Manager has agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse operating expenses (excluding Rule 12b-1 fees, acquired fund fees and expenses, expenses related to securities sold short, and certain non-routine expenses or costs, such as those relating to litigation, indemnification, reorganizations and liquidations) for the Fund so that the ratio of total annual fund operating expenses will not exceed 1.70% for each share class. In addition, transfer agency fees on Class R6 shares of the Fund have been capped so that transfer agency fees for that class do not exceed 0.03%. These arrangements are expected to continue until September 30, 2026. During the terms, the fee waiver and expense reimbursement agreements may not be terminated or amended without approval of the board of trustees except to add series or classes, to reflect the extension of termination dates or to lower the waiver and expense limitation.

The Investment Manager has also contractually agreed to waive an amount of investment management fees that it receives from the Fund in an amount equal to the investment management fees it receives from the Subsidiary. This waiver relating to the Subsidiary may not be terminated by the Investment Manager and will remain in effect for as long as the investment management agreement between the Fund and the Investment Manager is in place.

The Investment Manager compensates each Sub-Advisor for providing investment advice and analysis and for managing its respective portion of the Fund's assets allocated to it from time to time by the Investment Manager.

For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2025, the Fund paid the Investment Manager an effective management fee of 1.42% of the Fund's average net assets for investment management services.

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A discussion regarding the basis for the board of trustees' approval of the Fund's investment management agreement and sub-advisory agreements is available in the Fund's report on Form N-CSR for the period ended May 31, 2025.

#### Manager of Managers Structure
The investment manager and the Trust have received an exemptive order from the SEC that allows the Fund to operate in a "manager of managers" structure whereby the investment manager can appoint and replace both wholly-owned and unaffiliated sub-advisors, and enter into, amend and terminate sub-advisory agreements with such sub-advisors, each subject to board approval but without obtaining prior shareholder approval (Manager of Managers Structure). The Fund will, however, inform shareholders of the hiring of any new sub-advisor within 90 days after the hiring. The SEC exemptive order provides the Fund with greater flexibility and efficiency and alleviates the need for the Fund to incur the expense and delays associated with obtaining shareholder approval of such sub-advisory agreements.

The use of the Manager of Managers Structure with respect to the Fund is subject to certain conditions that are set forth in the SEC exemptive order. Under the Manager of Managers Structure, the investment manager has the ultimate responsibility, subject to oversight by the Fund's board of trustees, to oversee sub-advisors and recommend their hiring, termination and replacement. The investment manager will also, subject to the review and approval of the Fund's board of trustees: set the Fund's overall investment strategy; evaluate, select and recommend sub-advisors to manage all or a portion of the Fund's assets; and implement procedures reasonably designed to ensure that each sub-advisor complies with the Fund's investment goal, policies and restrictions. Subject to review by the Fund's board of trustees, the investment manager will allocate and, when appropriate, reallocate the Fund's assets among sub-advisors and monitor and evaluate the sub-advisors' performance.

**Regulation Under the Commodity Exchange Act:** The investment manager is registered as a "commodity pool operator" (CPO) under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) and the rules of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and is subject to CFTC regulation with respect to the Fund. The CFTC has adopted rules regarding the disclosure, reporting and recordkeeping requirements that apply with respect to the Fund as a result of the investment manager's registration as a commodity pool operator. Generally, these rules allow for substituted compliance with CFTC disclosure and shareholder reporting requirements, based on the investment manager's compliance with comparable SEC requirements. This means that for most of the CFTC's disclosure and shareholder reporting applicable to the investment manager as the Fund's CPO, the investment manager's compliance with SEC disclosure and shareholder reporting will be deemed to fulfill the investment manager's CFTC compliance obligations. However, as a result of CFTC

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regulation with respect to the Fund, the Fund may incur additional compliance and other expenses. The investment manager is also registered as a "commodity trading advisor" (CTA), but relies on an exemption with respect to the Fund from the CTA regulations available for a CTA that also serves as the Fund's CPO. The CFTC has neither reviewed nor approved the Fund, its investment strategies or this prospectus.

Distributions and Taxes

#### Income and Capital Gain Distributions
As a regulated investment company, the Fund generally pays no federal income tax on the income and gains it distributes to you. The Fund intends to pay income dividends at least annually from its net investment income. Capital gains, if any, may be paid at least annually. The Fund may distribute income dividends and capital gains more frequently, if necessary, in order to reduce or eliminate federal excise or income taxes on the Fund. The amount of any distribution will vary, and there is no guarantee the Fund will pay either income dividends or capital gain distributions. Your income dividends and capital gain distributions will be automatically reinvested in additional shares at net asset value (NAV) unless you elect to receive them in cash.

**Annual statements.** After the close of each calendar year, you will receive tax information from the Fund with respect to the federal income tax treatment of the Fund's distributions and any taxable sales or exchanges of Fund shares occurring during the prior calendar year. If the Fund finds it necessary to reclassify its distributions or adjust the cost basis of any shares sold or exchanged after you receive your tax information, the Fund will send you revised tax information. Distributions declared in October, November or December to shareholders of record in such month and paid in January are taxable as if they were paid in December. Additional tax information about the Fund's distributions is available at www.franklintempleton.com.

**Avoid "buying a dividend."** At the time you purchase your Fund shares, the Fund's net asset value may reflect undistributed income, undistributed capital gains, or net unrealized appreciation in the value of the portfolio securities held by the Fund. For taxable investors, a subsequent distribution to you of such amounts, although constituting a return of your investment, would be taxable. Buying shares in the Fund just before it declares an income dividend or capital gain distribution is sometimes known as "buying a dividend."

#### Tax Considerations
If you are a taxable investor, Fund distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, capital gains or some combination of both. This is the case

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whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares or receive them in cash.

**Dividend income.** Income dividends are generally subject to tax at ordinary rates. Income dividends reported by the Fund to shareholders as qualified dividend income may be subject to tax by individuals at reduced long-term capital gains tax rates provided certain holding period requirements are met. A return-of-capital distribution is generally not taxable but will reduce the cost basis of your shares, and will result in a higher capital gain or a lower capital loss when you later sell your shares.

**Capital gains.** Fund distributions of short-term capital gains are also subject to tax at ordinary rates. Fund distributions of long-term capital gains are taxable at the reduced long-term capital gains rates no matter how long you have owned your Fund shares. For single individuals with taxable income not in excess of $48,350 in 2025 ($96,700 for married individuals filing jointly), the long-term capital gains tax rate is 0%. For single individuals and joint filers with taxable income in excess of these amounts but not more than $533,400 or $600,050, respectively, the long-term capital gains tax rate is 15%. The rate is 20% for single individuals with taxable income in excess of $533,400 and married individuals filing jointly with taxable income in excess of $600,050. An additional 3.8% Medicare tax may also be imposed as discussed below.

**Sales of Fund shares.** When you sell your shares in the Fund, or exchange them for shares of a different Franklin Templeton or Legg Mason fund, you will generally recognize a taxable capital gain or loss. If you have owned your Fund shares for more than one year, any net long-term capital gains will qualify for the reduced rates of taxation on long-term capital gains. An exchange of your shares in one class of the Fund for shares of another class of the same Fund is not taxable and no gain or loss will be reported on the transaction.

**Cost basis reporting.** If you acquire shares in the Fund, generally referred to as "covered shares," and sell or exchange them, the Fund is generally required to report cost basis information to you and the IRS annually. The Fund will compute the cost basis of your covered shares using the average cost method, the Fund's "default method," unless you contact the Fund to select a different method, or choose to specifically identify your shares at the time of each sale or exchange. If your account is held by your financial advisor or other broker-dealer, that firm may select a different default method. In these cases, please contact the firm to obtain information with respect to the available methods and elections for your account. Shareholders should carefully review the cost basis information provided by the Fund and make any additional basis, holding period or other adjustments that are required when reporting these amounts on their federal and state income tax returns. Additional information about cost basis reporting is available at www.franklintempleton.com/costbasis.

<br> 48 Prospectus www.franklintempleton.com

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K2 ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUND

FUND DETAILS

**Medicare tax.** 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 redemptions 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 a threshold amount. Any liability for this additional Medicare tax is reported on, and paid with, your federal income tax return.

**Backup withholding.** A shareholder may be subject to backup withholding on any distributions of income capital gains or proceeds from the sale or exchange of Fund shares if the shareholder has provided either an incorrect tax identification number or no number at all, is subject to backup withholding by the IRS for failure to properly report payments of interest or dividends, has failed to certify that the shareholder is not subject to backup withholding, or has not certified that the shareholder is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien). The backup withholding rate is currently 24%. State backup withholding may also apply.

**State, local and foreign taxes.** Distributions of ordinary income and capital gains, and gains from the sale of your Fund shares, are generally subject to state and local taxes. If the Fund qualifies, it may elect to pass through to you as a foreign tax credit or deduction any foreign taxes that it pays on its investments.

**Investment in commodities.** The Fund must meet certain requirements under the Code for favorable tax treatment as a regulated investment company, relating to sources of its income and diversification of its assets. One of the requirements for favorable tax treatment as a regulated investment company is that the Fund derive at least 90% of its gross income from certain qualifying sources of income. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued a number of private letter rulings to other mutual funds, upon which the Fund cannot rely, which indicate that income from a fund's investment in certain commodity-linked notes and a wholly owned foreign subsidiary that invests in commodity-linked derivatives, such as the Subsidiary, constitutes qualifying income. However, in September 2016 the Internal Revenue Service announced that it will no longer issue private letter rulings on questions relating to the treatment of a corporation as a regulated investment company that require a determination of whether a financial instrument or position is a security under section 2(a)(36) of the 1940 Act. A financial instrument or position that constitutes a security under section 2(a)(36) of the 1940 Act generates qualifying income for a corporation taxed as a regulated investment company. The IRS's announcement caused it to revoke the portion of any rulings relating to a mutual fund's investment in commodity-linked notes that required such a determination, some of which have been revoked prospectively as of a date agreed upon with the Internal Revenue Service. Accordingly, the Fund may invest in certain commodity-linked notes: (a) directly only to the extent that such

<br> www.franklintempleton.com Prospectus 49

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K2 ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUND

FUND DETAILS

commodity-linked notes constitute securities under section 2(a)(36) of the 1940 Act or (b) indirectly through the Subsidiary. Treasury regulations treat "Subpart F" income (defined in Section 951 of the Code to include passive income such as income from commodity-linked derivatives) as qualifying income, even if a foreign corporation, such as a Subsidiary, does not make a distribution of such income, provided that, in general, such income is derived with respect to the Fund's business of investing in stocks and securities. If a distribution is made, such income will be treated as a dividend by the Fund to the extent that, under applicable provisions of the Code, there is a distribution out of the earnings and profits of the foreign corporation attributable to the distribution. It is possible that the IRS may issue further guidance, or Congress may enact legislation, that adversely affects the tax treatment of the Fund's use of commodity-linked derivative instruments or the Subsidiary (which guidance might be applied retroactively to the Fund), it could limit the Fund's ability to pursue its investment strategy and the Fund might not qualify as a regulated investment company for one or more years. In this event, the board may authorize a change in investment strategy or Fund liquidation. In lieu of potential disqualification, the Fund is permitted to pay a tax for certain failures to satisfy the asset diversification or income requirements, which, in general, are limited to those due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect. The Fund also may incur transaction and other costs to comply with any new or additional guidance from the IRS. The Fund also intends to limit its investment in the Subsidiary to no more than 25% of the value of its total assets in order to satisfy certain asset diversification requirements for taxation as a regulated investment company.

**Investments in foreign currency contracts**. The Fund may realize gains from the sale or other disposition of foreign currencies (including but not limited to gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived from investing in securities or foreign currencies. The Treasury Department is authorized to issue regulations that exclude from the definition of qualifying income such foreign currency gains which may cause the Fund, as a result of its realization of such foreign currency gains, to fail to qualify as a regulated investment company. If for any taxable year the Fund does not qualify as a regulated investment company, all of its taxable income (including its net capital gain) would be subject to tax at regular corporate income tax rates without any deduction for dividends paid to shareholders, and the dividends would be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income (possibly as qualified dividend income) to the extent of the Fund's current or accumulated earnings and profits. As of the date of this document, no regulations have been issued pursuant to this authorization. It is possible, however, that such regulations may be issued in the future. Additionally, the IRS has not issued any guidance on how to apply the asset diversification test applicable to regulated investment companies to such foreign currency positions. Thus, the IRS's determination as to how to treat such foreign currency positions for purposes of satisfying the asset diversification test might differ from that of the Fund, resulting in the Fund's failure

<br> 50 Prospectus www.franklintempleton.com

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K2 ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUND

FUND DETAILS

to qualify as a regulated investment company. In lieu of disqualification, the Fund is permitted to pay a tax for certain failures to satisfy the asset diversification or income requirements, which, in general, are limited to those due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect.

**Non-U.S. investors**. Non-U.S. investors may be subject to U.S. withholding tax at 30% or a lower treaty rate on Fund dividends of ordinary income. Non-U.S. investors may be subject to U.S. estate tax on the value of their shares. They are subject to special U.S. tax certification requirements to avoid backup withholding, claim any exemptions from withholding and claim any treaty benefits. Exemptions from U.S. withholding tax are generally provided for capital gains realized on the sale of Fund shares, capital gain dividends paid by the Fund from net long-term capital gains, short-term capital gain dividends paid by the Fund from net short-term capital gains and interest-related dividends paid by the Fund from its qualified net interest income from U.S. sources. However, notwithstanding such exemptions from U.S. withholding tax at source, any such dividends and distributions of income and capital gains will be subject to backup withholding at a rate of 24% if you fail to properly certify that you are not a U.S. person.

**Other reporting and withholding requirements.** Payments to a shareholder that is either a foreign financial institution or a non-financial foreign entity within the meaning of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) may be subject to a 30% withholding tax on income dividends paid by the Fund. The FATCA withholding tax generally can be avoided by such foreign entity if it provides the Fund, and in some cases, the IRS, information concerning the ownership of certain foreign financial accounts or other appropriate certifications or documentation concerning its status under FATCA. The Fund may be required to report certain shareholder account information to the IRS, non-U.S. taxing authorities or other parties to comply with FATCA.

**Other tax information.** This discussion of "Distributions and Taxes" is for general information only and is not tax advice. You should consult your own tax advisor regarding your particular circumstances, and about any federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences before making an investment in the Fund. Additional information about the tax consequences of investing in the Fund may be found in the SAI.

Financial Highlights

The Financial Highlights present the Fund's financial performance for the past five years or since its inception. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. The total returns represent the rate that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in the Fund assuming reinvestment of dividends and capital gains. This information has been derived from the financial statements audited by Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm,

<br> www.franklintempleton.com Prospectus 51

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K2 ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUND

FUND DETAILS

whose report, along with the Fund's financial statements, are available on the Fund's website and are included in the Form N-CSR filed with the SEC covering the period ended May 31, 2025, which is available upon request.

<br> 52 Prospectus www.franklintempleton.com

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K2 ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUND

FUND DETAILS

#### K2 Alternative Strategies Fund - Class A

---

| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  | **Year Ended May 31,** | **Year Ended May 31,** | **Year Ended May 31,** | **Year Ended May 31,** | **Year Ended May 31,** |
|  | **2025** | **2024** | **2023** | **2022** | **2021** |
| Per share operating performance<br>(for a share outstanding throughout the year) |  |  |  |  |  |
| Net asset value, beginning of year | $11.67 | $10.69 | $11.16 | $12.46 | $11.19 |
| Income from investment operations<sup>a</sup>: |  |  |  |  |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net investment income (loss)<sup>b</sup> | 0.29 | 0.24 | 0.15 | (0.06) | (0.08) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) | 0.36 | 0.79 | (0.32) | (0.68) | 1.45 |
| Total from investment operations | 0.65 | 1.03 | (0.17) | (0.74) | 1.37 |
| Less distributions from: |  |  |  |  |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net investment income | (0.69) | (0.05) | (0.21) | (0.06) |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net realized gains | (0.57) |  | (0.09) | (0.50) | (0.10) |
| Total distributions | (1.26) | (0.05) | (0.30) | (0.56) | (0.10) |
| **Net asset value, end of year** | $11.06 | $11.67 | $10.69 | $11.16 | $12.46 |
| Total return<sup>c</sup> | 5.86% | 9.57% | (1.48)% | (6.25)% | 12.25% |
| Ratios to average net assets |  |  |  |  |  |
| Expenses before waiver, payments by affiliates and expense reduction<sup>d</sup> | 2.69% | 2.83% | 2.82% | 2.75% | 2.82% |
| Expenses net of waiver, payments by affiliates and expense reduction<sup>d</sup> | 2.40% | 2.57% | 2.64% | 2.60%<sup>e</sup> | 2.64% |
| Expenses incurred in connection with securities sold short | 0.45% | 0.47% | 0.45% | 0.40% | 0.44% |
| Net investment income (loss) | 2.57% | 2.22% | 1.31% | (0.49)% | (0.67)% |
| Supplemental data |  |  |  |  |  |
| Net assets, end of year (000's) | $56487 | $63320 | $76464 | $94580 | $102138 |
| Portfolio turnover rate | 266.59% | 257.70% | 225.53% | 177.61% | 236.64% |

---

a. The amount shown for a share outstanding throughout the period may not correlate with the Consolidated Statement of Operations for the period due to the timing of sales and repurchases of the Fund's shares in relation to income earned and/or fluctuating fair value of the investments of the Fund.

b. Based on average daily shares outstanding.

c. Total return does not reflect sales commissions or contingent deferred sales charges, if applicable.

d. Includes dividend and/or interest expense on securities sold short and security borrowing fees, if any. See below for the ratios of such expenses to average net assets for the periods presented. See Note 1(e).

e. Benefit of expense reduction rounds to less than 0.01%.

<br> www.franklintempleton.com Prospectus 53

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K2 ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUND

FUND DETAILS

#### K2 Alternative Strategies Fund - Class C

---

| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  | **Year Ended May 31,** | **Year Ended May 31,** | **Year Ended May 31,** | **Year Ended May 31,** | **Year Ended May 31,** |
|  | **2025** | **2024** | **2023** | **2022** | **2021** |
| Per share operating performance<br>(for a share outstanding throughout the year) |  |  |  |  |  |
| Net asset value, beginning of year | $11.27 | $10.35 | $10.80 | $12.11 | $10.95 |
| Income from investment operations<sup>a</sup>: |  |  |  |  |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net investment income (loss)<sup>b</sup> | 0.20 | 0.15 | 0.06 | (0.15) | (0.15) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) | 0.34 | 0.77 | (0.31) | (0.66) | 1.41 |
| Total from investment operations | 0.54 | 0.92 | (0.25) | (0.81) | 1.26 |
| Less distributions from: |  |  |  |  |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net investment income | (0.58) |  | (0.11) |  |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net realized gains | (0.57) |  | (0.09) | (0.50) | (0.10) |
| Total distributions | (1.15) |  | (0.20) | (0.50) | (0.10) |
| **Net asset value, end of year** | $10.66 | $11.27 | $10.35 | $10.80 | $12.11 |
| Total return<sup>c</sup> | 5.04% | 8.69% | (2.12)% | (7.06)% | 11.51% |
| Ratios to average net assets |  |  |  |  |  |
| Expenses before waiver, payments by affiliates and expense reduction<sup>d</sup> | 3.44% | 3.60% | 3.57% | 3.50% | 3.54% |
| Expenses net of waiver, payments by affiliates and expense reduction<sup>d</sup> | 3.15% | 3.33% | 3.39% | 3.35%<sup>e</sup> | 3.36% |
| Expenses incurred in connection with securities sold short | 0.45% | 0.47% | 0.45% | 0.40% | 0.44% |
| Net investment income (loss) | 1.82% | 1.46% | 0.55% | (1.24)% | (1.39)% |
| Supplemental data |  |  |  |  |  |
| Net assets, end of year (000's) | $4922 | $7957 | $15720 | $24486 | $31541 |
| Portfolio turnover rate | 266.59% | 257.70% | 225.53% | 177.61% | 236.64% |

---

a. The amount shown for a share outstanding throughout the period may not correlate with the Consolidated Statement of Operations for the period due to the timing of sales and repurchases of the Fund's shares in relation to income earned and/or fluctuating fair value of the investments of the Fund.

b. Based on average daily shares outstanding.

c. Total return does not reflect sales commissions or contingent deferred sales charges, if applicable.

d. Includes dividend and/or interest expense on securities sold short and security borrowing fees, if any. See below for the ratios of such expenses to average net assets for the periods presented. See Note 1(e).

e. Benefit of expense reduction rounds to less than 0.01%.

<br> 54 Prospectus www.franklintempleton.com

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K2 ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUND

FUND DETAILS

#### K2 Alternative Strategies Fund - Class R

---

| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  | **Year Ended May 31,** | **Year Ended May 31,** | **Year Ended May 31,** | **Year Ended May 31,** | **Year Ended May 31,** |
|  | **2025** | **2024** | **2023** | **2022** | **2021** |
| Per share operating performance<br>(for a share outstanding throughout the year) |  |  |  |  |  |
| Net asset value, beginning of year | $11.73 | $10.73 | $11.13 | $12.44 | $11.20 |
| Income from investment operations<sup>a</sup>: |  |  |  |  |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net investment income (loss)<sup>b</sup> | 0.27 | 0.22 | 0.10 | (0.08) | (0.11) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) | 0.34 | 0.80 | (0.31) | (0.68) | 1.45 |
| Total from investment operations | 0.61 | 1.02 | (0.21) | (0.76) | 1.34 |
| Less distributions from: |  |  |  |  |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net investment income | (0.67) | (0.02) | (0.10) | (0.05) |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net realized gains | (0.57) |  | (0.09) | (0.50) | (0.10) |
| Total distributions | (1.24) | (0.02) | (0.19) | (0.55) | (0.10) |
| **Net asset value, end of year** | $11.10 | $11.73 | $10.73 | $11.13 | $12.44 |
| Total return | 5.40% | 9.30% | (1.65)% | (6.50)% | 11.97% |
| Ratios to average net assets |  |  |  |  |  |
| Expenses before waiver, payments by affiliates and expense reduction<sup>c</sup> | 2.94% | 3.07% | 3.07% | 3.04% | 3.06% |
| Expenses net of waiver, payments by affiliates and expense reduction<sup>c</sup> | 2.65% | 2.82% | 2.89% | 2.85%<sup>d</sup> | 2.88% |
| Expenses incurred in connection with securities sold short | 0.45% | 0.47% | 0.45% | 0.40% | 0.44% |
| Net investment income (loss) | 2.32% | 1.97% | 1.05% | (0.78)% | (0.91)% |
| Supplemental data |  |  |  |  |  |
| Net assets, end of year (000's) | $442 | $348 | $351 | $811 | $840 |
| Portfolio turnover rate | 266.59% | 257.70% | 225.53% | 177.61% | 236.64% |

---

a. The amount shown for a share outstanding throughout the period may not correlate with the Consolidated Statement of Operations for the period due to the timing of sales and repurchases of the Fund's shares in relation to income earned and/or fluctuating fair value of the investments of the Fund.

b. Based on average daily shares outstanding.

c. Includes dividend and/or interest expense on securities sold short and security borrowing fees, if any. See below for the ratios of such expenses to average net assets for the periods presented. See Note 1(e).

d. Benefit of expense reduction rounds to less than 0.01%.

<br> www.franklintempleton.com Prospectus 55

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K2 ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUND

FUND DETAILS

#### K2 Alternative Strategies Fund - Class R6

---

| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  | **Year Ended May 31,** | **Year Ended May 31,** | **Year Ended May 31,** | **Year Ended May 31,** | **Year Ended May 31,** |
|  | **2025** | **2024** | **2023** | **2022** | **2021** |
| Per share operating performance<br>(for a share outstanding throughout the year) |  |  |  |  |  |
| Net asset value, beginning of year | $11.77 | $10.78 | $11.27 | $12.58 | $11.25 |
| Income from investment operations<sup>a</sup>: |  |  |  |  |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net investment income (loss)<sup>b</sup> | 0.33 | 0.29 | 0.18 | (0.02) | (0.04) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) | 0.35 | 0.79 | (0.33) | (0.69) | 1.47 |
| Total from investment operations | 0.68 | 1.08 | (0.15) | (0.71) | 1.43 |
| Less distributions from: |  |  |  |  |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net investment income | (0.73) | (0.09) | (0.25) | (0.10) |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net realized gains | (0.57) |  | (0.09) | (0.50) | (0.10) |
| Total distributions | (1.30) | (0.09) | (0.34) | (0.60) | (0.10) |
| **Net asset value, end of year** | $11.15 | $11.77 | $10.78 | $11.27 | $12.58 |
| Total return | 6.08% | 10.03% | (1.20)% | (6.05)% | 12.61% |
| Ratios to average net assets |  |  |  |  |  |
| Expenses before waiver, payments by affiliates and expense reduction<sup>c</sup> | 2.37% | 2.47% | 2.48% | 2.44% | 2.50% |
| Expenses net of waiver, payments by affiliates and expense reduction<sup>c</sup> | 2.12% | 2.26% | 2.36% | 2.32%<sup>d</sup> | 2.32% |
| Expenses incurred in connection with securities sold short | 0.45% | 0.47% | 0.45% | 0.40% | 0.44% |
| Net investment income (loss) | 2.89% | 2.54% | 1.64% | (0.18)% | (0.35)% |
| Supplemental data |  |  |  |  |  |
| Net assets, end of year (000's) | $113808 | $124279 | $44192 | $47851 | $27471 |
| Portfolio turnover rate | 266.59% | 257.70% | 225.53% | 177.61% | 236.64% |

---

a. The amount shown for a share outstanding throughout the period may not correlate with the Consolidated Statement of Operations for the period due to the timing of sales and repurchases of the Fund's shares in relation to income earned and/or fluctuating fair value of the investments of the Fund.

b. Based on average daily shares outstanding.

c. Includes dividend and/or interest expense on securities sold short and security borrowing fees, if any. See below for the ratios of such expenses to average net assets for the periods presented. See Note 1(e).

d. Benefit of expense reduction rounds to less than 0.01%.

<br> 56 Prospectus www.franklintempleton.com

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K2 ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUND

FUND DETAILS

#### K2 Alternative Strategies Fund - Advisor Class

---

| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  | **Year Ended May 31,** | **Year Ended May 31,** | **Year Ended May 31,** | **Year Ended May 31,** | **Year Ended May 31,** |
|  | **2025** | **2024** | **2023** | **2022** | **2021** |
| Per share operating performance<br>(for a share outstanding throughout the year) |  |  |  |  |  |
| Net asset value, beginning of year | $11.76 | $10.76 | $11.24 | $12.55 | $11.23 |
| Income from investment operations<sup>a</sup>: |  |  |  |  |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net investment income (loss)<sup>b</sup> | 0.33 | 0.27 | 0.17 | (0.03) | (0.05) |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) | 0.34 | 0.81 | (0.32) | (0.69) | 1.47 |
| Total from investment operations | 0.67 | 1.08 | (0.15) | (0.72) | 1.42 |
| Less distributions from: |  |  |  |  |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net investment income | (0.72) | (0.08) | (0.24) | (0.09) |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Net realized gains | (0.57) |  | (0.09) | (0.50) | (0.10) |
| Total distributions | (1.29) | (0.08) | (0.33) | (0.59) | (0.10) |
| **Net asset value, end of year** | $11.14 | $11.76 | $10.76 | $11.24 | $12.55 |
| Total return | 6.01% | 9.87% | (1.21)% | (6.05)% | 12.55% |
| Ratios to average net assets |  |  |  |  |  |
| Expenses before waiver, payments by affiliates and expense reduction<sup>c</sup> | 2.44% | 2.60% | 2.57% | 2.50% | 2.57% |
| Expenses net of waiver, payments by affiliates and expense reduction<sup>c</sup> | 2.15% | 2.33% | 2.39% | 2.35%<sup>d</sup> | 2.39% |
| Expenses incurred in connection with securities sold short | 0.45% | 0.47% | 0.45% | 0.40% | 0.44% |
| Net investment income (loss) | 2.82% | 2.46% | 1.55% | (0.24)% | (0.42)% |
| Supplemental data |  |  |  |  |  |
| Net assets, end of year (000's) | $345450 | $438766 | $710974 | $1099387 | $1152105 |
| Portfolio turnover rate | 266.59% | 257.70% | 225.53% | 177.61% | 236.64% |

---

a. The amount shown for a share outstanding throughout the period may not correlate with the Consolidated Statement of Operations for the period due to the timing of sales and repurchases of the Fund's shares in relation to income earned and/or fluctuating fair value of the investments of the Fund.

b. Based on average daily shares outstanding.

c. Includes dividend and/or interest expense on securities sold short and security borrowing fees, if any. See below for the ratios of such expenses to average net assets for the periods presented. See Note 1(e).

d. Benefit of expense reduction rounds to less than 0.01%.

<br> www.franklintempleton.com Prospectus 57

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K2 ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUND

YOUR ACCOUNT

### Your Account
Choosing a Share Class

Each class has its own sales charge and expense structure, allowing you to choose the class that best meets your situation. Some share classes may not be offered by certain financial intermediaries. Your financial intermediary or investment representative (financial advisor) can help you decide which class is best for you. Investors may purchase Class C or Class R shares only for Fund accounts on which they have appointed an investment representative (financial advisor) of record. Investors who have not appointed an investment representative (financial advisor) to existing Class C or Class R share Fund accounts may not make additional purchases to those accounts but may exchange their shares for shares of a Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason fund that offers Class C or Class R shares. Dividend and capital gain distributions may continue to be reinvested in existing Class C or Class R share Fund accounts. These provisions do not apply to Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans.

---

| | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Class A**  | **Class C**  | **Class R** | **Class R6**  | **Advisor Class**  |
| Initial sales charge of 5.50% or less  | No initial sales charge  | No initial sales charge  | See "Qualified Investors - Class R6" below  | See "Qualified Investors - Advisor Class" below  |
| Deferred sales charge of 1% on purchases of $1 million or more sold within 18 months  | Deferred sales charge of 1% on shares you sell within 12 months  | Deferred sales charge is not applicable |  |  |
| Lower annual expenses than Class C or R due to lower distribution fees  | Higher annual expenses than Class A and Class R due to higher distribution fees. Automatic conversion to Class A shares after approximately eight years, reducing future annual expenses.  | Higher annual expenses than Class A due to higher distribution fees (lower than Class C). No conversion to Class A shares so annual expenses do not decrease.  |  |  |

---

<br> 58 Prospectus www.franklintempleton.com

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#### Class A, C & R
**The availability of certain sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on whether you purchase your shares directly from the Fund or through a financial intermediary. Different intermediaries may impose different sales charges (including potential reductions in or waivers of sales charges) other than those listed below. Such intermediary-specific sales charge variations are described in Appendix A to this prospectus, entitled "Intermediary Sales Charge Discounts and Waivers." Appendix A is incorporated herein by reference (is legally a part of this prospectus).**

**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. For waivers and discounts not available through a particular intermediary, shareholders will have to purchase Fund shares directly from the Fund or through another intermediary to receive these waivers or discounts.**

**As noted above, the availability of certain share classes and/or shareholder privileges or services described in this prospectus will depend on the policies, procedures and trading platforms of your financial intermediary. Accordingly, you may be invested through your financial intermediary in a share class that has higher annual fees and expenses than other share classes offered in this prospectus, which will have an adverse impact on your investment return. The Fund is not responsible for any additional share class eligibility requirements, investment minimums, exchange privileges, or other policies imposed by financial intermediaries or for notifying shareholders of any changes to them. It is the responsibility of the financial intermediary (and not the Fund) to ensure that you obtain proper financial intermediary-specific waivers, discounts, investment minimums, minimum account balances and other special arrangements and that you are placed in the proper share class for which you are eligible through your financial intermediary. Please consult your financial adviser to consider your options, including your eligibility to qualify for the share classes and/or shareholder privileges or services described in this prospectus.**

#### Sales Charges - Class A

---

| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| when you invest this amount  | the sales charge makes up this % of the offering price<sup>1</sup>  | which equals this % of<br>your net investment<sup>1</sup> |
| Under $25,000  | 5.50  | 5.82 |
| $25,000 but under $50,000  | 5.25 | 5.54 |
| $50,000 but under $100,000  | 4.50 | 4.71 |
| $100,000 but under $250,000  | 3.50 | 3.63 |

---

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---

| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| $250,000 but under $500,000  | 2.50 | 2.56 |
| $500,000 but under $750,000 | 2.00 | 2.04 |
| $750,000 but under $1 million | 1.50 | 1.52 |
| $1 million or more  | 0.00  | 0.00  |

---

<sup>1.</sup> The dollar amount of the sales charge is the difference between the offering price of the shares purchased (which factors in the applicable sales charge in this table) and the net asset value of those shares. Since the offering price is calculated to two decimal places using standard rounding criteria, the number of shares purchased and the dollar amount of the sales charge as a percentage of the offering price and of your net investment may be higher or lower depending on whether there was a downward or upward rounding.

#### Sales Charge Reductions
**Quantity discounts.** We offer two ways for you to combine your current purchase of Class A Fund shares with other existing Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason fund share holdings that might enable you to qualify for a lower sales charge with your current purchase. You can qualify for a lower sales charge when you reach certain "sales charge breakpoints." Sales charge and quantity discount information is also available free of charge at www.franklintempleton.com/investments/resources/sales-charges-and-breakpoints. This web page can also be reached at www.franklintempleton.com by clicking "Sales Charges and Breakpoints" under the "Investments" tab.

**1. Cumulative quantity discount -** lets you combine certain existing holdings of Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason fund shares - referred to as "cumulative quantity discount eligible shares" - with your current purchase of Class A shares to determine if you qualify for a sales charge breakpoint.

Cumulative quantity discount eligible shares are Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason fund shares registered to (or held by a financial intermediary for):

· You, individually;

· Your "family member," defined as your spouse or domestic partner, as recognized by applicable state law, and your children under the age of 21;

· You jointly with one or more family members;

· You jointly with another person(s) who is (are) not family members if that other person has not included the value of the jointly-owned shares as cumulative quantity discount eligible shares for purposes of that person's separate investments in Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason fund shares;

· A Coverdell Education Savings account for which you or a family member is the identified responsible person;

· A trustee/custodian of an IRA (which includes a Roth IRA and an employer sponsored IRA such as a SIMPLE IRA) or your non-ERISA covered 403(b) plan account, if the shares are registered/recorded under your or a family member's Social Security number;

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· A 529 college savings plan over which you or a family member has investment discretion and control;

· Any entity over which you or a family member has (have) individual or shared authority, as principal, has investment discretion and control (for example, an UGMA/UTMA account for a child on which you or a family member is the custodian, a trust on which you or a family member is the trustee, a business account [not to include retirement plans] for your solely owned business [or the solely owned business of a family member] on which you or a family member is the authorized signer);

· A trust established by you or a family member as grantor.

Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason fund shares held through an administrator or trustee/custodian of an Employer Sponsored Retirement Plan (see definition below) such as a 401(k) plan and shares of such funds offered through separately managed accounts that are managed by a Franklin Templeton affiliate do not qualify for a cumulative quantity discount.

Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason fund assets held in multiple Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans may be combined in order to qualify for sales charge breakpoints at the plan level if the plans are sponsored by the same employer.

If you believe there are cumulative quantity discount eligible shares that can be combined with your current purchase to achieve a sales charge breakpoint (for example, shares held in a different broker-dealer's brokerage account or with a bank or an investment advisor), it is your responsibility to specifically identify those shares to your financial advisor at the time of your purchase (including at the time of any future purchase). It may be necessary for you to provide your financial advisor with information and records (including account statements) of all relevant accounts invested in the Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason funds. If you have not designated a financial advisor associated with your Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason fund shares, it is your responsibility to specifically identify any cumulative quantity discount eligible shares to the Fund's transfer agent at the time of any purchase.

If there are cumulative quantity discount eligible shares that would qualify for combining with your current purchase and you do not tell your financial advisor or the Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason funds' transfer agent at the time of any purchase, you may not receive the benefit of a reduced sales charge that might otherwise be available since your financial advisor and the Fund generally will not have that information.

The value of cumulative quantity discount eligible shares equals the current or cost value of those shares, whichever is higher. The current value of shares is determined by multiplying the number of shares as of the day prior to your current

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purchase by their public offering price on the day of your current purchase. The cost value of shares is determined by aggregating the amount you invested in cumulative quantity discount eligible shares (including reinvested dividends and capital gains, but excluding capital appreciation), less any withdrawals, as of the date prior to your current purchase. It is your responsibility to retain any records necessary to substantiate historical share costs because neither your current financial advisor nor the Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason funds may have or maintain this information.

An "Employer Sponsored Retirement Plan" is a Qualified Retirement Plan, ERISA covered 403(b) plan and certain non-qualified deferred compensation arrangements that operate in a similar manner to a Qualified Retirement Plan, such as 457 plans and executive deferred compensation arrangements, but not including employer sponsored IRAs. A "Qualified Retirement Plan" is an employer sponsored pension or profit sharing plan that qualifies under section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code, including 401(k), money purchase pension, profit sharing and defined benefit plans.

**2. Letter of intent (LOI) -** expresses your intent to buy a stated dollar amount of "cumulative quantity discount eligible shares" (as defined in the "Cumulative quantity discount" section above) over a 13-month period and lets you receive the same sales charge as if all shares had been purchased at one time; however, purchases made under a right of reinvestment and appreciation of your holdings do not count as purchases made during the LOI period. During that 13-month period, additional purchases as well as reinvested dividends and capital gains are counted toward the fulfillment of your LOI. We will reserve 5% of your total intended purchase in Class A shares registered in your name until you fulfill your LOI to cover any additional sales charge that may apply if you do not buy the amount stated in your LOI. It is your responsibility to tell your financial advisor when you believe you have fulfilled your LOI with sufficient cumulative quantity discount eligible shares. The value of your cumulative quantity discount eligible shares (as calculated in the "Cumulative quantity discount" section above) as of the day prior to your LOI start date may be counted toward fulfillment of your LOI. The cost value of cumulative quantity discount eligible shares, however, may only be aggregated for share purchases that took place within 18 months of the LOI start date.

If you have not designated a financial advisor associated with your Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason fund shares, it is your responsibility to tell the Fund's transfer agent when you believe you have fulfilled your LOI with sufficient cumulative quantity discount eligible shares. Please refer to the SAI for more LOI details.

To sign up for these programs, complete the appropriate section of your account application.

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For purposes of the cumulative quantity discount and letter of intent, Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason funds include BrandywineGLOBAL funds, ClearBridge Investments funds, Martin Currie funds, and Western Asset funds. They do not include the funds in the Franklin Templeton Variable Insurance Products Trust, Legg Mason Partners Variable Equity Trust, Legg Mason Partners Variable Income Trust or Legg Mason Partners Money Market Trust (except for shares held in Distributor Accounts). Please contact your Service Agent or the fund for more information.

#### Sales Charge Waivers
Class A shares may be purchased without an initial sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) by certain investors. If you would like information about available sales charge waivers, call your investment representative or call Shareholder Services at (800) 632-2301.

**Waivers for certain investors.** The following investors or investments qualify to buy Class A shares without an initial sales charge or CDSC due to anticipated economies in sales efforts and expenses, including:

· Current employees of securities dealers that have executed a selling agreement with Franklin Distributors, LLC (Distributors) and their affiliates and their family members, as allowed by the internal policies of their employer.

· Employees of Franklin Templeton and its subsidiaries.

· Board members and officers of any Franklin Templeton sponsored fund.

· Assets held in accounts managed by a subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc.: (1) under an advisory agreement (including sub-advisory agreements); and/or (2) as trustee of an inter vivos or testamentary trust.

· Group annuity separate accounts offered to retirement plans.

· Purchases by a bank, trust company or thrift institution that is acting as a fiduciary exercising investment discretion.

· Advisory Fee Programs. Shares acquired by an investor in connection with a comprehensive fee or other advisory fee arrangement between the investor and a registered broker-dealer, investment advisor, trust company, bank, or other financial intermediary (referred to as the "Sponsor") in which the investor pays that Sponsor a fee for investment advisory services and the Sponsor or a broker-dealer through whom the shares are acquired has an agreement with Distributors authorizing the sale of Fund shares. No minimum initial investment.

· Clients of financial intermediaries who have entered into an agreement with Distributors and have been approved by Distributors to offer Fund shares

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through a network, platform or self-directed investment brokerage account that may charge a transaction or other fee to customers.

· Shareholders who purchase directly from the Funds and not through any financial intermediary (i.e., Distributors is the broker of record).

· Class C shareholders whose shares are converted to Class A shares after eight years under the Class C shares' conversion feature.

· Purchases by or through a Franklin Templeton donor-advised fund (such as the Franklin or Fiduciary Trust Charitable Giving Programs).

**Retirement plans**. Provided that Franklin Templeton Investor Services, LLC is notified, Class A shares at NAV are available for:

· Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans ("Plans" or individually, "Plan") that invest through a record-keeper platform or third party retirement platform; or

· Any investors who purchases shares with proceeds from an IRA for which Fiduciary Trust International of the South (FTIOS) is custodian.

#### Investments of $1 Million or More
If you invest $1 million or more, either as a lump sum or through our cumulative quantity discount or letter of intent programs, you can buy Class A shares without an initial sales charge. However, there is a 1% CDSC on any shares you sell within 18 months of purchase. See "Contingent Deferred Sales Charge (CDSC) -Class A & C" for information on the calculation of CDSC.

#### Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees
Class A has a distribution plan, sometimes known as a Rule 12b-1 plan, that allows the Fund to pay distribution fees of up to 0.30% per year to those who sell and distribute Class A shares and provide other services to shareholders. Because these fees are paid out of Class A assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges. As set by the board of trustees (until further notice), the Fund currently may pay up to 0.25% under the Class A plan, notwithstanding the higher limit provided in such plan.

We calculate the amount of these fees over a 12-month period that may differ from the Fund's fiscal year. Therefore, the amount shown from time to time in the Fund's fee table (which is based upon the Fund's fiscal year) may differ from the amount set forth in the Rule 12b-1 plan due to timing differences.

---

| |
|:---|
| **Sales Charges - Class C** |
| With Class C shares, there is no initial sales charge.  |

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#### CDSC
There is a 1% CDSC on any Class C shares you sell within 12 months of purchase. The way we calculate the CDSC is the same for each class (please see "Contingent Deferred Sales Charge (CDSC) – Class A & C").

#### Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees
Class C has a distribution plan, sometimes known as a Rule 12b-1 plan, that allows the Fund to pay distribution and other fees of up to 1% per year for the sale of Class C shares and for services provided to shareholders. Because these fees are paid out of Class C's assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges.

#### Automatic Conversion of Class C Shares to Class A Shares After 8-Year Holding Period
The Class C conversion feature provides that Class C shares that have been held for eight (8) years or more will automatically convert into Class A shares and will no longer be subject to Class C shares' Rule 12b-1 fees (but will be subject to Class A share's Rule 12b-1 fee, if any) (the "Conversion Feature"). Class C shares of the Fund will convert automatically to Class A shares of the Fund on a monthly basis in the month of, or the month following, the 8-year anniversary of the Class C shares' purchase date. The monthly conversion date typically occurs around the middle of every month and generally falls on a Friday.

*Terms of the conversion feature.* Class C shares that automatically convert to Class A shares of the Fund convert on the basis of the relative net asset values of the two classes. Shareholders do not pay a sales charge, including a CDSC, upon the conversion of their Class C shares to Class A shares pursuant to the Conversion Feature. The automatic conversion of the Fund's Class C shares into Class A shares after the 8-year holding period is not expected to be a taxable event for federal income tax purposes. Shareholders should consult with their tax advisor regarding the state and local tax consequences of such conversions.

If you previously owned Class C shares of any Franklin Templeton or Legg Mason funds that were later merged or exchanged into the Fund, the time you held such shares counts towards the 8-year period for automatic conversion to Class A shares. Class C shares of the Fund acquired through automatic reinvestment of dividends or distributions convert to Class A shares of the Fund on the conversion date pro rata with the converting Class C shares of the Fund that were not acquired through reinvestment of dividends or distributions.

Class C shares held through a financial intermediary in an omnibus account automatically convert into Class A shares only if the intermediary can document that the shareholder has met the required holding period. In certain circumstances, when shares are invested through retirement plans, omnibus accounts, and in

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certain other instances, the Fund and its agents may not have transparency into how long a shareholder has held Class C shares for purposes of determining whether such Class C shares are eligible for automatic conversion into Class A shares and the financial intermediary may not have the ability to track purchases to credit individual shareholders' holding periods. This primarily occurs when shares are invested through certain record keepers for group retirement plans, where the intermediary cannot track share aging at the participant level. In these circumstances, the Fund cannot automatically convert Class C shares into Class A shares as described above. In order to determine eligibility for conversion in these circumstances, it is the responsibility of the shareholder or their financial intermediary to notify the Fund that the shareholder is eligible for the conversion of Class C shares to Class A shares, and the shareholder or their financial intermediary may be required to maintain and provide the Fund with records that substantiate the holding period of Class C shares. In these circumstances, it is the financial intermediary's (and not the Fund's) responsibility to keep records and to ensure that the shareholder is credited with the proper holding period. Please consult with your financial intermediary about your shares' eligibility for this conversion feature.

New accounts or plans may not be eligible to purchase Class C shares of the Fund if it is determined that the intermediary cannot track shareholder holding periods to determine whether a shareholder's Class C shares are eligible for conversion to Class A shares. Accounts or plans (and their successor, related and affiliated plans) that have Class C shares of the Fund available to participants on or before October 5, 2018, may continue to open accounts for new participants in that share class and purchase additional shares in existing participant accounts. The Fund has no responsibility for overseeing, monitoring or implementing a financial intermediary's process for determining whether a shareholder meets the required holding period for conversion.

A financial intermediary may sponsor and/or control accounts, programs or platforms that impose a different conversion schedule or different eligibility requirements for the conversion of Class C shares into Class A shares. In these cases, Class C shareholders may convert to Class A shares under the policies of the financial intermediary and the conversion may be structured as an exchange of Class C shares for Class A shares of the Fund. Financial intermediaries will be responsible for making such exchanges in those circumstances. Please consult with your financial intermediary if you have any questions regarding your shares' conversion from Class C shares to Class A shares.

---

| |
|:---|
| **Sales Charges - Class R** |
| With Class R shares, there is no initial sales charge. |

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#### Retirement Plans
Class R shares are available to the following investors:

· Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans.

· Health Reimbursement Accounts and Health Savings Accounts, either as a direct investment or as a separate or managed account.

· IRAs on financial intermediary platforms approved by Distributors.

· Non-ERISA 403(b) plans when purchasing direct from the Fund or platforms approved by Distributors.

· Certain other retirement accounts held through financial intermediaries that have been approved by Distributors.

#### Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees
Class R has a distribution plan, sometimes known as a Rule 12b-1 plan, that allows the Fund to pay distribution and other fees of up to 0.50% per year for the sale of Class R shares and for services provided to shareholders. Because these fees are paid out of Class R's assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges.

#### Contingent Deferred Sales Charge (CDSC) - Class A & C
The CDSC for each class is based on the current value of the shares being sold or their net asset value when purchased, whichever is less. There is no CDSC on shares you acquire by reinvesting your dividends or capital gain distributions.

To keep your CDSC as low as possible, each time you place a request to sell shares we will first sell any shares in your account that are not subject to a CDSC. If there are not enough of these to meet your request, we will sell the shares in the order they were purchased. We will use this same method if you exchange your shares into another Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason funds (please see "Exchanging Shares").

The **holding period for the CDSC** begins on the day you buy your shares. Your shares will age one month on that same date the next month and each following month. For example, if you buy shares on the 18th of the month, they will age one month on the 18th day of the next month and each following month.

#### Reinstatement Privilege
If you sell any class of shares of Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason funds, you may reinvest all or a portion of the proceeds from that sale within 90 days within the same share class (or share class equivalent if the share class you redeemed from is closed to new investors) without an initial sales charge. If at the time of investment your shares are registered directly with the Fund's transfer agent: Class C or Class R shares will be reinvested in Class A shares if the account does not

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have an investment representative of record. Proceeds from the earlier sale of Class Z shares from another fund may also be reinvested in Class A shares.

This reinstatement privilege does not apply to: (i) a purchase of Fund shares made through a regularly scheduled automatic investment plan such as a purchase by a regularly scheduled payroll deduction or transfer from a bank account, or (ii) a purchase of Fund shares with proceeds from the sale of Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason funds shares that were held indirectly through a non-Franklin Templeton individual or employer sponsored IRA.

In order to take advantage of this reinstatement privilege, you must inform your investment representative or the Fund's transfer agent of this privilege at the time of your investment.

Generally, if you paid a CDSC when you sold your Class A or Class C shares, Distributors will credit back to you the CDSC paid on the amount you are reinvesting within 90 days of the sale by adding it to the amount of your reinvestment. For Class A shares reinvested with a CDSC credit, a new CDSC will apply and the CDSC holding period will begin again. For Class C shares reinvested with a CDSC credit in Class A shares, you will not receive a CDSC credit in the new Class A shares and your reinvestment will not be subject to any otherwise applicable CDSC.

#### Qualified Investors - Class R6
Class R6 shares are available to the following investors:

· Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans where plan level or omnibus accounts are held on the books of Franklin Templeton Investor Services.

· Endowments; foundations; local, city and state governmental institutions; corporations; non-profit organizations that are organized as corporations; and insurance companies, (collectively "institutional investors") when purchasing directly from a Fund. The minimum initial investment for institutional investors is $1,000,000 per Fund.

· Unaffiliated U.S. registered mutual funds, including those that operate as "fund of funds."

· Other Franklin Templeton affiliated funds and funds for which Franklin Templeton investment managers provide advisory or subadvisory services.

· Intermediaries that execute an addendum to their selling agreement acknowledging that they are acting exclusively as agents of their clients in transacting in Class R6 shares.

· Advisory Fee Programs. A registered broker-dealer, investment advisor, trust company, bank, or other financial intermediary (referred to as a "Sponsor") that has an agreement with Distributors authorizing the sale of Fund shares and

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that acquires shares of the Fund for its clients in connection with a comprehensive fee or other advisory fee arrangement for which the client pays the Sponsor a fee for investment advisory services. No minimum initial investment.

· Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) within plan level or omnibus accounts that are held on the books of Franklin Templeton Investor Services.

#### Qualified Investors - Advisor Class
The following investors or investments qualify to buy Advisor Class shares of the Fund:

· Advisory Fee Programs. Shares acquired by an investor in connection with a comprehensive fee or other advisory fee arrangement between the investor and a registered broker-dealer, investment advisor, trust company, bank, or other financial intermediary (referred to as the "Sponsor") in which the investor pays that Sponsor a fee for investment advisory services and the Sponsor or a broker-dealer through whom the shares are acquired has an agreement with Distributors authorizing the sale of Fund shares. No minimum initial investment.

· Governments, municipalities, and tax-exempt entities that meet the requirements for qualification under section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code when purchasing direct from the Fund.

· Current employees of securities dealers that have executed a selling agreement with Distributors and their affiliates and their family members, as allowed by the internal policies of their employer.

· Current employees of the investment manager and its affiliates;

· Former employees of the investment manager and its affiliates with existing accounts;

· Current and former board members of investment companies managed by affiliates of Franklin Resources;

· Current and former board members of Franklin Resources;

· The "immediate families" of such persons. "Immediate families" are such person's spouse (including the surviving spouse of a deceased board member), parents, grandparents, and children and grandchildren (including step-relationships). For such investors, the minimum initial investment is $1,000 and the minimum for each purchase of additional shares is $25. Current employees may purchase additional shares through a systematic investment plan.

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· Assets held in accounts managed by a subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc.: (1) under an advisory agreement (including sub-advisory agreements); and/or (2) as trustee of an inter vivos or testamentary trust.

· Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans ("Plans" or individually, "Plan") that invest through a record-keeper or third party retirement platform.

· Plans with aggregate plan assets of $1 million or more invested directly with Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason funds.

· Purchases by a bank, trust company or thrift institution that is acting as a fiduciary exercising investment discretion.

· Any trust or plan established as part of a qualified tuition program under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code.

· An individual or entity associated with a current customer of Franklin Templeton Institutional, LLC (FTI, LLC) if approved by FTI, LLC in consultation with its customers.

· Unaffiliated U.S. registered mutual funds, including those that operate as "fund of funds."

· Assets held in accounts under the recommendation of an investment consultant provided that (1) assets are held with a firm unaffiliated with the investment consultant's firm; (2) the investment consultant is under a retainer or other similar fee arrangement with its clients; (3) the client is not an individual; and (4) a subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc. approves the investment.

· Clients of financial intermediaries who have entered into an agreement with Distributors and have been approved by Distributors to offer Fund shares through a network, platform, or self-directed investment brokerage account that may charge a transaction or other fee to customers. Minimum initial investment $100,000, unless otherwise waived by Distributors.

· Purchases by or through a Franklin Templeton donor-advised fund.

#### Waivers for Exchanges between Classes of the Same Fund
**Financial Intermediary Exchanges between Classes of the Same Fund.** Exchanges between Classes of the same Fund as described below generally will be tax-free for federal income tax purposes. You should also consult with your tax advisor regarding the state and local tax consequences of such an exchange of Fund shares. These exchange privileges are subject to termination and may be amended from time to time.

**Advisory Programs Eligible for Advisor Class or Class Z shares.** Class A and Class C shares purchased by accounts participating in certain programs sponsored

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by and/or controlled by financial intermediaries ("Advisory Programs") may be exchanged by the financial intermediary on behalf of the shareholder for Advisor Class shares of the same Fund under certain circumstances, including such Advisory Program's eligibility to purchase Advisor Class shares of the Fund. If a shareholder that holds Advisor Class shares of a Fund no longer participates in an Advisory Program, the Advisor Class shares held by the shareholder may be exchanged by the financial intermediary on behalf of the shareholder for Class A shares of the same Fund under certain circumstances. In this case, the shareholder would be subject to ongoing Rule 12b-1 fees to which it was not previously subject. All such exchanges are initiated by the financial intermediary and not the Fund and the Fund does not have information or oversight with respect to such exchanges. Such exchanges will be on the basis of each Class' NAV per share, without the imposition of any sales charge, fee or other charge. Unless otherwise permitted, any CDSC owed must be paid on Class A and C shares that you wish to exchange.

**Financial Intermediary Exchanges from Class C Shares to Class A Shares.** Class C shares purchased through financial intermediaries may be exchanged by the financial intermediary on behalf of the shareholder for Class A shares of the same Fund under certain circumstances. Such exchange will be on the basis of each Class' NAV per share, without the imposition of any sales charge, fee or other charge.

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Buying Shares

#### Minimum Investments - Class A, C & R

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| | |
|:---|:---|
|  | **Initial**  |
| Regular accounts, UGMA/UTMA accounts, current and former full-time employees, officers, trustees and directors of Franklin Templeton entities, and their family members  | $1000  |
| Automatic investment plans  | $25  |
| Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans, SIMPLE-IRAs, SEP-IRAs, SARSEPs or 403(b) plan accounts | no minimum |
| IRAs, IRA rollovers, Coverdell Education Savings Plans or Roth IRAs | $250 |
| Broker-dealer sponsored wrap account programs  | no minimum  |

---

A financial intermediary may impose different investment minimums than those set forth above. The Fund is not responsible for any investment minimums imposed by financial intermediaries or for notifying shareholders of any changes to them. See Appendix A for more information on certain intermediary-specific investment minimums. Please consult with your financial intermediary if you have any questions regarding its policies.

Please note that you generally may only buy shares (including the purchase side of an exchange) of a fund eligible for sale in your state or jurisdiction. The Fund and other Franklin Templeton funds are intended for sale to residents of the United States, and, with very limited exceptions, are not registered or otherwise offered for sale in other jurisdictions.

In particular, the Fund is not registered in any provincial or territorial jurisdiction in Canada, and shares of the Fund have not been qualified for sale in any Canadian jurisdiction. The shares offered by this prospectus generally may not be directly or indirectly offered or sold in any provincial or territorial jurisdiction in Canada or to or for the benefit of residents thereof. Prospective investors may be required to declare that they are not Canadian residents and are not acquiring shares on behalf of any Canadian residents. Similarly, the Fund is not registered, and shares of the Fund have not been qualified for distribution, in any member country of the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA), and generally may not be directly or indirectly offered or distributed in any such country. If an investor becomes a Canadian, EU or EEA resident after purchasing shares of the Fund, the investor may not be able to purchase any additional shares of the Fund (other than reinvestment of dividends and capital gains) or exchange shares of the Fund for other U.S. registered Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason funds.

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#### Account Application
If you are opening a new account, please complete and sign the enclosed account application. Make sure you indicate the share class you have chosen. If you do not indicate a class, we will place your purchase in Class A shares. To save time, you can sign up now for services you may want on your account by completing the appropriate sections of the application (see "Investor Services"). For example, if you would like to link one of your bank accounts to your Fund account so that you may use electronic funds transfer to and from your bank account to buy and sell shares, please complete the bank information section of the application. We will keep your bank information on file for future purchases and redemptions. We do not accept cash, third-party checks, credit card convenience checks, pre-paid debit cards, non-bank money orders, travelers checks or checks drawn on foreign banks as forms of payment to purchase shares. The Fund will accept checks payable to the shareholder that have been issued by a U.S. state or federal government agency.

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Buying Shares** | | |
|  | **Opening an account** | **Adding to an account** |
| **Through your investment representative** | Contact your investment representative | Contact your investment representative |
| **By Phone/Online**<br>(800) 632-2301 <br>www.franklintempleton.com <br>*Note: certain account types are not available for online account access*. | If you have another Franklin Templeton fund account with your bank account information on file, you may open a new identically registered account by phone. To make a same day investment, your phone order must be received and accepted by us prior to 1 p.m. Pacific time or the regularly scheduled close of the New York Stock Exchange, whichever is earlier. You may open certain new accounts online at www.franklintempleton.com. | Before requesting a telephone or online purchase into an existing account, please make sure we have your bank account information on file. If we do not have this information, you will need to send written instructions with your bank's name and address and a voided check or savings account deposit slip. All bank and Fund account owners must sign the request. If the bank and Fund accounts do not have at least one common owner, each individual must also have his or her signature notarized. <br>To make a same day investment, your phone or online order must be received and accepted by us prior to 1 p.m. Pacific time or the regularly scheduled close of the New York Stock Exchange, whichever is earlier. |

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **By Mail** | Make your check payable to the Fund. <br>Mail the check and your signed application to Investor Services at the address provided on the application or at the address below. | Make your check payable to the Fund. Include your account number on the check. <br>Fill out the deposit slip from your account statement. If you do not have a slip, include a note with your name, the Fund name, and your account number. <br>Mail the check and deposit slip or note to Investor Services at the address provided on the application or at the address below. |
| **By Wire**<br>(800) 632-2301  | Call to receive a wire control number and wire instructions. <br>Wire the funds and mail your signed application to Investor Services. Please include the wire control number or your new account number on the application. <br>To make a same day wire investment, the wired funds must be received and accepted by us prior to 1 p.m. Pacific time or the regularly scheduled close of the New York Stock Exchange, whichever is earlier. | Call to receive a wire control number and wire instructions. <br>To make a same day wire investment, the wired funds must be received and accepted by us prior to 1 p.m. Pacific time or the regularly scheduled close of the New York Stock Exchange, whichever is earlier. |
| **By Exchange**<br>www.franklintempleton.com | Call Shareholder Services at (800) 632-2301, or send signed written instructions. You also may place an online exchange order.<br>(Please see "Exchanging Shares" for more information on exchanges.) | Call Shareholder Services at (800) 632-2301, or send signed written instructions. You also may place an online exchange order.<br>(Please see "Exchanging Shares" for more information on exchanges.) |

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<br> Franklin Templeton Investor ServicesP.O. Box 33030St. Petersburg, FL 33733Call toll-free: (800) 632-2301or visit us online 24 hours a day,7 days a week, at www.franklintempleton.com

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Investor Services

#### Automatic Investment Plan
This plan offers a convenient way for you to invest in the Fund by automatically transferring money from your checking or savings account each month to buy shares. To sign up, visit us online at www.franklintempleton.com or complete the appropriate section of your account application and send it to Investor Services. If you are opening a new account, please include your minimum initial investment with your application.

#### Automated Telephone System
Our automated system offers around-the-clock access to information about your account or any Franklin Templeton fund. This service is available by dialing any of the following numbers from a touch-tone phone:

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| **Shareholder Services** | (800) 632-2301 |
| **Advisor Services** | (800) 524-4040 |
| **Retirement Services** | (800) 527-2020 |

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#### Distribution Options
You may reinvest distributions you receive from the Fund in an existing account in the same share class of the Fund or another Franklin Templeton or Legg Mason fund\*. Initial sales charges and CDSCs will not apply to reinvested distributions. You also can have your distributions deposited in a bank account, or mailed by check. Deposits to a bank account may be made by electronic funds transfer.

\* Class C shareholders may reinvest their distributions in Class A shares of Franklin U.S. Government Money Fund. Advisor Class shareholders may reinvest in Advisor Class or Class A shares of another Franklin Templeton or Legg Mason fund (excluding Western Asset Government Reserves).

If you received a distribution and chose to return it to purchase additional shares in Class A shares of another Franklin Templeton fund, you will not be charged an initial sales charge if you invest the distribution within 90 days of the distribution date.

Please indicate on your application the distribution option you have chosen, otherwise we will reinvest your distributions in the same share class of the Fund.

#### Retirement Plans
Franklin Templeton offers a variety of retirement plans for individuals and businesses. These plans require separate applications, may require special forms for redemptions, and their policies and procedures may be different than those described in this prospectus. For more information, including a free retirement plan brochure or application, please call Retirement Services at (800) 527-2020.

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#### Telephone/Online Privileges
You will automatically receive telephone/online privileges when you open your account, allowing you to obtain or view your account information, and conduct a number of transactions by phone or online, including: buy, sell, or exchange shares of most funds; use electronic funds transfer to buy or sell shares of most funds; change your address; and add or change account services (including distribution options, systematic withdrawal plans and automatic investment plans).

To view your account information or request online transactions, you will first need to register for these services at the shareholder section of our website at www.franklintempleton.com. You will be asked to accept the terms of an online agreement(s) and establish a password for online services. If you are registered for online services, you may enroll online in Franklin Templeton's electronic delivery program for your shareholder documents. This will allow you to receive electronic delivery (through our website) of most Franklin Templeton funds' prospectuses, proxy statements and other documents, as well as your account(s) statements and trade confirmations, and discontinue receiving your paper copies through the U.S. mail. Using our shareholder website means you are consenting to sending and receiving personal financial information over the Internet, so you should be sure you are comfortable with the risks.

As long as we follow reasonable security procedures and act on instructions we reasonably believe are genuine, we will not be responsible for any losses that may occur from unauthorized requests. We will request passwords or other information, and also may record calls. We have the right (but have no obligation) to refuse a telephone request if the caller is unable to provide the requested information or if we reasonably believe the caller is not an individual authorized to act on the account. To help safeguard your account, keep your password confidential, and verify the accuracy of your confirmation statements immediately after you receive them. Contact us immediately if you believe someone has obtained unauthorized access to your account or password. For transactions done over the Internet, we recommend the use of an Internet browser with 128-bit encryption. Certain methods of contacting us (such as by phone or by Internet) may be unavailable or delayed during periods of unusual market activity. *Of course, you can choose not to register for online privileges. Additionally, if you don't want telephone privileges, or want to discontinue telephone/online privileges at any time please contact us for instructions*. You may reinstate these privileges at any time in writing, including online registration with respect to online privileges.

**Note:** Digital communication channels are not necessarily secure. If you do choose to send confidential or sensitive information to us via digital communication channels (e.g. email, chat, text messaging, fax), you are accepting the associated risks related to potential lack of security, such as the possibility that your

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confidential or sensitive information may be intercepted/accessed by a third party and subsequently used or sold.

#### Systematic Withdrawal Plan
This plan allows you to automatically sell your shares and receive regular payments from your account. A CDSC may apply to withdrawals that exceed certain amounts. Certain terms and minimums apply. To sign up, visit us online at www.franklintempleton.com or contact us for instructions.

#### Franklin Templeton VIP Services <sup>®</sup>
You may be eligible for Franklin Templeton VIP Services<sup>®</sup> if you currently have $500,000 or more invested in Franklin Templeton funds based solely on shares registered directly with the Franklin Templeton funds' transfer agent and excluding shares held indirectly through brokerage accounts. Franklin Templeton VIP Services<sup>®</sup> shareholders enjoy enhanced service and transaction capabilities. Please contact Shareholder Services at (800) 632-2301 for additional information on this program.

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Selling Shares

You can sell your shares at any time. To make a same day redemption, the redemption request must be received and accepted by us prior to 1 p.m. Pacific time or the regularly scheduled close of the New York Stock Exchange, whichever is earlier. Please keep in mind that a contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) may apply.

#### Selling Shares in Writing
Generally, requests to sell $250,000 or less can be made over the phone, online, or with a simple letter. Sometimes, however, to protect you and the Fund we may request written instructions signed by all registered owners, with a signature guarantee for each owner, if:

· you are selling more than $250,000 worth of shares

· you want your proceeds paid to someone who is not a registered owner

· you want to send your proceeds somewhere other than the address of record, or preauthorized bank or brokerage firm account

We also may require a signature guarantee when: we receive instructions from an agent, not the registered owners; you want to send your proceeds to a bank account that was added or changed on your account without a signature guarantee within the last 15 days; you want to send proceeds to your address that was changed without a signature guarantee within the last 15 days; or we believe it would protect the Fund against potential claims based on the instructions received. The Fund may change the signature guarantee requirements from time to time without prior notice to shareholders.

The amount may be higher for members of Franklin Templeton VIP Services<sup>®</sup>. Please see "Franklin Templeton VIP Services<sup>®</sup>" above for more information regarding eligibility.

A **signature guarantee** helps protect your account against fraud. You can obtain a signature guarantee at most banks and securities dealers.

A notary public CANNOT provide a signature guarantee.

#### Selling Recently Purchased Shares
If you sell shares recently purchased, we may delay sending you the proceeds until your check, draft or wire/electronic funds transfer has cleared, which may take seven business days.

#### Redemption Proceeds
Your redemption check will be sent within seven days after we receive your request in proper form. We are not able to receive or pay out cash in the form of currency.

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#### Retirement Plans
You may need to complete additional forms to sell shares in a FTIOS retirement plan. For participants under the age of 59 1/2, tax penalties may apply. Call Retirement Services at (800) 527-2020 for details.

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**Selling Shares** 

#### To sell some or all of your shares

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| **Through your investment representative**<br>Contact your investment representative<br>**By Mail**<br>Send written instructions and endorsed share certificates (if you hold share certificates) to Investor Services. Corporate, partnership or trust accounts may need to send additional documents.<br>Specify the Fund, the account number and the dollar value or number of shares you wish to sell. Be sure to include all necessary signatures and any additional documents, as well as signature guarantees if required.<br>A check will be mailed to the name(s) and address on the account, or otherwise according to your written instructions.<br>**By Phone/Online<br>(800) 632-2301<br>www.franklintempleton.com**<br>As long as your transaction is for $250,000 or less and you do not hold share certificates, you can sell your shares by phone or online. The amount may be higher for members of Franklin Templeton VIP Services<sup>®</sup>. Please see "Franklin Templeton VIP Services<sup>®</sup>" above for more information regarding eligibility.<br>A check will be mailed to the name(s) and address on the account, or a pre-authorized secondary address. Written instructions, with a signature guarantee, are required to send the check to another address or to make it payable to another person.<br>If you have changed your address within the last 15 days without a signature guarantee, requests to sell your shares and mail the check to the name(s) and address on the account must be in writing and we may require a signature guarantee. Requests to sell your shares and send the proceeds to a pre-authorized secondary address may be requested by phone or online. | **By Electronic Funds Transfer (ACH)**<br>You can call, write, or visit us online to have redemption proceeds sent to a bank account. See the policies at left for selling shares by mail, phone, or online.<br>Before requesting to have redemption proceeds sent to a bank account, please make sure we have your bank account information on file. If we do not have this information, you will need to send written instructions with your bank's name and a voided check or savings account deposit slip. All bank and Fund account owners must sign the request. If the bank and Fund accounts do not have at least one common owner, each individual must also have his or her signature notarized.<br>If the bank account was added or changed without a signature guarantee within the last 15 days, you may be required to provide written instructions signed by all Fund account owners, with a signature guarantee for each Fund account owner.<br>If we receive your request in proper form prior to 1 p.m. Pacific time or the regularly scheduled close of the New York Stock Exchange, whichever is earlier, proceeds sent by ACH generally will be available within two to three business days. <br>**By Exchange**<br>Obtain a current prospectus for the fund you are considering. Prospectuses are available online at www.franklintempleton.com.<br>Call Shareholder Services at the number below or send signed written instructions. You also may place an exchange order online. See the policies at left for selling shares by mail, phone, or online.<br>If you hold share certificates, you will need to return them to the Fund before your exchange can be processed. |

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Franklin Templeton Investor Services

P.O. Box 33030

St. Petersburg, FL 33733

Call toll-free: (800) 632-2301

or visit us online 24 hours a day,

7 days a week, at www.franklintempleton.com

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Exchanging Shares

#### Exchange Privilege
You or your financial intermediary may instruct the Fund to exchange shares of any class for shares of the same class of any other Franklin Templeton or Legg Mason fund, provided that the fund shares to be acquired in the exchange are available to new investors in such other fund and you are eligible to invest in such shares. In addition, you may exchange shares of the Fund for a different share class of the same Fund provided you meet the eligibility requirements of the share class into which you are exchanging. If the Franklin Templeton or Legg Mason fund into which you wish to exchange your shares does not offer the class of shares in which you are currently invested, you may exchange your shares into another share class according to the following table:

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| **Exchange From Share Class** | **Exchange To Share Class (if exact share class is not offered)** |
| Advisor Class | Class I, Class Z or Class A (without any sales charge)\* |
| Class Z | Class I or Advisor Class |
| Class R6 | Class IS, Advisor Class or Class Z |
| Class R | Class FI |
| Class A1 | Class A |

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\* If you exchange into Class A shares and you later decide you would like to exchange into a fund that offers an Advisor Class, you may exchange your Class A shares for Advisor Class shares if you are a current shareholder in Advisor Class or you otherwise qualify to buy the fund's Advisor Class shares.

In certain comprehensive fee or advisory programs that hold Class A and/or A1 shares, the investor may exchange to Advisor Class, Class I or Class Z shares at the discretion of the financial intermediary. You may exchange shares of the Fund for a class of shares of other funds sold by the Distributor on any day that both the Fund and the fund into which you are exchanging are open for business. Please contact your financial intermediary or the Fund about funds available for exchange.

Generally exchanges may only be made between identically registered accounts, unless you send written instructions with a signature guarantee.

An **exchange** is really two transactions: a sale of one fund and the purchase of another. In general, the same policies that apply to purchases and sales also apply to exchanges, including minimum investment amounts (except exchanges of an entire account balance). Exchanges also generally have the same tax consequences as ordinary sales and purchases.

**Exchange effects on sales charges.** You can exchange shares between most Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason funds within the same class, generally without paying any additional sales charges. If you exchange shares from a money fund

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and those shares were not charged a sales charge previously, however, a sales charge may apply.

Any CDSC will continue to be calculated from the date of your initial investment and will not be charged at the time of the exchange. The purchase price for determining a CDSC on exchanged shares will be the price you paid for the original shares.

**Exchange effects on Class C conversion feature.** If you exchange your Class C shares for the same class of shares of another Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason fund, the time your shares are held in the initial Fund will count towards the 8-year period for automatic conversion to Class A shares.

**Rejected exchanges.** If the Fund rejects an exchange request involving the sale of Fund shares, the rejected exchange request will also mean rejection of the request to purchase shares of another fund with the proceeds of the sale. Of course, you may generally redeem shares of the Fund at any time.

**Exchanges through financial intermediaries.** If you are investing indirectly in the Fund through a financial intermediary such as a broker-dealer, a bank, an insurance company separate account, an investment advisor, an administrator or trustee of an IRS-recognized tax-deferred savings plan such as a 401(k) retirement plan and a 529 college savings plan that maintains a master account (an Omnibus Account) with the Fund for trading on behalf of its customers, different exchange and/or transfer limit guidelines and restrictions may apply. The financial intermediary through whom you are investing may choose to adopt different trading restrictions designed to discourage short-term or excessive trading. Consult with your financial intermediary (or in the case of a 401(k) retirement plan, your plan sponsor) to determine what trading restrictions, including exchange/transfer limitations, may be applicable to you.

**Fund exchange privilege changes/waiver.** The Fund may terminate or modify (temporarily or permanently) this exchange privilege in the future. You will receive at least 60 days' notice of any material changes, unless otherwise provided by law.

**Other funds' exchange privileges.** If there is a conflict between the exchange privileges of two funds involved in an exchange transaction, the stricter policy will apply to the transaction. Other Franklin Templeton or Legg Mason funds may have different exchange restrictions. Check each fund's prospectus for details.

**Exchange of shares into shares of the same Fund.** The exchange of shares of one class into another class of the same Fund is not taxable for federal income tax purposes. However, shareholders should consult their tax advisors regarding the state and local tax consequences of a conversion or exchange of shares.

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#### Frequent Trading Policy
The Fund's board of trustees has adopted the following policies and procedures with respect to frequent trading in Fund shares (Frequent Trading Policy).

The Fund does not intend to accommodate short-term or frequent purchases and redemptions of Fund shares that may be detrimental to the Fund. For example, this type of trading activity could interfere with the efficient management of the Fund's portfolio or materially increase the Fund's transaction costs, administrative costs or taxes.

In addition, since the Fund may invest in foreign securities, it may be vulnerable to a form of short-term trading that is sometimes referred to as "time-zone arbitrage." Time-zone arbitrage occurs when an investor seeks to take advantage of delays between changes in the value of a mutual fund's portfolio holdings and the reflection of those changes in the Fund's net asset value per share. These delays are more likely to occur in the case of foreign investments, due to differences between the times during which the Fund's international portfolio securities trade on foreign markets and the time as of which the Fund's NAV is calculated (generally as of the close of the NYSE - please see "Account Policies - Calculating Share Price"). Time-zone arbitrage traders seek to purchase or redeem shares of a fund based on events occurring after foreign market closing prices are established, but before calculation of the fund's NAV. This can result in the value of the Fund's shares being diluted. One of the objectives of the Fund's fair value pricing procedures is to minimize the possibility of this type of arbitrage (please see "Account Policies - Security Valuation - Foreign Securities - Potential Impact of Time Zones and Market Holidays"); however, there can be no assurance that the Fund's valuation procedures will be successful in eliminating it.

Since the Fund may invest in securities that are, or may be, restricted, unlisted, traded infrequently, thinly traded, or relatively illiquid ("relatively illiquid securities"), it may be particularly vulnerable to arbitrage short-term trading. Such arbitrage traders may seek to take advantage of a possible differential between the last available market prices for one or more of those relatively illiquid securities that are used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the latest indications of market values for those securities. One of the objectives of the Fund's fair value pricing procedures is to minimize the possibilities of this type of arbitrage (please see "Account Policies - Fair Valuation - Individual Securities"); however, there can be no assurance that the Fund's valuation procedures will be successful in eliminating it.

Through its transfer agent, the Fund performs ongoing monitoring of shareholder trading in shares of the Fund and other Franklin Templeton funds in order to try and identify shareholder trading patterns that suggest an ongoing short-term trading strategy. If shareholder trading patterns identified by the transfer agent through monitoring or from other information regarding the shareholder's trading activity in non-Franklin Templeton funds leads the transfer agent to reasonably conclude that

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such trading may be detrimental to the Fund as described in this Frequent Trading Policy, the transfer agent, on behalf of the Fund, may temporarily or permanently bar future purchases into the Fund or, alternatively, may limit the amount, number or frequency of any future purchases and/or the method by which you may request future purchases and redemptions (including purchases and/or redemptions by an exchange or transfer between the Fund and any other mutual fund).

In considering an investor's trading patterns, the Fund may consider, among other factors, the investor's trading history both directly and, if known, through financial intermediaries, in the Fund, in other Franklin Templeton funds, in non-Franklin Templeton mutual funds, or in accounts under common control or ownership (see, for example, "Buying and Selling Shares - Investment by asset allocators and large shareholders" in the SAI). The transfer agent may also reject any purchase request, whether or not it represents part of any ongoing trading pattern, if the Fund's investment manager or transfer agent reasonably concludes that the amount of the requested transaction may disrupt or otherwise interfere with the efficient management of the Fund's portfolio. In determining what actions should be taken, the Fund's transfer agent may consider a variety of factors, including the potential impact of such remedial actions on the Fund and its shareholders. If the Fund is a "fund of funds," the Fund's transfer agent may consider the impact of the trading activity and of any proposed remedial action on both the Fund and the affiliated underlying funds in which the Fund invests.

**Frequent trading through financial intermediaries.** You are an investor subject to this Frequent Trading Policy whether you are a direct shareholder of the Fund or you are investing indirectly in the Fund through a financial intermediary, such as a broker-dealer, bank, trust company, insurance company product such as an annuity contract, investment advisor, or an administrator or trustee of an IRS-recognized tax-deferred savings plan such as a 401(k) retirement plan and a 529 college savings plan.

Some financial intermediaries maintain master accounts with the Fund on behalf of their customers ("omnibus accounts"). The Fund has entered into "information sharing agreements" with these financial intermediaries, which permit the Fund to obtain, upon request, information about the trading activity of the intermediary's customers that invest in the Fund. If the Fund's transfer agent identifies omnibus account level trading patterns that have the potential to be detrimental to the Fund, the transfer agent may, in its sole discretion, request from the financial intermediary information concerning the trading activity of its customers. Based upon its review of the information, if the transfer agent determines that the trading activity of any customer may be detrimental to the Fund, it may, in its sole discretion, request the financial intermediary to restrict or limit further trading in the Fund by that customer. There can be no assurance that the transfer agent's monitoring of omnibus account

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level trading patterns will enable it to identify all short-term trading by a financial intermediary's customers.

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Account Policies

#### Calculating Share Price

#### Class A & C
When you buy shares, you pay the "offering price" for the shares. The "offering price" is determined by dividing the NAV per share by an amount equal to 1 minus the sales charge applicable to the purchase (expressed in decimals), calculated to two decimal places using standard rounding criteria. The number of Fund shares you will be issued will equal the amount invested divided by the applicable offering price for those shares, calculated to three decimal places using standard rounding criteria. For example, if the NAV per share is $10.25 and the applicable sales charge for the purchase is 5.50%, the offering price would be calculated as follows: 10.25 divided by 1.00 minus 0.055 [10.25/0.945] equals 10.846561, which, when rounded to two decimal points, equals 10.85. The offering price per share would be $10.85.

When you sell shares, you receive the NAV minus any applicable CDSC.

#### All Classes
The value of a mutual fund is determined by deducting the fund's liabilities from the total assets of the portfolio. The NAV per share is determined by dividing the total net asset value of each fund's share class by the applicable number of shares outstanding per share class.

The Fund calculates the NAV per share each business day as of 1 p.m. Pacific time or the regularly scheduled close of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), whichever is earlier. The Fund does not calculate the NAV on days the NYSE is closed for trading, which include New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President's Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. If the NYSE has a scheduled early close, the Fund's share price would be determined as of the time of the close of the NYSE. If, due to weather or other special or unexpected circumstances, the NYSE has an unscheduled early close on a day that it has opened for business, the Fund reserves the right to consider that day as a regular business day and accept purchase and redemption orders and calculate its share price as of the normally scheduled close of regular trading on the NYSE. The Fund's NAV per share for each class is readily available online at www.franklintempleton.com/performance.

The Fund has an agreement with certain financial intermediaries that authorize them to accept orders or designate third parties to accept orders on behalf of the Fund. If you place your order through these financial intermediaries, the order will be considered received when they accept the order. Those orders will be priced at the next NAV calculated after acceptance of the order by the financial intermediary

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or its agent. If you place an order through an account at an intermediary, please consult with the intermediary to determine when your order will be executed, as some intermediaries may require that they receive orders prior to a specified cut-off time.

Requests to buy and sell shares are processed at the NAV next calculated after we or an approved financial intermediary receive your request in proper form.

When determining its NAV, the Fund values cash and receivables at their realizable amounts, and records interest as accrued and dividends on the ex-dividend date. The Fund generally utilizes two independent pricing services to assist in determining a current market value for each security. If market quotations are readily available for portfolio securities listed on a securities exchange, the Fund values those securities at the last quoted sale price or the official closing price of the day, respectively, or, if there is no reported sale, within the range of the most recent quoted bid and ask prices. The Fund values over-the-counter portfolio securities within the range of the most recent bid and ask prices. If portfolio securities trade both in the over-the-counter market and on a stock exchange, the Fund values them according to the broadest and most representative market. Prices received by the Fund for securities may be based on institutional "round lot" sizes, but the Fund may hold smaller, "odd lot" sizes. Odd lots may trade at lower prices than round lots.

Generally, trading in corporate bonds, U.S. government securities and money market instruments is substantially completed each day at various times before 1 p.m. Pacific time. The value of these securities used in computing the NAV is determined as of such times. Occasionally, events affecting the values of these securities may occur between the times at which they are determined and 1 p.m. Pacific time that will not be reflected in the computation of the NAV. The Fund relies on third-party pricing vendors to provide evaluated prices that reflect current fair market value at 1 p.m. Pacific time.

#### Fair Valuation – Individual Securities
Since the Fund may invest in securities that are restricted, unlisted, traded infrequently, thinly traded, or relatively illiquid, there is the possibility of a differential between the last available market prices for one or more of those securities and the latest indications of market values for those securities. The Fund has procedures, approved by the board of trustees, to determine the fair value of individual securities and other assets for which market prices are not readily available (such as certain restricted or unlisted securities and private placements) or which may not be reliably priced (such as in the case of trade suspensions or halts, price movement limits set by certain foreign markets, and thinly traded or illiquid securities). Some methods for valuing these securities may include: fundamental analysis (earnings multiple, etc.), matrix pricing, discounts from market prices of

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similar securities, or discounts applied due to the nature and duration of restrictions on the disposition of the securities. The board of trustees oversees the application of fair value pricing procedures.

The application of fair value pricing procedures represents a good faith determination based upon specifically applied procedures. There can be no assurance that the Fund could obtain the fair value assigned to a security if it were able to sell the security at approximately the time at which the Fund determines its NAV per share.

#### Security Valuation – Corporate Debt Securities
Corporate debt securities generally trade in the over-the-counter market rather than on a securities exchange. The Fund may value these portfolio securities by utilizing quotations from bond dealers, information with respect to bond and note transactions and may rely on independent pricing services to assist in determining a current market value for each security. The Fund's pricing services may utilize independent quotations from bond dealers and bond market activity to determine current value.

#### Security Valuation – Senior Secured Corporate Loans
Senior secured corporate loans with floating or variable interest rates generally trade in the over-the-counter market rather than on a securities exchange. The Fund may value these portfolio securities by utilizing quotations from loan dealers and other financial institutions, information with respect to bond and note transactions and may rely on independent pricing services to assist in determining a current market value for each security. These pricing services use independent market quotations from loan dealers or financial institutions and may incorporate valuation methodologies that incorporate multiple bond characteristics. These characteristics may include dealer quotes, issuer type, coupon, maturity, weighted average maturity, interest rate spreads and yield curves, cash flow and credit risk/quality analysis.

#### Security Valuation – Options
The Fund values traded call options at their market price as determined above. The current market value of any option the Fund holds is its last sale price on the relevant exchange before the Fund values its assets. If there are no sales that day or if the last sale price is outside the bid and ask prices, the Fund values options within the range of the current closing bid and ask prices if the Fund believes the valuation fairly reflects the contract's market value.

#### Security Valuation – Foreign Securities – Computation of U.S. Equivalent Value
The Fund generally determines the value of a foreign security as of the close of trading on the foreign stock exchange on which the security is primarily traded, or as of 1 p.m. Pacific time. The value is then converted into its U.S. dollar equivalent

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at the foreign exchange rate in effect at 1 p.m. Pacific time on the day that the value of the foreign security is determined. If no sale is reported at that time, the foreign security will be valued within the range of the most recent quoted bid and ask prices. Occasionally events (such as repatriation limits or restrictions) may impact the availability or reliability of foreign exchange rates used to convert the U.S. dollar equivalent value. If such an event occurs, the foreign exchange rate will be valued at fair value using procedures established and approved by the board of trustees.

#### Security Valuation – Foreign Securities – Potential Impact of Time Zones and Market Holidays
Trading in securities on foreign securities stock exchanges and over-the-counter markets, such as those in Europe and Asia, may be completed before 1 p.m. Pacific time on each day that the Fund is open. Occasionally, events occur between the time at which trading in a foreign security is completed and 1 p.m. Pacific time that might call into question the availability (including the reliability) of the value of a foreign portfolio security held by the Fund. As a result, the Fund may be susceptible to what is referred to as "time-zone arbitrage." Certain investors in the Fund may seek to take advantage of discrepancies in the value of the Fund's portfolio securities as determined by the foreign market at its close and the latest indications of value attributable to the portfolio securities at the time the Fund's NAV is computed. Trading by these investors, often referred to as "arbitrage market timers," may dilute the value of the Fund's shares, if such discrepancies in security values actually exist. To attempt to minimize the possibilities for time-zone arbitrage, and in accordance with procedures established and approved by the Fund's board of trustees, the investment manager monitors price movements by using a fair value pricing service offered through an independent pricing vendor.

The fair value pricing service is used to estimate the price of a security in a liquid market at the time of the NAV calculation (1 p.m. Pacific Time). If certain criteria are met, the foreign securities may be valued using the price from the fair value pricing service. The intended effect of applying fair value pricing is to compute an NAV that accurately reflects the value of the Fund's portfolio at the time that the NAV is calculated, to discourage potential arbitrage market timing in Fund shares, to mitigate the dilutive impact of such attempted arbitrage market timing and to be fair to purchasing, redeeming and existing shareholders. However, the application of fair value pricing procedures may, on occasion, worsen rather than mitigate the potential dilutive impact of shareholder trading.

In addition, trading in foreign portfolio securities generally, or in securities markets in a particular country or countries, may not take place on every Fund's business day. Furthermore, trading takes place in various foreign markets on days that are not business days for the Funds, and on which the Fund's NAV is not calculated (in which case, the NAV of the Fund's shares may change on days when shareholders

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will not be able to purchase or redeem Fund shares). Thus, the calculation of the Fund's NAV does not take place contemporaneously with the determination of the prices of many of the foreign portfolio securities used in the calculation. If events affecting the last determined values of these foreign securities occur, the securities will be valued at fair value determined in good faith in accordance with the Fund's fair value procedures established and approved by the board of trustees (as described above).

#### Accounts with Low Balances
If your account has been open for more than one year and its value falls below $500, we will mail you a notice asking you to bring the account back up to its applicable minimum investment amount. If you choose not to do so within 30 days, we will close your account and proceeds will be sent by Electronic Fund Transfer (ACH) to your bank information on file. If we do not have this information, proceeds will be mailed to the address of record. You will not be charged a CDSC if your account is closed for this reason. This policy does not apply to: (1) certain broker-controlled accounts established through the National Securities Clearing Corporation's Networking system; (2) Class A or A1 accounts established pursuant to a conversion from Class C or C1, and any remaining Class C or C1 accounts involved in the conversion, with a low balance due to the conversion; (3) tax-deferred retirement plan accounts; (4) active automatic investment plan accounts; (5) accounts in an Advisory Fee Program; (6) accounts held through a 529 college savings program; (7) Coverdell Education Savings Plan accounts; and (8) accounts currently maintained via robo advice driven services where account investments and reallocations are done through an automated, algorithm-driven platform.

*Small account fees* To offset the relatively higher impact on fund expenses of servicing smaller accounts, the Fund may charge you a fee of $3.75 per account that is determined and assessed quarterly by your financial intermediary or by Distributors (i.e., for accounts for which Distributors is the broker of record) on the next-to-last business day of the quarter (with an annual maximum of $15.00 per account) if the value of your account is below $1,000 (if applicable, $250 for retirement plans that are not employer-sponsored) for any reason (including declines in net asset value). The small account fee will be charged by redeeming shares in your account. If the value of your account is $3.75 or less, the amount in the account may be exhausted to pay the small account fee. If your financial intermediary or Distributors assesses a small account fee, the small account fee will not be assessed on systematic investment plans until the end of the first quarter after the account has been established for 21 months. Payment of the small account fee through a redemption of fund shares may result in tax consequences to you (see "Distributions and Taxes" for more information).

The small account fee will not be charged on, if applicable: (i) retirement plans (but will be charged on other plans that are not employer-sponsored such as traditional

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and Roth individual retirement accounts, Coverdell education savings accounts, individual 403(b)(7) custodial accounts, Keogh plans, SEPs, SARSEPs, SIMPLE IRAs or similar accounts); (ii) Franklin Templeton funds that have been closed to subsequent purchases for all classes; (iii) accounts that do not have a valid address as evidenced by mail being returned to the fund or its agents; (iv) Class R, Class R6 and Advisor Class shares; and (v) for new accounts (except for new accounts opened by way of an exchange), a small account fee will not be charged during the calendar quarter in which you open your account.

If your share class is no longer offered, you may not be able to bring your account up to the minimum investment amount (although you may exchange into existing accounts of other funds sold by Distributors in which you hold the same share class, to the extent otherwise permitted by those funds and subject to any applicable sales charges).

The small account fee is calculated on a fund-by-fund basis. If you have one or more accounts in different funds, the account(s) in different funds will not be aggregated for the purpose of calculating the small account fee.

A financial intermediary may impose different minimum account balances on your account than those described above. The Fund is not responsible for any minimum account balances imposed by financial intermediaries or for notifying shareholders of any changes to them. See Appendix A for more information on certain intermediary-specific minimum account balances. Please consult with your financial intermediary if you have any questions regarding their policies.

#### Redemptions
Typically, the Fund uses cash and cash equivalents held in its portfolio or sells portfolio assets to meet all redemption needs. In unusual circumstances or under stressed market conditions, the Fund may use other methods to meet redemptions, such as the use of lines of credit or interfund lending in reliance on exemptive relief from the SEC. Also, see "Account Policies – Redemptions in Kind" for further information regarding redemption requests.

#### Redemptions in Kind
If your redemption requests during any 90-day period exceed $250,000 (or 1% of the value of the Fund's net assets, if less), the Fund reserves the right to make payments in whole or in part in securities or other assets of the Fund. You should expect to incur transaction costs upon the disposition of the securities received in the distribution. In addition, you will bear the market risk of the securities you hold until the securities are sold.

#### Redemptions by Large Shareholders
At times, the Fund may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders redeem large amounts of shares of the Fund. Large redemptions may

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cause the Fund to sell portfolio securities at times when it would not otherwise do so. In addition, these transactions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if such sales of investments resulted in gains, and may also increase transaction costs and/or increase in the Fund's expense ratio. When experiencing a redemption by a large shareholder, the Fund may delay payment of the redemption request up to seven days to provide the investment manager with time to determine if the Fund can redeem the request in-kind or to consider other alternatives to lessen the harm to remaining shareholders. Under certain circumstances, however, the Fund may be unable to delay a redemption request, which could result in the automatic processing of a large redemption that is detrimental to the Fund and its remaining shareholders.

#### Statements, Reports and Prospectuses
You will receive quarterly account statements that show all your account transactions during the quarter. You also will receive written notification after each transaction affecting your account (except for distributions and transactions made through automatic investment or withdrawal programs, which will be reported on your quarterly statement). Upon receipt, review all account statements and written notifications after each transaction affecting your account and notify us immediately if there is a discrepancy.

You also will receive, or receive notice of the availability of, the Fund's financial reports every six months. In addition, you will receive an annual updated summary prospectus (prospectus available upon request). To reduce Fund expenses, we try to identify related shareholders in a household and send only one copy of the financial reports (to the extent received by mail) and summary prospectus. This process, called "householding," will continue indefinitely unless you instruct us otherwise. If you prefer not to have these documents householded, please call us at (800) 632-2301. At any time you may view current prospectuses/summary prospectuses and financial reports on our website. If you choose, you may receive these documents through electronic delivery.

You may elect to receive your statements, prospectuses and other documents through electronic delivery (please see "Investor Services - Telephone/Online Privileges").

#### Investment Representative Account Access
If there is a dealer or other investment representative of record on your account, he or she will be able to obtain your account information, conduct transactions for your account, and also will receive copies of all notifications and statements and other information about your account directly from the Fund.

#### Street or Nominee Accounts
You may transfer your shares from the street or nominee name account of one dealer to another, as long as both dealers have an agreement with Distributors. We

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will process the transfer after we receive authorization in proper form from your delivering securities dealer.

#### Joint Accounts
Unless you specify a different registration, shares issued to two or more owners are registered as "joint tenants with rights of survivorship" (shown as "Jt Ten" on your account statement). To make any ownership changes to jointly owned shares, or to sever a joint tenancy in jointly owned shares, all owners must agree in writing.

#### Joint Account Risk with Telephone/Online Privileges
You will automatically receive telephone/online privileges when you open your account. If your account has more than one registered owner, telephone/online privileges allow the Fund to accept online registration for online services (including electronic delivery of shareholder documents) and transaction instructions online or by telephone from only one registered owner. This means that any one registered owner on your account, acting alone and without the consent of any other registered owner, may give the Fund instructions by telephone, online or in writing (subject to any limitations in telephone or online privileges) to:

· Exchange shares from a jointly registered Fund account requiring all registered owner signatures into an identically registered money fund account that only requires one registered owner's signature to redeem shares;

· Redeem Fund shares and direct the redemption proceeds to a pre-established bank account that may or may not be owned by you and, if owned by you jointly with someone else, only requires one person to withdraw funds by check or otherwise; and

· Purchase Fund shares by debiting a pre-established bank account that may be owned by you.

If you do NOT want another registered owner on your account to be able to issue these kinds of instructions to the Fund without your consent, you must instruct the Fund to deny/terminate online privileges and the ability to issue such instructions by telephone so that these types of instructions will only be accepted in writing signed by all account owners. This decision will apply to any other fund into which you may exchange your jointly owned Fund shares. Any later decision to permit these types of instructions by telephone and/or online will need to be given to the Fund in a written instruction signed by all registered owners.

#### Additional Policies
Please note that the Fund maintains additional policies and reserves certain rights, including:

· The Fund may restrict, reject or cancel any purchase orders, including an exchange request.

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· Typically, redemptions are processed by the next business day provided the redemption request is received in proper form and good order, but may take up to seven days to be processed if making immediate payment would adversely affect the Fund or there is another cause for delay (for example, if you sell shares recently purchased, proceeds may be delayed until your check, draft or wire/electronic funds transfer has cleared). In certain circumstances, however, the Fund may not have the ability to delay a redemption request or may not have the time to determine whether a particular redemption would have an adverse effect on the Fund before the redemption request is paid.

· Purchase, redemption and exchange requests mailed to Franklin Templeton's address in San Mateo, California, rather than to the address set forth in the "Buying Shares" and "Selling Shares" sections above, will be date- and time-stamped when received in San Mateo. If these requests are in proper form, such orders will be priced at the next NAV calculated after the date and time indicated by the stamp on the request.

· The Fund may modify, suspend, or terminate telephone/online privileges at any time.

· The Fund may make material changes to or discontinue the exchange privilege on 60 days' notice or as otherwise provided by law.

· The Fund may stop offering shares completely or may offer shares only on a limited basis, for a period of time or permanently.

· In unusual circumstances, we may temporarily suspend redemptions or postpone the payment of proceeds, as allowed by federal securities laws.

· For redemptions over a certain amount, the Fund may, but is not required to, pay redemption proceeds in securities or other assets rather than cash (also known as a redemption in-kind) if the investment manager determines it is in the best interest of the Fund, consistent with applicable law. The investment manager will, in its sole discretion, determine whether a redemption in-kind will be considered for a particular redemption request or type of redemption request. In certain circumstances, however, the investment manager may not have the ability to determine whether a particular redemption could be paid in-kind before the redemption request is paid. If a redemption request is redeemed in-kind, investors should expect to incur transaction costs upon the disposition of the securities received in the distribution.

· You may only buy shares of a fund (including the purchase side of an exchange) eligible for sale in your state or jurisdiction.

· To permit investors to obtain the current price, dealers are responsible for transmitting all orders to the Fund promptly.

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· For non-retirement accounts, if you are receiving a dividend, capital gains or a systematic withdrawal plan payment in cash, and at least three consecutive checks remain uncashed for at least six months, the Fund reserves the right to change your distribution option to reinvest future distributions or discontinue your systematic withdrawal plan.

· The Fund may be required to close your account after a period of inactivity, as determined by applicable U.S. state or territory abandoned or unclaimed property laws and regulations, and transfer your shares to the appropriate U.S. state or territory. If your shares are transferred to an applicable U.S. state or territory from an IRA account, that could be treated as a taxable distribution from your IRA to you. For more information on unclaimed property and how to maintain an active account, please contact your Service Agent or the fund's transfer agent.

#### Dealer Compensation

#### Class A, C & R
Qualifying dealers who sell Fund shares may receive sales commissions and other payments. These are paid by Distributors from sales charges received from purchasing or redeeming shareholders, from distribution and service (12b-1) fees from the Fund and from Distributors' other financial resources. Dealers may also receive shareholder servicing fees for servicing investors who indirectly hold Franklin Templeton fund shares through dealer-maintained brokerage accounts as more fully described under "Shareholder servicing and transfer agent" of the "Management and Other Services" section in the SAI. These fees are paid by the Fund's transfer agent from payments it receives under its agreement with the Fund.

No dealer commission will be paid on Class A NAV purchases by Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans.

If any dealer commissions are paid in connection with a purchase which is subsequently rejected or results in any trading restriction placed on the purchaser as a result of a determination by the Fund's investment manager or transfer agent that the purchase may be connected with trading activity that may be detrimental to the Fund as described in the Fund's "Frequent Trading Policy," the dealer shall, upon demand, refund such commissions to Distributors.

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| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  | **Class A** | **Class C** | **Class R** |
| **Commission (%)** |  | 1.00<sup>1</sup> |  |
| Investment under $25,000 | 5.00 |  |  |
| $25,000 but under $50,000 | 4.75 |  |  |
| $50,000 but under $100,000 | 4.00 |  |  |
| $100,000 but under $250,000 | 3.00 |  |  |
| $250,000 but under $500,000 | 2.25 |  |  |

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| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| $500,000 but under $750,000 | 1.75 |  |  |
| $750,000 but under $1 million | 1.25 |  |  |
| $1 million or more | up to 1.00 |  |  |
| **12b-1 fee to dealer** | 0.25<sup>23</sup> | 1.00<sup>4</sup> | 0.50 |

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1. Commission includes advance of the first year's 0.25% 12b-1 service fee. Distributors may pay a prepaid commission. However, Distributors does not pay a prepaid commission on any purchases by Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans.

2. For purchases at NAV where Distributors paid a prepaid commission, dealers may start to receive the 12b-1 fee in the 13th month after purchase. For purchases at NAV where Distributors did not pay a prepaid commission, dealers may start to receive the 12b-1 fee at the time of purchase.

3. Under the Distribution Plan for Class A, the Fund may pay up to 0.30% to Distributors or others, out of which 0.05% generally will be retained by Distributors for its distribution expenses. As set by the board of trustees (until further notice), the Fund currently may pay up to 0.25% under the Plan.

4. Dealers may be eligible to receive up to 0.25% at the time of purchase and may be eligible to receive 1% starting in the 13th month. During the first 12 months, the full 12b-1 fee will be paid to Distributors to partially offset the commission and the prepaid service fee paid at the time of purchase. For purchases at NAV where Distributors did not pay a prepaid commission, dealers may start to receive the 12b-1 fee at the time of purchase. After approximately eight years, Class C shares convert to Class A shares and dealers may then be eligible to receive the 12b-1 fee applicable to Class A.

**Purchases of certain share classes through financial intermediaries (Class R6 and Advisor Class)** There are no associated sales charges or Rule 12b-1 distribution and service fees for the purchase of Class R6 and Advisor Class shares. However, pursuant to SEC guidance, certain financial intermediaries acting as agents on behalf of their customers may directly impose on shareholders sales charges or transaction fees determined by the financial intermediary related to the purchase of these shares. These charges and fees are not disclosed in this prospectus. You should consult with your financial advisor or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.

The Fund's service providers also may pay financial intermediaries for marketing support and other related services as disclosed below for Advisor Class shares, but not for Class R6 shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend one share class over another. There is some uncertainty concerning whether marketing support or other similar payments may be made or received in connection with Advisor Class shares where a financial intermediary has imposed its own sales charges or transaction fees. Based on future regulatory developments, such payments may be terminated.

**Other financial intermediary compensation** Except with respect to Class R6 shares, Distributors may make marketing support payments (a portion of which may be reimbursable under the terms of the Fund's Rule 12b-1 distribution plans) to certain dealers and other financial intermediaries, such as banks, insurance companies, or plan administrators, in connection with their efforts to educate financial advisors or provide other services which may facilitate, directly or indirectly, investment in Franklin Templeton mutual funds. In the case of any one intermediary, marketing support payments generally will not exceed 0.05% of the total assets of Franklin Templeton mutual funds attributable to that intermediary, on

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an annual basis. For an intermediary exceeding $50 billion in total assets of Franklin Templeton mutual funds, Distributors may agree to make annual marketing support payments up to a limit of 0.06% of such assets. In other limited circumstances, Distributors or an affiliate will have alternative arrangements with an intermediary that provide for payments in excess of the 0.05% limitation, which may include arrangements based on assets or sales of the funds, combined assets or sales of related funds, or other criteria. Marketing support payments made to organizations located outside the U.S., with respect to investments in the Fund by non-U.S. persons, also may exceed this limitation. Any assets held on behalf of Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans for which payment is made to a financial intermediary pursuant to the following paragraph will be excluded from the calculation of marketing support payments pursuant to this paragraph. You should contact your financial intermediary to determine the amount of any compensation it may receive from Distributors or its affiliates.

Except with respect to Class R6 shares, Distributors and/or its affiliates may also make payments (a portion of which may be reimbursable under the terms of the Fund's Rule 12b-1 distribution plans) to certain financial intermediaries in connection with their activities that are intended to assist in the sale of shares of Franklin Templeton mutual funds, directly or indirectly, to certain Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans. In the case of any one financial intermediary, such payments will not exceed 0.10% of the total assets of Franklin Templeton mutual funds held, directly or indirectly, by such Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans, on an annual basis.

A number of factors will be considered in determining these payments, including the qualifying financial intermediary's sales, assets and redemption rates, the nature and quality of any servicing provided by the financial intermediary, and the quality of the financial intermediary's relationship with Distributors. Distributors will, on an annual basis, determine the advisability of continuing these payments. These payments may be in addition to any shareholder servicing fees paid by the Fund's transfer agent from payments it receives under its agreement with the Fund.

To the extent permitted by SEC and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority rules and other applicable laws and regulations, Distributors may, in addition to marketing support payments, pay or allow other promotional incentives or payments to financial intermediaries, such as payments related to transaction support, various financial intermediary-sponsored events intended to educate financial advisers and their clients about the Franklin Templeton mutual funds, and data analytics and support.

Sales of Fund shares, as well as shares of other mutual funds in Franklin Templeton, is not considered a factor in the selection of financial intermediaries to execute the Fund's portfolio transactions. Accordingly, the allocation of portfolio

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transactions for execution by financial intermediaries that sell Fund shares is not considered marketing support payments to such financial intermediaries.

You can find further details in the SAI about the payments made by Distributors and the services provided by your financial advisor. Your financial advisor may charge you additional fees or commissions other than those disclosed in this prospectus. You should ask your financial advisor for information about any payments it receives from Distributors and any services it provides, as well as about fees and/or commissions it charges.

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Questions

If you have any questions about the Fund or your account, you can write to us at P.O. Box 33030, St. Petersburg, FL 33733. You also can call us at one of the following numbers. For your protection and to help ensure we provide you with quality service, all calls may be monitored or recorded.

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| **Department Name**  | **Telephone Number**  |
| **Shareholder Services**  | (800) 632-2301  |
| **Fund Information**  | (800) DIAL BEN  |
|  | (800) 342-5236 |
| **Retirement Services**  | (800) 527-2020  |
| **Advisor Services**  | (800) 524-4040  |
| **Hearing Impaired Assistance**  | For hearing impaired assistance, <br>please contact us via a Relay Service.  |
| **Automated Telephone System**  | (800) 632-2301<br>(800) 524-4040<br>(800) 527-2020 |

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### For More Information
You can learn more about the Fund in the following documents:

#### Annual/Semiannual Report to Shareholders and Form N-CSR Filed with the SEC
Contain additional information about the Fund's investments. The Fund's annual report also discusses the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during its last fiscal year. In Form N-CSR, you will find the Fund's annual and semi-annual financial statements.

#### Statement of Additional Information (SAI)
Contains more information about the Fund, its investments and policies. It is incorporated by reference (is legally a part of this prospectus).

For a free copy of the current annual/semiannual report, financial statements or the SAI, please contact your investment representative or call us at the number below. You also can view the current annual/semiannual report, financial statements and the SAI online through www.franklintempleton.com.

#### Appendix A to the Prospectus -- Intermediary Sales Charge Discounts and Waivers
Contains more information about specific sales charge discounts and waivers available for shareholders who purchase Fund shares through a specific financial intermediary. Appendix A is a separate document and is incorporated herein by reference (is legally a part of this prospectus).

Reports and other information about the Fund are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC's Website at http://www.sec.gov, and copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following email address: publicinfo@sec.gov.

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| ![](img_d8d7f61db3ba4f2.jpg) | One Franklin Parkway<br>San Mateo, CA 94403-1906<br>(800) DIAL BEN<sup>®</sup>/342-5236 <br>www.franklintempleton.com | For hearing impaired assistance, please contact us via a Relay Service. |
| Investment Company Act file #811-22641<br>© 2025 Franklin Templeton. All rights reserved. |  |  |

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#### APPENDIX A INTERMEDIARY SALES CHARGE DISCOUNTS AND WAIVERS
Specific intermediaries may have different policies and procedures than the Fund regarding the availability of front-end sales load (charge) waivers or CDSC waivers; exchanges or conversions between classes or exchanges between Funds; account investment minimums; and minimum account balances, all of 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. For waivers and discounts not available through a particular intermediary, shareholders will have to purchase Fund shares directly from the Fund or through another intermediary to receive such waivers or discounts. Please see the section entitled "Fund Details – Your Account – Choosing a Share Class – Class A, & C" for more information on sales charges and waivers available for different classes.

The information in this Appendix is part of, and incorporated into, the Fund's prospectus.

#### AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL

#### Front-end sales charge reductions on Class A shares purchased through Ameriprise Financial
Shareholders purchasing Class A shares of the fund through an Ameriprise Financial platform or account are eligible only for the following sales charge reductions, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this prospectus or the SAI. Such shareholders can reduce their initial sales charge on the purchase of Class A shares as follows:

· *Transaction size breakpoints,* as described in this Prospectus or the SAI.

· *Rights of accumulation (ROA),* as described in this Prospectus or the SAI.

· *Letter of intent,* as described in this Prospectus or the SAI.

#### Front-end sales charge waivers on Class A shares purchased through Ameriprise Financial
Shareholders purchasing Class A shares of the fund through an Ameriprise Financial platform or account are eligible only for the following sales charge waivers, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this prospectus or the SAI. Such shareholders may purchase Class A shares at NAV without payment of a sales charge as follows:

· Shares purchased by employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer- sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and

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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.

· Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within the same fund family).

· Shares exchanged from Class C shares of the same fund in the month of or following the seven-year anniversary of the purchase date. To the extent that this prospectus elsewhere provides for a waiver with respect to such shares following a shorter holding period, that waiver will apply to exchanges following such shorter period. To the extent that this prospectus elsewhere provides for a waiver with respect to exchanges of Class C shares for load waived shares, that waiver will also apply to such exchanges.

· Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Ameriprise Financial or its affiliates and their immediate family members.

· Shares purchased by or through qualified accounts (including IRAs, Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, 401(k)s, 403(b) TSCAs subject to ERISA and defined benefit plans) that are held by a covered family member, defined as an Ameriprise Financial advisor and/or the advisor's spouse, advisor's lineal ascendant (mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, great grandmother, great grandfather), advisor's lineal descendant (son, step-son, daughter, step-daughter, grandson, granddaughter, great grandson, great granddaughter) or any spouse of a covered family member who is a lineal descendant.

· 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 (i.e. Rights of Reinstatement).

#### CDSC waivers on Class A and C shares purchased through Ameriprise Financial
Fund shares purchased through an Ameriprise Financial platform or account are eligible only for the following CDSC waivers, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this prospectus or the SAI:

· Redemptions due to death or disability of the shareholder

· Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in this Prospectus or the SAI

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· Redemptions made in connection with a return of excess contributions from an IRA account

· Shares purchased through a Right of Reinstatement (as defined above)

· Redemptions made as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code

#### BAIRD

#### Intermediary-Defined Sales Charge Waiver Policies
Effective June 15, 2020, 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.

#### Front-End Sales Charge Waivers on Investors A-shares Available at Baird
· Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing share of the same fund

· Share purchase by employees and registers representatives of Baird or its affiliate and their family members as designated by Baird

· Shares purchase from the proceeds of redemptions from another Franklin Templeton fund, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same accounts, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (known as rights of reinstatement)

· A shareholder in the Funds Class C shares will have their share converted at net asset value to Class A shares of the fund if the shares are no longer subject to CDSC and the conversion is in line with the policies and procedures of Baird

· 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

#### CDSC Waivers on Class A and C shares Available at Baird
· Shares sold due to death or disability of the shareholder

· Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund's Prospectus

· Shares bought due to returns of excess contributions from an IRA Account

· Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching age 72 as described in the Fund's prospectus

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· Shares sold to pay Baird fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Baird

· Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement

#### Front-End Sales Charge Discounts Available at Baird: Breakpoints and/or Rights of Accumulations
· Breakpoints as described in this prospectus

· Rights of accumulations which entitles shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of Franklin Templeton assets held by accounts within the purchaser's household at Baird. Eligible Franklin Templeton 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

· Letters of Intent (LOI) allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases of Franklin Templeton funds through Baird, over a 13-month period of time

#### D.A. DAVIDSON & CO.
Effective June 1, 2020, shareholders purchasing fund shares including existing fund shareholders through a D.A. Davidson &. Co. ("D.A. Davidson") platform or account, or through an introducing broker-dealer or independent registered investment advisor for which D.A. Davidson provides trade execution, clearance, and/or custody services, will be eligible for the following sales charge 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 prospectus or SAI.

Front-End Sales Charge Waivers on Class A Shares available at D.A. Davidson

· Shares purchased within the same fund family through a systematic reinvestment of capital gains and dividend distributions.

· Employees and registered representatives of D.A. Davidson or its affiliates and their family members as designated by D.A. Davidson.

· 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 charge (known as Rights of Reinstatement).

· 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 consistent with D.A. Davidson's policies and procedures.

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CDSC Waivers on Classes A and C shares available at D.A. Davidson

· Death or disability of the shareholder.

· Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the fund's prospectus.

· Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account.

· Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA or other qualifying retirement accounts as described in the fund's prospectus beginning in the calendar year the shareholder turns age 72.

· Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.

Front-end sales charge discounts available at D.A. Davidson: breakpoints, rights of accumulation and/or letters of intent

· Breakpoints as described in this prospectus.

· 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 D.A. Davidson. Eligible fund family assets not held at D.A. Davidson may be included in the calculation of rights of accumulation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.

· 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 D.A. Davidson may be included in the calculation of letters of intent only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.

#### EDWARD D. JONES & CO., L.P. ("EDWARD JONES")

#### Policies Regarding Transactions Through Edward Jones
Effective on or after September 3, 2024, the following information supersedes prior information with respect to transactions and positions held in fund shares through an Edward Jones system. Clients of Edward Jones (also referred to as "shareholders") purchasing fund shares on the Edward Jones commission and fee-based platforms are eligible only for the following sales charge discounts (also referred to as "breakpoints") and waivers, which can differ from discounts and waivers described elsewhere in the mutual fund Prospectus or statement of additional information ("SAI") or through another broker-dealer. In all instances, it is the shareholder's responsibility to inform Edward Jones at the time of purchase of any relationship, holdings of Franklin Templeton funds, or other facts qualifying the purchaser for discounts or waivers. Edward Jones can ask for documentation of such circumstance. Shareholders should contact Edward Jones if they have questions regarding their eligibility for these discounts and waivers.

#### Breakpoints

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· Breakpoint pricing, otherwise known as volume pricing, at dollar thresholds as described in the Prospectus.

#### Rights of Accumulation ("ROA")
· The applicable sales charge on a purchase of Class A shares is determined by taking into account all share classes (except certain money market funds and any assets held in group retirement plans) of the Franklin Templeton fund family held by the shareholder or in an account grouped by Edward Jones with other accounts for the purpose of providing certain pricing considerations ("pricing groups"). If grouping assets as a shareholder, this includes all share classes held on the Edward Jones platform and/or held on another platform. The inclusion of eligible fund family assets in the ROA calculation is dependent on the shareholder notifying Edward Jones of such assets at the time of calculation. Money market funds are included only if such shares were sold with a sales charge at the time of purchase or acquired in exchange for shares purchased with a sales charge.

· 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.

· ROA is determined by calculating the higher of cost minus redemptions or market value (current shares x NAV).

#### Letter of Intent ("LOI")
· Through a LOI, shareholders can receive the sales charge and breakpoint discounts for purchases shareholders intend to make over a 13-month period from the date Edward Jones receives the LOI. The LOI is determined by calculating the higher of cost or market value of qualifying holdings at LOI initiation in combination with the value that the shareholder intends to buy over a 13-month period to calculate the front-end sales charge and any breakpoint discounts. Each purchase the shareholder makes during that 13-month period will receive the sales charge and breakpoint discount that applies to the total amount. The inclusion of eligible fund family assets in the LOI calculation is dependent on the shareholder notifying Edward Jones of such assets at the time of calculation. Purchases made before the LOI is received by Edward Jones are not adjusted under the LOI and will not reduce the sales charge previously paid. Sales charges will be adjusted if LOI is not met.

· If the employer maintaining a SEP IRA plan and/or SIMPLE IRA plan has elected to establish or change ROA for the IRA accounts associated with

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the plan to a plan-level grouping, LOIs will also be at the plan-level and may only be established by the employer.

#### Sales Charge Waivers
Sales charges are waived for the following shareholders and in the following situations:

· Associates of Edward Jones and its affiliates and other accounts in the same pricing group (as determined by Edward Jones under its policies and procedures) as the associate. This waiver will continue for the remainder of the associate's life if the associate retires from Edward Jones in good-standing and remains in good standing pursuant to Edward Jones' policies and procedures.

· Shares purchased in an Edward Jones fee-based program.

· Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment.

· Shares purchased from the proceeds of redeemed shares of the same fund family so long as the following conditions are met: the proceeds are from the sale of shares within 60 days of the purchase, the sale and purchase are made from a share class that charges a front load and one of the following ("Right of Reinstatement"):

o The redemption and repurchase occur in the same account.

o The redemption proceeds are used to process an: IRA contribution, excess contributions, conversion, recharacterizing of contributions, or distribution, and the repurchase is done in an account within the same Edward Jones grouping for ROA.

The Right of Reinstatement excludes systematic or automatic transactions including, but not limited to, purchases made through payroll deductions, liquidations to cover account fees, and reinvestments from non-mutual fund products.

· 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 discretion of Edward Jones. Edward Jones 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 the Prospectus.

· Exchanges from Class C shares to Class A shares of the same fund, generally, in the 84th month following the anniversary of the purchase date or earlier at the discretion of Edward Jones.

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· Purchases of Class 529-A shares through a rollover from either another education savings plan or a security used for qualified distributions.

· Purchases of Class 529-A shares made for recontribution of refunded amounts.

#### Contingent Deferred Sales Charge ("CDSC") Waivers
If the shareholder purchases shares that are subject to a CDSC and those shares are redeemed before the CDSC is expired, the shareholder is responsible to pay the CDSC except in the following conditions:

· The death or disability of the shareholder.

· Systematic withdrawals with up to 10% per year of the account value.

· Return of excess contributions from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA).

· Shares redeemed as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts if the redemption is taken in or after the year the shareholder reaches qualified age based on applicable IRS regulations.

· Shares redeemed to pay Edward Jones fees or costs in such cases where the transaction is initiated by Edward Jones.

· Shares exchanged in an Edward Jones fee-based program.

· Shares acquired through NAV reinstatement.

· Shares redeemed at the discretion of Edward Jones for Minimum Balances, as described below.

#### Other Important Information Regarding Transactions Through Edward Jones

#### Minimum Purchase Amounts
· Initial purchase minimum: $250

· Subsequent purchase minimum: none

#### Minimum Balances
· Edward Jones has the right to redeem at its discretion fund holdings with a balance of $250 or less. The following are examples of accounts that are not included in this policy:

o A fee-based account held on an Edward Jones platform

o A 529 account held on an Edward Jones platform

o An account with an active systematic investment plan or LOI

#### Exchanging Share Classes

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· At any time it deems necessary, Edward Jones has the authority to exchange at NAV a shareholder's holdings in a fund to Class A shares of the same fund.

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

#### Front-end sales charge\* waivers on Class A shares available at Janney
· 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).

· Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Janney or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Janney.

· 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).

· 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.

· Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.

· 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.

#### CDSC waivers on Class A and C shares available at Janney
· Shares sold upon the death or disability of the shareholder.

· Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the fund's Prospectus.

· Shares purchased in connection with a return of excess contributions from an IRA account.

· Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and other retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching age 72 as described in the fund's Prospectus.

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· Shares sold to pay Janney fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Janney.

· Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.

· Shares exchanged into the same share class of a different fund.

#### Front-end sales charge\* discounts available at Janney: breakpoints, rights of accumulation, and/or letters of intent
· Breakpoints as described in the fund's Prospectus.

· 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.

· 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 Janney Montgomery Scott may be included in the calculation of letters of intent only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets.

\*Also referred to as an "initial sales charge."

#### J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC
Effective September 29, 2023, 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").

#### Front-end sales charge waivers on Class A shares available at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
· 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.

· 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.

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· Shares of funds purchased through J.P. Morgan Securities LLC Self-Directed Investing accounts.

· Shares purchased through rights of reinstatement.

· 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).

· 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.

#### Class C to Class A share conversion
· 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.

#### CDSC waivers on Class A and C shares available at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
· Shares sold upon the death or disability of the shareholder.

· Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the fund's prospectus.

· Shares purchased in connection with a return of excess contributions from an IRA account.

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

· Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.

#### Front-end load discounts available at J.P. Morgan Securities LLC: breakpoints, rights of accumulation & letters of intent
· Breakpoints as described in the prospectus.

· 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.

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· 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).

#### MERRILL LYNCH
Purchases or sales of front-end (i.e., Class A) or level-load (i.e., 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 and discounts 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.

#### Front-end Sales Load Waivers Available at Merrill
· 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

· Shares purchased through a Merrill investment advisory program

· Brokerage class shares exchanged from advisory class shares due to the holdings moving from a Merrill investment advisory program to a Merrill brokerage account

· Shares purchased through the Merrill Edge Self-Directed platform

· 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

· 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

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· 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)

· Shares purchased by eligible persons associated with the fund as defined in this Prospectus (e.g., the fund's officers or trustees)

· 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

#### Contingent Deferred Sales Charge ("CDSC") Waivers on Front-end, Back-end, and Level Load Shares Available at Merrill
· Shares sold due to the client's death or disability (as defined by Internal Revenue Code Section 22e(3))

· Shares sold pursuant to a systematic withdrawal program subject to Merrill's maximum systematic withdrawal limits as described in the Merrill SLWD Supplement

· Shares sold due to return of excess contributions from an IRA account

· 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

· 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

#### Front-end Load Discounts Available at Merrill: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent
· 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

· 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

· Letters of Intent ("LOI"), which allow for breakpoint discounts on eligible new purchases based on anticipated future eligible purchases within a

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fund family at Merrill, in accounts within your Merrill Household, as further described in the Merrill SLWD Supplement

#### MORGAN STANLEY
Effective July 1, 2018 shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Morgan Stanley Wealth Management transactional brokerage account will be eligible only for the following front-end sales charge waivers with respect to Class A shares, which may differ from and may be more limited than those disclosed elsewhere in this Fund's Prospectus or SAI.

Front-end Sales Charge Waivers on Class A Shares available at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management

· 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

· Morgan Stanley employee and employee-related accounts according to Morgan Stanley's account linking rules

· Shares purchased through reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions when purchasing shares of the same fund

· Shares purchased through a Morgan Stanley self-directed brokerage account

· Class C (i.e., level-load) 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 Morgan Stanley Wealth Management's share class conversion program

· 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.

· In addition, effective November 12, 2021 for the purpose of calculating rights of accumulation and letters of intent with respect to purchases made in a Morgan Stanley Wealth Management brokerage account, the following definition for "cumulative quantity discount eligible shares" applies. This definition may be more limited than the one contained in this Fund's Prospectus or SAI. It is the shareholder's responsibility to inform Morgan Stanley at the time of purchase of any relationship, holdings, or other facts qualifying the purchaser for a discount. Morgan Stanley can ask for documentation of such circumstance. Shareholders should contact

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Morgan Stanley if they have questions. Cumulative quantity discount eligible shares include:

· Any class of shares of any Franklin Templeton or Legg Mason fund that is registered in the U.S.; and

· Units of a Section 529 Plan where Franklin Templeton or Legg Mason is the program manager.

· For purposes of this section, Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason funds also include Brandywine GLOBAL funds, ClearBridge Investments funds, Martin Currie funds, Western Asset funds and certain other funds managed by affiliated investment advisers. They do not include the funds in the Franklin Templeton Variable Insurance Products Trust, Legg Mason Partners Variable Equity Trust or Legg Mason Partners Variable Income Trust.

#### OPPENHEIMER & CO., INC.
Effective June 1, 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.

#### Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at OPCO
· 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

· Shares purchased by or through a 529 Plan

· Shares purchased through a OPCO affiliated investment advisory program

· 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)

· 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 Restatement).

· 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

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· Employees and registered representatives of OPCO or its affiliates and their family members

· Directors or Trustees of the Fund, and employees of the Fund's investment adviser or any of its affiliates, as described in this prospectus

#### CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares available at OPCO
· Death or disability of the shareholder

· Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the Fund's prospectus

· Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account

· 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

· Shares sold to pay OPCO fees but only if the transaction is initiated by OPCO

· Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement

#### Front-end load Discounts Available at OPCO: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent
· Breakpoints as described in this prospectus.

· 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.

#### PFS INVESTMENTS INC. ("PFSI")

#### Policies Regarding Transactions Through PFSI
Effective August 1, 2024, the following information supersedes all prior information with respect to transactions and positions held in fund shares purchased through PFSI and held on the mutual fund platform of its affiliate, Primerica Shareholder Services ("PSS"). Clients of PFSI (also referred to as "shareholders") purchasing fund shares on the PSS platform are eligible only for the following share classes, sales charge discounts (also referred to as "breakpoints") and waivers, which can differ from share classes, discounts and waivers described elsewhere in this prospectus or the related statement of additional information ("SAI") or through another broker-dealer.

#### Share Classes
· Class A shares: in non-retirement accounts, individual retirement accounts (IRA), SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, Keogh Plans, and all other account types unless expressly provided for below.

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· Class A1 and Class C shares: only in accounts that already hold such shares.

#### Breakpoints
· Breakpoint pricing at dollar thresholds as described in the prospectus of the fund you are purchasing.

#### Rights of Accumulation ("ROA")
· The applicable sales charge on a purchase of Class A or Class A1 shares is determined by taking into account all share classes (except any assets held in group retirement plans) of Franklin Templeton funds held by the shareholder on the PSS platform.

· It is the shareholder's responsibility to inform PFSI of all eligible fund family assets at the time of calculation. Shares of money market funds are included only if such shares were acquired in exchange for shares of another Franklin Templeton fund purchased with a sales charge. No shares of Franklin Templeton funds held by the shareholder away from the PSS platform will be granted ROA with shares of any Franklin Templeton fund purchased on the PSS platform.

· Any SEP IRA plan, any SIMPLE IRA plan or any Payroll Deduction plan ("PDP") on the PSS platform will be defaulted to plan-level grouping for purposes of ROA, which allows each participating employee ROA with all other eligible shares held in plan accounts on the PSS platform. At any time, a participating employee may elect to exercise a one-time option to change grouping for purposes of ROA to shareholder- level grouping, which allows the plan account of the electing employee ROA with her other eligible holdings on the PSS platform, but not with all other eligible participant holdings in the plan. Eligible shares held in plan accounts electing shareholder-level grouping will not be available for purposes of ROA to plan accounts electing plan-level grouping.

· ROA is determined by calculating the higher of cost minus redemptions or current market value (current shares x NAV).

#### Letter of Intent ("LOI")
· By executing a LOI, shareholders can receive the sales charge and breakpoint discounts for purchases shareholders *intend to make* over a 13-month period through PFSI, from the date PSS receives the LOI. The purchase price of the LOI is determined by calculating the higher of cost or market value of qualifying holdings at LOI initiation in combination with the dollar amount the shareholder intends to invest over a 13-month period to arrive at total investment for purposes of determining any breakpoint discount and the applicable front-end sales charge. Each purchase the

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shareholder makes during that 13-month period will receive the sales charge and breakpoint discount that applies to the projected total investment.

· Only holdings of Franklin Templeton funds on the PSS platform are eligible for inclusion in the LOI calculation and the shareholder must notify PFSI of all eligible assets at the time of calculation. It is the shareholder's responsibility to inform PFSI at the time of a purchase of all holdings of Franklin Templeton funds on the PSS platform, or other facts qualifying the purchaser for this discount.

· Purchases made before the LOI is received by PSS are not adjusted under the LOI, and the LOI will not reduce any sales charge previously paid. Sales charges will be automatically adjusted if the total purchases required by the LOI are not met.

· If an employer maintaining a SEP IRA plan, SIMPLE IRA plan or non-IRA PDP on the PSS platform has elected to establish or change ROA for the accounts associated with the plan to a plan-level grouping, LOIs will also be at the plan-level and may only be established by the employer. LOIs are not available to PDP IRA plans on the PSS platform with plan-level grouping for purposes of ROA, but are available to any participating employee that elects shareholder-level grouping for purposes of ROA.

#### Sales Charge Waivers
Sales charges are waived for the following shareholders and in the following situations:

· Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment.

· Shares purchased with the proceeds of redeemed shares of the same fund family so long as the following conditions are met: 1) the proceeds are from the sale of shares within 90 days of the purchase, 2) the sale and purchase are made in the same share class and the same account or the purchase is made in an individual retirement account with proceeds from liquidations in a non-retirement account, and 3) the redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales load. Automated transactions (i.e. systematic purchases and withdrawals), full or partial transfers or rollovers of retirement accounts, and purchases made after shares are automatically sold to pay account maintenance fees are not eligible for this sales charge waiver.

· Shares exchanged into Class A or Class A1 shares from another share class so long as the exchange is into the same fund and was initiated at the discretion of PFSI. PFSI 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 the prospectus.

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#### Policies Regarding Fund Purchases Through PFSI That Are Not Held on the PSS Platform
· Class R shares are available through PFSI only in 401(k) plans covering a business owner with no employees, commonly referred to as a one-participant 401(k) plan or solo 401(k).

PFSI may request reasonable documentation of facts qualifying the purchaser for the discounts and waivers identified above, and condition the granting of any discount or waiver on the timely receipt of such documents. Shareholders should contact PSS if they have questions regarding their eligibility for these discounts and waivers.

#### RAYMOND JAMES <sup>®</sup>

#### Intermediary-Defined Sales Charge Waiver Policies
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 Fund shares.

Intermediaries may have different policies and procedures regarding the availability of front-end sales load waivers or contingent deferred (back-end) sales load ("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. For waivers and discounts not available through a particular intermediary, shareholders will have to purchase fund shares directly from the fund or through another intermediary to receive these waivers or discounts.

#### 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 this fund's prospectus or SAI.

#### Front-end sales load waivers on Class A shares available at Raymond James
· Shares purchased in an investment advisory program.

· Shares purchased within the same fund family through a systematic reinvestment of capital gains and dividend distributions.

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· Employees and registered representatives of Raymond James or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Raymond James.

· 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).

· 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.

#### CDSC Waivers on Classes A and C shares available at Raymond James
· Death or disability of the shareholder.

· Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the fund's prospectus.

· Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account.

· 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.

· Shares sold to pay Raymond James fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Raymond James.

· Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.

#### Front-end load discounts available at Raymond James: breakpoints, rights of accumulation, and/or letters of intent
· Breakpoints as described in this prospectus.

· 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.

· 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.

#### STIFEL, NICOLAUS & COMPANY, INCORPORATED AND ITS BROKER DEALER AFFILIATES ("STIFEL")

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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 Franklin Templeton funds 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.

#### Front-end Sales Charge Waivers on Class A Shares Available at Stifel
Sales charges may be waived for the following shareholders and in the following situations:

· 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) shares 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.

· Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Stifel or its affiliates and their family members as designated by Stifel.

· Shares purchased in a Stifel fee-based advisory program, often referred to as a "wrap" program.

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· Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same or other fund within the fund family.

· Shares purchased from the proceeds of redeemed shares of the same fund family 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.

· Shares from rollovers into Stifel from retirement plans to IRAs.

· 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.

· Purchases of Class 529-A shares through a rollover from another 529 plan.

· Purchases of Class 529-A shares made for reinvestment of refunded amounts.

· 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.

· Charitable organizations and foundations, notably 501(c)(3) organizations.

#### Contingent Deferred Sales Charges Waivers on Class A and C Shares
· Death or disability of the shareholder or, in the case of 529 plans, the account beneficiary.

· Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan not to exceed 12% annually.

· Return of excess contributions from an IRA Account.

· 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.

· Shares acquired through a right of reinstatement.

------

· Shares sold to pay Stifel fees or costs in such cases where the transaction is initiated by Stifel.

· Shares exchanged or sold in a Stifel fee-based program.

#### Share Class Conversions in Advisory Accounts
· 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.

------

---

| |
|:---|
| **STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION** |
| **K2 ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUND** |
| **Franklin Alternative Strategies Funds** |
| October 1, 2025 |
| ![](img_411815cd87824f3.jpg) |

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| | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Class A** | **Class C** | **Class R** | **Class R6** | **Advisor Class** |
| FAAAX | FASCX | FSKKX | FASRX | FABZX |

---

This Statement of Additional Information (SAI) is not a prospectus. It contains information in addition to the information in the Fund's prospectus. The Fund's prospectus, dated October 1, 2025, which we may amend from time to time, contains the basic information you should know before investing in the Fund. You should read this SAI together with the Fund's prospectus.

[The audited financial statements and Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm in the Fund's Form N-CSR, for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2025, are incorporated by reference (are legally a part of this SAI).](http://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000113322825007720/kasf-efp16577_ncsr.htm)

For a free copy of the current prospectus, shareholder report, and/or financial statements, contact your investment representative or call (800) DIAL BEN/342-5236.

### Contents

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| [Goals, Strategies and Risks](#x1x3) | [2](#x1x3) |
| [Officers and Trustees](#x2x3) | [64](#x2x3) |
| [Fair Valuation](#x3x3) | [69](#x3x3) |
| [Management and Other Services](#x4x3) | [70](#x4x3) |
| [Portfolio Transactions](#x5x3) | [76](#x5x3) |
| [Distributions and Taxes](#x6x3) | [78](#x6x3) |
| [Organization, Voting Rights and<br>Principal Holders](#x7x3) | [92](#x7x3) |
| [Buying and Selling Shares](#x8x3) | [94](#x8x3) |
| [The Underwriter](#x9x3) | [102](#x9x3) |
| [Description of Ratings](#x10x3) | [103](#x10x3) |
| [Appendix A](#x11x3) | [114](#x11x3) |

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Mutual funds, annuities, and other investment products:**<br>• are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board, or any other agency of the U.S. government;<br>• are not deposits or obligations of, or guaranteed or endorsed by, any bank; and<br>• are subject to investment risks, including the possible loss of principal. | **Mutual funds, annuities, and other investment products:**<br>• are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board, or any other agency of the U.S. government;<br>• are not deposits or obligations of, or guaranteed or endorsed by, any bank; and<br>• are subject to investment risks, including the possible loss of principal. | **Mutual funds, annuities, and other investment products:**<br>• are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board, or any other agency of the U.S. government;<br>• are not deposits or obligations of, or guaranteed or endorsed by, any bank; and<br>• are subject to investment risks, including the possible loss of principal. |
| P.O. Box 33030<br>St. Petersburg, FL 33733 **(800) DIAL BEN<sup>®</sup> /342-5236** | 1 | 068 SAI 10/25 |

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**Goal, Strategies and Risks**

Effective January 30, 2026, the name of the Fund will change from K2 Alternative Strategies Fund to Franklin Alternative Strategies Fund. The following information provided with respect to the Fund is in addition to that included in the Fund's prospectus.

In addition to the main types of investments and strategies undertaken by the Fund as described in the prospectus, the Fund also may invest in other types of instruments and engage in and pursue other investment strategies, which are described in this SAI. Investments and investment strategies with respect to the Fund are discussed in greater detail in the section below entitled "*Glossary of Investments, Techniques, Strategies and Their Risks*."

Generally, the policies and restrictions discussed in this SAI and in the prospectus apply when the Fund makes an investment. In most cases, the Fund is not required to sell an investment because circumstances change and the investment no longer meets one or more of the Fund's policies or restrictions. If a percentage restriction or limitation is met at the time of investment, a later increase or decrease in the percentage due to a change in the value of portfolio investments will not be considered a violation of the restriction or limitation, with the exception of the Fund's limitations on borrowing as described herein or unless otherwise noted herein.

Incidental to the Fund's other investment activities, including in connection with a bankruptcy, restructuring, workout, or other extraordinary events concerning a particular investment the Fund owns, the Fund may receive securities (including convertible securities, warrants and rights), real estate or other investments that the Fund normally would not, or could not, buy. If this happens, the Fund may, although it is not required to, sell such investments as soon as practicable while seeking to maximize the return to shareholders.

The Fund has adopted certain investment restrictions as fundamental and non-fundamental policies. A fundamental policy may only be changed if the change is approved by (i) more than 50% of the Fund's outstanding shares or (ii) 67% or more of the Fund's shares present at a shareholder meeting if more than 50% of the Fund's outstanding shares are represented at the meeting in person or by proxy, whichever is less. A non-fundamental policy may be changed without the approval of shareholders.

For more information about the restrictions of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940 Act) on the Fund with respect to (1) borrowing and senior securities, see "*Glossary of Investments, Techniques, Strategies and Their Risks* - Borrowing"; and (2) lending, see "*Glossary of Investments, Techniques, Strategies and Their Risks* - Corporate Loans, Assignments and Participations" below.

*Fundamental Investment Policies*

The Fund may not:

1. Borrow money, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, or any rules, exemptions or interpretations thereunder that may be adopted, granted or issued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

2. Act as an underwriter, except to the extent the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter when disposing of securities it owns or when selling its own shares.

3. Make loans if, as a result, more than 33 1/3% of its total assets would be lent to other persons, including other investment companies to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act or any rules, exemptions or interpretations thereunder that may be adopted, granted or issued by the SEC. This limitation does not apply to (i) the lending of portfolio securities, (ii) the purchase of debt securities, other debt instruments, loan participations and/or engaging in direct corporate loans in accordance with its investment goals and policies, and (iii) repurchase agreements to the extent the entry into a repurchase agreement is deemed to be a loan.

4. Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments and provided that this restriction does not prevent the Fund from (i) purchasing or selling securities or instruments secured by real estate or interests therein, securities or instruments representing interests in real estate or securities or instruments of issuers that invest, deal or otherwise engage in transactions in real estate or interests therein, and (ii) making, purchasing or selling real estate mortgage loans.

5. Purchase or sell physical commodities, unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments and provided that this restriction does not prevent the Fund from (i) purchasing or selling commodity-linked derivative instruments, including, but not limited to, swap agreements; commodity-linked notes; options on commodities, futures contracts and options on futures contracts with respect to indices or individual commodities or otherwise; and foreign currency transactions, including, without limitation, forward currency contracts and futures contracts or (ii) investing in securities or other instruments that are linked to or secured by physical commodities or related indices.

6. Issue senior securities, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act or any rules, exemptions or interpretations thereunder that may be adopted, granted or issued by the SEC.

7. Invest more than 25% of the Fund's net assets in securities of issuers in any one industry (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities or securities of other investment

------

companies, whether registered or excluded from registration under Section 3(c) of the 1940 Act).

8. Purchase the securities of any one issuer (other than the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities or securities of other investment companies, whether registered or excluded from registration under Section 3(c) of the 1940 Act) if immediately after such investment (i) more than 5% of the value of the Fund's total assets would be invested in such issuer or (ii) more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer would be owned by the Fund, except that up to 25% of the value of the Fund's total assets may be invested without regard to such 5% and 10% limitations.

*Non-Fundamental Investment Policies*

The Fund's investment goal is to seek capital appreciation with lower volatility relative to the broad equity markets. The Fund's investment goal is non-fundamental, which means it may be changed by the board of trustees without shareholder approval. Shareholders will be given at least 60 days' advance notice of any change to the Fund's investment goal.

*Additional Strategies*

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment goal by allocating its assets across multiple non-traditional or "alternative" strategies, including, but not limited to, Long Short Equity, Relative Value, Event Driven and Global Macro, each of which is described in the Fund's prospectus. The Fund is structured as a multi-manager fund and the Fund's investment manager has overall responsibility for the Fund's investments. The Fund's investment manager, K2/D&S Management Co., L.L.C. (K2 Advisors, effective on or about January 1, 2026, the Fund's investment manager is Franklin Advisers, Inc.), may allocate a substantial portion or, at times, up to all, of the Fund's assets among multiple sub-advisors (that may be unaffiliated or affiliated with the investment manager, or both) to implement one or more non-traditional or alternative investment strategies (Sub-Advisors) or directly implement such strategies for a portion or significant portion of the Fund's assets. The investment manager may also directly manage a small portion or a portion of the Fund's assets using derivatives and other instruments to adjust the Fund's net exposure to markets, asset classes and sectors in a manner consistent with its strategic overlay.

In trying to achieve its investment goal, the Fund may also invest, either directly or indirectly in the types of instruments or engage in the types of transactions identified below and in the section "Glossary of Investments, Techniques, Strategies and Their Risks," which also describes the risks associated with these investment policies. The Fund may or may not use all of these techniques at any one time. Unless the context otherwise requires, references under "*Glossary of Investments, Techniques, Strategies and Their Risks*" in this SAI to the investment manager also apply to the Sub-Advisors.

The Fund may invest, buy or engage in equity-related derivatives and complex securities, such as buying and writing call and put options on securities and indices that trade on national securities exchanges and over-the-counter (OTC) and exchange-traded funds ("ETFs"), and buying and selling futures on equity securities and indexes and options on equity index futures, including exchange-traded options on indexes that measure stock volatility, such as the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) Volatility Index<sup>®</sup> (VIX<sup>®</sup>).

In addition, the Fund may invest, buy, sell or exchange in:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Options on complex alternative and fixed income ETFs

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Equity securities, including common and preferred stock, rights and warrants

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Invest in ETFs.

#### Glossary of Investments, Techniques, Strategies and Their Risks
Certain words or phrases may be used in descriptions of Fund investment policies and strategies to give investors a general sense of the Fund's levels of investment. They are broadly identified with, but not limited to, the following percentages of Fund total assets:

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| "small portion" | less than 10% |
| "portion" | 10% to 25% |
| "significant" | 25% to 50% |
| "substantial" | 50% to 66% |
| "primary" | 66% to 80% |
| "predominant" | 80% or more |

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If the Fund intends to limit particular investments or strategies to no more than specific percentages of Fund assets, the prospectus or SAI will clearly identify such limitations. The percentages above are not limitations unless specifically stated as such in the Fund's prospectus or elsewhere in this SAI.

The Fund may invest in securities that are rated by various rating agencies such as Moody's Investors Service (Moody's) and S&P<sup>®</sup> Global Ratings (S&P<sup>®</sup>), as well as securities that are unrated.

The value of your shares in the Fund will increase as the value of the investments owned by the Fund increases and will decrease as the value of the Fund's investments decreases. In this way, you participate in any change in the value of the investments owned by the Fund. In addition to the factors that affect the value of any particular investment that the Fund owns, the value of the Fund's shares may also change with movement in the investment markets as a whole.

The following is a description of various types of securities, instruments and techniques that may be purchased and/or used by the Fund

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**Asset-backed securities** Asset-backed securities represent interests in a pool of loans, leases or other receivables. The assets underlying asset-backed securities may include receivables on home equity loans, credit card loans, and automobile, mobile home and recreational vehicle loans and leases and other assets. Asset-backed securities are often backed by a pool of assets representing the obligations of a number of different parties and may have adjustable interest rates that reset at periodic intervals.

The credit quality of most asset-backed securities depends primarily on the credit quality of the underlying assets, how well the issuers of the securities are insulated from the credit risk of the originator or affiliated entities, and the amount of credit support (if any) provided to the securities. Credit support for asset-backed securities is intended to lessen the effect of failures by obligors (such as individual borrowers or leasers) on the underlying assets to make payments. Credit support generally falls into two categories: (i) liquidity protection; and (ii) protection against losses from the default by an obligor on the underlying assets.

Liquidity protection refers to advances, generally provided by the entity administering the pool of assets, intended to ensure that the receipt of payments due on the underlying pool is timely. Protection against losses from the default by an obligor can enhance the likelihood of payments of the obligations on at least some of the assets in the pool. Protection against losses from default may be provided through guarantees, insurance policies or letters of credit obtained by the issuer or sponsor from third parties. Alternatively, this protection may be provided through various means of structuring the transaction, or through a combination of these approaches.

Examples of credit support arising out of the structure of the transaction include "senior subordinated securities" (securities with one or more classes that are subordinate to the other classes with respect to the payment of principal and interest, with the result that defaults on the underlying assets should be borne first by the holders of the subordinated class), creation of "reserve funds" (where cash or investments, sometimes funded from a portion of the payments on the underlying assets, are held in reserve against future losses), and "over-collateralization" (where the scheduled payments on, or the principal amount of, the underlying assets exceeds that required to make payments on the securities and pay any servicing or other fees).

The degree of credit support provided is generally based on historical information about the level of credit risk associated with the underlying assets. Historical information may not adequately reflect present or future credit risk. Delinquencies or losses in excess of those anticipated could occur and could adversely affect the return on an investment in the securities. There is no guarantee that the type of credit support selected will be effective at reducing the illiquidity or losses to investors in the event of certain defaults. Where credit support is provided by a third party, the Fund will be exposed to the credit risk of that third party in addition to the credit risk of the issuer or sponsor of the asset-backed security and the underlying obligors.

Asset-backed securities also have risk due to a characteristic known as early amortization, or early payout, risk. Built into the structure of certain asset-backed securities are triggers for early payout, designed to protect investors from losses. These triggers are unique to each transaction and can include, among other things: a significant rise in defaults on the underlying loans, a sharp drop in the credit enhancement level, or the bankruptcy of the issuer or sponsor. Once early amortization begins, all incoming loan payments are used to pay investors as quickly as possible. Prepayment risk also arises when the underlying obligations may be satisfied or "prepaid" before due. Certain asset-backed securities backed by automobile receivables may be affected by such early prepayment of principal on the underlying vehicle sales contract. When amortization or prepayment occurs, the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds at a rate of interest that is lower than the rate on the existing asset-backed security. In addition, the Fund may suffer a loss if it paid a premium for the asset-backed security as cash flows from the early amortization reduce the value of the premium paid.

Alternatively, if prepayments occur at a slower rate than the investment manager expected, or if payment on the underlying assets is delayed or defaulted upon, the Fund will experience extension risk.

The income received by the Fund on an asset-backed security generally fluctuates more than the income on fixed income debt securities. This is because asset-backed securities are usually structured as pass-through or pay-through securities (similar to mortgage-backed securities and collateralized mortgage obligations). Cash flow generated by payments on the underlying obligations in these structures is shared with the investor as it is received. The rate of payment on asset-backed securities generally depends on the rate of principal and interest payments received on the underlying assets. Payments on underlying assets will be affected by various economic and other factors that shape the market for those underlying assets. Therefore, the income on asset-backed securities will be difficult to predict, and actual yield to maturity will be more or less than the anticipated yield to maturity.

Asset-backed securities have certain risks that stem from the characteristics of the underlying assets. For example, asset-backed securities do not have the benefit of the same type of security interests in the underlying collateral that mortgage-backed securities have, and there may be a limited ability to enforce any security interests that exist. Credit enhancements provided to support asset-backed securities, if any, may be inadequate to protect investors in the event of default. For

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example, credit card receivables are generally unsecured and a number of state and federal consumer credit laws give debtors the right to set off certain amounts owed on the credit cards, thereby reducing the outstanding balance, which can negatively affect the yield and/or value of related asset-backed securities. Issuers of asset-backed securities for which automobile receivables are the underlying assets may be prevented from realizing the full amount due on an automobile sales contract because of state law requirements and restrictions relating to sales of vehicles following their repossession and the obtaining of deficiency judgments following such sales or because of depreciation, damage or loss of a vehicle, the application of bankruptcy and insolvency laws, or other factors. The absence of, or difficulty enforcing, such security interests in the underlying assets may result in additional expenses, delays and losses to the Fund. The Fund's exposure to the credit risk of the credit support provider will also be greater if recourse is limited to the credit support provider in the event of widespread defaults on the underlying obligations.

In addition to consumer asset-backed securities, the Fund may also invest in asset-backed securities that represent interests in commercial loans, leases or receivables, such as asset-backed securities where the underlying assets are trade receivables, loans or leases on aircraft equipment or other commercial equipment. Commercial asset-backed securities are subject to the same risks as discussed above, and may be subject to additional risks related to the volatility of, the supply and demand dynamics in, or other changes to the market or industry of the underlying securities. In addition, additional risks are inherent in commercial asset-backed securities due to the potential depreciation of the underlying collateral (for example, the aircrafts themselves in an asset- backed security that represents aircraft leases) and the risks of the countries or geographical regions in which the underlying securities are traded or where the collateral is used. Commercial asset-backed securities may also be less liquid and harder to sell than consumer asset-backed securities, as the market for such securities is not as broad.

**Bank obligations** Bank obligations include fixed, floating or variable rate certificates of deposit (CDs), letters of credit, time and savings deposits, bank notes and bankers' acceptances. CDs are negotiable certificates issued against funds deposited in a commercial bank for a definite period of time and earning a specified return. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits that are held in a banking institution for a specified period of time at a stated interest rate. Savings deposits are deposits that do not have a specified maturity and may be withdrawn by the depositor at any time. Bankers' acceptances are negotiable drafts or bills of exchange normally drawn by an importer or exporter to pay for specific merchandise. When a bank "accepts" a bankers' acceptance, the bank, in effect, unconditionally agrees to pay the face value of the instrument upon maturity. The full amount of the Fund's investment in time and savings deposits or CDs may not be guaranteed against losses resulting from the default of the commercial or savings bank or other institution insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

Bank obligations are exempt from registration with the SEC if issued by U.S. banks or foreign branches of U.S. banks. As a result, the Fund will not receive the same investor protections when investing in bank obligations as opposed to registered securities. Bank notes and other unsecured bank obligations are not guaranteed by the FDIC, so the Fund will be exposed to the credit risk of the bank or institution. In the event of liquidation, bank notes and unsecured bank obligations generally rank behind time deposits, savings deposits and CDs, resulting in a greater potential for losses to the Fund.

The Fund's investments in bank obligations may be negatively impacted if adverse economic conditions prevail in the banking industry (such as substantial losses on loans, increases in non-performing assets and charge-offs and declines in total deposits). The activities of U.S. banks and most foreign banks are subject to comprehensive regulations which, in the case of U.S. regulations, have undergone substantial changes in the past decade. The enactment of new legislation or regulations, as well as changes in interpretation and enforcement of current laws, may affect the manner of operations and profitability of domestic and foreign banks. Significant developments in the U.S. banking industry have included increased competition from other types of financial institutions, increased acquisition activity and geographic expansion. Banks may be particularly susceptible to certain economic factors, such as interest rate changes and adverse developments in the market for real estate. Fiscal and monetary policy and general economic cycles can affect the availability and cost of funds, loan demand and asset quality and thereby impact the earnings and financial conditions of banks.

**Borrowing** The 1940 Act and the SEC's current rules, exemptions and interpretations thereunder, permit the Fund to borrow up to one-third of the value of its total assets (including the amount borrowed, but less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities) from banks. The Fund is required to maintain continuous asset coverage of at least 300% with respect to such borrowings and to reduce the amount of its borrowings (within three days excluding Sundays and holidays) to restore such coverage if it should decline to less than 300% due to market fluctuations or otherwise. In the event that the Fund is required to reduce its borrowings, it may have to sell portfolio holdings, even if such sale of the Fund's holdings would be disadvantageous from an investment standpoint.

If the Fund makes additional investments while borrowings are outstanding, this may be considered a form of leverage. Leveraging by means of borrowing may exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of portfolio securities

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on the Fund's net asset value, and money borrowed will be subject to interest and other costs (which may include commitment fees and/or the cost of maintaining minimum average balances), which may or may not exceed the income or gains received from the securities purchased with borrowed funds.

In addition to borrowings that are subject to 300% asset coverage and are considered by the SEC to be permitted "senior securities," the Fund is also permitted under the 1940 Act to borrow for temporary purposes in an amount not exceeding 5% of the value of its total assets at the time when the loan is made. A loan will be presumed to be for temporary purposes if it is repaid within 60 days and is not extended or renewed.

**Callable securities** Callable securities give the issuer the right to redeem the security on a given date or dates (known as the call dates) prior to maturity. In return, the call feature is factored into the price of the debt security, and callable debt securities typically offer a higher yield than comparable non-callable securities. Certain securities may be called only in whole (the entire security is redeemed), while others may be called in part (a portion of the total face value is redeemed) and possibly from time to time as determined by the issuer. There is no guarantee that the Fund will receive higher yields or a call premium on an investment in callable securities.

The period of time between the time of issue and the first call date, known as call protection, varies from security to security. Call protection provides the investor holding the security with assurance that the security will not be called before a specified date. As a result, securities with call protection generally cost more than similar securities without call protection. Call protection will make a callable security more similar to a long-term debt security, resulting in an associated increase in the callable security's interest rate sensitivity.

Documentation for callable securities usually requires that investors be notified of a call within a prescribed period of time. If a security is called, the Fund will receive the principal amount and accrued interest, and may receive a small additional payment as a call premium. Issuers are more likely to exercise call options in periods when interest rates are below the rate at which the original security was issued, because the issuer can issue new securities with lower interest payments. Callable securities are subject to the risks of other debt securities in general, including prepayment risk, especially in falling interest rate environments.

**Collateralized debt obligations** Collateralized debt obligations and similarly structured securities, sometimes known generally as CDOs, are interests in a trust or other special purpose entity (SPE) and are typically backed by a diversified pool of bonds, loans or other debt obligations. CDOs are not limited to investments in one type of debt and, accordingly, a CDO may be collateralized by corporate bonds, commercial loans, asset-backed securities, residential mortgage-backed securities, real estate investment trusts (REITs), commercial mortgage-backed securities, emerging market debt, and municipal bonds. Certain CDOs may use derivatives contracts, such as credit default swaps, to create "synthetic" exposure to assets rather than holding such assets directly, which entails the risks of derivative instruments described elsewhere in this SAI.

Common varieties of CDOs include the following:

*Collateralized loan obligations.* Collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) are interests in a trust typically collateralized substantially by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans made to domestic and foreign borrowers, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans.

*Collateralized bond obligations.* Collateralized bond obligations (CBOs) are interests in a trust typically backed substantially by a diversified pool of high risk, below investment grade fixed income securities.

*Structured finance CDOs.* Structured finance CDOs are interests in a trust typically backed substantially by structured investment products such as asset-backed securities and commercial mortgage-backed securities.

*Synthetic CDOs.* In contrast to CDOs that directly own the underlying debt obligations, referred to as cash CDOs, synthetic CDOs are typically collateralized substantially by derivatives contracts, such as credit default swaps, to create "synthetic" exposure to assets rather than holding such assets directly, which entails the risks of derivative instruments described elsewhere in this SAI, principally counterparty risk.

CDOs are similar in structure to collateralized mortgage obligations, described elsewhere in this SAI. Unless the context indicates otherwise, the discussion of CDOs below also applies to CLOs, CBOs and other similarly structured securities.

In CDOs, the cash flows from the SPE are split into two or more portions, called tranches (or classes), that vary in risk and yield. The riskiest portion is the "equity" tranche which bears the first loss from defaults on the bonds or loans in the SPE and is intended to protect the other, more senior tranches from severe, and potentially unforeseen, defaults or delinquent collateral payments (though such protection is not complete). Because they may be partially protected from defaults, senior tranches from a CDO typically have higher ratings and lower yields than the underlying collateral securities held by the trust, and may be rated investment grade. Despite protection from the equity tranche, more senior tranches can experience, and may have experienced in the past, substantial losses due to actual defaults,

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increased sensitivity to defaults due to collateral default, downgrades of the underlying collateral by rating agencies, forced liquidation of a collateral pool due to a failure of coverage tests, disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of defaults, as well as a market aversion to CDO securities as a class.

The risks of an investment in a CDO depend largely on the type of collateral held by the SPE and the tranche of the CDO in which the Fund invests. Investment risk may also be affected by the performance of a CDO's collateral manager (the entity responsible for selecting and managing the pool of collateral securities held by the SPE trust), especially during periods of market volatility. Normally, CDOs are privately offered and sold, and thus, are not registered under the securities laws and traded in a public market. As a result, investments in CDOs may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities. However, an active dealer market may exist for CDOs allowing the Fund to trade CDOs with other qualified institutional investors under Rule 144A. To the extent such investments are characterized as illiquid, they will be subject to the Fund's restrictions on investments in illiquid securities. The Fund's investment in unregistered securities such as CDOs will not receive the same investor protection as an investment in registered securities.

All tranches of CDOs, including senior tranches with high credit ratings, can experience, and at times many have experienced, substantial losses due to actual defaults, increased sensitivity to future defaults due to the disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of defaults, as well as market aversion to CDO securities as a class. In the past, prices of CDO tranches have declined considerably. The drop in prices was initially triggered by the subprime mortgage crisis. Subprime mortgages make up a significant portion of the mortgage securities that collateralize many CDOs. As floating interest rates and mortgage default rates increased, the rating agencies that had rated the mortgage securities and CDO transactions backed by such mortgages realized their default assumptions were too low and began to downgrade the credit rating of these transactions. There can be no assurance that additional losses of equal or greater magnitude will not occur in the future.

In addition to the normal risks associated with debt securities and asset backed securities (e.g., interest rate risk, credit risk and default risk) described elsewhere in this SAI, CDOs 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 decline in value or quality or go into default or be downgraded; (iii) the Fund may invest in tranches of a CDO that are subordinate to other classes; and (iv) the complex structure of the security may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the issuer, difficulty in valuing the security or unexpected investment results.

Certain issuers of CDOs may be deemed to be "investment companies" as defined in the 1940 Act. As a result, the Fund's investment in these structured investments from these issuers may be limited by the restrictions contained in the 1940 Act. CDOs generally charge management fees and administrative expenses that the shareholders of the Fund would pay indirectly.

**Commodity-linked instruments** Commodity-linked instruments are designed to provide exposure to the price movements of real assets that trade in the commodity markets without direct investment in physical commodities. Real assets are assets such as oil, gas, industrial and precious metals, livestock, and agricultural or meat products, or other items that have tangible properties, as compared to stocks or bonds, which are financial instruments.

Obtaining exposure to the price movements of physical commodities through commodity-linked instruments presents unique risks, is speculative and can be extremely volatile. Market prices of commodities may fluctuate rapidly based on numerous factors, including: changes in supply and demand relationships (whether actual, perceived, anticipated, unanticipated or unrealized); weather; agriculture; trade; domestic and foreign political and economic events and policies; diseases; pestilence; technological developments; and monetary and other governmental policies, action and inaction. The current or "spot" prices of physical commodities may also affect, in a volatile and inconsistent manner, the prices of futures contracts in respect of the relevant commodity. Certain commodities are used primarily in one industry, and fluctuations in levels of activity in (or the availability of alternative resources to) one industry may have a disproportionate effect on global demand for a particular commodity. Moreover, growth in industrial production and gross domestic product has made China and other developing nations oversized users of commodities and has increased the extent to which certain commodities prices are influenced by those markets.

The Fund does not consider currencies or other financial commodities or contracts and financial instruments to be physical commodities (which include, for example, oil, precious metals and grains). Accordingly, the Fund interprets the fundamental restriction to permit the Fund (subject to the Fund's investment goal and general investment policies as stated in the Fund's prospectus and this SAI) to invest directly in foreign currencies and other financial commodities and to purchase, sell or enter into commodity futures contracts and options thereon, foreign currency forward contracts, foreign currency options, currency, commodity and financial instrument-related swap agreements, hybrid instruments, interest rate, securities-related or foreign currency-related hedging instruments or other currency-, commodity- or

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financial instrument-related derivatives, subject to compliance with any applicable provisions of the federal securities or commodities laws. The Fund also interprets its fundamental restriction regarding purchasing and selling physical commodities to permit the Fund to invest in exchange-traded funds or other entities that invest in physical and/or financial commodities, subject to the limits described in the Fund's prospectus and SAI.

*Use of commodities and establishment of Cayman Islands-based subsidiary*. In order to gain exposure to commodities, the Fund has established a Cayman Islands-based company (the Subsidiary) to invest in commodity-linked derivatives, including swaps, certain commodity-linked notes, options, futures and options on futures. Under Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidance, no more than 25% of the Fund's assets may be invested in the Subsidiary. It is possible that the IRS may issue further guidance, or Congress may enact legislation, that adversely affects the tax treatment of the Fund's investment in the Subsidiary (which might be applied retroactively to the Fund), it could limit the Fund's ability to pursue its investment strategy and the Fund might not qualify as a regulated investment company for one or more years. In this event, the board may authorize a change in investment strategy or Fund liquidation. In lieu of potential disqualification, the Fund is permitted to pay a tax for certain failures to satisfy the Income Requirement, which, in general, are limited to those due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect. The Fund also may incur transaction and other costs to comply with any new or additional guidance from the IRS.

*Commodity-linked notes.* The value of a commodity-linked note is primarily linked to the price movements of physical commodity (such as heating oil, livestock, or agricultural products), a commodity futures or option contract, a commodity index (such as the S&P GSCI), or some other readily measurable variable that reflects changes in the value of particular commodities or the commodities markets. The notes in which the Fund invests are typically issued by a bank or other financial institution or a commodity producer, and the Fund negotiates with the issuer to obtain specific terms and features that are tailored to the Fund's investment needs. A typical note may have the following characteristics:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Issuer: A bank, other financial institution or commodity producer with respect to commodity-linked notes.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Maturity: Commodity-Linked Notes (12-18 months)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Purchase Price: The Fund purchases a note at a specified face value, for example $100 or $1,000.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Payment Characteristics: The Fund receives an interest payment at a fixed coupon rate determined at the time of purchase. With respect to commodity-linked notes, the Fund also receives a payment at maturity that is based on the price movement of the underlying commodity, for example heating oil, or a commodity index (e.g., the S&P GSCI). This payment will typically be an amount that is a multiple of the price increase or decrease of the underlying commodity or commodity index. The investment manager currently anticipates that most notes purchased by the Fund will be leveraged at a 3 to 1 factor (i.e., the return of the index is multiplied 3x for purposes of the Fund's returns).

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• "Put" and Automatic Redemption Features: The Fund typically has the right to "put" (or sell) a commodity-linked note to the issuer at any time, at a price based on the commodity-linked note's face value as adjusted to reflect the price movement of the underlying commodity, commodity futures or option contract, commodity index, or other economic variable. A typical note also provides that the issuer will automatically repurchase the note from the Fund if the value of the note decreases to a specified level, which would occur if the price of the underlying commodity, commodity futures or option contract, or commodity index, which ever the case may be, reached a level specified under the terms of the note. The Fund can negotiate with the issuer to modify any of the typical characteristics described above. For example, the Fund can negotiate to extend or shorten the maturity of a note, or to receive interest payments at a variable interest rate instead of at a fixed interest rate.

**Convertible securities** A convertible security is generally a debt obligation, preferred stock or other security that may be converted within a specified period of time into a certain amount of common stock of the same or of a different issuer. The conversion may occur at the option of the investor in or issuer of the security, or upon a predetermined event. A convertible security typically provides a fixed-income stream and the opportunity, through its conversion feature, to participate in the capital appreciation resulting from a market price advance in its underlying common stock. As with a straight fixed-income security, a convertible security tends to increase in market value when interest rates decline and decrease in value when interest rates rise. Like a common stock, the value of a convertible security also tends to increase as the market value of the underlying stock rises, and it tends to decrease as the market value of the underlying stock declines. Because both interest rate and market movements can influence its value, a convertible security is usually not as sensitive to interest rate changes as a similar fixed-income security, nor is it as sensitive to changes in share price as its underlying stock. Convertible securities are also subject to risks that affect debt securities in general.

Although less than an investment in the underlying stock, the potential for gain on an investment in a convertible security is greater than for similar non-convertible securities. As a result, a lower yield is generally offered on convertible securities than on otherwise equivalent non-convertible securities. There is no guarantee that the Fund will realize gains on a

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convertible security in excess of the foregone yield it accepts to invest in such convertible security.

A convertible security is usually issued either by an operating company or by an investment bank. When issued by an operating company, a convertible security tends to be senior to the company's common stock, but may be subordinate to other types of fixed-income securities issued by that company. When a convertible security issued by an operating company is "converted," the operating company often issues new stock to the holder of the convertible security. However, if the convertible security is redeemable and the parity price of the convertible security is less than the call price, the operating company may pay out cash instead of common stock.

If the convertible security is issued by an investment bank or other sponsor, the security is an obligation of and is convertible through, the issuing investment bank. However, the common stock received upon conversion is of a company other than the investment bank or sponsor. The issuer of a convertible security may be important in determining the security's true value. This is because the holder of a convertible security will have recourse only to the issuer.

*Convertible preferred stock.* A convertible preferred stock is usually treated like a preferred stock for the Fund's financial reporting, credit rating and investment policies and limitations purposes. A preferred stock is subordinated to all debt obligations in the event of insolvency, and an issuer's failure to make a dividend payment is generally not an event of default entitling the preferred shareholder to take action. A preferred stock generally has no maturity date, so that its market value is dependent on the issuer's business prospects for an indefinite period of time. Distributions from preferred stock are dividends, rather than interest payments, and are usually treated as such for tax purposes. Investments in convertible preferred stock, as compared to the debt obligations of an issuer, generally increase the Fund's exposure to the credit risk of the issuer and market risk generally, because convertible preferred stock will fare more poorly if the issuer defaults or markets suffer.

*Enhanced convertible securities.* In addition to "plain vanilla" convertible securities, a number of different structures have been created to fit the characteristics of specific investors and issuers. Examples of these features include yield enhancement, increased equity exposure or enhanced downside protection. From an issuer's perspective, enhanced structures are designed to meet balance sheet criteria, maximize interest/dividend payment deductibility and reduce equity dilution. Examples of enhanced convertible securities include mandatory convertible securities, convertible trust preferred securities, exchangeable securities, and zero coupon and deep discount convertible bonds.

*Risks.* An investment in a convertible security may involve risks. The Fund may have difficulty disposing of such securities because there may be a thin trading market for a particular security at any given time. Reduced liquidity may have an adverse impact on market price and the Fund's ability to dispose of a security when necessary to meet the Fund's liquidity needs or in response to a specific economic event, such as the deterioration in the creditworthiness of an issuer. Reduced liquidity in the secondary market for certain securities may also make it more difficult for the Fund to obtain market quotations based on actual trades for purposes of valuing the Fund's portfolio. Although the Fund intends to acquire convertible securities that the investment manager considers to be liquid (i.e., those securities that the investment manager determines may be sold on an exchange, or an institutional or other substantial market), there can be no assurances that this will be achieved. Certain securities and markets can become illiquid quickly, resulting in liquidity risk for the Fund. The Fund will also encounter difficulty valuing convertible securities due to illiquidity or other circumstances that make it difficult for the Fund to obtain timely market quotations based on actual trades for convertible securities. Convertible securities may have low credit ratings, which generally correspond with higher credit risk to an investor like the Fund.

In addition to the general risks of convertible securities and the special risks of enhanced convertible securities, there are risks unique to synthetic convertible securities. Synthetic convertible securities differ from true convertible securities in several respects. The value of a synthetic convertible security is the sum of the values of its debt security component and its convertibility component. Thus, the values of a synthetic convertible and a true convertible security will respond differently to market fluctuations. Although the investment manager expects normally to create synthetic convertible securities whose two components provide exposure to the

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same issuer, the character of a synthetic convertible allows the Fund to combine components representing distinct issuers, or to combine a debt security with a call option on a stock index. In addition, the component parts of a synthetic convertible security may be purchased simultaneously or separately; and the holder of a synthetic convertible faces the risk that the price of the stock, or the level of the market index underlying the convertibility component will decline. Exposure to more than one issuer or participant will increase the number of parties upon which the investment depends and the complexity of that investment and, as a result, increase the Fund's credit risk and valuation risk.

#### Corporate Loans, Assignments and Participations
*Corporate loans.* Corporate loans typically are structured and negotiated by a group of financial institutions and other investors, including in some cases, the Fund, that provide capital to the borrowers. In return, the borrowers pay interest and repay the loan's principal. Such corporate loans often pay interest rates that are reset periodically on the basis of a floating base lending rate, such as the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR), plus a premium. The Fund may invest in corporate loans directly at the time of the loan's closing or by buying an assignment of all or a portion of the corporate loan from a lender. The Fund may also invest indirectly in a corporate loan by buying a loan participation from a lender or other purchaser of a participation. Corporate loans may include term loans, Bridge Loans (as described below) and, to the extent permissible for the Fund, revolving credit facilities, prefunded letters of credit term loans, delayed draw term loans and receivables purchase facilities.

The Fund limits the amount of total assets that it will invest in any one issuer. For purposes of these limitations, the Fund generally will treat the borrower as the "issuer" of indebtedness held by the Fund. In loan participations, a bank or other lending institution serves as financial intermediary between the Fund and the borrower, the participation may not shift to the Fund the direct debtor-creditor relationship with the borrower. In this case, SEC interpretations require the Fund, in appropriate circumstances, to treat both the lending bank or other lending institution and the borrower as "issuers" for these purposes. Treating a financial intermediary as an issuer of indebtedness may restrict the Fund's ability to invest in indebtedness related to a single financial intermediary, or intermediaries engaged in the same industry, even if the underlying borrowers represent different companies and industries.

*Negotiation and administration of loans.* Each type of corporate loan in which the Fund may invest typically is structured by a group of lenders and other investors. This means that the lenders and other investors, which may include other Franklin Templeton funds and accounts, participate in the negotiations with the corporate borrower and in the drafting of the terms of the corporate loan. The group of lenders and other investors often consists of commercial banks, thrift institutions, insurance companies, finance companies, other financial institutions, or in some cases other investors, including investment companies such as the Fund. Typically, the Fund will not act as the sole negotiator or sole investor for a corporate loan. One or more of the lenders usually administers the corporate loan on behalf of all the lenders and other investors; this lender is referred to as the Agent Bank.

*Three ways to invest in corporate loans.* The Fund may invest in corporate loans in any of three ways. The Fund may: (i) make a direct investment by purchasing an assignment of part or all of a corporate loan; (ii) make an indirect investment by purchasing a participation interest in a corporate loan; or (iii) make a direct investment in a corporate loan by participating as one of the initial investors. Participation interests are interests sold by a lender or other holders of participation interests, which usually represent a fractional interest in a corporate loan. An assignment represents a direct interest in a corporate loan or portion of a corporate loan previously owned by a different investor. Unlike where the Fund purchases a participation interest, the Fund will generally become an investor for the purposes of the relevant corporate loan agreement by purchasing an assignment.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;*1. Assignments of corporate loans.* If the Fund purchases an assignment of a corporate loan, the Fund will assume the position of the original investor. The Fund will have the right to receive payments directly from the corporate borrower and to enforce its contractual rights directly against the corporate borrower. The purchase may be made at a discount to par. This means that the Fund receives a return at the full interest rate for the corporate loan rather than a discounted rate.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;*2. Participation interests in corporate loans.* In contrast to the purchase of an assignment, if the Fund purchases a participation interest either from a lender or a participant, the Fund typically will have established a direct contractual relationship with the seller of the participation interest, but not with the corporate borrower. Consequently, the Fund is subject to the credit risk of the lender or participant who sold the participation interest to the Fund, in addition to the usual credit risk of the corporate borrower. Therefore, when the Fund considers an investment in corporate loans through the purchase of participation interests, its investment manager will take into account the creditworthiness of the Agent Bank and any lenders and participants interposed between the Fund and the corporate borrower. These parties are referred to as Intermediate Participants. Additionally, the Fund will consider that there may be limitations on the Fund's ability to vote on amendments to the borrower's underlying loan agreement.

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;*3. Direct investments in corporate loans.* When the Fund invests as an initial investor in a new corporate loan, the investment may be made at a discount to par. This means that the Fund receives a return at the full interest rate for the corporate loan, which incorporates the discount.

Because secondary purchases of loans may be made at par, at a premium from par or at a discount from par, the Fund's return on such an investment may be lower or higher than it would have been if the Fund had made a direct initial investment. While loan participations generally trade at a discount, the Fund may buy participations trading at par or at a premium. At certain times when reduced opportunities for direct initial investment in corporate loans may exist, however, the Fund may be able to invest in corporate loans only through participation interests or assignments.

*Loan participations.* Loan participations may enable the Fund to acquire an interest in a corporate loan from a borrower, which it could not do directly. Because the Fund establishes a direct contractual relationship with the lender or Participant, the Fund is subject to the credit risk of the lender or Participant in addition to the usual credit risk of the corporate borrower and any Agent Bank. Under normal market conditions, loan participations that sell at a discount to the secondary loan price may indicate the borrower has credit problems or other issues associated with the credit risk of the loan. To the extent the credit problems are resolved, loan participations may appreciate in value.

In the event the corporate borrower fails to pay principal and interest when due, the Fund may have to assert rights against the borrower through an Intermediate Participant. This may subject the Fund to delays, expenses and risks that are greater than those that would be involved if the Fund could enforce its rights directly against the corporate borrower. Also, in the event of the insolvency of the lender or Intermediate Participant who sold the participation interest to the Fund, the Fund may not have any exclusive or senior claim with respect to the lender's interest in the corporate loan, or in the collateral securing the corporate loan. Consequently, the Fund might not benefit directly from the collateral supporting the underlying corporate loan. If the Intermediate Participant becomes insolvent, payments of principal and/or interest may be held up or not paid by such Participant or such Participant may not have the resources to assert its and the Fund's rights against the corporate borrower. Similar risks may arise with respect to the Agent Bank.

*Obligations to make future advances.* Certain revolving credit facility corporate loans (revolvers) and some types of delayed draw loans require that the lenders and other investors, including the Fund, and Intermediate Participants make future advances to the corporate borrower at the demand of the borrower. Other continuing obligations may also exist pursuant to the terms of these types of corporate loans. If the Fund's future obligations are not met for any reason, including the failure of an Intermediate Participant to fulfill its obligations, the Fund's interests may be harmed. Because these loans may involve a commitment on the part of a Fund to make a loan to a borrower in the future, they may be treated as unfunded commitment agreements in accordance with applicable requirements of Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act.

*Delayed draw term loans.* Delayed draw term loans have characteristics of both revolvers and term loans, in that, before they are drawn upon by the borrower, they are similar to a revolver; however when they are drawn upon, they become fully and permanently drawn and are in essence term loans. Upon funding, when a loan is drawn upon, the loan becomes permanently funded, repaid principal amounts may not be reborrowed and interest accrues on the amount outstanding. The borrower pays a fee during the commitment period.

*Prefunded L/C term loan.* A prefunded L/C term loan (Pre L/C Loan) is sometimes referred to as a funded letter of credit facility. For these loans, the Agent Bank (or another bank) issues letters of credit (each letter, an L/C) to guarantee the repayment of the borrowings by the borrower, as the ultimate debtor under these loans. Each lender or other investor, such as the Fund, transfers to the Agent Bank the amount of money the lender or other investor, has committed under the Pre L/C Loan agreement. The Agent Bank holds the monies solely to satisfy the lenders' or other investors' obligations under the loan agreement.

Whenever the borrower needs funds, it draws against the Pre L/C Loan. Consequently, the lenders or other investors do not have to advance any additional monies at the time the borrower draws against the Pre L/C Loan. To the extent that the borrower does not draw down these monies as borrowings during the term of the Pre L/C Loan, the Agent Bank invests these monies as deposits that pay interest, usually approximating a benchmark rate. This interest is paid to the borrower. Generally, the borrower, via the Agent Bank, pays the lenders or other investors interest at a rate equivalent to the fully drawn spread plus a benchmark rate. The borrower pays this interest during the term of the loan whether or not the borrower borrows monies from the amounts held and invested by the Agent Bank. The principal and any unpaid accrued interest will be returned to the lenders and other investors upon termination of the Pre L/C loan (and upon satisfaction of all obligations).

The risks of investing in corporate loans include all the general risks of investing in debt securities. For example, investments in corporate loans are exposed to the credit risk of the borrowing corporation and any Intermediate Participants, the valuation risk of pricing corporate loans and collateral, and the illiquidity risk associated with holding unregistered, non-exchange traded securities. There are also

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additional risks associated with an investment in corporate loans, including those described below.

*Additional credit risks.* Corporate loans may be issued in leveraged or highly leveraged transactions (such as mergers, acquisitions, consolidations, liquidations, spinoffs, reorganizations or financial restructurings), or involving distressed companies or those in bankruptcy (including debtor-in-possession transactions). This means that the borrower is assuming large amounts of debt in order to have large amounts of financial resources to attempt to achieve its business objectives; there is no guarantee, however, that the borrower will achieve its business objectives. Loans issued in leveraged or highly leveraged transactions are subject to greater credit risks than other loans, including an increased possibility that the borrower might default or go into bankruptcy.

*Insufficient collateral.* The terms of most senior secured corporate loans and corporate debt securities in which the Fund invests generally provide that the collateral provided by the corporate borrower have a fair market value at least equal to 100% of the amount of such corporate loan at the time of the loan. The investment manager generally will determine the value of the collateral by customary valuation techniques that it considers appropriate. The collateral may consist of various types of assets or interests including working capital assets, such as accounts receivable or inventory, tangible fixed assets, such as real property, buildings and equipment, tangible or intangible assets, such as trademarks, copyrights and patent rights, or security interests in securities of subsidiaries or affiliates. The borrower's owners or other parties may provide additional security.

The Fund may encounter difficulty valuing the collateral, especially less tangible assets. The value of the collateral may decline following investment by the Fund in the corporate loan. Also, collateral may be difficult to sell or liquidate and insufficient in the event of a default. Consequently, there can be no assurance that the liquidation of any collateral securing a corporate loan would satisfy the borrower's obligation in the event of nonpayment of scheduled interest or principal payments, or that such collateral could be readily liquidated. In the event of bankruptcy of a borrower, the Fund could experience delays or limitations with respect to its ability to realize the benefits of any collateral securing a corporate loan. Collateral securing a corporate loan may lose all or substantially all of its value in the event of bankruptcy of a borrower. Some corporate loans are subject to the risk that a court, pursuant to fraudulent conveyance or other similar laws, could order currently existing or future indebtedness of the corporate borrower to be paid ahead of the corporate loans. This order could make repayment of the corporate loans in part or in full less likely. The court could take other action detrimental to the holders of the corporate loans including, in certain circumstances, invalidating such corporate loans or causing interest previously paid to be refunded to the borrower.

*Potential lack of investor protections under federal and state securities laws.* If a corporate loan purchased by the Fund is not considered to be a "security," the Fund will not receive the same investor protections with respect to such investment that are available to purchasers of investments that are considered "securities" under federal and state securities laws, including any possible recourse against a member of the lending syndicate as an underwriter or the borrower as an issuer.

*Lack of publicly available information and ratings.* Corporate loans in which the Fund may invest may not be rated by a rating agency, will not be registered with the SEC or any state securities commission and will not be listed on any national securities exchange. The amount of public information available with respect to corporate loans will generally be less than that available for registered or exchange listed securities; however, the investment manager will not invest in a loan if, in its judgment, it does not have enough information on the loan to satisfy its due diligence standards.

*Non-public information and limitations on its use.* From time to time, the investment manager on behalf of the Fund, may elect to receive material non-public information (MNPI) about an individual loan that is not available to other lenders of such loan who may be unwilling to enter into a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with the borrower or company and restrict themselves from trading in the loan for a specified period of time. If the investment manager on behalf of the Fund, elects to become restricted on any individual loan as a result of agreeing to receive MNPI about the loan and signing an NDA, the Fund might be unable to enter into a transaction in a security of that borrower, when it would otherwise be advantageous to do so.

*Liquidity of corporate loans.* The investment manager generally considers corporate loans, loan participations and assignments of corporate loans to be liquid. To the extent such investments are deemed to be liquid by the investment manager, they will not be subject to the Fund's restrictions on investments in illiquid securities. Generally, a liquid market with institutional buyers exists for such interests. The investment manager monitors each type of loan and/or loan interest in which the Fund is invested to determine whether it is liquid consistent with the liquidity procedures adopted by the Fund.

No active trading market may exist for some corporate loans and some corporate loans may be subject to restrictions on resale. A secondary market in corporate loans may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which may impair the ability to accurately value existing and prospective investments and to realize in a timely fashion the full value on

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sale of a corporate loan. In addition, the Fund may not be able to readily sell its corporate loans at prices that approximate those at which the Fund could sell such loans if they were more widely held and traded. As a result of such potential illiquidity, the Fund may have to sell other investments or engage in borrowing transactions if necessary to raise cash to meet its obligations. Purchases of corporate loans in the secondary market will be generally treated as when issued, forward-settling and non-standard settlement cycle securities transactions not involving a senior security under applicable provisions of Rule 18f-4.

*Risks based on Agent Banks and/or Intermediate Participants.* The Agent Bank typically administers the corporate loan. The Agent Bank typically is responsible for collecting principal, interest and fee payments from the corporate borrower. The Agent Bank then distributes these payments to all lenders and other investors that are parties to the corporate loan or own participation interests therein. The Fund will not act as an Agent Bank under normal circumstances. The Fund generally will rely on the Agent Bank or an Intermediate Participant to collect its portion of the payments. The Fund will also rely on the Agent Bank to take appropriate actions against a corporate borrower that is not making payments as scheduled. Typically, the Agent Bank is given broad discretion in enforcing the terms of the corporate loan, and is required to use only the same care it would use in the management of its own property. The corporate borrower compensates the Agent Bank for these services and this could create an incentive for the Agent Bank to exercise its discretion to the advantage of the corporate borrower to a greater extent than might otherwise be the case. Such compensation may include special fees paid at the start of corporate loans and fees paid on a continuing basis for ongoing services.

In the event that a corporate borrower becomes bankrupt or insolvent, the borrower may attempt to assert certain legal defenses as a result of improper conduct by the Agent Bank or Intermediate Participant. Asserting the Fund's legal rights against the Agent Bank or Intermediate Participant could be expensive and result in the delay or loss to the Fund of principal and/or interest payments.

There is a risk that an Agent Bank may have financial difficulty. An Agent Bank could even declare bankruptcy, or have a receiver, conservator, or similar official appointed for it by a regulatory authority. If this happens, assets held by the Agent Bank under the corporate loan should remain available to holders of corporate loans, including the Fund. However, a regulatory authority or court may determine that assets held by the Agent Bank for the benefit of the Fund are subject to the claims of the Agent Bank's general or secured creditors. The Fund might incur costs and delays in realizing payment on a corporate loan or might suffer a loss of principal or interest. Similar risks arise in situations involving Intermediate Participants, as described above.

*Covenants.* The borrower or issuer under a corporate loan or debt security generally must comply with various restrictive covenants contained in any corporate loan agreement between the borrower and the lending syndicate or in any trust indenture or comparable document in connection with a corporate debt security. A restrictive covenant is a promise by the borrower to take certain actions that protect, or not to take certain actions that may impair, the rights of lenders. These covenants, in addition to requiring the scheduled payment of interest and principal, may include restrictions on dividend payments and other distributions to shareholders, provisions requiring the borrower to maintain specific financial ratios or relationships regarding, and/or limits on, total debt. In addition, a covenant may require the borrower to prepay the corporate loan or corporate debt security with any excess cash flow. Excess cash flow generally includes net cash flow (after scheduled debt service payments and permitted capital expenditures) as well as the proceeds from asset dispositions or sales of securities. A breach of a covenant (after giving effect to any cure period) in a corporate loan agreement which is not waived by the Agent Bank and the lending syndicate normally is an event of acceleration. This means that the Agent Bank has the right to demand immediate repayment in full of the outstanding corporate loan. Acceleration may also occur in the case of the breach of a covenant in a corporate debt security document. If acceleration occurs and the Fund receives repayment before expected, the Fund will experience prepayment risk.

*Covenants and covenant lite loans and debt securities.* Some covenant lite loans may be in the market from time to time which tend to have fewer or no financial maintenance covenants and restrictions. A covenant lite loan typically contains fewer clauses which allow an investor to proactively enforce financial covenants or prevent undesired actions by the borrower/issuer. Covenant lite loans also generally provide fewer investor protections if certain criteria are breached. The Fund may experience losses or delays in enforcing its rights on its holdings of covenant lite loans.

*Bridge financings.* The Fund may also acquire interests in loans which are designed to provide temporary or "bridge" financing (Bridge Loans) to a borrower pending the sale of identified assets; the arrangement of longer-term loans; or the issuance and sale of debt obligations. The Fund may also make a commitment to participate in a Bridge Loan facility. Most Bridge Loans are structured as floating-rate debt with step-up provisions under which the interest rate on the Bridge Loan rises the longer the Loan remains outstanding. In addition, Bridge Loans commonly contain a conversion feature that allows the Bridge Loan investor to convert its loan interest to senior exchange notes if the loan has not been prepaid in full on or prior to its maturity date. Bridge Loans may be subordinate to other debt and may be unsecured or under-secured. Bridge Loans are subject to the same general risks discussed above inherent to any loan investment. Due to

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their subordinated nature and possible unsecured or under-secured status, Bridge Loans may involve a higher degree of overall risk than more senior loans of the same borrower. Bridge Loans also generally carry the expectation that the borrower will be able to sell the assets, obtain permanent financing or sell other debt obligations in the near future. Any delay in these occurrences subjects the Bridge Loan investor to increased credit risk and may impair the borrower's perceived creditworthiness. In addition, Bridge Loans may result in or lead to longer-term or permanent indebtedness.

*Debtor-in-possession financings.* The Fund may also invest in "debtor-in-possession" or "DIP" financings newly issued in connection with "special situation" restructuring and refinancing transactions. DIP financings are loans to a debtor-in-possession in a proceeding under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code that has been approved by the bankruptcy court. These financings allow the entity to continue its business operations while reorganizing under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. A DIP financing can be secured by a senior lien on the debtor's unencumbered assets, or encumbered assets which would allow the existing senior lien holders to maintain at least the same lien position as the pre-petition secured debt. DIP financings are often required to close in a rapid manner in order for the debtor to continue ongoing operations and satisfy existing creditors. Additionally, a DIP financing may be "rolled" into exit financing which enable the issuer to emerge from bankruptcy.

In addition to the risk of loss of its principal investment, the Fund bears the risk that the issuer of the CLN will default or become bankrupt. In such an event, the Fund may have difficulty being repaid, or fail to be repaid, the principal amount of its investment. A downgrade or impairment to the credit rating of the issuer will also likely impact negatively the price of the CLN, regardless of the price of the bond(s) underlying the CLNs. A CLN is typically structured as a limited recourse, unsecured obligation of the issuer of such security such that the security will usually be the obligation solely of the issuer and will not be an obligation or responsibility of any other person, including the issuer of the underlying bond(s).

Most CLNs are structured as Rule 144A securities so that they may be freely traded among institutional buyers. However, the market for CLNs may be, or suddenly can become, illiquid. The other parties to the transaction may be the only investors with sufficient understanding of the CLN to be interested in bidding for it. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices of CLNs. In certain cases, a market price for a CLN may not be available or may not be reliable, and the Fund could experience difficulty in selling such security at a price the investment manager believes is fair.

**Cybersecurity** With the increased use of technologies such as mobile devices and Web-based or "cloud" applications, and the dependence on the Internet and computer systems to conduct business, the Fund is susceptible to operational, information security and related risks. In general, cybersecurity incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events (arising from external or internal sources) that may cause the Fund to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption, physical damage to a computer or network system or lose operational capacity. Cybersecurity attacks include, but are not limited to, infection by malicious software, such as malware or computer viruses or gaining unauthorized access to digital systems, networks or devices that are used to service the Fund's operations (e.g., through "hacking," "phishing" or malicious software coding) or other means for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cybersecurity attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on the Fund's websites (i.e., efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Recently, geopolitical tensions may have increased the scale and sophistication of deliberate cybersecurity attacks, particularly those from nation-states or from entities with nation-state backing. In addition, authorized persons could inadvertently or intentionally release confidential or proprietary information stored on the Fund's systems.

Cybersecurity incidents affecting the Fund's investment manager, sub-advisor and other service providers to the Fund or its shareholders (including, but not limited to, sub-advisors, accountants, custodians, sub-custodians, transfer agents and financial intermediaries) have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses to both the Fund and its shareholders, interference with the Fund's ability to calculate its net asset value, impediments to trading, the inability of Fund shareholders to transact business and the Fund to process transactions (including fulfillment of purchases and redemptions), violations of applicable privacy and other laws (including the release of private shareholder information) and attendant breach notification and credit monitoring costs, regulatory fines, penalties, litigation costs, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, forensic investigation and remediation costs, and/or additional compliance costs. Similar adverse consequences could result from cybersecurity incidents affecting issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, counterparties with which the Fund engages in transactions, governmental and other regulatory

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authorities, exchange and other financial market operators, banks, brokers, dealers, insurance companies and other financial institutions (including financial intermediaries and other service providers) and other parties. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to safeguard against and reduce the risk of any cybersecurity incidents in the future. In addition to administrative, technological and procedural safeguards, the Fund's investment manager and sub-advisor have established business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent or reduce the impact of, such cybersecurity incidents. However, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified, as well as the rapid development of new threats. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by its service providers or any other third parties whose operations may affect the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

Because technology is frequently changing, new ways to carry out cyber attacks are always developing. Therefore, there is a chance that some risks have not been identified or prepared for, or that an attack may not be detected, which puts limitations on the Fund's ability to plan for or respond to a cyber attack. Like other funds and business enterprises, the Fund, the investment manager, sub-advisor and their service providers are subject to the risk of cyber incidents occurring from time to time.

**Debt securities - general description** In general, a debt security represents a loan of money to the issuer by the purchaser of the security. A debt security typically has a fixed payment schedule that obligates the issuer to pay interest to the lender and to return the lender's money over a certain time period. A company typically meets its payment obligations associated with its outstanding debt securities before it declares and pays any dividend to holders of its equity securities. Bonds, notes and commercial paper are examples of debt securities and differ in the length of the issuer's principal repayment schedule, with bonds carrying the longest repayment schedule and commercial paper the shortest:

*Bonds.* A bond is a debt security in which investors lend money to an entity that borrows for a defined period of time, usually a period of more than five years, at a specified interest rate.

*Commercial paper.* Commercial paper is an unsecured, short-term loan to a corporation, typically for financing accounts receivable and inventory with maturities of up to 270 days.

*Debentures.* A debenture is an unsecured debt security backed only by the creditworthiness of the borrower, not by collateral.

*Bills.* A bill is a short-term debt instrument, usually with a maturity of two years or less.

*Notes.* A note is a debt security usually with a maturity of up to ten years.

For purposes of the discussion in this SAI of the risks of investing in debt securities generally, loans or other short-term instruments, which otherwise may not technically be considered securities, are included.

Debt securities are all generally subject to interest rate, credit, income and prepayment risks and, like all investments, are subject to liquidity and market risks to varying degrees depending upon the specific terms and type of security. The Fund's investment manager attempts to reduce credit and market risk through diversification of the Fund's portfolio and ongoing credit analysis of each issuer, as well as by monitoring economic developments, but there can be no assurance that it will be successful at doing so.

**Defaulted debt securities** If the issuer of a debt security in the Fund's portfolio defaults, the Fund may have unrealized losses on the security, which may lower the Fund's net asset value. Defaulted securities tend to lose much of their value before they default. Thus, the Fund's net asset value may be adversely affected before an issuer defaults. The Fund may incur additional expenses if it tries to recover principal or interest payments on a defaulted security. Defaulted debt securities often are illiquid. An investment in defaulted debt securities is generally considered speculative and may expose the Fund to similar risks as an investment in high-yield debt.

The Fund may buy defaulted debt securities. The Fund is also not required to sell a debt security that has defaulted if the applicable sub-advisor believes it is advantageous to continue holding the security.

**Depositary receipts** Many securities of foreign issuers are represented by American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs), and European Depositary Receipts (EDRs) (collectively, depositary receipts). Generally, depositary receipts in registered form are designed for use in the U.S. securities market and depositary receipts in bearer form are designed for use in securities markets outside the U.S.

ADRs evidence ownership of, and represent the right to receive, securities of foreign issuers deposited in a domestic bank or trust company or a foreign correspondent bank. Prices of ADRs are quoted in U.S. dollars, and ADRs are traded in the U.S. on exchanges or over-the-counter. While ADRs do not eliminate all the risks associated with foreign investments, by investing in ADRs rather than directly in the stock of foreign issuers, the Fund will avoid currency and certain foreign market trading risks during the settlement period for either purchases or sales. In general, there is a

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large, liquid market in the U.S. for ADRs quoted on a national securities exchange. The information available for ADRs is subject to the accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards of the U.S. market or exchange on which they are traded, which standards are generally more uniform and more exacting than those to which many foreign issuers may be subject.

EDRs and GDRs are typically issued by foreign banks or trust companies and evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by either a foreign or a U.S. corporation. EDRs and GDRs may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as the underlying securities into which they may be converted. The underlying shares are held in trust by a custodian bank or similar financial institution in the issuer's home country. If the issuer's home country does not have developed financial markets, the Fund could be exposed to the credit risk of the custodian or financial institution and greater market risk. The depository bank may not have physical custody of the underlying securities at all times and may charge fees for various services, including forwarding dividends and interest, and processing corporate actions. The Fund would be expected to pay a share of the additional fees, which it would not pay if investing directly in the foreign securities. The Fund may experience delays in receiving its dividend and interest payments or exercising rights as a shareholder.

Depositary receipts may reduce some but not eliminate all the risks inherent in investing in the securities of foreign issuers. Depositary receipts are still subject to the political and economic risks of the underlying issuer's country and are still subject to foreign currency exchange risk. Depositary receipts will be issued under sponsored or unsponsored programs. In sponsored programs, an issuer has made arrangements to have its securities traded in the form of depositary receipts. In unsponsored programs, the issuer may not be directly involved in the creation of the program. Although regulatory requirements with respect to sponsored and unsponsored programs are generally similar, in some cases it may be easier to obtain financial information about an issuer that has participated in the creation of a sponsored program. There may be an increased possibility of untimely responses to certain corporate actions of the issuer, such as stock splits and rights offerings, in an unsponsored program. Accordingly, there may be less information available regarding issuers of securities underlying unsponsored programs and there may not be a correlation between this information and the market value of the depositary receipts. If the Fund's investment depends on obligations being met by the arranger as well as the issuer of an unsponsored program, the Fund will be exposed to additional credit risk.

**Derivative instruments** Generally, derivatives are financial instruments whose value depends on or is derived from, the value of one or more underlying assets, reference rates, or indices or other market factors (a "reference instrument") and may relate to stocks, bonds, interest rates, credit, currencies, commodities or related indices. Derivative instruments can provide an efficient means to gain or reduce exposure to the value of a reference instrument without actually owning or selling the instrument. Some common types of derivatives include options, futures, forwards and swaps.

Derivative instruments may be used for "hedging," which means that they may be used when the investment manager seeks to protect the Fund's investments from a decline in value resulting from changes to interest rates, market prices, currency fluctuations or other market factors. Derivative instruments may also be used for other purposes, including to seek to increase liquidity, provide efficient portfolio management, broaden investment opportunities (including taking short or negative positions), implement a tax or cash management strategy, gain exposure to a particular security or segment of the market, modify the effective duration of the Fund's portfolio investments and/or enhance total return. However derivative instruments are used, their successful use is not assured and will depend upon, among other factors, the investment manager's ability to gauge relevant market movements.

Derivative instruments may be used for purposes of direct hedging. Direct hedging means that the transaction must be intended to reduce a specific risk exposure of a portfolio security or its denominated currency and must also be directly related to such security or currency. The Fund's use of derivative instruments may be limited from time to time by policies adopted by the board of trustees or the Fund's investment manager.

*Regulation under the Commodity Exchange Act.* The investment manager is registered as a CPO under the CEA and the rules of the CFTC and is subject to CFTC regulation with respect to the Fund. The CFTC has adopted rules regarding the disclosure, reporting and recordkeeping requirements that apply with respect to the Fund as a result of the investment manager's registration as a commodity pool operator. Generally, these rules allow for substituted compliance with CFTC disclosure and shareholder reporting requirements, based on the investment manager's compliance with comparable SEC requirements. This means that for most of the CFTC's disclosure and shareholder reporting applicable to the investment manager as the Fund's CPO, the investment manager's compliance with SEC disclosure and shareholder reporting will be deemed to fulfill the investment manager's CFTC compliance obligations. However, as a result of CFTC regulation with respect to the Fund, the Fund may incur additional compliance and other expenses. The investment manager is also registered as a "commodity trading adviser" (CTA), but relies on an exemption with respect to the Fund from CTA regulations available for a CTA that also serves as the Fund's CPO. The CFTC has neither reviewed nor approved the Fund, its investment strategies, its prospectus or this SAI.

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*Currency forward contracts*. A currency forward contract is an obligation to purchase or sell a specific non-U.S. currency in exchange for another currency, which may be U.S. dollars, at an agreed exchange rate (price) at a future date. Currency forwards are typically individually negotiated and privately traded by currency traders and their customers in the interbank market. A cross currency forward is a forward contract to sell a specific non-U.S. currency in exchange for another non-U.S. currency and may be used when the price of one of those non-U.S. currencies is expected to experience a substantial movement against the other non-U.S. currency. A currency forward contract will tend to reduce or eliminate exposure to the currency that is sold, and increase exposure to the currency that is purchased, similar to when the Fund sells a security denominated in one currency and purchases a security denominated in another currency. For example, the Fund may enter into a forward contract when it owns a security that is denominated in a non-U.S. currency and desires to "lock in" the U.S. dollar value of the security. In addition, when the Fund's investment manager believes that a specific foreign currency may experience a substantial movement against another foreign currency, the Fund may enter into a cross currency forward contract to buy or sell, as appropriate, an amount of the foreign currency: (a) approximating the value of some or all of its portfolio securities denominated in such currency (this investment practice generally is referred to as "cross-hedging"); (b) designed to derive a level of additional income or return that the Fund's investment manager seeks to achieve for the Fund; (c) to increase liquidity; or (d) to gain exposure to a currency in a more efficient or less expensive way. The Fund may also engage in "proxy hedging." Proxy hedging entails entering into a forward contract to buy or sell a currency whose changes in value are generally considered to perform similarly to a currency or currencies in which some or all of the Fund's portfolio securities are or are expected to be denominated. Proxy hedging is often used when the currency to which the Fund's portfolio is exposed is difficult to hedge or to hedge against the U.S. dollar and therefore another currency is used as a "proxy" for such currency.

At the maturity of a currency or cross currency forward, the Fund may either exchange the currencies specified at the maturity of a forward contract or, prior to maturity, the Fund may enter into a closing transaction involving the purchase or sale of an offsetting contract. Closing transactions with respect to forward contracts are usually effected with the counterparty to the original forward contract. The Fund may also enter into forward contracts that do not provide for physical settlement of the two currencies but instead provide for settlement by a single cash payment calculated as the difference between the agreed upon exchange rate and the spot rate at settlement based upon an agreed upon notional amount (non-deliverable forwards).

Under definitions adopted by the CFTC and SEC, non-deliverable forwards are considered swaps, and therefore are included in the definition of "commodity interests." Although non-deliverable forwards have historically been traded in the over-the-counter (OTC) market, as swaps they may in the future be required to be centrally cleared and traded on public facilities. For more information on central clearing and trading of cleared swaps, see "Cleared swaps," "Risks of cleared swaps," "Comprehensive swaps regulation" and "Developing government regulation of derivatives." Currency and cross currency forwards that qualify as deliverable forwards are not regulated as swaps for most purposes, and are not included in the definition of "commodity interests." However, these forwards are subject to some requirements applicable to swaps, including reporting to swap data repositories, documentation requirements, and business conduct rules applicable to swap dealers.

CFTC regulation of currency and cross currency forwards, especially non-deliverable forwards, may restrict the Fund's ability to use these instruments in the manner described above or subject the investment manager to CFTC registration and regulation as a CPO.

*Risks of currency forward contracts.* The successful use of these transactions will usually depend on the investment manager's ability to accurately forecast currency exchange rate movements. Should exchange rates move in an unexpected manner, the Fund may not achieve the anticipated benefits of the transaction, or it may realize losses. In addition, these techniques could result in a loss if the counterparty to the transaction does not perform as promised, including because of the counterparty's bankruptcy or insolvency. While the Fund uses only counterparties that meet its credit quality standards, in unusual or extreme market conditions, a counterparty's creditworthiness and ability to perform may deteriorate rapidly, and the availability of suitable replacement counterparties may become limited. Moreover, investors should bear in mind that the Fund is not obligated to actively engage in hedging or other currency transactions. For example, the Fund may not have attempted to hedge its exposure to a particular foreign currency at a time when doing so might have avoided a loss.

Currency forward contracts may limit potential gain from a positive change in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies. Unanticipated changes in currency prices may result in poorer overall performance for the Fund than if it had not engaged in such contracts. Moreover, there may be an imperfect correlation between the Fund's portfolio holdings of securities denominated in a particular currency and the currencies bought or sold in the forward contracts entered into by the Fund. This imperfect correlation may cause the Fund to sustain losses that will prevent the Fund from achieving a complete hedge or expose the Fund to risk of foreign exchange loss.

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*Futures contracts.* Generally, a futures contract is a standard binding agreement to buy or sell a specified quantity of an underlying reference instrument, such as a specific security, currency or commodity, at a specified price at a specified later date. A "sale" of a futures contract means the acquisition of a contractual obligation to deliver the underlying reference instrument called for by the contract at a specified price on a specified date. A "purchase" of a futures contract means the acquisition of a contractual obligation to acquire the underlying reference instrument called for by the contract at a specified price on a specified date. The purchase or sale of a futures contract will allow the Fund to increase or decrease its exposure to the underlying reference instrument without having to buy the actual instrument.

The underlying reference instruments to which futures contracts may relate include non-U.S. currencies, interest rates, stock and bond indices and debt securities, including U.S. government debt obligations. In certain types of futures contracts, the underlying reference instrument may be a swap agreement. For more information about swap agreements generally, see "Swaps" below. In most cases the contractual obligation under a futures contract may be offset, or "closed out," before the settlement date so that the parties do not have to make or take delivery. The closing out of a contractual obligation is usually accomplished by buying or selling, as the case may be, an identical, offsetting futures contract. This transaction, which is effected through a member of an exchange, cancels the obligation to make or take delivery of the underlying instrument or asset. Although some futures contracts by their terms require the actual delivery or acquisition of the underlying instrument or asset, some require cash settlement.

Futures contracts may be bought and sold on U.S. and non-U.S. exchanges. Futures contracts in the U.S. have been designed by exchanges that have been designated "contract markets" by the CFTC and must be executed through a futures commission merchant (FCM), which is a brokerage firm that is a member of the relevant contract market. Each exchange guarantees performance of the contracts as between the clearing members of the exchange, thereby reducing the risk of counterparty default. Futures contracts may also be entered into on certain exempt markets, including exempt boards of trade and electronic trading facilities, available to certain market participants. Because all transactions in the futures market are made, offset or fulfilled by an FCM through a clearinghouse associated with the exchange on which the contracts are traded, the Fund will incur brokerage fees when it buys or sells futures contracts.

The Fund generally buys and sells futures contracts only on contract markets (including exchanges or boards of trade) where there appears to be an active market for the futures contracts, but there is no assurance that an active market will exist for any particular contract or at any particular time. An active market makes it more likely that futures contracts will be liquid and bought and sold at competitive market prices. In addition, many of the futures contracts available may be relatively new instruments without a significant trading history. As a result, there can be no assurance that an active market will develop or continue to exist.

When the Fund enters into a futures contract, it must deliver to an account controlled by the FCM (that has been selected by the Fund), an amount referred to as "initial margin" that is typically calculated as an amount equal to the volatility in market value of a contract over a fixed period. Initial margin requirements are determined by the respective exchanges on which the futures contracts are traded and the FCM. Thereafter, a "variation margin" amount may be required to be paid by the Fund or received by the Fund in accordance with margin controls set for such accounts, depending upon changes in the marked-to-market value of the futures contract. The account is marked-to-market daily and the variation margin is monitored by the Fund's investment manager and custodian on a daily basis. When the futures contract is closed out, if the Fund has a loss equal to or greater than the margin amount, the margin amount is paid to the FCM along with any loss in excess of the margin amount. If the Fund has a loss of less than the margin amount, the excess margin is returned to the Fund. If the Fund has a gain, the full margin amount and the amount of the gain is paid to the Fund.

Some futures contracts provide for the delivery of securities that are different than those that are specified in the contract. For a futures contract for delivery of debt securities, on the settlement date of the contract, adjustments to the contract can be made to recognize differences in value arising from the delivery of debt securities with a different interest rate from that of the particular debt securities that were specified in the contract. In some cases, securities called for by a futures contract may not have been issued when the contract was written.

*Risks of futures contracts.* The Fund's use of futures contracts is subject to the risks associated with derivative instruments generally. In addition, a purchase or sale of a futures contract may result in losses to the Fund in excess of the amount that the Fund delivered as initial margin. Because of the relatively low margin deposits required, futures trading involves a high degree of leverage; as a result, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in immediate and substantial loss, or gain, to the Fund. In addition, if the Fund has insufficient cash to meet daily variation margin requirements or close out a futures position, it may have to sell securities from its portfolio at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. Adverse market movements could cause the Fund to experience substantial losses on an investment in a futures contract.

There is a risk of loss by the Fund of the initial and variation margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of the FCM with

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which the Fund has an open position in a futures contract. The assets of the Fund may not be fully protected in the event of the bankruptcy of the FCM or central counterparty because the Fund might be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds and margin segregated on behalf of an FCM's customers. If the FCM does not provide accurate reporting, the Fund is also subject to the risk that the FCM could use the Fund's assets, which are held in an omnibus account with assets belonging to the FCM's other customers, to satisfy its own financial obligations or the payment obligations of another customer to the central counterparty.

The Fund may not be able to properly hedge or effect its strategy when a liquid market is unavailable for the futures contract the Fund wishes to close, which may at times occur. In addition, when futures contracts are used for hedging, there may be an imperfect correlation between movements in the prices of the underlying reference instrument on which the futures contract is based and movements in the prices of the assets sought to be hedged.

If the investment manager's investment judgment about the general direction of market prices or interest or currency exchange rates is incorrect, the Fund's overall performance will be poorer than if it had not entered into a futures contract. For example, if the Fund has purchased futures to hedge against the possibility of an increase in interest rates that would adversely affect the price of bonds held in its portfolio and interest rates instead decrease, the Fund will lose part or all of the benefit of the increased value of the bonds which it has hedged. This is because its losses in its futures positions will offset some or all of its gains from the increased value of the bonds.

The difference (called the "spread") between prices in the cash market for the purchase and sale of the underlying reference instrument and the prices in the futures market is subject to fluctuations and distortions due to differences in the nature of those two markets. First, all participants in the futures market are subject to initial deposit and variation margin requirements. Rather than meeting additional variation margin requirements, investors may close futures contracts through offsetting transactions that could distort the normal pricing spread between the cash and futures markets. Second, the liquidity of the futures markets depends on participants entering into offsetting transactions rather than making or taking delivery of the underlying instrument. To the extent participants decide to make or take delivery, liquidity in the futures market could be reduced, resulting in pricing distortion. Third, from the point of view of speculators, the margin deposit requirements that apply in the futures market are less onerous than similar margin requirements in the securities market. Therefore, increased participation by speculators in the futures market may cause temporary price distortions. When such distortions occur, a correct forecast of general trends in the price of an underlying reference instrument by the investment manager may still not necessarily result in a profitable transaction.

Futures contracts that are traded on non-U.S. exchanges may not be as liquid as those purchased on CFTC-designated contract markets. In addition, non-U.S. futures contracts may be subject to varied regulatory oversight. The price of any non-U.S. futures contract and, therefore, the potential profit and loss thereon, may be affected by any change in the non-U.S. exchange rate between the time a particular order is placed and the time it is liquidated, offset or exercised.

The CFTC and the various exchanges have established limits referred to as "speculative position limits" on the maximum net long or net short position that any person, such as the Fund, may hold or control in a particular futures contract. Trading limits are also imposed on the maximum number of contracts that any person may trade on a particular trading day. An exchange may order the liquidation of positions found to be in violation of these limits and it may impose other sanctions or restrictions. The regulation of futures, as well as other derivatives, is a rapidly changing area of law.

Futures exchanges may also limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in certain futures contract prices during a single trading day. This daily limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous day's settlement price. Once the daily limit has been reached in a futures contract subject to the limit, no more trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. The daily limit governs only price movements during a particular trading day and does not limit potential losses because the limit may prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. For example, futures prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of positions and subjecting some holders of futures contracts to substantial losses.

*Options on futures contracts.* Options on futures contracts trade on the same contract markets as the underlying futures contract. When the Fund buys an option, it pays a premium for the right, but does not have the obligation, to purchase (call) or sell (put) a futures contract at a set price (called the exercise price). The purchase of a call or put option on a futures contract, whereby the Fund has the right to purchase or sell, respectively, a particular futures contract, is similar in some respects to the purchase of a call or put option on an individual security or currency. Depending on the premium paid for the option compared to either the price of the futures contract upon which it is based or the price of the underlying reference instrument, the option may be less risky than direct ownership of the futures contract or the underlying reference instrument. For example, the Fund could purchase a call option on a long futures contract when seeking to hedge against an increase in the market value of the underlying

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reference instrument, such as appreciation in the value of a non-U.S. currency against the U.S. dollar.

The seller (writer) of an option becomes contractually obligated to take the opposite futures position if the buyer of the option exercises its rights to the futures position specified in the option. In return for the premium paid by the buyer, the seller assumes the risk of taking a possibly adverse futures position. In addition, the seller will be required to post and maintain initial and variation margin with the FCM. One goal of selling (writing) options on futures may be to receive the premium paid by the option buyer.

For more general information about the mechanics of purchasing and writing options, see "Options" below.

*Risks of options on futures contracts.* The Fund's use of options on futures contracts is subject to the risks related to derivative instruments generally. In addition, the amount of risk the Fund assumes when it purchases an option on a futures contract is the premium paid for the option plus related transaction costs. The purchase of an option also entails the risk that changes in the value of the underlying futures contract will not be fully reflected in the value of the option purchased. The seller (writer) of an option on a futures contract is subject to the risk of having to take a possibly adverse futures position if the purchaser of the option exercises its rights. If the seller were required to take such a position, it could bear substantial losses. An option writer has potentially unlimited economic risk because its potential loss, except to the extent offset by the premium received, is equal to the amount the option is "in-the-money" at the expiration date. A call option is in-the-money if the value of the underlying futures contract exceeds the exercise price of the option. A put option is in-the-money if the exercise price of the option exceeds the value of the underlying futures contract.

*Options.* An option is a contract that gives the purchaser of the option, in return for the premium paid, the right to buy an underlying reference instrument, such as a specified security, currency, index, or other instrument, from the writer of the option (in the case of a call option), or to sell a specified reference instrument to the writer of the option (in the case of a put option) at a designated price during the term of the option. The premium paid by the buyer of an option will reflect, among other things, the relationship of the exercise price to the market price and the volatility of the underlying reference instrument, the remaining term of the option, supply, demand, interest rates and/or currency exchange rates. An American style put or call option may be exercised at any time during the option period while a European style put or call option may be exercised only upon expiration or during a fixed period prior thereto. Put and call options are traded on national securities exchanges and in the OTC market.

Options traded on national securities exchanges are within the jurisdiction of the SEC or other appropriate national securities regulator, as are securities traded on such exchanges. As a result, many of the protections provided to traders on organized exchanges will be available with respect to such transactions. In particular, all option positions entered into on a national securities exchange in the United States are cleared and guaranteed by the Options Clearing Corporation, thereby reducing the risk of counterparty default. Furthermore, a liquid secondary market in options traded on a national securities exchange may be more readily available than in the OTC market, potentially permitting the Fund to liquidate open positions at a profit prior to exercise or expiration, or to limit losses in the event of adverse market movements. There is no assurance, however, that higher than anticipated trading activity or other unforeseen events might not temporarily render the capabilities of the Options Clearing Corporation inadequate, and thereby result in the exchange instituting special procedures which may interfere with the timely execution of the Fund's orders to close out open options positions.

*Purchasing call and put options.* As the buyer of a call option, the Fund has a right to buy the underlying reference instrument (e.g., a currency or security) at the exercise price at any time during the option period (for American style options). The Fund may enter into closing sale transactions with respect to call options, exercise them, or permit them to expire. For example, the Fund may buy call options on underlying reference instruments that it intends to buy with the goal of limiting the risk of a substantial increase in their market price before the purchase is effected. Unless the price of the underlying reference instrument changes sufficiently, a call option purchased by the Fund may expire without any value to the Fund, in which case the Fund would experience a loss to the extent of the premium paid for the option plus related transaction costs.

As the buyer of a put option, the Fund has the right to sell the underlying reference instrument at the exercise price at any time during the option period (for American style options). Like a call option, the Fund may enter into closing sale transactions with respect to put options, exercise them or permit them to expire. The Fund may buy a put option on an underlying reference instrument owned by the Fund (a protective put) as a hedging technique in an attempt to protect against an anticipated decline in the market value of the underlying reference instrument. Such hedge protection is provided only during the life of the put option when the Fund, as the buyer of the put option, is able to sell the underlying reference instrument at the put exercise price, regardless of any decline in the underlying instrument's market price. The Fund may also seek to offset a decline in the value of the underlying reference instrument through appreciation in the value of the put option. A put option may also be purchased with the intent of protecting unrealized appreciation of an

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instrument when the investment manager deems it desirable to continue to hold the instrument because of tax or other considerations. The premium paid for the put option and any transaction costs would reduce any short-term capital gain that may be available for distribution when the instrument is eventually sold. Buying put options at a time when the buyer does not own the underlying reference instrument allows the buyer to benefit from a decline in the market price of the underlying reference instrument, which generally increases the value of the put option.

If a put option was not terminated in a closing sale transaction when it has remaining value, and if the market price of the underlying reference instrument remains equal to or greater than the exercise price during the life of the put option, the buyer would not make any gain upon exercise of the option and would experience a loss to the extent of the premium paid for the option plus related transaction costs. In order for the purchase of a put option to be profitable, the market price of the underlying reference instrument must decline sufficiently below the exercise price to cover the premium and transaction costs.

*Writing call and put options.* Writing options may permit the writer to generate additional income in the form of the premium received for writing the option. The writer of an option may have no control over when the underlying reference instruments must be sold (in the case of a call option) or purchased (in the case of a put option) because the writer may be notified of exercise at any time prior to the expiration of the option (for American style options). In general, though, options are infrequently exercised prior to expiration. Whether or not an option expires unexercised, the writer retains the amount of the premium. Writing "covered" call options means that the writer owns the underlying reference instrument that is subject to the call option. Call options may also be written on reference instruments that the writer does not own.

As the writer of a covered call option, the Fund gives up the potential for capital appreciation above the exercise price of the option should the underlying reference instrument rise in value. If the value of the underlying reference instrument rises above the exercise price of the call option, the reference instrument will likely be "called away," requiring the Fund to sell the underlying instrument at the exercise price. In that case, the Fund will sell the underlying reference instrument to the option buyer for less than its market value, and the Fund will experience a loss (which will be offset by the premium received by the Fund as the writer of such option). If a call option expires unexercised, the Fund will realize a gain in the amount of the premium received. If the market price of the underlying reference instrument decreases, the call option will not be exercised and the Fund will be able to use the amount of the premium received to hedge against the loss in value of the underlying reference instrument. The exercise price of a call option will be chosen based upon the expected price movement of the underlying reference instrument. The exercise price of a call option may be below, equal to (at-the-money), or above the current value of the underlying reference instrument at the time the option is written.

As the writer of a put option, the Fund has a risk of loss should the underlying reference instrument decline in value. If the value of the underlying reference instrument declines below the exercise price of the put option and the put option is exercised, the Fund, as the writer of the put option, will be required to buy the instrument at the exercise price, which will exceed the market value of the underlying reference instrument at that time. The Fund will incur a loss to the extent that the current market value of the underlying reference instrument is less than the exercise price of the put option. However, the loss will be offset in part by the premium received from the buyer of the put. If a put option written by the Fund expires unexercised, the Fund will realize a gain in the amount of the premium received.

*Closing out options (exchange-traded options).* If the writer of an option wants to terminate its obligation, the writer may effect a "closing purchase transaction" by buying an option of the same series as the option previously written. The effect of the purchase is that the clearing corporation will cancel the option writer's position. However, a writer may not effect a closing purchase transaction after being notified of the exercise of an option. Likewise, the buyer of an option may recover all or a portion of the premium that it paid by effecting a "closing sale transaction" by selling an option of the same series as the option previously purchased and receiving a premium on the sale. There is no guarantee that either a closing purchase or a closing sale transaction may be made at a time desired by the Fund. Closing transactions allow the Fund to terminate its positions in written and purchased options. The Fund will realize a profit from a closing transaction if the price of the transaction is less than the premium received from writing the original option (in the case of written options) or is more than the premium paid by the Fund to buy the option (in the case of purchased options). For example, increases in the market price of a call option sold by the Fund will generally reflect increases in the market price of the underlying reference instrument. As a result, any loss resulting from a closing transaction on a written call option is likely to be offset in whole or in part by appreciation of the underlying instrument owned by the Fund.

*Over-the-counter (OTC) options.* Like exchange-traded options, OTC options give the holder the right to buy from the writer, in the case of OTC call options, or sell to the writer, in the case of OTC put options, an underlying reference instrument at a stated exercise price. OTC options, however, differ from exchange-traded options in certain material respects.

OTC options are arranged directly with dealers and not with a clearing corporation or exchange. Consequently, there is a

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risk of non-performance by the dealer, including because of the dealer's bankruptcy or insolvency. While the Fund uses only counterparties, such as dealers, that meet its credit quality standards, in unusual or extreme market conditions, a counterparty's creditworthiness and ability to perform may deteriorate rapidly, and the availability of suitable replacement counterparties may become limited. Because there is no exchange, pricing is typically done based on information from market makers or other dealers. OTC options are available for a greater variety of underlying reference instruments and in a wider range of expiration dates and exercise prices than exchange-traded options.

There can be no assurance that a continuous liquid secondary market will exist for any particular OTC option at any specific time. The Fund may be able to realize the value of an OTC option it has purchased only by exercising it or entering into a closing sale transaction with the dealer that issued it. When the Fund writes an OTC option, it generally can close out that option prior to its expiration only by entering into a closing purchase transaction with the dealer with which the Fund originally wrote the option. The Fund may suffer a loss if it is not able to exercise (in the case of a purchased option) or enter into a closing sale transaction on a timely basis.

*Non-Standard options.* In addition to the options described above, certain options used by the Fund may have non-standard payout structures or other features. These options, which are sometimes referred to as "non-plain vanilla" or "exotic" options, include, but are not limited to: (i) digital options (otherwise known as binary options or all-or-nothing options), which are cash-settled options that provide for a pre-determined all-or-nothing payment if, at the time of the expiration of the contract, the price of a reference asset exceeds a particular threshold; (ii) one-touch options, which are cash-settled options that provide for a pre-determined all-or-nothing payment in the event that the price of a reference asset crosses a specified threshold (either up or down) at any point before the contract's expiration; and (iii) barrier options, which come into existence (knock-in) or cease to exist (knock-out) if the price of a reference asset reaches a particular threshold before the contract's expiration.

These options are typically traded over-the-counter (OTC) and entail all of the investment risks associated with OTC options discussed herein. In addition, due to their non-standard terms, these options may have price movements that vary markedly from those of simple put or call options. Non-standard options may be more difficult to value than more standard types of options, and may be subject to greater liquidity risk. While some non-standard options have fairly active markets, others are mostly thinly traded instruments. Furthermore, to the extent that the Fund uses options that provide for all-or-nothing payouts (e.g., digital or one-touch options) for hedging purposes, there may be a heightened risk that the payout will not fully offset the downside risk being hedged. Certain non-standard options are considered swaps, and therefore are included in the definition of "commodity interests."

*Risks of options.* The Fund's options investments involve certain risks, including general risks related to derivative instruments. There can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market on an exchange will exist for any particular option, or at any particular time, and the Fund may have difficulty effecting closing transactions in particular options. Therefore, the Fund would have to exercise the options it purchased in order to realize any profit, thus taking or making delivery of the underlying reference instrument when not desired. The Fund could then incur transaction costs upon the sale of the underlying reference instruments. Similarly, when the Fund cannot effect a closing transaction with respect to a put option it wrote, and the buyer exercises, the Fund would be required to take delivery and would incur transaction costs upon the sale of the underlying reference instruments purchased. If the Fund, as a covered call option writer, is unable to effect a closing purchase transaction in a secondary market, it will not be able to sell the underlying reference instrument until the option expires, or it delivers the underlying instrument upon exercise. When trading options on non-U.S. exchanges or in the OTC market, many of the protections afforded to exchange participants will not be available. For example, there may be no daily price fluctuation limits, and adverse market movements could therefore continue to an unlimited extent over an indefinite period of time.

The effectiveness of an options strategy for hedging depends on the degree to which price movements in the underlying reference instruments correlate with price movements in the relevant portion of the Fund's portfolio that is being hedged. In addition, the Fund bears the risk that the prices of its portfolio investments will not move in the same amount as the option it has purchased or sold for hedging purposes, or that there may be a negative correlation that would result in a loss on both the investments and the option. If the investment manager is not successful in using options in managing the Fund's investments, the Fund's performance will be worse than if the investment manager did not employ such strategies.

*Swaps.* Generally, swap agreements are contracts between the Fund and another party (the swap counterparty) involving the exchange of payments on specified terms over periods ranging from a few days to multiple years. A swap agreement may be negotiated bilaterally and traded OTC between the two parties (for an uncleared swap) or, in some instances, must be transacted through an FCM and cleared through a clearinghouse that serves as a central counterparty (for a cleared swap). In a basic swap transaction, the Fund agrees with the swap counterparty to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) and/or cash flows earned or realized on a particular "notional amount" or value of predetermined underlying reference instruments. The notional

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amount is the set dollar or other value selected by the parties to use as the basis on which to calculate the obligations that the parties to a swap agreement have agreed to exchange. The parties typically do not actually exchange the notional amount. Instead they agree to exchange the returns that would be earned or realized if the notional amount were invested in given investments or at given interest rates. Examples of returns that may be exchanged in a swap agreement are those of a particular security, a particular fixed or variable interest rate, a particular non-U.S. currency, or a "basket" of securities representing a particular index. Swaps can also be based on credit and other events.

The Fund will generally enter into swap agreements on a net basis, which means that the two payment streams that are to be made by the Fund and its counterparty with respect to a particular swap agreement are netted out, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net difference in the two payments. The Fund's obligations (or rights) under a swap agreement that is entered into on a net basis will generally be the net amount to be paid or received under the agreement based on the relative values of the obligations of each party upon termination of the agreement or at set valuation dates. The Fund will accrue its obligations under a swap agreement daily (offset by any amounts the counterparty owes the Fund). If the swap agreement does not provide for that type of netting, the full amount of the Fund's obligations will be accrued on a daily basis.

*Comprehensive swaps regulation.* The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the Dodd-Frank Act) and related regulatory developments have imposed comprehensive regulatory requirements on swaps and swap market participants. The regulatory framework includes: (1) registration and regulation of swap dealers and major swap participants; (2) requiring central clearing and execution of standardized swaps; (3) imposing margin requirements on swap transactions; (4) regulating and monitoring swap transactions through position limits and large trader reporting requirements; and (5) imposing record keeping and centralized and public reporting requirements, on an anonymous basis, for most swaps. The CFTC is responsible for the regulation of most swaps. The SEC has jurisdiction over a small segment of the market referred to as "security-based swaps," which includes swaps on single securities or credits, or narrow-based indices of securities or credits.

*Uncleared swaps.* In an uncleared swap, the swap counterparty is typically a brokerage firm, bank or other financial institution. The Fund customarily enters into uncleared swaps based on the standard terms and conditions of an International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) Master Agreement. ISDA is a voluntary industry association of participants in the over-the-counter derivatives markets that has developed standardized contracts used by such participants that have agreed to be bound by such standardized contracts.

In the event that one party to a swap transaction defaults and the transaction is terminated prior to its scheduled termination date, one of the parties may be required to make an early termination payment to the other. An early termination payment may be payable by either the defaulting or non-defaulting party, depending upon which of them is "in-the-money" with respect to the swap at the time of its termination. Early termination payments may be calculated in various ways, but are intended to approximate the amount the "in-the-money" party would have to pay to replace the swap as of the date of its termination.

During the term of an uncleared swap, the Fund will be required to pledge to the swap counterparty, from time to time, an amount of cash and/or other assets equal to the total net amount (if any) that would be payable by the Fund to the counterparty if all outstanding swaps between the parties were terminated on the date in question, including any early termination payments (variation margin). Periodically, changes in the amount pledged are made to recognize changes in value of the contract resulting from, among other things, interest on the notional value of the contract, market value changes in the underlying investment, and/or dividends paid by the issuer of the underlying instrument. Likewise, the counterparty will be required to pledge cash or other assets to cover its obligations to the Fund. However, the amount pledged may not always be equal to or more than the amount due to the other party. Therefore, if a counterparty defaults in its obligations to the Fund, the amount pledged by the counterparty and available to the Fund may not be sufficient to cover all the amounts due to the Fund and the Fund may sustain a loss.

Currently, the Fund does not typically provide initial margin in connection with uncleared swaps. However, regulations have been adopted which require the posting of initial margin where material swaps exposure exists. If the Fund is deemed to have material swaps exposure under such regulations, it will be required to post initial margin in addition to variation margin.

*Cleared swaps.* Certain standardized swaps are subject to mandatory central clearing and exchange-trading. The Dodd-Frank Act and implementing rules will ultimately require the clearing and exchange-trading of many swaps. Mandatory exchange-trading and clearing will occur on a phased-in basis based on the type of market participant, CFTC approval of contracts for central clearing and public trading facilities making such cleared swaps available to trade. To date, the CFTC has designated only certain of the most common types of credit default index swaps and interest rate swaps as subject to mandatory clearing and certain public trading facilities have made certain of those cleared swaps available to trade, but it is expected that additional categories of swaps

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will in the future be designated as subject to mandatory clearing and trade execution requirements. Central clearing is intended to reduce counterparty credit risk and increase liquidity, but central clearing does not eliminate these risks and may involve additional costs and risks not involved with uncleared swaps. For more information, see "Risks of cleared swaps" below.

In a cleared swap, the Fund's ultimate counterparty is a central clearinghouse rather than a brokerage firm, bank or other financial institution. Cleared swaps are submitted for clearing through each party's FCM, which must be a member of the clearinghouse that serves as the central counterparty. Transactions executed on a swap execution facility (SEF) may increase market transparency and liquidity but may require the Fund to incur increased expenses to access the same types of swaps that it has used in the past. When the Fund enters into a cleared swap, it must deliver to the central counterparty (via the FCM) an amount referred to as "initial margin." Initial margin requirements are determined by the central counterparty, and are typically calculated as an amount equal to the volatility in market value of the cleared swap over a fixed period, but an FCM may require additional initial margin above the amount required by the central counterparty. During the term of the swap agreement, a "variation margin" amount may also be required to be paid by the Fund or may be received by the Fund in accordance with margin controls set for such accounts. If the value of the Fund's cleared swap declines, the Fund will be required to make additional "variation margin" payments to the FCM to settle the change in value. Conversely, if the market value of the Fund's position increases, the FCM will post additional "variation margin" to the Fund's account. At the conclusion of the term of the swap agreement, if the Fund has a loss equal to or greater than the margin amount, the margin amount is paid to the FCM along with any loss in excess of the margin amount. If the Fund has a loss of less than the margin amount, the excess margin is returned to the Fund. If the Fund has a gain, the full margin amount and the amount of the gain is paid to the Fund.

*Credit default swaps.* The "buyer" of protection in a credit default swap agreement is obligated to pay the "seller" a periodic stream of payments over the term of the agreement in return for a payment by the "seller" that is contingent upon the occurrence of a credit event with respect to a specific underlying reference debt obligation (whether as a single debt instrument or as part of an index of debt instruments). The contingent payment by the seller generally is either the par amount of the reference debt obligation in exchange for the physical delivery of the reference debt obligation or a cash payment equal to the decrease in market value of the reference debt obligation following the occurrence of the credit event. If no credit event occurs, the seller would receive a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the contract, while the buyer would lose the amount of its payments and recover nothing. The buyer is also subject to the risk that the seller will not satisfy its contingent payment obligation, if and when due.

Purchasing protection through a credit default swap may be used to attempt to hedge against a decline in the value of debt security or securities due to a credit event. The seller of protection under a credit default swap receives periodic payments from the buyer but is exposed to the risk that the value of the reference debt obligation declines due to a credit event and that it will have to pay the face amount of the reference obligation to the buyer. Selling protection under a credit default swap may also permit the seller to gain exposure that is similar to owning the reference debt obligation directly. As the seller of protection, the Fund would effectively add leverage to its portfolio because, in addition to its total assets, the Fund would be subject to the risk that there would be a credit event and the Fund would have to make a substantial payment in the future.

Generally, a credit event means bankruptcy, failure to timely pay interest or principal, obligation acceleration or default, or repudiation or restructuring of the reference debt obligation. There may be disputes between the buyer or seller of a credit default swap agreement or within the swaps market as a whole as to whether or not a credit event has occurred or what the payout should be which could result in litigation. In some instances where there is a dispute in the credit default swap market, a regional Determinations Committee set up by ISDA may make an official binding determination regarding the existence of credit events with respect to the reference debt obligation of a credit default swap agreement or, in the case of a credit default swap on an index, with respect to a component of the index underlying the credit default swap agreement. In the case of a credit default swap on an index, the existence of a credit event is determined according to the index methodology, which may in turn refer to determinations made by ISDA's Determinations Committees with respect to particular components of the index.

ISDA's Determination Committees are comprised principally of dealers in the OTC derivatives markets which may have a conflicting interest in the determination regarding the existence of a particular credit event. In addition, in the sovereign debt market, a credit default swap agreement may not provide the protection generally anticipated because the government issuer of the sovereign debt instruments may be able to restructure or renegotiate the debt in such a manner as to avoid triggering a credit event. Moreover, (1) sovereign debt obligations may not incorporate common, commercially acceptable provisions, such as collective action clauses, or (2) the negotiated restructuring of the sovereign debt may be deemed non-mandatory on all holders. As a result, the determination committee might then not be able to determine, or may be able to avoid having to determine, that a credit event under the credit default agreement has occurred.

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For these and other reasons, the buyer of protection in a credit default swap agreement is subject to the risk that certain occurrences, such as particular restructuring events affecting the value of the underlying reference debt obligation, or the restructuring of sovereign debt, may not be deemed credit events under the credit default swap agreement. Therefore, if the credit default swap was purchased as a hedge or to take advantage of an anticipated increase in the value of credit protection for the underlying reference obligation, it may not provide any hedging benefit or otherwise increase in value as anticipated. Similarly, the seller of protection in a credit default swap agreement is subject to the risk that certain occurrences may be deemed to be credit events under the credit default swap agreement, even if these occurrences do not adversely impact the value or creditworthiness of the underlying reference debt obligation.

*Currency swaps.* A currency swap is generally a contract between two parties to exchange one currency for another currency at the start of the contract and then exchange periodic floating or fixed rates during the term of the contract based upon the relative value differential between the two currencies. Unlike other types of swaps, currency swaps typically involve the delivery of the entire principal (notional) amounts of the two currencies at the time the swap is entered into. At the end of the swap contract, the parties receive back the principal amounts of the two currencies. In such a situation, the full notional value of a currency swap is subject to the risk that the other party to the swap will default on its contractual delivery obligations. The Fund may also enter into currency swaps on a net basis, which means the two different currency payment streams under the swap agreement are converted and netted out to a single cash payment in just one of the currencies.

For example, a currency swap may be used to hedge the interest payments and principal amount of a debt obligation that is denominated in a non-U.S. currency by entering into a cross currency swap whereby one party would make payments in the non-U.S. currency and receive payments in U.S. dollars. Or, a currency swap may be used to gain exposure to non-U.S. currencies and non-U.S. interest rates by making payments in U.S. dollars and receiving payments in non-U.S. currencies.

Because currency control is of great importance to the issuing governments and influences economic planning and policy, purchases and sales of currency and related instruments can be negatively affected by government exchange controls, blockages, and manipulations or exchange restrictions imposed by governments. These actions could result in losses to the Fund if it is unable to deliver or receive a specified currency or funds in settlement of obligations, including any derivative transaction obligations. These actions could also have an adverse effect on the Fund's currency transactions or cause the Fund's hedging positions to be rendered useless.

*Interest rate swaps.* An interest rate swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange interest rate payment obligations. Typically, one party's obligation is based on an interest rate fixed to maturity while the other party's obligation is based on an interest rate that changes in accordance with changes in a designated benchmark (for example, SOFR, prime rate, commercial paper rate, or other benchmarks). Alternatively, both payment obligations may be based on an interest rate that changes in accordance with changes in a designated benchmark (also known as a "basis swap"). In a basis swap, the rates may be based on different benchmarks (for example, SOFR versus commercial paper) or on different terms of the same benchmark (for example, one-month SOFR versus three-month SOFR). Each party's payment obligation under an interest rate swap is determined by reference to a specified "notional" amount of money. Therefore, interest rate swaps generally do not involve the delivery of securities, other underlying instruments, or principal amounts; rather they entail the exchange of cash payments based on the application of the designated interest rates to the notional amount. Accordingly, barring swap counterparty or FCM default, the risk of loss in an interest rate swap is limited to the net amount of interest payments that the Fund is obligated to make or receive (as applicable), as well as any early termination payment payable by or to the Fund upon early termination of the swap.

By swapping fixed interest rate payments for floating payments, an interest rate swap can be used to increase or decrease the Fund's exposure to various interest rates, including to hedge interest rate risk. Interest rate swaps are generally used to permit the party seeking a floating rate obligation the opportunity to acquire such obligation at a rate lower than is directly available in the credit markets, while permitting the party desiring a fixed-rate obligation the opportunity to acquire such a fixed-rate obligation, also frequently at a rate lower than is directly available in the credit markets. The success of such a transaction depends in large part on the availability of fixed-rate obligations at interest (or coupon) rates low enough to cover the costs involved. Similarly, a basis swap can be used to increase or decrease the Fund's exposure to various interest rates, including to hedge against or speculate on the spread between the two indexes, or to manage duration. An interest rate swap transaction is affected by changes in interest rates, which, in turn, may affect the prepayment rate of any underlying debt obligations upon which the interest rate swap is based.

*Equity total return swaps.* An equity total return swap (also sometimes referred to as a synthetic equity swap or "contract for difference" when written with respect to an equity security or basket of equity securities) is an agreement between two parties under which the parties agree to make payments to each other so as to replicate the economic consequences that would apply had a purchase or short sale of the underlying reference instrument or index thereof taken place. For

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example, one party agrees to pay the other party the total return earned or realized on the notional amount of an underlying equity security and any dividends declared with respect to that equity security. In return the other party makes payments, typically at a floating rate, calculated based on the notional amount.

*Options on swap agreements.* An option on a swap agreement generally is an OTC option (see the discussion above on OTC options) that gives the buyer of the option the right, but not the obligation, in return for payment of a premium to the seller, to enter into a previously negotiated swap agreement, or to extend, terminate or otherwise modify the terms of an existing swap agreement. The writer (seller) of an option on a swap agreement receives premium payments from the buyer and, in exchange, becomes obligated to enter into or modify an underlying swap agreement upon the exercise of the option by the buyer. When the Fund purchases an option on a swap agreement, it risks losing only the amount of the premium it has paid should it decide to let the option expire unexercised, plus any related transaction costs.

There can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular option on a swap agreement, or at any particular time, and the Fund may have difficulty affecting closing transactions in particular options on swap agreements. Therefore, the Fund may have to exercise the options that it purchases in order to realize any profit and take delivery of the underlying swap agreement. The Fund could then incur transaction costs upon the sale or closing out of the underlying swap agreement. In the event that the option on a swap is exercised, the counterparty for such option would be the same counterparty with whom the Fund entered into the underlying swap.

However, if the Fund writes (sells) an option on a swap agreement, the Fund is bound by the terms of the underlying swap agreement upon exercise of the option by the buyer, which may result in losses to the Fund in excess of the premium it received. Options on swap agreements involve the risks associated with derivative instruments generally, as described above, as well as the additional risks associated with both options and swaps generally.

Options on swap agreements are considered to be swaps for purposes of CFTC regulation. Although they are traded OTC, the CFTC may in the future designate certain options on swaps as subject to mandatory clearing. For more information, see "Cleared swaps" and "Risks of cleared swaps."

An option on an interest rate swap (also sometimes referred to as a "swaption") is a contract that gives the purchaser the right, but not the obligation, in return for payment of a premium, to enter into a new interest rate swap. A pay fixed option on an interest rate swap gives the buyer the right to establish a position in an interest rate swap where the buyer will pay (and the writer will receive) the fixed-rate cash flows and receive (and the writer will pay) the floating-rate cash flows. In general, most options on interest rate swaps are "European" exercise, which means that they can only be exercised at the end of the option term. Depending on the movement of interest rates between the time of purchase and expiration, the value of the underlying interest rate swap and therefore also the value of the option on the interest rate swap will change.

An option on a credit default swap is a contract that gives the buyer the right (but not the obligation), in return for payment of a premium to the option seller, to enter into a new credit default swap on a reference entity at a predetermined spread on a future date. This spread is the price at which the contract is executed (the option strike price). Similar to a put option, in a payer option on a credit default swap, the option buyer pays a premium to the option seller for the right, but not the obligation, to buy credit protection on a reference entity (e.g., a particular portfolio security) at a predetermined spread on a future date. Similar to a call option, in a receiver option on a credit default swap the option buyer pays a premium for the right, but not the obligation to sell credit default swap protection on a reference entity or index. Depending on the movement of market spreads with respect to the particular referenced debt securities between the time of purchase and expiration of the option, the value of the underlying credit default swap and therefore the value of the option will change. Options on credit default swaps currently are traded OTC and the specific terms of each option on a credit default swap are negotiated directly with the counterparty.

*Commodity-linked total return swaps.* A commodity-linked total return swap is an agreement between two parties under which the parties agree to exchange a fixed return or interest rate on the notional amount of the swap for the return of a particular commodities index, commodity contract or basket of commodity contracts as if such notional amount had been invested in such index, commodity contract or basket of commodity contracts. For example, one party agrees to pay the other party the return on a particular index multiplied by the notional amount of the swap. In return, the other party makes periodic payments, such as at a floating interest rate, calculated based on such notional amount. If the commodity swap is for one period, the Fund may pay a fixed fee, established at the outset of the swap. However, if the term of the commodity swap is more than one period, with interim swap payments, the Fund may pay an adjustable or floating fee. With a "floating" rate, the fee may be pegged to a base rate, such as the London Interbank Offered Rate, and is adjusted each period. Therefore, if interest rates increase over the term of the swap contract, a Fund may be required to pay a higher fee at each swap reset date.

*Risks of swaps generally.* The use of swap transactions is a highly specialized activity, which involves investment

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techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. Whether the Fund will be successful in using swap agreements to achieve its investment goal depends on the ability of the investment manager correctly to predict which types of investments are likely to produce greater returns. If the investment manager, in using swap agreements, is incorrect in its forecasts of market values, interest rates, inflation, currency exchange rates or other applicable factors, the investment performance of the Fund will be less than its performance would have been if it had not used the swap agreements.

The risk of loss to the Fund for swap transactions that are entered into on a net basis depends on which party is obligated to pay the net amount to the other party. If the counterparty is obligated to pay the net amount to the Fund, the risk of loss to the Fund is loss of the entire amount that the Fund is entitled to receive. If the Fund is obligated to pay the net amount, the Fund's risk of loss is generally limited to that net amount. If the swap agreement involves the exchange of the entire principal value of a security, the entire principal value of that security is subject to the risk that the other party to the swap will default on its contractual delivery obligations. In addition, the Fund's risk of loss also includes any margin at risk in the event of default by the counterparty (in an uncleared swap) or the central counterparty or FCM (in a cleared swap), plus any transaction costs.

Because bilateral swap agreements are structured as two-party contracts and may have terms of greater than seven days, these swaps may be considered to be illiquid and, therefore, subject to the Fund's limitation on investments in illiquid securities. If a swap transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid, the Fund may not be able to establish or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses. Participants in the swap markets are not required to make continuous markets in the swap contracts they trade. Participants could refuse to quote prices for swap contracts or quote prices with an unusually wide spread between the price at which they are prepared to buy and the price at which they are prepared to sell. Some swap agreements entail complex terms and may require a greater degree of subjectivity in their valuation. However, the swap markets have grown substantially in recent years, with a large number of financial institutions acting both as principals and agents, utilizing standardized swap documentation. As a result, the swap markets have become increasingly liquid. In addition, central clearing and the trading of cleared swaps on public facilities are intended to increase liquidity. The Fund's investment manager, under the supervision of the board of trustees, is responsible for determining and monitoring the liquidity of the Fund's swap transactions.

Rules adopted under the Dodd-Frank Act require centralized reporting of detailed information about many swaps, whether cleared or uncleared. This information is available to regulators and also, to a more limited extent and on an anonymous basis, to the public. Reporting of swap data is intended to result in greater market transparency. This may be beneficial to funds that use swaps in their trading strategies. However, public reporting imposes additional recordkeeping burdens on these funds, and the safeguards established to protect anonymity are not yet tested and may not provide protection of funds' identities as intended.

Certain IRS positions may limit the Fund's ability to use swap agreements in a desired tax strategy. It is possible that developments in the swap markets and/or the laws relating to swap agreements, including potential government regulation, could adversely affect the Fund's ability to benefit from using swap agreements, or could have adverse tax consequences. For more information about potentially changing regulation, see "Developing government regulation of derivatives" below.

*Risks of uncleared swaps.* Uncleared swaps are typically executed bilaterally with a swap dealer rather than traded on exchanges. As a result, swap participants may not be as protected as participants on organized exchanges. Performance of a swap agreement is the responsibility only of the swap counterparty and not of any exchange or clearinghouse. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that a counterparty will be unable or will refuse to perform under such agreement, including because of the counterparty's bankruptcy or insolvency. The Fund risks the loss of the accrued but unpaid amounts under a swap agreement, which could be substantial, in the event of a default, insolvency or bankruptcy by a swap counterparty. In such an event, the Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the swap agreements, but bankruptcy and insolvency laws could affect the Fund's rights as a creditor. If the counterparty's creditworthiness declines, the value of a swap agreement would likely decline, potentially resulting in losses. The Fund's investment manager will only approve a swap agreement counterparty for the Fund if the investment manager deems the counterparty to be creditworthy under the Fund's Counterparty Credit Review Standards, adopted and reviewed annually by the Fund's board. However, in unusual or extreme market conditions, a counterparty's creditworthiness and ability to perform may deteriorate rapidly, and the availability of suitable replacement counterparties may become limited.

*Risks of cleared swaps.* As noted above, under recent financial reforms, certain types of swaps are, and others eventually are expected to be, required to be cleared through a central counterparty, which may affect counterparty risk and other risks faced by the Fund.

Central clearing is designed to reduce counterparty credit risk and increase liquidity compared to uncleared swaps because central clearing interposes the central clearinghouse as the counterparty to each participant's swap, but it does not eliminate those risks completely and may involve additional

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costs and risks not involved with uncleared swaps. There is also a risk of loss by the Fund of the initial and variation margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of the FCM with which the Fund has an open position, or the central counterparty in a swap contract. The assets of the Fund may not be fully protected in the event of the bankruptcy of the FCM or central counterparty because the Fund might be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds and margin segregated on behalf of an FCM's customers. If the FCM does not provide accurate reporting, the Fund is also subject to the risk that the FCM could use the Fund's assets, which are held in an omnibus account with assets belonging to the FCM's other customers, to satisfy its own financial obligations or the payment obligations of another customer to the central counterparty. Credit risk of cleared swap participants is concentrated in a few clearinghouses, and the consequences of insolvency of a clearinghouse are not clear.

With cleared swaps, the Fund may not be able to obtain terms as favorable as it would be able to negotiate for a bilateral, uncleared swap. In addition, an FCM may unilaterally amend the terms of its agreement with the Fund, which may include the imposition of position limits or additional margin requirements with respect to the Fund's investment in certain types of swaps. Central counterparties and FCMs can require termination of existing cleared swap transactions upon the occurrence of certain events, and can also require increases in margin above the margin that is required at the initiation of the swap agreement.

Finally, the Fund is subject to the risk that, after entering into a cleared swap with an executing broker, no FCM or central counterparty is willing or able to clear the transaction. In such an event, the Fund may be required to break the trade and make an early termination payment to the executing broker.

*Combined transactions.* The Fund may enter into multiple derivative instruments, and any combination of derivative instruments as part of a single or combined strategy (a Combined Transaction) when, in the opinion of the investment manager, it is in the best interests of the Fund to do so. A Combined Transaction will usually contain elements of risk that are present in each of its component transactions.

Although Combined Transactions are normally entered into based on the investment manager's judgment that the combined strategies will reduce risk or otherwise more effectively achieve the desired portfolio management goal(s), it is possible that the combination will instead increase such risks or hinder achievement of the portfolio management objective.

*Developing government regulation of derivatives.* The regulation of cleared and uncleared swaps, as well as other derivatives, is a rapidly changing area of law and is subject to modification by government and judicial action. In addition, the SEC, CFTC and the exchanges are authorized to take extraordinary actions in the event of a market emergency, including, for example, the implementation or reduction of speculative position limits, the implementation of higher margin requirements, the establishment of daily price limits and the suspension of trading.

It is not possible to predict fully the effects of current or future regulation. However, it is possible that developments in government regulation of various types of derivative instruments, such as speculative position limits on certain types of derivatives, or limits or restrictions on the counterparties with which the Fund engages in derivative transactions, may limit or prevent the Fund from using or limit the Fund's use of these instruments effectively as a part of its investment strategy, and could adversely affect the Fund's ability to achieve its investment goal(s). The investment manager will continue to monitor developments in the area, particularly to the extent regulatory changes affect the Fund's ability to enter into desired swap agreements. New requirements, even if not directly applicable to the Fund, may increase the cost of the Fund's investments and cost of doing business.

**Equity securities** Equity securities represent a proportionate share of the ownership of a company; their value is based on the success of the company's business and the value of its assets, as well as general market conditions. The purchaser of an equity security typically receives an ownership interest in the company as well as certain voting rights. The owner of an equity security may participate in a company's success through the receipt of dividends, which are distributions of earnings by the company to its owners. Equity security owners may also participate in a company's success or lack of success through increases or decreases in the value of the company's shares. Equity securities generally take the form of common stock or preferred stock, as well as securities convertible into common stock. Preferred stockholders typically receive greater dividends but may receive less appreciation than common stockholders and may have different voting rights as well. Equity securities may also include convertible securities, warrants, rights or equity interests in trusts, partnerships, joint ventures or similar enterprises. Warrants or rights give the holder the right to buy a common stock at a given time for a specified price.

*Equity access products.* An equity access product is an instrument used by investors to obtain exposure to equity investments, including common stocks, in a local market where direct ownership of equity securities is not permitted or is otherwise restricted. In countries where direct ownership by a foreign investor, such as the Fund, is not allowed by local law, such as Saudi Arabia, an investor may gain exposure to a particular issuer in that market or to that market as a whole through an equity access product. An equity access product derives its value from a group of underlying equity securities and is intended (disregarding the effect of any fees and

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expenses) to reflect the performance of the underlying equity securities on a one-to-one basis so that investors will not normally gain more in absolute terms than they would have made had they invested in the underlying securities directly. Conversely, investors will not normally lose more than they would have lost had they invested in the underlying securities directly. In addition to providing access to otherwise closed equity markets, equity access products can also provide a less expensive option to direct equity investments (where ownership by foreign investors is permitted) by reducing registration and transaction costs in acquiring and selling local registered shares. Examples of equity access products include instruments such as participatory notes, low exercise price options, low exercise price warrants and similarly-structured instruments that may be developed from time to time.

The purchase of equity access products involves risks that are in addition to the risks normally associated with a direct investment in the underlying equity securities. The Fund is subject to the risk that the issuer of the equity access product (i.e., the issuing bank or broker-dealer), which is typically the only responsible party under the instrument, is unable or refuses to perform under the terms of the equity access product, also known as counterparty risk. While the holder of an equity access product is generally entitled to receive from the bank or broker-dealer any dividends or other distributions paid on the underlying securities, the holder is normally not entitled to the same rights as an owner of the underlying securities, such as voting rights. Equity access products are typically also not traded on exchanges, are privately issued, and may be illiquid. To the extent an equity access product is determined to be illiquid, it would be subject to the Fund's limitation on investments in illiquid securities. There can be no assurance that the trading price or value of equity access products will equal the value of the underlying equity securities they seek to replicate. Unlike a direct investment in equity securities, equity access products typically involve a term or expiration date, potentially increasing the Fund's turnover rate, transaction costs, and tax liability.

Equity access products are generally structured and sold by a local branch of a bank or broker-dealer that is permitted to purchase equity securities in the local market. The local branch or broker-dealer will usually place the local market equity securities in a special purpose vehicle, which will issue instruments that reflect the performance of the underlying equity securities. The performance of the special purpose vehicle generally carries the unsecured guarantee of the sponsoring bank or broker-dealer. This guarantee does not extend to the performance or value of the underlying local market equity securities. For purposes of the Fund's fundamental industry concentration investment policy, the Fund applies the policy by reference to the industry of the issuer of the underlying equity securities and not the industry of the issuer of an equity access product.

Pursuant to the terms of the equity access product, the Fund may tender such product for cash payment in an amount that reflects the current market value of the underlying investments, less program expenses, such as trading costs, taxes and duties. They do not confer any right, title or interest in respect to the underlying equity securities or provide rights against the issuer of the underlying securities.

*Small capitalization companies.* The Fund may invest in securities issued by small capitalization companies. Historically, small capitalization company securities have been more volatile in price than larger capitalization company securities, especially over the short term. Among the reasons for the greater price volatility are the less certain growth prospects of small capitalization companies, the lower degree of liquidity in the markets for such securities, and the greater sensitivity of small capitalization companies to changing economic conditions.

In addition, small capitalization companies may lack depth of management, they may be unable to generate funds necessary for growth or development, or they may be developing or marketing new products or services for which markets are not yet established and may never become established.

*Small and mid capitalization companies*. Market capitalization is defined as the total market value of a company's outstanding stock. Small capitalization companies are often overlooked by investors or undervalued in relation to their earnings power. Because small capitalization companies generally are not as well known to the investing public, and may have less of an investor following and may grow more rapidly than larger capitalization companies, they may provide greater opportunities for long-term capital growth. These companies may be undervalued because they are part of an industry that is out of favor with investors, although the individual companies may have high rates of earnings growth and be financially sound. Mid capitalization companies may offer greater potential for capital appreciation than larger capitalization companies, because mid capitalization companies are often growing more rapidly than larger capitalization companies, but tend to be more stable and established than small capitalization or emerging companies.

Initial public offerings (IPOs) of securities issued by unseasoned companies with little or no operating history are risky and their prices are highly volatile, but they can result in very large gains in their initial trading. Attractive IPOs are often oversubscribed and may not be available to the Fund, or only in very limited quantities. Thus, when the Fund's size is smaller, any gains from IPOs will have an exaggerated impact on the Fund's reported performance than when the Fund is larger. Although IPO investments have had a positive impact on some funds' performance in the past, there can be no assurance that the Fund will have favorable IPO investment opportunities in the future.

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To the extent that the Fund may invest in small capitalization companies, it may have significant investments in relatively new or unseasoned companies that are in their early stages of development, or in new and emerging industries where the opportunity for rapid growth is expected to be above average. Securities of unseasoned companies present greater risks than securities of larger, more established companies.

*Financial services companies risk* To the extent that the Fund invests its assets in investments of financial services companies, the Fund's investments and performance will be affected by general market and economic conditions as well as other risk factors particular to the financial services industry. Financial services companies are subject to extensive government regulation. This regulation may limit both the amount and types of loans and other financial commitments a financial services company can make, and the interest rates and fees it can charge. Such limitations may have a significant impact on the profitability of a financial services company since that profitability is attributable, at least in part, to the company's ability to make financial commitments such as loans. Profitability of a financial services company is largely dependent upon the availability and cost of the company's funds, and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change. The financial difficulties of borrowers can negatively impact the industry to the extent that borrowers may not be able to repay loans made by financial services companies.

In response to the recent economic instability, the United States and other governments have taken actions designed to support the financial markets. The withdrawal of this support could negatively affect the value and liquidity of certain securities. Moreover, the implications of government ownership interests in financial institutions, by virtue of aging distressed assets, is unforeseeable.

In addition, the financial services industry is an evolving and competitive industry that is undergoing significant change, as existing distinctions between financial segments become less clear. Such changes have resulted from various consolidations as well as the continual development of new products, structures and a changing regulatory framework. These changes are likely to have a significant impact on the financial services industry and the Fund.

Insurance companies may be subject to severe price competition, claims activity, marketing competition and general economic conditions. Particular insurance lines will also be influenced by specific matters. Property and casualty insurer profits may be affected by events such as man-made and natural disasters (including weather catastrophe and terrorism). Life and health insurer profits may be affected by mortality risks and morbidity rates. Individual insurance companies may be subject to material risks including inadequate reserve funds to pay claims and the inability to collect from the insurance companies which insure insurance companies, so-called reinsurance carriers.

*Direct equity investments.* The Fund may invest in direct equity investments that the investment manager expects will become listed or otherwise publicly traded securities. Direct equity investments consist of (i) the private purchase from an enterprise of an equity interest in the enterprise in the form of shares of common stock or equity interests in trusts, partnerships, joint ventures or similar enterprises, and (ii) the purchase of such an equity interest in an enterprise from a principal investor in the enterprise. Direct equity investments are generally considered to be illiquid. To the degree that the Fund invests in direct equity investments that it considers to be illiquid, it will limit such investments so that they, together with the Fund's other illiquid investments, comply with the Fund's investment restriction on illiquid securities.

In most cases, the Fund will, at the time of making a direct equity investment, enter into a shareholder or similar agreement with the enterprise and one or more other holders of equity interests in the enterprise. The investment manager anticipates that these agreements may, in appropriate circumstances, provide the Fund with the ability to appoint a representative to the board of directors or similar body of the enterprise, and eventually to dispose of the Fund's investment in the enterprise through, for example, the listing of the securities or the sale of the securities to the issuer or another investor. In cases where the Fund appoints a representative, the representative would be expected to provide the Fund with the ability to monitor its investment and protect its rights in the investment and will not be appointed for the purpose of exercising management or control of the enterprise. In addition, the Fund intends to make its direct equity investments in such a manner as to avoid subjecting the Fund to unlimited liability with respect to the investments. There can be no assurance that the Fund's direct equity investments will become listed, or that it will be able to sell any direct equity investment to the issuer or another investor. The extent to which the Fund may make direct equity investments may be limited by considerations relating to its status as a regulated investment company under U.S. tax law.

Direct equity investments may involve a high degree of business and financial risk that can result in substantial losses. Because of the absence of a public trading market for these investments, the Fund may take longer to liquidate these positions than would be the case for publicly traded securities and the prices on these sales could be less than those originally paid by the Fund or less than what may be considered the fair value of such securities. Further, issuers whose securities are not publicly traded may not be subject to disclosure and other investor protection requirements applicable to publicly traded securities. If such securities are required to be registered under the securities laws of one or more jurisdictions before being resold, the Fund may be required to bear the expenses of registration. Certain of the

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Fund's direct equity investments may include investments in smaller, less-seasoned companies, which may involve greater risks. These companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, or they may be dependent on a limited management group.

**Equity-linked notes (ELNs)** ELNs are hybrid instruments that are specially designed to combine the characteristics of one or more reference securities (usually a single stock or index) and a related equity derivative, such as a put or call option, in a single note form. Generally, when purchasing an ELN, the Fund pays the counterparty (usually a bank or brokerage firm) the current value of the underlying securities or index plus a commission. Upon the maturity of the note, the Fund generally receives the par value of the note plus a return based on the appreciation of the underlying securities/index. If the underlying securities/index have depreciated in value or if their price fluctuates outside of a preset range, depending on the type of ELN in which the Fund invested, the Fund may receive only the principal amount of the note, or may lose the principal invested in the ELN entirely. The Fund only invests in ELNs for which the underlying securities/index are permissible investments pursuant to the Fund's investment policies and restrictions. For purposes of the Fund's fundamental investment policy of not investing more than 25% of the Fund's net assets in securities of issuers in any one industry (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities or securities of other investment companies), the Fund applies the restriction by reference to the industry of the issuer of the underlying reference securities/index and not the industry of the issuer of an ELN.

ELNs are available with an assortment of features, such as periodic coupon payments (e.g., monthly, quarterly or semi-annually); varied participation rates (the rate at which the Fund participates in the appreciation of the underlying securities/index); limitations on the appreciation potential of the underlying securities/index by a maximum payment or call right; and different protection levels on the Fund's principal investment. In addition, when the underlying securities/index are foreign securities or indices, an ELN may be priced with or without currency exposure. The Fund may engage in all types of ELNs, including those that: (1) provide for protection of the Fund's principal in exchange for limited participation in the appreciation of the underlying securities/index, and (2) do not provide for such protection and subject the Fund to the risk of loss of the Fund's principal investment.

ELNs can provide the Fund with an efficient investment tool that may be less expensive than investing directly in the underlying securities/index and the related equity derivative. ELNs also may enable the Fund to obtain a return (the coupon payment) without risk to principal (in principal-protected ELNs) if the general price movement of the underlying securities/index is correctly anticipated.

The Fund's successful use of ELNs will usually depend on the investment manager's ability to accurately forecast movements in the underlying securities/index. Should the prices of the underlying securities move in an unexpected manner, the Fund may not achieve the anticipated benefits of the investment in the ELN, and it may realize losses, which could be significant and could include the Fund's entire principal investment. If the investment manager is not successful in anticipating such price movements, the Fund's performance may be worse than if the investment manager did not use an ELN at all.

In addition, an investment in an ELN possesses the risks associated with the underlying securities/index, such as management risk, market risk and, as applicable, foreign securities and currency risks. In addition, since ELNs are in note form, they are also subject to certain debt securities risks, such as interest rate and credit risk. An investment in an ELN also bears the risk that the issuer of the note will default or become bankrupt. In such an event, the Fund may have difficulty being repaid, or fail to be repaid, the principal amount of, or income from, its investment. A downgrade or impairment to the credit rating of the issuer may also negatively impact the price of the ELN, regardless of the price of the underlying securities/index.

The Fund may also experience liquidity issues when investing in ELNs, as they are generally designed for the over-the-counter institutional investment market. The secondary market for ELNs may be limited, and the lack of liquidity in the secondary market may make them difficult to sell and value. However, as the market for ELNs has grown, there are a growing number of exchange-traded ELNs available, although these products may be thinly traded.

ELNs may exhibit price behavior that does not correlate with the underlying securities/index or a fixed-income investment. In addition, performance of an ELN is the responsibility only of the issuer of the ELN and not the issuer of the underlying securities/index. As the holder of an ELN, the Fund generally has no rights to the underlying securities/index, including no voting rights or rights to receive dividends, although the amount of expected dividends to be paid during the term of the instrument are factored into the pricing and valuation of the underlying securities/index at inception.

**Exchange-traded notes** The Fund may invest in exchange-traded notes (ETNs). ETNs are senior, unsecured, unsubordinated debt securities issued by a bank or other financial institution. ETNs have a maturity date and are backed only by the credit of the issuer. The returns of ETNs are linked to the performance of a market benchmark or strategy, less investor fees. ETNs can be traded on an exchange at market price or held until maturity. The issuer of an ETN typically makes interest payments and a principal payment at maturity that is linked to the price movement of an underlying market benchmark or strategy.

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An investment in an ETN involves risks, such as market risk, liquidity risk and counterparty risk. For example, the value of an ETN will change as the value of the underlying market benchmark or strategy fluctuates. The prices of underlying market benchmarks are determined based on a variety of market and economic factors and may change unpredictably, affecting the value of the benchmarks and, consequently, the value of an ETN. In addition, if the value of an underlying market benchmark decreases, or does not increase by an amount greater than the aggregate investor fee applicable to an ETN, then an investor in the ETN will receive less than its original investment in the ETN upon maturity or early redemption and could lose up to 100% of the original principal amount.

The issuer of an ETN may restrict the ETN's redemption amount or its redemption date. 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.

Because ETNs are unsecured debt securities, they are also subject to risk of default by the issuing bank or other financial institution (i.e., counterparty risk). In addition, the value of an ETN may decline due to a downgrade in the issuer's credit rating despite no change in the underlying market benchmark.

**Foreign securities** For purposes of the Fund's prospectus and SAI, "foreign securities" refers to non-U.S. securities. There are substantial risks associated with investing in the securities of governments and companies located in, or having substantial operations in, foreign countries, which are in addition to the usual risks inherent in domestic investments. The value of foreign securities (like U.S. securities) is affected by general economic conditions and individual issuer and industry earnings prospects. Investments in depositary receipts also involve some or all of the risks described below.

There is the possibility of cessation of trading on foreign exchanges, expropriation, nationalization of assets, confiscatory or punitive taxation, withholding and other foreign taxes on income (including capital gains or other amounts), taxation on a retroactive basis, sudden or unanticipated changes in foreign tax laws, financial transaction taxes, denial or delay of the realization of tax treaty benefits, payment of foreign taxes not available for credit or deduction when passed through to shareholders, foreign exchange controls (which may include suspension of the ability to transfer currency from a given country), restrictions on removal of assets, political or social instability, military action or unrest, or diplomatic developments, including sanctions imposed by other countries or governmental entities, that could affect investments in securities of issuers in foreign nations. There is no assurance that the investment manager will be able to anticipate these potential events. In addition, the value of securities denominated in foreign currencies and of dividends and interest paid with respect to such securities will fluctuate based on the relative strength of the U.S. dollar.

There may be less publicly available information about foreign issuers comparable to the reports and ratings published about issuers in the U.S. Foreign issuers generally are not subject to uniform accounting or financial reporting standards. Auditing practices and requirements may not be comparable to those applicable to U.S. issuers. Certain countries' legal institutions, financial markets and services are less developed than those in the U.S. or other major economies. The Fund may have greater difficulty voting proxies, exercising shareholder rights, securing dividends and obtaining information regarding corporate actions on a timely basis, pursuing legal remedies, and obtaining judgments with respect to foreign investments in foreign courts than with respect to domestic issuers in U.S. courts. The costs associated with foreign investments, including withholding taxes, brokerage commissions, and custodial costs, are generally higher than with U.S. investments.

Certain countries require governmental approval prior to investments by foreign persons, or limit the amount of investment by foreign persons in a particular company. Some countries limit the investment of foreign persons to only a specific class of securities of an issuer that may have less advantageous terms than securities of the issuer available for purchase by nationals. Although securities subject to such restrictions may be marketable abroad, they may be less liquid than foreign securities of the same class that are not subject to such restrictions. In some countries the repatriation of investment income, capital and proceeds of sales by foreign investors may require governmental registration and/or approval. The Fund could be adversely affected by delays in or a refusal to grant any required governmental registration or approval for repatriation.

From time to time, trading in a foreign market may be interrupted. Foreign markets also have substantially less volume than the U.S. markets and securities of some foreign issuers are less liquid and more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. issuers. The Fund, therefore, may encounter difficulty in obtaining market quotations for purposes of valuing its portfolio and calculating its net asset value.

In many foreign countries there is less government supervision and regulation of stock exchanges, brokers, and listed companies than in the U.S., which may result in greater potential for fraud or market manipulation. Foreign over-the-counter markets tend to be less regulated than foreign stock exchange markets and, in certain countries, may be totally unregulated. Brokerage commission rates in foreign countries, which generally are fixed rather than subject to negotiation as in the U.S., are likely to be higher. Foreign security trading, settlement and custodial practices (including those involving securities settlement where assets may be released prior to receipt of payment) are often less developed

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than those in U.S. markets, may be cumbersome and may result in increased risk or substantial delays. This could occur in the event of a failed trade or the insolvency of, or breach of duty by, a foreign broker-dealer, securities depository, or foreign subcustodian.

Russia's military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the resulting responses by the United States and other countries, and the potential for wider conflict could increase volatility and uncertainty in the financial markets and adversely affect regional and global economies. The United States and other countries have imposed broad-ranging economic sanctions on Russia, certain Russian individuals, banking entities and corporations, and Belarus as a response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and may impose sanctions on other countries that provide military or economic support to Russia. The extent and duration of Russia's military actions and the repercussions of such actions (including any retaliatory actions or countermeasures that may be taken by those subject to sanctions, including cyber attacks) are impossible to predict, but could result in significant market disruptions, including in certain industries or sectors, such as the oil and natural gas markets, and may negatively affect global supply chains, inflation and global growth. These and any related events could significantly impact the Fund's performance and the value of an investment in the Fund, even if the Fund does not have direct exposure to Russian issuers or issuers in other countries affected by the invasion.

On January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom (UK) left the European Union (EU) ("Brexit"). The UK and the EU have reached an agreement that governs the relationship between the UK and the EU following the UK's departure from the EU in areas such as trade in goods and in certain services. Brexit may have adverse effects on asset valuations and renegotiation of current trade agreements, as well as an increase in financial regulation of EU banks. Any market disruption in the EU and globally as a result of Brexit may have a negative effect on the value of the Fund's investments. Additionally, the risks related to Brexit could be more pronounced if one or more additional EU member states seek to leave the EU.

The holding of foreign securities may be limited by the Fund to avoid investment in certain Passive Foreign Investment Companies (PFICs) and the imposition of a PFIC tax on the Fund resulting from such investments.

*Investing through Stock Connect.* Foreign investors may invest in eligible China A shares (shares of publicly traded companies based in Mainland China) ("Stock Connect Securities") listed and traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange ("SSE") through the Shanghai – Hong Kong Stock Connect program, as well as eligible China A shares listed and traded on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange ("SZSE") through the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect program (both programs collectively referred to herein as "Stock Connect"). Each of the SSE and SZSE are referred to as an "Exchange" and collectively as the "Exchanges" for purposes of this section.

Stock Connect is a securities trading and clearing program developed by The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited ("SEHK"), the Exchanges, Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company Limited and China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation Limited for the establishment of mutual market access between SEHK and the Exchanges. In contrast to certain other regimes for foreign investment in Chinese securities, no individual investment quotas or licensing requirements apply to investors in Stock Connect Securities through Stock Connect. In addition, there are no lock-up periods or restrictions on the repatriation of principal and profits.

However, trading through Stock Connect is subject to a number of restrictions that may affect the Fund's investments and returns. For example, a primary feature of the Stock Connect program is the application of the home market's laws and rules to investors in a security. Thus, investors in Stock Connect Securities are generally subject to Chinese securities regulations and the listing rules of the respective Exchange, among other restrictions. In addition, Stock Connect Securities generally may not be sold, purchased or otherwise transferred other than through Stock Connect in accordance with applicable rules. While Stock Connect is not subject to individual investment quotas, daily and aggregate investment quotas apply to all Stock Connect participants, which may restrict or preclude the Fund's ability to invest in Stock Connect Securities. For example, an investor cannot purchase and sell the same security on the same trading day. Trading in the Stock Connect program is subject to trading, clearance and settlement procedures that are untested in China which could pose risks to the Fund. Finally, the withholding tax treatment of dividends and capital gains payable to overseas investors currently is unsettled.

Stock Connect is relatively new. Further developments are likely and there can be no assurance as to whether or how such developments may restrict or affect the Fund's investments or returns. In addition, the application and interpretation of the laws and regulations of Hong Kong and China, and the rules, policies or guidelines published or applied by relevant regulators and exchanges in respect of the Stock Connect program, are uncertain, and they may have a detrimental effect on the Fund's investments and returns.

*Investing through the Bond Connect Program.* Foreign investors may invest in China Interbank bonds traded on the China Interbank Bond Market ("CIBM") through the China – Hong Kong Bond Connect program ("Bond Connect"). In China, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority Central Money Markets Unit holds Bond Connect securities on behalf of ultimate investors (such as the Fund) in accounts maintained

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with a China-based custodian (either the China Central Depository & Clearing Co. or the Shanghai Clearing House). This recordkeeping system subjects the Fund to various risks, including the risk that the Fund may have a limited ability to enforce rights as a bondholder and the risks of settlement delays and counterparty default of the Hong Kong sub-custodian. In addition, enforcing the ownership rights of a beneficial holder of Bond Connect securities is untested and courts in China have limited experience in applying the concept of beneficial ownership.

Bond Connect uses the trading infrastructure of both Hong Kong and China and is not available on trading holidays in Hong Kong. As a result, prices of securities purchased through Bond Connect may fluctuate at times when the Fund is unable to add to or exit its position. Securities offered through Bond Connect may lose their eligibility for trading through the program at any time. If Bond Connect securities lose their eligibility for trading through the program, they may be sold but can no longer be purchased through Bond Connect. Cross-border trading required by Bond Connect is dependent on new technological systems that may not function properly, thereby disrupting trading and access to relevant markets.

Bond Connect is subject to regulation by both Hong Kong and China and there can be no assurance that further regulations will not affect the availability of securities in the program, the frequency of redemptions or other limitations. Bond Connect trades are settled in Chinese currency, the renminbi ("RMB"), which is currently restricted and not freely convertible. It cannot be guaranteed that investors will have timely access to a reliable supply of RMB in Hong Kong.

The Bond Connect is relatively new and its effects on the Chinese interbank bond market are uncertain. In addition, the trading, settlement and IT systems required for non-Chinese investors in Bond Connect are relatively new. In the event of systems malfunctions or extreme market conditions, trading via Bond Connect could be disrupted. In addition, the Bond Connect program may be subject to further interpretation and guidance. There can be no assurance as to the program's continued existence or whether future developments regarding the program may restrict or adversely affect the Fund's investments or returns. Finally, uncertainties in China tax rules governing taxation of income and gains from investments via Bond Connect could result in unexpected tax liabilities for the Fund.

*Developing markets or emerging markets.* Investments in issuers domiciled or with significant operations in developing market or emerging market countries may be subject to potentially higher risks than investments in developed countries. These risks include, among others (i) less social, political and economic stability; (ii) smaller securities markets with low or nonexistent trading volume, which result in greater illiquidity and greater price volatility; (iii) certain national policies which may restrict the Fund's investment opportunities, including restrictions on investment in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to national interests; (iv) foreign taxation, including less transparent and established taxation policies; (v) less developed regulatory or legal structures governing private or foreign investment or allowing for judicial redress for injury to private property; (vi) the absence, until recently in many developing market countries, of a capital market structure or market-oriented economy; (vii) more widespread corruption and fraud; (viii) the financial institutions with which the Fund may trade may not possess the same degree of financial sophistication, creditworthiness or resources as those in developed markets; and (ix) the possibility that when favorable economic developments occur in some developing market countries, such developments may be slowed or reversed by unanticipated economic, political or social events in such countries.

Due to political, military or regional conflicts or due to terrorism or war, it is possible that the United States, other nations or other governmental entities (including supranational entities) could impose sanctions on a country involved in such conflicts that limit or restrict foreign investment, the movement of assets or other economic activity in that country. Such sanctions or other intergovernmental actions could result in the devaluation of a country's currency, a downgrade in the credit ratings of issuers in such country, or a decline in the value and liquidity of securities of issuers in that country. In addition, an imposition of sanctions upon certain issuers in a country could result in an immediate freeze of that issuer's securities, impairing the ability of the Fund to buy, sell, receive or deliver those securities. Countermeasures could be taken by the country's government, which could involve the seizure of the Fund's assets. In addition, such actions could adversely affect a country's economy, possibly forcing the economy into a recession.

In addition, many developing market countries have experienced substantial, and during some periods, extremely high rates of inflation, for many years. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain countries. Moreover, the economies of some developing market countries may differ unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rate of inflation, currency depreciation, debt burden, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payments position. The economies of some developing market countries may be based on only a few industries, and may be highly vulnerable to changes in local or global trade conditions.

Settlement systems in developing market countries may be less organized than in developed countries. Supervisory authorities may also be unable to apply standards which are comparable with those in more developed countries. There

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may be risks that settlement may be delayed and that cash or securities belonging to the Fund may be in jeopardy because of failures of or defects in the settlement systems. Market practice may require that payment be made prior to receipt of the security which is being purchased or that delivery of a security must be made before payment is received. In such cases, default by a broker or bank (counterparty) through whom the relevant transaction is effected might result in a loss being suffered by the Fund. The Fund seeks, where possible, to use counterparties whose financial status reduces this risk. However, there can be no certainty that the Fund will be successful in eliminating or reducing this risk, particularly as counterparties operating in developing market countries frequently lack the substance, capitalization and/or financial resources of those in developed countries. Uncertainties in the operation of settlement systems in individual markets may increase the risk of competing claims to securities held by or to be transferred to the Fund. Legal compensation schemes may be non-existent, limited or inadequate to meet the Fund's claims in any of these events.

Securities trading in developing markets presents additional credit and financial risks. The Fund may have limited access to, or there may be a limited number of, potential counterparties that trade in the securities of developing market issuers. Governmental regulations may restrict potential counterparties to certain financial institutions located or operating in the particular developing market. Potential counterparties may not possess, adopt or implement creditworthiness standards, financial reporting standards or legal and contractual protections similar to those in developed markets. Currency and other hedging techniques may not be available or may be limited.

The local taxation of income and capital gains accruing to non-residents varies among developing market countries and may be comparatively high. Developing market countries typically have less well-defined tax laws and procedures and such laws may permit retroactive taxation so that the Fund could in the future become subject to local tax liabilities that had not been anticipated in conducting its investment activities or valuing its assets.

Many developing market countries suffer from uncertainty and corruption in their legal frameworks. Legislation may be difficult to interpret and laws may be too new to provide any precedential value. Laws regarding foreign investment and private property may be weak or non-existent. Investments in developing market countries may involve risks of nationalization, expropriation and confiscatory taxation. For example, the Communist governments of a number of Eastern European countries expropriated large amounts of private property in the past, in many cases without adequate compensation, and there can be no assurance that similar expropriation will not occur in the future. In the event of expropriation, the Fund could lose all or a substantial portion of any investments it has made in the affected countries. Accounting, auditing and reporting standards in certain countries in which the Fund may invest may not provide the same degree of investor protection or information to investors as would generally apply in major securities markets. For example, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) has warned that positions taken by Chinese authorities impair the PCAOB's ability to conduct inspections and investigations of the audits of public companies with China-based operations. The PCAOB's impaired ability to oversee PCAOB-registered audit firms in China may result in inaccurate or incomplete financial records of an issuer's operations within China, which may negatively impact the Fund's investments in such companies. In addition, it is possible that purported securities in which the Fund invested may subsequently be found to be fraudulent and as a consequence the Fund could suffer losses.

There may be significant obstacles to obtaining information necessary for investigations into potential legal claims or litigation against emerging market issuers and investors such as the Fund may experience difficulty in enforcing legal claims related to investments in the securities of such issuers. The SEC and other U.S. regulatory authorities often have substantial difficulties in bringing and enforcing actions against non-U.S. companies and non-U.S. persons, including company directors and officers, in certain emerging markets, including China. Accordingly, investor protection and legal recourse may be limited with respect to the Fund's investments in emerging markets.

Finally, currencies of developing market countries are subject to significantly greater risks than currencies of developed countries. Some developing market currencies may not be internationally traded or may be subject to strict controls by local governments, resulting in undervalued or overvalued currencies and associated difficulties with the valuation of assets, including the Fund's securities, denominated in that currency. Some developing market countries have experienced balance of payment deficits and shortages in foreign exchange reserves. Governments have responded by restricting currency conversions. Future restrictive exchange controls could prevent or restrict a company's ability to make dividend or interest payments in the original currency of the obligation (usually U.S. dollars). In addition, even though the currencies of some developing market countries, such as certain Eastern European countries, may be convertible into U.S. dollars, the conversion rates may be artificial to the actual market values and may be adverse to the Fund's shareholders.

*Foreign corporate debt securities.* Foreign corporate debt securities, including Samurai bonds, Yankee bonds, Eurobonds and Global Bonds, may be purchased to gain exposure to investment opportunities in other countries in a certain currency. A Samurai bond is a yen-denominated bond issued in Japan by a non-Japanese company. Eurobonds are foreign bonds issued and traded in countries other than the

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country and currency in which the bond was denominated. Eurobonds generally trade on a number of exchanges and are issued in bearer form, carry a fixed or floating rate of interest, and typically amortize principal through a single payment for the entire principal at maturity with semiannual interest payments. Yankee bonds are bonds denominated in U.S. dollars issued by foreign banks and corporations, and registered with the SEC for sale in the U.S. A Global Bond is a certificate representing the total debt of an issue. Such bonds are created to control the primary market distribution of an issue in compliance with selling restrictions in certain jurisdictions or because definitive bond certificates are not available. A Global Bond is also known as a Global Certificate.

*Foreign currency exchange rates.* Changes in foreign currency exchange rates will affect the U.S. dollar market value of securities denominated in such foreign currencies and any income received or expenses paid by the Fund in that foreign currency. This may affect the Fund's share price, income and distributions to shareholders. Some countries may have fixed or managed currencies that are not free-floating against the U.S. dollar. It will be more difficult for the investment manager to value securities denominated in currencies that are fixed or managed. Certain currencies may not be internationally traded, which could cause illiquidity with respect to the Fund's investments in that currency and any securities denominated in that currency. Currency markets generally are not as regulated as securities markets. The Fund endeavors to buy and sell foreign currencies on as favorable a basis as practicable. Some price spread in currency exchanges (to cover service charges) may be incurred, particularly when the Fund changes investments from one country to another or when proceeds of the sale of securities in U.S. dollars are used for the purchase of securities denominated in foreign currencies. Some countries may adopt policies that would prevent the Fund from transferring cash out of the country or withhold portions of interest and dividends at the source.

Certain currencies have experienced a steady devaluation relative to the U.S. dollar. Any devaluations in the currencies in which the Fund's portfolio securities are denominated may have a detrimental impact on the Fund. Where the exchange rate for a currency declines materially after the Fund's income has been accrued and translated into U.S. dollars, the Fund may need to redeem portfolio securities to make required distributions. Similarly, if an exchange rate declines between the time the Fund incurs expenses in U.S. dollars and the time such expenses are paid, the Fund will have to convert a greater amount of the currency into U.S. dollars in order to pay the expenses.

Investing in foreign currencies for purposes of gaining from projected changes in exchange rates further increases the Fund's exposure to foreign securities losses.

The Fund does not consider currencies or other financial commodities or contracts and financial instruments to be physical commodities (which include, for example, oil, precious metals and grains). Accordingly, the Fund interprets its fundamental restriction regarding purchasing and selling physical commodities to permit the Fund (subject to the Fund's investment goals and general investment policies as stated in the Fund's prospectus and SAI) to invest directly in foreign currencies and other financial commodities and to purchase, sell or enter into foreign currency futures contracts and options thereon, foreign currency forward contracts, foreign currency options, currency, commodity- and financial instrument-related swap agreements, hybrid instruments, interest rate, securities-related or foreign currency-related futures contracts or other currency-, commodity- or financial instrument-related derivatives, subject to compliance with any applicable provisions of the federal securities or commodities laws. The Fund also interprets its fundamental restriction regarding purchasing and selling physical commodities to permit the Fund to invest in exchange-traded products or other entities that invest in physical and/or financial commodities, subject to the limits described in the Fund's prospectus and SAI.

*Foreign governmental and supranational debt securities.* Investments in debt securities of governmental or supranational issuers are subject to all the risks associated with investments in U.S. and foreign securities and certain additional risks.

Foreign government debt securities, sometimes known as sovereign debt securities, include debt securities issued, sponsored or guaranteed by: governments or governmental agencies, instrumentalities, or political subdivisions located in emerging or developed market countries; government owned, controlled or sponsored entities located in emerging or developed market countries; and entities organized and operated for the purpose of restructuring the investment characteristics of instruments issued by any of the above issuers.

A supranational entity is a bank, commission or company established or financially supported by the national governments of one or more countries to promote reconstruction, trade, harmonization of standards or laws, economic development, and humanitarian, political or environmental initiatives. Supranational debt obligations include: Brady Bonds (which are debt securities issued under the framework of the Brady Plan as a means for debtor nations to restructure their outstanding external indebtedness); participations in loans between emerging market governments and financial institutions; and debt securities issued by supranational entities such as the World Bank, Asia Development Bank, European Investment Bank and the European Economic Community.

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Foreign government debt securities are subject to risks in addition to those relating to debt securities generally. Governmental issuers of foreign debt securities may be unwilling or unable to pay interest and repay principal, or otherwise meet obligations, when due and may require that the conditions for payment be renegotiated. As a sovereign entity, the issuing government may be immune from lawsuits in the event of its failure or refusal to pay the obligations when due. The debtor's willingness or ability to repay in a timely manner may be affected by, among other factors, its cash flow situation, the extent of its non-U.S. reserves, the availability of sufficient non-U.S. exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the issuing country's economy as a whole, the sovereign debtor's policy toward principal international lenders, such as the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank, and the political considerations or constraints to which the sovereign debtor may be subject. Governmental debtors also will be dependent on expected disbursements from foreign governments or multinational agencies and the country's access to, or balance of, trade. Some governmental debtors have in the past been able to reschedule or restructure their debt payments without the approval of debt holders or declare moratoria on payments, and similar occurrences may happen in the future. There is no bankruptcy proceeding by which the Fund may collect in whole or in part on debt subject to default by a government.

**High-yield debt instruments** High-yield or lower-rated debt instruments (also referred to as "junk bonds") are securities that have been rated below the top four rating categories (e.g., BB or Ba and lower) by one or more independent rating organizations such as Moody's or S&P and are considered below investment grade. These instruments generally have greater risk with respect to the payment of interest and repayment of principal, or may be in default and are often considered to be speculative and involve greater risk of loss because they are generally unsecured and are often subordinated to other debt of the issuer.

Adverse publicity, investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, or real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions may decrease the values and liquidity of lower-rated debt instruments, especially in a thinly traded market. Analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers of lower-rated debt instruments may be more complex than for issuers of higher-rated securities. The Fund relies on the investment manager's judgment, analysis and experience in evaluating the creditworthiness of an issuer of lower-rated securities. In such evaluations, the investment manager takes into consideration, among other things, the issuer's financial resources, its sensitivity to economic conditions and trends, its operating history, the quality of the issuer's management and regulatory matters. There can be no assurance the investment manager will be successful in evaluating the creditworthiness of an issuer or the value of high yield debt instruments generally.

The prices of lower-rated debt instruments may be less sensitive to interest rate changes than higher-rated debt instruments, but more sensitive to economic downturns or individual adverse corporate developments. Market anticipation of an economic downturn or of rising interest rates, for example, could cause a decline in lower-rated debt instruments prices. This is because an economic downturn could lessen the ability of a highly leveraged company to make principal and interest payments on its debt securities. Similarly, the impact of individual adverse corporate developments, or public perceptions thereof, will be greater for lower-rated securities because the issuers of such securities are more likely to enter bankruptcy. If the issuer of lower-rated debt instruments defaults, the Fund may incur substantial expenses to seek recovery of all or a portion of its investments or to exercise other rights as a security holder. The Fund may choose, at its expense or in conjunction with others, to pursue litigation or otherwise to exercise its rights as a security holder to seek to protect the interests of security holders if it determines this to be in the best interest of the Fund's shareholders.

Lower-rated debt instruments frequently have call or buy-back features that allow an issuer to redeem the instruments from their holders. Although these instruments are typically not callable for a period of time, usually for three to five years from the date of issue, the Fund will be exposed to prepayment risk.

The markets in which lower-rated debt instruments are traded are more limited than those in which higher-rated securities are traded. The existence of limited markets for particular securities may diminish the Fund's ability to sell the securities at desirable prices to meet redemption requests or to respond to a specific economic event, such as deterioration in the creditworthiness of the issuer. Reduced secondary market liquidity for certain lower-rated debt instruments also may make it more difficult for the Fund to obtain accurate market quotations for the purposes of valuing the Fund's portfolio. Market quotations are generally available on many lower-rated securities only from a limited number of dealers and may not necessarily represent firm bids of such dealers or prices of actual sales, which may limit the Fund's ability to rely on such quotations.

Some lower-rated debt instruments are sold without registration under federal securities laws and, therefore, carry restrictions on resale. While many of such lower-rated debt instruments have been sold with registration rights, covenants and penalty provisions for delayed registration, if the Fund is required to sell restricted securities before the securities have been registered, it may be deemed an underwriter of the securities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (1933 Act), which entails special responsibilities and liabilities.

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The Fund also may incur extra costs when selling restricted securities, although the Fund will generally not incur any costs when the issuer is responsible for registering the securities.

High-yield, fixed-income securities acquired during an initial underwriting involve special credit risks because they are new issues. The investment manager will carefully review the issuer's credit and other characteristics.

The credit risk factors described above also apply to high-yield zero coupon, deferred interest and pay-in-kind securities. These securities have an additional risk, however, because unlike securities that pay interest periodically until maturity, zero coupon bonds and similar securities will not make any interest or principal payments until the cash payment date or maturity of the security. If the issuer defaults, the Fund may not obtain any return on its investment.

**Illiquid securities** Generally, an "illiquid security" or "illiquid investment" is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. Illiquid investments generally include investments for which no market exists or which are legally restricted as to their transfer (such as those issued pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the federal securities laws). Restricted securities are generally sold in privately negotiated transactions, pursuant to an exemption from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (1933 Act). If registration of a security previously acquired in a private transaction is required, the Fund, as the holder of the security, 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 it will 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. To the extent it is determined that there is a liquid institutional or other market for certain restricted securities, the Fund would consider them to be liquid securities. An example is a restricted security that may be freely transferred among qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act, and for which a liquid institutional market has developed. Rule 144A securities may be subject, however, to a greater possibility of becoming illiquid than securities that have been registered with the SEC.

The following factors may be taken into account in determining whether a restricted security is properly considered a liquid security: (i) the frequency of trades and quotes for the security; (ii) the number of dealers willing to buy or sell the security and the number of other potential buyers; (iii) any dealer undertakings to make a market in the security; and (iv) the nature of the security and of the marketplace trades (e.g., any demand, put or tender features, the method of soliciting offers, the mechanics and other requirements for transfer, and the ability to assign or offset the rights and obligations of the security). The nature of the security and its trading includes the time needed to sell the security, the method of soliciting offers to purchase or sell the security, and the mechanics of transferring the security including the role of parties such as foreign or U.S. custodians, subcustodians, currency exchange brokers, and depositories.

The sale of illiquid investments often requires more time and results in higher brokerage charges or dealer discounts and other selling expenses than the sale of investments eligible for trading on national securities exchanges or in the over-the-counter (OTC) markets. Illiquid investments often sell at a price lower than similar investments that are not subject to restrictions on resale.

The risk to the Fund in holding illiquid investments is that they may be more difficult to sell if the Fund wants to dispose of the investment in response to adverse developments or in order to raise money for redemptions or other investment opportunities. Illiquid trading conditions may also make it more difficult for the Fund to realize an investment's fair value.

The Fund may also be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain investment, issuer, or sector due to overall limitations on its ability to invest in illiquid investments and the difficulty in purchasing such investments.

If illiquid investments exceed 15% of the Fund's net assets after the time of purchase, the Fund will take steps to reduce its holdings of illiquid investments to or below 15% of its net assets within a reasonable period of time, and will notify the Trust's board of trustees and make the required filings with the SEC in accordance with Rule 22e-4 under the 1940 Act. Because illiquid investments may not be readily marketable, the portfolio managers and/or investment personnel may not be able to dispose of them in a timely manner. As a result, the Fund may be forced to hold illiquid investments while their price depreciates. Depreciation in the price of illiquid investments may cause the net asset value of the Fund to decline.

**Inflation-indexed securities** Inflation-indexed securities are debt securities, the value of which is periodically adjusted to reflect a measure of inflation. Two structures are common for inflation-indexed securities. The U.S. Treasury and some other issuers use a structure that reflects inflation as it accrues by increasing the U.S. dollar amount of the principal originally invested. Other issuers pay out the inflation as it accrues as part of a semiannual coupon. Any amount accrued on an inflation-indexed security, regardless whether paid out as a coupon or added to the principal, is generally considered taxable income. Where the accrued amount is added to the principal and no cash income is received until maturity, the

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Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities that it would otherwise continue to hold in order to obtain sufficient cash to make distributions to shareholders required for U.S. tax purposes.

An investor could experience a loss of principal and income on investments in inflation-indexed securities. In a deflationary environment, the value of the principal invested in an inflation-indexed security will be adjusted downward, just as it would be adjusted upward in an inflationary environment. Because the interest on an inflation-indexed security is calculated with respect to the amount of principal which is smaller following a deflationary period, interest payments will also be reduced, just as they would be increased following an inflationary period.

In the case of U.S. Treasury inflation-indexed securities, the return of at least the original U.S. dollar amount of principal invested is guaranteed, so an investor receives the greater of its original principal or the inflation-adjusted principal. If the return of principal is not guaranteed, the investor may receive less than the amount it originally invested in an inflation-indexed security following a period of deflation. Any guarantee of principal provided by a party other than the U.S. government will increase the Fund's exposure to the credit risk of that party.

The value of inflation-indexed securities is generally expected to change in response to changes in "real" interest rates. The real interest rate is the rate of interest that would be paid in the absence of inflation. The actual rate of interest, referred to as the nominal interest rate, is equal to the real interest rate plus the rate of inflation. If inflation rises at a faster rate than nominal interest rates, real interest rates might decline, leading to an increase in value of inflation-indexed securities. In contrast, if nominal interest rates increase at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates might rise, leading to a decrease in value of inflation-indexed securities.

While inflation-indexed securities are designed to provide some protection from long-term inflationary trends, short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in their value. For example, if interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation, investors in these securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the security's inflation measure. The reasons that interest rates may rise without a corresponding increase in inflation include changes in currency exchange rates and temporary shortages of credit or liquidity. When interest rates rise without a corresponding increase in inflation, the Fund's investment in inflation-indexed securities will forego the additional return that could have been earned on a floating rate debt security.

The periodic adjustment of U.S. inflation-protected debt securities is tied to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers (CPI-U), which is calculated monthly by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The CPI-U is an index of changes in the cost of living, made up of components such as housing, food, transportation and energy. Inflation-protected debt securities issued by a foreign government are generally adjusted to reflect a comparable consumer inflation index, calculated by that government. There can be no assurance that the CPI-U or any foreign inflation index will accurately measure the actual rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services. Moreover, there can be no assurance that the rate of inflation in a foreign country will be correlated to the rate of inflation in the United States. To the extent that the Fund invests in inflation-indexed securities as a hedge against inflation, an imperfect hedge will result if the cost of living (as represented in the CPI-U) has a different inflation rate than the Fund's interests in industries and sectors minimally affected by changes in the cost of living.

**Interfund lending program** Pursuant to an exemptive order granted by the SEC (Lending Order), the Fund has the ability to lend money to, and borrow money from, other Franklin Templeton funds for temporary purposes (Interfund Lending Program) pursuant to a master interfund lending agreement (Interfund Loan). Lending and borrowing through the Interfund Lending Program provides the borrowing fund with a lower interest rate than it would have paid if it borrowed money from a bank, and provides the lending fund with an alternative short-term investment with a higher rate of return than other available short-term investments. All Interfund Loans would consist only of uninvested cash reserves that the lending fund otherwise would invest in short-term repurchase agreements or other short-term instruments. The Fund may only participate in the Interfund Lending Program to the extent permitted by its investment goal(s), policies and restrictions and only subject to meeting the conditions of the Lending Order.

The limitations of the Interfund Lending Program are described below and these and the other conditions of the Lending Order permitting interfund lending are designed to minimize the risks associated with interfund lending for both the lending and borrowing fund. However, no borrowing or lending activity is without risk. When a fund borrows money from another fund under the Interfund Lending Program, there is a risk that the Interfund Loan could be called on one business day's notice, in which case the borrowing fund may have to utilize a line of credit, which would likely involve higher rates, seek an Interfund Loan from another fund, or liquidate portfolio securities if no lending sources are available to meet its liquidity needs. Interfund Loans are subject to the risk that the borrowing fund could be unable to repay the loan when due, and a delay in repayment could result in a lost opportunity by the lending fund or force the lending fund to borrow or liquidate securities to meet its liquidity needs.

Under the Interfund Lending Program, the Fund may borrow on an unsecured basis through the Interfund Lending Program if its outstanding borrowings from all sources immediately after the borrowing total 10% or less of its total

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assets, provided that if the Fund has a secured loan outstanding from any other lender, including but not limited to another fund, the Fund's Interfund Loan will be secured on at least an equal priority basis with at least an equivalent percentage of collateral to loan value as any outstanding loan that requires collateral. If the Fund's total outstanding borrowings immediately after an Interfund Loan exceed 10% of its total assets, the Fund may borrow through the Interfund Lending Program on a secured basis only. The Fund may not borrow under the Interfund Lending Program or from any other source if its total outstanding borrowings immediately after such borrowing would be more than 33 1/3% of its total assets or any lower threshold provided for by the Fund's investment restrictions.

If the Fund has outstanding bank borrowings, any Interfund Loans to the Fund would: (a) be at an interest rate equal to or lower than that of any outstanding bank loan, (b) be secured at least on an equal priority basis with at least an equivalent percentage of collateral to loan value as any outstanding bank loan that requires collateral, (c) have a maturity no longer than any outstanding bank loan (and in any event not over seven days), and (d) provide that, if an event of default by the Fund occurs under any agreement evidencing an outstanding bank loan to the Fund, that event of default will automatically (without need for action or notice by the lending fund) constitute an immediate event of default under the interfund lending agreement, entitling the lending fund to call the Interfund Loan (and exercise all rights with respect to any collateral), and that such call would be made if the lending bank exercises its right to call its loan under its agreement with the borrowing fund.

In addition, no fund may lend to another fund through the Interfund Lending Program if the loan would cause the lending fund's aggregate outstanding loans through the Interfund Lending Program to exceed 15% of its current net assets at the time of the loan. A fund's Interfund Loans to any one fund shall not exceed 5% of the lending fund's net assets. The duration of Interfund Loans will be limited to the time required to obtain cash sufficient to repay such Interfund Loan, either through the sale of portfolio securities or the net sales of the fund's shares, but in no event more than seven days, and for purposes of this condition, loans effected within seven days of each other will be treated as separate loan transactions. Each Interfund Loan may be called on one business day's notice by a lending fund and may be repaid on any day by a borrowing fund.

**Investment company securities** The Fund may invest in other investment companies to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, SEC rules thereunder and exemptions thereto. With respect to funds in which the Fund may invest, Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the 1940 Act requires that, as determined immediately after a purchase is made, (i) not more than 5% of the value of the Fund's total assets will be invested in the securities of any one investment company, (ii) not more than 10% of the value of the Fund's total assets will be invested in securities of investment companies as a group, and (iii) not more than 3% of the outstanding voting stock of any one investment company will be owned by the Fund. The Fund will limit its investments in funds in accordance with the Section 12(d)(1)(A) limitations set forth above, except to the extent that any rules, regulations or no-action or exemptive relief under the 1940 Act permits the Fund's investments to exceed such limits. For example, Rule 12d1-4 permits the Fund to invest in other investment companies beyond the statutory limits, subject to certain conditions. Among other conditions, the Rule prohibits a fund from acquiring control of another investment company (other than an investment company in the same group of investment companies), including by acquiring more than 25% of its voting securities. In addition, the Rule imposes certain voting requirements when a fund's ownership of another investment company exceeds particular thresholds. If shares of a fund are acquired by another investment company, the "acquired" fund may not purchase or otherwise acquire the securities of an investment company or private fund if immediately after such purchase or acquisition, the securities of investment companies and private funds owned by that acquired fund have an aggregate value in excess of 10% of the value of the total assets of the fund, subject to certain exceptions. These restrictions may limit the Fund's ability to invest in other investment companies to the extent desired. In addition, other unaffiliated investment companies may impose other investment limitations or redemption restrictions which may also limit the Fund's flexibility with respect to making investments in those unaffiliated investment companies. To the extent that the Fund invests in another investment company, because other investment companies pay advisory, administrative and service fees that are borne indirectly by investors, such as the Fund, there may be duplication of investment management and other fees. The Fund may also invest its cash balances in affiliated money market funds to the extent permitted by its investment policies and rules and exemptions granted under the 1940 Act.

The Fund will not acquire shares of other affiliated or unaffiliated open-end mutual funds, ETFs, or unit investment trusts in reliance on paragraph (F) or (G) of Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act.

*Closed-end funds.* The shares of a closed-end fund typically are bought and sold on an exchange. The risks of investing in a closed-end investment company typically reflect the risk of the types of securities in which the closed-end fund invests. Closed-end funds often leverage returns by issuing debt securities, variable rate preferred securities or reverse-repurchase agreements. The Fund may invest in debt securities issued by closed-end funds, subject to any quality or other standards applicable to the Fund's investment in debt securities. If the Fund invests in shares issued by leveraged

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closed-end funds, it will face certain risks associated with leveraged investments.

Investments in closed-end funds are subject to additional risks. For example, the price of the closed-end fund's shares quoted on an exchange may not reflect the net asset value of the securities held by the closed-end fund. The premium or discount that the share prices represent versus net asset value may change over time based on a variety of factors, including supply of and demand for the closed-end fund's shares, that are outside the closed-end fund's control or unrelated to the value of the underlying portfolio securities. If the Fund invests in the closed-end fund to gain exposure to the closed-end fund's investments, the lack of correlation between the performance of the closed-end fund's investments and the closed-end fund's share price may compromise or eliminate any such exposure.

*Business development companies (BDCs).* BDCs are a less common type of closed-end fund regulated under the 1940 Act. BDCs more closely resemble operating companies than closed-end investment companies and may use leverage. BDCs typically invest in small, developing, financially troubled, private companies or other companies that may have value that can be realized over time, often with managerial assistance. BDCs realize operating income when their investments are sold off, and therefore maintain complex organizational, operational, tax and compliance requirements. Additionally, a BDC's expenses are not direct expenses paid by Fund shareholders and are not used to calculate a fund's net asset value. SEC rules nevertheless require that any expenses incurred by a BDC be included in a fund's expense ratio as "Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses." The expense ratio of a fund that holds a BDC will thus overstate what the fund actually spends on portfolio management, administrative services, and other shareholder services by an amount equal to these Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses. Shareholders would also be exposed to the risks associated not only with the investments of the fund but also with the portfolio investments of the underlying investment companies.

*Exchange-traded funds.* The Fund may invest in exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Most ETFs are regulated as registered investment companies under the 1940 Act. Many ETFs acquire and hold securities of all of the companies or other issuers, or a representative sampling of companies or other issuers that are components of a particular index. Such ETFs are intended to provide investment results that, before expenses, generally correspond to the price and yield performance of the corresponding market index, and the value of their shares should, under normal circumstances, closely track the value of the index's underlying component securities. Because an ETF has operating expenses and transaction costs, while a market index does not, ETFs that track particular indices typically will be unable to match the performance of the index exactly. There are also actively managed ETFs that are managed similarly to other investment companies.

ETF shares may be purchased and sold in the secondary trading market on a securities exchange, in lots of any size, at any time during the trading day. The shares of an ETF may also be assembled in a block (typically 50,000 shares) known as a creation unit and redeemed in kind for a portfolio of the underlying securities (based on the ETF's net asset value) together with a cash payment generally equal to accumulated dividends as of the date of redemption. Conversely, a creation unit may be purchased from the ETF by depositing a specified portfolio of the ETF's underlying securities, as well as a cash payment generally equal to accumulated dividends of the securities (net of expenses) up to the time of deposit.

ETF shares, as opposed to creation units, are generally purchased and sold in a secondary market on a securities exchange. ETF shares can be traded in lots of any size, at any time during the trading day. Although the Fund, like most other investors in ETFs, intends to purchase and sell ETF shares primarily in the secondary trading market, the Fund may redeem creation units for the underlying securities (and any applicable cash), and may assemble a portfolio of the underlying securities and use it (and any required cash) to purchase creation units, if the investment manager believes it is in the Fund's best interest to do so.

An investment in an ETF is subject to all of the risks of investing in the securities held by the ETF and has similar risks as investing in a closed-end fund. In addition, because of the ability of large market participants to arbitrage price differences by purchasing or redeeming creation units, the difference between the market value and the net asset value of ETF shares should in most cases be small. An ETF may be terminated and need to liquidate its portfolio securities at a time when the prices for those securities are falling.

**Investment grade debt securities** Investment grade debt securities are securities that are rated at the time of purchase in the top four ratings categories by one or more independent rating organizations such as S&P (rated BBB- or better) or Moody's (rated Baa3 or higher) or, if unrated, are determined to be of comparable quality by the Fund's investment manager. Generally, a higher rating indicates the rating agency's opinion that there is less risk of default of obligations thereunder including timely repayment of principal and payment of interest. Debt securities in the lowest investment grade category may have speculative characteristics and more closely resemble high-yield debt securities than investment-grade debt securities. Lower-rated securities may be subject to all the risks applicable to high-yield debt securities and changes in economic conditions or other circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity to make principal and interest payments than is the case with higher grade debt securities.

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A number of risks associated with rating agencies apply to the purchase or sale of investment grade debt securities.

**Master limited partnerships** The Fund may invest in equity securities of master limited partnerships (MLPs), and their affiliates. MLPs generally have two classes of partners, the general partner and the limited partners. The general partner normally controls the MLP through an equity interest plus units that are subordinated to the common (publicly traded) units for an initial period and then only converting to common if certain financial tests are met. The general partner also generally receives a larger portion of the net income as incentive. As cash flow grows, the general partner receives a greater interest in the incremental income compared to the interest of limited partners.

MLP common units represent an equity ownership interest in a partnership, providing limited voting rights and entitling the holder to a share of the company's success through distributions and/or capital appreciation. Unlike shareholders of a corporation, common unit holders do not elect directors annually and generally have the right to vote only on certain significant events, such as mergers, a sale of substantially all of the assets, removal of the general partner or material amendments to the partnership agreement. MLPs are often required by their partnership agreements to distribute a large percentage of their current operating earnings. Common unit holders generally have first right to a minimum quarterly distribution (MQD) prior to distributions to the convertible subordinated unit holders or the general partner (including incentive distributions). Common unit holders typically have arrearage rights if the MQD is not met. In the event of liquidation, MLP common unit holders have first right to the partnership's remaining assets after bondholders, other debt holders, and preferred unit holders have been paid in full. MLP common units trade on a national securities exchange or over-the-counter.

*MLP subordinated units.* Subordinated units, which, like common units, represent limited partner or member interests, are not typically listed or traded on an exchange. The Fund may purchase outstanding subordinated units through negotiated transactions directly with holders of such units or newly issued subordinated units directly from the issuer. Holders of such subordinated units are generally entitled to receive a distribution only after the MQD and any arrearages from prior quarters have been paid to holders of common units. Holders of subordinated units typically have the right to receive distributions before any incentive distributions are payable to the general partner or managing member. Subordinated units generally do not provide arrearage rights. Most MLP subordinated units are convertible into common units after the passage of a specified period of time or upon the achievement by the issuer of specified financial goals. MLPs issue different classes of subordinated units that may have different voting, trading, and distribution rights. The Fund may invest in different classes of subordinated units.

*MLP convertible subordinated units.* MLP convertible subordinated units are typically issued by MLPs to founders, corporate general partners of MLPs, entities that sell assets to MLPs, and institutional investors. Convertible subordinated units increase the likelihood that, during the subordination period, there will be available cash to be distributed to common unitholders. MLP convertible subordinated units generally are not entitled to distributions until holders of common units have received their specified MQD, plus any arrearages, and may receive less than common unitholders in distributions upon liquidation. Convertible subordinated unitholders generally are entitled to MQD prior to the payment of incentive distributions to the general partner, but are not entitled to arrearage rights. Therefore, MLP convertible subordinated units generally entail greater risk than MLP common units. Convertible subordinated units are generally convertible automatically into senior common units of the same issuer at a one-to-one ratio upon the passage of time or the satisfaction of certain financial tests. Convertible subordinated units do not trade on a national exchange or over-the counter (OTC), and there is no active market for them. The value of a convertible subordinated unit is a function of its worth if converted into the underlying common units. Convertible subordinated units generally have similar voting rights as do MLP common units. Distributions may be paid in cash or in-kind.

*MLP preferred units.* MLP preferred units are not typically listed or traded on an exchange. The Fund may purchase MLP preferred units through negotiated transactions directly with MLPs, affiliates of MLPs and institutional holders of such units. Holders of MLP preferred units can be entitled to a wide range of voting and other rights, depending on the structure of each separate security.

*MLP general partner or managing member interests.* The general partner or managing member interest in an MLP is typically retained by the original sponsors of an MLP, such as its founders, corporate partners and entities that sell assets to the MLP. The holder of the general partner or managing member interest can be liable in certain circumstances for amounts greater than the amount of the holder's investment in the general partner or managing member. General partner or managing member interests often confer direct board participation rights in, and in many cases control over the operations of, the MLP. General partner or managing member interests can be privately held or owned by publicly traded entities. General partner or managing member interests receive cash distributions, typically in an amount of up to 2% of available cash, which is contractually defined in the partnership or limited liability company agreement. In addition, holders of general partner or managing member interests typically receive incentive distribution rights (IDRs), which provide them with an increasing share of the entity's aggregate cash distributions upon the payment of per common unit distributions that exceed specified threshold

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levels above the MQD. Incentive distributions to a general partner are designed to encourage the general partner, who controls and operates the partnership, to maximize the partnership's cash flow and increase distributions to the limited partners. Due to the IDRs, general partners of MLPs have higher distribution growth prospects than their underlying MLPs, but quarterly incentive distribution payments would also decline at a greater rate than the decline rate in quarterly distributions to common and subordinated unit holders in the event of a reduction in the MLP's quarterly distribution. The ability of the limited partners or members to remove the general partner or managing member without cause is typically very limited. In addition, some MLPs permit the holder of IDRs to reset, under specified circumstances, the incentive distribution levels and receive compensation in exchange for the distribution rights given up in the reset.

*Limited liability company common units.* Some companies in which the Fund may invest have been organized as limited liability companies (MLP LLCs). Such MLP LLCs are treated in the same manner as MLPs for federal income tax purposes. Consistent with its investment objective and policies, the Fund may invest in common units or other securities of such MLP LLCs. MLP LLC common units represent an equity ownership interest in an MLP LLC, entitling the holders to a share of the MLP LLC's success through distributions and/or capital appreciation. Similar to MLPs, MLP LLCs typically do not pay federal income tax at the entity level and are required by their operating agreements to distribute a large percentage of their current operating earnings. MLP LLC common unitholders generally have first right to an MQD prior to distributions to subordinated unitholders and typically have arrearage rights if the MQD is not met. In the event of liquidation, MLP LLC common unitholders have first right to the MLP LLC's remaining assets after bondholders, other debt holders and preferred unitholders, if any, have been paid in full. MLP LLC common units trade on a national securities exchange or OTC. In contrast to MLPs, MLP LLCs have no general partner and there are generally no incentives that entitle management or other unitholders to increased percentages of cash distributions as distributions reach higher target levels. In addition, MLP LLC common unitholders typically have voting rights with respect to the MLP LLC, whereas MLP common units have limited voting rights.

*MLP affiliates and I-Units.* The Fund may invest in equity securities issued by affiliates of MLPs, including the general partners or managing members of MLPs and companies that own MLP general partner interests. Such issuers may be organized and/or taxed as corporations and therefore may not offer the advantageous tax characteristics of MLP units. The Fund may purchase such other MLP equity securities through market transactions, but may also do so through direct placements. I-Units represent an indirect ownership interest in an MLP and are issued by an MLP affiliate. The MLP affiliate uses the proceeds from the sale of I-Units to purchase limited partnership interests in its affiliated MLP. Thus, I-Units represent an indirect interest in an MLP. I-Units have limited voting rights and are similar in that respect to MLP common units. I-Units differ from MLP common units primarily in that instead of receiving cash distributions, holders of I-Units will receive distributions of additional I Units in an amount equal to the cash distributions received by common unit holders. I-Units are traded on the NYSE. Issuers of MLP I-Units are treated as corporations and not partnerships for tax purposes.

Investments in securities of an MLP involve risks that differ from investments in common stock, including risks related to limited control and limited rights to vote on matters affecting the MLP, risks related to potential conflicts of interest between the MLP and the MLP's general partner, cash flow risks, dilution risks and risks related to the general partner's right to require unit-holders to sell their common units at an undesirable time or price. Certain MLP securities may trade in lower volumes due to their smaller capitalizations, and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements and lower market liquidity. MLPs are generally considered interest-rate sensitive investments. During periods of interest rate volatility, these investments may not provide attractive returns.

There are also certain tax risks undertaken by the Fund when it invests in MLPs. MLPs are generally treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Partnerships do not pay U.S. federal income tax at the partnership level. Rather, each partner is allocated a share of the partnership's income, gains, losses, deductions and expenses. A change in current tax law or a change in the underlying business mix of a given MLP could result in an MLP being treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which would result in the MLP being required to pay U.S. federal income tax (as well as state and local income taxes) on its taxable income. This would have the effect of reducing the amount of cash available for distribution by the MLP and could result in a reduction in the value of the Fund's investment in the MLP and lower income to the Fund. Also, to the extent a distribution received by the Fund from an MLP is treated as a return of capital, the Fund's adjusted tax basis in the interests of the MLP will be reduced, which may increase the Fund's tax liability upon the sale of the interests in the MLP or upon subsequent distributions in respect of such interests.

**Securities of distressed companies** The Fund also seeks to invest in the securities of distressed companies. The Fund may from time to time participate in such tender or exchange offers in which such companies are involved. A tender offer is an offer by the company itself or by another company or person to purchase a company's securities at a higher (or lower) price than the market value for such securities. An exchange offer is an offer by the company or by another company or person to the holders of the company's securities

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to exchange those securities for different securities. In addition to typical equity and debt investments, the Fund's investments in distressed companies may include participations and trade claims, as further described under "Corporate Loans, Assignments and Participations" and "Trade Claims."

#### Mortgage securities
*Overview of mortgage-backed securities.* Mortgage-backed securities, represent an ownership interest in a pool of mortgage loans, usually originated by mortgage bankers, commercial banks, savings and loan associations, savings banks and credit unions to finance purchases of homes, commercial buildings or other real estate. The individual mortgage loans are packaged or "pooled" together for sale to investors. These mortgage loans may have either fixed or adjustable interest rates. A guarantee or other form of credit support may be attached to a mortgage-backed security to protect against default on obligations.

As the underlying mortgage loans are paid off, investors receive principal and interest payments, which "pass-through" when received from individual borrowers, net of any fees owed to the administrator, guarantor or other service providers. Some mortgage-backed securities make payments of both principal and interest at a range of specified intervals; others make semiannual interest payments at a predetermined rate and repay principal at maturity (like a typical bond).

Mortgage-backed securities are based on different types of mortgages, including those on commercial real estate or residential properties. The primary issuers or guarantors of mortgage-backed securities have historically been the Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA or Ginnie Mae), the Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA or Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC or Freddie Mac). Other issuers of mortgage-backed securities include commercial banks and other private lenders. Trading in mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by a governmental agency, instrumentality or sponsored enterprise may frequently take place in the to-be-announced (TBA) forward market. On June 3, 2019, under the FHFA's "Single Security Initiative" intended to maximize liquidity for both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities in the TBA market, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac started issuing uniform mortgage-backed securities ("UMBS") in place of their separate offerings of TBA-eligible mortgage-backed securities. The issuance of UMBS may not achieve the intended results and may have unanticipated or adverse effects on the market for mortgage-backed securities. See "When-issued, delayed delivery and to-be-announced transactions" below.

Ginnie Mae is a wholly-owned United States government corporation within the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Ginnie Mae guarantees the principal and interest on securities issued by institutions approved by Ginnie Mae (such as savings and loan institutions, commercial banks and mortgage bankers). Ginnie Mae also guarantees the principal and interest on securities backed by pools of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration, or guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Ginnie Mae's guarantees are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. Guarantees as to the timely payment of principal and interest do not extend to the value or yield of mortgage-backed securities nor do they extend to the value of the Fund's shares which will fluctuate daily with market conditions.

Fannie Mae is a government-sponsored corporation, but its common stock is owned by private stockholders. Fannie Mae purchases conventional (i.e., not insured or guaranteed by any government agency) residential mortgages from a list of approved seller/servicers which include state and federally chartered savings and loan associations, mutual savings banks, commercial banks and credit unions and mortgage bankers. Pass-through securities issued by Fannie Mae are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by Fannie Mae, but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.

Although the mortgage-backed securities of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, the Secretary of the Treasury has the authority to support Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by purchasing limited amounts of their respective obligations. The yields on these mortgage-backed securities have historically exceeded the yields on other types of U.S. government securities with comparable maturities due largely to their prepayment risk. The U.S. government, in the past, provided financial support to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but the U.S. government has no legal obligation to do so, and no assurance can be given that the U.S. government will continue to do so.

On September 6, 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. FHFA selected a new chief

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executive officer and chairman of the board of directors for each of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Also, the U.S. Treasury entered into a Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement (SPA) imposing various covenants that severely limit each enterprise's operations.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac continue to operate as going concerns while in conservatorship and each remains liable for all of its obligations, including its guaranty obligations associated with its mortgage-backed securities. The FHFA has the power to repudiate any contract entered into by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac prior to FHFA's appointment as conservator or receiver, including the guaranty obligations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Accordingly, securities issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will involve a risk of non-payment of principal and interest.

The future status and role of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could be impacted by (among other things) the actions taken and restrictions placed on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by the FHFA in its role as conservator, the restrictions placed on Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's operations and activities under the SPAs, market responses to developments at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, downgrades or upgrades in the credit ratings assigned to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by nationally recognized statistical rating organizations or ratings services, 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 securities guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

In addition, the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and other U.S. government-sponsored enterprises that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, remains in question as the U.S. government continues to consider options ranging from structural reform, nationalization, privatization, or consolidation, to outright elimination. The issues that have led to significant U.S. government support for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have sparked serious debate regarding the continued role of the U.S. government in providing mortgage loan liquidity.

Mortgage-backed securities that are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities, are not subject to the Fund's industry concentration restrictions, set forth under "Fundamental Investment Policies," by virtue of the exclusion from that test available to securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities. In the case of privately issued mortgage-backed securities, the Fund categorizes the securities by the issuer's industry for purposes of the Fund's industry concentration restrictions.

*Other mortgage securities.* Mortgage securities may include interests in pools of (i) reperforming loans, meaning that the mortgage loans are current, including because of loan modifications, but had been delinquent in the past and (ii) non-performing loans, meaning that the mortgage loans are not current. Such mortgage securities present increased risks of default, including non-payment of principal and interest.

*Additional risks.* In addition to the special risks described below, mortgage securities are subject to many of the same risks as other types of debt securities. The market value of mortgage securities, like other debt securities, will generally vary inversely with changes in market interest rates, declining

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when interest rates rise and rising when interest rates decline. Mortgage securities differ from conventional debt securities in that most mortgage securities are pass-through securities. This means that they typically provide investors with periodic payments (typically monthly) consisting of a pro rata share of both regular interest and principal payments, as well as unscheduled early prepayments, on the underlying mortgage pool (net of any fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of such securities and any applicable loan servicing fees). As a result, the holder of the mortgage securities (i.e., the Fund) receives scheduled payments of principal and interest and may receive unscheduled principal payments representing prepayments on the underlying mortgages. The rate of prepayments on the underlying mortgages generally increases as interest rates decline, and when the Fund reinvests the payments and any unscheduled payments of principal it receives, it may receive a rate of interest that is lower than the rate on the existing mortgage securities. For this reason, pass-through mortgage securities may have less potential for capital appreciation as interest rates decline and may be less effective than other types of U.S. government or other debt securities as a means of "locking in" long-term interest rates. In general, fixed rate mortgage securities have greater exposure to this "prepayment risk" than variable rate securities.

An unexpected rise in interest rates could extend the average life of a mortgage security because of a lower than expected level of prepayments or higher than expected amounts of late payments or defaults. In addition, to the extent mortgage securities are purchased at a premium, mortgage foreclosures and unscheduled principal prepayments may result in some loss of the holder's principal investment to the extent of the premium paid. On the other hand, if mortgage securities are purchased at a discount, both a scheduled payment of principal and an unscheduled payment of principal will increase current and total returns and will accelerate the recognition of income that, when distributed to shareholders, will generally be taxable as ordinary income. Regulatory, policy or tax changes may also adversely affect the mortgage securities market as a whole or particular segments of such market, including if one or more government sponsored entities, such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, are privatized or their conservatorship is terminated.

*Guarantees.* The existence of a guarantee or other form of credit support on a mortgage security usually increases the price that the Fund pays or receives for the security. There is always the risk that the guarantor will default on its obligations. When the guarantor is the U.S. government, there is minimal risk of guarantor default. However, the risk remains if the credit support or guarantee is provided by a private party or a U.S. government agency or sponsored enterprise. Even if the guarantor meets its obligations, there can be no assurance that the type of guarantee or credit support provided will be effective at reducing losses or delays to investors, given the nature of the default. A guarantee only assures timely payment of interest and principal, not a particular rate of return on the Fund's investment or protection against prepayment or other risks. The market price and yield of the mortgage security at any given time are not guaranteed and likely to fluctuate.

*Sector focus.* The Fund's investments in mortgage securities may cause the Fund to have significant, indirect exposure to a given market sector. If the underlying mortgages are predominantly from borrowers in a given market sector, the mortgage securities may respond to market conditions just as a direct investment in that sector would. As a result, the Fund may experience greater exposure to that specific market sector than it would if the underlying mortgages came from a wider variety of borrowers. Greater exposure to a particular market sector may result in greater volatility of the security's price and returns to the Fund, as well as greater potential for losses in the absence or failure of a guarantee to protect against widespread defaults or late payments by the borrowers on the underlying mortgages.

Similar risks may result from an investment in mortgage securities if the underlying real properties are located in the same geographical region or dependent upon the same industries or sectors. Such mortgage securities will experience greater risk of default or late payment than other comparable but diversified securities in the event of adverse economic, political or business developments because of the widespread affect an adverse event will have on borrowers' ability to make payments on the underlying mortgages.

**Adjustable rate mortgage securities (ARMS)** ARMS, like traditional fixed rate mortgage-backed securities, represent an ownership interest in a pool of mortgage loans and are issued, guaranteed or otherwise sponsored by governmental or by private entities. Unlike traditional mortgage-backed securities, the mortgage loans underlying ARMS generally carry adjustable interest rates, and in some cases principal repayment rates, that are reset periodically. An adjustable interest rate may be passed-through or otherwise offered on certain ARMS. The interest obtained by owning ARMS (and, as a result, the value of the ARMS) may vary monthly as a result of resets in interest rates and/or principal repayment rates of any of the mortgage loans that are part of the pool of mortgage loans comprising the ARMS. Investing in ARMS may permit the Fund to participate in increases in prevailing current interest rates through periodic adjustments in the interest rate payments on mortgages underlying the pool on which the ARMS are based. ARMS generally have lower price fluctuations than is the case with more traditional fixed income debt securities of comparable rating and maturity.

The interest rates paid on ARMS generally are readjusted at intervals of one year or less to a rate that is an increment over some predetermined interest rate index, although some securities may have reset intervals as long as five years. Some adjustable rate mortgage loans have fixed rates for an

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initial period, typically three, five, seven or ten years, and adjust annually thereafter. Generally, categories of indices include: those based on a variable or floating rate indexed to a benchmark, those based on U.S. Treasury securities and those derived from a calculated measure such as a cost of funds index (indicating the cost of borrowing) or a moving average of mortgage rates. Commonly used indices include the one-, three-, and five-year constant-maturity Treasury rates; the three-month Treasury bill rate; the 180-day Treasury bill rate; rates on longer-term Treasury securities; the 11th District Federal Home Loan Bank Cost of Funds; the National Median Cost of Funds; the 30-day, 90-day, or 180-day Average SOFR; the prime rate of a specific bank; or commercial paper rates.

In a changing interest rate environment, the reset feature may act as a buffer to reduce sharp changes in the ARMS' value in response to normal interest rate fluctuations. However, the time interval between each interest reset causes the yield on the ARMS to lag behind changes in the prevailing market interest rate. As interest rates are reset on the underlying mortgages, the yields of the ARMS gradually re-align themselves to reflect changes in market rates so that their market values remain relatively stable compared to fixed-rate mortgage-backed securities.

As a result, ARMS generally also have less risk of a decline in value during periods of rising interest rates than traditional long-term, fixed-rate mortgage-backed securities. However, during such periods, this reset lag may result in a lower net asset value until the interest rate resets to market rates. If prepayments of principal are made on the underlying mortgages during periods of rising interest rates, the Fund generally will be able to reinvest these amounts in securities with a higher current rate of return. However, the Fund will not benefit from increases in interest rates to the extent that interest rates exceed the maximum allowable annual or lifetime reset limits (or cap rates) for a particular mortgage-backed security. See "Caps and floors." Additionally, borrowers with adjustable rate mortgage loans that are pooled into ARMS generally see an increase in their monthly mortgage payments when interest rates rise which in turn may increase their rate of late payments and defaults.

Because an investor is "locked in" at a given interest rate for the duration of the interval until the reset date, whereas interest rates continue to fluctuate, the sensitivity of an ARMS' price to changes in interest rates tends to increase along with the length of the interval. To the extent the Fund invests in ARMS that reset infrequently, the Fund will be subject to similar interest rate risks as when investing in fixed-rate debt securities. For example, the Fund can expect to receive a lower interest rate than the prevailing market rates (or index rates) in a rising interest rate environment because of the lag between daily increases in interest rates and periodic readjustments.

During periods of declining interest rates, the interest rates on the underlying mortgages may reset downward with a similar lag, resulting in lower yields to the Fund. As a result, the value of ARMS is unlikely to rise during periods of declining interest rates to the same extent as the value of fixed-rate securities do.

*Caps and floors.* The underlying mortgages that collateralize ARMS will frequently have caps and floors that limit the maximum amount by which the interest rate to the residential borrower may change up or down (a) per reset or adjustment interval and (b) over the life of the loan. Fluctuations in interest rates above the applicable caps or floors on the ARMS could cause the ARMS to "cap out" and to behave more like long-term, fixed-rate debt securities.

*Negative amortization.* Some mortgage loans restrict periodic adjustments by limiting changes in the borrower's monthly principal and interest payments rather than limiting interest rate changes. These payment caps may result in negative amortization, where payments are less than the amount of principal and interest owed, with excess amounts added to the outstanding principal balance, which can extend the average life of the mortgage-backed securities.

**Collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs), real estate mortgage investment conduits (REMICs) and multi-class pass-throughs** Some mortgage-backed securities known as collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs) are divided into multiple classes. Each of the classes is allocated a different share of the principal and/or interest payments received from the pool according to a different payment schedule depending on, among other factors, the seniority of a class relative to their classes. Other mortgage-backed securities such as real estate mortgage investment conduits (REMICs) are also divided into multiple classes with different rights to the interest and/or principal payments received on the pool of mortgages. A CMO or REMIC may designate the most junior of the securities it issues as a "residual" which will be entitled to any amounts remaining after all classes of shareholders (and any fees or expenses) have been paid in full. Some of the different rights may include different maturities, interest rates, payment schedules, and allocations of interest and/or principal payments on the underlying mortgage loans. Multi-class pass-through securities are equity interests in a trust composed of mortgage loans or other mortgage-backed securities. Payments of principal and interest on the underlying collateral provide the funds to pay the debt service on CMOs or REMICs or to make scheduled distributions on the multi-class pass-through securities. Unless the context indicates otherwise, the discussion of CMOs below also applies to REMICs and multi-class pass-through securities.

All the risks applicable to a traditional mortgage-backed security also apply to the CMO or REMIC taken as a whole, even though certain classes of the CMO or REMIC will be protected against a particular risk by subordinated classes.

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The risks associated with an investment in a particular CMO or REMIC class vary substantially depending on the combination of rights associated with that class. An investment in the most subordinated classes of a CMO or REMIC bears a disproportionate share of the risks associated with mortgage-backed securities generally, be it credit risk, prepayment or extension risk, interest rate risk, income risk, market risk, illiquidity risk or any other risk associated with a debt or equity instrument with similar features to the relevant class. As a result, an investment in the most subordinated classes of a CMO or REMIC is often riskier than an investment in other types of mortgage-backed securities.

CMOs are generally required to maintain more collateral than REMICs to collateralize the CMOs being issued. Most REMICs are not subject to the same minimum collateralization requirements and may be permitted to issue the full value of their assets as securities, without reserving any amount as collateral. As a result, an investment in the subordinated classes of a REMIC may be riskier than an investment in equivalent classes of a CMO.

CMOs may be issued, guaranteed or sponsored by governmental entities or by private entities. Consequently, they involve risks similar to those of traditional mortgage-backed securities that have been issued, guaranteed or sponsored by such government and/or private entities. For example, the Fund is generally exposed to a greater risk of loss due to default when investing in CMOs that have not been issued, guaranteed or sponsored by a government entity.

CMOs are typically issued in multiple classes. Each class, often referred to as a "tranche," is issued at a specified coupon rate or adjustable rate and has a stated maturity or final distribution date. Principal prepayments on collateral underlying CMOs may cause the CMOs to be retired substantially earlier than their stated maturities or final distribution dates. Interest is paid or accrues on most classes of a CMO on a monthly, quarterly or semiannual basis. The principal and interest on the mortgages underlying CMOs may be allocated among the several classes in many ways. In a common structure, payments of principal on the underlying mortgages, including any principal prepayments, are applied to the classes of a series of a CMO in the order of their respective stated maturities or final distribution dates, so that no payment of principal will be made on any class until all other classes having an earlier stated maturity or final distribution date have been paid in full.

One or more classes of a CMO may have interest rates that reset periodically as ARMS do. These adjustable rate classes are known as "floating-rate CMOs" and are subject to most risks associated with ARMS. Floating-rate CMOs may be backed by fixed- or adjustable-rate mortgages. To date, fixed-rate mortgages have been more commonly used for this purpose. Floating-rate CMOs are typically issued with lifetime "caps" on the interest rate. These caps, similar to the caps on ARMS, limit the Fund's potential to gain from rising interest rates and increasing the sensitivity of the CMO's price to interest rate changes while rates remain above the cap.

Timely payment of interest and principal (but not the market value and yield) of some of these pools is supported by various forms of insurance or guarantees issued by private issuers, those who pool the mortgage assets and, in some cases, by U.S. government agencies.

CMOs involve risks including the uncertainty of the timing of cash flows that results from the rate of prepayments on the underlying mortgages serving as collateral, and risks resulting from the structure of the particular CMO transaction and the priority of the individual tranches. The prices of some CMOs, depending on their structure and the rate of prepayments, can be volatile. Some CMOs may be less liquid than other types of mortgage-backed securities. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible to sell the securities at an advantageous price or time under certain circumstances. Yields on privately issued CMOs have been historically higher than the yields on CMOs issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities. The risk of loss due to default on privately issued CMOs, however, is historically higher since the U.S. government has not guaranteed them.

To the extent any privately issued CMOs in which the Fund invests are considered by the SEC to be an investment company, the Fund will limit its investments in such securities in a manner consistent with the provisions of the 1940 Act.

*CMO and REMIC Residuals.* The residual in a CMO or REMIC structure is the interest in any excess cash flow generated by the mortgage pool that remains after first making the required payments of principal and interest to the other classes of the CMO or REMIC and, second, paying the related administrative expenses and any management fee of the issuer. Each payment of such excess cash flow to a holder of the related CMO or REMIC residual represents income and/or a return of capital. The amount of residual cash flow resulting from a CMO or REMIC will depend on, among other things, the characteristics of the mortgage assets, the interest rate of each class, prevailing interest rates, the amount of administrative expenses and the pre-payment experience on the mortgage assets. In particular, the return on CMO and REMIC residuals is extremely sensitive to pre-payments on the related underlying mortgage assets. If a class of a CMO or REMIC bears interest at an adjustable rate, the CMO or REMIC residual will also be extremely sensitive to changes in the level of the index upon which interest rate adjustments are based. CMO and REMIC residuals are generally purchased and sold by institutional investors through several investment banking firms acting as brokers or dealers and may not have been registered under the 1933 Act. CMO and REMIC residuals, whether or not registered under the 1933 Act, may be subject to certain restrictions on

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transferability, and may be deemed "illiquid" and subject to the Fund's limitation on investment in illiquid securities.

**Distressed mortgage obligations and reverse mortgages** A direct investment in a distressed mortgage obligation involves the purchase by the Fund of a lender's interest in a mortgage granted to a borrower, where the borrower has experienced difficulty in making its mortgage payments, or for which it appears likely that the borrower will experience difficulty in making its mortgage payments. A reverse mortgage generally refers to a mortgage loan in which the lender advances in a lump sum or in installments a sum of money based on the age of the borrower, the interest rate at closing, and the equity in the real estate. Generally no payment is due on a reverse mortgage until the borrower no longer owns or occupies the home as his or her principal residence.

As is typical with mortgage obligations, payment of the loan is secured by the real estate underlying the loan. By purchasing the distressed mortgage obligation, the Fund steps into the shoes of the lender from a risk point of view. As distinguished from mortgage-backed securities, which generally represent an interest in a pool of loans backed by real estate, investing in direct mortgage obligations involves the risks similar to making a loan or purchasing an assignment of a loan. To the extent that the Fund's investment depends on a single borrower, the Fund will experience greater credit risk and more extreme gains or losses than when investing in a pool of loans with multiple borrowers. Other risks include the inability of a borrower to make its loan payments or other obligations, and if the real estate underlying the distressed or reverse mortgage loan is acquired by foreclosure, the Fund could become part owner of such real estate, directly or indirectly through the mortgage-backed security in which it holds an interest. As a direct or indirect owner, the Fund would bear its share of any costs associated with owning and disposing of the real estate. There is no assurance that the real estate would be disposed of in a timely or profitable manner.

Investments in direct mortgage obligations of distressed borrowers involve substantially greater risks and are highly speculative due to the fact that the borrower's ability to make timely payments has been identified as questionable. Borrowers that are in bankruptcy or restructuring may never pay off their loans, or may pay only a small fraction of the amount owed.

The market for reverse mortgages may be limited; therefore the Fund may consider certain reverse mortgages it may hold to be illiquid and thus subject to the Fund's limitation on investment in illiquid securities and the risks associated with illiquidity. The recorded value of reverse mortgage assets includes significant volatility associated with estimations, and income recognition can vary significantly from reporting period to reporting period.

#### Mortgage Dollar and U.S. Treasury Rolls
*Mortgage dollar rolls.* In a mortgage dollar roll, the Fund sells or buys mortgage-backed securities for delivery in the current month and simultaneously contracts to repurchase or sell substantially similar (same type, coupon, and maturity) securities on a specified future date. During the period between the sale and repurchase (known as the "roll period"), the Fund forgoes principal and interest payments that it would otherwise have received on the securities sold. The Fund is compensated by the difference between the current sales price, which it receives, and the lower forward price that it will pay for the future purchase (often referred to as the "drop"), as well as by the interest earned on the cash proceeds of the initial sale.

The Fund is exposed to the credit risk of its counterparty in a mortgage dollar roll or U.S. Treasury roll transaction. The Fund could suffer a loss if the counterparty fails to perform the future transaction or otherwise meet its obligations and the Fund is therefore unable to repurchase at the agreed upon price the same or substantially similar mortgage-backed securities it initially sold. The Fund also takes the risk that the mortgage-backed securities that it repurchases at a later date will have less favorable market characteristics than the securities originally sold (e.g., greater prepayment risk).

The Fund intends to enter into mortgage dollar rolls only with high quality securities dealers and banks as determined by the investment manager under board approved counterparty review procedures. Although rolls could add leverage to the Fund's portfolio, the Fund does not consider the purchase and/or sale of a mortgage dollar roll to be a borrowing for purposes of the Fund's fundamental restrictions or other limitations on borrowing.

*U.S. Treasury rolls.* In U.S. Treasury rolls, the Fund sells U.S. Treasury securities and buys back "when-issued" U.S. Treasury securities of slightly longer maturity for simultaneous settlement on the settlement date of the "when-issued" U.S. Treasury security. Two potential advantages of this strategy are (1) the Fund can regularly and incrementally adjust its weighted average maturity of its portfolio securities (which otherwise would constantly diminish with the passage of time); and (2) in a normal yield curve environment (in which shorter maturities yield less than longer maturities), a gain in yield to maturity can be obtained along with the desired extension.

During the period before the settlement date, the Fund continues to earn interest on the securities it is selling. It does not earn interest on the securities that it is purchasing until after the settlement date. The Fund could suffer an opportunity loss if the counterparty to the roll failed to perform its obligations on the settlement date, and if market conditions changed adversely. The Fund generally enters into U.S. Treasury rolls only with government securities dealers

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recognized by the Federal Reserve Board or with member banks of the Federal Reserve System.

**Stripped mortgage-backed securities and net interest margin securities** Some mortgage-backed securities referred to as stripped mortgage-backed securities are divided into classes which receive different proportions of the principal and interest payments or, in some cases, only payments of principal or interest (but not both). Other mortgage-backed securities referred to as net interest margin (NIM) securities give the investor the right to receive any excess interest earned on a pool of mortgage loans remaining after all classes and service providers have been paid in full. Stripped mortgage-backed securities may be issued by government or private entities. Stripped mortgage-backed securities issued or guaranteed by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. government are typically more liquid than privately issued stripped mortgage-backed securities.

Stripped mortgage-backed securities are usually structured with two classes, each receiving different proportions of the interest and principal distributions on a pool of mortgage assets. In most cases, one class receives all of the interest (interest-only or "IO" class), while the other class receives all of the principal (principal-only or "PO" class). The return on an IO class is extremely sensitive not only to changes in prevailing interest rates but also to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the underlying mortgage assets. A rapid rate of principal payments may have a material adverse effect on any IO class held by the Fund. If the underlying mortgage assets experience greater than anticipated prepayments of principal, the Fund may fail to recoup its initial investment fully, even if the securities are rated in the highest rating categories, AAA or Aaa, by S&P or Moody's, respectively.

NIM securities represent a right to receive any "excess" interest computed after paying coupon costs, servicing costs and fees and any credit losses associated with the underlying pool of home equity loans. Like traditional stripped mortgage-backed securities, the return on a NIM security is sensitive not only to changes in prevailing interest rates but also to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the underlying home equity loans. NIM securities are highly sensitive to credit losses on the underlying collateral and the timing in which those losses are taken.

Stripped mortgage-backed securities and NIM securities tend to exhibit greater market volatility in response to changes in interest rates than other types of mortgage-backed securities and are purchased and sold by institutional investors, such as the Fund, through investment banking firms acting as brokers or dealers. Some of these securities may be deemed "illiquid" and therefore subject to the Fund's limitation on investment in illiquid securities and the risks associated with illiquidity.

*Future developments.* Mortgage loan and home equity loan pools offering pass-through investments in addition to those described above may be created in the future. The mortgages underlying these securities may be alternative mortgage instruments, that is, mortgage instruments whose principal or interest payments may vary or whose terms to maturity may differ from customary long-term, fixed-rate mortgages. As new types of mortgage and home equity loan securities are developed and offered to investors, the Fund may invest in them if they are consistent with the Fund's goals, policies and quality standards.

**Municipal securities** Municipal securities are issued by U.S. state and local governments and their agencies, instrumentalities, authorities and political subdivisions, as well as by the District of Columbia and U.S. territories and possessions. The issuer pays a fixed, floating or variable rate of interest, and must repay the amount borrowed (the "principal") at maturity. Municipal securities are issued to raise money for a variety of public or private purposes, including financing state or local government, specific projects or public facilities.

Municipal securities generally are classified as general or revenue obligations. General obligations are secured by the issuer's pledge of its full faith, credit and taxing power for the payment of principal and interest. Revenue obligations are debt securities payable only from the revenues derived from a particular facility or class of facilities, or a specific excise tax or other revenue source. As a result, an investment in revenue obligations 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 re-investing the proceeds on equally favorable terms.

The value of the municipal securities may be highly sensitive to events affecting the fiscal stability of the municipalities, agencies, authorities and other instrumentalities that issue securities. In particular, economic, legislative, regulatory or political developments affecting the ability of the issuers to pay interest or repay principal may significantly affect the value of the Fund's investments. These developments can include or arise from, for example, insolvency of an issuer, uncertainties related to the tax status of municipal securities, tax base erosion, state or federal constitutional limits on tax increases or other actions, budget deficits and other financial difficulties, or changes in the credit ratings assigned to municipal issuers. There will be a limited market for certain municipal securities, and the Fund could face illiquidity risks.

**Pre-refunded bonds** These are outstanding debt securities that are not immediately callable (redeemable) by the issuer but have been "pre-refunded" by the issuer. The issuer "pre-refunds" the bonds by setting aside in advance all or a portion

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of the amount to be paid to the bondholders when the bond is called. Generally, an issuer uses the proceeds from a new bond issue to buy high grade, interest bearing debt securities, including direct obligations of the U.S. government, which are then deposited in an irrevocable escrow account held by a trustee bank to secure all future payments of principal and interest on the pre-refunded bonds. Due to the substantial "collateral" held in escrow, pre-refunded bonds often receive the same rating as obligations of the United States Treasury. Because pre-refunded bonds still bear the same interest rate as when they were originally issued and are of very high credit quality, their market value may increase. However, as the pre-refunded bond approaches its call or ultimate maturity date, the bond's market value will tend to fall to its call or par price. Under 2017 legislation commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, interest paid on a bond issued after December 31, 2017 to advance refund another bond is subject to federal income tax.

**Real estate investment trusts (REITs)** A REIT is a pooled investment vehicle which purchases primarily income-producing real estate or real estate related loans or other real estate related interests. The pooled vehicle, typically a trust, then issues shares whose value and investment performance are dependent upon the investment experience of the underlying real estate related investments.

The Fund's investments in real estate-related securities are subject to certain risks related to the real estate industry in general. These risks include, among others: changes in general and local economic conditions; possible declines in the value of real estate; the possible lack of availability of money for loans to purchase real estate; overbuilding in particular areas; prolonged vacancies in rental properties; property taxes; changes in tax laws relating to dividends and laws related to the use of real estate in certain areas; costs resulting from the clean-up of, and liability to third parties resulting from, environmental problems; the costs associated with damage to real estate resulting from floods, earthquakes or other material disasters not covered by insurance; and limitations on, and variations in, rents and changes in interest rates. The value of securities of companies that service the real estate industry will also be affected by these risks.

In addition, equity REITs are affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the trusts, while mortgage REITs are affected by the quality of the properties to which they have extended credit. Equity and mortgage REITs are dependent upon the REITs management skill. REITs may not be diversified and are subject to the risks of financing projects.

**Repurchase agreements** Under a repurchase agreement, the Fund agrees to buy securities guaranteed as to payment of principal and interest by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities from a qualified bank, broker-dealer or other counterparty and then to sell the securities back to such counterparty on an agreed upon date (generally less than seven days) at a higher price, which reflects currently prevailing short-term interest rates. Entering into repurchase agreements allows the Fund to earn a return on cash in the Fund's portfolio that would otherwise remain un-invested. The counterparty must transfer to the Fund's custodian, as collateral, securities with an initial market value of at least 102% of the dollar amount paid by the Fund to the counterparty. The investment manager will monitor the value of such collateral daily to determine that the value of the collateral equals or exceeds the repurchase price.

Repurchase agreements may involve risks in the event of default or insolvency of the counterparty, including possible delays or restrictions upon the Fund's ability to sell the underlying securities and additional expenses in seeking to enforce the Fund's rights and recover any losses. The Fund will enter into repurchase agreements only with parties who meet certain creditworthiness standards, i.e., banks or broker-dealers that the investment manager has determined, based on the information available at the time, present no serious risk of becoming involved in bankruptcy proceedings within the time frame contemplated by the repurchase agreement. Although the Fund seeks to limit the credit risk under a repurchase agreement by carefully selecting counterparties and accepting only high quality collateral, some credit risk remains. The counterparty could default which may make it necessary for the Fund to incur expenses to liquidate the collateral. In addition, the collateral may decline in value before it can be liquidated by the Fund.

A repurchase agreement with more than seven days to maturity is considered an illiquid security and is subject to the Fund's investment restriction on illiquid securities.

**Reverse repurchase agreements** Reverse repurchase agreements are the opposite of repurchase agreements but involve similar mechanics and risks. The Fund sells securities to a bank or dealer and agrees to repurchase them at a mutually agreed price, date and interest payment. Reverse repurchase agreements may be considered a borrowing under the federal securities laws, and therefore the Fund must have at least 300% asset coverage (total assets less liabilities, excluding the reverse repurchase agreement) unless a fund treats all reverse repurchase agreements (or similar financing transactions) as derivatives transactions for all purposes under Rule 18f-4. Cash or liquid high-grade debt securities having an initial market value, including accrued interest, equal to at least 100% of the dollar amount sold by the Fund are segregated, i.e., set aside, as collateral and marked-to-market daily to maintain coverage of at least 100%. These transactions may increase the volatility of the Fund's income or net asset value. The Fund bears the risk that any securities purchased with the proceeds of the transaction will depreciate or not generate enough income to cover the Fund's obligations under the reverse repurchase

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transaction. These transactions also increase the interest and operating expenses of the Fund.

Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of the securities retained by the Fund may decline below the price of the securities the Fund has sold but is obligated to repurchase under the agreement. A default by the purchaser might cause the Fund to experience a loss or delay in the liquidation costs. The Fund generally enters into reverse repurchase agreements with domestic or foreign banks or securities dealers. The investment manager will evaluate the creditworthiness of these entities prior to engaging in such transactions.

**Securities lending** To generate additional income, the Fund may lend certain of its portfolio securities to qualified banks and broker-dealers (referred to as "borrowers"). In exchange, the Fund receives cash collateral from a borrower at least equal to the value of the security loaned by the Fund. Cash collateral typically consists of any combination of cash, securities issued by the U.S. government and its agencies and instrumentalities, and irrevocable letters of credit. The Fund may invest this cash collateral while the loan is outstanding and generally retains part or all of the interest earned on the cash collateral. Securities lending allows the Fund to retain ownership of the securities loaned and, at the same time, earn additional income.

For each loan, the borrower usually must maintain with the Fund's custodian collateral with an initial market value at least equal to 102% of the market value of the domestic securities loaned (or 105% of the market value of foreign securities loaned), including any accrued interest thereon. Such collateral will be marked-to-market daily, and if the coverage falls below 100%, the borrower will be required to deliver additional collateral equal to at least 102% of the market value of the domestic securities loaned (or 105% of the foreign securities loaned).

The Fund retains all or a portion of the interest received on investment of the cash collateral or receives a fee from the borrower. The Fund also continues to receive any distributions paid on the loaned securities. The Fund seeks to maintain the ability to obtain the right to vote or consent on proxy proposals involving material events affecting securities loaned. The Fund may terminate a loan at any time and obtain the return of the securities loaned within the normal settlement period for the security involved.

If the borrower defaults on its obligation to return the securities loaned because of insolvency or other reasons, the Fund could experience delays and costs in recovering the securities loaned or in gaining access to the collateral. These delays and costs could be greater for foreign securities. If the Fund is not able to recover the securities loaned, the Fund may sell the collateral and purchase a replacement investment in the market. Additional transaction costs would result, and the value of the collateral could decrease below the value of the replacement investment by the time the replacement investment is purchased. Until the replacement can be purchased, the Fund will not have the desired level of exposure to the security which the borrower failed to return. Cash received as collateral through loan transactions may be invested in other eligible securities, including shares of a money market fund. Investing this cash subjects the Fund to greater market risk including losses on the collateral and, should the Fund need to look to the collateral in the event of the borrower's default, losses on the loan secured by that collateral.

The Fund will loan its securities only to parties who meet creditworthiness standards approved by the Fund's board (i.e., banks or broker-dealers that the investment manager has determined are not apparently at risk of becoming involved in bankruptcy proceedings within the time frame contemplated by the loan). In addition, pursuant to the 1940 Act and SEC interpretations thereof, the aggregate market value of securities that may be loaned by the Fund is limited to 33 1/3% of the Fund's total assets or such lower limit as set by the Fund or its board.

**Securities of reorganizing companies and companies subject to tender or exchange offers** The Fund may also seek to invest in the securities of reorganizing companies, or of companies as to which there exist outstanding tender or exchange offers. The Fund may from time to time participate in such tender or exchange offers. A tender offer is an offer by the company itself or by another company or person to purchase a company's securities at a higher (or lower) price than the market value for such securities. An exchange offer is an offer by the company or by another company or person to the holders of the company's securities to exchange those securities for different securities.

**Short sales** In a short sale, the Fund sells a security it does not own in anticipation of a decline in the market value of that security. To complete the transaction, the Fund must borrow the security to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund is then obligated to replace the security borrowed by purchasing it at the market price at the time of replacement. The price at this time may be more or less than the price at which the security was sold by the Fund. Until the security is replaced, the Fund must pay the lender any dividends or interest that accrue during the period of the loan. To borrow the security, the Fund also may be required to pay a premium, which would increase the cost of the security sold. The proceeds of the short sale will be retained by the broker, to the extent necessary to meet margin requirements, until the short position is closed out. In buying the security to replace the borrowed security, the Fund expects to acquire the security in the market for less than the amount it earned in the short sale, thereby yielding a profit.

The Fund will incur a loss as a result of the short sale if the price of the security increases between the date of the short

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sale and the date on which the Fund replaces the borrowed security, and the Fund will realize a gain if the security declines in price between those same dates. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of any premium, dividends or interest the Fund is required to pay in connection with the short sale.

The Fund will treat short sales as derivatives transactions under Rule 18f-4, as described more fully under "Derivative instruments" in this SAI.

The Fund may make a short sale when the investment manager believes the price of the stock may decline and when the investment manager does not currently want to sell the stock or convertible security it owns. In this case, any decline in the value of the Fund's portfolio securities would be reduced by a gain in the short sale transaction. Conversely, any increase in the value of the Fund's portfolio securities would be reduced by a loss in the short sale transaction.

Short sales "against the box" are transactions in which the Fund sells a security short but it also owns an equal amount of the securities sold short or owns securities that are convertible or exchangeable, without payment of further consideration, into an equal amount of such security.

**Standby commitment agreements** A standby commitment agreement is an agreement committing the Fund to buy a stated amount of a security, for a stated period of time, at the option of the issuer. The price and interest rate of the security is fixed at the time of the commitment. When the Fund enters into the agreement, the Fund is paid a commitment fee, which it keeps regardless of whether the security is ultimately issued, typically equal to approximately 0.5% of the aggregate purchase price of the security that the Fund has committed to buy.

The purchase of a security subject to a standby commitment agreement and the related commitment fee will be recorded on the date on which the security can reasonably be expected to be issued. In the event the security is not issued, the commitment fee will be recorded as income on the expiration date of the standby commitment. Standby commitment agreements may be deemed "illiquid" and therefore subject to the Fund's limitation on investment in illiquid securities.

There can be no assurance that the securities subject to a standby commitment will be issued, and the value of the securities, if issued, on the delivery date may be more or less than their purchase price. Because the issuance of the security underlying the commitment is at the option of the issuer, the Fund generally bears the risk of a decline in the value of the security and may not benefit from an appreciation in the value of the security during the commitment period. If an issuer's financial condition deteriorates between the time of the standby commitment and the date of issuance, these commitments may have the effect of requiring the Fund to make an investment in an issuer at a time when it would not otherwise have done so. This is the case even if the issuer's condition makes it unlikely that any amounts invested by the Fund pursuant to the standby commitment will ever be repaid. The Fund will only enter into standby commitment agreements with issuers which the investment manager believes will not deteriorate in creditworthiness during the commitment period. The Fund will experience credit risk associated with the issuer.

**Stripped securities** Stripped securities are debt securities that have been transformed from a principal amount with periodic interest coupons into a series of zero coupon bonds, each with a different maturity date corresponding to one of the payment dates for interest coupon payments or the redemption date for the principal amount. Stripped securities are subject to all the risks applicable to zero coupon bonds as well as certain additional risks.

Like zero coupon bonds, stripped securities do not provide for periodic payments of interest prior to maturity. Rather they are offered at a discount from their face amount that will be paid at maturity. This results in the security being subject to greater fluctuations in response to changing interest rates than interest-paying securities of similar maturities. Federal income taxes generally accrue on stripped securities each year although no cash income is received until maturity, and the Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities that it would otherwise continue to hold in order to obtain sufficient cash to make distributions to shareholders required for U.S. tax purposes.

The riskiness of an investment in stripped securities depends on the type involved. Some stripped securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. Others receive an implied backing by the U.S. government as a sponsor or partner in the agency or entity issuing the stripped security. A few are secured with a guarantee from the financial institution or broker or dealer through which the stripped security is held. Others are supported only by the collateral, revenue stream or third party guarantee securing the underlying debt obligation from which zero coupon bonds were stripped. Stripped securities include: U.S. Treasury STRIPS, Stripped Government Securities, Stripped Obligations of the Financing Corporation (FICO STRIPS), Stripped Corporate Securities, and Stripped Eurodollar Obligations.

*Stripped government securities* are issued by the U.S. federal, state and local governments and their agencies and instrumentalities, and by "mixed-ownership government corporations." Stripped government securities vary widely in the terms, conditions and relative assurances of payment. The type of debt obligation from which the stripped government security was taken will indicate many of the risks associated with that investment. U.S. Treasury STRIPS and FICO Strips are types of stripped government securities.

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*U.S. Treasury STRIPS (Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principal of Securities)* are considered U.S. Treasury securities for purposes of the Fund's investment policies and are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. Their risks are similar to those of other U.S. government securities, although their price may be more volatile. The U.S. Treasury has facilitated transfers of ownership of zero coupon securities by accounting separately for the beneficial ownership of particular interest coupon and principal payments on Treasury securities through the Federal Reserve book-entry record-keeping system.

*FICO STRIPS* represent interests in securities issued by the Financing Corporation (FICO). FICO was established to enable recapitalization of the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation (FSLIC) in the 1980's. FICO STRIPS are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government but are generally treated as U.S. government agency securities. The market for FICO STRIPS is substantially smaller and, therefore, less liquid and more volatile than the market for U.S. Treasury STRIPS. A higher yield is typically offered on FICO STRIPS to compensate investors for the greater illiquidity and additional risk that the U.S. government will not meet obligations on the FICO STRIPS if FICO defaults.

**Structured investments** Structured investments are interests in entities organized and operated solely for the purpose of restructuring the investment characteristics of a security or securities and then issuing that restructured security. Restructuring involves the deposit with, or purchase by, an entity (such as a corporation or trust) of specified instruments and the issuance by that entity of one or more classes of securities (structured investments) backed by, or representing interests in, the underlying instruments.

Subordinated classes typically have higher yields and present greater risks than unsubordinated classes. The extent of the payments made with respect to structured investments is dependent on the extent of the cash flow on the underlying instruments.

Certain issuers of structured investments may be deemed to be "investment companies" as defined in the 1940 Act. As a result, the Fund's investment in these structured investments may be limited by the restrictions contained in the 1940 Act. The risks associated with investing in a structured investment are usually tied to the risks associated with investing in the underlying instruments and securities. The risks will also depend upon the comparative subordination of the class held by the Fund, relative to the likelihood of a default on the structured investment. To the extent that the Fund is exposed to default, the Fund's structured investment may involve risks similar to those of high-yield debt securities. Structured investments typically are sold in private placement transactions, and there currently is no active trading market for structured investments. To the extent such investments are deemed to be illiquid, they will be subject to the Fund's restrictions on investments in illiquid securities.

These entities typically are organized by investment banking firms that receive fees in connection with establishing each entity and arranging for the placement of its securities. The Fund will indirectly pay its portion of these fees in addition to the fees associated with the creation and marketing of the underlying instruments and securities. If an active investment management component is combined with the underlying instruments and securities in the structured investment, there may be ongoing advisory fees which the Fund's shareholders would indirectly pay.

**Temporary investments** When the investment manager believes market or economic conditions are unfavorable for investors, the investment manager may invest up to 100% of the Fund's assets in temporary defensive investments, including cash, cash equivalents or other high quality short-term investments, such as short-term debt instruments, including U.S. government securities, high grade commercial paper, repurchase agreements, negotiable certificates of deposit, non-negotiable fixed time deposits, bankers acceptances, and other money market equivalents. To the extent allowed by exemptions from and rules under the 1940 Act and the Fund's other investment policies and restrictions, the investment manager also may invest the Fund's assets in shares of one or more money market funds managed by the investment manager or its affiliates. Unfavorable market or economic conditions may include excessive volatility or a prolonged general decline in the securities markets, the securities in which the Fund normally invests, or the economies of the countries where the Fund invests. Temporary defensive investments can and do experience defaults. The likelihood of default on a temporary defensive investment may increase in the market or economic conditions which are likely to trigger the Fund's investment therein. The investment manager also may invest in these types of securities or hold cash while looking for suitable investment opportunities or to maintain liquidity. When the Fund's assets are invested in temporary investments, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment goal.

**Trade claims** Trade claims are direct obligations or claims against companies that are in bankruptcy or other financial difficulty that are purchased from the creditors of such companies. For buyers, such as the Fund, trade claims offer the potential for profits because they are often purchased at a significantly discounted value and, consequently, may generate capital appreciation if the value of the claim increases as the debtor's financial position improves. If the debtor is able to pay the full face value of the claim as a result of a restructuring or an improvement in the debtor's financial condition, trade claims offer the potential for higher income due to the difference in the face value of the claim as compared to the discounted purchase price.

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An investment in trade claims is speculative and carries a high degree of risk. Trade claims are not backed by collateral or other forms of credit support. There can be no guarantee that the debtor will ever be able to satisfy the obligation on the trade claim. There is usually a substantial delay between purchasing a trade claim and receiving any return. Trade claims are not regulated by federal securities laws or the SEC, so the Fund's investment will not receive the same investor protections as with regulated securities. Currently, trade claims are regulated primarily by bankruptcy laws. Because trade claims are unsecured, holders of trade claims may have a lower priority in terms of payment than most other creditors in a bankruptcy proceeding.

**Unrated debt securities** Not all debt securities or their issuers are rated by rating agencies, sometimes due to the size of or manner of the securities offering, the decision by one or more rating agencies not to rate certain securities or issuers as a matter of policy, or the unwillingness or inability of the issuer to provide the prerequisite information and fees to the rating agencies. Some debt securities markets may have a disproportionately large number of unrated issuers.

In evaluating unrated securities, the Sub-Advisors may consider, among other things, the issuer's financial resources, its sensitivity to economic conditions and trends, its operating history, the quality of the issuer's management and regulatory matters. Although unrated debt securities may be considered to be of investment grade quality, issuers typically pay a higher interest rate on unrated than on investment grade rated debt securities. Less information is typically available to the market on unrated securities and obligors, which may increase the potential for credit and valuation risk.

**U.S. government securities** U.S. government securities include obligations of, or securities guaranteed by, the U.S. federal government, its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. Some U.S. government securities are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. These include U.S. Treasury obligations and securities issued by the Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA). A second category of U.S. government securities are those supported by the right of the agency, instrumentality or sponsored enterprise to borrow from the U.S. government to meet its obligations. These include securities issued by Federal Home Loan Banks.

A third category of U.S. government securities are those supported by only the credit of the issuing agency, instrumentality or sponsored enterprise. These include securities issued by the Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC). In the event of a default, an investor like the Fund would only have legal recourse to the issuer, not the U.S. government. Although the U.S. government has provided support for these securities in the past, there can be no assurance that it will do so in the future. The U.S. government has also made available additional guarantees for limited periods to stabilize or restore a market in the wake of an economic, political or natural crisis. Such guarantees, and the economic opportunities they present, are likely to be temporary and cannot be relied upon by the Fund. Any downgrade of the credit rating of the securities issued by the U.S. government may result in a downgrade of securities issued by its agencies or instrumentalities, including government-sponsored entities.

**Variable rate securities** Variable rate securities are debt securities that provide for periodic adjustments in the interest rate paid on the debt security. Floating rate securities, adjustable rate securities and inverse floating rate securities (referred to as "inverse floaters") are types of variable rate securities. An adjustable rate security is a debt security with an interest rate which is adjusted according to a formula that specifies the interval at which the rate will be reset and the interest rate index, benchmark or other mechanism upon which the reset rate is based. A floating rate debt security has a rate of interest which is usually established as the sum of a base lending rate (e.g., SOFR, the U.S. Prime Rate, the Prime Rate of a designated U.S. bank or the certificate of deposit rate) plus a specified margin. The interest rate on prime rate-based loans and securities floats periodically as the prime rate changes. The interest rate on SOFR-based and CD-based loans and securities is reset periodically, typically at regular intervals ranging between 30 days and one year. Certain floating rate securities will permit the borrower to select an interest rate reset period of up to one year.

Some variable rate securities are structured with put features that permit holders to demand payment of the unpaid principal balance plus accrued interest from the issuers or certain financial intermediaries at or about the time the interest rate is reset. If the Fund purchases a variable rate security with a put feature and market movements make exercise of the put unattractive, the Fund will forfeit the entire amount of any premium paid plus related transaction costs.

Movements in the relevant index or benchmark on which adjustments are based will affect the interest paid on these securities and, therefore, the current income earned by the Fund and the securities' market value. The degree of volatility in the market value of the variable rate securities held by the Fund will generally increase along with the length of time between adjustments, the degree of volatility in the applicable index, benchmark or base lending rate and whether the index, benchmark or base lending rate to which it resets or floats approximates short-term or other prevailing interest rates. It will also be a function of the maximum increase or decrease of the interest rate adjustment on any one adjustment date, in any one year, and over the life of the security. These maximum increases and decreases are typically referred to as "caps" and "floors," respectively.

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During periods when short-term interest rates move within the caps and floors of the security held by the Fund, the interest rate of such security will reset to prevailing rates within a short period. As a result, the fluctuation in market value of the variable rate security held by the Fund is generally expected to be limited.

In periods of substantial short-term volatility in interest rates, the market value of such debt securities may fluctuate more substantially if the caps and/or floors prevent the interest rates from adjusting to the full extent of the movements in the market rates during any one adjustment period or over the term of the security. In the event of dramatic increases in interest rates, any lifetime caps on these securities may prevent the securities from adjusting to prevailing rates over the term of the security. In either the case of caps or floors, the market value of the securities may be reduced.

The income earned by the Fund and distributed to shareholders will generally increase or decrease along with movements in the relevant index, benchmark or base lending rate. Thus the Fund's income will be more unpredictable than the income earned on similar investments with a fixed rate of interest.

*Inverse floaters*. Inverse floaters are variable rate debt securities with floating or variable interest rates that move in the opposite direction, usually at an accelerated speed, to short-term interest rates or a related benchmark or index. The prices of inverse floaters can be highly volatile as a result. When short-term interests rates rise, an inverse floater usually experiences a decline in both its price and rate of income. The result is that interest rate risk and volatility of inverse floaters is magnified, and valuation of inverse floaters will also be more difficult.

**When-issued, delayed delivery and to-be-announced transactions** When-issued, delayed delivery and to-be-announced (TBA) transactions are arrangements under which the parties agree on the sale of securities with payment for and delivery of the security scheduled for a future time. The securities may have been authorized but not yet issued, or, in the TBA market for U.S. Government agency mortgage-backed securities, the parties agree on a price, volume, and basic characteristics of securities to be delivered on the settlement date, rather than particular securities. In addition to buying securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or TBA basis, the Fund may also sell these securities on a TBA basis to close out an existing TBA position before the settlement date, to take advantage of an expected decline in value of the securities, or for hedging purposes.

Entering into a when-issued, delayed delivery or TBA transaction may be viewed as a form of leverage and will result in associated risks for the Fund. The Fund does not consider the purchase and/or sale of securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or TBA basis to be a borrowing for purposes of the Fund's fundamental restrictions or other limitations on borrowing.

Many when-issued, delayed-delivery or TBA transactions also are subject to the risk that a counterparty may become bankrupt or otherwise fail to perform its obligations due to financial difficulties, including making payments or fulfilling other obligations to the Fund. The Fund may obtain no or only limited recovery in a bankruptcy or other organizational proceedings, and any recovery may be significantly delayed. With respect to forward settling TBA transactions involving U.S. Government agency mortgage backed securities, the counterparty risk may be mitigated by the exchange of variation margin on a regular basis between counterparties as the market value of the deliverable security fluctuates.

The Fund also relies on the counterparty to complete the transaction. The counterparty's failure to do so may cause the Fund to miss a price or yield considered advantageous to the Fund. Although their price typically reflects accrued interest, securities purchased on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis do not generally earn interest until their scheduled delivery date. Purchases or sales of debt securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis are also subject to the risk that the market value or the yield at delivery may be more or less than the market price or yield available when the transaction was entered into, or that the Fund is unable to purchase securities for delivery at the settlement date with the characteristics agreed upon at the time of the transaction.

**Zero coupon, deferred interest and pay-in-kind bonds** Zero coupon or deferred interest bonds are debt securities that make no periodic interest payments until maturity or a specified date when the securities begin paying current interest (cash payment date). Zero coupon and deferred interest bonds generally are issued and traded at a discount from their face amount or par value.

The original discount on zero coupon or deferred interest bonds approximates the total amount of interest the bonds will accumulate over the period until maturity or the first cash payment date and compounds at a rate of interest reflecting the market rate of the security at the time of issuance. The discount varies depending on the time remaining until maturity or the cash payment date, as well as prevailing interest rates, liquidity of the market for the security, and the perceived credit quality of the issuer. The discount, in the absence of financial difficulties of the issuer, typically decreases as the final maturity or cash payment date approaches. The discount typically increases as interest rates rise, the market becomes less liquid or the creditworthiness of the issuer deteriorates.

Pay-in-kind bonds are debt securities that provide for interest payments to be made in a form other than cash, generally at the option of the issuer. Common forms include payment of additional bonds of the same issuer or an increase in principal underlying the pay-in-kind bonds. To the extent that no cash

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income will be paid for an extended period of time, pay-in-kind bonds resemble zero coupon or deferred interest bonds and are subject to similar influences and risks.

For accounting and federal tax purposes, holders of bonds issued at a discount, such as the Fund, are deemed to receive interest income over the life of the bonds even though the bonds do not pay out cash to their holders before maturity or the cash payment date. That income is distributable to Fund shareholders even though no cash is received by the Fund at the time of accrual, which may require the liquidation of other portfolio securities to satisfy the Fund's distribution obligations.

Because investors receive no cash prior to the maturity or cash payment date, an investment in debt securities issued at a discount generally has a greater potential for complete loss of principal and/or return than an investment in debt securities that make periodic interest payments. Such investments are more vulnerable to the creditworthiness of the issuer and any other parties upon which performance relies.

The following is a description of the general risks associated with the Fund's investing in debt securities:

**Credit** Debt securities are subject to the risk of an issuer's (or other party's) failure or inability to meet its obligations under the security. Multiple parties may have obligations under a debt security. An issuer or borrower may fail to pay principal and interest when due. A guarantor, insurer or credit support provider may fail to provide the agreed upon protection. A counterparty to a transaction may fail to perform its side of the bargain. An intermediary or agent interposed between the investor and other parties may fail to perform the terms of its service. Also, performance under a debt security may be linked to the obligations of other persons who may fail to meet their obligations. The credit risk associated with a debt security could increase to the extent that the Fund's ability to benefit fully from its investment in the security depends on the performance by multiple parties of their respective contractual or other obligations. The market value of a debt security is also affected by the market's perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer.

The Fund may incur substantial losses on debt securities that are inaccurately perceived to present a different amount of credit risk than they actually do by the market, the investment manager or the rating agencies. Credit risk is generally greater where less information is publicly available, where fewer covenants safeguard the investors' interests, where collateral may be impaired or inadequate, where little legal redress or regulatory protection is available, or where a party's ability to meet obligations is speculative. Additionally, any inaccuracy in the information used by the Fund to evaluate credit risk may affect the value of securities held by the Fund.

Obligations under debt securities held by the Fund may never be satisfied or, if satisfied, only satisfied in part.

Some securities are subject to risks as a result of a credit downgrade or default by a government, or its agencies or, instrumentalities. Credit risk is a greater concern for high-yield debt securities and debt securities of issuers whose ability to pay interest and principal may be considered speculative. Debt securities are typically classified as investment grade-quality (medium to highest credit quality) or below investment grade-quality (commonly referred to as high-yield or junk bonds). Many individual debt securities are rated by a third party source, such as Moody's or S&P to help describe the creditworthiness of the issuer.

**Debt securities ratings** The Sub-Advisors perform their own independent investment analysis of securities being considered for the Fund's portfolio, which includes consideration of, among other things, the issuer's financial resources, its sensitivity to economic conditions and trends, its operating history, the quality of the issuer's management and regulatory matters. The Sub-Advisors also consider the ratings assigned by various investment services and independent rating agencies, such as Moody's and S&P, that publish ratings based upon their assessment of the relative creditworthiness of the rated debt securities. Generally, a lower rating indicates higher credit risk. Higher yields are ordinarily available from debt securities in the lower rating categories. These ratings are described at the end of this SAI under "Description of Ratings."

Using credit ratings to evaluate debt securities can involve certain risks. For example, ratings assigned by the rating agencies are based upon an analysis completed at the time of the rating of the obligor's ability to pay interest and repay principal. Rating agencies typically rely to a large extent on historical data which may not accurately represent present or future circumstances. Ratings do not purport to reflect the risk of fluctuations in market value of the debt security and are not absolute standards of quality and only express the rating agency's current opinion of an obligor's overall financial capacity to pay its financial obligations. A credit rating is not a statement of fact or a recommendation to purchase, sell or hold a debt obligation. Also, credit quality can change suddenly and unexpectedly, and credit ratings may not reflect the issuer's current financial condition or events since the security was last rated. Rating agencies may have a financial interest in generating business, including from the arranger or issuer of the security that normally pays for that rating, and providing a low rating might affect the rating agency's prospects for future business. While rating agencies have policies and procedures to address this potential conflict of interest, there is a risk that these policies will fail to prevent a conflict of interest from impacting the rating.

**Extension** The market value of some debt securities, particularly mortgage securities and certain asset backed

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securities, may be adversely affected when bond calls or prepayments on underlying mortgages or other assets are less or slower than anticipated. This risk is extension risk. Extension risk may result from, for example, rising interest rates or unexpected developments in the markets for the underlying assets or mortgages. As a consequence, the security's effective maturity will be extended, resulting in an increase in interest rate sensitivity to that of a longer-term instrument. Extension risk generally increases as interest rates rise. This is because, in a rising interest rate environment, the rate of prepayment and exercise of call or buy-back rights generally falls and the rate of default and delayed payment generally rises. When the maturity of an investment is extended in a rising interest rate environment, a below-market interest rate is usually locked-in and the value of the security reduced. This risk is greater for fixed-rate than variable-rate debt securities.

**Income** Income risk is the risk that the Fund's income will decline during periods of falling interest rates, when the Fund experiences defaults on debt securities it holds or when the Fund realizes a loss upon a sale of a debt security. The Fund's income declines when interest rates fall because, as the Fund's higher-yielding debt securities mature, are prepaid or are sold, the Fund may have to re-invest the proceeds in debt securities that have lower interest rates. The amount and rate of distributions that the Fund's shareholders receive are affected by the income that the Fund receives from its portfolio holdings. If the income is reduced, distributions by the Fund to shareholders may be less.

Fluctuations in income paid to the Fund are generally greater for variable rate debt securities. The Fund may be deemed to receive taxable income on certain securities which pay no cash payments until maturity, such as zero-coupon securities. The Fund may be required to sell portfolio securities that it would otherwise continue to hold in order to obtain sufficient cash to make the distribution to shareholders required for U.S. tax purposes.

**Inflation** The market price of debt securities generally falls as inflation increases because the purchasing power of the future income and repaid principal is expected to be worth less when received by the Fund. Debt securities that pay a fixed rather than variable interest rate are especially vulnerable to inflation risk because variable-rate debt securities may be able to participate, over the long term, in rising interest rates which have historically corresponded with long-term inflationary trends.

**Interest rate** The market value of debt securities generally varies in response to changes in prevailing interest rates. Interest rate changes can be sudden and unpredictable. In addition, short-term and long-term rates are not necessarily correlated to each other as short-term rates tend to be influenced by government monetary policy while long-term rates are market driven and may be influenced by macroeconomic events (such as economic expansion or contraction), inflation expectations, as well as supply and demand. During periods of declining interest rates, the market value of debt securities generally increases. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the market value of debt securities generally declines. This occurs because new debt securities are likely to be issued with higher interest rates as interest rates increase, making the old or outstanding debt securities less attractive. In general, the market prices of long-term debt securities or securities that make little (or no) interest payments are more sensitive to interest rate fluctuations than shorter-term debt securities. The longer the Fund's average weighted portfolio duration, the greater the potential impact a change in interest rates will have on its share price. Also, certain segments of the fixed income markets, such as high quality bonds, tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes than other segments, such as lower-quality bonds.

**Prepayment** Debt securities, especially bonds that are subject to "calls" such as asset-backed or mortgage-backed securities, are subject to prepayment risk if their terms allow the payment of principal and other amounts due before their stated maturity. Amounts invested in a debt security that has been "called" or "prepaid" will be returned to an investor holding that security before expected by the investor. In such circumstances, the investor, such as a fund, may be required to re-invest the proceeds it receives from the called or prepaid security in a new security which, in periods of declining interest rates, will typically have a lower interest rate. Prepayment risk is especially prevalent in periods of declining interest rates and will result for other reasons, including unexpected developments in the markets for the underlying assets or mortgages. For example, a decline in mortgage interest rates typically initiates a period of mortgage refinancings. When homeowners refinance their mortgages, the investor in the underlying pool of mortgage-backed securities (such as a fund) receives its principal back sooner than expected, and must reinvest at lower, prevailing rates.

Securities subject to prepayment risk are often called during a declining interest rate environment and generally offer less potential for gains and greater price volatility than other income-bearing securities of comparable maturity.

Call risk is similar to prepayment risk and results from the ability of an issuer to call, or prepay, a debt security early. If interest rates decline enough, the debt security's issuer can save money by repaying its callable debt securities and issuing new debt securities at lower interest rates.

The following is a description of other risks associated with the Fund's investments:

**Focus** The greater the Fund's exposure to (or focus on) any single type of investment – including investment in a given industry, sector, country, region, or type of security – the

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greater the impact of adverse events or conditions in such industry, sector, country, region or investment will have on the Fund's performance. To the extent the Fund has greater exposure to any single type of investment, the Fund's potential for loss (or gain) will be greater than if its portfolio were invested more broadly in many types of investments.

The Fund's exposure to such industries, sectors, regions and other investments may also arise indirectly through the Fund's investments in debt securities (e.g., mortgage or asset-backed securities) that are secured by such investments. Similar risks associated with focusing on a particular type of investment may result if real properties and collateral securing the Fund's investments are located in the same geographical region or subject to the same risks or concerns.

**Inside information** The investment manager (through its representatives or otherwise) may receive information that restricts the investment manager's ability to cause the Fund to buy or sell securities of an issuer for substantial periods of time when the Fund otherwise could realize profit or avoid loss. This may adversely affect the Fund's flexibility with respect to buying or selling securities and may impair the Fund's liquidity.

**Liquidity** Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are or become difficult to purchase or sell at the price at which the Fund has valued the security, whether because of current market conditions, the financial condition of the issuer, or the specific type of investment. If the market for a particular security becomes illiquid (for example, due to changes in the issuer's financial condition), the Fund may be unable to sell such security at an advantageous time or price due to the difficulty in selling such securities. To the extent that the Fund and its affiliates hold a significant portion of an issuer's outstanding securities, the Fund may also be subject to greater liquidity risk than if the issuer's securities were more widely held. The Fund may also need to sell some of the Fund's more liquid securities when it otherwise would not do so in order to meet redemption requests, even if such sale of the liquid holdings would be disadvantageous from an investment standpoint. Reduced liquidity may also have an adverse impact on a security's market value and the sale of such securities often results in higher brokerage charges or dealer discounts and other selling expenses. Reduced liquidity in the secondary market for certain securities will also make it more difficult for the Fund to obtain market quotations based on actual trades for purposes of valuing the Fund's portfolio and thus pricing may be prone to error when market quotations are volatile, infrequent and/or subject to large spreads between bid and ask prices. In addition, prices received by the Fund for securities may be based on institutional "round lot" sizes, but the Fund may purchase, hold or sell smaller, "odd lot" sizes, which may be harder to sell. Odd lots may trade at lower prices than round lots, which may affect the Fund's ability to accurately value its investments.

The market for certain equity or debt securities may become illiquid under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the conditions of a particular issuer. Liquidity risk generally increases (meaning that securities become more illiquid) as the number, or relative need, of investors seeking to liquidate in a given market increases; for example, when an asset class or classes fall out of favor and investors sell their holdings in such classes, either directly or indirectly through investment funds, such as mutual funds.

**Management** The investment manager's judgments about markets, interest rates or the attractiveness, relative values or potential appreciation of particular investment strategies or sectors or securities purchased for the Fund's portfolio may prove to be incorrect, all of which could cause the Fund to perform less favorably and may result in a decline in the Fund's share price.

The investment manager and the Sub-Advisors select investments for the Fund based in part on information and data that the issuers of such securities file with various government agencies or make directly available to the investment manager or that the investment manager obtains from other sources. The investment manager and the Sub-Advisors are not in a position to confirm the completeness, genuineness or accuracy of any of such information that is provided or filed by an issuer, and in some cases, complete and accurate information is not readily available. It is also possible that information on which the investment manager or a Sub-Advisor relies could be wrong or misleading. Additionally, legislative, regulatory, or tax developments may affect the investment techniques available to the investment manager and the Sub-Advisors in connection with managing the Fund and may also adversely affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment goal. Management risk is greater when less qualitative information is available to the investment manager about an investment.

**Market** The market value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a single corporate borrower or security issuer. These general market conditions include real or perceived adverse economic or regulatory conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency exchange rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. Market values may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or sector, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry, or a particular segment, such as mortgage or government securities. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value simultaneously. When markets perform well, there can be no assurance that the Fund's securities will participate in or otherwise benefit from the advance.

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**Portfolio turnover** Portfolio turnover is a measure of how frequently the Fund's portfolio securities are bought and sold. High portfolio turnover rates generally increase transaction costs, which are Fund expenses. Such portfolio transactions may also result in the realization of taxable capital gains, including short-term capital gains, which are generally taxable at ordinary income tax rates for federal income tax purposes for shareholders subject to income tax and who hold their shares in a taxable account. Higher transaction costs reduce the Fund's returns.

The SEC requires annual portfolio turnover to be calculated generally as the lesser of the Fund's purchases or sales of portfolio securities during a given fiscal year, divided by the monthly average value of the Fund's portfolio securities owned during that year (excluding securities with a maturity or expiration date that, at the time of acquisition, was less than one year). For example, a fund reporting a 100% portfolio turnover rate would have purchased and sold securities worth as much as the monthly average value of its portfolio securities during the year.

The Fund's portfolio turnover rates are disclosed in the sections entitled "Portfolio Turnover" and "Financial Highlights" of the Fund's prospectus.

Portfolio turnover is affected by factors within and outside the control of the Fund and its investment manager. The investment manager's investment outlook for the type of securities in which the Fund invests may change as a result of unexpected developments in domestic or international securities markets, or in economic, monetary or political relationships. High market volatility may result in the investment manager using a more active trading strategy than it might have otherwise pursued. The Fund's investment manager will consider the economic effects of portfolio turnover but generally will not treat portfolio turnover as a limiting factor in making investment decisions. Investment decisions affecting turnover may include changes in investment policies or management personnel, as well as individual portfolio transactions.

Factors wholly outside the control of the investment manager that may increase portfolio turnover include increased merger and acquisition activity, increased refinancing of outstanding debt by an issuer, or increased rates of bankruptcy or default, that may create involuntary transactions for funds that hold affected securities.

During periods of rapidly declining interest rates, the rate of prepayments on portfolio investments may increase rapidly. When this happens, "sales" of portfolio securities are increased due to the return of principal to the Fund followed by purchases of new portfolio securities to replace the "sold" ones.

The rate of bond calls by issuers of fixed-income debt securities may increase as interest rates decline. This causes "sales" of called bonds by the Fund and the subsequent purchase of replacement investments.

In addition, redemptions or exchanges by investors may require the liquidation of portfolio securities. Changes in particular portfolio holdings may also be made whenever a security is considered to be no longer the most appropriate investment for the Fund, or another security appears to have a relatively better opportunity.

**Trade policy** The U.S. government has indicated its intent to alter its approach to international trade policy and, in some cases, to renegotiate or potentially terminate certain existing bilateral or multilateral trade agreements and treaties with foreign countries and has made proposals and taken actions related thereto. In addition, the U.S. government has recently imposed tariffs on certain foreign goods and has indicated a willingness to impose tariffs on imports of other products. Some foreign governments, including China, have instituted retaliatory tariffs on certain U.S. goods and have indicated a willingness to impose additional tariffs on U.S. products. Other countries, including Mexico, have threatened retaliatory tariffs on certain U.S. products.

Global trade disruption, significant introductions of trade barriers, and bilateral trade frictions, together with any future downturns in the global economy resulting therefrom, could adversely affect the financial performance of the Fund and its investments. Trade policy may be an ongoing source of instability, potentially resulting in significant currency fluctuations and/or having other adverse effects on international markets, international trade agreements, and/or other existing cross-border cooperation arrangements (whether economic, tax, fiscal, legal, regulatory, or otherwise). To the extent trade disputes escalate globally, there could be additional significant impacts on the sectors or industries in which the Fund invests and other adverse impacts on the Fund's overall performance.

*Policies and Procedures Regarding the Release of Portfolio Holdings* 

The Fund's overall policy with respect to the release of portfolio holdings is to release such information consistent with applicable legal requirements and the fiduciary duties owed to shareholders. Subject to the limited exceptions described below, the Fund will not make available to anyone non-public information with respect to its portfolio holdings, until such time as the information is made available to all shareholders or the general public.

For purposes of this policy, portfolio holdings information does not include aggregate, composite or descriptive information that, in the reasonable judgement of the Fund's Chief Compliance Officer, does not present risks of dilution, arbitrage, market timing, insider trading or other inappropriate trading to the detriment of the Fund. Information excluded from the definition of portfolio holdings information generally

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includes, without limitation: (1) descriptions of allocations among asset classes, regions, countries or industries/sectors; (2) aggregated data such as average or median ratios, market capitalization, credit quality or duration; (3) performance attributions by industry, sector or country; or (4) aggregated risk statistics. Such information, if made available to anyone, will be made available to any person upon request, but, because such information is generally not material to investors, it may or may not be posted on the Fund's website. In addition, other information may also be deemed to not be portfolio holdings information if, in the reasonable belief of the Fund's Chief Compliance Officer (or his/her designee), the release of such information would not present risks of dilution, arbitrage, market timing, insider trading or other inappropriate trading for the Fund.

Consistent with current law, the Fund releases complete portfolio holdings information each fiscal quarter through regulatory filings with no more than a 60-day lag.

In addition, subject to the limited exceptions noted below, a complete list of the Fund's portfolio holdings is generally released no sooner than 15 calendar days after the end of each calendar month but may be released earlier provided the release is made available to the general public. Other portfolio holdings information, such as top 10 holdings, commentaries and other materials that may reference specific holdings information of the Fund as of the most recent month end are generally released five days after the end of each month but may be released earlier or later as deemed appropriate by the Fund's portfolio manager. Released portfolio holdings information can be viewed at www.franklintempleton.com.

To the extent that this policy would permit the release of portfolio holdings information regarding a particular portfolio holding for the Fund that is the subject of ongoing purchase or sale orders/programs, or if the release of such portfolio holdings information would otherwise be sensitive or inappropriate due to liquidity or other market considerations, the portfolio manager for the Fund may request that the release of such information be withheld.

Exceptions to the portfolio holdings release policy (to the extent not otherwise permitted pursuant to an exclusion) will be made only when: (1) the Fund has a legitimate business purpose for releasing portfolio holdings information in advance of release to all shareholders or the general public; (2) the recipient is subject to a duty of confidentiality pursuant to a signed non-disclosure agreement; and (3) the release of such information would not otherwise violate the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws or fiduciary duties owed to Fund shareholders. The determination of whether to grant an exception, which includes the determination of whether the Fund has a legitimate business purpose for releasing portfolio holdings information in advance of release to all shareholders shall be made by the Fund's Chief Compliance Officer or his/her designee, following a request submitted in writing.

The eligible third parties to whom portfolio holdings information may be released in advance of general release fall into the following categories: data consolidators (including rating agencies), fund rating/ranking services and other data providers; service providers to the Fund, investment manager and sub-advisors; municipal securities brokers using the Investor Tools product which brings together buyers and sellers of municipal securities in the normal operation of the municipal securities markets; certain entities, in response to any regulatory requirements, approved by the investment manager's Chief Compliance Officer in limited circumstances; and transition managers hired by Fund shareholders. In addition, should the Fund process a shareholder's redemption request in-kind, the Fund may, under certain circumstances, provide portfolio holdings information to such shareholder to the extent necessary to allow the shareholder to prepare for receipt of such portfolio securities.

The specific entities to whom the Fund, investment manager and Sub-Advisors may provide portfolio holdings in advance of their release to the general public are:

• Bloomberg, Capital Access, CDA (Thomson Reuters), FactSet, Fidelity Advisors, S&P Global Ratings, Vestek, and Fidelity Trust Company, all of whom may receive portfolio holdings information 15 days after the quarter end.

• Service providers to the Fund, investment manager and Sub-Advisors that receive portfolio holdings information from time to time in advance of general release in the course of performing, or to enable them to perform, services for the Fund, investment manager and Sub-Advisors, including: Custodian Bank: The Bank of New York Mellon; and its affiliate HedgeMark (which will provide daily risk reports and guideline monitoring to review investment guidelines and restrictions attributable to the Sub-Advisors and the Fund); Sub-Administrator: JPMorgan Chase Bank; Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm: Ernst & Young; Outside Fund Legal Counsel: Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP; Independent Directors'/Trustees' Counsel: Duane Morris LLP and Vedder Price P.C.; Proxy Voting Services: Egan Jones Proxy Services, Glass, Lewis & Co., LLC, Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc., and Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.; Brokerage Analytical Services: Sanford Bernstein, Brown Brothers Harriman, Royal Bank of Canada Capital Markets, JP Morgan Securities Inc.; Financial Printers: Donnelley Financial Solutions, Inc. or GCOM Solutions, Inc.

• The following service providers to the Sub-Advisors, in addition to those listed above, receive portfolio holdings information from time to time in advance of general release

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in the course of performing, or to enable them to perform, services for the Sub-Advisors, including: *Administrative Services*: Barclays Bank Plc, Citco (Canada) Inc., Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., Markit WSO Co., Morgan Stanley, MSFS, SalesForce and The Bank of New York Mellon, Viteos; *Tax and Auditing Services*: BDO, Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers; *Portfolio and Risk Analytics*: BBG MARS; Bloomberg Terminals, ENSO, FactSet Research Systems, Inc., Fidelity Global Brokerage Group, Inc., HazelTree, MSCI/Risk Metrics, Market Data Facts, Moody's Analytics Knowledge Services, Morgan Stanley Fund Services, Novus, Pyvera, UBS Delta, VPM and Yield Book; *Data Management and Warehousing*: Abacus Group LLC, Bloomberg, Eze Castle Integration, Financial Recovery Strategies, Intralinks, Linedata, Lipper, MicroStrategy, MSCI Inc.,Snowflake, Trioptima AB and IT Technology; *Trade Execution/Management and Compliance Monitoring*: ACA MAS, Acuity Knowledge Partners, Ascendant Compliance Management, BasisCode; Charles River, Compliance Science Inc., Carriage Trade and Pyvera, Citco, Compliance Solutions Strategies, Cordium, CTM, Compliance Science, Inc., Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., DTCC, Dynamo Software, Electra Information Systems, Enfusion, Everest (Black Mountain), Fidessa Buy-side Inc., Eze Software Group, Financial Tracking LLC, Kynex Inc., LVTS, MAIA Technologies, Northpoint, Optima Partners, Protegent PTA, Qontigo, Salerio, SEI Global Services, Inc., REDI, StarCompliance LLC, SteelEye, Trade Informatics, TS imagine and Traiana; *Trade Reconciliation/Reporting*: BBH Infomediary, Broadridge, DTCC OASYS and CTM, Duco, FIS (SunGard), FundApps, IVP, Indus Valley Partners, Intrado, NAV Consulting Inc., Omgeo/Oasys, Red Deer, Smartstream TLM, SS&C, Traxx and Traiana Harmony; *Portfolio Accounting*: Eagle Access, Eze Eclipse, RiskConcile; *Portfolio Analytics and Analysis*: Barra Portfolio Manager, Clearwater Analytics, FactSet Research Systems Inc., Global Trading Analytics, ICE Data Pricing & Reference Data LLC, JP Morgan ESG Index, LevPro, Lightkeeper, Maplecroft Virtu Americas LLC, and UBS Delta; *Operational Functions*: Accenture, Carriage Trade Solutions, Gravitas Advisory Services, State Street Bank and Trust Company, Syntel Inc., Tri-Optima and U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC.

Eligible third parties that do not otherwise have a duty of confidentiality or have not acknowledged such a duty are required to (a) execute a non-disclosure agreement that includes the following provisions or (b) otherwise acknowledge and represent adherence to substantially similar provisions. Non-disclosure agreements include the following provisions:

• The recipient agrees to keep confidential until such information either is released to the public or the release is otherwise approved by the Chief Compliance Officer.

• The recipient agrees not to trade on the non-public information received.

• The recipient agrees to refresh its representation as to confidentiality and abstention from trading upon request from Franklin Templeton.

In no case does the Fund receive any compensation in connection with the arrangements to release portfolio holdings information to any of the above-described recipients of the information.

A fund other than a U.S. registered Franklin Templeton fund, such as an offshore fund or an unregistered private fund, with holdings that are not substantially similar to the holdings of a U.S. registered Franklin Templeton fund, is not subject to the restrictions imposed by the policy.

Several investment managers within Franklin Templeton (F-T Managers) serve as investment managers to offshore funds that are registered or otherwise authorized for sale with foreign regulatory authorities. Certain of these offshore funds may from time to time invest in securities substantially similar to those of the Fund. The release of portfolio holdings information for such offshore funds is excluded from the Fund's portfolio holdings release policy if such information is given to banks, broker-dealers, insurance companies, registered investment managers and other financial institutions (offshore investment managers) with discretionary authority to select offshore funds on behalf of their clients. Such information may only be disclosed for portfolio analytics, such as risk analysis/asset allocation, and the offshore investment manager will be required to execute a non-disclosure agreement, whereby such offshore investment manager: (1) agrees that it is subject to a duty of confidentiality; (2) agrees that it will not (a) purchase or sell any portfolio securities based on any information received; (b) trade against any U.S. registered Franklin Templeton fund, including the Fund; (c) knowingly engage in any trading practices that are adverse to any such fund or its shareholders; and (d) trade in shares of any such fund; and (3) agrees to limit the dissemination of such information so received within its organization other than to the extent necessary to fulfill its obligations with respect to portfolio analytics for its discretionary clients.

Certain F-T Managers serve as investment advisers to privately placed funds that are exempt from registration, including Canadian institutional pooled funds ("Canadian funds"). In certain circumstances, such unregistered private funds and Canadian funds may have portfolio holdings that are not, in the aggregate, substantially similar to the holdings of a U.S. registered fund, as determined by the Chief Compliance Officer or his/her designee. Under such circumstances the release of portfolio holdings information to a client or potential client or unitholder of the unregistered private fund or Canadian fund may be permissible. In

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circumstances where an unregistered private fund or Canadian fund invests in portfolio securities that, in the aggregate, are substantially similar to the holdings of a U.S. registered fund, such private funds and Canadian funds are subject to the restrictions imposed by the policy, except that the release of holdings information to a current investor therein is permissible conditioned upon such investor's execution of a non-disclosure agreement to mitigate the risk that portfolio holdings information may be used to trade inappropriately against a fund. Such non-disclosure agreement must provide that the investor: (1) agrees that it is subject to a duty of confidentiality; (2) agrees to not disseminate such information (except that the investor may be permitted to disseminate such information to an agent as necessary to allow the performance of portfolio analytics with respect to the investor's investment in such fund); and (3) agrees not to trade on the non-public information received or trade in shares of any U.S. registered Franklin or Templeton fund that is managed in a style substantially similar to that of such fund, in the case of a Canadian fund.

U.S. registered open-end funds and offshore registered funds that invest substantially all of their assets in registered open-end funds and/or Exchange Traded Funds are excepted from the policy's restrictions.

Certain F-T Managers provide model portfolios composed of portfolio holdings information to the sponsors of programs offering separately managed accounts, unified model accounts or similar accounts ("Program Sponsors"). If such model portfolios are substantially similar to those of a U.S. registered fund, such model portfolios may be provided to Program Sponsors so long as: (1) the recipient Program Sponsors has executed a non-disclosure agreement or other agreement containing or incorporating confidentiality provisions that restrict the use and dissemination of confidential portfolio holdings information received by the Program Sponsor as described in the following sentence, or other provisions that impose similar restrictions on such use and dissemination and*,* (2) the model portfolio has been deemed sufficiently liquid by the F-T Manager's liquidity committee or the applicable F-T Managers for the strategies of the applicable model portfolios, as determined in their reasonable judgment. Such agreement must provide that the Program Sponsor agrees that: (1) it is subject to a duty of confidentiality; (2) it will use confidential model portfolio information only to the extent necessary to perform its obligations under the agreement; and (3) it will not disclose confidential model portfolio information except to personnel or parties who have a need to know such confidential information in connection with, or in order to fulfill the purposes contemplated by, the agreement.

Some F-T Managers serve as sub-advisers to other mutual funds not within the Franklin Templeton fund complex ("other funds"), which may be managed in a style substantially similar to that of a U.S. registered Franklin or Templeton fund. Such other funds are not subject to the Fund's portfolio holdings release policy. The sponsors of such funds may disclose the portfolio holdings of such funds at different times than the Fund discloses its portfolio holdings.

The Fund's portfolio holdings release policy and all subsequent amendments have been reviewed and approved by the Fund's board, and any other material amendments shall also be reviewed and approved by the board. The investment manager's compliance staff conducts periodic reviews of compliance with the policy and provides at least annually a report to the board regarding the operation of the policy and any material changes recommended as a result of such review. The investment manager's compliance staff also will supply the board yearly with a list of exceptions granted to the policy, along with an explanation of the legitimate business purpose of the Fund that is served as a result of the exception.

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**Officers and Trustees**

Franklin Alternative Strategies Funds (the Trust) has a board of trustees. Each trustee will serve until that person resigns or retires and/or a successor is elected and qualified. The board is responsible for the overall management of the Trust, including general supervision and review of the Fund's investment activities. The board, in turn, appoints the officers of the Trust who are responsible for administering the Trust's day-to-day operations. The board also monitors the Fund to help ensure that no material conflicts exist among share classes. While none are expected, the board will act appropriately to resolve any material conflict that may arise.

The name, year of birth and address of the officers and board members, as well as their affiliations, positions held with the Trust, principal occupations during at least the past five years, number of portfolios overseen in the Franklin Templeton fund complex and other directorships held during at least the past five years are shown below.

**<u>Independent Board Members</u>**

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|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name, Year of Birth and Address** | **Position** | **Length of Time Served** | **Number of Portfolios <br>in Fund Complex <br>Overseen by <br>Board Member<sup>1</sup>**  | **Other Directorships Held During at Least the Past 5 Years** |
| Ann Torre Bates (1958)<br>One Franklin Parkway <br>San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 | Trustee and<br>Chairperson | Chairperson of the Board<br>since 2020 and Trustee<br>since 2011 | 26 | Ares Core Infrastructure Fund (closed-end investment management company) (October 2024-present); Ares Strategic Income Fund (closed-end investment management company) (2022-present); Ares Capital Corporation (specialty finance company) (2010-present); and **formerly**, United Natural Foods, Inc. (food distribution) (2013-2023) and Navient Corporation (loan management, servicing and asset recovery) (2014-2016). |
| <br>**Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Director of various companies; and **formerly**, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, NHP Incorporated (manager of multifamily housing) (1995-1997); and Vice President and Treasurer, US Airways, Inc. (until 1995). | <br>**Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Director of various companies; and **formerly**, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, NHP Incorporated (manager of multifamily housing) (1995-1997); and Vice President and Treasurer, US Airways, Inc. (until 1995). | <br>**Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Director of various companies; and **formerly**, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, NHP Incorporated (manager of multifamily housing) (1995-1997); and Vice President and Treasurer, US Airways, Inc. (until 1995). | <br>**Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Director of various companies; and **formerly**, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, NHP Incorporated (manager of multifamily housing) (1995-1997); and Vice President and Treasurer, US Airways, Inc. (until 1995). | <br>**Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Director of various companies; and **formerly**, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, NHP Incorporated (manager of multifamily housing) (1995-1997); and Vice President and Treasurer, US Airways, Inc. (until 1995). |
| Jan Hopkins Trachtman (1947)<br>One Franklin Parkway <br>San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 | Trustee | Since 2011 | 9 | Cohen Circle Acquisition Corp. I (special purpose acquisition company) (December 2024- present); FTAC Parnassus Acquisition Corp. (special purpose fintech acquisition company) (2021-2023); FTAC Olympus Acquisition Corp. (special purpose fintech acquisition company) (2020-2022) and FinTech Acquisition Corp. III (special purpose fintech acquisition company) (2018-2021). |
| <br>**Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>President and Founder, The Jan Hopkins Group (communications consulting firm); serves on Alumni Advisory Board of Knight Bagehot Fellowship; and **formerly**, President, Economic Club of New York (2007-2015); Anchor/Correspondent, CNN Financial News (until 2003); Managing Director and Head of Client Communications, Citigroup Private Bank (until 2005); Off-Air Reporter, ABC News' World News Tonight; and Editor, CBS Network News. | <br>**Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>President and Founder, The Jan Hopkins Group (communications consulting firm); serves on Alumni Advisory Board of Knight Bagehot Fellowship; and **formerly**, President, Economic Club of New York (2007-2015); Anchor/Correspondent, CNN Financial News (until 2003); Managing Director and Head of Client Communications, Citigroup Private Bank (until 2005); Off-Air Reporter, ABC News' World News Tonight; and Editor, CBS Network News. | <br>**Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>President and Founder, The Jan Hopkins Group (communications consulting firm); serves on Alumni Advisory Board of Knight Bagehot Fellowship; and **formerly**, President, Economic Club of New York (2007-2015); Anchor/Correspondent, CNN Financial News (until 2003); Managing Director and Head of Client Communications, Citigroup Private Bank (until 2005); Off-Air Reporter, ABC News' World News Tonight; and Editor, CBS Network News. | <br>**Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>President and Founder, The Jan Hopkins Group (communications consulting firm); serves on Alumni Advisory Board of Knight Bagehot Fellowship; and **formerly**, President, Economic Club of New York (2007-2015); Anchor/Correspondent, CNN Financial News (until 2003); Managing Director and Head of Client Communications, Citigroup Private Bank (until 2005); Off-Air Reporter, ABC News' World News Tonight; and Editor, CBS Network News. | <br>**Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>President and Founder, The Jan Hopkins Group (communications consulting firm); serves on Alumni Advisory Board of Knight Bagehot Fellowship; and **formerly**, President, Economic Club of New York (2007-2015); Anchor/Correspondent, CNN Financial News (until 2003); Managing Director and Head of Client Communications, Citigroup Private Bank (until 2005); Off-Air Reporter, ABC News' World News Tonight; and Editor, CBS Network News. |
| Keith E. Mitchell (1954)<br>One Franklin Parkway <br>San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 | Trustee | Since 2011 | 9 |  |
| <br>**Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Director of various boards of asset management firms; and **formerly**, Managing Member, Mitchell, Hartley & Bechtel Advisers, LLC (**formerly**, Mitchell Advisers, LLC) (advisory firm) (2003-2015) and Managing Director, Putman Lovell NBF. | <br>**Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Director of various boards of asset management firms; and **formerly**, Managing Member, Mitchell, Hartley & Bechtel Advisers, LLC (**formerly**, Mitchell Advisers, LLC) (advisory firm) (2003-2015) and Managing Director, Putman Lovell NBF. | <br>**Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Director of various boards of asset management firms; and **formerly**, Managing Member, Mitchell, Hartley & Bechtel Advisers, LLC (**formerly**, Mitchell Advisers, LLC) (advisory firm) (2003-2015) and Managing Director, Putman Lovell NBF. | <br>**Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Director of various boards of asset management firms; and **formerly**, Managing Member, Mitchell, Hartley & Bechtel Advisers, LLC (**formerly**, Mitchell Advisers, LLC) (advisory firm) (2003-2015) and Managing Director, Putman Lovell NBF. | <br>**Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Director of various boards of asset management firms; and **formerly**, Managing Member, Mitchell, Hartley & Bechtel Advisers, LLC (**formerly**, Mitchell Advisers, LLC) (advisory firm) (2003-2015) and Managing Director, Putman Lovell NBF. |

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| | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name, Year of Birth and Address** | **Position** | **Length of Time Served** | **Number of Portfolios <br>in Fund Complex <br>Overseen by <br>Board Member<sup>1</sup>**  | **Other Directorships Held During at Least the Past 5 Years** |
| David W. Niemiec (1949)<br>One Franklin Parkway <br>San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 | Trustee | Since 2015 | 26 | Hess Midstream LP (oil and gas midstream infrastructure) (2017-present). |
| <br>**Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Advisor, Saratoga Partners (private equity fund); and **formerly**, Managing Director, Saratoga Partners (1998-2001) and SBC Warburg Dillon Read (investment banking) (1997-1998); Vice Chairman, Dillon, Read & Co. Inc. (investment banking) (1991-1997); and Chief Financial Officer, Dillon, Read & Co. Inc. (1982-1997). | <br>**Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Advisor, Saratoga Partners (private equity fund); and **formerly**, Managing Director, Saratoga Partners (1998-2001) and SBC Warburg Dillon Read (investment banking) (1997-1998); Vice Chairman, Dillon, Read & Co. Inc. (investment banking) (1991-1997); and Chief Financial Officer, Dillon, Read & Co. Inc. (1982-1997). | <br>**Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Advisor, Saratoga Partners (private equity fund); and **formerly**, Managing Director, Saratoga Partners (1998-2001) and SBC Warburg Dillon Read (investment banking) (1997-1998); Vice Chairman, Dillon, Read & Co. Inc. (investment banking) (1991-1997); and Chief Financial Officer, Dillon, Read & Co. Inc. (1982-1997). | <br>**Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Advisor, Saratoga Partners (private equity fund); and **formerly**, Managing Director, Saratoga Partners (1998-2001) and SBC Warburg Dillon Read (investment banking) (1997-1998); Vice Chairman, Dillon, Read & Co. Inc. (investment banking) (1991-1997); and Chief Financial Officer, Dillon, Read & Co. Inc. (1982-1997). | <br>**Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Advisor, Saratoga Partners (private equity fund); and **formerly**, Managing Director, Saratoga Partners (1998-2001) and SBC Warburg Dillon Read (investment banking) (1997-1998); Vice Chairman, Dillon, Read & Co. Inc. (investment banking) (1991-1997); and Chief Financial Officer, Dillon, Read & Co. Inc. (1982-1997). |
| Valerie M. Williams (1956)<br>One Franklin Parkway <br>San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 | Trustee | Since 2023 | 107 | Omnicom Group, Inc. (advertising and marketing communications services) (2016-present), DTE Energy Co. (gas and electric utility) (2018-present), Devon Energy Corporation (exploration and production of oil and gas) (2021-present); and **formerly**, WPX Energy, Inc. (exploration and production of oil and gas) (2018-2021). |
| **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Director of various companies; and **formerly**, Regional Assurance Managing Partner, Ernst & Young LLP (public accounting) (2005-2016) and various roles of increasing responsibility at Ernst & Young (1981-2005). | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Director of various companies; and **formerly**, Regional Assurance Managing Partner, Ernst & Young LLP (public accounting) (2005-2016) and various roles of increasing responsibility at Ernst & Young (1981-2005). | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Director of various companies; and **formerly**, Regional Assurance Managing Partner, Ernst & Young LLP (public accounting) (2005-2016) and various roles of increasing responsibility at Ernst & Young (1981-2005). | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Director of various companies; and **formerly**, Regional Assurance Managing Partner, Ernst & Young LLP (public accounting) (2005-2016) and various roles of increasing responsibility at Ernst & Young (1981-2005). | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Director of various companies; and **formerly**, Regional Assurance Managing Partner, Ernst & Young LLP (public accounting) (2005-2016) and various roles of increasing responsibility at Ernst & Young (1981-2005). |

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#### Interested Board Members and Officers

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| | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name, Year of Birth and Address** | **Position** | **Length of Time Served** | **Number of Portfolios<br>in Fund Complex Overseen by <br>Board Member<sup>1</sup>** | **Other Directorships Held <br>During at Least the Past <br>5 Years** |
| Gregory E. Johnson<sup>2</sup> (1961)<br>One Franklin Parkway<br>San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 | Trustee | Since 2011 | 124 |  |
| **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Executive Chairman, Chairman of the Board and Director, Franklin Resources, Inc.; officer and/or director or trustee, as the case may be, of some of the other subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc. and of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex; Vice Chairman, Investment Company Institute; and **formerly**, Chief Executive Officer (2013-2020) and President (1994-2015) Franklin Resources, Inc. | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Executive Chairman, Chairman of the Board and Director, Franklin Resources, Inc.; officer and/or director or trustee, as the case may be, of some of the other subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc. and of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex; Vice Chairman, Investment Company Institute; and **formerly**, Chief Executive Officer (2013-2020) and President (1994-2015) Franklin Resources, Inc. | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Executive Chairman, Chairman of the Board and Director, Franklin Resources, Inc.; officer and/or director or trustee, as the case may be, of some of the other subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc. and of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex; Vice Chairman, Investment Company Institute; and **formerly**, Chief Executive Officer (2013-2020) and President (1994-2015) Franklin Resources, Inc. | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Executive Chairman, Chairman of the Board and Director, Franklin Resources, Inc.; officer and/or director or trustee, as the case may be, of some of the other subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc. and of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex; Vice Chairman, Investment Company Institute; and **formerly**, Chief Executive Officer (2013-2020) and President (1994-2015) Franklin Resources, Inc. | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Executive Chairman, Chairman of the Board and Director, Franklin Resources, Inc.; officer and/or director or trustee, as the case may be, of some of the other subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc. and of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex; Vice Chairman, Investment Company Institute; and **formerly**, Chief Executive Officer (2013-2020) and President (1994-2015) Franklin Resources, Inc. |
| Jennifer M. Johnson<sup>3</sup> (1964)<br>One Franklin Parkway<br>San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 | Trustee | Since 2015 | 9 |  |
| **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Chief Executive Officer, President and Director, Franklin Resources, Inc.; officer and/or director or trustee, as the case may be, of some of the other subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc. and of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex; and **formerly**, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, Franklin Resources, Inc. (1994-2015); Executive Vice President of Operations and Technology, Franklin Resources, Inc. (2005-2010); and Senior Vice President, Franklin Resources, Inc. (2003-2005). | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Chief Executive Officer, President and Director, Franklin Resources, Inc.; officer and/or director or trustee, as the case may be, of some of the other subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc. and of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex; and **formerly**, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, Franklin Resources, Inc. (1994-2015); Executive Vice President of Operations and Technology, Franklin Resources, Inc. (2005-2010); and Senior Vice President, Franklin Resources, Inc. (2003-2005). | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Chief Executive Officer, President and Director, Franklin Resources, Inc.; officer and/or director or trustee, as the case may be, of some of the other subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc. and of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex; and **formerly**, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, Franklin Resources, Inc. (1994-2015); Executive Vice President of Operations and Technology, Franklin Resources, Inc. (2005-2010); and Senior Vice President, Franklin Resources, Inc. (2003-2005). | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Chief Executive Officer, President and Director, Franklin Resources, Inc.; officer and/or director or trustee, as the case may be, of some of the other subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc. and of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex; and **formerly**, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, Franklin Resources, Inc. (1994-2015); Executive Vice President of Operations and Technology, Franklin Resources, Inc. (2005-2010); and Senior Vice President, Franklin Resources, Inc. (2003-2005). | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Chief Executive Officer, President and Director, Franklin Resources, Inc.; officer and/or director or trustee, as the case may be, of some of the other subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc. and of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex; and **formerly**, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, Franklin Resources, Inc. (1994-2015); Executive Vice President of Operations and Technology, Franklin Resources, Inc. (2005-2010); and Senior Vice President, Franklin Resources, Inc. (2003-2005). |
| Bjorn A. Davis (1965)<br>100 First Stamford Place<br>Stamford, CT 06902 | Chief <br>Compliance Officer | Since 2024 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
| **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Vice President, Franklin Templeton Global Regulatory Compliance US Advisory Services; Chief Compliance Officer, Franklin Advisers, Inc., Franklin Mutual Advisers LLC, Franklin Templeton Institutional LLC, Templeton Investment Counsel LLC and Templeton Global Advisors Limited (since 2023); **formerly**, Director, Franklin Templeton Global Regulatory Compliance; Chief Compliance Officer, K2 Advisors, LLC and K2/D&S Management Co., LLC (2011 - 2023). | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Vice President, Franklin Templeton Global Regulatory Compliance US Advisory Services; Chief Compliance Officer, Franklin Advisers, Inc., Franklin Mutual Advisers LLC, Franklin Templeton Institutional LLC, Templeton Investment Counsel LLC and Templeton Global Advisors Limited (since 2023); **formerly**, Director, Franklin Templeton Global Regulatory Compliance; Chief Compliance Officer, K2 Advisors, LLC and K2/D&S Management Co., LLC (2011 - 2023). | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Vice President, Franklin Templeton Global Regulatory Compliance US Advisory Services; Chief Compliance Officer, Franklin Advisers, Inc., Franklin Mutual Advisers LLC, Franklin Templeton Institutional LLC, Templeton Investment Counsel LLC and Templeton Global Advisors Limited (since 2023); **formerly**, Director, Franklin Templeton Global Regulatory Compliance; Chief Compliance Officer, K2 Advisors, LLC and K2/D&S Management Co., LLC (2011 - 2023). | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Vice President, Franklin Templeton Global Regulatory Compliance US Advisory Services; Chief Compliance Officer, Franklin Advisers, Inc., Franklin Mutual Advisers LLC, Franklin Templeton Institutional LLC, Templeton Investment Counsel LLC and Templeton Global Advisors Limited (since 2023); **formerly**, Director, Franklin Templeton Global Regulatory Compliance; Chief Compliance Officer, K2 Advisors, LLC and K2/D&S Management Co., LLC (2011 - 2023). | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Vice President, Franklin Templeton Global Regulatory Compliance US Advisory Services; Chief Compliance Officer, Franklin Advisers, Inc., Franklin Mutual Advisers LLC, Franklin Templeton Institutional LLC, Templeton Investment Counsel LLC and Templeton Global Advisors Limited (since 2023); **formerly**, Director, Franklin Templeton Global Regulatory Compliance; Chief Compliance Officer, K2 Advisors, LLC and K2/D&S Management Co., LLC (2011 - 2023). |
| Robert Christian (1963)<br>100 First Stamford Place<br>Stamford, CT 06902 | President and Chief Executive Officer – Investment Management | Since 2024 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
| **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years\*:** <br>Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of the Investment Research & Management, K2 Advisors and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex (effective on or about January 1, 2026, Portfolio Manager of Advisers and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex; Senior Vice President; Head of Absolute Return Portfolio Management, K2 Advisors). | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years\*:** <br>Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of the Investment Research & Management, K2 Advisors and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex (effective on or about January 1, 2026, Portfolio Manager of Advisers and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex; Senior Vice President; Head of Absolute Return Portfolio Management, K2 Advisors). | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years\*:** <br>Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of the Investment Research & Management, K2 Advisors and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex (effective on or about January 1, 2026, Portfolio Manager of Advisers and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex; Senior Vice President; Head of Absolute Return Portfolio Management, K2 Advisors). | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years\*:** <br>Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of the Investment Research & Management, K2 Advisors and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex (effective on or about January 1, 2026, Portfolio Manager of Advisers and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex; Senior Vice President; Head of Absolute Return Portfolio Management, K2 Advisors). | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years\*:** <br>Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of the Investment Research & Management, K2 Advisors and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex (effective on or about January 1, 2026, Portfolio Manager of Advisers and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex; Senior Vice President; Head of Absolute Return Portfolio Management, K2 Advisors). |

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| | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name, Year of Birth and Address** | **Position** | **Length of Time Served** | **Number of Portfolios<br>in Fund Complex Overseen by <br>Board Member<sup>1</sup>** | **Other Directorships Held <br>During at Least the Past <br>5 Years** |
| Susan Kerr (1949)<br>One Madison Avenue <br>New York, NY 10010 | Vice President - AML Compliance | Since 2021 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
| **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Senior Compliance Analyst, Franklin Templeton; Chief Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer, Legg Mason & Co., or its affiliates; Anti Money Laundering Compliance Officer; Senior Compliance Officer, Franklin Distributors, LLC; and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex. | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Senior Compliance Analyst, Franklin Templeton; Chief Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer, Legg Mason & Co., or its affiliates; Anti Money Laundering Compliance Officer; Senior Compliance Officer, Franklin Distributors, LLC; and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex. | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Senior Compliance Analyst, Franklin Templeton; Chief Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer, Legg Mason & Co., or its affiliates; Anti Money Laundering Compliance Officer; Senior Compliance Officer, Franklin Distributors, LLC; and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex. | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Senior Compliance Analyst, Franklin Templeton; Chief Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer, Legg Mason & Co., or its affiliates; Anti Money Laundering Compliance Officer; Senior Compliance Officer, Franklin Distributors, LLC; and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex. | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Senior Compliance Analyst, Franklin Templeton; Chief Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer, Legg Mason & Co., or its affiliates; Anti Money Laundering Compliance Officer; Senior Compliance Officer, Franklin Distributors, LLC; and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex. |
| Christopher Kings (1974)<br>One Franklin Parkway<br>San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 | Chief Executive<br>Officer - Finance and Administration | Since 2024 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
| **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Senior Vice President, Franklin Templeton Services, LLC; and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex. | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Senior Vice President, Franklin Templeton Services, LLC; and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex. | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Senior Vice President, Franklin Templeton Services, LLC; and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex. | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Senior Vice President, Franklin Templeton Services, LLC; and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex. | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Senior Vice President, Franklin Templeton Services, LLC; and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex. |
| Navid J. Tofigh (1972)<br>One Franklin Parkway<br>San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 | Vice President and<br>Secretary | Vice President<br>since 2015 and Secretary since July 2025 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
| **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Senior Associate General Counsel, Franklin Templeton; and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex. | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Senior Associate General Counsel, Franklin Templeton; and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex. | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Senior Associate General Counsel, Franklin Templeton; and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex. | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Senior Associate General Counsel, Franklin Templeton; and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex. | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Senior Associate General Counsel, Franklin Templeton; and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex. |
| Jeffrey W. White (1971)<br>One Franklin Parkway<br>San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 | Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer | Since 2024 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
| **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer & Treasurer and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex; and **formerly**, Director and Assistant Treasurer within Franklin Templeton Global Fund Tax and Fund Administration and Financial Reporting (2017-2023). | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer & Treasurer and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex; and **formerly**, Director and Assistant Treasurer within Franklin Templeton Global Fund Tax and Fund Administration and Financial Reporting (2017-2023). | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer & Treasurer and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex; and **formerly**, Director and Assistant Treasurer within Franklin Templeton Global Fund Tax and Fund Administration and Financial Reporting (2017-2023). | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer & Treasurer and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex; and **formerly**, Director and Assistant Treasurer within Franklin Templeton Global Fund Tax and Fund Administration and Financial Reporting (2017-2023). | **<br>Principal Occupation During at Least the Past 5 Years:** <br>Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer & Treasurer and officer of certain funds in the Franklin Templeton fund complex; and **formerly**, Director and Assistant Treasurer within Franklin Templeton Global Fund Tax and Fund Administration and Financial Reporting (2017-2023). |

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Note 1: Gregory E. Johnson and Jennifer M. Johnson are siblings.

Note 2: Officer information is current as of the date of this SAI. It is possible that after this date, information about officers may change.

1. Information is for the calendar year ended December 31, 2024, unless otherwise noted. We base the number of portfolios on each separate series of the U.S. registered investment companies within the Franklin Templeton fund complex. These portfolios have a common investment manager or affiliated investment managers.

2. Gregory E. Johnson is considered to be an interested person of the Fund under the federal securities laws due to his position as an officer and director of Franklin Resources, Inc. (Resources), which is the parent company of the Fund's investment manager and distributor.

3. Jennifer M. Johnson is considered to be an interested person of the Fund under the federal securities laws due to her position as an officer and director of Resources, which is the parent company of the Fund's investment manager and distributor.

The Trust's independent board members constitute the sole independent board members of three investment companies in the Franklin Templeton complex, for which each independent board member currently is paid a $215,000 annual retainer fee, together with a $7,000 per meeting fee for attendance at regularly scheduled board meetings. A portion of such annual retainer and meeting fees is allocated to the Trust. To the extent held, a $5,000 per meeting fee ($2,000 for meetings via phone) may also be paid for attendance at specially held board meetings, a portion of which is also allocated to the Trust for meetings held jointly with such other investment companies. Ann Torre Bates, who serves as Chairperson of the Board of the Trust and such other investment companies, receives an additional retainer of $80,000 per year for serving as the Chairperson of each such board, a portion of which is allocated to the Trust. Board members who serve on the Audit Committee of the Trust and such other investment companies receive a flat fee of $3,000 per committee meeting attended, a portion of which is allocated to the Trust for meetings held jointly with such other investment companies. David W. Niemiec, who serves as Chair of the Audit Committee of the Trust and such other investment companies, receives an additional retainer of $20,000 per year, a portion of which is allocated to the Trust. Other committee members receive $2,000 for each meeting attended, a portion of which is allocated to the Trust for meetings held jointly with such other investment companies, which includes meetings of independent trustees held in consideration of approval of investment management agreements other than those held during regular board meeting occasions. The following table provides the total fees paid to independent board members by the Trust and by other funds in Franklin Templeton.

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| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name** | **Name** | **Total Fees <br>Received from the <br>Fund <br>($)¹** | **Total Fees <br>Received from <br>Franklin <br>Templeton <br>($)<sup>2</sup>** |
| Ann Torre Bates<sup>3</sup> | Ann Torre Bates<sup>3</sup> | 55793 | 652000 |
| Jan Hopkins Trachtman | Jan Hopkins Trachtman | 51001 | 263000 |
| Keith E. Mitchell | Keith E. Mitchell | 51001 | 263000 |
| David W. Niemiec | David W. Niemiec | 54463 | 611000 |
| Valerie M. Williams | Valerie M. Williams | 54061 | 675000 |
| <sup>1.</sup> | For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2025. | For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2025. | For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2025. |
| <sup>2.</sup> | For the calendar year ended December 31, 2024. | For the calendar year ended December 31, 2024. | For the calendar year ended December 31, 2024. |
| <sup>3.</sup> | Ann Torre Bates is also an independent board member of Franklin Mutual Series Funds and may, in the future, receive payments pursuant to a discontinued retirement plan that generally provides payments to independent board members who have served seven years or longer for the Trust. | Ann Torre Bates is also an independent board member of Franklin Mutual Series Funds and may, in the future, receive payments pursuant to a discontinued retirement plan that generally provides payments to independent board members who have served seven years or longer for the Trust. | Ann Torre Bates is also an independent board member of Franklin Mutual Series Funds and may, in the future, receive payments pursuant to a discontinued retirement plan that generally provides payments to independent board members who have served seven years or longer for the Trust. |

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Independent board members are reimbursed for expenses incurred in connection with attending board meetings and such expenses are paid pro rata by each fund in Franklin Templeton for which they serve as director or trustee. No officer or board member received any other compensation, including pension or retirement benefits, directly or indirectly from the Trust or other funds in Franklin Templeton. Certain officers or board members who are shareholders of Franklin Resources, Inc. (Resources) may be deemed to receive indirect remuneration by virtue of their participation, if any, in the fees paid to its subsidiaries.

Trustees of Franklin Alternative Strategies Funds also constitute all the mutual fund board members of Franklin Mutual Series Funds and Franklin Value Investors Trust and have historically followed a policy of having substantial investments in one or more funds overseen by the Trustees as is consistent with their individual financial goals. This policy has been formalized through adoption of a requirement that each board member invest one-third of fees received for serving as a trustee of Franklin Alternative Strategies Funds, Franklin Mutual Series Funds and Franklin Value Investors Trust (excluding committee fees and special meeting fees) in shares of one or more of such funds or the Franklin Rising Dividends Fund (as of December 31, 2017) until the value of such investments equals or exceeds three times the annual retainer and regular board meeting fees paid to such board member for service on those funds. Up to 25% of the cost of a Trustee's investments in other Franklin Templeton Funds (as of December 31, 2019) is credited toward this investment requirement. Investments in the name of family members or entities controlled by a board member constitute fund holdings of such board member for purposes of this policy, and a phase-in period applies to such investment requirements.

The following tables provide the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by the board members of the Fund on December 31, 2024.

#### Independent Board Members

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Board Member** | **Dollar Range of Equity <br>Securities in the Fund ($)** | **Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in All Funds Overseen by the Board Member in the Franklin Templeton Fund Complex ($)** |
| Ann Torre Bates | Over 100,000 | Over 100,000 |
| Jan Hopkins Trachtman | Over 100,000 | Over 100,000 |
| Keith E. Mitchell |  | Over 100,000 |
| David W. Niemiec |  | Over 100,000 |
| Valerie M. Williams |  | Over 100,000 |

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#### Interested Board Members

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Board Member** | **Dollar Range of Equity <br>Securities in the Fund ($)** | **Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in All Funds Overseen by the Board Member in the Franklin Templeton Fund Complex ($)** |
| Jennifer M. Johnson |  | Over 100,000 |
| Gregory E. Johnson |  | Over 100,000 |

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**Board committees** The board maintains two standing committees: the Audit Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. The Audit Committee is generally responsible for recommending the selection of the Trust's independent registered public accounting firm (auditors), including evaluating their independence and meeting with such auditors to consider and review matters relating primarily to the Trust's financial reports and internal controls. The Audit Committee is comprised of the following independent Trustees of the Trust: Ann Torre Bates, David W. Niemiec (Chair) and Valerie M. Williams. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for nominating candidates for independent board member positions and for consideration of matters relating to corporate

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governance. It is composed of Ann Torre Bates, Jan Hopkins Trachtman (Chair) and Keith Mitchell.

In considering a candidate's qualifications, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee generally considers the potential candidate's educational background, business or professional experience, and reputation. In addition, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee has established as minimum qualifications for board membership as an independent trustee (1) that such candidate be independent from relationships with the Fund's investment manager and other principal service providers both within the terms and the spirit of the statutory independence requirements specified under the 1940 Act and the rules thereunder, (2) that such candidate demonstrate an ability and willingness to make the considerable time commitment, including personal attendance at board and committee meetings, believed necessary to his or her function as an effective board member, and (3) that such candidate have no continuing relationship as a trustee, officer or board member of any open-end or closed-end fund investment company other than those within the Franklin Templeton fund complex or a closed-end business development company primarily investing in non-public entities.

When the board has or expects to have a vacancy, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee receives and reviews information on individuals qualified to be recommended to the full board as nominees for election as board members, including any recommendations by "Qualifying Fund Shareholders" (as defined below). To date, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee has been able to identify, and expects to continue to be able to identify, from its own resources an ample number of qualified candidates. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, however, will review recommendations from Qualifying Fund Shareholders to fill vacancies on the board if these recommendations are submitted in writing and addressed to the Chairperson of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee at the Trust's offices at 101 John F. Kennedy Parkway, Short Hills, NJ 07078-2789 and are presented with appropriate background material concerning the candidate that demonstrates his or her ability to serve as a board member, including as an independent board member, of the Trust. A Qualifying Fund Shareholder is a shareholder who (i) has continuously owned of record, or beneficially through a financial intermediary, shares of the Fund having a net asset value of not less than two hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) during the 24-month period prior to submitting the recommendation; and (ii) provides a written notice to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee containing the following information: (a) the name and address of the Qualifying Fund Shareholder making the recommendation; (b) the number of shares of the Fund which are owned of record and beneficially by such Qualifying Fund Shareholder and the length of time that such shares have been so owned by the Qualifying Fund Shareholder; (c) a description of all arrangements and understandings between such Qualifying Fund Shareholder and any other person or persons (naming such person or persons) pursuant to which the recommendation is being made; (d) the name, age, date of birth, business address and residence address of the person or persons being recommended; (e) such other information regarding each person recommended by such Qualifying Fund Shareholder as would be required to be included in a proxy statement filed pursuant to the proxy rules of the SEC had the nominee been nominated by the board; (f) whether the shareholder making the recommendation believes the person recommended would or would not be an "interested person" of the Trust, as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940 Act); and (g) the written consent of each person recommended to serve as a board member of the Trust if so nominated and elected/appointed.

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may amend these procedures from time to time, including the procedures relating to the evaluation of nominees and the process for submitting recommendations to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

During the fiscal year ended May 31, 2025, the Audit Committee met eight times; the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee met four times.

**Board role in risk oversight** The board, as a whole, considers risk management issues as part of its general oversight responsibilities throughout the year at regular board meetings, through regular reports that have been developed by management, in consultation with the board and its counsel. These reports address certain investment, valuation, liquidity and compliance matters. The board also may receive special written reports or presentations on a variety of risk issues, either upon the board's request or upon the investment manager's initiative. In addition, the Audit Committee of the board meets regularly with the investment manager's internal audit group to review reports on their examinations of functions and processes within Franklin Templeton that affect the Fund.

With respect to investment risk, the board receives regular written reports describing and analyzing the investment performance of the Fund. In addition, the portfolio managers of the Fund meet regularly with the board to discuss portfolio performance, including investment risk. To the extent that the Fund changes a particular investment strategy that could have a material impact on the Fund's risk profile, the board generally is consulted with respect to such change. To the extent that the Fund invests in certain complex securities, including derivatives, the board receives periodic reports containing information about exposure of the Fund to such instruments. In addition, the investment manager's investment risk personnel meet regularly with the board to discuss a

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variety of issues, including the impact on the Fund of the investment in particular securities or instruments, such as derivatives and commodities.

With respect to valuation, the Fund's investment manager provides periodic reports to the board that enable the board to oversee the Fund's investment manager, as the board's Valuation Designee, in monitoring and assessing material risks associated with fair valuation determinations, including material conflicts of interest. In addition, the board reviews the investment manager's performance of an annual valuation risk assessment under which the investment manager seeks to identify and enumerate material valuation risks which are or may be impactful to the Fund including, but not limited to (1) the types of investments held (or intended to be held) by the Fund, giving consideration to those investments' characteristics; (2) potential market or sector shocks or dislocations which may affect the ongoing valuation operations; and (3) the extent to which each fair value methodology uses unobservable inputs. The investment manager reports any material changes to the risk assessment, along with appropriate actions designed to manage such risks, to the board.

With respect to liquidity risk, the board receives liquidity risk management reports under the Fund's Liquidity Risk Management (LRM) Program and reviews, no less frequently than annually, a written report prepared by the LRM Program Administrator that addresses, among other items, the operation of the LRM Program and assesses its adequacy and effectiveness of implementation as well as any material changes to the LRM Program.

With respect to compliance risks, the board receives regular compliance reports prepared by the investment manager's compliance group and meets regularly with the Fund's Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) to discuss compliance issues, including compliance risks. In accordance with SEC rules, the independent board members meet regularly in executive session with the CCO, and the Fund's CCO prepares and presents an annual written compliance report to the board. The Fund's board adopts compliance policies and procedures for the Fund and approves such procedures for the Fund's service providers. The compliance policies and procedures are specifically designed to detect and prevent violations of the federal securities laws.

The investment manager periodically provides an enterprise risk management presentation to the board to describe the way in which risk is managed on a complex-wide level. Such presentation covers such areas as investment risk, reputational risk, personnel risk, and business continuity risk.

**Board structure** A super-majority of board members consist of independent trustees who are not deemed to be "interested persons" by reason of their relationship with the Fund's management or otherwise as provided under the 1940 Act. The Chairperson of the Board is an independent trustee who, in addition to presiding at board meetings also, in consultation with independent counsel when necessary, approves agendas for board meetings and generally acts as a liaison with management with respect to questions and issues raised by the independent trustees. The Chairperson also presides at separate meetings of independent trustees held in advance of each scheduled board meeting where various matters, including those being considered at such board meeting are discussed. The board believes that such structure is appropriate because it helps to assure that proper consideration is given at board meetings to matters deemed important to the Fund and its shareholders.

**Trustee qualifications** Information on the Trust's officers and board members appears above including information on the business activities of trustees during the past five years and beyond. In addition to personal qualities, such as integrity, the role of an effective Fund board members inherently requires the ability to comprehend, discuss and critically analyze materials and issues presented in exercising judgments and reaching informed conclusions relevant to his or her duties and fiduciary obligations. The board believes that the specific background of each trustee evidences such ability and is appropriate to his or her serving on the Trust's board. As indicated, Ann Torre Bates has served as chief financial officer of a major corporation and as a board member of a number of public companies; Jan Hopkins Trachtman has an executive background in communications, including service as an anchor/correspondent for CNN Financial News and was the President of the Economic Club of New York; Keith E. Mitchell has a background in asset management, including service as a managing director of an investment banking firm; David W. Niemiec has served as chief financial officer of a major corporation; Valerie M. Williams has over 35 years of audit and public accounting experience serving numerous global and multi-location companies in various industries; and Gregory E. Johnson and Jennifer M. Johnson are both high ranking executive officers of Franklin Templeton.

**Fair Valuation**

The Fund's board of trustees has designated the investment manager as the board's Valuation Designee to perform fair value determinations for the Fund and to assess any material risks associated with such determinations, including material conflicts of interest, if any. The Valuation Designee also performs an annual valuation risk assessment to identify and enumerate material valuation risks which are or may be impactful to the Fund. The Fund's investment manager and its affiliates have formed a Valuation Committee (VC) to assist these obligations. The VC oversees and administers the policies and procedures governing fair valuation determination of securities. The VC meets monthly to review and approve fair value reports and conduct other business,

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and meets whenever necessary to review potential significant market events and take appropriate steps to adjust valuations in accordance with established policies. The VC also reviews the investment manager's annual valuation risk assessment and provides periodic reports to the board of trustees regarding pricing determinations.

The Fund's policies and procedures governing fair valuation determination of securities have been initially reviewed and approved by the board of trustees and any material amendments will also be reviewed and approved by the board. The investment manager's compliance staff, or another group within Franklin Templeton, conducts periodic reviews of compliance with the policies and provides at least annually a report to the board of trustees regarding the operation of the policies and any material changes recommended as a result of such review.

**Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures** 

The board of trustees of the Fund has delegated the authority to vote proxies related to the portfolio securities held by the Fund to the Fund's investment manager and each Sub-Advisor, in accordance with the Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures (Policies) adopted by the investment manager and each Sub-Advisor. Such Policies are attached as Appendix A to this SAI. Graham Capital, a sub-advisor to the Fund, does not invest in voting securities on behalf of the Fund and, therefore, Graham Capital does not provide proxy voting for the Fund.

Copies of the Fund's proxy voting records are available online at www.franklintempleton.com (search proxy voting records) and posted on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. The proxy voting records are updated each year by August 31 to reflect the most recent 12-month period ended June 30.

**Management and Other Services**

**Investment manager and services provided** The Fund's investment manager is K2/D&S Management Co., L.L.C. (doing business as K2 Advisors), 100 First Stamford Place, Stamford, CT 06902. The investment manager is a wholly owned subsidiary of Resources, a publicly owned company engaged in the financial services industry through its subsidiaries. Charles B. Johnson (former Chairman and Director of Resources) and Rupert H. Johnson, Jr. are the principal shareholders of Resources.

Effective on or about January 1, 2026, the investment management services provided by K2 Advisors and the personnel of K2 Advisors who provide such services to the Fund, will be transferred to Franklin Advisers, Inc. (Advisers), a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of Resources. In particular, Advisers will assume the duties and obligations of K2 Advisors under the Fund's investment management agreement between K2 Advisors and the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and the sub-advisory agreements between K2 Advisors and the unaffiliated sub-advisors with respect to the Fund. Employees of K2 Advisors who currently provide investment management and investment-related services to the Fund will become employees of Advisers and will continue to provide the same investment management and investment-related services to the Fund under the same investment management fee schedule. Upon the transfer of the investment management agreement to Advisers, the current sub-advisory agreement between K2 Advisors and Advisers for the Fund will be terminated. References to Advisers as it relates to the investment manager of the Fund in the remainder of this SAI relate to Advisers and K2 Advisors as the predecessor investment manager.

Effective on or about January 1, 2026, the Fund's investment manager will be Advisers, One Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403.

In connection with managing the investment operations of the Fund, the investment manager has the authority to supervise and direct the Fund's investments and has the discretion to determine from time to time what securities and other investments will be purchased or sold by the Fund and what portion of its assets will be invested or held uninvested as cash. The investment manager also may place orders with or through such brokers, dealers or futures commissions merchants as it may select. In addition, the investment manager has the authority and discretion to discharge and delegate its investment management responsibilities through the appointment of one or more Sub-Advisors. In allocating the Fund's assets, the investment manager has discretion to not allocate any assets to one or more Sub-Advisors at any time.

The investment manager, the Sub-Advisors and their respective affiliates manage numerous other investment companies and accounts. The investment manager or a Sub-Advisor may give advice and take action with respect to any of the other funds it manages, or for its own account, that may differ from action taken on behalf of the Fund. Similarly, with respect to the Fund, the investment manager and the Sub-Advisors are not obligated to recommend, buy or sell, or to refrain from recommending, buying or selling any security that such entity or its access persons, as defined by applicable federal securities laws, may buy or sell for its or their own account or for the accounts of any other fund. The investment manager and the Sub-Advisors are not obligated to refrain from investing in securities held by the Fund or other funds it manages.

The Fund, its investment manager, Sub-Advisors and principal underwriter have each adopted a code of ethics, as required by federal securities laws. Under the code of ethics, employees who are designated as access persons may engage in personal securities transactions, including

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transactions involving securities that are being considered for the Fund or that are currently held by the Fund, subject to certain general restrictions and procedures. The personal securities transactions of access persons of the Fund, its investment manager, Sub-Advisors and principal underwriter will be governed by the code of ethics. The code of ethics is on file with, and available from, the SEC.

**Management fees** Effective March 1, 2024, the Fund pays the investment manager a fee equal to an annual rate based on the Fund's average daily net assets, as listed below:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• 1.70% of the value of net assets up to and including $1 billion;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• 1.65% of the value of net assets over $1 billion up to and including $1.5 billion;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• 1.60% of the value of net assets over $1.5 billion up to and including $3 billion; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• 1.55% of the value of net assets over $3 billion.

Prior to March 1, 2024, the Fund paid the investment manager a fee equal to an annual rate based on the Fund's average daily net assets, as listed below:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• 1.90% of the value of net assets up to and including $1 billion;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• 1.85% of the value of net assets over $1 billion up to and including $1.5 billion;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• 1.80% of the value of net assets over $1.5 billion up to and including $3 billion; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• 1.75% of the value of net assets over $3 billion.

The fee is calculated daily and paid monthly according to the terms of the management agreement. Each class of the Fund's shares pays its proportionate share of the fee.

The investment manager compensates each Sub-Advisor for providing investment advice and analysis and for managing its respective portion of the Fund's assets allocated to it from time to time by the investment manager.

For the last three fiscal years ended May 31, the Fund paid the following management fees:

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| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Fiscal Year** | **Management Fees Earned ($)** | **Management Fees Waived / Expenses Reimbursed ($)** | **Management Fee Paid (After Waivers / Expenses Reimbursed) ($)** |
| 2025 | 9720498 | 1613007 | 8107491 |
| 2024 | 13308902 | 1877142 | 11431760 |
| 2023 | 19725739 | 1833589 | 17892149 |

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The investment manager pays the affiliated and unaffiliated Sub-Advisors a fee. The investment manager pays this fee from the management fees it receives from the Fund.

For the last three fiscal years ended May 31, the following aggregate amount of sub-advisory fees was paid by the investment manager to the unaffiliated Sub-Advisors.

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| |
|:---|
| 2025<br>4832102<sup>1</sup> |
| 2024<br>6384324<sup>2</sup> |
| 2023<br>9131453<sup>3</sup> |

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<sup>1.</sup> The investment manager paid the unaffiliated Sub-Advisors a fee, in the aggregate, equal to an annual rate of 0.92% of the Fund's average net assets. In the aggregate, during the fiscal year K2 Advisors retained, or paid to wholly-owned sub-advisors, $4,888,396, equal to an annual rate of 0.93% (which amounted to 0.66% or $3,448,234 after waivers).

<sup>2.</sup> The investment manager paid the unaffiliated Sub-Advisors a fee, in the aggregate, equal to an annual rate of 0.89% of the Fund's average net assets. In the aggregate, during the fiscal year K2 Advisors retained, or paid to wholly-owned sub-advisors, $6,924,578, equal to an annual rate of 0.96% (which amounted to 0.70% or $5,052,638 after waivers).

<sup>3.</sup> The investment manager paid the unaffiliated Sub-Advisors a fee, in the aggregate, equal to an annual rate of 0.86% of the Fund's average net assets. In the aggregate, during the fiscal year K2 Advisors retained, or paid to wholly-owned sub-advisors, $10,594,286, equal to an annual rate of 0.99% (which amounted to 0.82% or $8,760,696 after waivers).

**Sub-Advisors** Each Sub-Advisor makes investment decisions for the assets it has been allocated to manage, subject to the overall supervision of the investment manager. From time to time, the Fund may have little or no assets allocated to any one particular strategy or Sub-Advisor in light of economic or other conditions, as determined by the investment manager in its sole discretion. The following firms currently serve as Sub-Advisors.

ActusRayPartners Limited (ActusRayPartners), Room 6-8, 40/F Lee Garden One, 33 Hysan Avenue, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, serves as a sub-advisor to a portion of the Fund's portfolio. ActusRayPartners is licensed by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission to engage in asset management activities, and advising on securities, each of which is a regulated activity under the Securities and Futures Ordinance of Hong Kong. ActusRayPartners is a Registered Investment Adviser with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. ActusRayPartners is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ActusRayPartners Holdings Limited. Andrew Alexander, Raymond Chan and Patrick Cheung are directors of ActusRayPartners Limited and ActusRay Partners Holdings Limited.

Apollo Credit Management LLC (Apollo), 9 West 57th Street, 43rd Floor, New York, New York 10019, serves as a sub-advisor to a portion of the Fund's portfolio. Apollo is a limited liability company partnership with one sole member, Apollo Capital Credit Management, LLC. The sole member of Apollo Capital Credit Management, LLC is Apollo Capital Management, L.P. Apollo Capital Management, L.P. has one limited partner, Apollo Management Holdings, L.P. and a

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general partner, Apollo Capital Management GP, LLC, both of which are indirectly controlled by Apollo Global Management, Inc., a publicly traded company.

Capital Fund Management S.A. (CFM), 23 Rue de L'Universié, Paris, France 75007, serves as a sub-advisor to a portion of the Fund's portfolio. CFM is a corporation organized under the laws of France. CFM is owned 70% by its Board Members, 19% by other senior employees, and 11% by NGI Strategic Australia PTY Ltd.

Electron Capital Partners, LLC (Electron), 10 East 3rd Street, 19th Floor, New York, New York 10022, serves as a sub-advisor to a portion of the Fund's portfolio. Electron is 38% owned by founder, Jos Shaver, 42% owned by Managing Partner, Ran Zhou and 10% owned by Neil Choi and Jeff Zheng.

Franklin Advisers, Inc. (Advisers)\*, One Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403, serves as a sub-advisor to a portion of the Fund's portfolio. Advisers is a wholly owned subsidiary of Resources, a publicly owned company engaged in the financial services industry through its subsidiaries. Charles B. Johnson (former Chairman and Director of Resources) and Rupert H. Johnson, Jr. are the principal shareholders of Resources.

Graham Capital Management, L.P. (Graham Capital), 40 Highland Avenue, Rowayton, Connecticut 06853, serves as a sub-advisor to a portion of the Fund's portfolio. Graham Capital was organized as a Delaware limited partnership in May 1994. Graham Capital is majority owned by KGT Investment Partners, L.P. (KGT Investment), a Delaware limited partnership located at 40 Highland Avenue, Rowayton, CT 06853. KGT Investment is ultimately majority owned by Kenneth G. Tropin, Chairman of Graham Capital, and members of his immediate family. The general partner of Graham Capital is KGT, Inc., a Delaware corporation located at 40 Highland Avenue, Rowayton, CT 06853.

Jennison Associates LLC (Jennison), 55 East 52<sup>nd</sup> Street, New York, New York 10055, serves as a sub-advisor to a portion of the Fund's portfolio. Jennison is organized under the laws of Delaware as a single member limited liability company whose sole member is PGIM, Inc. (formerly Prudential Investment Management, Inc.), which is a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of PGIM Holding Company LLC (formerly Prudential Asset Management Holding Company LLC), which is a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of Prudential Financial, Inc., a publicly traded company.

Lazard Asset Management, LLC (Lazard), 30 Rockefeller Plaza, 56th Floor, New York, New York 10112, serves as a sub-advisor to a portion of the Fund's portfolio. Lazard is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Lazard, Inc., a Delaware corporation with shares that are publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "LAZ".

RBC Global Asset Management (UK) Limited (RBC) (formerly, BlueBay Asset Management LLP), 100 Bishopsgate, London, EC2N 4AA United Kingdom, serves as a sub-advisor to a portion of the Fund's portfolio. RBC was formed in October 1998 under the laws of the United Kingdom and is a wholly-owned direct subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada Holdings (U.K.) Limited, a company formed in the UK, and which is, in turn, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Canada.

RBC Global Asset Management (U.S.) Inc. (RBC US), 250 Nicollet Mall, Suite 1550, Minneapolis, MN 55401 serves as a sub-advisor to a portion of the Fund's portfolio and a delegate of its affiliate, RBC. RBC US, a Minnesota corporation, was formed in 1983 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of RBC USA Holdco Corporation, a Delaware corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of RBC U.S. Group Holdings, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, which, in turn, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada.

\*Effective on or about January 1, 2026, Advisers will replace K2 Advisors as the investment manager of the Fund and will cease to be a sub-advisor to the Fund.

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**Portfolio managers** 

The following table identifies the portfolio managers, the number of other accounts (other than the Fund) for which the portfolio managers have day-to-day management responsibilities and the total assets in such accounts, within each of the following categories: registered investment companies, other pooled investment vehicles, and other accounts. For each category, the number of accounts and total assets in the accounts where fees are based on performance are also indicated, as applicable. Unless noted otherwise, all information is provided as of May 31, 2025.

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| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name** | **Type of Account** | **Number of Accounts Managed** | **Total Assets Managed**<br>**(x $1 million)** | **Number of Accounts Managed for which Advisory Fee is Performance- Based** | **Assets Managed for which Advisory Fee is <br>Performance-Based <br>(x $1 million)** |

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| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Robert Christian** | **Registered Investment Companies** | **1**<br>**24**<br>**15** | 341.1<br>**4,319.0**<br>**4,794.7** | **None**<br>**6**<br>**7** | **None**<br>**1,993.7**<br>225.1 |
|  | **Other Pooled Investment Vehicles** | **1**<br>**24**<br>**15** | 341.1<br>**4,319.0**<br>**4,794.7** | **None**<br>**6**<br>**7** | **None**<br>**1,993.7**<br>225.1 |
|  | **Other Accounts** | **1**<br>**24**<br>**15** | 341.1<br>**4,319.0**<br>**4,794.7** | **None**<br>**6**<br>**7** | **None**<br>**1,993.7**<br>225.1 |

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| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Lillian C. Knight** | **Registered Investment Companies** | **None**<br>**16**<br>**6** | **None**<br>**3,694.1**<br>**4,692.8** | **None**<br>**4**<br>**3** | **None**<br>**1,988.3**<br>183.7 |
|  | **Other Pooled Investment Vehicles** | | | | |
|  | **Other Accounts** | | | | |

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| | | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Art Vinokur** | **Registered Investment Companies** | **None**<br>**13**<br>**2** | **None**<br>**3,129.3**<br>**1,903.3** | **None**<br>**6**<br>**None** | **None**<br>**1,689.6**<br>**None** |
|  | **Other Pooled Investment Vehicles** | | | | |
|  | **Other Accounts** | | | | |

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Portfolio managers that provide investment services to the Fund may also provide services to a variety of other investment products, including other funds, institutional accounts and private accounts. The advisory fees for some of such other products and accounts may be different than that charged to the Fund and may include performance based compensation (as noted above, if any). This may result in fees that are higher (or lower) than the advisory fees paid by the Fund. As a matter of policy, each fund or account is managed solely for the benefit of the beneficial owners thereof. As discussed below, the separation of the trading execution function from the portfolio management function and the application of objectively based trade allocation procedures help to mitigate potential conflicts of interest that may arise as a result of the portfolio managers managing accounts with different advisory fees.

*Conflicts.* The management of multiple funds, including the Fund, and accounts may also give rise to potential conflicts of interest if the funds and other accounts have different objectives, benchmarks, time horizons, and fees as the portfolio manager must allocate his or her time and investment ideas across multiple funds and accounts. The investment manager seeks to manage such competing interests for the time and attention of portfolio managers by having portfolio managers focus on a particular investment discipline. Most other accounts managed by a portfolio manager are managed using the same investment strategies that are used in connection with the management of the Fund.

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Accordingly, portfolio holdings, position sizes, and industry and sector exposures tend to be similar across similar portfolios, which may minimize the potential for conflicts of interest. As noted above, the separate management of the trade execution and valuation functions from the portfolio management process also helps to reduce potential conflicts of interest. However, securities selected for funds or accounts other than the Fund may outperform the securities selected for the Fund. Moreover, if a portfolio manager identifies a limited investment opportunity that may be suitable for more than one fund or other account, the Fund may not be able to take full advantage of that opportunity due to an allocation of that opportunity across all eligible funds and other accounts. The investment manager seeks to manage such potential conflicts by using procedures intended to provide a fair allocation of buy and sell opportunities among funds and other accounts.

The structure of a portfolio manager's compensation may give rise to potential conflicts of interest. A portfolio manager's base pay and bonus tend to increase with additional and more complex responsibilities that include increased assets under management. As such, there may be an indirect relationship between a portfolio manager's marketing or sales efforts and his or her bonus.

Finally, the management of personal accounts by a portfolio manager may give rise to potential conflicts of interest. While the funds and the investment manager have adopted a code of ethics which they believe contains provisions designed to prevent a wide range of prohibited activities by portfolio managers and others with respect to their personal trading activities, there can be no assurance that the code of ethics addresses all individual conduct that could result in conflicts of interest.

The investment manager and the Fund have adopted certain compliance procedures that are designed to address these, and other, types of conflicts. However, there is no guarantee that such procedures will detect each and every situation where a conflict arises.

*Compensation.* The investment manager seeks to maintain a compensation program that is competitively positioned to attract, retain and motivate top-quality investment professionals. Portfolio managers receive a base salary, a cash incentive bonus opportunity, an equity compensation opportunity, and a benefits package. Portfolio manager compensation is reviewed annually, and the level of compensation is based on individual performance, the salary range for a portfolio manager's level of responsibility and Franklin Templeton guidelines. Portfolio managers are provided no financial incentive to favor one fund or account over another. Each portfolio manager's compensation consists of the following three elements:

**Base salary** Each portfolio manager is paid a base salary.

**Annual bonus** Annual bonuses are structured to align the interests of the portfolio manager with those of the Fund's shareholders. Each portfolio manager is eligible to receive an annual bonus. Bonuses generally are split between cash (50% to 65%) and restricted shares of Resources stock (17.5% to 25%) and mutual fund shares (17.5% to 25%). The deferred equity-based compensation is intended to build a vested interest of the portfolio manager in the financial performance of both Resources and mutual funds advised by the investment manager. The bonus plan is intended to provide a competitive level of annual bonus compensation that is tied to the portfolio manager achieving consistently strong investment performance, which aligns the financial incentives of the portfolio manager and Fund shareholders. The Chief Investment Officer of the investment manager and/or other officers of the investment manager, with responsibility for the Fund, have discretion in the granting of annual bonuses to portfolio managers in accordance with Franklin Templeton guidelines. The following factors are generally used in determining bonuses under the plan:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• *Investment performance.* Primary consideration is given to the historic investment performance over the 1, 3 and 5 preceding years of all accounts managed by the portfolio manager. The pre-tax performance of each fund managed is measured relative to a relevant peer group and/or applicable benchmark as appropriate.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• *Non-investment performance*. The more qualitative contributions of the portfolio manager to the investment manager's business and the investment management team, including professional knowledge, productivity, responsiveness to client needs and communication, are evaluated in determining the amount of any bonus award.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• *Responsibilities.* The characteristics and complexity of funds managed by the portfolio manager are factored in the investment manager's appraisal.

**Additional long-term equity-based compensation** Portfolio managers may also be awarded restricted shares or units of Resources stock or restricted shares or units of one or more mutual funds. Awards of such deferred equity-based compensation typically vest over time, so as to create incentives to retain key talent.

**Benefits** Portfolio managers also participate in benefit plans and programs available generally to all employees of the investment manager.

*Ownership of Fund shares.* The investment manager has a policy of encouraging portfolio managers to invest in the funds they manage. Exceptions arise when, for example, a fund is closed to new investors or when tax considerations or jurisdictional constraints cause such an investment to be inappropriate for the portfolio manager. The following is the

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dollar range of Fund shares beneficially owned by the portfolio managers (such amounts may change from time to time) as of May 31, 2025:

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| **Portfolio Manager** | **Dollar Range of <br>Fund Shares <br>Beneficially Owned** |
| Robert Christian | $100001 - $500000 |
| Lillian C. Knight | $100001 - $500000 |
| Art Vinokur | $100001 - $500000 |

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**Administrator and services provided** Franklin Templeton Services, LLC (FT Services) has an agreement with the investment manager to provide certain administrative service and facilities for the Fund. FT Services is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Resources and is an affiliate of the Fund's investment manager and principal underwriter.

The administrative services FT Services provides include preparing and maintaining books, records, and tax and financial reports, and monitoring compliance with regulatory requirements.

**Administration fees** The investment manager pays FT Services a monthly fee equal to an annual rate of:

• 0.150% of the Fund's average daily net assets up to and including $200 million;

• 0.135% of the Fund's average daily net assets over $200 million, up to and including $700 million;

• 0.100% of the Fund's average daily net assets over $700 million, up to and including $1.2 billion; and

• 0.075% of the Fund's average daily net assets in excess of $1.2 billion.

For the last three fiscal years ended May 31, the investment manager paid FT Services the following administration fees:

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| | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Fiscal Year** | **Fiscal Year** | **Administration Fees** <br>**Earned ($)** | **Administration Fees** <br>**Waived / Expenses Reimbursed ($)** | **Administration Fees** <br>**Paid (After Waivers / Expenses Reimbursed) ($)** |
| 2025 | 795995 | 795995 | 795995 | 795995 |
| 2024 | 970382 | 970382 | 970382 | 970382 |
| 2023 | 1321010 | 1321010 | 1321010 | 1321010 |

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**Shareholder servicing and transfer agent** Franklin Templeton Investor Services, LLC (Investor Services) is the Fund's shareholder servicing agent and acts as the Fund's transfer agent and dividend-paying agent. Investor Services is located at 100 Fountain Parkway, St. Petersburg, FL 33716. Please send all correspondence to Investor Services at P.O. Box 33030, St. Petersburg, FL 33733.

Investor Services receives a fee for servicing Fund shareholder accounts. The Fund also will reimburse Investor Services for certain out-of-pocket expenses necessarily incurred in servicing the shareholder accounts in accordance with the terms of its servicing contract with the Fund.

In addition, Investor Services may make payments to financial intermediaries that provide administrative services to defined benefit plans. Investor Services does not seek reimbursement by the Fund for such payments.

For all classes of shares of the Fund, except for Class R6 shares, Investor Services may also pay servicing fees, that will be reimbursed by the Fund, in varying amounts to certain financial institutions (to help offset their costs associated with client account maintenance support, statement preparation and transaction processing) that (i) maintain omnibus accounts with the Fund in the institution's name on behalf of numerous beneficial owners of Fund shares who are either direct clients of the institution or are participants in an IRS-recognized tax-deferred savings plan (including Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans and Section 529 Plans) for which the institution, or its affiliate, provides participant level recordkeeping services (called "Beneficial Owners"); or (ii) provide support for Fund shareholder accounts by sharing account data with Investor Services through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC) networking system. In addition to servicing fees received from the Fund, these financial institutions also may charge a fee for their services directly to their clients. Investor Services will also receive a fee from the Fund (other than for Class R6 shares) for services provided in support of Beneficial Owners and NSCC networking system accounts.

**Sub-administrator** The Bank of New York Mellon, Mutual Funds Division, 100 Church Street, New York, NY 10286, has an agreement with FT Services to provide certain sub-administrative services for the Fund. The administrative services provided by The Bank of New York Mellon include, but are not limited to, certain fund accounting, financial reporting, tax, corporate governance and compliance and legal administration services.

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**Securities lending agent** The board of trustees has approved the Fund's participation in a securities lending program. Under the securities lending program, The Bank of New York Mellon serves as the Fund's securities lending agent ("Securities Lending Agent").

For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2025, the income earned by the Fund as well as the fees and/or compensation paid by the Fund (in dollars) pursuant to a securities lending agreement between the Fund and the Securities Lending Agent were as follows (figures may differ from those shown in the Fund's financial statements due to time of availability and use of estimates):

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| | |
|:---|:---|
|  | **($)** |
| **Gross Income earned by the Fund from securities lending activities** | 120744 |
| *Fees and/or compensation paid by the Fund for securities lending activities and related services* |  |
| Fees paid to Securities Lending Agent from revenue split | 3936 |
| Fees paid for any cash collateral management service (including fees deducted from a pooled cash collateral reinvestment vehicle) not included in a revenue split | - |
| Administrative fees not included in a revenue split | - |
| Indemnification fees not included in a revenue split | - |
| Rebate (paid to borrower) | 71473 |
| Other fees not included above<sup>1</sup> | 370 |
| **Aggregate fees/compensation paid by the Fund for securities lending activities** | 75779 |
| **Net income from securities lending activities** | 44965 |

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<br> 1 1. Other fees consist of vendor fees for analytic services provided in connection with the securities lending program.

For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2025, the Securities Lending Agent provided the following services to the Fund in connection with its securities lending activities: (i) entering into loans subject to guidelines or restrictions provided by the Fund; (ii) establishing and maintaining collateral accounts; (iii) monitoring daily the value of the loaned securities and collateral; (iv) seeking additional collateral as necessary from borrowers, and returning collateral to borrowers; (v) receiving and holding collateral from borrowers, and facilitating the investment and reinvestment of cash collateral; (vi) negotiating loan terms; (vii) selecting securities to be loaned subject to guidelines or restrictions provided by the Fund; (viii) recordkeeping and account servicing; (ix) monitoring dividend and proxy activity relating to loaned securities; and (x) arranging for return of loaned securities to the Fund at loan termination.

**Custodian** The Bank of New York Mellon, Mutual Funds Division, 100 Church Street, New York, NY 10286, acts as custodian of the Fund's securities and other assets. As foreign custody manager, the bank selects and monitors foreign sub-custodian banks, selects and evaluates non-compulsory foreign depositories, and furnishes information relevant to the selection of compulsory depositories. It also maintains certain books and records of the Fund that are required by applicable federal regulations.

**Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm** Ernst & Young LLP, 200 Clarendon Street, Boston, MA 02116, is the Fund's independent registered public accounting firm. The independent registered public accounting firm audits the financial statements included in the Fund's Form N-CSR filed with the SEC.

**Fund Records** The accounts, books or other documents required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the 1940 Act and CFTC Regulation 4.23 are kept by the Fund at One Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403-1906, its administrator, FT Services, at One Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403-1906, its sub-administrator and custodian, Bank of New York Mellon, Mutual Funds Division, at 240 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10286, or its shareholder service agent, Investor Services, at 3344 Quality Drive, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670-7313.

**Portfolio Transactions** 

The investment manager and the Sub-Advisors select brokers and dealers to execute the Fund's portfolio transactions in accordance with criteria set forth in the management agreement, sub-advisory agreements and any directions that the board may give.

These agreements direct the investment manager and the Sub-Advisors to use their best efforts to obtain the best execution with respect to all portfolio transactions for the Fund. "Best execution" is the best combination of high quality transaction execution services, taking into account the

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services and products to be provided by the broker or dealer, and low relative commission rates with the view of maximizing value for the Fund and its other clients. For most transactions in equity securities, the amount of commissions paid is negotiated between the investment manager or a Sub-Advisor and the broker executing the transaction. The determination and evaluation of the reasonableness of the brokerage commissions paid are based to a large degree on the professional opinions of the persons within the trading department of the investment manager or Sub-Advisor responsible for placement and review of the transactions. These opinions are based on the experience of these individuals in the securities industry and information available to them about the level of commissions being paid by other institutional investors. The investment manager or a Sub-Advisor may also place orders to buy and sell equity securities on a principal rather than agency basis if it believes that trading on a principal basis will provide best execution. Orders for fixed-income securities are ordinarily placed with market makers on a net basis, without any brokerage commissions. Purchases of portfolio securities from underwriters will include a commission or concession paid to the underwriter, and purchases from dealers will include a spread between the bid and ask price.

The research services that brokers may provide to the investment manager or a Sub-Advisor include, among others, supplying information about particular companies, markets, countries, or local, regional, national or transnational economies, statistical data, quotations and other securities pricing information, and other information that provides lawful and appropriate assistance to the investment manager or a Sub-Advisor in carrying out its investment advisory responsibilities. These services may not always directly benefit the Fund. They must, however, be of value to the investment manager or a Sub-Advisor in carrying out its overall responsibilities to its clients.

It is not possible to place an accurate dollar value on the special execution or on the research services the investment manager or Sub-Advisor receives from dealers effecting transactions in portfolio securities. The allocation of transactions to obtain additional research services allows the investment manager or Sub-Advisor to supplement its own research and analysis activities and to receive the views and information of individuals and research staffs from many securities firms. The receipt of these products and services does not reduce the investment manager's or Sub-Advisor's research activities in providing investment advice to the Fund.

As long as it is lawful and appropriate to do so, the investment manager, Sub-Advisors and their respective affiliates may use this research and data in their investment advisory capacities with other clients.

Because Distributors is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), it may sometimes receive certain fees when the Fund tenders portfolio securities pursuant to a tender-offer solicitation. To recapture brokerage for the benefit of the Fund, any portfolio securities tendered by the Fund will be tendered through Distributors if it is legally permissible to do so. In turn, the next management fee payable to the investment manager will be reduced by the amount of any fees received by Distributors in cash, less any costs and expenses incurred in connection with the tender.

If purchases or sales of securities of the Fund and one or more other investment companies or clients supervised by the investment manager or a Sub-Advisor are considered at or about the same time, transactions in these securities will be allocated among the several investment companies and clients in a manner deemed equitable to all by the investment manager or Sub-Advisor, taking into account the respective sizes of the accounts and the amount of securities to be purchased or sold. In some cases this procedure could have a detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security so far as the Fund is concerned. In other cases it is possible that the ability to participate in volume transactions may improve execution and reduce transaction costs to the Fund.

For the last three fiscal years ended May 31, the Fund paid the following brokerage commissions:

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Brokerage Commissions ($)** | **Brokerage Commissions ($)** | **Brokerage Commissions ($)** |
| **2025** | **2024** | **2023** |
| 413391 | 969281 | 1914903 |

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As of May 31, 2025, the Fund did not own securities of its regular broker-dealers.

Because the Fund may, from time to time, invest in broker-dealers, it is possible that the Fund will own more than 5% of the voting securities of one or more broker-dealers through whom the Fund places portfolio brokerage transactions. In such circumstances, the broker-dealer would be considered an affiliated person of the Fund. To the extent the Fund

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places brokerage transactions through such a broker-dealer at a time when the broker-dealer is considered to be an affiliate of the Fund, the Fund will be required to adhere to certain rules relating to the payment of commissions to an affiliated broker-dealer. These rules require the Fund to adhere to procedures adopted by the board to ensure that the commissions paid to such broker-dealers do not exceed what would otherwise be the usual and customary brokerage commissions for similar transactions.

**Distributions and Taxes**

The following discussion is a summary of certain additional tax considerations generally affecting the Fund and its shareholders, some of which may not be described in the Fund's prospectus. No attempt is made to present a complete detailed explanation of the tax treatment of the Fund or its shareholders. The discussions here and in the prospectus are not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning.

The following discussion is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), and applicable regulations in effect on the date of this SAI, including any amendments to the Code resulting from 2017 legislation commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ("TCJA"). Future legislative, regulatory or administrative changes, including any provisions of law that sunset and thereafter no longer apply, 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. Where indicated below, IRS refers to the United States Internal Revenue Service.

**This is for general information only and not tax advice. All investors should consult their own tax advisors as to the federal, state, local and foreign tax provisions applicable to them.** 

**Multi-class distributions** The Fund calculates income dividends and capital gain distributions the same way for each class. The amount of any income dividends per share will differ, however, generally due to any differences in the distribution and service (Rule 12b-1) fees applicable to the classes and Class R6 transfer agency fees.

**Distributions** The Fund intends to declare and pay income dividends at least annually from its net investment income. Capital gains, if any, may be paid at least annually. The Fund may distribute income dividends and capital gains more frequently, if necessary or appropriate in the board's discretion. The amount of any distribution will vary, and there is no guarantee the Fund will pay either income dividends or capital gain distributions. Your income dividends and capital gain distributions will be automatically reinvested in additional shares at net asset value unless you elect to receive them in cash. Distributions declared in October, November or December to shareholders of record in such month and paid in January are taxable as if they were paid in December.

*Distributions of net investment income.* The Fund receives income generally in the form of dividends and interest on its investments. The Fund may also recognize ordinary income from other sources, including, but not limited to, certain gains on foreign currency-related transactions. This income, less expenses incurred in the operation of the Fund, constitutes the Fund's net investment income from which dividends may be paid to you. If you are a taxable investor, any income dividends (other than qualified dividends) the Fund pays are taxable to you at ordinary income tax rates. A portion of the income dividends paid to you may be qualified dividends eligible to be taxed at reduced rates.

*Distributions of capital gains.* The Fund may realize capital gains and losses on the sale of its portfolio securities.

Distributions of short-term capital gains are taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions of long-term capital gains are taxable to you as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have owned your shares in the Fund. Any net capital gains realized by the Fund (in excess of any available capital loss carryovers) generally are distributed once each year, and may be distributed more frequently, if necessary, to reduce or eliminate excise or income taxes on the Fund.

Capital gain dividends and any net long-term capital gains you realize from the sale of Fund shares are generally taxable at the reduced long-term capital gains tax rates. For single individuals with taxable income not in excess of $48,350 in 2025 ($96,700 for married individuals filing jointly), the long-term capital gains tax rate is 0%. For single individuals and joint filers with taxable income in excess of these amounts but not more than $533,400 or $600,050, respectively, the long-term capital gains tax rate is 15%. The rate is 20% for single individuals with taxable income in excess of $533,400 and married individuals filing jointly with taxable income in excess of $600,050. The taxable income thresholds are adjusted annually for inflation. An additional 3.8% Medicare tax may also be imposed as discussed below.

*Returns of capital.* If the Fund's distributions exceed its earnings and profits (i.e., generally, its taxable income and realized capital gains) for a taxable year, all or a portion of the distributions made in that taxable year may be characterized as a return of capital to you. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce the cost basis in your Fund shares and will result in a higher capital gain or in a lower capital loss when you sell your shares. Any return of capital in excess of the basis in your Fund shares, however, will be taxable as a capital gain. In the case of a non-calendar year fund, earnings and profits are first allocated to distributions made on or before December 31 of its taxable year and then to distributions made thereafter. The effect of

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this provision is to "push" returns of capital into the next calendar year.

*Undistributed capital gains*. The Fund may retain or distribute to shareholders its net capital gain for each taxable year. The Fund currently intends to distribute net capital gains. If the Fund elects to retain its net capital gain, the Fund will be taxed thereon (except to the extent of any available capital loss carryovers) at the applicable corporate tax rate. If the Fund elects to retain its net capital gain, it is expected that the Fund also will elect to have shareholders treated as if each received a distribution of its pro rata share of such gain, with the result that each shareholder will be required to report its pro rata share of such gain on its tax return as long-term capital gain, will receive a refundable tax credit for its pro rata share of tax paid by the Fund on the gain, and will increase the tax basis for its shares by an amount equal to the deemed distribution less the tax credit.

**Investments in foreign securities** The following paragraphs describe tax considerations that are applicable to the Fund's investments in foreign securities.

*Foreign income tax*. Investment income received by the Fund from sources within foreign countries may be subject to foreign income tax withheld at the source and the amount of tax withheld generally will be treated as an expense of the Fund. The United States has entered into tax treaties with many foreign countries, which entitle the Fund to a reduced rate of, or exemption from, tax on such income. Some countries require the filing of a tax reclaim or other forms to receive the benefit of the reduced tax rate; whether or when the Fund will receive the tax reclaim is within the control of the individual country. Information required on these forms may not be available such as shareholder information; therefore, the Fund may not receive the reduced treaty rates or potential reclaims. Other countries have conflicting and changing instructions and restrictive timing requirements which may cause the Fund not to receive the reduced treaty rates or potential reclaims. Other countries may subject capital gains realized by the Fund on sale or disposition of securities of that country to taxation. These and other factors may make it difficult for the Fund to determine in advance the effective rate of tax on its investments in certain countries. Under certain circumstances, the Fund may elect to pass-through certain eligible foreign income taxes paid by the Fund to shareholders, although it reserves the right not to do so. If the Fund makes such an election and obtains a refund of foreign taxes paid by the Fund in a prior year, the Fund may be eligible to reduce the amount of foreign taxes reported by the Fund to its shareholders, generally by the amount of the foreign taxes refunded, for the year in which the refund is received. Certain foreign taxes imposed on the Fund's investments, such as a foreign financial transaction tax, may not be creditable against U.S. income tax liability or eligible for pass through by the Fund to its shareholders.

As a result of several court cases, in certain countries across the European Union, the Fund may have filed additional tax reclaims for previously withheld taxes on dividends earned in those countries ("EU reclaims"). For U.S. income tax purposes, EU reclaims plus interest received by the Fund, if any, reduce the amount of foreign taxes Fund shareholders can use as tax deductions or credits on their income tax returns, if any. Any interest received that offsets such foreign taxes is required to be reported to the shareholder as additional dividend income from the Fund and included in the shareholder's gross income. In the event that EU reclaims received by the Fund during a fiscal year exceed foreign withholding taxes paid by the Fund, and the Fund previously passed through to its shareholders foreign taxes incurred by the Fund to be used as a credit or deduction on a shareholder's income tax return, the Fund will enter into a closing agreement with the IRS in order to pay the associated tax liability on behalf of the Fund's shareholders.

*Pass-through of foreign taxes*. The Fund may be subject to foreign withholding taxes on income or gains from its investments in certain foreign securities. If more than 50% of the Fund's total assets at the end of a fiscal year is invested in foreign securities, the Fund may elect to pass through to you your pro rata share of the foreign taxes paid by the Fund. Both the Fund and you must meet certain holding period requirements in order for you to claim a credit for foreign taxes on foreign source dividends. If a shareholder is a RIC that qualifies as a qualified fund of funds (i.e., a fund at least 50 percent of the value of the total assets of which, at the close of each quarter of the taxable year, is represented by interests in other RICs), such RIC shareholder may elect to pass through to its shareholders each such shareholder's pro rata share of the foreign taxes paid to it. If the Fund elects to pass through foreign taxes, the Fund may report more taxable income to you than it actually distributes because the Fund is required to include the foreign taxes passed through to you as additional dividend income. You will then be entitled either to deduct your share of these taxes in computing your taxable income, or to claim a foreign tax credit for these taxes against your U.S. federal income tax (subject to limitations for certain shareholders). The use of qualified dividends may reduce the otherwise available foreign tax credits on your federal income tax return. The Fund will provide you with the information necessary to claim this deduction or credit on your personal income tax return if it makes this election.

*Effect of foreign debt investments on distributions.* Most foreign exchange gains realized on the sale of debt securities are treated as ordinary income by the Fund. Similarly, foreign exchange losses realized on the sale of debt securities generally are treated as ordinary losses. These gains when distributed are taxable to you as ordinary income, and any losses reduce the Fund's ordinary income otherwise available for distribution to you. This treatment could increase or decrease the Fund's ordinary income distributions to you, and

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may cause some or all of the Fund's previously distributed income to be classified as a return of capital.

*PFIC securities.* The Fund may invest in securities of foreign entities that could be deemed for tax purposes to be passive foreign investment companies (PFICs). In general, a foreign company is classified 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. When investing in PFIC securities, the Fund intends to mark-to-market these securities and recognize any gains at the end of its fiscal and excise (described below) tax years. Deductions for losses are allowable only to the extent of any current or previously recognized gains. These gains (reduced by allowable losses) are treated as ordinary income that the Fund is required to distribute, even though it has not sold the securities. Foreign companies are not required to identify themselves as PFICs. Due to various complexities in identifying PFICs, the Fund can give no assurances that it will be able to identify portfolio securities in foreign corporations that are PFICs in time for the Fund to make a mark-to-market election. If the Fund is unable to identify an investment as a PFIC and thus does not make a mark-to-market election, the Fund may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a portion of any "excess distribution" or gain from the disposition of such shares even if such income is distributed as a taxable dividend by the Fund to its shareholders. Additional charges in the nature of interest may be imposed on the Fund in respect of deferred taxes arising from such distributions or gains.

The Fund's designation of a foreign security as a PFIC security will cause the income dividends of any designated securities to fall outside of the definition of qualified foreign corporation dividends. These dividends generally will not qualify for the reduced rate of taxation on qualified dividends when distributed to you by the Fund.

**Investments in commodities** The Fund intends to hold the commodity-linked derivative investments indirectly through the Subsidiary, a Cayman Islands-based company that is wholly-owned by the Fund. The Fund may also invest directly in commodity-linked notes to gain exposure to the commodity markets. This strategy of investing in commodity-linked derivatives may cause the Fund to realize more ordinary income than would be the case if the Fund invested directly in commodities. Also, these commodity-linked investments and the income earned thereon must be taken into account by the Fund in complying with the distribution, income and asset diversification requirements for taxation as a regulated investment company, as described below.

*Distribution requirement.* The Fund intends to distribute income from the Subsidiary each year to avoid entity-level tax and qualify for taxation as a regulated investment company. The Subsidiary will be classified for federal income tax purposes as a controlled foreign corporation (CFC) with respect to the Fund. As such, the Fund will be required to include in its gross income each year amounts earned by the Subsidiary during that year (subpart F income), whether or not such earnings are distributed by the Subsidiary to the Fund (deemed inclusions). (Net losses incurred by the Subsidiary will not be able to offset income earned by the Fund and cannot be carried back or forward by the Subsidiary to offset income from prior or future years.) Treasury Regulations permit the Fund to treat deemed inclusions as satisfying the Income Requirement (described below) even if the Subsidiary does not make a distribution of such income. Consequently, the Fund and the Subsidiary reserve the right to rely on deemed inclusions being treated as qualifying income to the Fund consistent with such Treasury Regulations. Subpart F income will be distributed by the Fund to shareholders each year as ordinary income and will not be qualified dividends eligible for taxation at long-term capital gain rates in the case of noncorporate investors or eligible for the 50% corporate dividends received deduction in the case of corporate investors.

*Income requirement.* The Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income from qualifying sources for the tax year to qualify as a regulated investment company. Gains from the disposition of commodities, including precious metals, are not considered qualifying income for purposes of satisfying the income requirement. Also, the IRS has issued a revenue ruling which holds that income derived from commodity-linked swaps is not qualifying income under Subchapter M of the Code. As a result, the Fund's ability to directly invest in swaps, futures, and other commodity-linked derivatives to gain exposure to commodities as part of its investment strategy is limited to a maximum of 10% of its gross income. However, the IRS has issued a number of private letter rulings to other mutual funds (on which the Fund cannot rely), which indicate that income from a mutual fund's investment in certain commodity-linked notes and in a wholly-owned foreign subsidiary that invests in commodity-linked derivatives, such as the Subsidiary, constitutes qualifying income. However, the IRS announced that it will no longer issue private letter rulings on questions relating to the treatment of a corporation as a regulated investment company that require a determination of whether a financial instrument or position is a security under section 2(a)(36) of the Investment Company Act of 1940. A financial instrument or position that constitutes a security under section 2(a)(36) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 generates qualifying income for a corporation taxed as a regulated investment company. The IRS's announcement caused it to revoke the portion of any rulings relating to a mutual fund's investment in commodity-linked notes that required such a determination, some of which have been revoked prospectively as of a date agreed upon with the IRS. Treasury regulations treat "Subpart F" income (defined in Section 951 of the Code to include passive income such as income from commodity-linked derivatives) as satisfying the Income Requirement, even if a foreign corporation, such as a Subsidiary, does not make a distribution of such income,

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provided that, in general, such income is derived with respect to the Fund's business of investing in stocks and securities. If a distribution is made, such income will be treated as a dividend by the Fund to the extent that, under applicable provisions of the Code, there is a distribution out of the earnings and profits of the foreign corporation attributable to the distribution.

Accordingly, the extent to which the Fund invests in commodities or commodity-linked derivatives may be limited by the income requirement, which the Fund must continue to satisfy to maintain its status as a regulated investment company. The tax treatment of the Fund and its shareholders in the event the Fund fails to qualify as a regulated investment company is described below under "Election to be taxed as a regulated investment company."

*Asset diversification test.* The Fund must satisfy an asset diversification test at the close of each quarter of the Fund's tax year to qualify as a regulated investment company, including a requirement, among other things, that generally no more than 25% of the value of the Fund's total assets may be invested in the securities of any one issuer. For this purpose, the Fund's investment in the Subsidiary would be considered a security of one issuer. Accordingly, the Fund intends to limit its investment in the Subsidiary to no more than 25% of the value of the Fund's total assets in order to satisfy the asset diversification test.

*Taxation of the Subsidiary.* On the basis of current law and practice, the Subsidiary will not be liable for income tax in the Cayman Islands. Distributions by the Subsidiary to the Fund will not be subject to withholding tax in the Cayman Islands. In addition, the Subsidiary's investment in commodity-linked derivatives and other assets held as collateral are anticipated to qualify for a safe harbor under Code Section 864(b) so that the Subsidiary will not be treated as conducting a U.S. trade or business. Thus, the Subsidiary should not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net basis. However, if certain of the Subsidiary's activities were determined not to be of the type described in the safe harbor (which is not expected), then the activities of the Subsidiary may constitute a U.S. trade or business, or be taxed as such.

In general, a foreign corporation, such as the Subsidiary, that does not conduct a U.S. trade or business is nonetheless subject to tax at a flat rate of 30 percent (or lower tax treaty rate), generally payable through withholding, on the gross amount of certain U.S.-source income that is not effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business, subject to certain exemptions, including among others, exemptions for capital gains, portfolio interest and income from notional principal contracts. It is not anticipated that the Subsidiary will be subject to material amounts of U.S. withholding tax on its portfolio investments in part because it will not earn significant amounts of U.S. source income, which is the basis for the U.S. withholding tax. The Subsidiary intends to properly certify its status as a non-U.S. person to each custodian and withholding agent to avoid U.S. backup withholding requirements discussed below. Additionally, the Subsidiary has registered as a Reporting Cayman Islands Financial Institution under the U.S. Cayman Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) dated November 29, 2013, and intends to comply with its reporting obligations under such IGA and any guidance issued by the Cayman Islands Tax Information Authority. As a result, it will not be subject to withholding under the "Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act."

**Investment in foreign currency contracts.** The Fund's investments in certain options, futures or forward foreign currency contracts to purchase or sell foreign currencies at a future date will be subject to special tax rules. The Fund uses foreign currency contracts primarily to gain exposure to a particular currency. Foreign currency contracts may also be used for other purposes, including as a hedge against fluctuations in foreign exchange rates during the time the Fund holds foreign securities.

*Income requirement.* The Fund intends to treat foreign currency gains as qualifying income. You should be aware, however, that the Treasury Department has statutory authority to issue regulations excluding from the definition of "qualifying income" foreign currency gains not directly related to a regulated investment company's principal business of investing in securities (or options and futures with respect to securities). As of the date of this SAI, no regulations have been issued pursuant to this authorization. Such regulations, if issued, might treat gains from the Fund's foreign currency transactions as nonqualifying income. In the event the Treasury Department issues such regulations, the Fund's board may authorize a significant change in investment strategy or Fund liquidation.

*Asset diversification test.* The Fund's strategy of investing in foreign currencies and instruments on foreign currencies, such as options, futures and forward contracts, might cause the Fund to fail the asset diversification test, resulting in the Fund's failure to qualify as a regulated investment company. The IRS has not issued any guidance on how to apply the asset diversification test to foreign currencies or instruments on foreign currencies. Failure of the asset diversification test might result from a determination by the IRS that the foreign currency positions in which the Fund invests are not securities or, if securities, an IRS determination regarding the identity of the issuer or fair market value of the securities that differs from that made by the Fund.

*Taxation of foreign currency contracts.* Generally, transactions in foreign currencies give rise to ordinary income or loss. This treatment could increase or decrease the Fund's ordinary income distributions to you, and may cause some or all of the Fund's previously distributed income to be classified as a return of capital. An election under Section 988(a)(1)(B) may be available to treat foreign currency gain or loss

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attributable to certain forward, futures and option contracts as capital, including certain foreign currency contracts. For purposes of the mark-to-market rules under the Code, a "foreign currency contract" is a contract which (1) requires delivery of, or settlement of, a foreign currency that is a currency in which positions are also traded through regulated futures contracts, (2) is traded in the interbank market, and (3) is entered into at an arm's-length price determined by reference to the price in the interbank market. If this Section 988(a)(1)(B) election is made, foreign currency contracts are treated as 60% long-term capital gain or loss and 40% short-term capital gain or loss under the Section 1256 mark-to-market rules. All other forward contracts under this 988(a)(1)(B) election would be characterized as capital and generally gain or loss would be recognized when the contract is closed and completed. Other rules apply to foreign currency options, futures or forward contracts that may be part of a straddle or a Section 988 hedging transaction within the meaning of Code Section 988(d).

**Information on the amount and tax character of distributions** The Fund will inform you of the amount of your income dividends and capital gain distributions at the time they are paid, and will advise you of their tax status for federal income tax purposes shortly after the close of each calendar year. The amount of income dividends reported by the Fund to shareholders, consisting of qualified dividend income (which is relevant to U.S. investors) and interest-related and short-term capital gain dividends (which are relevant to non-U.S. investors) may exceed the total amount of income dividends paid. Such characterization will not result in more income being reported to you, but rather will allow the Fund to report dividends in a manner that is more tax efficient to both U.S. and non-U.S. investors. If you have not owned your Fund shares for a full year, the Fund may report and distribute to you:

• as an ordinary income, qualified dividend, or capital gain dividend (a distribution of net long-term capital gains) if you are a U.S. investor, or

• as an interest-related, short-term capital gain, or capital gain dividend if you are a non-U.S. investor

a percentage of income that may not be equal to the actual amount of each type of income earned during the period of your investment in the Fund.

The Fund may at times find it necessary to reclassify income after it issues your tax reporting statement. This can result from rules in the Code that effectively prevent regulated investment companies such as the Fund from ascertaining with certainty until after the calendar year end the final amount and character of distributions the Fund has received on its investments during the prior calendar year. Prior to issuing your statement, the Fund makes every effort to identify reclassifications of income to reduce the number of corrected forms mailed to shareholders. However, when necessary, the Fund will send you a corrected tax reporting statement to reflect reclassified information. If you receive a corrected tax reporting statement, use the information on this statement, and not the information on your original statement, in completing your tax returns.

**Avoid "buying a dividend"** At the time you purchase your Fund shares, the Fund's net asset value may reflect undistributed income, undistributed capital gains, or net unrealized appreciation in the value of the portfolio securities held by the Fund. For taxable investors, a subsequent distribution to you of such amounts, although constituting a return of your investment, would be taxable. This tax treatment is required even if you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares. Buying shares in the Fund just before it declares an income dividend or capital gain distribution is sometimes known as "buying a dividend." For example, if you buy 500 shares in a fund on December 10th at the fund's net asset value (NAV) of $10 per share, and the fund makes a distribution on December 15th of $1 per share, your shares will then have an NAV of $9 per share (disregarding any change in the fund's market value), and you will have to pay a tax on what is essentially a return of your investment of $1 per share.

**Election to be taxed as a regulated investment company** The Fund has elected to be treated as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Code. It has qualified as a regulated investment company for its most recent fiscal year, and intends to continue to qualify during the current fiscal year. As a regulated investment company, the Fund generally pays no federal income tax on the income and gains it distributes to you. In order to qualify for treatment as a regulated investment company, the Fund must satisfy the requirements described below.

*Distribution requirement.* The Fund must distribute an amount equal to the sum of at least 90% of its investment company taxable income and 90% of its net tax-exempt income, if any, for the tax year (including, for purposes of satisfying this distribution requirement, certain distributions made by the Fund after the close of its taxable year that are treated as made during such taxable year).

*Income requirement.* The Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income from dividends, interest, certain payments with respect to securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including, but not limited to, gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived from its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies and net income derived from qualified publicly traded partnerships (QPTPs).

*Asset diversification test.* The Fund must satisfy the following asset diversification test at the close of each quarter of the

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Fund's tax year: (1) at least 50% of the value of the Fund's assets must consist of cash and 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 or securities of other regulated investment companies) or of 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 QPTPs.

In some circumstances, the character and timing of income realized by the Fund for purposes of the income requirement or the identification of the issuer for purposes of the asset diversification test is uncertain under current law with respect to a particular investment, and an adverse determination or future guidance by the IRS with respect to such type of investment may adversely affect the Fund's ability to satisfy these requirements. In other circumstances, the Fund may be required to sell portfolio holdings in order to meet the income requirement, distribution requirement, or asset diversification test, which may have a negative impact on the Fund's income and performance. In lieu of potential disqualification, the Fund is permitted to pay a tax for certain failures to satisfy the asset diversification test or income requirement, which, in general, are limited to those due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect.

If for any taxable year the Fund does not qualify as a regulated investment company, all of its taxable income (including its net capital gain) would be subject to tax at the applicable corporate tax rate without any deduction for dividends paid to shareholders, and the dividends would be taxable to the shareholders as ordinary income (or possibly as qualified dividend income) to the extent of the Fund's current and accumulated earnings and profits. Failure to qualify as a regulated investment company, subject to savings provisions for certain qualification failures, which, in general, are limited to those due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, would thus have a negative impact on the Fund's income and performance. In that case, the Fund would be liable for federal, and possibly state, corporate taxes on its taxable income and gains, and distributions to you would be taxed as dividend income to the extent of the Fund's earnings and profits. Even if such savings provisions apply, the Fund may be subject to a monetary sanction of $50,000 or more. Moreover, the board reserves the right not to maintain the qualification of the Fund as a regulated investment company if it determines such a course of action to be beneficial to shareholders.

**Capital loss carryovers** The capital losses of the Fund, if any, do not flow through to shareholders. Rather, the Fund may use its capital losses, subject to applicable limitations, to offset its capital gains without being required to pay taxes on or distribute to shareholders such gains that are offset by the losses. If the Fund has a "net capital loss" (that is, capital losses in excess of capital gains), the excess (if any) of the Fund's net short-term capital losses over its net long-term capital gains is treated as a short-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund's next taxable year, and the excess (if any) of the Fund's net long-term capital losses over its net short-term capital gains is treated as a long-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund's next taxable year. Any such net capital losses of the Fund that are not used to offset capital gains may be carried forward indefinitely, subject to certain limitations, to reduce any future capital gains realized by the Fund in succeeding taxable years.

#### Excise tax distribution requirements
*Required distributions.* To avoid federal excise taxes, the Code requires the Fund to distribute to you by December 31 of each year, at a minimum, the following amounts:

• 98% of its taxable ordinary income earned during the calendar year;

• 98.2% of its capital gain net income earned during the 12-month period ending October 31; and

• 100% of any undistributed amounts of these categories of income or gain from the prior year.

The Fund intends to declare and pay these distributions in December (or to pay them in January, in which case you must treat them as received in December), but can give no assurances that its distributions will be sufficient to eliminate all taxes.

*Tax reporting for income and excise tax years.* Because the periods for measuring a regulated investment company's income are different for income (determined on a fiscal year basis) and excise tax years (determined as noted above), special rules are required to calculate the amount of income earned in each period, and the amount of earnings and profits needed to support that income. For example, if the Fund uses the excise tax period ending on October 31 as the measuring period for calculating and paying out capital gain net income and realizes a net capital loss between November 1 and the end of the Fund's fiscal year, the Fund may calculate its earnings and profits without regard to such net capital loss in order to make its required distribution of capital gain net income for excise tax purposes. The Fund also may elect to treat part or all of any "qualified late year loss" as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in determining the Fund's taxable income, net capital gain, net short-term capital gain, and earnings and profits. The effect of this election is to treat any such "qualified late year loss" as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year, which may

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change the timing, amount, or characterization of Fund distributions.

A "qualified late year loss" includes (i) any net capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year, or, if there is no such loss, any net long-term capital loss or any net short-term capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year ("post-October capital losses"), and (ii) the sum of (1) the excess, if any, of (a) specified losses incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year, over (b) specified gains incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year and (2) the excess, if any, of (a) ordinary losses incurred after December 31 of the current taxable year, over (b) the ordinary income incurred after December 31 of the current taxable year. The terms "specified losses" and "specified gains" mean ordinary losses and gains from the sale, exchange, or other disposition of property (including the termination of a position with respect to such property), foreign currency losses and gains, and losses and gains resulting from holding stock in a passive foreign investment company (PFIC) for which a mark-to-market election is in effect. The terms "ordinary losses" and "ordinary income" mean other ordinary losses and income that are not described in the preceding sentence. Special rules apply to a fund with a fiscal year ending in November or December that elects to use its taxable year for determining its capital gain net income for excise tax purposes. The Fund may only elect to treat any post-October capital loss, specified gains and specified losses incurred after October 31 as if it had been incurred in the succeeding year in determining its taxable income for the current year.

Because these rules are not entirely clear, the Fund may be required to interpret the "qualified late-year loss" and other rules relating to these different year-ends to determine its taxable income and capital gains. The Fund's reporting of income and its allocation between different taxable and excise tax years may be challenged by the IRS, possibly resulting in adjustments in the income reported by the Fund on its tax returns and/or by the Fund to you on your year-end tax statements.

**Medicare tax** An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on net investment income earned by certain individuals, estates and trusts. "Net investment income," for these purposes, means investment income, including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from the Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares, reduced by the deductions properly allocable to such income. In the case of an individual, the tax will be imposed on the lesser of (1) the shareholder's net investment income or (2) the amount by which the shareholder's modified adjusted gross income exceeds $250,000 (if the shareholder is married and filing jointly or a surviving spouse), $125,000 (if the shareholder is married and filing separately) or $200,000 (in any other case). Any liability for this additional Medicare tax is reported by you on, and paid with, your federal income tax return.

**Sales of Fund shares** Sales and exchanges of Fund shares are generally taxable transactions for federal and state income tax purposes. If you sell your Fund shares, or exchange them for shares of a different Franklin Templeton or Legg Mason fund, you are required to report any gain or loss on your sale or exchange. If you owned your shares as a capital asset, any gain or loss that you realize is a capital gain or loss, and is long-term or short-term, depending on how long you owned your shares. Under current law, shares held one year or less are short-term and shares held more than one year are long-term. The conversion of shares of one class into another class of the same fund is not a taxable exchange for federal income tax purposes. Capital losses in any year are deductible only to the extent of capital gains plus, in the case of a noncorporate taxpayer, $3,000 of ordinary income.

*Sales at a loss within six months of purchase.* Any loss incurred on the sale or exchange of Fund shares owned for six months or less is treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any long-term capital gains distributed to you by the Fund on those shares.

*Wash sales.* All or a portion of any loss that you realize on the sale or exchange of your Fund shares will be disallowed to the extent that you buy other shares in the Fund (through reinvestment of dividends or otherwise) within 30 days before or after your sale or exchange. Any loss disallowed under these rules will be added to your tax basis in the new shares.

*Deferral of basis.* In reporting gain or loss on the sale of your Fund shares, you may be required to adjust your basis in the shares you sell under the following circumstances:

IF:

• In your original purchase of Fund shares, you paid a sales charge and received a reinvestment right (the right to reinvest your sales proceeds at a reduced or with no sales charge), and

• You sell some or all of your original shares within 90 days of their purchase, and

• You reinvest the sales proceeds in the Fund or in another Franklin Templeton fund by January 31 of the calendar year following the calendar year in which the disposition of the original shares occurred, and the sales charge that would otherwise apply is reduced or eliminated;

THEN: In reporting any gain or loss on your sale, all or a portion of the sales charge that you paid for your original shares is excluded from your tax basis in the shares sold and added to your tax basis in the new shares.

*Reportable transactions.* Under Treasury regulations, if a shareholder recognizes a loss with respect to the Fund's shares of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or

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$10 million or more for a corporate shareholder (or certain greater amounts over a combination of years), the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. 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.

**Cost basis reporting** The Fund is required to report the cost basis of Fund shares sold or exchanged to you and the IRS annually. The cost basis of Fund shares acquired by purchase will generally be based on the amount paid for the shares, including any front-end sales charges, and then may be subsequently adjusted for other applicable transactions as required by the Code. The difference between the selling price and the cost basis of Fund shares generally determines the amount of the capital gain or loss realized on the sale or exchange of Fund shares. Capital gains and losses on the sale or exchange of Fund shares are generally taxable transactions for federal and state income tax purposes.

Cost basis reporting is generally required for Fund shares that are acquired by purchase, gift, inheritance or other transfer (referred to as "covered shares"), and subsequently sold or exchanged. Cost basis reporting does not apply to shares held in money market funds that maintain a stable $1 net asset value and tax-deferred accounts, such as individual retirement accounts and qualified retirement plans.

*Cost basis methods*. Treasury regulations permit the use of several methods to determine the cost basis of mutual fund shares. The method used will determine which specific shares are treated as sold or exchanged when there are multiple purchases at different prices and the entire position is not sold at one time.

The Fund's default method is the average cost method. Under the average cost method, the cost basis of your Fund shares will be determined by averaging the cost basis of all outstanding shares. The holding period for determining whether gains and losses are short-term or long-term is based on the first-in-first-out method (FIFO) which treats the earliest shares acquired as those first sold or exchanged.

If you wish to select a different cost basis method, or choose to specifically identify your shares at the time of each sale or exchange, you must contact the Fund. However, once a shareholder has sold or exchanged covered shares from the shareholder's account, a change by the shareholder from the average cost method to another permitted method will only apply prospectively to shares acquired after the date of the method change.

Under the specific identification method, Treasury regulations require that you adequately identify the tax lots of Fund shares to be sold, exchanged or transferred at the time of each transaction. An adequate identification is made by providing the dates that the shares were originally acquired and the number of shares to be sold, exchanged or transferred from each applicable tax lot. Alternatively, an adequate identification of shares may be made with a standing order of instruction on your account. If you do not provide an adequate identification the Fund is required to use the FIFO method with any shares with an unknown acquisition date treated as sold or exchanged first.

The Fund does not recommend any particular cost basis method and the use of other methods may result in more favorable tax consequences for some shareholders. It is important that you consult with your tax or financial advisor to determine which method is best for you and then notify the Fund if you intend to use a method other than average cost.

If your account is held by your financial advisor or other broker-dealer, that firm may select a different cost basis default method. In these cases, please contact the firm to obtain information with respect to the available methods and elections for your account.

*Important limitations regarding cost basis information.* The Fund will report the cost basis of your Fund shares by taking into account all of the applicable adjustments required by the Code for purposes of reporting cost basis information to shareholders and the IRS annually. However the Fund is not required, and in many cases the Fund does not possess the information, to take all possible basis, holding period or other adjustments into account in reporting cost basis information to you. Therefore, shareholders should carefully review the cost basis information provided by the Fund, whether this information is provided with respect to covered or noncovered shares, and make any additional basis, holding period or other adjustments that are required by the Code when reporting these amounts on their federal and state income tax returns. Shareholders remain solely responsible for complying with all federal and state income tax laws when filing their income tax returns.*

*Additional information about cost basis reporting.* For additional information about cost basis reporting, including the methods and elections available to you, please contact Franklin Templeton at (800) DIAL BEN/342-5236. Additional information is also available on www.franklintempleton.com/costbasis.

**Tax certification and backup withholding** Tax laws require that you certify your tax information when you become an investor in the Fund. For U.S. citizens and resident aliens, this certification is made on IRS Form W-9. Under these laws, you may be subject to federal backup withholding at 24%, and state backup withholding may also apply, on a portion of your taxable distributions and sales proceeds unless you:

• provide your correct Social Security or taxpayer identification number,

• certify that this number is correct,

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• certify that you are not subject to backup withholding, and

• certify that you are a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien).

The Fund must also withhold if the IRS instructs it to do so. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder's U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the appropriate information is furnished to the IRS. Certain payees and payments are exempt from backup withholding and information reporting.

**U.S. government securities** The income earned on certain U.S. government securities is exempt from state and local personal income taxes if earned directly by you. States also grant tax-free status to mutual fund dividends paid to you from interest earned on these securities, subject in some states to minimum investment or reporting requirements that must be met by the Fund. The income on Fund investments in certain securities, such as repurchase agreements, commercial paper and federal agency-backed obligations (e.g., Ginnie Mae and Fannie Mae securities), generally does not qualify for tax-free treatment. The rules on exclusion of this income are different for corporations.

**Qualified dividends and the corporate dividends-received deduction** For individual shareholders, a portion of the dividends paid by the Fund may be qualified dividend income eligible for taxation at long-term capital gain tax rates. For single individuals with taxable income not in excess of $48,350 in 2025 ($96,700 for married individuals filing jointly), the long-term capital gains tax rate is 0%. For single individuals and joint filers with taxable income in excess of these amounts but not more than $533,400 or $600,050, respectively, the long-term capital gains tax rate is 15%. The rate is 20% for single individuals with taxable income in excess of $533,400 and married individuals filing jointly with taxable income in excess of $600,050. An additional 3.8% Medicare tax may also be imposed as discussed above.

"Qualified dividend income" means dividends paid to the Fund (a) by domestic corporations, (b) by foreign corporations that are either (i) incorporated in a possession of the United States, or (ii) are eligible for benefits under certain income tax treaties with the United States that include an exchange of information program, or (c) with respect to stock of a foreign corporation that is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States. Both the Fund and the investor must meet certain holding period requirements to qualify Fund dividends for this treatment. Specifically, the Fund must hold the stock for at least 61 days during the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the stock becomes ex-dividend (or in the case of certain preferred stocks, for at least 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before the stock becomes ex-dividend). Similarly, investors must hold their Fund shares for at least 61 days during the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the Fund distribution goes ex-dividend. Income derived from investments in derivatives, fixed-income securities, U.S. REITs, PFICs, and income received "in lieu of" dividends in a securities lending transaction generally is not eligible for treatment as qualified dividend income. If the qualified dividend income received by the Fund is equal to or greater than 95% of the Fund's gross income (exclusive of net capital gain) in any taxable year, all of the ordinary income dividends paid by the Fund will be qualified dividend income.

While the income received in the form of a qualified dividend is taxed at the same rates as long-term capital gains, such income will not be considered a long-term capital gain for other federal income tax purposes. For example, you will not be allowed to offset your long-term capital losses against qualified dividend income on your federal income tax return. Any qualified dividend income that you elect to be taxed at these reduced rates also cannot be used as investment income in determining your allowable investment interest expense.

For corporate shareholders, a portion of the dividends paid by the Fund may qualify for the corporate dividends-received deduction. This deduction generally is available to corporations for dividends paid by a fund out of income earned on its investments in domestic corporations. The availability of the dividends-received deduction is subject to certain holding period and debt financing restrictions that apply to both the Fund and the investor. Specifically, the amount that the Fund may report as eligible for the dividends-received deduction will be reduced or eliminated if the shares on which the dividends earned by the Fund were debt-financed or held by the Fund for less than a minimum period of time, generally 46 days during a 91-day period beginning 45 days before the stock becomes ex-dividend. Similarly, if your Fund shares are debt-financed or held by you for less than a 46-day period then the dividends-received deduction for Fund dividends on your shares may also be reduced or eliminated. Income derived by the Fund from investments in derivatives, fixed-income and foreign securities generally is not eligible for this treatment.

Each year the Fund will report to shareholders the portion of the income dividends paid by the Fund that are eligible for treatment as qualified dividend income, if any, and for the corporate dividends-received deduction, if any. The amounts reported to shareholders may vary significantly each year depending on the particular mix of the Fund's investments. If the percentage of qualified dividend income or dividend income eligible for the corporate dividends-received deduction is quite small, the Fund reserves the right to not report the small percentage of qualified dividend income for individuals or income eligible for the corporate dividends-received deduction for corporations.

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**Investment in complex securities** The Fund's investment in certain complex securities could subject it to one or more special tax rules (including, but not limited to, the wash sale rules), which may affect whether gains and losses recognized by the Fund are treated as ordinary or capital or as short-term or long-term, accelerate the recognition of income or gains to the Fund, defer losses to the Fund, and cause adjustments to the holding periods of the Fund's securities. These rules, therefore, could affect the amount, timing and/or tax character of the Fund's distributions to shareholders. Moreover, because the tax rules applicable to complex securities, including derivative financial instruments, are in some cases uncertain under current law, an adverse determination or future guidance by the IRS with respect to these rules (which determination or guidance could be retroactive) may affect whether the Fund has made sufficient distributions and otherwise satisfied the relevant requirements to maintain its qualification as a regulated investment company and avoid a fund-level tax. Set forth below is a general description of the tax treatment of certain types of securities, investment techniques and transactions that may apply to a fund; therefore, this section should be read in conjunction with the discussion above under "Goals, Strategies and Risks" for a detailed description of the various types of securities and investment techniques that apply to the Fund.

*In general.* Gain or loss recognized by the Fund on the sale or other disposition of its portfolio investments will generally be capital gain or loss. Such capital gain and loss may be long-term or short-term depending, in general, upon the length of time a particular investment position is maintained and, in some cases, upon the nature of the transaction. Portfolio investments held for more than one year generally will be eligible for long-term capital gain or loss treatment.

*Derivatives.* The Fund may invest in certain derivative contracts, including some or all of the following types of investments: options on securities and securities indices; financial and futures contracts; options on financial or futures contracts and stock index futures; foreign currency contracts; and forward and futures contracts on foreign currencies. The tax treatment of certain forward and futures contracts entered into by the Fund, as well as listed non-equity options written or purchased by the Fund on U.S. exchanges (including options on futures contracts, broad-based equity indices and debt securities), may be governed by section 1256 of the Code ("section 1256 contracts"). Gains or losses on section 1256 contracts generally are considered 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gains or losses ("60/40"), although certain foreign currency gains and losses from such contracts may be treated as ordinary in character. Also, any section 1256 contracts held by the Fund at the end of each taxable year (and, for purposes of the 4% excise tax, on certain other dates as prescribed under the Code) are "marked to market" with the result that unrealized gains or losses are treated as though they were realized and the resulting gain or loss is treated as ordinary or 60/40 gain or loss, as applicable, even though the Fund continues to hold the contracts. The Fund may be required to distribute this income and gains annually in order to avoid income or excise taxes on the Fund. Section 1256 contracts do not include any interest rate swap, currency swap, basis swap, interest rate cap, interest rate floor, commodity swap, equity swap, equity index swap, credit default swap, or similar agreement.

*Investments in commodities - commodity-linked derivatives.* The Fund may gain exposure to commodities through futures, swaps and other commodity-linked derivatives, including exchange traded funds (ETFs) and exchange traded notes (ETNs), the return on which is linked to a commodity or commodity index. Gains from the disposition of commodities, including precious metals, will neither be considered qualifying income for purposes of satisfying the income requirement nor qualifying assets for purposes of satisfying the asset diversification test for qualification as a regulated investment company. Also, the IRS has issued a revenue ruling which holds that income derived from commodity-linked swaps is not qualifying income for purposes of the income requirement. However, in a subsequent revenue ruling, as well as in a number of follow-on private letter rulings issued to other taxpayers, the IRS provides that income from certain alternative investments which create commodity exposure, such as certain commodity index-linked or structured notes or a corporate subsidiary that invests in commodities, may be considered qualifying income under the Code. However the IRS announced that it will no longer issue private letter rulings on questions relating to the treatment of a corporation as a RIC that require a determination of whether a financial instrument or position, such as a commodity-linked or structured note, is a security under section 2(a)(36) of the Investment Company Act of 1940. A financial instrument or position that constitutes a security under section 2(a)(36) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 generates qualifying income for a corporation taxed as a regulated investment company. The IRS's announcement caused it to revoke the portion of any rulings relating to a mutual fund's investment in commodity-linked notes that required such a determination, some of which have been revoked prospectively as of a date agreed upon with the IRS. In addition, the Fund may gain exposure to commodities through investment in QPTPs, such as an ETF that is classified as a partnership and which invests in commodities, or through investment in a wholly-owned subsidiary that is treated as a controlled foreign corporation for federal income tax purposes. Treasury regulations treat "Subpart F" income (defined in Section 951 of the Code to include passive income such as income from commodity-linked derivatives) as satisfying the Income Requirement, even if a foreign corporation, such as a Subsidiary, does not make a distribution of such income, provided that, in general, such income is derived with respect to the Fund's business of investing in stocks and securities. If a distribution is made,

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such income will be treated as a dividend by the Fund to the extent that, under applicable provisions of the Code, there is a distribution out of the earnings and profits of the foreign corporation attributable to the distribution. Accordingly, the extent to which the Fund invests in commodities or commodity-linked derivatives may be limited by the income requirement and the asset diversification test, which the Fund must continue to satisfy to maintain its status as a regulated investment company. The Fund also may be limited in its ability to sell its investments in commodities and commodity-linked derivatives, or be forced to sell other investments to generate income due to the income requirement. In lieu of potential disqualification, the Fund is permitted to pay a tax for certain failures to satisfy the asset diversification test or income requirement, which, in general, are limited to those due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect. See "Investments in commodities" with respect to investment in the Subsidiary and commodity-linked notes.

*Short selling and constructive sales.* The Fund's entry into certain derivative instruments, including options, forward contracts, futures and short sale transactions could be treated as the "constructive sale" of an "appreciated financial position," causing it to realize gain, but not loss, on the position.

*Securities lending transactions.* The Fund may obtain additional income by lending its securities, typically to brokers. All amounts that are paid to the Fund in a securities lending transaction, including substitute dividend or interest payments, are treated as a "fee" for the temporary use of property. As a result, any substitute dividend payments received by the Fund are neither qualified dividend income eligible for taxation at reduced long-term capital gain rates in the case of individual shareholders nor eligible for the corporate dividends received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders. Similarly, any foreign tax withheld on payments made "in lieu of" dividends or interest will not qualify for the pass-through of foreign taxes to shareholders.

*Tax straddles.* If the Fund invests in certain derivative instruments, if it actively trades stock or otherwise acquires a position with respect to substantially similar or related property in connection with certain hedging transactions, or if it engages in spread, straddle or collar transactions, it could be deemed to hold offsetting positions in securities. If the Fund's risk of loss with respect to specific securities in its portfolio is substantially diminished by the fact that it holds offsetting securities, the Fund could be deemed to have entered into a tax "straddle" or to hold a "successor position" that would require any loss realized by it to be deferred for tax purposes.

*Synthetic convertible securities.* The Fund is permitted to invest in synthetic convertible securities, which are comprised of two distinct security components, for example, a nonconvertible fixed income security and warrants or stock or stock index call options. When combined, these investments achieve the same economic effect as an investment in a traditional convertible security: a desired income stream and the right to acquire shares of the underlying equity security. Even though these securities are economically equivalent to traditional convertible securities, each security forming part of such an investment is analyzed separately, and the tax consequences of an investment in the component parts of these securities could differ from those of an investment in a traditional convertible security.

*Structured investments.* The Fund may invest in instruments that are designed to restructure the investment characteristics of a security or securities, such as certain structured notes, swap contracts, or swaptions. By investing in these securities, the Fund could be subject to tax consequences that differ from those of an investment in traditional debt or equity securities.

*Credit-linked securities.* The Fund may enter into credit-linked securities including debt securities represented by an interest in or collateralized by one or more corporate debt obligations, or into credit default swap agreements. The rules governing the tax aspects of credit-linked securities that provide for contingent nonperiodic payments of this type are in a developing stage and are not entirely clear in certain aspects. Accordingly, while the Fund intends to account for such transactions in a manner that it deems to be appropriate, the IRS might not accept such treatment, and may require the Fund to modify its treatment of these investments. Certain requirements that must be met under the Code in order for the Fund to qualify as a regulated investment company may limit the extent to which the Fund will be able to engage in credit default swap agreements.

*Equity-linked notes.* The Fund may invest in equity-linked notes (ELNs), which are hybrid derivative-type instruments that are specially designed to combine the characteristics of one or more reference securities and a related equity derivative in a single note form. ELNs are available with an assortment of features. The tax rules applicable to these instruments are uncertain under current law and necessarily rely on general tax principles and the tax treatment of similar instruments. For federal income tax purposes, principal unprotected ELNs will generally be characterized as either a financial contract to purchase the reference asset (e.g. prepaid forward contract) or a combination of a deposit of cash with the issuer and an option with respect to the reference asset. Principal protected ELNs will generally be characterized as contingent payment debt obligations. Under this later treatment, the Fund would be required to accrue original issue discount (OID) as interest income on the ELNs in each year that it holds the ELNs based on the yield of comparable fixed rate debt instruments. In addition, any gain recognized by the Fund on the sale or exchange, or at maturity, of such ELNs generally would be treated as ordinary income. Other tax treatments may apply.

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Investments in Partnerships and Qualified Publicly Traded Partnerships (QPTPs). For purposes of the income requirement, income derived by the Fund from a partnership that is not a QPTP will be treated as qualifying income only to the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership that would be qualifying income if realized directly by the Fund. While the rules are not entirely clear with respect to the Fund investing in a partnership outside a master-feeder structure, for purposes of testing whether the Fund satisfies the asset diversification test, the Fund generally is treated as owning a pro rata share of the underlying assets of a partnership. See "Election to be taxed as a regulated investment company." In contrast, different rules apply to a partnership that is a QPTP. A QPTP is a partnership (a) the interests in which are traded on an established securities market, (b) that is treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes, and (c) that derives less than 90% of its income from sources that satisfy the income requirement (e.g., because it invests in commodities). All of the net income derived by the Fund from an interest in a QPTP will be treated as qualifying income but the Fund may not invest more than 25% of its total assets in one or more QPTPs. However, there can be no assurance that a partnership classified as a QPTP in one year will qualify as a QPTP in the next year. Any such failure to annually qualify as a QPTP might, in turn, cause the Fund to fail to qualify as a regulated investment company. If for any taxable year the Fund does not qualify as a regulated investment company, all of its taxable income (including its net capital gain) would be subject to tax at regular corporate income tax rates without any deduction for dividends paid to shareholders, and the dividends would be taxable to shareholders as dividends (possibly as qualified dividend income) to the extent of the Fund's current or accumulated earnings and profits. Additionally, any business income or losses from a QPTP would be subject to the passive activity loss rules. These rules may defer losses on a QPTP until the partnership is sold. Investments in partnerships, including in QPTPs, may result in the Fund being subject to state, local or foreign income, franchise, or withholding tax liabilities.

To the extent an MLP that invests in infrastructure-related investments is a partnership (whether or not a QPTP), some amounts received by the Fund with respect to an investment in MLPs will likely be treated as a return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes because of accelerated deductions available with respect to the activities of such MLPs. (See "Distributions - Returns of capital" for a discussion regarding the treatment of a return of capital distribution to a shareholder.) Further, because of these accelerated deductions on the disposition of interests in such an MLP, the Fund will likely realize taxable income in excess of economic gain with respect to those MLP interests (or if the Fund does not dispose of the MLP, the Fund will likely realize taxable income in excess of cash flow with respect to the MLP in a later period), and the Fund must take such income into account in determining whether the Fund has satisfied its distribution requirement. The Fund may have to borrow or liquidate securities to satisfy its distribution requirement and to meet its redemption requests, even though investment considerations might otherwise make it undesirable for the Fund to sell securities or borrow money at such time. In addition, any gain recognized, either upon the sale of the Fund's MLP interest or sale by the MLP of property held by it, including in excess of economic gain thereon, treated as so-called "recapture income," will be treated as ordinary income. Therefore, to the extent the Fund invests in MLPs, Fund shareholders might receive greater amounts of distributions from the Fund taxable as ordinary income than they otherwise would in the absence of such MLP investments.

Although MLPs are generally expected to be treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes, some MLPs may be treated as PFICs, controlled foreign corporations (CFC), or "regular" corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The treatment of particular MLPs for U.S. federal income tax purposes will affect the extent to which the Fund can invest in MLPs.

*Debt obligations purchased at a discount.* Gain recognized on the disposition of a debt obligation purchased by the Fund with market discount (generally, at a price less than its principal amount) will be treated as ordinary income to the extent of the portion of the market discount that accrued during the period of time the Fund held the debt obligation, unless the Fund made an election to accrue market discount into income currently. Fund distributions of accrued market discount on municipal bonds, including any current inclusions, are taxable to shareholders as ordinary income to the extent of the Fund's earnings and profits.

*Investments in debt obligations that are at risk of or in default*. The Fund may also hold obligations that are at risk of or in default. Tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as whether and to what extent the Fund should recognize market discount on such a debt obligation, when the Fund may cease to accrue interest, original issue discount or market discount, when and to what extent the Fund may take deductions for bad debts or worthless securities and how the Fund should allocate payments received on obligations in default between principal and income. These and other related issues will be addressed by the Fund in order to ensure that it distributes sufficient income to preserve its status as a regulated investment company.

*Inflation indexed securities.* The principal amount of inflation indexed securities purchased by the Fund will adjust for inflation which may cause the Fund to recognize income or loss. The inflation adjustment to the principal generally is subject to tax in the year that the adjustment is made, not at maturity of the security when the cash from the repayment of principal is received, and is treated as original issue discount in such year. Any interest payable on the inflation indexed

------

security is accrued by the Fund. Increases in the indexed principal in a given year and accrued interest will cause the Fund to distribute income not yet received. Decreases in the indexed principal in a given year generally (i) will reduce the amount of interest income otherwise includible in income for that year in respect of the security, (ii) to the extent not treated as an offset to current income under (i), will constitute an ordinary loss to the extent of prior year inclusions of interest, original issue discount and market discount in respect of the security that exceed ordinary losses in respect of the security in such prior years, and (iii) to the extent not treated as an offset to current income under (i) or an ordinary loss under (ii), can be carried forward as an ordinary loss to reduce interest, original issue discount and market discount in respect of the security in subsequent taxable years. If inflation-indexed securities are sold prior to maturity, capital losses or gains generally are realized in the same manner as traditional debt instruments. Special rules apply in respect of inflation-indexed securities issued with more than a prescribed de minimis amount of discount or premium.

*Investment in taxable mortgage pools (excess inclusion income).* Under a Notice issued by the IRS, the Code and Treasury regulations to be issued, a portion of the Fund's income from a U.S. REIT that is attributable to the REIT's residual interest in a real estate mortgage investment conduit (REMIC) or equity interests in a "taxable mortgage pool" (referred to in the Code as an excess inclusion) will be subject to federal income tax in all events. The excess inclusion income of a regulated investment company, such as the Fund, will 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 residual interest or, if applicable, taxable mortgage pool 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), (ii) will constitute unrelated business taxable income 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 unrelated business income (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, and (iii) in the case of a foreign stockholder, will not qualify for any reduction in U.S. federal withholding tax. In addition, if at any time during any taxable year a "disqualified organization" (which generally includes certain cooperatives, governmental entities, and tax-exempt organizations not subject to UBTI) is a record holder of a share in a regulated investment company, then the regulated investment company will be subject to a tax equal to that portion of its excess inclusion income for the taxable year that is allocable to the disqualified organization, multiplied by the applicable corporate tax rate. The Notice imposes certain reporting requirements upon regulated investment companies that have excess inclusion income. There can be no assurance that the Fund will not allocate to shareholders excess inclusion income.

These rules are potentially applicable to a fund with respect to any income it receives from the equity interests of certain mortgage pooling vehicles, either directly or, as is more likely, through an investment in a U.S. REIT. It is not anticipated that these rules will apply to a fund that does not invest in any U.S. REITs.

**State income taxes** Some state tax codes adopt the Code through a certain date. As a result, such conforming states may not have adopted the version of the Code as amended by the TCJA, the Regulated Investment Company Modernization Act of 2010, or other federal tax laws enacted after the applicable conformity date. Other states may have adopted an income or other basis of tax that differs from the Code.

The tax information furnished by the Fund to shareholders and the IRS annually with respect to the amount and character of dividends paid, cost basis information with respect to shares redeemed or exchanged, and records maintained by the Fund with respect to the cost basis of Fund shares, will be prepared on the basis of current federal income tax law to comply with the information reporting requirements of the Code, and not necessarily on the basis of the law of any state in which a shareholder is resident or otherwise subject to tax. If your account is held by your financial advisor or other broker, contact that firm with respect to any state information reporting requirements applicable to your investment in the Fund. Under the current California Revenue and Taxation Code, certain funds are required to report tax information to the California Franchise Tax Board annually.

Accordingly, the amount and character of income, gains realized on the sales of Fund shares, capital for state income tax purposes may differ from that for federal income tax purposes. Franklin Templeton provides additional tax information on www.franklintempleton.com (under the Tax Center) to assist shareholders with the preparation of their federal and state income tax returns. Shareholders are solely responsible for determining the amount and character of income, gain or loss to report on their federal, state and local income tax returns each year as a result of their purchase, holding and sale of Fund shares.

**Non-U.S. investors** Non-U.S. investors may be subject to U.S. withholding and estate tax, and are subject to special U.S. tax certification requirements.

*In general.* The United States imposes a flat 30% withholding tax (or a tax at a lower treaty rate) on U.S. source dividends. Exemptions from U.S. withholding tax are provided for capital gains realized on the sales of Fund shares, capital gain dividends paid by the Fund from net long-term capital gains,

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short-term capital gain dividends paid by the Fund from net short-term capital gains, and interest-related dividends paid by the Fund from its qualified net interest income from U.S. sources, unless you are a nonresident alien individual present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the calendar year. "Qualified interest income" includes, in general, the sum of the Fund's U.S. source: i) bank deposit interest, ii) short-term original issue discount, iii) portfolio interest, and iv) any interest-related dividend passed through from another regulated investment company.

However, notwithstanding such exemptions from U.S. withholding tax at source, any taxable distributions and proceeds from the sale of your Fund shares will be subject to backup withholding at a rate of 24% if you fail to properly certify that you are not a U.S. person.

It may not be practical in every case for the Fund to report to shareholders, and the Fund reserves the right in these cases to not report, interest-related or short-term capital gain dividends. Additionally, the Fund's reporting of interest-related or short-term capital gain dividends may not, in turn, be passed through to shareholders by intermediaries who have assumed tax reporting responsibilities for this income in managed or omnibus accounts due to systems limitations or operational constraints.

*Effectively connected income.* Taxable ordinary income dividends paid by the Fund to non-U.S. investors on portfolio investments are generally subject to U.S. withholding tax at 30% or a lower treaty rate. However, if you hold your Fund shares in connection with a U.S. trade or business, your income and gains may be considered effectively connected income and taxed in the U.S. on a net basis at graduated income tax rates in which case you may be required to file a nonresident U.S. income tax return.

*U.S. estate tax.* An individual who is a non-U.S. investor will be subject to U.S. federal estate tax on the value of the Fund shares owned at the time of death, unless a treaty exemption applies between the country of residence of the non-U.S. investor and the U.S. Even if a treaty exemption is available, a decedent's estate may nevertheless be required to file a U.S. estate tax return to claim the exemption, as well as to obtain a U.S. federal transfer certificate. The transfer certificate will identify the property (i.e., Fund shares) on which a U.S. federal tax lien has been released and is required before the Fund can release a nonresident alien decedent's investment in the Fund to his or her estate. A transfer certificate is not required for property administered by an executor or administrator appointed, qualified and acting within the United States. For estates with U.S. situs assets of not more than $60,000 (there is a statutory estate tax credit for this amount of property), an affidavit from the executor of the estate or other authorized individual along with additional evidence requested by the IRS relating to the decedent's estate evidencing the U.S. situs assets may be provided in lieu of a federal transfer certificate. Transfers by gift of shares of the Fund by a non-U.S. investor who is a nonresident alien individual will not be subject to U.S. federal gift tax. The tax consequences to a non-U.S. investor entitled to claim the benefits of a treaty between the country of residence of the non-U.S. investor and the U.S. may be different from the consequences described above.

*Tax certification and backup withholding as applied to non-U.S. investors.* Non-U.S. investors have special U.S. tax certification requirements to avoid backup withholding at a rate of 24% and, if applicable, to obtain the benefit of any income tax treaty between the non-U.S. investor's country of residence and the United States. To claim these tax benefits, the non-U.S. investor must provide a properly completed Form W-8BEN (or other Form W-8, where applicable) to establish his or her status as a non-U.S. investor, to claim beneficial ownership over the assets in the account, and to claim, if applicable, a reduced rate of or exemption from withholding tax under the applicable treaty. A Form W-8BEN generally remains in effect for a period of three years beginning on the date that it is signed and ending on the last day of the third succeeding calendar year. In certain instances, Form W-8BEN may remain valid indefinitely unless the investor has a change of circumstances that renders the form incorrect and necessitates a new form and tax certification. Non-U.S. investors must advise the Fund of any change of circumstances that would render the information given on the form incorrect and must then provide a new W-8BEN to avoid the prospective application of backup withholding.

*Investment in U.S. real property.* The Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980 (FIRPTA) makes non-U.S. persons subject to U.S. tax on disposition of a U.S. real property interest (USRPI) as if he or she were a U.S. person. Such gain is sometimes referred to as FIRPTA gain. The Fund may invest in equity securities of corporations that invest in USRPI, including U.S. REITs, which may trigger FIRPTA gain to the Fund's non-U.S. shareholders.

The Code provides a look-through rule for distributions of FIRPTA gain when a regulated investment company is classified as a qualified investment entity. A regulated investment company will be classified as a qualified investment entity if, in general, 50% or more of the regulated investment company's assets consist of interests in U.S. REITs and other U.S. real property holding corporations (USRPHC). If a regulated investment company is a qualified investment entity and the non-U.S. shareholder owns more than 5% of a class of Fund shares at any time during the one-year period ending on the date of the FIRPTA distribution, the FIRPTA distribution to the non-U.S. shareholder is treated as gain from the disposition of a USRPI, causing the distribution to be subject to U.S. withholding tax at the applicable corporate tax rate (unless reduced by future regulations), and

------

requiring the non-U.S. shareholder to file a nonresident U.S. income tax return. In addition, even if the non-U.S. shareholder does not own more than 5% of a class of Fund shares, but the Fund is a qualified investment entity, the FIRPTA distribution will be taxable as ordinary dividends (rather than as a capital gain or short-term capital gain dividend) subject to withholding at 30% or a lower treaty rate.

Because the Fund expects to invest less than 50% of its assets at all times, directly or indirectly, in U.S. real property interests, it expects that neither gain on the sale or redemption of Fund shares nor Fund dividends and distributions should be subject to FIRPTA reporting and tax withholding.

**Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act** Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), foreign entities, referred to as foreign financial institutions (FFI) or non-financial foreign entities (NFFE) that are shareholders in the Fund may be subject to a 30% withholding tax on income dividends paid by the Fund. The FATCA withholding tax generally can be avoided: (a) by an FFI, if it reports certain direct and indirect ownership of foreign financial accounts held by U.S. persons with the FFI, and (b) by an NFFE, if it: (i) certifies that it has no substantial U.S. persons as owners, or (ii) if it does have such owners, reports information relating to them to the withholding agent, which will, in turn, report that information to the IRS. The U.S. Treasury has negotiated intergovernmental agreements (IGA) with certain countries and is in various stages of negotiations with a number of other foreign countries with respect to one or more alternative approaches to implement FATCA. An entity in one of those countries may be required to comply with the terms of an IGA and applicable local law instead of U.S. Treasury regulations.

An FFI can avoid FATCA withholding if it is deemed compliant or by becoming a "participating FFI," which requires the FFI to enter into a U.S. tax compliance agreement with the IRS under section 1471(b) of the Code (FFI agreement) under which it agrees to verify, report and disclose certain of its U.S. accountholders and provided that such entity meets certain other specified requirements. The FFI will report to the IRS, or, depending on the FFI's country of residence, to the government of that country (pursuant to the terms and conditions of an applicable IGA and applicable law), which will, in turn, report to the IRS. An FFI that is resident in a country that has entered into an IGA with the U.S. to implement FATCA will be exempt from FATCA withholding provided that the FFI shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of such agreement.

An NFFE that is the beneficial owner of a payment from the Fund can avoid the FATCA withholding tax generally by certifying that it does not have any substantial U.S. owners or by providing the name, address and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner. The NFFE will report information either (i) to the Fund, or other applicable withholding agent, which will, in turn, report information to the IRS, or (ii) directly to the IRS.

Such foreign shareholders also may fall into certain exempt, excepted or deemed compliant categories as established by U.S. Treasury regulations, IGAs, and other guidance regarding FATCA. An FFI or NFFE that invests in the Fund will need to provide the Fund with documentation properly certifying the entity's status under FATCA in order to avoid FATCA withholding. The requirements imposed by FATCA are different from, and in addition to, the U.S. tax certification rules to avoid backup withholding described above.

**Organization, Voting Rights and Principal Holders** 

The Fund is a diversified series of Franklin Alternative Strategies Funds (the Trust), an open-end management investment company, commonly called a mutual fund. The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on July 21, 2011, and is registered with the SEC.

The Fund currently offers five classes of shares, Class A, Class C, Class R, Class R6 and Advisor Class. The Fund may offer additional classes of shares in the future. The full title of each class is:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• K2 Alternative Strategies Fund - Class A

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• K2 Alternative Strategies Fund - Class C

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• K2 Alternative Strategies Fund - Class R

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• K2 Alternative Strategies Fund - Class R6

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• K2 Alternative Strategies Fund - Advisor Class

Shares of each class represent proportionate interests in the Fund's assets. On matters that affect the Fund as a whole, each class has the same voting and other rights and preferences as any other class. On matters that affect only one class, only shareholders of that class may vote. Each class votes separately on matters affecting only that class, or matters expressly required to be voted on separately by state or federal law. Shares of each class of a series have the same voting and other rights and preferences as the other classes and series of the Trust for matters that affect the Trust as a whole. Additional series may be offered in the future.

The Trust has noncumulative voting rights. For board member elections, this gives holders of more than 50% of the shares voting the ability to elect all of the members of the board. If this happens, holders of the remaining shares voting will not be able to elect anyone to the board.

The Trust does not intend to hold annual shareholder meetings. The Trust or a series of the Trust may hold special

------

meetings, however, for matters requiring shareholder approval.

As of September 1, 2025, the principal shareholders of the Fund, beneficial or of record, were:

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name and Address** | **Share Class** | **Percentage**<br>**(%)** |
| LPL FINANCIAL | A | 17.60 |
| A C 1000-0005 | A C 1000-0005 | A C 1000-0005 |
| OMNIBUS CUSTOMER ACCOUNT | OMNIBUS CUSTOMER ACCOUNT | OMNIBUS CUSTOMER ACCOUNT |
| ATTN MUTUAL FUND TRADING | ATTN MUTUAL FUND TRADING | ATTN MUTUAL FUND TRADING |
| 4707 EXECUTIVE DRIVE | 4707 EXECUTIVE DRIVE | 4707 EXECUTIVE DRIVE |
| SAN DIEGO CA 921213091 | SAN DIEGO CA 921213091 | SAN DIEGO CA 921213091 |
| WFCS LLC | A | 12.09 |
| SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FOR THE | SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FOR THE | SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FOR THE |
| EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMER | EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMER | EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMER |
| 2801 MARKET STREET | 2801 MARKET STREET | 2801 MARKET STREET |
| ST LOUIS MO 631032523 | ST LOUIS MO 631032523 | ST LOUIS MO 631032523 |
| NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC | A | 11.82 |
| FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS | FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS | FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS |
| ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR | ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR | ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR |
| 499 WASHINGTON BLVD | 499 WASHINGTON BLVD | 499 WASHINGTON BLVD |
| JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 | JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 | JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 |
| MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY LLC | A | 10.74 |
| FOR THE EXCLUSIVE BEN OF ITS CUSTOMERS | FOR THE EXCLUSIVE BEN OF ITS CUSTOMERS | FOR THE EXCLUSIVE BEN OF ITS CUSTOMERS |
| 1 NEW YORK PLAZA FL 12 | 1 NEW YORK PLAZA FL 12 | 1 NEW YORK PLAZA FL 12 |
| NEW YORK NY 100041901 | NEW YORK NY 100041901 | NEW YORK NY 100041901 |
| PERSHING LLC | A | 7.32 |
| 1 PERSHING PLAZA | 1 PERSHING PLAZA | 1 PERSHING PLAZA |
| JERSEY CITY NJ 073990002 | JERSEY CITY NJ 073990002 | JERSEY CITY NJ 073990002 |
| MERRILL LYNCH PIERCE FENNER & SMITH | A | 6.41 |
| FOR THE BENEFIT OF ITS CUSTOMER | FOR THE BENEFIT OF ITS CUSTOMER | FOR THE BENEFIT OF ITS CUSTOMER |
| ATTN FUND ADMINISTRATION | ATTN FUND ADMINISTRATION | ATTN FUND ADMINISTRATION |
| 4800 DEER LAKE DR E | 4800 DEER LAKE DR E | 4800 DEER LAKE DR E |
| JACKSONVILLE FL 322466484 | JACKSONVILLE FL 322466484 | JACKSONVILLE FL 322466484 |
| AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INVESTMENT SVC | A | 6.22 |
| FBO 41999970 | FBO 41999970 | FBO 41999970 |
| 707 2ND AVE S | 707 2ND AVE S | 707 2ND AVE S |
| MINNEAPOLIS MN 554022405 | MINNEAPOLIS MN 554022405 | MINNEAPOLIS MN 554022405 |
| NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC | Advisor | 32.58 |
| FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS | FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS | FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS |
| ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR | ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR | ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR |
| 499 WASHINGTON BLVD | 499 WASHINGTON BLVD | 499 WASHINGTON BLVD |
| JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 | JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 | JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 |
| SEI PRIVATE TRUST COMPANY | Advisor | 16.59 |
| C O FTCI | C O FTCI | C O FTCI |
| 1 FREEDOM VALLEY DR | 1 FREEDOM VALLEY DR | 1 FREEDOM VALLEY DR |
| OAKS PA 194569989 | OAKS PA 194569989 | OAKS PA 194569989 |
| MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY LLC | Advisor | 11.46 |
| FOR THE EXCLUSIVE BEN OF ITS CUSTOMERS | FOR THE EXCLUSIVE BEN OF ITS CUSTOMERS | FOR THE EXCLUSIVE BEN OF ITS CUSTOMERS |
| 1 NEW YORK PLAZA FL 12 | 1 NEW YORK PLAZA FL 12 | 1 NEW YORK PLAZA FL 12 |
| NEW YORK NY 100041901 | NEW YORK NY 100041901 | NEW YORK NY 100041901 |
| WFCS LLC | Advisor | 8.74 |
| SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FOR THE | SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FOR THE | SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FOR THE |
| EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMER | EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMER | EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMER |
| 2801 MARKET ST | 2801 MARKET ST | 2801 MARKET ST |
| SAINT LOUIS MO 631032523 | SAINT LOUIS MO 631032523 | SAINT LOUIS MO 631032523 |
| CHARLES SCHWAB & CO INC | Advisor | 6.74 |
| SPECIAL CUSTODY A/C FBO CUSTOMERS | SPECIAL CUSTODY A/C FBO CUSTOMERS | SPECIAL CUSTODY A/C FBO CUSTOMERS |
| ATTN MUTUAL FUNDS | ATTN MUTUAL FUNDS | ATTN MUTUAL FUNDS |
| 211 MAIN ST | 211 MAIN ST | 211 MAIN ST |
| SAN FRANCISCO CA 941051905 | SAN FRANCISCO CA 941051905 | SAN FRANCISCO CA 941051905 |
| UBS WM USA | Advisor | 5.95 |
| 0O0 11011 6100 | 0O0 11011 6100 | 0O0 11011 6100 |
| OMNI ACCOUNT M/F | OMNI ACCOUNT M/F | OMNI ACCOUNT M/F |
| SPEC CDY A/C EXCL BEN CUSTOMERS UBSFSI | SPEC CDY A/C EXCL BEN CUSTOMERS UBSFSI | SPEC CDY A/C EXCL BEN CUSTOMERS UBSFSI |
| 1000 HARBOR BLVD | 1000 HARBOR BLVD | 1000 HARBOR BLVD |
| WEEHAWKEN NJ 070866761 | WEEHAWKEN NJ 070866761 | WEEHAWKEN NJ 070866761 |
| PERSHING LLC | C | 13.48 |
| 1 PERSHING PLAZA | 1 PERSHING PLAZA | 1 PERSHING PLAZA |
| JERSEY CITY NJ 073990002 | JERSEY CITY NJ 073990002 | JERSEY CITY NJ 073990002 |
| WFCS LLC | C | 13.26 |
| SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FOR THE | SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FOR THE | SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FOR THE |
| EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMER | EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMER | EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMER |
| 2801 MARKET ST | 2801 MARKET ST | 2801 MARKET ST |
| SAINT LOUIS MO 631032523 | SAINT LOUIS MO 631032523 | SAINT LOUIS MO 631032523 |
| RAYMOND JAMES | C | 10.75 |
| OMNIBUS FOR MUTUAL FUNDS | OMNIBUS FOR MUTUAL FUNDS | OMNIBUS FOR MUTUAL FUNDS |
| HOUSE ACCT FIRM 92500015 | HOUSE ACCT FIRM 92500015 | HOUSE ACCT FIRM 92500015 |
| ATTN COURTNEY WALLER | ATTN COURTNEY WALLER | ATTN COURTNEY WALLER |
| 880 CARILLON PARKWAY | 880 CARILLON PARKWAY | 880 CARILLON PARKWAY |
| ST PETERSBURG FL 337161102 | ST PETERSBURG FL 337161102 | ST PETERSBURG FL 337161102 |
| MERRILL LYNCH PIERCE FENNER & SMITH | C | 10.01 |
| FOR THE BENEFIT OF ITS CUSTOMERS | FOR THE BENEFIT OF ITS CUSTOMERS | FOR THE BENEFIT OF ITS CUSTOMERS |
| ATTN FUND ADMINISTRATION | ATTN FUND ADMINISTRATION | ATTN FUND ADMINISTRATION |
| 4800 DEER LAKE DR E | 4800 DEER LAKE DR E | 4800 DEER LAKE DR E |
| JACKSONVILLE FL 322466484 | JACKSONVILLE FL 322466484 | JACKSONVILLE FL 322466484 |
| LPL FINANCIAL | C | 7.49 |
| A C 1000-0005 | A C 1000-0005 | A C 1000-0005 |
| OMNIBUS CUSTOMER ACCOUNT | OMNIBUS CUSTOMER ACCOUNT | OMNIBUS CUSTOMER ACCOUNT |
| ATTN MUTUAL FUND TRADING | ATTN MUTUAL FUND TRADING | ATTN MUTUAL FUND TRADING |
| 4707 EXECUTIVE DRIVE | 4707 EXECUTIVE DRIVE | 4707 EXECUTIVE DRIVE |
| SAN DIEGO CA 921213091 | SAN DIEGO CA 921213091 | SAN DIEGO CA 921213091 |
| MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY LLC | C | 7.43 |
| FOR THE EXCLUSIVE BEN OF ITS CUSTOMERS | FOR THE EXCLUSIVE BEN OF ITS CUSTOMERS | FOR THE EXCLUSIVE BEN OF ITS CUSTOMERS |
| 1 NEW YORK PLAZA FL 12 | 1 NEW YORK PLAZA FL 12 | 1 NEW YORK PLAZA FL 12 |
| NEW YORK NY 100041901 | NEW YORK NY 100041901 | NEW YORK NY 100041901 |
| NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC | C | 6.68 |
| FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS | FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS | FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS |
| ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR | ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR | ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR |
| 499 WASHINGTON BLVD | 499 WASHINGTON BLVD | 499 WASHINGTON BLVD |
| JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 | JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 | JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 |
| FTIOS CUST FOR THE ROLLOVER IRA OF | C | 5.18 |
| ROBERT C MATEJA | ROBERT C MATEJA | ROBERT C MATEJA |
| 1300 PRESCOTT CIR | 1300 PRESCOTT CIR | 1300 PRESCOTT CIR |
| MYRTLE BEACH SC 295772016 | MYRTLE BEACH SC 295772016 | MYRTLE BEACH SC 295772016 |
| CHARLES SCHWAB & CO INC | C | 5.10 |
| SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FBO CUSTOMERS | SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FBO CUSTOMERS | SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FBO CUSTOMERS |
| ATTN MUTUAL FUNDS | ATTN MUTUAL FUNDS | ATTN MUTUAL FUNDS |
| 211 MAIN ST | 211 MAIN ST | 211 MAIN ST |
| SAN FRANCISCO CA 941051905 | SAN FRANCISCO CA 941051905 | SAN FRANCISCO CA 941051905 |
| MICHAEL STUFFLEBEAM TRSTE | R | 46.69 |
| SMILES IN MOTION PC DEFINED BEN PLN | SMILES IN MOTION PC DEFINED BEN PLN | SMILES IN MOTION PC DEFINED BEN PLN |
| 207 E CHURCH ST STE 3 | 207 E CHURCH ST STE 3 | 207 E CHURCH ST STE 3 |
| MARSHALLTOWN IA 501582972 | MARSHALLTOWN IA 501582972 | MARSHALLTOWN IA 501582972 |

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name and Address** | **Share Class** | **Percentage**<br>**(%)** |
| MATRIX TRUST COMPANY AS AGENT FOR | R | 32.26 |
| NEWPORT TRUST COMPANY | NEWPORT TRUST COMPANY | NEWPORT TRUST COMPANY |
| REID HOSPITAL HEALTHCARE SVCS 45 | REID HOSPITAL HEALTHCARE SVCS 45 | REID HOSPITAL HEALTHCARE SVCS 45 |
| 330 PRIMERA BLVD | 330 PRIMERA BLVD | 330 PRIMERA BLVD |
| SUITE 200 | SUITE 200 | SUITE 200 |
| LAKE MARY FL 32746 | LAKE MARY FL 32746 | LAKE MARY FL 32746 |
| NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC | R | 7.40 |
| FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS | FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS | FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS |
| ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR | ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR | ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR |
| 499 WASHINGTON BLVD | 499 WASHINGTON BLVD | 499 WASHINGTON BLVD |
| JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 | JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 | JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 |
| FTIOS CUST FOR BENEFICIARY ROLLOVER IRA | R | 5.58 |
| EDWARD F SARNO | EDWARD F SARNO | EDWARD F SARNO |
| BENE LESLIE A GIBBS | BENE LESLIE A GIBBS | BENE LESLIE A GIBBS |
| 1106 JOHN ST | 1106 JOHN ST | 1106 JOHN ST |
| MANHATTAN BEACH CA 902664930 | MANHATTAN BEACH CA 902664930 | MANHATTAN BEACH CA 902664930 |
| J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC | R6 | 84.30 |
| FOR THE EXCL BENE OF OUR CUST | FOR THE EXCL BENE OF OUR CUST | FOR THE EXCL BENE OF OUR CUST |
| OMNIBUS ACCOUNT | OMNIBUS ACCOUNT | OMNIBUS ACCOUNT |
| MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT | MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT | MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT |
| 575 WASHINGTON BLVD FL 6 | 575 WASHINGTON BLVD FL 6 | 575 WASHINGTON BLVD FL 6 |
| JERSEY CITY NJ 073101616 | JERSEY CITY NJ 073101616 | JERSEY CITY NJ 073101616 |
| NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC | R6 | 12.23 |
| FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS | FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS | FBO EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF OUR CUSTOMERS |
| ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR | ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR | ATTN MUTUAL FUND DEPARTMENT 4TH FLR |
| 499 WASHINGTON BLVD | 499 WASHINGTON BLVD | 499 WASHINGTON BLVD |
| JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 | JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 | JERSEY CITY NJ 073101995 |

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To the best knowledge of the Fund, no other person holds beneficially or of record more than 5% of the outstanding shares of any class.

As of September 1, 2025, the officers and board members, as a group, owned of record and beneficially less than 1% of the outstanding shares of each class of the Fund. The board members may own shares in other funds offered by Franklin Templeton.

**Buying and Selling Shares** 

The Fund continuously offers its shares through securities dealers who have an agreement with Franklin Distributors, LLC (Distributors). A securities dealer includes any financial institution that, either directly or through affiliates, has an agreement with Distributors to handle customer orders and accounts with the Fund. This reference is for convenience only and does not indicate a legal conclusion of capacity. Banks and financial institutions that sell shares of the Fund may be required by state law to register as securities dealers. If you buy or sell shares through your securities dealer, you may be charged a transaction processing fee by your securities dealer. Your securities dealer will provide you with specific information about any transaction processing fees you will be charged.

The Fund and other U.S. registered investment companies within the Franklin Templeton fund complex are intended for sale to residents of the U.S., and, with very limited exceptions, are not registered or otherwise offered for sale in other jurisdictions. The above restrictions are generally not applicable to sales in U.S. territories or to diplomatic staff members or members of the U.S. military with an APO or FPO address outside of the U.S. Investors are responsible for compliance with tax, securities, currency exchange or other regulations applicable to redemption and purchase transactions in any state or jurisdiction to which they may be subject. Investors should consult with their financial intermediary and appropriate tax and legal advisors to obtain information on the rules applicable to these transactions.

In particular, the Fund is not registered in any provincial or territorial jurisdiction in Canada, and shares of the Fund have not been qualified for sale in any Canadian jurisdiction. Shares of the Fund may not be directly or indirectly offered or sold in any provincial or territorial jurisdiction in Canada or to or for the benefit of residents thereof. Prospective investors may be required to declare that they are not Canadian residents and are not acquiring shares on behalf of any Canadian residents. If an investor becomes a Canadian resident after purchasing shares of the Fund, the investor will not be able to purchase any additional shares of the Fund (other than reinvestment of dividends and capital gains) or exchange shares of the Fund for other U.S. registered Franklin Templeton or Legg Mason funds.

Similarly, the Fund is not registered, and shares of the Fund have not been qualified for distribution, in any member country of the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA). The shares offered by this prospectus may not be directly or indirectly offered or distributed in any such country. If an investor becomes an EU or EEA resident after purchasing shares of the Fund, the investor will not be able to purchase any additional shares of the Fund (other than reinvestment of dividends and capital gains) or exchange shares of the Fund for other U.S. registered Franklin Templeton or Legg Mason funds.

All purchases of Fund shares will be credited to you, in full and fractional Fund shares (rounded to the nearest 1/100 of a share). All checks, drafts, wires and other payment mediums used to buy or sell shares of the Fund must be denominated in U.S. dollars. We may, in our sole discretion, either (a) reject any order to buy or sell shares denominated in any other currency or (b) honor the transaction or make adjustments to your account for the transaction as of a date and with a foreign currency exchange factor determined by the drawee bank. We may deduct any applicable banking charges imposed by the bank from your account.

When you buy shares, if you submit a check or a draft that is returned unpaid to the Fund, we may impose a $10 charge against your account for each returned item.

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If you buy shares through the reinvestment of dividends, the shares will be purchased at the net asset value determined on the business day following the dividend record date (sometimes known as the "ex-dividend date"). The processing date for the reinvestment of dividends may vary and does not affect the amount or value of the shares acquired.

**Investment by asset allocators and large shareholders** Particularly during times of overall market turmoil or price volatility, the Fund may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders such as other funds, institutional investors (including those trading by use of non-discretionary mathematical formulas) and asset allocators (who make investment decisions on behalf of underlying clients), purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Fund. Such large shareholder redemptions may cause the Fund to sell portfolio securities at times when it would not otherwise do so. Similarly, large Fund share purchases may adversely affect the Fund's performance to the extent that the Fund is delayed in investing new cash and is required to maintain a larger cash position than it ordinarily would.

These transactions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if such sales of investments resulted in gains, and may also increase transaction costs. In addition, a large redemption could result in the Fund's current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the Fund's expense ratio.

When experiencing such purchases and redemptions by large shareholders, the Fund may restrict or reject purchases, in accordance with the Frequent Trading Policy of the Fund as set forth in the Fund's Prospectus. The Fund also may delay payment of redemptions up to seven days to provide the investment manager with time to determine if the Fund can redeem the request in-kind or to consider other alternatives to lessen the harm to remaining shareholders. Under certain circumstances, however, the Fund may be unable to delay a purchase or redemption request, which could result in the automatic processing of a large transaction that is detrimental to the Fund and its shareholders.

**Initial sales charges** The maximum initial sales charge is 5.50% for Class A. There is no initial sales charge for Class C, Class R, Class R6 and Advisor Class.

The initial sales charge for Class A shares may be reduced for certain large purchases, as described in the prospectus. We offer several ways for you to combine your purchases in Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason funds to take advantage of the lower sales charges for large purchases.

*Letter of intent (LOI).* You may buy Class A shares at a reduced sales charge by completing the LOI section of your account application. An LOI is a commitment by you to invest a specified dollar amount during a 13-month period. The amount you agree to invest determines the sales charge you pay. By completing the LOI section of the application, you acknowledge and agree to the following:

• You authorize Distributors to reserve approximately 5% of your total intended purchase in Class A shares registered in your name until you fulfill your LOI. Your periodic statements will include the reserved shares in the total shares you own, and we will pay or reinvest dividend and capital gain distributions on the reserved shares according to the distribution option you have chosen.

• You give Distributors a security interest in the reserved shares and appoint Distributors as attorney-in-fact.

• Distributors may sell any or all of the reserved shares to cover any additional sales charge if you do not fulfill the terms of the LOI.

• Although you may exchange your shares, you may not sell reserved shares until you complete the LOI or pay the higher sales charge.

After you file your LOI with the Fund, you may buy Class A shares at the sales charge applicable to the amount specified in your LOI. Sales charge reductions based on purchases in more than one Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason fund will be effective only after notification to Distributors that the investment qualifies for a discount. If you file your LOI with the Fund before a change in the Fund's sales charge, you may complete the LOI at the lower of the new sales charge or the sales charge in effect when the LOI was filed.

Your holdings in Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason funds acquired before you filed your LOI will be counted towards the completion of the LOI.

If the terms of your LOI are met, the reserved shares will be deposited to an account in your name or delivered to you or as you direct.

If the amount of your total purchases is less than the amount specified in your LOI, the sales charge will be adjusted upward, depending on the actual amount purchased during the period. You will need to send Distributors an amount equal to the difference in the actual dollar amount of sales charge paid and the amount of sales charge that would have applied to the total purchases if the total of the purchases had been made at one time. Upon payment of this amount, the reserved shares held for your account will be deposited to an account in your name or delivered to you or as you direct. If within 20 days after written request the difference in sales charge is not paid, we will redeem an appropriate number of reserved shares to realize the difference. If you redeem the total amount in your account before you fulfill your LOI, we will deduct the additional sales charge due from the sale proceeds and forward the balance to you.

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For LOIs filed on behalf of certain retirement plans, the level and any reduction in sales charge for these plans will be based on actual plan participation and the projected investments in Franklin Templeton and Legg Mason funds under the LOI. These plans are not subject to the requirement to reserve 5% of the total intended purchase or to the policy on upward adjustments in sales charges described above, or to any penalty as a result of the early termination of a plan.

*Purchases of certain share classes through financial intermediaries (Class R6 and Advisor Class).* There are no associated sales charges or Rule 12b-1 distribution and service fees for the purchase of Class R6 and Advisor Class shares. However, pursuant to SEC guidance, certain financial intermediaries acting as agents on behalf of their customers may directly impose on shareholders sales charges or transaction fees determined by the financial intermediary related to the purchase of these shares. These charges and fees are not disclosed in this prospectus. You should consult with your financial advisor or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.

The Fund's service providers also may pay financial intermediaries for marketing support and other related services as disclosed below for Advisor Class shares, but not for Class R6 shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend one share class over another. There is some uncertainty concerning whether marketing support or other similar payments may be made or received in connection with Advisor Class shares where a financial intermediary has imposed its own sales charges or transaction fees. Based on future regulatory developments, such payments may be terminated.

*Financial intermediary compensation.* Financial intermediaries may at times receive the entire sales charge. A financial intermediary who receives 90% or more of the sales charge may be deemed an underwriter under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Financial institutions or their affiliated brokers may receive an agency transaction fee in the percentages indicated in the financial intermediary compensation table in the Fund's prospectus.

Distributors may pay the following commissions to financial intermediaries who initiate and are responsible for purchases of Class A shares in the following amounts:

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| **Amount of Investment** | **For Funds with <br>an initial sales <br>charge of 5.50% <br>(%)** |
| Under $25,000 | 5.00 |
| $25,000 but under $50,000 | 4.75 |
| $50,000 but under $100,000 | 4.00 |
| $100,000 but under $250,000 | 3.00 |
| $250,000 but under $500,000 | 2.25 |
| $500,000 but under $750,000 | 1.75 |
| $750,000 but under $1 million | 1.25 |
| $1 million but under $5 million  | 1.00 |
| $5 million but under $50 million  | 0.50 |
| $50 million or more  | 0.25 |

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Consistent with the provisions and limitations set forth in its Class A Rule 12b-1 distribution plans, the Fund may reimburse Distributors for the cost of these commission payments.

These payments may be made in the form of contingent advance payments, which may be recovered from the financial intermediary or set off against other payments due to the financial intermediary if shares are sold within 18 months of the calendar month of purchase. Other conditions may apply. Other terms and conditions may be imposed by an agreement between Distributors, or one of its affiliates, and the financial intermediary.

In addition to the sales charge payments described above and the distribution and service (12b-1) fees described below under "The Underwriter - Distribution and service (12b-1) fees," Distributors and/or its non-fund affiliates may make the following additional payments to financial intermediaries that sell shares of Franklin Templeton mutual funds:

*Marketing support payments (applicable to all classes of shares except Class R6).* Distributors may make payments to certain financial intermediaries in connection with their efforts to educate financial advisors and provide services which may facilitate, directly or indirectly, investment in Franklin Templeton mutual funds. A financial intermediary's marketing support services may include business planning assistance, advertising, educating financial intermediary personnel about Franklin Templeton mutual funds and shareholder financial planning needs, placement on the financial intermediary's list of offered funds, and access to sales meetings, sales representatives and management representatives of the financial intermediary. Distributors compensates financial intermediaries differently depending upon, among other factors, sales and assets levels, redemption rates and the level and/or type of marketing and educational activities provided by the financial intermediary. Such compensation may include financial assistance to financial intermediaries that enable Distributors to participate in and/or present at conferences or seminars, sales or training programs for invited registered representatives and other employees, client and investor events and other financial intermediary-sponsored events. These payments may vary depending upon the nature of the event. Distributors will, on an annual basis, determine whether to continue such payments. In the case of any one financial intermediary, marketing support payments generally will not exceed 0.05% of the total assets of Franklin Templeton mutual funds attributable to that financial intermediary, on an annual basis. For a financial intermediary exceeding $50 billion in total assets of Franklin

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Templeton mutual funds, Distributors may agree to make annual marketing support payments up to a limit of 0.06% of such assets. In other limited circumstances, Distributors or an affiliate will have alternative arrangements with an intermediary that provides for payments in excess of the 0.05% limitation, which may include arrangements based on assets or sales of the funds, combined assets or sales of related funds, or other criteria. Any assets held on behalf of Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans for which payment is made to a financial intermediary pursuant to the following paragraph will be excluded from the calculation of marketing support payments pursuant to this paragraph.

Distributors may also make marketing support payments to financial intermediaries in connection with their activities that are intended to assist in the sale of shares of Franklin Templeton mutual funds, directly or indirectly, to certain Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans that have retained such financial intermediaries as plan service providers. Payments may be made on account of activities that may include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: business planning assistance for financial intermediary personnel, educating financial intermediary personnel about Franklin Templeton mutual funds, access to sales meetings, sales representatives, wholesalers, and management representatives of the financial intermediary, and detailed sales reporting. A financial intermediary may perform the services itself or may arrange with a third party to perform the services. In the case of any one financial intermediary, such payments will not exceed 0.10% of the total assets of Franklin Templeton mutual funds held, directly or indirectly, by such Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans, on an annual basis. Distributors will, on an annual basis, determine whether to continue such payments.

Consistent with the provisions and limitations set forth in its Class A Rule 12b-1 distribution plan, the Fund may reimburse Distributors for the cost of a portion of these marketing support payments.

Marketing support payments may be in addition to any servicing and other fees paid by Investor Services, as described further below and under "Management and Other Services - Shareholder servicing and transfer agent" above.

The following list includes FINRA member firms (or, in some instances, their respective affiliates) that, as of December 31, 2024, Distributors anticipates will receive marketing support payments. In addition to member firms of FINRA, Distributors also makes marketing support payments, and Distributors' non-fund affiliates may make administrative services payments, to certain other financial intermediaries, such as banks, insurance companies, and plan administrators, that sell mutual fund shares or provide services to Franklin Templeton mutual funds and shareholders. These firms may not be included in this list. You should ask your financial intermediary if it receives such payments.

Acadia Life Limited, ADP Retirement Services, Allianz Life Insurance Company, Allstate Life Insurance Company, American Financial Services, American General Life Insurance Co., American United Life Insurance Company, Ameritas Life Insurance Corp., American United Life Insurance Company, Ameriprise Financial, Inc., Ascensus, Inc., Atria Wealth Solutions, AuguStar Life Insurance Company, Avantax Wealth Management, AXA Advisors, LLC, Axelus Financial, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company, Inc., BlackRock Financial Services, Brighthouse Financial, Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. Cadaret Grant, Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., Capital Integration System LLC, Cetera Advisors LLC, Cetera Advisors Network LLC, Cetera Financial Group, Cetera Financial Specialist LLC, Cetera Investment Services LLC, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Citizens Securities, Inc., CMFG Life Insurance Company, Columbia Threadneedle Investments, Commonwealth Financial Network, Corebridge Insurance Company of Bermuda, Ltd., CUNA Brokerage Services, Inc., CUSO Financial Services, Delaware Life Insurance Company, Deutsche Bank, DWC-The 401(k) Experts, E\*TRADE Securities, LLC, Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P. (dba Edward Jones), Empower Financial Services, ePlan Services, Inc., Equitable Holdings Inc, Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company, Inc., First Command Financial Planning, Inc., First Security Benefit Life Insurance and Annuity Company of New York and Security Benefit Life Insurance Company, Forethought Life Insurance Company and Forethought Distributors, LLC, FPS Services, LLC, FSC Securities Corporation, Genworth Life and Annuity Insurance Company, Goldman, Sachs & Co., Grove Point Financial, Hantz Financial Services, Inc., Infinex Investments Inc, Integrity Life Insurance Company, Janney Montgomery Scott, LLC, Jefferson National Life Insurance Company, Jefferson National Life Insurance Company of NY, John Hancock Distributors, LLC, J.P. Morgan Securities, LLC, Kestra Investment Services, LLC, LaSalle St. Securities, Lincoln Financial Advisors Corporation, Lincoln Financial Securities Corporation, Lincoln Investment Planning, Inc., Lincoln Retirement Services Company, LLC, LPL Financial Holdings Inc., LPL Financial, LLC, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, MEMBERS Life Insurance Company, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc., MetLife Insurance Company USA, Midland National Insurance Company, Minnesota Life Insurance Company, MML Investors Services, LLC, Morgan Stanley, National Security Life and Annuity Company, Nationwide Financial Services, Inc., New York Life Insurance and Annuity Corporation, NEXT Financial Group, Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC, OneAmerica Financial Partners Inc, OneAmerica Retirement Services LLC, Osaic Wealth Inc, Pacific Life Insurance Company, Paychex Securities Corporation, Pershing, LLC, PFS Investments Inc., PHL Variable Insurance Company, Phoenix Life Insurance Company, PNC Investments, LLC, Principal Financial Services, Protective Life Insurance, Prudential Insurance Company of America, Raymond James & Associates, Inc.,

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RBC Capital Markets, LLC, Reliastar Life Insurance Company of NY, RiverSource Life Insurance Company, Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc., Royal Alliance Associates Inc., SagePoint Financial Inc., Sammons Financial Group, Inc., Sanctuary Wealth, Securities America, Inc., Sorrento Pacific Financial, Stifel Financial Corporation, Symetra Life Insurance Company, Talcott Resolution Life Insurance Company, TD Ameritrade, Inc. and TD Ameritrade Clearing, Inc., TFS Securities, Inc., The Guardian Insurance & Annuity Company, The Investment Center, Inc., Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC, TIFIN Wealth, Transamerica Advisors Life Insurance Company, Triad Advisors LLC, U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc., UBS Financial Services, Inc, UnionBanc Investment Services, LLC, USI Advisors, Inc., United States Life Insurance Company in the City of New York, Valor Financial Securities, LLC, Vanguard Marketing Corporation, Venerable Insurance and Annuity Company, Vestwell Holdings Inc., Voya Financial Advisors, LLC, Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC, Western International Securities, Wilton Reassurance Life Company of New York and Woodbury Financial Services.

Marketing support payments made to organizations located outside the U.S., with respect to investments in the Fund by non-U.S. persons, may exceed the above-stated limitation.

In addition to marketing support payments, to the extent permitted by SEC and FINRA rules and other applicable laws and regulations, Distributors may from time to time at its expense make or allow other promotional incentives or additional payments to financial intermediaries that sell or arrange for the sale of shares of the Fund. These payments may include additional compensation to financial intermediaries, including financial intermediaries not listed above, related to transaction support, various financial intermediary-sponsored events intended to educate financial advisers and their clients about the Franklin Templeton mutual funds, and data analytics and support.

*Transaction support payments.* The types of payments that Distributors may make under this category include, among others, payment of ticket charges of up to $20 per purchase or exchange order placed by a financial intermediary. Other payments may include ancillary services such as set-up, ongoing support, and assistance with a financial intermediary's mutual fund trading system.

*Conference support payments.* Compensation may include financial assistance to financial intermediaries that enable Distributors to participate in and/or present at conferences or seminars, sales or training programs for invited registered representatives and other employees, client and investor events, co-operative advertising, newsletters, and other financial intermediary-sponsored events. These payments may vary depending upon the nature of the event, and can include travel expenses, such as lodging incurred by registered representatives and other employees in connection with training and educational meetings, client prospecting and due diligence trips.

Distributors routinely sponsors due diligence meetings for registered representatives during which they receive updates on various Franklin Templeton mutual funds and are afforded the opportunity to speak with portfolio managers. Invitation to these meetings is not conditioned on selling a specific number of shares. Those who have shown an interest in Franklin Templeton mutual funds, however, are more likely to be considered. To the extent permitted by their firm's policies and procedures, registered representatives' expenses in attending these meetings may be covered by Distributors.

*Data support payments.* Compensation may include data support payments to certain holders or financial intermediaries of record for accounts in one or more of the Franklin Templeton mutual funds. A financial intermediary's data support services may include the provision of analytical data on such accounts.

*Other payments.* Other compensation may be offered to the extent not prohibited by federal or state laws or any self-regulatory agency, such as FINRA. Distributors makes payments for events it deems appropriate, subject to Distributors' guidelines and applicable law.

You should ask your financial intermediary for information about any payments it receives from Distributors and any services provided.

In addition, Investor Services may make payments to financial intermediaries that provide administrative services to defined benefit plans. Investor Services does not seek reimbursement by the Fund for such payments.

**Contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) - Class A and C** If you purchase Class A shares at NAV either as a lump sum or through our cumulative quantity discount or letter of intent programs, or invest any amount in Class C shares, a CDSC may apply on any Class A shares you sell within 18 months and any Class C shares you sell within 12 months of purchase. The CDSC is 1% of the value of the shares sold or the net asset value at the time of purchase, whichever is less, for Class A shares and for Class C shares.

*CDSC waivers.* The CDSC for any share class will be waived for:

• Account fees

• Redemptions by the Fund when an account falls below the minimum required account size

• Redemptions following the death of the shareholder or beneficial owner

• Redemptions through a systematic withdrawal plan, up to 1% monthly, 3% quarterly, 6% semiannually or 12%

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annually of your account's net asset value depending on the frequency of your plan

• Redemptions by Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans

• Distributions from individual retirement accounts (IRAs) due to death or disability or upon periodic distributions based on life expectancy or returns of excess contributions and earnings

• Any trust or plan established as part of a qualified tuition program under Section 529 of the Code

**Exchange privilege** If you request the exchange of the total value of your account, declared but unpaid income dividends and capital gain distributions will be reinvested in the Fund and exchanged into the new fund at net asset value when paid. Backup withholding and information reporting may apply.

If a substantial number of shareholders should, within a short period, sell their Fund shares under the exchange privilege, the Fund might have to sell portfolio securities it might otherwise hold and incur the additional costs related to such transactions. On the other hand, increased use of the exchange privilege may result in periodic large inflows of money. If this occurs, it is the Fund's general policy to initially invest this money in short-term, interest bearing money market instruments unless it is believed that attractive investment opportunities consistent with the Fund's investment goals exist immediately. This money will then be withdrawn from the short-term, interest bearing money market instruments and invested in portfolio securities in as orderly a manner as is possible when attractive investment opportunities arise.

The proceeds from the sale of shares of an investment company may not be available until the seventh day following the sale. The funds you are seeking to exchange into may delay issuing shares pursuant to an exchange until that seventh day. The sale of Fund shares to complete an exchange will be effected at net asset value at the close of business on the day the request for exchange is received in proper form.

In certain comprehensive fee or advisory programs that hold Class A shares, at the discretion of the financial intermediary, you may exchange to Advisor Class shares or Class Z shares (if offered by the fund).

Class C shares of a Franklin Templeton fund may be exchanged for Advisor Class or Class Z shares of the same fund, if offered by the fund, provided you meet the fund's eligibility requirements for purchasing Advisor Class or Class Z shares. Unless otherwise permitted, the Class C shares that you wish to exchange must not currently be subject to any CDSC.

**Systematic withdrawal plan** Our systematic withdrawal plan allows you to sell your shares and receive regular payments from your account on a monthly, quarterly, semiannual or annual basis. The value of your account must be at least $5,000 and the minimum payment amount for each withdrawal must be at least $50. For retirement plans subject to mandatory distribution requirements, the $50 minimum will not apply. There are no service charges for establishing or maintaining a systematic withdrawal plan.

Each month in which a payment is scheduled, we will redeem an equivalent amount of shares in your account on the day of the month you have indicated on your account application or, if no day is indicated, on the 20th day of the month. If that day falls on a weekend or holiday, we will process the redemption on the next business day. When you sell your shares under a systematic withdrawal plan, it is a taxable transaction.

To avoid paying sales charges on money you plan to withdraw within a short period of time, you may not want to set up a systematic withdrawal plan if you plan to buy shares on a regular basis. Shares sold under the plan also may be subject to a CDSC.

Redeeming shares through a systematic withdrawal plan may reduce or exhaust the shares in your account if payments exceed distributions received from the Fund. This is especially likely to occur if there is a market decline. If a withdrawal amount exceeds the value of your account, your account will be closed and the remaining balance in your account will be sent to you. Because the amount withdrawn under the plan may be more than your actual yield or income, part of the payment may be a return of your investment.

To discontinue a systematic withdrawal plan, change the amount and schedule of withdrawal payments, or suspend one payment, we must receive instructions from you at least three business days before a scheduled payment. The Fund may discontinue a systematic withdrawal plan by notifying you in writing and will discontinue a systematic withdrawal plan automatically if all shares in your account are withdrawn, if the Fund receives notification of the shareholder's death or incapacity, or if mail is returned to the Fund marked "unable to forward" by the postal service.

**Redemptions in kind** To the extent that a shareholder submits redemption requests during any 90-day period that combined are limited to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the value of the Fund's net assets (as calculated at the beginning of the 90-day period), the Fund has committed to pay such redemptions in cash (by check, wire or otherwise). This commitment is irrevocable without the prior approval of the SEC. In the case of redemption requests in excess of these amounts, the Fund reserves the right to make payments in whole or in part in securities or other assets of the Fund, in case of an emergency, or if the payment of such a redemption in cash would be detrimental to the existing shareholders of

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the Fund. In these circumstances, the securities distributed would be valued at the price used to compute the Fund's net assets and you may incur brokerage fees in converting the securities to cash. The Fund does not intend to redeem illiquid securities in kind. If this happens, however, you may not be able to recover your investment in a timely manner. In addition, in certain circumstances, the Fund may not be able to redeem securities in-kind or the investment manager may not have the ability to determine whether a particular redemption can be paid in-kind before the redemption request is paid.

**Share certificates** We will credit your shares to your Fund account, and we do not issue share certificates. This eliminates the costly problem of replacing lost, stolen or destroyed certificates.

Any outstanding share certificates must be returned to the Fund if you want to sell, exchange or reregister those shares or if you would like to start a systematic withdrawal plan. The certificates should be properly endorsed. You can do this either by signing the back of the certificate or by completing a share assignment form. For your protection, you may prefer to complete a share assignment form and to send the certificate and assignment form in separate envelopes. We do not issue new share certificates if any outstanding share certificates are returned to the Fund. If a certificate is lost, stolen or destroyed, you may have to pay an insurance premium of up to 2% of the value of the certificate to cancel it.

**General information** If the Fund receives notification of the shareholder's death or if mail is returned to the Fund by the postal service, we will consider this a request by you to change your dividend option to reinvest all future distributions until we receive new instructions. If the item of mail returned is a check, the proceeds may be reinvested in additional shares at the current day's net asset value.

Distribution or redemption checks sent to you do not earn interest or any other income during the time the checks remain uncashed. Neither the Fund nor its affiliates will be liable for any loss caused by your failure to cash such checks. The Fund is not responsible for tracking down uncashed checks, unless a check is returned as undeliverable.

In most cases, if mail is returned as undeliverable, we are required to take certain steps to try to find you free of charge. If these attempts are unsuccessful, however, we may deduct the costs of any additional efforts to find you from your account. These costs may include a percentage of the account when a search company charges a percentage fee in exchange for its location services.

Sending redemption proceeds by wire or electronic funds transfer (ACH) is a special service that we make available whenever possible. By offering this service to you, the Fund is not bound to meet any redemption request in less than the seven-day period prescribed by law. Neither the Fund nor its agents shall be liable to you or any other person if, for any reason, a redemption request by wire or ACH is not processed as described in the prospectus.

The Fund's transfer agent, acting on behalf of the Fund, may place a temporary hold for up to 25 business days on the disbursement of redemption proceeds from an account held directly with the Fund if the transfer agent, in consultation with the Fund, reasonably believes that financial exploitation of a Specified Adult (as defined below) has occurred, is occurring, has been attempted, or will be attempted. In order to delay payment of redemption proceeds under these circumstances, the Fund and the transfer agent must adopt certain policies and procedures and otherwise comply with the terms and conditions of no-action relief provided by the SEC staff. Financial exploitation means: (i) the wrongful or unauthorized taking, withholding, appropriation, or use of a Specified Adult's funds or securities; or (ii) any act or omission by a person, including through the use of a power of attorney, guardianship, or any other authority regarding a Specified Adult, to (a) obtain control, through deception, intimidation or undue influence, over the Specified Adult's money, assets or property, or (b) convert the Specified Adult's money, assets or property. The transfer agent and/or the Fund may not be aware of factors suggesting financial exploitation of a Specified Adult and may not be able to identify Specified Adults in all circumstances. Furthermore, the transfer agent is not required to delay the disbursement of redemption proceeds and does not assume any obligation to do so. For purposes of this paragraph, the term "Specified Adult" refers to an individual who is a natural person (i) age 65 and older, or (ii) age 18 and older and whom the Fund's transfer agent reasonably believes has a mental or physical impairment that renders the individual unable to protect his or her own interests.

There are special procedures for banks and other institutions that wish to open multiple accounts. An institution may open a single master account by filing one application form with the Fund, signed by personnel authorized to act for the institution. Individual sub-accounts may be opened when the master account is opened by listing them on the application, or by providing instructions to the Fund at a later date. These sub-accounts may be registered either by name or number. The Fund's investment minimums apply to each sub-account. The Fund will send confirmation and account statements for the sub-accounts to the institution.

If you buy or sell shares through your securities dealer, we use the net asset value next calculated after your securities dealer receives your request, which is promptly transmitted to the Fund. If you sell shares through your securities dealer, it is your dealer's responsibility to transmit the order to the Fund in a timely fashion. Your redemption proceeds will not earn interest between the time we receive the order from your dealer and the time we receive any required documents. Any loss to you resulting from your dealer's failure to transmit your

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redemption order to the Fund in a timely fashion must be settled between you and your securities dealer. Certain shareholder servicing agents may be authorized to accept your transaction request. For institutional and bank trust accounts, there may be additional methods of buying or selling Fund shares than those described in this SAI or in the prospectus. Institutional and bank trust accounts include accounts opened by or in the name of a person (includes a legal entity or an individual) that has signed an Institutional Account Application or Bank Trust Account Application accepted by Franklin Templeton Institutional, LLC or entered into a selling agreement and/or servicing agreement with Distributors or Investor Services. For example, the Fund permits the owner of an institutional account to make a same day wire purchase if a good order purchase request is received (a) before 1 p.m. Pacific time or (b) through the National Securities Clearing Corporation's automated system for processing purchase orders (Fund/SERV), even though funds are delivered by wire after 1 p.m. Pacific time. If funds to be wired are not received as scheduled, the purchase order may be cancelled or reversed and the institutional account owner could be liable for any losses or fees the Fund, Distributors and/or Investor Services may incur. "Good order" refers to a transaction request where the investor or financial intermediary (or other person authorized to make such requests) has provided complete information (e.g., fund and account information and the dollar amount of the transaction) to enable the processing of such request.

In the event of disputes involving conflicting claims of ownership or authority to control your shares, the Fund has the right (but has no obligation) to: (i) restrict the shares and require the written agreement of all persons deemed by the Fund to have a potential interest in the shares before executing instructions regarding the shares; or (ii) interplead disputed shares or the proceeds from the court-ordered sale thereof with a court of competent jurisdiction.

Should the Fund be required to defend against joint or multiple shareholders in any action relating to an ownership dispute, you expressly grant the Fund the right to obtain reimbursement for costs and expenses including, but not limited to, attorneys' fees and court costs, by unilaterally redeeming shares from your account.

The Fund or its transfer agent may be required (i) pursuant to a validly issued levy, garnishment or other form of legal process, to sell your shares and remit the proceeds to a levying officer or other recipient; or (ii) pursuant to a final order of forfeiture or other form of legal process, to sell your shares and remit the proceeds to the U.S. or state government as directed.

As long as we follow reasonable security procedures and act on instructions that we reasonably believe are genuine, we will not be responsible for any losses that may occur from unauthorized requests in any form (written, telephone, or online). We will investigate any unauthorized request that you report to us and we will ask you to cooperate with us in the investigation, which may require you to file a police report and complete a notarized affidavit regarding the unauthorized request. We will assist in the claims process, on your behalf, with other financial institutions regarding the unauthorized request.

Using good faith efforts, the investment manager attempts to identify class action litigation settlements and regulatory or governmental recovery funds involving securities presently or formerly held by the Fund or issuers of such securities or related parties (Claims) in which the Fund may be eligible to participate. When such Claims are identified, the investment manager will cause the Fund to file proofs of claim. Currently, such Claim opportunities predominate in the U.S. and in Canada; the investment manager's efforts are therefore focused on Claim opportunities in those jurisdictions. The investment manager may learn of such class action lawsuit or victim fund recovery opportunities in jurisdictions outside of North America (Foreign Actions), in which case the investment manager has complete discretion to determine, on a case-by-case basis, whether to cause the Fund to file proofs of claim in such Foreign Actions. In addition, the investment manager may participate in bankruptcy proceedings relating to securities held by the Fund and join creditors' committees on behalf of the Fund.

Further, the investment manager may on occasion initiate and/or recommend, and the board of trustees of the Fund may approve, pursuit of separate litigation against an issuer or related parties in connection with securities presently or formerly held by the Fund (whether by opting out of an existing class action lawsuit or otherwise).

*Unclaimed Share Accounts.* The Fund may be required to close your account after a period of inactivity, as determined by applicable U.S. state or territory abandoned or unclaimed property laws and regulations, and transfer your shares to the appropriate U.S. state or territory. Please be advised that abandoned or unclaimed property laws and regulations for certain U.S. states or territories require financial organizations to transfer (escheat) unclaimed property to the appropriate U.S. state or territory if no activity occurs in an account for a period of time as specified by applicable laws and regulations. These laws and regulations may require the transfer of shares of the Fund, including shares held through a traditional or Roth IRA account. For traditional IRA accounts escheated to a U.S. state or territory under these abandoned or unclaimed property laws and regulations, the escheatment will generally be treated as a taxable distribution from your IRA to you; federal and any applicable state income tax may be withheld. This may apply to Roth IRA accounts in addition to traditional IRA accounts. For more information on unclaimed property and how to maintain an active account, please contact your Service Agent or the Fund's transfer agent.

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**The Underwriter**

Franklin Distributors, LLC (Distributors) acts as the principal underwriter in the continuous public offering of the Fund's shares. Distributors is located at One Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403-1906.

Distributors does not receive compensation from the Fund for acting as underwriter of the Fund's Class R6 and Advisor Class shares.

The table below shows the aggregate underwriting commissions Distributors received in connection with the offering of the Fund's Class A and C shares, the net underwriting discounts and commissions Distributors retained after allowances to dealers, and the amounts Distributors received in connection with redemptions or repurchases of shares for the last three fiscal years ended May 31:

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| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Fiscal Year** | **Total Commissions Received ($)** | **Amount Retained** <br>**by** <br>**Distributors ($)** | **Amount Received**<br>**in Connection with Redemptions and Repurchases ($)** |
| 2025 | 18792 | 2143 | 1408 |
| 2024 | 17245 | 1755 | 1498 |
| 2023 | 31622 | 3530 | 2227 |

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Distributors may be entitled to payments from the Fund under the Rule 12b-1 plans, as discussed below. Except as noted, Distributors received no other compensation from the Fund for acting as underwriter.

**Distribution and service (12b-1) fees Class A, C and R** The board has adopted a separate plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 for each class. Although the plans differ in some ways for each class, each plan is designed to benefit the Fund and its shareholders. The plans are expected to, among other things, increase advertising of the Fund, encourage purchases of Fund shares and service to its shareholders, and increase or maintain assets of the Fund so that certain fixed expenses may be spread over a broader asset base, with a positive impact on per share expense ratios. In addition, a positive cash flow into the Fund is useful in managing the Fund because the investment manager has more flexibility in taking advantage of new investment opportunities and handling shareholder redemptions.

Under each plan, the Fund pays Distributors or others for the expenses of activities that are primarily intended to sell shares of the class. These expenses also may include service fees paid to securities dealers or others who have executed a servicing agreement with the Fund, Distributors or its affiliates and who provide service or account maintenance to shareholders (service fees); and the expenses of printing prospectuses and reports used for sales purposes, of marketing support and of preparing and distributing sales literature and advertisements. Together, these expenses, including the service fees, are "eligible expenses." The 12b-1 fees charged to each class are based only on the fees attributable to that particular class and are calculated, as a percentage of such class' net assets, over the 12-month period of February 1 through January 31. Because this 12-month period may not match the Fund's fiscal year, the amount, as a percentage of a class' net assets, for the Fund's fiscal year may vary from the amount stated under the applicable plan, but will never exceed that amount during the 12-month period of February 1 through January 31.

*The Class A, C and R plans*. The Fund may pay up to 0.30% per year of Class A's average daily net assets. The Fund pays Distributors up to 1.00% per year of Class C's average daily net assets, out of which 0.25% may be paid for services to the shareholders (service fees). For Class R shares, the Fund pays Distributors up to 0.50% per year of the class's average daily net assets. The Class C and R plans also may be used to pay Distributors for advancing commissions to securities dealers with respect to the initial sale of Class C and R shares. As set by the board of trustees, until further notice, the Fund currently may pay up to 0.25% per year of Class A's average daily net assets, the entire amount of which may be paid for services to the shareholders (service fees).

The Class A plan is a reimbursement plan. It allows the Fund to reimburse Distributors for eligible expenses that Distributors has shown it has incurred. The Fund will not reimburse more than the maximum amount allowed under the plan.

The Class C and R plans are compensation plans. They allow the Fund to pay a fee to Distributors that may be more than the eligible expenses Distributors has incurred at the time of the payment. Distributors must, however, demonstrate to the board that it has spent or has near-term plans to spend the amount received on eligible expenses. The Fund will not pay more than the maximum amount allowed under the plans.

Under the Class A plan, the amounts paid or accrued to be paid by the Fund pursuant to the plan for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2025, were:

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| | |
|:---|:---|
|  | **($)** |
| Advertising | 1235 |
| Printing and mailing | 1 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;prospectuses other |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;than to current |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;shareholders |  |
| Payments to | 10 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;underwriters |  |
| Payments to broker- | 146114 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;dealers |  |
| Other | – |
| Total | 147360 |

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Under the Class C plan, the amounts paid or accrued to be paid by the Fund pursuant to the plan for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2025, were:

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
|  | **($)** |
| Advertising | 1054 |
| Printing and mailing | 2 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;prospectuses other |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;than to current |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;shareholders |  |
| Payments to | 9 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;underwriters |  |
| Payments to broker- | 64509 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;dealers |  |
| Other | – |
| Total | 65574 |

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Under the Class R plan, the amounts paid or accrued to be paid by the Fund pursuant to the plan for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2025, were:

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
|  | **($)** |
| Advertising | – |
| Printing and mailing | – |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;prospectuses other |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;than to current |  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;shareholders |  |
| Payments to | – |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;underwriters |  |
| Payments to broker- | 1564 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;dealers |  |
| Other | – |
| Total | 1564 |

---

In addition to the payments that Distributors or others are entitled to under each plan, each plan also provides that to the extent the Fund, the investment manager or Distributors or other parties on behalf of the Fund, the investment manager or Distributors make payments that are deemed to be for the financing of any activity primarily intended to result in the sale of Fund shares within the context of Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, then such payments shall be deemed to have been made pursuant to the plan.

To the extent fees are for distribution or marketing functions, as distinguished from administrative servicing or agency transactions, certain banks may not participate in the plans because of applicable federal law prohibiting certain banks from engaging in the distribution of mutual fund shares. These banks, however, are allowed to receive fees under the plans for administrative servicing or for agency transactions.

Distributors must provide written reports to the board at least quarterly on the amounts and purpose of any payment made under the plans and any related agreements, and furnish the board with such other information as the board may reasonably request to enable it to make an informed determination of whether the plans should be continued.

Each plan has been approved according to the provisions of Rule 12b-1. The terms and provisions of each plan also are consistent with Rule 12b-1.

**Description of Ratings** 

The ratings of Moody's Investors Service, Inc., S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings represent their opinions as to the quality of various debt obligations. It should be emphasized, however, that ratings are not absolute standards of quality. Consequently, debt obligations with the same maturity, coupon and rating may have different yields while debt obligations of the same maturity and coupon with different ratings may have the same yield. As described by the rating agencies, ratings are generally given to securities at the time of issuances. While the rating agencies may from time to time revise such ratings, they undertake no obligation to do so.

#### Moody's Investors Service, Inc. Global Rating Scales
Ratings assigned on Moody's global long-term and short- term rating scales are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations issued by non-financial corporates, financial institutions, structured finance vehicles, project finance vehicles, and public sector entities. Moody's defines credit risk as the risk that an entity may not meet its contractual financial obligations as they come due and any estimated financial loss in the event of default or impairment. The contractual financial obligations<sup>1</sup> addressed by Moody's ratings are those that call for, without regard to enforceability, the payment of an ascertainable amount, which may vary based upon standard sources of variation (e.g., floating interest rates), by an ascertainable date. Moody's rating addresses the issuer's ability to obtain cash sufficient to service the obligation, and its willingness to pay.<sup>2</sup> Moody's ratings do not address non-standard sources of variation in the amount of the principal obligation (e.g., equity indexed), absent an express statement to the contrary in a press release accompanying an initial rating.<sup>3</sup> Long-term ratings are assigned to issuers or obligations with an original maturity of eleven months or more and reflect both on the likelihood of a default or impairment on contractual financial obligations and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default or impairment. Short-term ratings are assigned to obligations with an original maturity of thirteen months or less and reflect both on the likelihood of a default or impairment on contractual financial obligations and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default or impairment.<sup>4, 5</sup> Moody's issues ratings at the issuer level and instrument level on both the long- term scale and the short-term scale. Typically, ratings are made publicly available although private and unpublished ratings may also be assigned.<sup>6</sup>

Moody's differentiates structured finance ratings from fundamental ratings (i.e., ratings on nonfinancial corporate, financial institution, and public sector entities) on the global long-term scale by adding (sf) to all structured finance ratings.<sup>7</sup> The addition of (sf) to structured finance ratings should eliminate any presumption that such ratings and fundamental ratings at the same letter grade level will behave the same.

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1. In the case of impairments, there can be a financial loss even when contractual obligations are met.

2. In some cases, the relevant credit risk relates to a third party, in addition to, or instead of the issuer. Examples include credit-linked notes and guaranteed obligations.

3. Because the number of possible features or structures is limited only by the creativity of issuers, Moody's cannot comprehensively catalogue all the types of non-standard variation affecting financial obligations, but examples include equity indexed principal values and cash flows, prepayment penalties, and an obligation to pay an amount that is not ascertainable at the inception of the transaction.

4. For certain preferred stock and hybrid securities in which payment default events are either not defined or do not match investors' expectations for timely payment, long-term and short-term ratings reflect the likelihood of impairment and financial loss in the event of impairment.

5. Debts held on the balance sheets of official sector institutions – which include supranational institutions, central banks and certain government-owned or controlled banks – may not always be treated the same as debts held by private investors and lenders. When it is known that an obligation is held by official sector institutions as well as other investors, a rating (short-term or long-term) assigned to that obligation reflects only the credit risks faced by non-official sector investors.

6. For information on how to obtain a Moody's credit rating, including private and unpublished credit ratings, please see Moody's Investors Service Products. Please note that Moody's always reserves the right to choose not to assign or maintain a credit rating for its own business reasons.

7. Like other global scale ratings, (sf) ratings reflect both the likelihood of a default and the expected loss suffered in the event of default. Ratings are assigned based on a rating committee's assessment of a security's expected loss rate (default probability multiplied by expected loss severity), and may be subject to the constraint that the final expected loss rating assigned would not be more than a certain number of notches, typically three to five notches, above the rating that would be assigned based on an assessment of default probability alone. The magnitude of this constraint may vary with the level of the rating, the seasoning of the transaction, and the uncertainty around the assessments of expected loss and probability of default.

The (sf) indicator for structured finance security ratings indicates that otherwise similarly rated structured finance and fundamental securities may have different risk characteristics. Through its current methodologies, however, Moody's aspires to achieve broad expected equivalence in structured finance and fundamental rating performance when measured over a long period of time.

#### Description of Moody's Investors Service, Inc.'s Global Long-Term Ratings:
**Aaa**—Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk.

**Aa**—Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.

**A**—Obligations rated A are judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.

**Baa**—Obligations rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.

**Ba**—Obligations rated Ba are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk.

#### B —Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.
**Caa**—Obligations rated Caa are judged to be speculative of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.

**Ca**—Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.

**C**—Obligations rated C are the lowest rated and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.

***Note:*** *Moody's appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. Additionally, a "(hyb)" indicator is appended to all ratings of hybrid securities issued by banks, insurers, finance companies, and securities firms.<sup>\*</sup>*

*\* By their terms, hybrid securities allow for the omission of scheduled dividends, interest, or principal payments, which can potentially result in impairment if such an omission occurs. Hybrid securities may also be subject to contractually allowable write-downs of principal that could result in impairment. Together with the hybrid indicator, the long-term obligation rating assigned to a hybrid security is an expression of the relative credit risk associated with that security.*

#### Description of Moody's Investors Service, Inc.'s Global Short-Term Ratings:
**P-1**—Ratings of Prime-1 reflect a superior ability to repay short-term obligations.

**P-2**—Ratings of Prime-2 reflect a strong ability to repay short-term obligations.

**P-3**—Ratings of Prime-3 reflect an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.

**NP**—Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.

#### Description of Moody's Investors Service, Inc.'s US Municipal Ratings:
*U.S. Municipal Short-Term Debt and Demand Obligation Ratings:*

Moody's uses the global short-term Prime rating scale for commercial paper issued by US municipalities and nonprofits. These commercial paper programs may be backed by external letters of credit or liquidity facilities, or by an issuer's self-liquidity.

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For other short-term municipal obligations, Moody's uses one of two other short-term rating scales, the Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) and Variable Municipal Investment Grade (VMIG) scales discussed below.

*MIG Ratings:*

Moody's uses the MIG scale for US municipal cash flow notes, bond anticipation notes and certain other short-term obligations, which typically mature in three years or less. Under certain circumstances, Moody's uses the MIG scale for bond anticipation notes with maturities of up to five years.

**MIG 1**—This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.

**MIG 2**—This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.

**MIG 3**—This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.

**SG**—This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.

 *VMIG Ratings:* 

For variable rate demand obligations (VRDOs), Moody's assigns both a long-term rating and a short-term payment obligation rating. The long-term rating addresses the issuer's ability to meet scheduled principal and interest payments. The short-term payment obligation rating addresses the ability of the issuer or the liquidity provider to meet any purchase price payment obligations resulting from optional tenders ("on demand") and/or mandatory tenders of the VRDO. The short-term payment obligation rating uses the VMIG scale. Transitions of VMIG ratings with conditional liquidity support differ from transitions of Prime ratings reflecting the risk that external liquidity support will terminate if the issuer's long-term rating drops below investment grade.

For VRDOs, Moody's typically assigns a VMIG rating if the frequency of the payment obligation is less than every three years. If the frequency of the payment obligation is less than three years, but the obligation is payable only with remarketing proceeds, the VMIG short-term rating is not assigned and it is denoted as "NR". Industrial development bonds in the US where the obligor is a corporate may carry a VMIG rating that reflects Moody's view of the relative likelihood of default and loss. In these cases, liquidity assessment is based on the liquidity of the corporate obligor.

**VMIG 1**—This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections.

**VMIG 2**—This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short- term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections.

**VMIG 3**—This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections.

**SG**—This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have a sufficiently strong short-term rating or may lack the structural or legal protections.

#### Description of Moody's Investors Service, Inc.'s National Scale Long-Term Ratings:
Moody's long-term National Scale Ratings (NSRs) are opinions of the relative creditworthiness of issuers and financial obligations within a particular country. NSRs are not designed to be compared among countries; rather, they address relative credit risk within a given country. Moody's assigns national scale ratings in certain local capital markets in which investors have found the global rating scale provides inadequate differentiation among credits or is inconsistent with a rating scale already in common use in the country.

In each specific country, the last two characters of the rating indicate the country in which the issuer is located or the financial obligation was issued (e.g., Aaa.ke for Kenya).

#### Long-Term NSR Scale
**Aaa.n** Issuers or issues rated Aaa.n demonstrate the strongest creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers and issuances.

**Aa.n** Issuers or issues rated Aa.n demonstrate very strong creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers and issuances.

**A.n** Issuers or issues rated A.n present above-average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers and issuances.

**Baa.n** Issuers or issues rated Baa.n represent average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers and issuances.

**Ba.n** Issuers or issues rated Ba.n demonstrate below-average creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers and issuances.

**B.n** Issuers or issues rated B.n demonstrate weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers and issuances.

**Caa.n** Issuers or issues rated Caa.n demonstrate very weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers and issuances.

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**Ca.n** Issuers or issues rated Ca.n demonstrate extremely weak creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers and issuances.

**C.n** Issuers or issues rated C.n demonstrate the weakest creditworthiness relative to other domestic issuers and issuances.

*Note: Moody's appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.* 

#### Description of S&P Global Ratings' Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings:
Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on S&P Global Ratings' analysis of the following considerations:

• The likelihood of payment—the capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitments on an obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation;

• The nature and provisions of the financial obligation, and the promise S&P Global Ratings imputes; and

• The protection afforded by, and relative position of, the financial obligation in the event of a bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors' rights.

An issue rating is an assessment of default risk but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.)

**AAA**—An obligation rated "AAA" has the highest rating assigned by S&P Global Ratings. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is extremely strong.

**AA**—An obligation rated "AA" differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is very strong.

**A**—An obligation rated "A" is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is still strong.

**BBB**—An obligation rated "BBB" exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to weaken the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.

**BB, B, CCC, CC, and C**—Obligations rated "BB", "B", "CCC", "CC", and "C" are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. "BB" indicates the least degree of speculation and "C" the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposure to adverse conditions.

**BB**—An obligation rated "BB" is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions that could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.

**B**—An obligation rated "B" is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated "BB", but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor's capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.

**CCC**—An obligation rated "CCC" is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitments on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.

**CC**—An obligation rated "CC" is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment.

The "CC" rating is used when a default has not yet occurred but S&P Global Ratings expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.

**C**—An obligation rated "C" is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared with obligations that are rated higher.

**D**—An obligation rated "D" is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the "D" rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P Global Ratings believes that such payments will be made within the next five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or the next 30 calendar days. The "D" rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. A rating on an

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obligation is lowered to "D" if it is subject to a distressed debt restructuring.

Ratings from "AA" to "CCC" may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the rating categories.

#### Description of S&P Global Ratings' Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings:
**A-1**—A short-term obligation rated "A-1" is rated in the highest category by S&P Global Ratings. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitments on these obligations is extremely strong.

**A-2**—A short-term obligation rated "A-2" is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is satisfactory.

**A-3**—A short-term obligation rated "A-3" exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to weaken an obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.

**B**—A short-term obligation rated "B" is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties that could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.

**C**—A short-term obligation rated "C" is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.

**D**—A short-term obligation rated "D" is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the "D" rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P Global Ratings believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period.

However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The "D" rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. A rating on an obligation is lowered to "D" if it is subject to a distressed debt restructuring.

#### Description of S&P Global Ratings' Municipal Short-Term Note Ratings:
An S&P Global Ratings U.S. municipal note rating reflects S&P Global Ratings' opinion about the liquidity factors and market access risks unique to the notes. Notes due in three years or less will likely receive a note rating. Notes with an original maturity of more than three years will most likely receive a long-term debt rating. In determining which type of rating, if any, to assign, S&P Global Ratings' analysis will review the following considerations:

• Amortization schedule—the larger the final maturity relative to other maturities, the more likely it will be treated as a note; and

• Source of payment—the more dependent the issue is on the market for its refinancing, the more likely it will be treated as a note.

**SP-1**—Strong capacity to pay principal and interest. An issue determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service is given a plus (+) designation.

**SP-2**—Satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes.

**SP-3**—Speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.

**D**—"D" is assigned upon failure to pay the note when due, completion of a distressed debt restructuring, or the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions.

#### Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings
**AAA** An obligor rated "AAA" has extremely strong capacity to meet its financial commitments. "AAA" is the highest issuer credit rating assigned by S&P Global Ratings.

**AA** An obligor rated "AA" has very strong capacity to meet its financial commitments. It differs from the highest-rated obligors only to a small degree.

**A** An obligor rated "A" has strong capacity to meet its financial commitments but is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligors in higher-rated categories.

**BBB** An obligor rated "BBB" has adequate capacity to meet its financial commitments. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to weaken the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitments.

**BB, B, CCC, and CC** Obligors rated "BB", "B", "CCC", and "CC" are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. "BB" indicates the least degree of speculation

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and "CC" the highest. While such obligors will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposure to adverse conditions.

**BB** An obligor rated "BB" is less vulnerable in the near term than other lower-rated obligors. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties and exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions that could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments financial commitments. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor's capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitments.

**CCC** An obligor rated "CCC" is currently vulnerable and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions to meet its financial commitments.

**CC** An obligor rated "CC" is currently highly vulnerable. The "CC" rating is used when a default has not yet occurred but S&P Global Ratings expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.

**SD and D** An obligor is rated "SD" (selective default) or "D" if S&P Global Ratings considers there to be a default on one or more of its financial obligations, whether long- or short-term, including rated and unrated obligations but excluding hybrid instruments classified as regulatory capital or in nonpayment according to terms. A "D" rating is assigned when S&P Global Ratings believes that the default will be a general default and that the obligor will fail to pay all or substantially all of its obligations as they come due. An "SD" rating is assigned when S&P Global Ratings believes that the obligor has selectively defaulted on a specific issue or class of obligations but it will continue to meet its payment obligations on other issues or classes of obligations in a timely manner. A rating on an obligor is lowered to "D" or "SD" if it is conducting a distressed debt restructuring.

Ratings from "AA" to "CCC" may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the rating categories.

#### Short-Term Issuer Credit Ratings
**A-1** An obligor rated "A-1" has strong capacity to meet its financial commitments. It is rated in the highest category by S&P Global Ratings. Within this category, certain obligors are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitments is extremely strong.

**A-2** An obligor rated "A-2" has satisfactory capacity to meet its financial commitments. However, it is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligors in the highest rating category.

**A-3** An obligor rated "A-3" has adequate capacity to meet its financial obligations. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to weaken the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitments.

**B** An obligor rated "B" is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties that could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.

**C** An obligor rated "C" is currently vulnerable to nonpayment that would result in an "SD" or "D" issuer rating and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions to meet its financial commitments.

**SD and D** An obligor is rated "SD" (selective default) or "D" if S&P Global Ratings considers there to be a default on one or more of its financial obligations, whether long- or short-term, including rated and unrated obligations but excluding hybrid instruments classified as regulatory capital or in nonpayment according to terms. A "D" rating is assigned when S&P Global Ratings believes that the default will be a general default and that the obligor will fail to pay all or substantially all of its obligations as they come due. An "SD" rating is assigned when S&P Global Ratings believes that the obligor has selectively defaulted on a specific issue or class of obligations but it will continue to meet its payment obligations on other issues or classes of obligations in a timely manner. A rating on an obligor is lowered to "D" or "SD" if it is conducting a distressed debt restructuring.

#### Description of S&P Global Ratings' Dual Ratings:
Dual ratings may be assigned to debt issues that have a put option or demand feature. The first component of the rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second component of the rating addresses only the demand feature. The first component of the rating can relate to either a short-term or long-term transaction and accordingly use either short-term or long-term rating symbols. The second component of the rating relates to the put option and is assigned a short-term rating symbol (for example, "AAA/A-1+" or "A-1+/A-1"). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, the U.S. municipal short-term note rating symbols are used for the first component of the rating (for example, "SP-1+/A-1+").

#### Description of S&P Global Ratings' Active Qualifiers:
S&P Global Ratings uses the following qualifiers that limit the scope of a rating. The structure of the transaction can require the use of a qualifier such as a "p" qualifier, which indicates the rating addresses the principal portion of the obligation only. A qualifier appears as a suffix and is part of the rating.

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**Federal deposit insurance limit:** "L" qualifier. Ratings qualified with "L" apply only to amounts invested up to federal deposit insurance limits.

**Principal:** "p" qualifier. This suffix is used for issues in which the credit factors, the terms, or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of payment of principal are different from the credit factors, terms, or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of interest on the obligation. The "p" suffix indicates that the rating addresses the principal portion of the obligation only and that the interest is not rated.

**Preliminary ratings:** "prelim" qualifier. Preliminary ratings, with the "prelim" suffix, may be assigned to obligors or obligations, including financial programs, in the circumstances described below. Assignment of a final rating is conditional on the receipt by S&P Global Ratings of appropriate documentation. S&P Global Ratings reserves the right not to issue a final rating. Moreover, if a final rating is issued, it may differ from the preliminary rating.

• Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations, most commonly structured and project finance issues, pending receipt of final documentation and legal opinions.

• Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations that will likely be issued upon the obligor's emergence from bankruptcy or similar reorganization, based on late-stage reorganization plans, documentation, and discussions with the obligor. Preliminary ratings may also be assigned to the obligors. These ratings consider the anticipated general credit quality of the reorganized or post-bankruptcy issuer as well as attributes of the anticipated obligation(s).

• Preliminary ratings may be assigned to entities that are being formed or that are in the process of being independently established when, in S&P Global Ratings' opinion, documentation is close to final. Preliminary ratings may also be assigned to the obligations of these entities.

• Preliminary ratings may be assigned when a previously unrated entity is undergoing a well-formulated restructuring, recapitalization, significant financing, or other transformative event, generally at the point that investor or lender commitments are invited. The preliminary rating may be assigned to the entity and to its proposed obligation(s). These preliminary ratings consider the anticipated general credit quality of the obligor, as well as attributes of the anticipated obligation(s), assuming successful completion of the transformative event. Should the transformative event not occur, S&P Global Ratings would likely withdraw these preliminary ratings.

• A preliminary recovery rating may be assigned to an obligation that has a preliminary issue credit rating.

**Termination structures:** "t" qualifier. This symbol indicates termination structures that are designed to honor their contracts to full maturity or, should certain events occur, to terminate and cash settle all their contracts before their final maturity date.

**Counterparty instrument rating:** "cir" qualifier. This symbol indicates a counterparty instrument rating (CIR), which is a forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an issuer in a securitization structure with respect to a specific financial obligation to a counterparty (including interest rate swaps, currency swaps, and liquidity facilities). The CIR is determined on an ultimate payment basis; these opinions do not take into account timeliness of payment.

#### Description of Fitch Ratings' Corporate Finance Obligations:
Ratings of individual securities or financial obligations of a corporate issuer address relative vulnerability to default on an ordinal scale. In addition, for financial obligations in corporate finance, a measure of recovery given default on that liability is also included in the rating assessment. This notably applies to covered bonds ratings, which incorporate both an indication of the probability of default and of the recovery given a default of this debt instrument. On the contrary, ratings of debtor-in-possession (DIP) obligations incorporate the expectation of full repayment.

The relationship between the issuer scale and obligation scale assumes a generic historical average recovery. Individual obligations can be assigned ratings higher, lower, or the same as that entity's issuer rating or Issuer Default Rating (IDR), based on their relative ranking, relative vulnerability to default or based on explicit Recovery Ratings.

As a result, individual obligations of entities, such as corporations, are assigned ratings higher, lower, or the same as that entity's issuer rating or IDR, except DIP obligation ratings that are not based off an IDR. At the lower end of the ratings scale, Fitch publishes explicit Recovery Ratings in many cases to complement issuer and obligation ratings.

**AAA:** Highest Credit Quality. "AAA" ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

**AA:** Very High Credit Quality. "AA" ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

**A:** High Credit Quality. "A" ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.

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**BBB:** Good Credit Quality. "BBB" ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.

**BB:** Speculative. "BB" ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to credit risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met.

**B:** Highly Speculative. "B" ratings indicate that material credit risk is present.

**CCC:** Substantial Credit Risk. "CCC" ratings indicate that substantial credit risk is present.

**CC:** Very High Levels of Credit Risk. "CC" ratings indicate very high levels of credit risk.

**C:** Exceptionally High Levels of Credit Risk. "C" indicates exceptionally high levels of credit risk.

The ratings of corporate finance obligations are linked to Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) (or sometimes Viability Ratings for banks and non-bank financial institutions) by i) recovery expectations, including as often indicated by Recovery Ratings assigned in the case of low speculative grade issuers and ii) for banks and non-bank financial institutions an assessment of non-performance risk relative to the risk captured in the IDR or Viability Rating (e.g. in respect of certain hybrid securities).

For performing obligations, the obligation rating represents the risk of default and includes the effect of expected recoveries on the credit risk should a default occur.

If the obligation rating is higher than the rating of the issuer, this indicates above average recovery expectations in the event of default. If the obligations rating is lower than the rating of the issuer, this indicates low expected recoveries should default occur.

Ratings in the categories of "CCC", "CC" and "C" can also relate to obligations or issuers that are in default. In this case, the rating does not opine on default risk but reflects the recovery expectation only.

#### Description of Fitch Ratings' Issuer Default Ratings:
Rated entities in a number of sectors, including financial and non-financial corporations, sovereigns, insurance companies and certain sectors within public finance, are generally assigned IDRs. IDRs are also assigned to certain entities or enterprises in global infrastructure, project finance and public finance. IDRs opine on an entity's relative vulnerability to default (including by way of a distressed debt exchange) on financial obligations. The threshold default risk addressed by the IDR is generally that of the financial obligations whose non-payment would best reflect the uncured failure of that entity. As such, IDRs also address relative vulnerability to bankruptcy, administrative receivership or similar concepts.

In aggregate, IDRs provide an ordinal ranking of issuers based on the agency's view of their relative vulnerability to default, rather than a prediction of a specific percentage likelihood of default.

**AAA:** Highest Credit Quality. "AAA" ratings denote the lowest expectation of default risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

**AA:** Very High Credit Quality. "AA" ratings denote expectations of very low default risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

**A:** High Credit Quality. "A" ratings denote expectations of low default risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.

**BBB:** Good Credit Quality. "BBB" ratings indicate that expectations of default risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.

**BB:** Speculative. "BB" ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to default risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial flexibility exists that supports the servicing of financial commitments.

**B:** Highly Speculative. "B" ratings indicate that material default risk is present, but a limited margin of safety remains. Financial commitments are currently being met; however, capacity for continued payment is vulnerable to deterioration in the business and economic environment.

**CCC:** Substantial Credit Risk. Very low margin for safety. Default is a real possibility.

**CC:** Very high levels of credit risk. Default of some kind appears probable.

**C:** Near default. A default or default-like process has begun, or the issuer is in standstill, or for a closed funding vehicle, payment capacity is irrevocably impaired. Conditions that are indicative of a "C" category rating for an issuer include:

• The issuer has entered into a grace or cure period following non-payment of a material financial obligation;

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• The issuer has entered into a temporary negotiated waiver or standstill agreement following a payment default on a material financial obligation;

• The formal announcement by the issuer or their agent of a distressed debt exchange;

• A closed financing vehicle where payment capacity is irrevocably impaired such that it is not expected to pay interest and/or principal in full during the life of the transaction, but where no payment default is imminent.

**RD:** Restricted Default. "RD" ratings indicate an issuer that in Fitch's opinion has experienced:

• An uncured payment default or distressed debt exchange on a bond, loan or other material financial obligation, but

• Has not entered into bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation, or other formal winding-up procedure, and has not otherwise ceased operating. This would include:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• The selective payment default on a specific class or currency of debt;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• The uncured expiry of any applicable grace period, cure period or default forbearance period following a payment default on a bank loan, capital markets security or other material financial obligation;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• The extension of multiple waivers or forbearance periods upon a payment default on one or more material financial obligations, either in series or in parallel; ordinary execution of a distressed debt exchange on one or more material financial obligations.

**D:** Default. "D" ratings indicate an issuer that in Fitch's opinion has entered into bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or other formal winding-up procedure or that has otherwise ceased business.

Default ratings are not assigned prospectively to entities or their obligations; within this context, non-payment on an instrument that contains a deferral feature or grace period will generally not be considered a default until after the expiration of the deferral or grace period, unless a default is otherwise driven by bankruptcy or other similar circumstance, or by a distressed debt exchange.

In all cases, the assignment of a default rating reflects the agency's opinion as to the most appropriate rating category consistent with the rest of its universe of ratings and may differ from the definition of default under the terms of an issuer's financial obligations or local commercial practice.

#### Description of Fitch Ratings' Structured Finance Long-Term Obligation Ratings:
Ratings of structured finance obligations on the long-term scale consider the obligations' relative vulnerability to default. These ratings are typically assigned to an individual security or tranche in a transaction and not to an issuer.

#### AAA: Highest Credit Quality.
"AAA" ratings denote the lowest expectation of default risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

#### AA: Very High Credit Quality.
"AA" ratings denote expectations of very low default risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

#### A: High Credit Quality.
"A" ratings denote expectations of low default risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.

#### BBB: Good Credit Quality.
"BBB" ratings indicate that expectations of default risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.

#### BB: Speculative.
"BB" ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to default risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time.

#### B: Highly Speculative.
"B" ratings indicate that material default risk is present, but a limited margin of safety remains. Financial commitments are currently being met; however, capacity for continued payment is vulnerable to deterioration in the business and economic environment.

#### CCC: Substantial Credit Risk.
Very low margin for safety. Default is a real possibility.

#### CC: Very High Levels of Credit Risk.
Default of some kind appears probable.

#### C: Exceptionally High Levels of Credit Risk.
Default appears imminent or inevitable.

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#### D: Default.
Indicates a default. Default generally is defined as one of the following:

• Failure to make payment of principal and/or interest under the contractual terms of the rated obligation;

• bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or other winding-up or cessation of the business of an issuer/obligor; or

• distressed exchange of an obligation, where creditors were offered securities with diminished structural or economic terms compared with the existing obligation to avoid a probable payment default.

#### Description of Fitch Ratings' Country Ceilings Ratings:
Country Ceilings are expressed using the symbols of the long-term issuer primary credit rating scale and relate to sovereign jurisdictions also rated by Fitch on the IDR scale. They reflect the agency's judgment regarding the risk of capital and exchange controls being imposed by the sovereign authorities that would prevent or materially impede the private sector's ability to convert local currency into foreign currency and transfer to non-resident creditors — transfer and convertibility (T&C) risk. They are not ratings but expressions of a cap for the foreign currency issuer ratings of most, but not all, issuers in a given country. Given the close correlation between sovereign credit and T&C risks, the Country Ceiling may exhibit a greater degree of volatility than would normally be expected when it lies above the sovereign Foreign Currency Rating.

#### Description of Fitch Ratings' Sovereigns, Public Finance and Global Infrastructure Obligations:
Ratings of public finance obligations and ratings of infrastructure and project finance obligations on the long-term scale, including the financial obligations of sovereigns, consider the obligations' relative vulnerability to default. These ratings are assigned to an individual security, instrument or tranche in a transaction. In some cases, considerations of recoveries can have an influence on obligation ratings in infrastructure and project finance. In limited cases in U.S. public finance, where Chapter 9 of the Bankruptcy Code provides reliably superior prospects for ultimate recovery to local government obligations that benefit from a statutory lien on revenues, Fitch reflects this in a security rating with limited notching above the IDR. Recovery expectations can also be reflected in a security rating in the U.S. during the pendency of a bankruptcy proceeding under the Code if there is sufficient visibility on potential recovery prospects.

**AAA:** Highest Credit Quality. "AAA" ratings denote the lowest expectation of default risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

**AA:** Very High Credit Quality. "AA" ratings denote expectations of very low default risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

**A:** High Credit Quality. "A" ratings denote expectations of low default risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.

**BBB:** Good Credit Quality. "BBB" ratings indicate that expectations of default risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.

**BB:** Speculative. "BB" ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to default risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time.

**B:** Highly Speculative. "B" ratings indicate that material default risk is present, but a limited margin of safety remains. Financial commitments are currently being met; however, capacity for continued payment is vulnerable to deterioration in the business and economic environment.

**CCC:** Substantial Credit Risk. Very low margin for safety. Default is a real possibility.

**CC:** Very High Levels of Credit Risk. Default of some kind appears probable.

**C:** Exceptionally High Levels of Credit Risk. Default appears imminent or inevitable.

**D:** Default. Indicates a default. Default generally is defined as one of the following:

• Failure to make payment of principal and/or interest under the contractual terms of the rated obligation;

• bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or other winding-up or cessation of the business of an issuer/obligor where payment default on an obligation is a virtual certainty; or

• distressed exchange of an obligation, where creditors were offered securities with diminished structural or economic terms compared with the existing obligation to avoid a probable payment default.

*Notes: In U.S. public finance, obligations may be pre-refunded, where funds sufficient to meet the requirements of the respective obligations are placed in an escrow account. When obligation ratings are maintained based on the* 

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*escrowed funds and their structural elements, the ratings carry the suffix "pre" (e.g. "AAApre", "AA+pre").*

#### Structured Finance Defaults
Imminent default, categorized under "C", typically refers to the occasion where a payment default has been intimated by the issuer and is all but inevitable. This may, for example, be where an issuer has missed a scheduled payment but (as is typical) has a grace period during which it may cure the payment default. Another alternative would be where an issuer has formally announced a distressed debt exchange, but the date of the exchange still lies several days or weeks in the immediate future.

Additionally, in structured finance transactions, where analysis indicates that an instrument is irrevocably impaired such that it is not expected to pay interest and/or principal in full in accordance with the terms of the obligation's documentation during the life of the transaction, but where no payment default in accordance with the terms of the documentation is imminent, the obligation will typically be rated in the "C" category.

#### Structured Finance Write-downs
Where an instrument has experienced an involuntary and, in the agency's opinion, irreversible write-down of principal (i.e. other than through amortization, and resulting in a loss to the investor), a credit rating of "D" will be assigned to the instrument. Where the agency believes the write-down may prove to be temporary (and the loss may be written up again in future if and when performance improves), then a credit rating of "C" will typically be assigned. Should the write-down then later be reversed, the credit rating will be raised to an appropriate level for that instrument. Should the write-down later be deemed as irreversible, the credit rating will be lowered to "D".

#### Notes:
*In the case of structured finance, while the ratings do not address the loss severity given default of the rated liability, loss severity assumptions on the underlying assets are nonetheless typically included as part of the analysis. Loss severity assumptions are used to derive pool cash flows available to service the rated liability.*

The suffix "sf" denotes an issue that is a structured finance transaction.

Enhanced Equipment Trust Certificates (EETCs) are corporate-structured hybrid debt securities that airlines typically use to finance aircraft equipment. Due to the hybrid characteristics of these bonds, Fitch's rating approach incorporates elements of both the structured finance and corporate rating methodologies. Although rated as asset-backed securities, unlike other structured finance ratings, EETC ratings involve a measure of recovery given default akin to ratings of financial obligations in corporate finance, as described above.

#### Description of Fitch Ratings' Short-Term Ratings Assigned to Issuers and Obligations:
A short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-term deposit ratings may be adjusted for loss severity. Short-Term Ratings are assigned to obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as "short term" based on market convention (a long-term rating can also be used to rate an issue with short maturity). Typically, this means up to 13 months for corporate, sovereign, and structured obligations, and up to 36 months for obligations in U.S. public finance markets.

**F1:** Highest Short-Term Credit Quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added "+" to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.

**F2:** Good Short-Term Credit Quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.

**F3:** Fair Short-Term Credit Quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.

**B:** Speculative Short-Term Credit Quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

**C:** High Short-Term Default Risk. Default is a real possibility.

**RD:** Restricted Default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically applicable to entity ratings only.

**D:** Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation.

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#### APPENDIX A
Effective on or about January 1, 2026, the investment management services provided by K2 Advisors and the personnel of K2 Advisors who provide such services to the Fund, will be transferred to Franklin Advisers, Inc.

#### K2 Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures

#### FRANKLIN TEMPLETON INVESTMENT SOLUTIONS PROXY VOTING

#### DESK PROCEDURES FOR FUND OF FUNDS
Issue Date: September 2004

Updated: January 2011; May 2013; April 2017; December 2018; January 2020; January 2024; April 2025[<sup>1</sup>](#xxbookmark0x3)

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| I. Scope | Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions (FTIS), is a separate investment group within Franklin Templeton, comprised of investment personnel from the various SEC-registered investment advisors of Franklin Resources, Inc., including K2/D&S Management Co., L.L.C. and Franklin Advisers, Inc. (separately or collectively, the "Investment Manager").<br>With respect to the Fund of Funds or Fund of Hedge Funds portfolios (collectively, the "FoFs") K2 and/or FAV do not anticipate owning any equity securities granting them or their FoF clients the right to vote proxies; however, K2 and FAV maintain procedures for considering and voting on proposals from underlying funds regarding investment terms. K2 and FAV assess each proxy vote based on the matter with which it relates. Each underlying fund proposal is considered on its own merits, and a determination is made to consent or oppose the proposal. The proxy voting desk procedures for FoFs, ensure that proxies are voted in the best interest of their clients, considering all relevant facts and circumstances at the time of the vote, and in accordance with K2 and/or FAV's fiduciary duties and applicable regulations.<br>Reference is made to the <*FTIS Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures - An SEC Compliance Rule Policy and Procedures*> which generally describes the proxy voting processes related to the various FTIS affiliated investment advisory entities. |
| II. General Duty | Certain clients (including certain K2 and/or FAV managed FoFs) have delegated the right to vote underlying fund proxies to the Investment Manager. Where the Investment Manager exercises voting authority for its clients, including providing a consent to (or a vote against) a proposal by an Underlying Fund, it must act in accordance with the following policies and procedures, which are reasonably designed to ensure that proxies are voted in the best interest of its clients, and in accordance with the Investment Manager's fiduciary duties and applicable regulations.<br>Proxies are an asset of a client account, which should be treated by the Investment Manager with the same care, diligence and loyalty as any asset belonging to a client. Accordingly, proxy voting should be carried out with the same degree of prudence and loyalty accorded to any fiduciary or other obligation.<br>The advisory contract that each client signs with the Investment Manager should clearly specify whether the client has retained the power to vote proxies or whether this power has been delegated to the Investment Manager. For clarity, the Investment Manager has the authority to vote all proxies on behalf of the Fund of Funds. In all circumstances, the Investment Manager will comply with specific client directions to vote proxies (unless such client is in a commingled Fund), whether or not such client directions specify voting proxies in a manner that is different from these policies and procedures. In every case in which a client has delegated the power to vote proxies to the Investment Manager, every reasonable effort should be made to vote proxies. |

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![](img_5104ef671c6e4f3.jpg)

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<sup>1</sup> In April 2025, as a result of a reorganization whereby K2 moved under the FTIS umbrella, the FTIS Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures were updated to include the proxy voting processes where K2 and/or FAV act as the investment manager to certain FoFs. Additionally, the Procedures were updated and renamed as the FTIS Proxy Voting Desk Procedures.

CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION. This document is the proprietary product of Franklin Templeton Investments. It may NOT be distributed outside the company unless it is made subject to a non-disclosure agreement and/or such release receives authorization by an FTI Chief Compliance Officer. Any unauthorized use, reproduction or transfer of this document is strictly prohibited. Franklin Templeton Investments© 20xx. All Rights Reserved.

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| III. Definitions | ***FTIS FoHFs***<br>***Proxy Review Group (FTIS FoHFs PRG)*** | Senior personnel from Manager Research (MR), Operational Due Diligence (ODD), Risk, Global Fund Administration and Reporting (GFAR) and Legal/Compliance who review Fund of Fund Proxy Proposals/Corporate Actions and make recommendations to the FTIS Absolute Return Investment Committee (ARIC) related to the Fund of Hedge Funds proxy activity. |
| III. Definitions | ***Level 1 Proxy Proposals (L1)*** | **<u>Level 1 Proxy Proposals</u> are those that do not propose to change the structure, bylaws, or operations of the entity. Given the routine nature of these proposals, proxies are generally voted with management. However, the appropriate decision maker(s) will review each issue in this category on a case-by-case basis and make an appropriate determination. Generally, Level 1 proposals may include:**<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Approval of auditors<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Election of directors and officers of the entity<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Indemnification provisions for directors<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Liability limitations of directors<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Name changes<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Declaring stock splits<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Elimination of preemptive rights<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Incentive compensation plans<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Changing the date and/or the location of the annual meeting<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Minor amendments to organizational documents<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Employment contracts between the entity and its executives and remuneration for directors<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Automatic dividend reinvestment plans<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Retirement plans, pension and profit-sharing plans, creation of and amendments thereto<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Any other issues that do not adversely affect investors. |

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| ***Level 2 Proxy Proposals (L2)*** | **<u>Level 2 Proxy Proposals</u>. Issues in this category are more likely to affect the structure and operations of the company and, therefore, will have a greater impact on the value of a client's investment. However, the appropriate decision maker(s) (as described below) will review each issue in this category on a case-by-case basis and make a determination, based on the perceived best interest of the clients. Level 2 proposals may include:**<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Mergers and acquisitions<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Restructuring<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Re-incorporation or formation<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Changes in capitalization<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Increase or decrease in number of directors<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Increase or decrease in preferred stock<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Increase or decrease in common stock or other equity securities<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Stock option plans or other compensation plans<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Change of manager<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Social issues |

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| ***Level 3 Proxy Proposals (L3)*** | **<u>Level 3 Proxy (Corporate Governance) Proposals</u>. The appropriate decision maker(s) (as described below) will determine the appropriate vote for Level 3 Proposals. Level 3 proposals may include:**<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Increases in fees (including high water marks) and expenses<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Changes in liquidity terms<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Changes in indemnification/standard of care<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Poison pills<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Side pockets<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Liquidating trusts<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Golden parachutes<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Greenmail<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Supermajority voting<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Board classification without cumulative voting<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Confidential voting |

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| ***FOF Investment Decisions – Not Proxy Proposals under this Policy*** | On occasion underlying hedge fund managers may offer new opportunities to existing investors whereby an opt-in or opt-out is requested. These new opportunities are *investment decisions* and not proxy proposals and therefore the applicable Portfolio Manager will determine the appropriate course of action for each applicable Fund or advisory client. Such investment decisions are generally based on various factors including the fund/client's investment objectives, strategy, risk tolerance, and other relevant considerations. For clarity, such Investment Decisions are not processed via these Proxy Voting Desk Procedure for FoFs. |

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|:---|:---|
| IV. Proxies/ Corporate Actions for Fund of Funds (FoFs). | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The appropriate proxy voting decision maker(s) for the FoFs Proxies are as follows:<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· L1: K2 or FAV Chief Compliance Officer or designee<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· L2: K2 or FAV Chief Compliance Officer or designee<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· L3: K2 FTIS Absolute Return Investment Committee (with input from the FTIS FoFs Proxy Review Group)<br>Upon receipt of a Proxy/Corporate Action requiring a response, the K2 or FAV CCO or designee will determine the appropriate Proxy Level (L1, L2 or L3). The K2 or FAV CCO or designee has the authority to determine the appropriate vote for Level 1 and Level 2 proxies but determinations with respect to Level 3 proxies must be made by FTIS ARIC based on recommendations from the FTIS FoFs PRG. See the Voting Process section below.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A. <u>General</u> <u>Guidelines</u>.<br>If a client has delegated the power to vote proxies, the Investment Manager generally will vote proxies in what is believed to be the client's (or Fund shareholders', members' or partners') best interest and not necessarily always with management. However, each proxy proposal should be considered on its own merits, and an independent determination should be made whether to support or oppose management's position.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· L1: Generally, given the routine nature of L1 proposals, the Investment Manager will likely vote with the underlying hedge fund management. However, the CCO or designee will review each issue in this category on a case-by-case basis and make an appropriate determination.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· L2 & L3: Generally, the Investment Manager opposes proposals that dilute the economic interest of shareholders, reduce shareholders' voting rights or otherwise limit their authority. However, the decision makers review each issue on a case-by-case basis and make an appropriate determination that supports the interests of shareholders. For clarity, in certain cases, it may not be in a client's best interest to vote against a proposal that reduces shareholder rights as such voting against may result in more unfavorable fees or liquidity terms. The Investment Manager may conclude that continued investment in the Underlying Fund is still in the client's best interest and may abstain from voting, provide negative consent by refraining from voting or give another party the right to exercise the Investment Managers vote.<br>The Investment Manager may also find it necessary to contact the underlying Fund's manager to discuss any such proposal to gain a more complete understanding before casting a vote.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;B. <u>Voting</u> <u>Process.</u><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;i) Upon receipt of a Proxy request, the Investment Manager will identify the relevant Funds/Portfolios, the due date and other relevant information and record the same on a Proxy Control sheet.<br>ii) The K2 or FAV CCO or designee will categorize the proxy into the appropriate level (L1, L2 or L3) for processing.<br>iii) If L1 or L2, the K2 or FAV CCO or designee will have the authority to determine the appropriate vote.<br>iv) If L3, the FTIS ARIC will make the appropriate determination with input from the FTIS FoFs Proxy Review Group as appropriate.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;v) Once a voting decision has been reached, GFAR will provide the voting instructions to the appropriate Fund's custodian(s) for vote processing. |

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|:---|:---|
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;With respect to the Japan accounts, instruction or recommendation will be provided to the relevant Solutions Portfolio Manager for further communication to the appropriate parties (e.g., Japan Managed Account Trustees).<br>In addition, the Investment Manager may provide proxy recommendations to certain third parties where it acts as Investment Manager or Investment Adviser but does not have proxy voting authority. In such circumstances, if the responsible parties have requested that the Investment Manager provide voting recommendations – such recommendations may be communicated by Client Services, the relevant Solutions Portfolio Manager or other appropriate personnel. |
| V. Conflicts of Interest | As each Proxy is reviewed by the K2 or FAV CCO, material conflicts of interest between the Investment Manager and the client can be identified and assessed. Any communication between the client and the Investment Manager regarding the client's voting direction will be maintained for a period of not less than twelve months, and otherwise in compliance with Section 7 below. Examples of a material conflict of interest may be:<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· if a proposal may harm a client financially while enhancing the financial or business prospects of the Investment Manager. Likewise, if a proposal may harm the financial or business prospects of the Investment Manager while enhancing a client's financial position; and<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· if a proposal may be contrary to the social philosophy or beliefs of a client while enhancing the financial position of the client or the financial or business prospects of the Investment Manager.<br>Issues not covered by these guidelines will be examined by the Legal/Compliance team. |
| VI. Reference is made to the FTI SEC Registered Investment Advisers Procedures Regarding Recordkeeping | Books and Records to be Kept and Maintained Policy and Procedures which includes controls related to the retention of proxy voting records. |
| VII. Administration & Amendments | Amendments or updates to these FTIS Proxy Voting Desk Procedures for FoFs requires approval by the FTIS Head of Investment and Client Operations. |

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#### ActusRay Partners Limited Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures
PROXY VOTING

September 2022

Proxy Voting Policy

During its business, ActusRayPartners Limited (the "Firm" or "ARP") may exercise voting authority with respect to its Client's securities and will need to ensure that: (i) it votes in the best interest of the Client and deal with conflicts of interests that may arise between ARP and its Clients; (ii) disclose to the Clients certain information about its policies and procedures; and (iii) upon request, provide information on how proxies were voted.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• ARP will act solely in the best interests its Clients when exercising its proxy voting authority. The Firm determines whether and how to vote corporate actions and proxies on a case-by- case basis, and will:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Attempt to consider all aspects of the vote that could affect the value of the issuer or that of the fund managed by ARP.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Vote in a manner that it believes is consistent with the Client's stated objectives.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Generally, vote in accordance with the recommendation of the issuing company's management on routine and administrative matters, unless the Firm has a particular reason to vote to the contrary.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A. Conflicts of Interest

ARP will not put its own interests ahead of those of any Client. If a potential conflict of interest arises in connection with voting a proxy, a conflict of interest will be considered material to the extent that the conflict has the potential to influence the Firm's decision making in voting the proxy. ARP may consider all relevant factors, as determined by the Firm in its sole discretion including, without limitation: (i) the impact on the value of the securities or instruments owned by the relevant Client account and the returns on those securities; (ii) the anticipated associated costs and benefits; (iii) the continued or increased availability of portfolio information; and (iv) industry and business practices.

ARP may refrain from voting proxies where the Firm believes that voting would be inappropriate, taking into consideration the cost of voting the proxies and the anticipated benefit to its Clients. Generally, Clients may not direct the Firm's vote in a particular solicitation.

Conflicts of interest may arise between ARP's and the Client's interests. If the Firm determines that it may have, or is perceived to have, a conflict of interest when voting proxies, the Firm will vote in accordance with its Proxy Voting Policy.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;B. Voting Information and Recordkeeping

Under the Books and Records Rule, the Firm must retain: (i) its voting policies and procedures; (ii) corporate action and proxy statements received; (iii) records of votes cast; (iv) records of its Clients requests for voting information; and (v) any documents prepared by ARP that were material to making a decision on how to vote.

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#### Apollo

#### PROXY VOTING POLICY
**Effective Date:** January 1, 2022

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**1. Policy Statement**

Apollo Asset Management, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, the "Firm") is required under Rule 206(4)-6 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the "Proxy Rule") to adopt and implement policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure that an investment adviser votes client proxy statements in the best interests of its clients. Investment advisers must disclose to their clients on Form ADV Part 2A how clients can obtain information on how proxies were voted. Investment advisers may also provide clients with a description of the adviser's proxy voting policies and procedures and upon request, furnish clients with a copy of those policies and procedures.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**2. Applicability**

This Policy applies to all employees and certain consultants/contingent workers of the Firm as specified by Compliance ("Covered Persons").

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**3. Definitions**

**Best Interest of the Client**. The Firm believes that this means the clients' best economic interests over the long-term – that is, the common interest that all clients share in seeing the value of a common investment increase over time, including consideration of environmental, social and governance ("ESG") issues as appropriate. Under its investment philosophy, the Firm's affiliated registered investment advisers generally advise clients to invest in a company only if the Firm believes that the company's management seeks to serve shareholders' best interests. As a result, the Firm believes that management decisions and recommendations with respect to solicited issues generally are likely to be in the shareholders' and its client's best interests.

**Material Conflicts of Interest**. Such conflicts are typically based on the specific facts and circumstances associated with the issues that are the subject of the proxy and the Firm's and its employees' business dealings with a particular proxy issuer or closely affiliated entity. A material conflict of interest may exist where, for example: (i) the company soliciting the proxy, or a person known to be an affiliate of such company, is known to be a client of or an investor in a fund managed by the Firm; (ii) the company soliciting the proxy, or a person known to be an affiliate of such company, to the knowledge of the individuals charged with voting the proxy, is being actively solicited to be a client of the Firm or investor in a fund managed by the Firm; (iii) a client or investor, or an interest group supported by a client or investor, actively supports a proxy proposal; or (iv) the Firm or an employee has personal or other business relationships with participants in proxy contests, corporate directors or candidates for corporate directorships, or in any other matter coming before shareholders.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**4. Receipt and Reconciliation of Proxies**

All proxy materials received by the Firm must be forwarded to the Fund Controller for Private Equity funds or the Operations group for capital market funds (collectively, "Proxy Recipients") who will record on a log the name of the portfolio company to which the proxy materials relate, the date the materials were received and the date by which the proxy needs to be voted.

The proxy recipients will compare the number of shares represented by the proxy materials to the number of shares owned by the Firm's clients. If the number of shares reflected in the proxy materials does not match the number of shares owned by the funds, the proxy recipients will resolve any difference and ensure that all eligible shares can be voted.

Upon completion of the reconciliation process, the proxy recipient will forward the proxy materials to Compliance as well as the Portfolio Manager ("PM") and will maintain a record setting forth the date the proxy materials were forwarded.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**5. Proxy Voting Process**

Compliance will determine whether a material conflict of interest exists between the Firm and the interests of its clients or between the Firm and its clients and portfolio company shareholders when a Firm representative sits on the board of a portfolio company that is the subject of a proxy.

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If no material conflict of interest is identified, Compliance will provide clearance to the proxy recipient who will coordinate with the PM or Deal Team responsible for the portfolio company issuing the proxy. The PM or Deal Team will instruct the proxy recipient how to vote the proxy, and the proxy recipient will retain such direction. The PM or Deal Team will instruct that all proxies be voted in the best interests of the Firm's clients pursuant to the goals of the client's investment strategy, including the consideration of relevant non-economic (i.e., ESG) factors. This may result in a decision to abstain from voting when such decision is in the best interests of the Firm's clients. When voting on ESG matters, to the extent a PM or Deal Team instruct a proxy recipient to vote "against" a shareholder proposal, the Firm will maintain documentation reflecting the determination that economic or other factors outweigh ESG-specific considerations.

In the event that a material conflict of interest is identified, Compliance will take such actions as is deemed necessary to determine how to vote the proxy in the best interests of the Firm's clients. Depending upon the specific facts and circumstances associated with a given proxy, such actions may include consulting with: (i) Legal, (ii) outside counsel, (iii) a proxy consultant, or (iv) PMs or Deal Team members. After such consultation, Compliance, together with the PM or a Deal Team member, will instruct the proxy recipient how to vote the proxy, and the proxy recipient will retain such direction.

Compliance will make and maintain a record describing the steps taken to address a potential material conflict of interest, and the proxy recipient will maintain records disclosing the date all proxies were voted and how they were voted.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**6. Requests for Voting Information**

If a client requests information regarding how proxies were voted or a copy of the Firm's proxy voting policy and procedures Compliance will provide the client with the requested information. Compliance will make and retain a copy of each request received from a client together with a copy of the response provided to the client.

#### Revision History
January 1, 2022 (initial posting for Apollo Asset Management; prior versions maintained within legacy Code of Ethics and Supervisory Procedures Manual).

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**Capital Fund Management S.A**.

#### Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

#### Proxy voting policy
CFM has a policy to vote by proxy in shareholder meetings that its Clients are notified of, using a third-party proxy voting adviser (the "Proxy Agent"), except when the aggregate Clients' holdings in an issuer are insignificant. CFM will generally vote by proxy in line with the recommendations of the Proxy Agent. To this end, CFM has subscribed to the Proxy Agent's ESG Guidelines and has verified, based on general guidelines and principles, that the recommendations rather systematically supports shareholder motions that demand more transparency from companies in terms of strategy for climate change and handling of related risks, in terms of lobbying money being spent on climate change related initiatives, and in terms of linking management remuneration to achieving ESG related targets. For ballots relating to particularly sensitive topics, the CFM ESG team may confirm that the Proxy Agent's recommendation fits its Clients' best interest before approving the vote.

It should be noted that the Firm may only vote proxies when it has a mandate to do so and when securities are held in trust with a custodian that allows for proxy voting. Securities that are held with a prime broker that has taken title interest in the security through re-use are generally not available to vote.

At the date of this document, the physical securities portfolios advised by CFM only include securities listed in the US. The Firm generally trades exposures to non-US equities as single stock swaps or CFD's and such instruments thus do not provide the possibility to vote proxies.

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#### Electron Capital Partners, LLC

#### PROXY VOTING POLICY
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**A. Purpose and Scope**

The purpose of this policy and its related procedures regarding voting proxies for securities held in Client accounts and for which the Company has been delegated proxy voting authority ("Client Proxies") is to establish guidelines regarding Client Proxies that are reasonably designed to conform with the requirements of applicable law.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**B. General Policy**

Rule 206(4)-6 of the Advisers Act requires a registered investment adviser that exercises proxy voting authority over client securities to: (i) adopt and implement written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure that the investment adviser votes proxies related to client securities in the best interest of its Clients; (ii) ensure that the written policies and procedures address material conflicts that may arise between the interests of the investment adviser and those of its Clients; (iii) describe its proxy voting procedures to clients, and provide copies of such procedures upon request by such clients; and (iv) disclose to clients how they may obtain information from the investment adviser about how the adviser voted with respect to their securities. The Company is committed to implementing policies and procedures that conform with the requirements of the Advisers Act. To that end, it has implemented this policy to facilitate the Company's compliance with Rule 206(4)-6 and to ensure that proxies related to Client Securities are voted (or not voted) in a manner consistent with the best interest of its Clients.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**C. Proxy Voting Policy**

Rule 206(4)-6 of the Advisers Act requires a registered investment adviser that exercises its authority to vote Client Proxies to: (i) adopt and implement written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure that the investment adviser votes Client Proxies in the best interest of its Clients; (ii) ensure that the written policies and procedures address material conflicts that may arise between the interests of the investment adviser and those of its Clients; (iii) describe its proxy voting procedures to clients, and provide copies of such procedures upon request by such clients; and (iv) disclose to clients how they may obtain information from the investment adviser about how the adviser voted their proxies.

The Company's policy is to act in the best interest of its Clients when exercising its proxy voting authority. If the Company accepts proxy voting authority from a Client, the Company will dutifully analyze the issues involved with all shareholder votes. The Company will generally vote Client Proxies in accordance with the Proxy Voting Guidelines and will generally vote in the same manner for all Clients holding a particular security, subject to the investment objectives and best interests of the Client. With respect to matters not covered by the Proxy Voting Guidelines, the Company will evaluate the probable impact on corporate operations, and vote Client Proxies in what it views to be in accordance with the best interests of its Clients.

These policies and procedures do not mandate that the Company vote every Client Proxy that it receives. There may be circumstances when refraining from voting a proxy is in a Client's best interest, such as when and if the Company determines that the cost of voting the proxy exceeds the expected benefit to the Client. Further, the Company will not vote proxies for which a Client has not delegated voting authority to the Company.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**D. Proxy Voting Procedures**

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1. *Procedures*

The Chief Compliance Officer will be primarily responsible for ensuring that these policies and procedures are carried out. The Company utilizes a third-party electronic service, ISS[<sup>39</sup>](#xxbookmark0x3), for receiving, processing, and voting Client proxies. Generally, proxies received by the Company will be accessible via ISS's electronic portal. The Company, via the portal, will:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;i. log the receipt of the proxy materials received in a pending file until the proxy is voted by the Company (or a determination not to vote the proxy is made);

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ii. determine whether the Client(s) that are the beneficial owner(s) of the Securities subject to the proxy has delegated proxy voting authority to the Company;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;iii. confirm that the proxy materials received relate to the correct number of shares, as of the record date;

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;iv. identify any material conflicts of interest in regard to voting on the matter presented to shareholders in the proxy, such identification process to include a review of the relationship of the Company with the issuer of each Security and any of the issuer's affiliates to determine whether the issuer is a Client of the Company or has some other relationship with: (a) the Company, (b) its principals or employees, or (c) any Client of the Company; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;v. vote on all matters presented in proxies by completing them and mailing them or responding electronically in a timely and appropriate manner in compliance with the Proxy Voting Guidelines.

While not typical, the Company may receive proxies in the mail rather than through the electronic portal. In such instances, the Company will ensure that the above-listed steps are carried out with respect to proxies received in the mail and that they are voted in accordance with these procedures.

The Company may retain a third-party to assist it in coordinating and voting Client Proxies. If so, the Chief Compliance Officer will monitor the third-party to assure that all proxies are being properly voted and appropriate records are being retained. The Company may also consult with legal counsel regarding material conflicts of interest in regard to voting proxies.

<sup>39</sup>. The CCO is responsible for overseeing the services provided by Institutional Shareholder Services in accordance with the *Review of Third-Party Service Providers* policy and the guidance set out in Release No. 5325.

Any employee, officer or director of the Company receiving an inquiry directly from a company holding a proxy contest must promptly notify the Chief Compliance Officer.

*2. Conflicts of Interest*

The Company will not put its own interests ahead of a Client's interest at any time, and will resolve any potential conflicts between its interests and those of its Clients in favor of its Clients. The Chief Compliance Officer will be primarily responsible for determining whether a conflict of interest exists in connection with any Client Proxy vote. The Chief Compliance Officer may consult with the Company's legal counsel regarding these matters. The Chief Compliance Officer will presume a conflict of interest to exist whenever the Company or any partner, member, affiliate, subsidiary or employee of the Company has a personal or business interest in the outcome of a particular matter before shareholders. A conflict is presumed, for example, in any case where: (i) the Company has a business, financial, or personal relationship with participants in a proxy contest or candidates for corporate directorships; or (ii) the Company, in its capacity as general partner or manager (or some similar capacity) of a Private Fund Client, also manages or seeks to manage the retirement plan assets of a company whose Securities are held by the Private Fund Client. Other examples where the Chief Compliance Officer will presume the existence of a conflict of interest for proxy-voting purposes include, but are not limited to, whenever:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;i. a current Client of the Company is affiliated with a company soliciting proxies, and has communicated its view to the Company on an impending proxy vote;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ii. the Company has identified a personal or business interest either in a company soliciting proxies or in the outcome of a shareholder vote; or

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;iii. a third-party with an interest in the outcome of a shareholder vote has attempted to influence the Company.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;3. *Resolving Conflicts of Interest*

A presumption of a conflict of interest will not necessarily prevent the Company from voting Client Proxies. In the event that the Company perceives a direct or indirect conflict to exist between the Company's interests and those of its Clients, the Company will, in each event, promptly disclose these conflicts to the affected Client in writing and obtain the Client's prior written consent before exercising any proxy voting authority over the Client Proxy. If the Company is unable to contact a Client or otherwise obtain written consent by the time the vote of the proxy is due, then the Company will not vote the Client Proxy.[<sup>40</sup>](#xxbookmark1x3) In addition, putative conflicts deemed by the Chief Compliance Officer, in conjunction with Senior Management and/or the Company's legal counsel, to be immaterial to a shareholder vote will not prevent the Company from voting the related proxies.

<sup>40</sup> Alternatively, the Company may adopt a predetermined voting policy that is disclosed to Clients in advance and that dictates how Client Proxies for which the Company has voting authority will be voted, regardless of whether or not the Company has an interest therein. Further, the Company may adopt a policy requiring it to rely on the recommendations of an independent third-party that is versed on the matters being voted upon.

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4. *Limitations on Proxy Voting*

The Company will not be obliged to vote a Client Proxy if the Company reasonably determines that the cost of voting such Securities would exceed the expected benefit to the Client.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;5. *Electronic Voting and Automated Voting*

In most cases, ISS (or another proxy advisory firm) may assist the Company with proxy voting execution via an electronic vote management system that allows ISS to: (1) populate each client's vote based either on ISS' recommendation or on the Company's voting instructions to ISS ("pre- population"); and/or (2) automatically submit client votes to be counted ("automated voting").

Either prior to or just after pre-population, the Company may become aware via email from ISS that an issuer that is the subject of an ISS voting recommendation intends to:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1. File or has filed additional soliciting materials with the SEC; and/or

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2. Submit or has submitted comments directly to ISS in response to ISS's voting recommendation setting forth the issuer's views regarding ISS's voting recommendation.

ISS will generally update the Company's portal page and will provide all additional soliciting materials filed with the SEC and/or comments submitted by the issuer in response to ISS's recommendation. ISS will also notify via the Company's portal page if its voting recommendation has changed as a result of the new materials or comments.

The foregoing additional soliciting materials and/or a change in ISS's recommendation based on such additional materials may affect the Company's voting determination. The Company has a duty to act in its Clients' best interests when voting proxies. As such, the Company will reasonably evaluate any such additional materials or response (and any associated changes in ISS's recommendation) and may or may not choose to instruct ISS to modify the Company's prepopulated vote based on such materials. The Company's evaluation will include whether the additional information from the Issuer is material to the Company's proxy vote.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**E. Disclosure to Clients**

1. *Form ADV Disclosure*

The Company will disclose in Part 2A of its Form ADV that Clients may contact the Chief Compliance Officer during regular business hours, via email or telephone, to obtain information on how the Company voted such Client's proxies for the past five years. The summary of this Policy included in the Company's Part 2A of its Form ADV will be updated whenever this Policy is revised. Clients may also receive a copy of this Policy upon their request.

Note that updating the Form ADV with a change to the proxy voting policy outside of the annual update is voluntary. However, the Company will need to communicate to the Client any changes to this Policy affecting its fiduciary duty.

2. *Recordkeeping*

In accordance with the recordkeeping requirements of Rule 204-2 of the Advisers Act, the Company will, for a period of at least five years from the end of the fiscal year during which the record was finalized, maintain or have ready access to the following documents, the first 2 years in an appropriate office of the Company:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• a copy of this policy;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• a copy of the Proxy Voting Guidelines;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• a copy of each proxy statement received by the Company regarding Securities held on behalf of its Clients;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• a record of each vote cast by the Company on behalf of its Clients;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• a copy of any documents prepared by the Company that were material to making a decision how to vote, or that memorialized the basis for such decision; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• a copy of each written request received from a Client as to how the Company voted proxies on its behalf, and a copy of any written response from the Company to any (written or oral) Client request for information on how the Company voted proxies on its behalf.

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To fulfill some of these recordkeeping requirements, the Company may rely on proxy statements filed on EDGAR and proxy statements and records of proxy votes cast that are maintained with a proxy voting service or other third-party, provided that the Company has obtained an undertaking from such third-party to provide a copy of the documents promptly upon request.

The Company will retain each of the records listed above in accordance with the Company's Recordkeeping Policy.

3. *Proxy Voting Guidelines*

Each proxy issue will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The following guidelines are a partial list to be used in voting on proposals often contained in proxy statements but will not be used as rigid rules. The voting policies below are subject to modification in certain circumstances and will be reexamined from time to time. With respect to matters that do not fit in the categories stated below, the Company will exercise its best judgment as a fiduciary to vote in accordance with the best interests of its Clients.

4. *Management Proposals*

The majority of votes presented to shareholders are proposals made by management, which have been approved and recommended by its board of directors. For routine matters (which generally means that such matter will not measurably change the structure, management, control or operation of the company and are consistent with customary industry standards and practices, as well as the laws of the state of incorporation applicable to the company), the Company will vote in accordance with the recommendation of ISS Sustainability Services, unless, in the Company's opinion, such recommendation is not in the best interests of its Clients. Generally, in the absence of any unusual or non-routine information, the following items are likely to be supported:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Ratification of appointment of independent auditors

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• General updating/corrective amendments to charter

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Increase in common share authorization for a stock split or share dividend

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Stock option plans that are incentive based and not excessive

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Election of directors and payment of fees (unless such fees exceed market standards)

Non-routine matters may involve a variety of issues. The following items will always require company specific and case-by-case review and analysis when submitted by management to a shareholder vote:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Directors' liability and indemnity proposals

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Executive compensation plans

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Mergers, acquisitions, and other restructurings submitted to a shareholder vote

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Anti-takeover and related provisions

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Shareholder Proposals

5. *Shareholder Proposals*

In general, the Company will vote in accordance with the recommendation of the company's board of directors on all shareholder proposals. However, the Company will support shareholder proposals that are consistent with the Company's proxy voting guidelines for board-approved proposals.

Generally, shareholder proposals related to the following items are supported:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Confidential voting

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Bylaw and charter amendments only with shareholder approval

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Majority of independent directors in a board

Generally, shareholder proposals related to the following items are not supported:

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Limitations on the tenure of directors

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Cumulative voting

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Restrictions related to social, political, or special interest issues that impact the ability of the company to do business or be competitive and that have a significant financial or vested interest impact.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Reports which are costly to provide or expenditures which are of a non-business nature or would provide no pertinent information from the perspective of shareholders.

6. *Abstaining from Voting or Affirmatively Not Voting*

The Company may abstain from voting (which generally requires submission of the proxy voting card) or decide not to vote if the Company determines that abstaining or not voting is in the best interests of its Clients. Factors that may be considered in making such a determination may include the costs associated with exercising the proxy (e.g., travel or translation costs) and any legal restrictions on trading resulting from the exercise of a proxy.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**F. Proxy Advisory Firm Due Diligence**

The Company will evaluate any current or proposed proxy advisory firms utilized and periodically update such diligence. The Company will consider those factors which it deems relevant which may include whether the proxy advisory firm: (1) has sufficient resources; (2) has an effective process for seeking input from issuers; (3) has adequate disclosures as to its methodologies; (4) has adequate policies and procedures to address conflicts of interest; (5) has adequate processes to identify potential factual errors, incompleteness or methodological weakness; and (6) agrees to update the Company as to any business or policy changes.

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.

#### JENNISON ASSOCIATES
September 30, 2023

#### Proxy Voting

#### Policy and Procedures
**I. POLICY**

Jennison (or the "Company") has adopted the following policy and related procedures to guide the voting of proxies in a manner that is consistent with Jennison's fiduciary duties and the requirements of Rule 206(4)-6 under the Advisers Act.

In the absence of any written delegation or when proxy voting authority has been delegated in writing to Jennison by clients, Jennison will exercise this voting authority in each client's best interests. The Company will not consider its own interests, or those of any affiliates, when voting proxies.

Unless otherwise specified by a client, "best interest" means the client's best economic interest over the long term, as determined by Jennison's portfolio managers and analysts ("Investment Professionals") covering the issuer. We recognize that the nature of ballot issues, including environmental and social issues ("ESG"), can vary widely depending on the company, industry practices, the company's operations and geographic footprint, to name a few, and will consider relevant issues, including ESG issues, in a manner consistent with our fiduciary duties and the goal of maximizing shareholder value.

Jennison's proxy voting policy and procedures and proxy voting records are publicly available on our website. Clients may obtain a copy of our guidelines, as well as the proxy voting records for that client's securities, by contacting the client service representative responsible for the client's account.

**II. PROCEDURES**

#### Proxy Voting Guidelines
Jennison has adopted proxy voting guidelines ("Guidelines") with respect to certain recurring issues. When Jennison is responsible for voting proxies, Jennison considers these guidelines except, where appropriate, when Jennison accepts custom guidelines.

The Guidelines are reviewed annually and as necessary by the Proxy Team. Proposed revisions to the Guidelines are reviewed and approved by the Company's Proxy Voting Committee and Investment Professionals when a change is appropriate. The Proxy Team maintains the Guidelines and distributes copies to the Investment Professionals following confirmation of any change. The Guidelines are meant to convey Jennison's general approach to voting decisions on certain issues. Nevertheless, Investment Professionals are responsible for reviewing all proposals related to fundamental strategies individually and making final decisions based on the merits of each voting opportunity.

If an Investment Professional believes that Jennison should vote in a way that is different from the Guidelines, the Proxy Team is notified. In certain circumstances, an Investment Professional may conclude that different clients should vote in different ways, or that it is in the best interests of some or all clients to abstain from voting. The Proxy Team will notify each Investment Professional's supervisor of any Guideline overrides authorized by that Investment Professional.

The Proxy Team is responsible for maintaining Investment Professionals' reasons for deviating from the Guidelines.

#### Client Directed and Jennison Custom Voting Guidelines
Any client's specific voting instructions must be communicated or confirmed by the client in writing, either through a provision in the investment advisory contract or through other written correspondence. Such instructions may call for Jennison to vote the client's securities according to the client's own voting guidelines ("Client Directed Custom Guidelines"), or may indicate that the Company is not responsible for voting the client's proxies. We try to accommodate such requests where appropriate.

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The Proxy Team reviews Client Directed Custom Guidelines and approves operational implementation, and certain instructions may only be implemented on a best efforts basis. The Proxy Team is responsible for communicating such instructions to the third party vendor.

Additionally, for certain investment products or vehicles that are developed and managed by the Company that seek to follow certain religious values ("Jennison Investment Products"), Jennison has adopted custom guidelines from a third party proxy voting vendor that are aligned with the particular Jennison Investment Product ("Jennison Custom Guidelines"). Prior to the adoption of Jennison Custom Guidelines, the Proxy Committee will review the custom guidelines provided by the third party proxy vendor. The Proxy Team will review the proxy voting records of the Jennison Investment Products that utilize the Jennison Custom Guidelines on a quarterly basis and provide reporting to the Proxy Committee.

#### Use of a Third Party Voting Service
Jennison has engaged an independent third party proxy voting vendor that provides research and analytical services, operational implementation and recordkeeping and reporting services. The proxy voting vendor will cast votes in accordance with the Company's Guidelines; however, notwithstanding the Guidelines, Investment Professionals for fundamental strategies are responsible for reviewing the facts and circumstances related to each proposal in order to make all final voting decisions.

The third party proxy voting vendor is responsible for operational implementation of Client Directed Custom Guidelines and Jennison Custom Guidelines ("Client Directed Custom Guidelines and Jennison Custom Guidelines are collectively Custom Guidelines"). The ballots received for clients/accounts with Custom Guidelines will be automatically voted in accordance with the Custom Guideline recommendations by the third party proxy voting vendor. Jennison also subscribes to additional proxy voting research from another third party on proxy proposals relating to environmental and social topics.

#### Identifying and Addressing Potential Material Conflicts of Interest
There may be instances where Jennison's interests conflict materially, or appear to conflict materially, with the interests of clients in connection with a proxy vote (a "Material Conflict"). Examples of potential Material Conflicts include, but are not limited to:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Jennison managing the pension plan of the issuer.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Jennison or its affiliates have a material business relationship with the issuer.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Jennison investment professionals who are related to a person who is senior management or a director at a public company.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Jennison has a material investment in a security that the investment professional who is responsible for voting that security's proxy also holds the same security personally.

If an Investment Professional or any other employee perceives a Material Conflict, he or she must promptly report the matter to the Chief Compliance Officer.

If the Proxy Voting Committee determines that a Material Conflict is present and if the Investment Professional is recommending a vote that deviates from the Guidelines or there is no specific recommended Guideline vote

and decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, then the voting decision must be reviewed and approved by the Investment Professional's supervisor and the Proxy Committee prior to casting the vote.

Jennison will not abstain from voting a proxy for the purpose of avoiding a Material Conflict.

#### Quantitatively Derived Holdings and the Jennison Managed Accounts
In voting proxies for non-fundamental strategies such as quantitatively derived holdings and Jennison Managed Accounts (i.e. "wrap") where the securities are not held elsewhere in the firm, proxies will be voted utilizing the Guidelines. Additionally, in those circumstances where no specific Guidelines exist, the Company will consider the recommendations of the proxy voting vendor.

#### International Holdings
Jennison will exercise opportunities to vote on international holdings on a best efforts basis. Such votes will be cast based on the same principles that govern domestic holdings.

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In some countries casting a proxy vote can adversely affect a client, such as countries that restrict stock sales around the time of the proxy vote by requiring "share blocking" as part of the voting process. The Investment Professional covering the issuer will weigh the expected benefits of voting proxies on international holdings against any anticipated costs or limitations, such as those associated with share blocking. Jennison may abstain from voting if it anticipates that the costs or limitations associated with voting outweigh the benefits.

#### Securities Lending
Jennison may be unable to vote proxies when the underlying securities have been lent out pursuant to a client's securities lending program. The Company does not know when securities are on loan and are therefore not available to be voted. In rare circumstances, Investment Professionals may ask the Proxy Team to work with the client's custodian to recall the shares so that Jennison can vote. Efforts to recall loaned securities are not always effective since such requests must be submitted prior to the record date for the upcoming proxy vote; therefore voting shares on loan is on a best efforts basis. In determining whether to call back securities that are out on loan, the Investment Professional will consider whether the benefit to the client in voting the matter outweighs the benefit to the client in keeping the security out on loan.

#### Disclosure to Advisory Clients
Jennison will provide a copy of these Policies and Procedures and the Guidelines to any client upon request. The Company will also provide any client with information about how Jennison has voted that client's proxies upon request. Any such requests should be directed to the client service representative responsible for the client's account who will coordinate with the Proxy Team.

#### Compliance Reporting for Investment Companies
Upon request, the Proxy Team will provide to each investment company for which Jennison acts as sub-adviser reporting needed to satisfy their regulatory and board requirements, including, but not limited to, information required for Form NP-X.

#### Pre-Solicitation Contact
From time to time, portfolio companies (or proxy solicitors acting on their behalf) may contact Investment Professionals or others in advance of the publication of proxy solicitation materials to solicit support for certain contemplated proposals.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· A pre-solicitation contact is any communication, written or oral, formal or informal, with the company or a representative of the company regarding proxy proposals prior to publication of the official proxy solicitation materials

A pre-solicitation contact could result in the recipient receiving material non-public information.

In a situation when an employee is contacted in advance of publication of proxy solicitation materials or when the employee believes that the information shared could be considered material and non-public, the employee should immediately contact Compliance.

Under certain circumstances, it may be appropriate to share our general approach to certain issues. However, employees are prohibited from disclosing how we voted or promising to vote in a particular manner under any circumstance during these pre-solicitation meetings or contacts.

Jennison is a fiduciary and exercises opportunities to vote proxies solely in the best interest of our clients.

**III. INTERNAL CONTROLS**

#### Supervisory Notification
The Proxy Team will notify each Investment Professional's supervisor of any Guideline overrides authorized by that Investment Professional. The supervisor reviews the overrides ensuring that they were made based on clients' best interests, and that they were not influenced by any Material Conflict or other considerations.

#### The Proxy Voting Committee
The Proxy Voting Committee consists of representatives from Operations, Operational Risk, Legal, and Compliance. It meets at least quarterly, and has the following responsibilities:

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Review potential Material Conflicts and decide whether a material conflict is present, and needs to be addressed according to these policies and procedures.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Review proposed amendments to the Guidelines in consultation with the Investment Professionals and make revisions as appropriate.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Review these Policies and Procedures annually for accuracy and effectiveness, and recommend and adopt any necessary changes.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Review all Guideline overrides.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Review quarterly voting metrics and analysis published by the Proxy Team.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Review accuracy of the application of Custom Guidelines.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Review the performance of the proxy voting vendor and determine whether Jennison should continue to retain their services. The Committee will consider the following factors while conducting their review:

o Accuracy and completeness of research reports, engagement with issuers, potential conflicts of interest and overall administration of Jennison's proxy voting recommendations.

**IV. Escalating Concerns**

Any concerns about aspects of the policy that lack specific escalation guidance may be reported to the reporting employee's supervisor, the Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Legal Officer, Chief Risk Officer, Chief Ethics Officer, Chief Operating Officer or Chief Executive Officer. Alternatively Jennison has an Ethics Reporting Hotline phone number and email address that enable employees to raise concerns anonymously. Information about the Ethics Reporting Hotline phone number and email address can be found on the Jennison intranet's "Ethics" web page.

**V. Discipline and Sanctions**

All Jennison employees are responsible for understanding and complying with the policies and procedures outlined in this policy. The procedures described in this policy are intended to ensure that Jennison and its employees act in full compliance with the law. Violations of this policy and related procedures will be communicated to your supervisor and to senior management through Jennison's Compliance Council, and may lead to disciplinary action.

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#### Lazard Proxy Voting

#### Policy and Procedures Overview
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**A. Introduction**

Lazard Asset Management LLC and its investment advisory subsidiaries ("Lazard" or the "firm") provide investment management services for client accounts, including proxy voting services. As a fiduciary, Lazard is obligated to vote proxies in the best interests of its clients over the long-term. Lazard has developed a structure that is designed to ensure that proxy voting is conducted in an appropriate manner, consistent with clients' best interests, and within the framework of this Proxy Voting Policy (the "Policy").<sup>1</sup>

Lazard manages assets for a variety of clients worldwide, including institutions, financial intermediaries, sovereign wealth funds, and private clients. To the extent that proxy voting authority is delegated to Lazard, Lazard's general policy is to vote proxies on a given issue in the same manner for all of its clients. This Policy is based on the view that Lazard, in its role as investment adviser, must vote proxies based on what it believes (i) will maximize sustainable shareholder value as a long-term investor; (ii) is in the best interest of its clients; and (iii) the votes that it casts are intended in good faith to accomplish those objectives.

This Policy recognizes that there may be times when meeting agendas or proposals may create the appearance of a material conflict of interest for Lazard. Lazard will look to alleviate the potential conflict by voting according to pre-approved guidelines. In conflict situations where a pre-approved guideline is to vote case-by-case, Lazard will vote according to the recommendation of one of the proxy voting services Lazard retains to provide independent analysis. More information on how Lazard handles material conflicts of interest in proxy voting is provided in Section F of this Policy.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**B. Responsibility to Vote Proxies**

Generally, Lazard is willing to accept delegation from its clients to vote proxies. Lazard does not delegate that authority to any other person or entity, but retains complete authority for voting all proxies on behalf of its clients. Not all clients delegate proxy-voting authority to Lazard, however, and Lazard will not vote proxies, or provide advice to clients on how to vote proxies, in the absence of a specific delegation of authority or an obligation under applicable law. For example, securities that are held in an investment advisory account for which Lazard exercises no investment discretion are not voted by Lazard, nor are shares that a client has authorized their custodian bank to use in a stock loan program which passes voting rights to the party with possession of the shares.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**C. General Administration**

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**1. Overview and Governance**

Lazard's proxy voting process is administered by members of its Operations Department ("the Proxy Administration Team"). Oversight of the process is provided by Lazard's Legal & Compliance Department and by an Active Ownership Committee (the "AO Committee") comprised of senior investment professionals, members of the Legal & Compliance Department, the firm's Co-Heads of Sustainable Investment & Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance ("ESG") and other personnel. The AO Committee meets regularly, generally on a quarterly basis, to review this Policy and other matters relating to the firm's proxy voting functions. Meetings may be convened more frequently (for example, to discuss a specific proxy agenda or proposal) as needed. A representative of Lazard's Legal & Compliance Department will participate in all AO Committee meetings.<sup>2</sup>

A quorum for the conduct of any meeting will be met if a majority of the AO Committee's members are in attendance by phone or in person. Decisions of the AO Committee will be made by consensus and minutes of each meeting will be taken and maintained by the Legal & Compliance Department. The AO Committee may, upon consultation with Lazard's Chief Compliance Officer, General Counsel, or his/her designee, take any action that it believes to be necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes of the Policy. The Chief Compliance Officer, General Counsel, or his/her designee, is responsible for updating this Policy, interpreting this Policy, and may act on behalf of the AO Committee in circumstances where a meeting of the members is not feasible.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**2. Role of Third Parties**

Lazard currently subscribes to advisory and other proxy voting services provided by Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. ("ISS") and Glass, Lewis & Co. ("Glass Lewis"). These proxy advisory services provide independent analysis and recommendations regarding various companies' proxy proposals. While this research serves to help improve our understanding of the issues surrounding a company's proxy proposals, Lazard's Portfolio Manager/Analysts and Research Analysts (collectively, "Portfolio Management") are responsible for providing the vote recommendation for a given proposal except when the Conflicts of Interest policy applies (see Section F).

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ISS provides additional proxy-related administrative services to Lazard. ISS receives on Lazard's behalf all proxy information sent by custodians that hold securities on behalf of Lazard's clients and sponsored funds. ISS posts all relevant information regarding the proxy on its password-protected website for Lazard to review, including meeting dates, all agendas and ISS' analysis. The Proxy Administration Team reviews this information on a daily basis and regularly communicates with representatives of ISS to ensure that all agendas are considered and proxies are voted on a timely basis. ISS also provides Lazard with vote execution, recordkeeping and reporting support services. Members of the AO Committee, along with members of the Legal & Compliance Team, conducts periodic due diligence of ISS and Glass Lewis consisting of an annual questionnaire and, as appropriate, on site visits.

The AO Committee believes that the Policy is consistent with the firm's Corporate Governance Principals and ESG and Climate Change Policies at https://www.lazardassetmanagement.com/about/esg.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;3. **Voting Process**

The AO Committee has approved proxy voting guidelines applicable to specific types of common proxy proposals (the "Approved Guidelines"). As discussed more fully below in Section D of this Policy, depending on the proposal, an Approved Guideline may provide that Lazard should vote for or against the proposal, or that the proposal should be considered on a case-by-case basis.

For each shareholder meeting the Proxy Administration Team provides Portfolio Management with the agenda and proposals, the Approved Guidelines, independent vote recommendations from Glass Lewis and ISS and supporting analyses for each proposal. Unless Portfolio Management disagrees with the Approved Guideline for a specific proposal, or where a potential material conflict of interest exists, the Proxy Administration Team will generally vote the proposal according to the Approved Guideline. In cases where Portfolio Management recommends a vote contrary to the Approved Guideline, a member of the Proxy Administration Team will contact a member of the Legal & Compliance Department advising the AO Committee. Such communication, which may be in the form of an e-mail, shall include: the name of the issuer, a description of the proposal, the Approved Guideline, any potential conflict of interest presented and the reason(s) Portfolio Management believes a proxy vote in this manner is in the best interest of clients In such cases, the AO Committee and the Legal & Compliance Department will review the proposal and make a determination.

Where the Approved Guideline for a particular type of proxy proposal is to vote on a case-by-case basis, Lazard believes that Portfolio Management is best able to evaluate the potential impact to shareholders resulting from a particular proposal. Similarly, with respect to certain Lazard strategies, as discussed more fully in Sections F and G below, the Proxy Administration Team will consult with Portfolio Management to determine when it would be appropriate to abstain from voting. The Proxy Administration Team seeks Portfolio Management's recommendation on how to vote all such proposals. The Proxy Administration Team may also consult with Lazard's Chief Compliance Officer, General Counsel or his/her designee, and may seek the final approval of the AO Committee regarding a recommendation by Portfolio Management.

As a global firm, we recognize that there are differing governance models adopted in various countries and that local laws and practices vary widely. Although the Approved Guidelines are intended to be applied uniformly world-wide, where appropriate, Lazard will consider regional/local law and guidance in applying the Policy.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;D. **Specific Proxy Items**

Shareholders receive proxies involving many different proposals. Many proposals are routine in nature, such as a change in a company's name. Others are more complicated, such as items regarding corporate governance and shareholder rights, changes to capital structure, stock option plans and other executive compensation/ issues, election of directors, mergers and other significant transactions and social or political issues. Lazard's Approved Guidelines for certain common agenda items are outlined below. The AO Committee will also consider any other proposals presented and determine whether to implement a new Approved Guideline.

Certain strategy-specific considerations may result in Lazard voting proxies other than according to the Approved Guidelines, not voting shares at all, issuing standing instructions to ISS on how to vote certain proxy matters on behalf of Lazard, or taking other action where unique circumstances require special voting efforts or considerations. These considerations are discussed in more detail in Section G, below.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1. **Routine Items**

Lazard generally votes routine items as recommended by the issuer's management and board of directors, based on the view that management is generally in a better position to assess these matters. Lazard considers routine items to be those that do not

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change the structure, charter, bylaws, or operations of an issuer in any way that is material to long-term shareholder value. Routine items generally include:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• issues relating to the timing or conduct of annual meetings;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• provisionary financial budgets and strategy for the current year;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• proposals that allow votes submitted for the first call of the shareholder meeting to be considered in the event of a second call;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• proposals to receive or approve of variety of routine reports (Lazard will generally vote **FOR** the approval of financial statements and director and auditor reports unless there are concerns about the accounts presented or audit procedures used or the company is not responsive to shareholder questions about specific items that should be publicly disclosed); and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• changes to a company's name.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2. **Amendments to Board Policy/Charter/Regulation:**

Proposals to amend a company's Articles of Association and other bylaws are commonly seen at shareholder meetings. Companies usually disclose what is being amended, or the amended bylaws, or both in their meeting circulars. Amendments are nearly always bundled together as a single voting resolution, and Lazard's general approach is to review these amendments on a case-by-case basis and to oppose article amendments as a whole when they include changes Lazard opposes.

**Lazard has Approved Guidelines generally to vote FOR** bylaw amendments that are driven by regulatory changes and are technical in nature or meant to update company-specific information such as address and/or business scope.

**Lazard has Approved Guidelines generally to vote AGAINST** bylaw amendments if

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• there is no disclosure on the proposed amendments or full text of the amended bylaw; or

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• the amendments include increase in the decision authority of what is considered "excessive" and the company fails to provide a compelling justification.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;3. **Corporate Governance and Shareholder Rights**

Many proposals address issues related to corporate governance and shareholder rights. These items often relate to a board of directors and its committees, anti-takeover measures, and the conduct of the company's shareholder meetings.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**a. Board of Directors and its Committees<sup>3</sup>**

Lazard votes in favor of provisions that it believes will increase the effectiveness of an issuer's board of directors.

#### Lazard has Approved Guidelines generally to vote FOR the following:
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• the establishment of an independent nominating committee, audit committee or compensation committee of a board of directors;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• a requirement that a substantial majority (e.g., 2/3) of a company's directors be independent;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• a proposal that a majority of the entirety of the board's committees be comprised of independent directors;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• proposals seeking to de-classify a board;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• the implementation of director stock retention/holding periods;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• proposals relating to the establishment of directors' mandatory retirement age and age restrictions for directors especially where such proposals seek to facilitate the improvement of the diversity of the board; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• changes to the articles of association and other relevant documents which are in the long-term interests of shareholders;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• the appointment or (re)election of internal statutory auditors/fiscal council members **<u>unless</u>** (a) the name of the management nominees are not disclosed in a timely manner prior to the meeting, (b) there are serious concerns about statutory reports presented or the audit procedures used, (c) questions exist concerning any of the auditors, (d) the auditors have previously

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served the company in an executive capacity (or are otherwise considered affiliated) or (e) minority shareholders have presented timely disclosure of minority fiscal council nominee(s) to be elected under separate elections.

#### Lazard has Approved Guidelines generally to vote on a CASE by CASE Basis for the following:
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• proposals to require an independent board chair or the separation of chairman and CEO; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• establishment of shareholder advisory committees.

#### Lazard has Approved Guidelines generally to vote AGAINST the following:
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• proposals seeking to classify a board

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• the election of directors where the board does not have independent "key committees" or sufficient board independence;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• non-independent directors who serve on key committees that are not sufficiently independent;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• proposals relating to cumulative voting;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• proposals where the names of the candidates (in the case of an election) or the principles for the establishment of a committee (where a new committee is being created) have not been disclosed in a timely manner;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• release of restrictions on competitive activities of directors<sup>4</sup> if (a) there is a lack of disclosure on the key information including identities of directors in question, current position in the company and outside boards they are serving on or (b) the non-nomination system is employed by the company for the director election;

• the discharge of directors, including members of the management board and/or supervisory board and auditors, unless there is reliable information about significant and compelling concerns that the board is not fulfilling its fiduciary duties<sup>5</sup>; and

• the chair of the board's nominating committee, or all incumbent nominating committee members in the absence of the chair, if there is not at least one female on the board of directors.

#### US Listed Corporates
Given the governance practices unique to the United States market, Lazard has adopted the following principles-based approach to proxy voting that is designed to address:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Board effectiveness – supporting board structure, diversity of cognitive thought, independence and avoiding over- boarding.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Accountability – in conjunction with the immediately preceding bullet point, emphasizing individual account- ability, for example holding the Chair of the Nomination Committee accountable where weaknesses and conflicts have been identified.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;b. **Anti-takeover Measures**

Certain proposals are intended to deter outside parties from taking control of a company. Such proposals could entrench management and adversely affect shareholder rights and the value of the company's shares.

#### Consequently, Lazard has adopted Approved Guidelines to vote AGAINST:
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• proposals to adopt supermajority vote requirements or increase vote requirements;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• proposals seeking to adopt fair price provisions and on a case-by-case basis regarding proposals seeking to rescind them; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• "blank check" preferred stock.

**Lazard has adopted Approved Guidelines to vote on a CASE by CASE basis** regarding other provisions seeking to amend a company's by-laws or charter regarding anti-takeover provisions or shareholder rights plans (also known as "poison pill plans").

**Lazard has adopted an Approved Guideline to vote FOR** proposals that ask management to submit any new poison pill plan to shareholder vote.

#### Conduct of Shareholder Meetings

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Lazard generally opposes any effort by management to restrict or limit shareholder participation in shareholder meetings, and is in favor of efforts to enhance shareholder participation. **Lazard has therefore adopted Approved Guidelines to vote AGAINST**:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• proposals to adjourn US meetings;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• proposals seeking to eliminate or restrict shareholders' right to call a special meeting;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• efforts to eliminate or restrict right of shareholders to act by written consent; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• proposals to adopt supermajority vote requirements, or increase vote requirements.

**Lazard has adopted Approved Guidelines to vote on a CASE by CASE basis** on changes to quorum requirements and **FOR** proposals providing for confidential voting.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4. **Changes to Capital Structure**

Lazard receives many proxies that include proposals relating to a company's capital structure. These proposals vary greatly, as each one is unique to the circumstances of the company involved, as well as the general economic and market conditions existing at the time of the proposal. A board and management may have many legitimate business reasons in seeking to effect changes to the issuer's capital structure, including investing in financial products and raising additional capital for appropriate business reasons, cash flow and market conditions. Lazard generally believes that these decisions are best left to management but will monitor these proposals closely to ensure that they are aligned with the long-term interests of shareholders.

#### Lazard has adopted Approved Guidelines to vote FOR:
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• management proposals to increase or decrease authorized common or preferred stock (unless it is believed that doing so is intended to serve as an anti-takeover measure);

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• stock splits and reverse stock splits;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• investments in financial products unless the company fails to provide meaningful shareholder vote or there are significant concerns with the company's previous similar investments;<sup>6</sup>

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• requests to reissue any repurchased shares unless there is clear evidence of abuse of authority in the past;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• management proposals to adopt or amend dividend reinvestment plans; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• dividend distribution policies unless (a) the dividend payout ratio has been consistently below 30% without adequate explanation or (b) the payout is excessive given the company's financial position.

#### Lazard has adopted Approved Guidelines to vote on a CASE by CASE basis for:
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• matters affecting shareholder rights, such as amending votes-per-share;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• management proposals to issue a new class of common or preferred shares (unless covered by an Approved Guideline relating to the disapplication of pre-emption rights);

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• the use of proceeds and the company's past share issuances<sup>7</sup>;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• proposals seeking to approve or amend stock ownership limitations or transfer restrictions; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• loan and financing proposals. In assessing requests for loan financing provided by a related party the following factors will be considered: (a) use of proceeds, size or specific amount of loan requested, interest rate and relation of the party providing the loan.

**Lazard has adopted Approved Guidelines to vote AGAINST**:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• changes in capital structure designed to be used in poison pill plans or which seeks to disregard pre-emption rights in a way that does not follow guidance set by the UK Pre-Emption Group's Statement of Principles;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• the provision of loans to clients, controlling shareholders and actual controlling persons of the company; and

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• the provision of loans to an entity in which the company's ownership stake is less than 75% and the financing provision is not proportionate to the company's equity stake.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;5. **Executive Compensation Issues**

Lazard supports efforts by companies to adopt compensation and incentive programs to attract and retain the highest caliber management possible, and to align the interests of a board, management and employees with those of long-term shareholders. Lazard generally favors programs intended to reward management and employees for positive and sustained, long-term performance but will take into account various considerations such as whether compensation appears to be appropriate for the company after an analysis of the totality of the circumstances (including the company's time in history and evolution).

#### Lazard has Approved Guidelines generally to vote FOR
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• employee stock purchase plans, deferred compensation plans, stock option plans and stock appreciation rights plans that are in the long-term interests of shareholders;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• proposals to submit severance agreements to shareholders for approval;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• annual advisory votes on compensation outcomes where the outcomes are considered to be aligned with the interest of shareholders; and

• annual compensation policy votes where the policy structures are considered to be aligned with the interest of shareholders.

**Lazard has Approved Guidelines generally to vote on a CASE by CASE basis regarding**:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• restricted stock plans that do not define performance criteria; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• proposals to approve executive loans to exercise options.

#### Lazard has Approved Guidelines generally to vote AGAINST:
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• proposals to re-price underwater options;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• annual advisory votes on remuneration outcomes where the outcomes are considered not to be in the interests of shareholders; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• annual remuneration policy vote where the policy structures are considered not to be in the interests of shareholders.

#### US Listed Corporates
Given the governance practices unique to the United States market, Lazard maintains the view that votes regarding Say on Pay should in principle, support fair and transparent remuneration. In addition, we also consider:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• the level of dissent on previous Say on Pay votes; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• individual accountability, for example holding the Chair of the Compensation Committee accountable where weaknesses have been identified.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;6. **Mergers and Other Significant Transactions**

Shareholders are asked to consider a number of different types of significant transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, sales of all or substantially all of a company's assets, reorganizations involving business combinations and liquidations. Each of these transactions is unique. Therefore, Lazard's Approved Guideline is to vote on a CASE by CASE basis for these proposals.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;7. **Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance**

Proposals involving environmental, social, and corporate governance issues take many forms and cover a wide array of issues. Some examples may include: proposals to have a company increase its environmental disclosure; adoption of principles to limit or eliminate certain business activities; adoption of certain conservation efforts; adoption of proposals to improve the diversity of the board, the senior management team and the workforce in general; adoption of proposals to improve human capital management or the adoption of certain principles regarding employment practices or discrimination policies. These items are often presented by shareholders and are often opposed by the company's management and its board of directors.

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As set out in Lazard's separate ESG Policy, Lazard is committed to an investment approach that incorporates ESG considerations in a comprehensive manner in order to safeguard the long-term interests of our clients and to manage more effectively long-term investment risks and opportunities related to ESG matters. Lazard generally supports the notion that corporations should be expected to act as good citizens. Lazard generally votes on environmental, social and corporate governance proposals in a way that it believes will most increase long-term shareholder value.

**Lazard's Approved Guidelines are structured to evaluate many environmental, social and corporate governance proposals on a case-by-case basis**.

However, as a guide, **Lazard will generally vote FOR proposals**:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• asking for a company to increase its environmental/social disclosures (e.g., to provide a corporate sustainability report);

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• seeking the approval of anti-discrimination policies;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• which are considered socially responsible agenda items;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• which improve an investee company's ESG risk management and related disclosures; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• deemed to be in the long-term interests of shareholders.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;8. **Shareholder Proposals**

Lazard believes in the ability of shareholders to leverage their rights related to the use of shareholder proposals to address deficits in best practices and related disclosures by companies. Many ESG issues are improved through such use of shareholder proposals. For example, some companies are collaborating with shareholders on such proposals by voicing their support and recommending that shareholders vote in-line with such proposals.

**Lazard has Approved Guidelines generally to vote FOR** shareholder proposals which:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• seek improved disclosure of an investee company's ESG practices over an appropriate timeframe;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• seek improved transparency over how the investee company is supporting the transition to a low carbon economy;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• seek to improve the diversity of the board;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• seek improved disclosures on the diversity of the board and the wider workforce;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• seek to establish minimum stock-ownership requirements for directors over an appropriate time frame;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• seek to eliminate or restrict severance agreements, or

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• are deemed to be in the long-term interests of shareholders including Lazard's clients.

#### Lazard has Approved Guidelines generally to vote AGAINST shareholder proposals which :
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• seek to infringe excessively on management's decision-making flexibility;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• seek to establish additional board committees (absent demonstrable need);

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• seek to establish term limits for directors if this is unnecessary;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• seek to change the size of a board (unless this facilitates improved board diversity);

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• seek to require two candidates for each board seat; or

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• are considered not to be in the long-terms interests of shareholders.

E. **Voting Securities in Different Countries**

Laws and regulations regarding shareholder rights and voting procedures differ dramatically across the world. In certain countries, the requirements or restrictions imposed before proxies may be voted may outweigh any benefit that could be realized by voting the proxies involved. For example, certain countries restrict a shareholder's ability to sell shares for a certain period of time if the

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shareholder votes proxies at a meeting (a practice known as "share blocking"). In other instances, the costs of voting a proxy (i.e., by being routinely required to send a representative to the meeting) may simply outweigh any benefit to the client if the proxy is voted. Generally, the Proxy Administration Team will consult with Portfolio Management in determining whether to vote these proxies.

There may be other instances where Portfolio Management may wish to refrain from voting proxies (See Section G.1. below).

F. **Conflicts of Interest**

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1. **Overview**

This Policy and related procedures implemented by Lazard are designed to address potential conflicts of interest posed by Lazard's business and organizational structure. Examples of such potential conflicts of interest are:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Lazard Frères & Co. LLC ("LF&Co."), Lazard's parent company and a registered broker- dealer, or a financial advisory affiliate, has a relationship with a company the shares of which are held in accounts of Lazard clients, and has provided financial advisory or related services to the company with respect to an upcoming significant proxy proposal (i.e., a merger or other significant transaction);

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Lazard serves as an investment adviser for a company the management of which supports a particular proposal;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Lazard serves as an investment adviser for the pension plan of an organization that sponsors a proposal; or

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• A Lazard employee who would otherwise be involved in the decision-making process regarding a particular proposal has a material relationship with the issuer or owns shares of the issuer.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2. **General Policy**

All proxies must be voted in the best long-term interest of each Lazard client, without consideration of the interests of Lazard, LF&Co. or any of their employees or affiliates. The Proxy Administration Team is responsible for all proxy voting in accordance with this Policy after consulting with the appropriate member or members of Portfolio Management, the AO Committee and/or the Legal & Compliance Department. No other employees of Lazard, LF&Co. or their affiliates may influence or attempt to influence the vote on any proposal. Violations of this Policy could result in disciplinary action, including letter of censure, fine or suspension, or termination of employment. Any such conduct may also violate state and Federal securities and other laws, as well as Lazard's client agreements, which could result in severe civil and criminal penalties being imposed, including the violator being prohibited from ever working for any organization engaged in a securities business. Every officer and employee of Lazard who participates in any way in the decision-making process regarding proxy voting is responsible for considering whether they have a conflicting interest or the appearance of a conflicting interest on any proposal. A conflict could arise, for example, if an officer or employee has a family member who is an officer of the issuer or owns securities of the issuer. If an officer or employee believes such a conflict exists or may appear to exist, he or she should notify the Chief Compliance Officer immediately and, unless determined otherwise, should not continue to participate in the decision-making process.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;3. **Monitoring for Conflicts and Voting When a Material Conflict Exists**

The Proxy Administration Team monitors for potential conflicts of interest that could be viewed as influencing the outcome of Lazard's voting decision. Consequently, the steps that Lazard takes to monitor conflicts, and voting proposals when the appearance of a material conflict exists, differ depending on whether the Approved Guideline for the specific item is clearly defined to vote for or against, or is to vote on a case-by-case basis. Any questions regarding application of these conflict procedures, including whether a conflict exists, should be addressed to Lazard's Chief Compliance Officer or General Counsel.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**a. Where Approved Guideline Is For or Against**

Lazard has an Approved Guideline to vote for or against regarding most proxy agenda/proposals. Generally, unless Portfolio Management disagrees with the Approved Guideline for a specific proposal, the Proxy Administration Team votes according to the Approved Guideline. It is therefore necessary to consider whether an apparent conflict of interest exists when Portfolio Management disagrees with the Approved Guideline. The Proxy Administration Team will use its best efforts to determine whether a conflict of interest or potential conflict of interest exists. If conflict appears to exist, then the proposal will be voted according to the Approved Guideline. Lazard also reserves its right to Abstain.

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In addition, in the event of a conflict that arises in connection with a proposal for Lazard to vote shares held by Lazard clients in a Lazard mutual fund, Lazard will typically vote each proposal for or against proportion to the shares voted by other shareholders.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;b. **Where Approved Guideline Is Case-by-Case**

In situations where the Approved Guideline is to vote case-by-case and a material conflict of interest appears to exist, Lazard's policy is to vote the proxy item according to the majority recommendation of the independent proxy services to which we subscribe. Lazard also reserves the right to Abstain.

G. **Other Matters**

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1. **Issues Relating to Management of Specific Lazard Strategies**

Due to the nature of certain strategies managed by Lazard, there may be times when Lazard believes that it may not be in the best interests of its clients to vote in accordance with the Approved Guidelines, or to vote proxies at all. In certain markets, the fact that Lazard is voting proxies may become public information, and, given the nature of those markets, may impact the price of the securities involved. Lazard may simply require more time to fully understand and address a situation prior to determining what would be in the best interests of shareholders. In these cases the Proxy Administration Team will look to Portfolio Management to provide guidance on proxy voting rather than vote in accordance with the Approved Guidelines, and will obtain the Proxy Committee's confirmation accordingly.

Additionally, Lazard may not receive notice of a shareholder meeting in time to vote proxies for or may simply be prevented from voting proxies in connection with a particular meeting. Due to the compressed time frame for notification of shareholder meetings and Lazard's obligation to vote proxies on behalf of its clients, Lazard may issue standing instructions to ISS on how to vote on certain matters.

Different strategies managed by Lazard may hold the same securities. However, due to the differences between the strategies and their related investment objectives, one Portfolio Management team may desire to vote differently than the other, or one team may desire to abstain from voting proxies while the other may desire to vote proxies. In this event, Lazard would generally defer to the recommendation of the Portfolio Management teams to determine what action would be in the best interests of its clients. The Chief Compliance Officer or General Counsel, in consultation with members of the AO Committee will determine whether it is appropriate to approve a request to split votes among one or more Portfolio Management teams.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2. **Stock Lending**

As noted in Section B above, Lazard does not generally vote proxies for securities that a client has authorized their custodian bank to use in a stock loan program, which passes voting rights to the party with possession of the shares. Under certain circumstances, Lazard may determine to recall loaned stocks in order to vote the proxies associated with those securities. For example, if Lazard determines that the entity in possession of the stock has borrowed the stock solely to be able to obtain control over the issuer of the stock by voting proxies, or if the client should specifically request Lazard to vote the shares on loan, Lazard may determine to recall the stock and vote the proxies itself. However, it is expected that this will be done only in exceptional circumstances. In such event, Portfolio Management will make this determination and the Proxy Administration Team will vote the proxies in accordance with the Approved Guidelines.

H. **Reporting**

Separately managed account clients of Lazard who have authorized Lazard to vote proxies on their behalf will receive information on proxy voting with respect to that account. Additionally, the US mutual funds managed by Lazard will disclose proxy voting information on an annual basis on Form N-PX which is filed with the SEC.

I. **Recordkeeping**

J. **Review of Policy and Approved Guidelines**

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The AO Committee will review this Policy at least annually to consider whether any changes should be made to it or to any of the Approved Guidelines. The Proxy Committee will make revisions to its Approved Guidelines when it determines it is appropriate or when it sees an opportunity to materially improve outcomes for clients. Questions or concerns regarding the Policy should be raised with Lazard's General Counsel or Chief Compliance Officer.

#### Notes
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1. In accordance with this Policy, Lazard's exclusive purpose when voting proxies is to (i) maximize long-term shareholder value; (ii) prioritize our clients' pecuniary interests; and (iii) ensure that the votes cast are intended in good faith to accomplish these objectives, while adhering to our fiduciary responsibility. All proxy votes are cast in alignment with this purpose, demonstrating Lazard's commitment to act in the best interest of our clients.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2. The AO Committee, which now includes members of the legacy Proxy Committee, has been established in consideration of its expanded scope.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;3. Given the governance practices unique to the Japanese market, the voting structure described herein is aligned with the Japanese Stewardship Code.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4. This is intended to cover instances where directors engage in commercial transactions with the company and/or are involved with other companies (outside board memberships).

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;5. For example, a lack of oversight or actions by board members which invoke shareholder distrust, legal issues aiming to hold the board responsible for breach of trust or egregious governance issues.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;6. Evaluate (a) any known concerns with previous investments, (b) amount of the proposed investment relative to the company's assets and (c) disclosure of the nature of products in which the company proposed to invest and associated risks of the investment.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;7. Specifically, with respect to the issuance of shares to raise funds for general financing purposes, Lazard will consider the Measures for the Administration of the Issuance of Securities by Listed Companies 2006 and the Detailed Rules for Private Placement by Listed Companies, the China Securities Regulatory Commission.

#### Important Information
All sources Lazard Asset Management unless otherwise noted. Published in April 2024.

This document reflects the views of Lazard Asset Management LLC or its affiliates ("Lazard") based upon information believed to be reliable as of the date hereof. There is no guarantee that any forecast or opinion will be realized. This document is provided by Lazard Asset Management LLC or its affiliates ("Lazard") for informational purposes only. Nothing herein constitutes investment advice or a recommendation relating to any security, commodity, derivative, investment management service or investment product. Investments in securities, derivatives and commodities involve risk, will fluctuate in price, and may result in losses. Certain assets held in Lazard's investment portfolios, in particular alternative investment portfolios, can involve

high degrees of risk and volatility when compared to other assets. Similarly, certain assets held in Lazard's investment portfolios may trade in less liquid or efficient markets, which can affect investment performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The views expressed herein are subject to change, and may differ from the views of other Lazard investment professionals.

This document is intended only for persons residing in jurisdictions where its distribution or availability is consistent with local laws and Lazard's local regulatory authorizations. Please visit www.lazardassetmanagement.com/globaldisclosure for the specific Lazard entities that have issued this document and the scope of their authorized activities.

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#### RBC Global Asset Management

#### Proxy Voting Guidelines
Updated March 2025

#### Introduction

#### Proxy voting approach
As an asset manager, RBC Global Asset Management (RBC GAM)<sup>1</sup> acts in the best interests of the accounts that it manages, including segregated client accounts and investment funds (collectively, "portfolios"). This includes exercising the voting rights attached to securities in the portfolios we manage, where we have such authority. We exercise the voting rights of the portfolios we manage in their best interests and with a view to enhancing the long-term value of the securities held.

#### Enhancing governance
We believe that issuers with good governance practices generally are able to focus on long-term sustainable growth, and are more likely to effectively manage conflicts and material environmental and social risk factors. These issuers are also more likely to access fixed income markets when needed, and pose less risk for equity investors due to proper alignment of shareholder and management interests. As such, we believe that exercising our voting rights is an effective way of considering issues that are material to our investments and can help protect and enhance the long term value of the portfolios we manage.

#### Proxy voting issues
Issuers' proxies most frequently contain management proposals to elect directors, to appoint auditors, to adopt or amend compensation plans, and to amend the capitalization of the issuer.

A decision to invest in an issuer can include consideration of the performance of its management and its corporate governance practices. Since a decision to invest is generally an endorsement of management of the issuer, we will usually vote with management recommendations on routine matters. When considering the election of directors, we may consider the board's past course of action and any plans to improve governance and disclosure.

Proxies may also contain shareholder proposals requesting a change in an issuer's policies and practices. When evaluating shareholder proposals, we consider materiality, prescriptiveness, and existing disclosures and commitments, where applicable. Under this approach, where we believe fulfillment of shareholder proposal requests is in the best interests of our portfolios, we will support them.

We conduct due diligence on management performance and corporate governance issues and may consider the analysis and voting recommendations provided by independent research firms. We are also members of organizations such as the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance, the Council of Institutional Investors, the International Corporate Governance Network, and the Responsible Investment Association, which provide industry insights on corporate governance best practices.

<sup>1</sup> In this document, references to RBC GAM include the following affiliates: RBC Global Asset Management Inc. (including PH&N Institutional), RBC Global Asset Management (U.S.) Inc., RBC Global Asset Management (UK) Limited, RBC Global Asset Management (Asia) Limited, and RBC Indigo Asset Management Inc. (RBC Indigo).

#### Securities lending
Some RBC GAM funds participate in securities lending programs. In order to allow for proxy voting for securities that have been loaned by these funds, we will generally recall all of these securities in for North American issuers on or before the record date to ensure vote eligibility. For loaned securities of issuers outside of North America, we will recall all of the securities of an issuer where we own at least 1% of the outstanding shares of that issuer or there is a significant voting issue where RBC GAM's position could impact the result. We may keep securities out on loan for these funds where we determine it is in the best interests of the fund to do so.

#### Proxy Voting Guidelines

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We have established these Proxy Voting Guidelines (the "Guidelines") to govern the exercise of our voting rights. We review and update our Guidelines on an ongoing basis as our view of corporate governance best practices evolves and with the view to enhance the long-term value of our portfolios.

Our Guidelines are published for the information of clients, to provide issuers with our views on governance practices, and to provide issuers with context on our voting decisions.

While we will generally vote proxies in accordance with the Guidelines, there may be circumstances where we believe it is in the best interests of our portfolios for us to vote differently than as contemplated by the Guidelines, or to withhold a vote or abstain from voting.

In the event of a perceived or actual conflict of interest involving the exercise of proxy voting rights, we follow procedures to help ensure that a proxy is exercised in accordance with our Guidelines, uninfluenced by considerations other than the best interests of our portfolios.

The Guidelines are applied for issuers in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. In all other markets, RBC GAM utilizes the local benchmark voting policy of Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS). It should be noted that the Guidelines may not specifically address each voting issue that may be encountered. In these cases, RBC GAM will generally follow ISS local benchmark voting policy, after reviewing and agreeing with their implementation. RBC GAM reviews meetings and proposals to help ensure votes are submitted in the best interests of our portfolios. RBC GAM has the ability to override the recommended votes of ISS if we determine that the recommended votes would not be in the best interests of our portfolios.

#### Proxy voting process

#### Proxy voting vendor
RBC GAM retains the services of ISS to manage and execute proxy votes. In addition, ISS provides custom voting recommendations for proxies based on our Guidelines, where applicable. RBC GAM subscribes to the research of both ISS and Glass, Lewis & Co. The research and benchmark policy voting recommendations from both proxy advisors may be considered as part of the proxy voting decision.

However, the final voting decision is independent and voting authority rests solely with RBC GAM.

RBC GAM engages with ISS on an annual basis in advance of the upcoming proxy voting season to confirm the desired implementation of the Guidelines and any updates thereof. This includes a review of ISS' benchmark voting policy updates to consider applicable guidelines and their implementation.

#### Internal monitoring and review
RBC GAM has a process to manage the review and approval of vote instructions. Our Responsible Investment (RI) team manages the internal review of proxy voting to help ensure that the custom recommendations made by ISS correctly reflect the intentions of the Guidelines. This includes the review of upcoming company meetings, corresponding meeting research and custom vote recommendations by the RI team's analysts. Our investment teams receive regular reports of upcoming meetings in the portfolios they manage, which may include flags and rationales for any recommended votes against the recommendations of management based on either the Guidelines or ISS' local benchmark voting policy.

See 'Miscellaneous voting processes' for more information on our approach when ISS does not provide custom voting recommendations.

For logistical and organizational purposes, and to increase the likelihood of vote acceptance, we have instructed ISS to auto-submit votes based on our custom voting recommendations, where applicable, prior to each meeting's own market cutoff date. Because voting authority rests solely with RBC GAM, we may manually submit our votes at any time prior to the meeting. In each case, the aforementioned review and approval process is applied.

In advance of a meeting, if a company files additional soliciting materials with the local regulators, or publishes a response to the research or vote recommendations of ISS or Glass, Lewis & Co., sufficiently in advance of applicable voting deadlines, we will review those responses and consider them in our voting decision, if deemed material to the voting decision. We welcome these disclosures, as they can provide a wider group of investors with useful information than the company may otherwise be able to engage with directly. In the case of Glass, Lewis & Co., the vendor publishes company responses in amended research reports,

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and our RI team receives email notifications of such amendments. In the case of ISS, the vendor publishes 'Proxy Alerts' in amended research reports. Because we retain the services of ISS to manage and execute proxy votes, we also utilize the vendor's online voting platform to notify our RI team of instances where (a) an ISS research report has been republished, (b) ISS' benchmark policy voting recommendations have changed, and (c) ISS has changed its custom voting recommendation to us. Due to the various parties and systems involved in the proxy voting process and the volume of votes researched, we believe issuers should aim to disclose responses or additional solicitation materials as soon as possible to provide investors with ample time to consider the disclosed information.

#### Vote override
In scenarios where we believe the custom voting recommendations from ISS are inconsistent with the intentions of the Guidelines, and/or do not reflect the best interests of the portfolio(s), a vote override process will be initiated. This process can be prompted through the review process of the RI team or as a result of direct input from the investment teams. Investment teams are consulted on vote override requests and the request is submitted to the Proxy Voting Committee for review. Our Proxy Voting Committee includes our Chief Investment Officer (CIO) and the Managing Director & Head, Responsible Investment. In order for a vote override request to be processed, the majority of Proxy Voting Committee members (not including the CIO) must agree. The CIO has ultimate authority on all proxy voting decisions, which are made in a manner consistent with the firm's fiduciary duty. We consider a vote override to be consistent with the intentions of the Guidelines, and our approach to exercise the portfolios' voting rights in their best interests, with a view of enhancing the long-term value of the securities held.

#### Miscellaneous voting processes
In certain cases, ISS does not provide a voting recommendation on a proposal. These cases include, but are not limited to:

■ Transaction-related proposals such as the approval of merger and acquisition transactions.

■ Proposals at the meetings of private companies.

■ Proposals at certain bondholder meetings.

These proposals are evaluated on a case-by-case basis and referred to the applicable portfolio managers. The RI team works with applicable portfolio managers and the Proxy Voting Committee (if required) to reach a final voting decision.

In some cases, RBC GAM may receive physical proxy voting ballots or may need to instruct votes directly through custodians or other parties involved in voting administration. This is most common for certain fixed income investment strategies. Typically, ISS will be unable to provide custom voting recommendations in these cases, and the RI team will work directly with applicable portfolios managers and the Proxy Voting Committee (if required) to reach a final voting decision.

For certain fixed income portfolios, votes are submitted in Broadridge's ProxyEdge platform by a RBC GAM Corporate Actions team. In these cases, ISS' custom voting recommendations are not available directly in the ProxyEdge platform. The RI team works directly with the Corporate Actions team, applicable portfolio managers, and theProxy Voting Committee (if required) to reach a final voting decision.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**1. Board of directors**

The board of directors of a corporation must act in the best interests of that corporation. The board engages the services of a management team to ensure the corporation's long-term success. The board's key functions are to approve direction of corporate strategy, supervise risk management, and evaluate the performance of the company and of management. Overall, the board is responsible for determining, implementing, and maintaining a culture of integrity and ethical behaviour.

In order to be effective in representing the interests of security holders, we believe the board should generally reflect the criteria outlined below. If these criteria are met, then we will generally vote in favour of the election of directors proposed by management. We will also generally support shareholder proposals seeking to implement these criteria.

1.1 Independence of the board of directors

Ideally, the board should be composed of a substantial majority of independent directors.

An independent director shall be independent of management and free from any interest or relationship that could interfere with the director's ability to act in the best interests of the corporation and its shareholders. A director who is not independent will be

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considered to be independent three years after the termination of the relationship or interest that caused the director's independence to be compromised. However, a former CEO or CFO of the company will not be considered independent until five years after their employment with the company ends.

For directors who are also major shareholders (defined as a person who controls 5% or more of the equity or voting rights of the company), independence will be assessed on a case- by-case basis. However, if these directors hold stock that has disproportionate voting rights, they will not be considered to be independent.

We will consider proposals to adopt a stricter definition of independence on a case-by-case basis and in doing so will consider the current independence of the board as well as local legal and regulatory requirements.

#### Voting guideline
We will generally not support directors who are non- independent, with the exception of the current CEO, if the proposed board is composed of less than a two-thirds majority of independent directors.

**1.2 Independence of the chair**

It is a matter of good governance practice that an independent director be appointed to the position of chair of the board of directors. An independent chair is one of the primary mechanisms by which board independence is maintained. If the chair is not independent, we would generally expect the appointment of a lead independent director.

We will generally not support a non-independent director if he or she is also chair (or will become chair upon becoming a director) unless an independent director is appointed as a lead director and an independent corporate governance committee exists.

**1.3 Executive chair**

In some instances a company may appoint an individual to be an "executive chair" of the board. An executive chair can present both corporate governance and compensation concerns for shareholders. The company should disclose the role of the executive chair in detail and explain to shareholders why having an executive chair is appropriate for its governance.

Compensation arrangements for an executive chair can be of particular concern and should be assessed in the context of director compensation rather than executive compensation practices. We are particularly concerned when the executive chair role appears to have been created to provide ongoing generous compensation to a retired CEO or founder of the company.

We will review all executive chair compensation arrangements on a case-by-case basis but may withhold/vote against members of the compensation committee if the executive chair's total compensation is more than two times that of the highest paid independent director sitting on the board.

**1.4 Risk management**

One of the primary responsibilities of the board is to understand the risks facing the company and to ensure that management has put in place appropriate measures to identify, monitor and manage those risks. While initial responsibility for risk management may be delegated to a committee of the board, it is ultimately the responsibility of the entire board.

Proper succession planning is also an important responsibility of senior management and the board, particularly when it comes to identifying candidates for the CEO role. Companies and boards should have a robust succession planning process and disclose to shareholders the process to ensure that the company follows that process.

Proposals to establish a risk committee of the board will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. These proposals will be assessed in the context of the risk profile of the company and how effectively those risks are being managed.

**1.5 Board size**

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The number of directors on a board can be an important factor in board effectiveness. The board should be large enough to adequately perform its responsibilities without being so large that it becomes cumbersome. In general, boards should have between 5 and 15 directors, but the appropriate number of directors will vary with the size and nature of the corporation.

Where the number of directors is outside this range of 5 – 15 directors we will vote against approval of the number of directors on the board if we believe that board effectiveness has been compromised.

**1.6 Committees of the board**

Committees have become accepted mechanisms of corporate governance. Corporations of a sufficient size should, at a minimum, include the following committees of the board:

**Audit Committee:** The audit committee should be responsible for ensuring the accurate accounting and reporting of the company's financial performance, ensuring that adequate internal control measures exist, and overseeing the annual external audit of the corporation. We believe that audit committee members require sufficient professional expertise to effectively carryout their duties and consider a lack of expertise and/or relevant experience in our assessment of the committee.

**Corporate Governance Committee:** The corporate governance committee should be responsible for the oversight of the governance of the corporation.

**Compensation Committee:** This committee should be responsible for the direction and oversight of the company's executive compensation program and for regularly evaluating the performance of senior management.

**Nominating Committee:** The nominating committee should identify the board's need for new or additional directors and skill sets, and then recruit, nominate and orientate new directors. The committee should also assess the need for certain skills on the board that may be lacking.

The chair and committee members should all be independent directors.

For most companies, we generally will not support non-independent board members who sit on, or chair, any of the above committees.

We will generally support proposals to prohibit CEOs of other listed companies from sitting on the compensation committee.

For small companies, we will generally not support non- independent board members who sit on, or chair, the audit committee. For the compensation, nominating and corporate governance committees, a majority of the members and the chair should be independent.

We will generally vote against the board for failing to establish any or all of the above committees. We will support proposals to establish any or all of the above committees.

**1.7 Majority voting**

We believe it is a shareholder right to have an effective ability to vote on the election of directors to the board. Companies should adopt policies to help ensure that directors are elected to the board using a majority vote system whereby directors who do not receive a majority of the votes cast in their favour are required to submit their resignation to the board. Barring exceptional circumstances, that resignation should be accepted by the board.

We will generally support proposals that call for the adoption of a majority vote system for the election of directors in non- contested director elections.

Where a director fails to receive majority support in a director election and continues to sit on the board, and the board fails to provide a valid time-limited reason for this, we will generally withhold votes from the director in question, all directors who sit on the nominating and governance committees, and the chair of the board for as long as that director continues to sit on the board.

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**1.8 Cumulative voting**

There are valid arguments for and against cumulative voting. It can help ensure an independent voice on an unresponsive board, or it can allow a small group of shareholders to promote their own agenda.

We will generally vote against cumulative voting proposals, unless there is a clear and demonstrated need for cumulative voting.

**1.9 Staggered boards**

We believe that the annual election of all directors best serves the interest of shareholders. We believe electing each director on an annual basis helps ensure the board remains positioned to act in the company's best interests, consistent with our aim to enhance the long-term value of our portfolios.

We generally will not support a proposal for the introduction of staggered terms.

We generally will not necessarily vote against a slate of directors simply because the board uses staggered terms.

We generally will support proposals to eliminate staggered terms or to introduce the annual election of directors.

**1.10 Director attendance**

Directors should be able to commit sufficient time to carry out their duties in an effective manner. Although attendance at board and committee meetings is not the only measure of director performance, we believe poor attendance makes it difficult for directors to carry out their responsibilities effectively.

We will generally not support the election of existing directors if they have attended less than 75% of the board and committee meetings in aggregate, unless there are extenuating circumstances.

We believe companies should disclose a summary of the frequency of key committee meetings and attendance for those meetings. We will generally not support the election of the corporate governance committee if records for board attendance are not disclosed.

**1.11 Overboarding**

Serving as a director of a public company requires a significant commitment in time and effort. If directors sit on an excessive number of boards, we believe it can compromise their ability to serve effectively.

We will generally withhold votes from directors who sit on more than five boards or, in the case of current CEOs or Executive Chairs, more than two boards (their own board plus one other).

**1.12 Director liability and indemnification**

We recognize that in order to build and maintain a qualified board it may be necessary for the company to have a policy limiting the liability of directors and provide them with an indemnity. However, we believe these policies should only apply when directors are acting honestly, in good faith and in the best interests of the corporation. If the director fails to do so, the indemnification should not apply.

When considering proposals to eliminate or limit the personal liability of the directors, RBC GAM will consider:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• the performance of the board

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• the independence of the board and its key committees

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• whether or not the company has anti-takeover devices in place

If the above factors are favourable, we will generally support liability-limiting proposals to indemnify directors against legal costs provided they have acted honestly and in good faith and provided the company persuasively argues that it is necessary to attract and retain directors.

We will also generally support proposals seeking personal liability for directors as a result of fiduciary breaches arising from gross negligence. We will generally oppose proposals for indemnification when they seek to insulate directors from actions they have already taken or if litigation is pending.

**1.13 Tenure of directors**

We consider board renewal and diversity as an important component of overall board effectiveness. In order to facilitate the board renewal process, we believe boards should consider the tenure of individual directors as well as the range of tenures throughout the board as part of the annual board assessment.

Excessive average board tenure, as compared to market norms, without evidence of consistent board refreshment, may be considered as part of our overall assessment of an issuer's corporate governance practices.

We will evaluate shareholder proposals to introduce term limits for directors on a case-by-case basis.

We will assess the independence of directors annually regardless of length of service. We will generally vote against the chair of the nominating committee where more than one-third of the board has a tenure greater than 15 years.

**1.14 Performance evaluation of directors and board** A board must evaluate its own performance, which presents a conflict of interest. We believe that the best way to deal with this conflict is for the board to adopt its own statement of principles and guidelines to evaluate the performance of directors and the effectiveness of the board. The board should prepare annual evaluations based on these principles and guidelines, and should summarize the results of that evaluation in the annual proxy circular.

We will generally support proposals to develop and institute performance evaluations for a board of directors and to disclose a summary of the results of those evaluations in the annual proxy circular.

**1.15 Directors proposed on a single ballot item**

We believe that directors should be proposed for election individually on the ballot. When multiple directors are proposed for election on a single ballot item, it removes the shareholders' ability to vote against the election of individual directors and change the composition of the board.

We will generally support proposals that directors be proposed for election individually.

We will generally vote against the election of a board proposed on a single ballot item if we would vote against the election of any of the nominated directors based on the Guidelines.

**1.16 In camera meetings**

*In camera* meetings of independent board members create an opportunity for more candid discussions than may occur at formal board meetings. We believe these meetings may help to facilitate and enhance overall board independence. It is recommended that after these meetings, the chair of the in camera sessions should meet with the chief executive officer to advise of the topics that were discussed.

We will generally support proposals that would require regular in camera meetings of independent board members only.

**1.17 Director or issuer performance**

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In general, we will vote for the directors nominated by management unless these guidelines indicate otherwise or the long-term performance of the issuer or the directors has been unsatisfactory. We will also consider any issues that come to our attention regarding a director's performance at another public company, as it may add undesired risk to the portfolio company. We may also consider the board and management team's assessment and management of what we consider to be material environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors.

We will generally not support the election of certain directors if there are instances of material governance failures or significant failures in risk oversight, including on material ESG issues.

We may also vote against the election of certain directors when we believe an issuer has not made satisfactory progress on a material issue, as determined by RBC GAM.

We will generally not support the election of directors with material governance and/or performance issues at another public company.

**1.18 Audit process**

The audit plays an important role in the corporate governance process. Not only does it serve to verify the financial performance of a company, but it also aims to identify any deficiencies in the internal control mechanisms of the company.

The audit process should involve the establishment of an independent audit committee (see 1.4) and the appointment of an independent auditor by that committee. The auditor should report directly to the audit committee and not to management.

The audit partner should be rotated on a regular basis in line with regional requirements.

We believe the audit committee has a responsibility to select and appoint an auditor in the best interests of shareholders. We generally support the role of the external auditor being put to tender on a regular basis. We believe external auditor tenure exceeding 20 years is disproportionate compared to market norms. Auditor tenure may be considered case by case as part of our overall assessment of issuers' corporate governance practices.

We will generally support the choice of auditors recommended by the audit committee.

Where auditors are being changed for reasons other than routine rotation, we will review the reasons on a case-by- case basis.

In line with applicable regulations, we generally will not vote against auditor ratification based on external auditor tenure alone. Where governance issues have been identified and we believe those issues are linked to external auditor tenure, we may vote against auditor ratification or audit committee members. Where the auditor has limited or capped its liability as it relates to the performance of the audit and the limits placed on the auditor's liability are unreasonable, we will generally not support the choice of auditor.

If the lead audit partner has been linked with a significant auditing controversy, we may not support the choice of auditor or its remuneration.

**1.19 Audit fees**

We believe the amount and composition of fees paid to an auditor can compromise an auditor's ability to act independently and perform an audit that is free from undue influence by management. In order to help ensure auditor independence, a substantial majority of the fees paid to the auditors should be for audit and audit-related services.

We will generally support proposals that prohibit the outside auditor from maintaining a relationship with the company other than providing audit and audit-related services.

We will generally vote against the choice of auditor if less than two-thirds of the total fees paid to the auditor over the previous year were for audit and audit-related services. We will consider withholding our votes from members of the audit committee if the company's auditor received more than half its fees from non-audit services.

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**1.20 Board diversity**

We believe that like board independence, director tenure, overboarding, and other governance factors, board diversity is an important characteristic in constructing high quality boards. In our view, high quality boards are better positioned to fulfill their duty to shareholders.

We believe that directors should have a diverse range of backgrounds and experience to enhance overall board effectiveness. A mix of perspectives and backgrounds can be attained through characteristics including, but not limited to, gender, race, and ethnicity. We believe this may help the board of directors in their decision-making and to better understand the material risks and opportunities facing the corporation. To complement the board's ongoing evaluation of board and senior management performance, we believe boards should monitor board, key committee, and senior management diversity.

To the extent practicable, we believe companies should publicly disclose information on the characteristics of their board

of directors. It is our view that this additional transparency better positions investors to incorporate these factors into investment decision making, where material. Disclosure is also recommended to provide insight to shareholders on how these characteristics are being incorporated into board composition and candidate selection.

We may consider the board's diversity as part of our overall assessment of issuers' corporate governance practices. We evaluate board diversity on a case-by-case basis and may consider the board's composition compared to market norms. Where we determine that a board's current composition can be improved, we may vote against the election of the nominating committee, or other directors as appropriate.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**2. Management and director compensation**

We believe properly structured compensation plans can incentivize executives and directors to create long-term, sustainable value for investors. Compensation plans should attempt to align the long-term interests of investors with the interests of management and directors. Compensation plans should also be sufficiently generous to attract and retain individuals with the skill sets required to help ensure the long-term success of the company, but compensation should be commensurate with performance. The compensation plan should be developed and maintained by the compensation committee.

**2.1 Equity-based compensation plans**

In general, these plans should reward good performance, and not reward poor performance. The cost of the plan, either to the shareholders or the company, should be related to the benefits derived from it. The plan should be disclosed to the shareholders in detail and be approved by them.

In general we would like to see a reduction in the use of stock options as a form of compensation. Our preference is for stock ownership rather than stock options.

We will review equity-based compensation plans on a case-by-case basis.

We will generally support:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• plans that define the awards to senior executives and link the granting or vesting of equity-based compensation to specific performance targets that are tied to improving the long-term risk adjusted returns of the corporation

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• stock option plans where the options are issued with a strike price higher than the current price of the underlying asset

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• plans where the stock options have a term appropriate for the issuer (e.g. volatility, dividend yield, strategic timeline)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• amendments to plans that will remove or amend a negative attribute from an existing plan, ultimately improving its overall structure

We will generally not support

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• evergreen" stock option plans

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• plans or proposals that allow the repricing of stock options, or that reissue options a strike price below the strike price of the original options

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• any plan that does not prohibit the inappropriate manipulation of equity award grant dates through practices known as backdating, spring loading or bullet dodging

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• plans that are 100% vested when granted or plans that allow pyramiding, gross-ups or automated acceleration of the vesting requirements, including when there is a change in control

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• plans that do not provide clear guidelines for the allocation of awards.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• plan amendments if the total potential dilution of all plans exceeds 10%, or annual dilution exceeds 1% over a three-year average

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• plans that authorize allocation of 25% or more of the available awards to any one individual

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• plans that give the board broad discretion in setting the terms and conditions of equity-based compensation programs

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• stock option plans that allow for the "reloading" of exercised or lapsed options

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• equity-based compensation plans that allow, or do not specifically prohibit, hedging. We may withhold/vote against the members of the compensation committee if any equity-based compensation exposure is hedged during the period

In general, we believe it is not appropriate for directors to participate in stock option plans, and would prefer directors own stock outright in the company. As such, we will generally not support proposals for director participation in stock option plans. However, for small companies we will review director options on a case-by-case basis, and if a company demonstrates a need for director options we may support such a plan (for example, where cash preservation is a priority for the company).

We will generally not support change in control provisions that allow for stock option holders to receive more for their options than shareholders would receive for their shares, or provisions that allow for the granting of options, or other equity awards, or bonuses to outside directors in the event of a change of control.

We believe shareholders should have the opportunity to consider and vote on separate components of stock option plans (versus voting on an omnibus stock option plan). We vote on omnibus stock option plans on a case-by-case basis. In cases where components of the plan do not meet our stated guidelines, we will generally vote against the entirety of the plan.

**2.2 Expensing of share options**

While options may not be an expense to the corporation, they are an expense to the existing shareholders due to the dilution effects. As such, we believe that share options should be expensed in the financial statements of a corporation.

We will generally support proposals that require the expensing of stock options in the financial statements of a corporation in accordance with IFRS.

**2.3 Golden parachutes**

We recognize that 'golden parachutes' may in some circumstances be an appropriate way to provide executives with the personal financial security and professional objectivity that is required to act in the best interests of shareholders. However, in some cases these provisions can be excessive.

We will generally support proposals requiring shareholders to approve golden parachute arrangements.

We will review golden parachute arrangements on a case- by-case basis. However, we will generally vote against overly generous golden parachutes for senior executives. We will also vote against plans that use a single trigger for cash or other payments or for the vesting of equity based compensation.

**2.4 Employee stock purchase plans**

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We believe the interests of shareholders and employees can be aligned if employees have the opportunity to become shareholders at a reasonable price. Employee stock purchase plans are an effective way to facilitate that alignment, and we believe it can be in the best interest of shareholders. In general we will support employee stock purchase plans that align employee interests with creating value for shareholders.

We will generally support employee stock purchase plans with a purchase price of not less than 85% of market value, potential dilution of less than 10% and an appropriate mandatory hold period.

**2.5 Director compensation**

We believe that director compensation should be commensurate with the time and effort that directors spend executing their duties, but it should not be so generous that it may compromise a director's ability to act independently of the board or management. We also believe that directors who personally own a meaningful amount of the company's stock will be better motivated to act in the interests of all shareholders.

We will assess director compensation on a case-by-case basis and may vote against the election of members of the board committee responsible for director compensation (or the full board and/or the chair in the absence of a responsible committee) if we believe that director compensation is excessive or inappropriately structured. Factors that may be considered include, but are not limited to:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• The potential to compromise the independence of directors

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• The overall alignment with shareholder interests

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• If compensation is excessive in terms of the size and complexity of the company

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Other concerning plan features such as inadequate stock retention requirements and the use of stock options or retirement benefits

**2.6 Director retirement benefits**

We believe that retirement benefits should be restricted to the employees of a corporation. Directors' independence could be compromised if they receive retirement benefits from the corporation.

We generally will vote against proposals for retirement benefits for directors, unless it can be clearly shown that they will not impair directors' independence.

**2.7 Employee loans**

We believe loans to senior management or the guaranteeing of loans for the purpose of exercising options should be avoided. These types of arrangements can expose the company to the risk of not being able to recover the loan if the employment of the borrower is terminated.

We will review loans to senior management on a case- by-case basis, but will generally support loans that are reasonable in amount, given at a market rate of interest, (and not forgivable) and are secured against shares in the company or some other real asset.

**2.8 Excessive executive compensation**

We believe that executive compensation should be performance based and should align the interests of executives with the long-term interests of shareholders. It should be designed in a way to attract and retain executives that create long-term, sustainable shareholder value. We would like to see performance criteria clearly disclosed and defined and detailed disclosure of whether and how those criteria have been met. The performance criteria and the degree to which they have been met should be determined by

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the compensation committee. Executives should be required to hold a substantial portion of their equity compensation awards, including shares received from option exercises, during their employment with the company and for some reasonable time after leaving the company.

In our view, compensation plans often use overly complex structures. Overly complex compensation plans make the proper assessment of pay and performance alignment difficult and, in some instances, this complexity facilitates misalignment between pay and performance. As a result, we generally support simplified pay practices with the following core features:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Competitive base salary

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Annual incentives tied to performance on short-term material strategic goals

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Long-term, time-vesting restricted share units (RSUs), where the vesting period extends over five or more years

For compensation plans using this structure, companies are also encouraged to implement stock holding requirements, depending on the vesting schedule. In our view, this simplified structure incentivizes management to create long- term, sustainable shareholder value, reduces the burden on compensation committees, and promotes a clearer understanding of compensation opportunities and alignment between those opportunities and company performance.

We will generally support executive compensation plans that are fair and oppose those that misalign pay and performance, or are structured in a way that may risk doing so in the future.

**2.9 Compensation report and say-on-pay**

The compensation report in the proxy circular is the primary means by which shareholders obtain information to assess the compensation practices of the company. This report should be clear, concise and disclose methods of compensation and performance measures. Furthermore, this report should present the information in a format that will allow all shareholders to easily determine total compensation for an individual.

When considering whether to approve a company's advisory vote on executive compensation, we will consider the company's overall compensation philosophy in the context of relevant factors, including:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• whether pay is aligned to long-term sustainable performance

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• whether the company has provided adequate disclosure of specific performance metrics and measures and discloses performance against those metrics

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• whether the company has poor executive pay practices

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• whether the company has manipulated its equity compensation plans through stock option backdating, spring loading or re-pricing, or the use of materially-altered non- GAAP performance metrics without a reasonable rationale

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• whether the company uses time vesting or performance vesting for equity awards, with particular consideration where equity awarded through the Long-Term Incentive Plan, excluding stock options, lacks a performance-based component

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• whether the company has established meaningful stockholding requirements for executives and whether it has claw back policies in place in the event of accounting restatement or wrongdoing

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• whether overall amounts of executive compensation are reasonable relative to company peers, other employees and the value added by the executive. For instance, overall amounts may be flagged as excessive where the highest paid executive's total compensation is twice as high the previous year's median pay at the company's market cap and revenue-based peers

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• whether the executive compensation plans are overly complex or duplicative

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• whether the company's executive compensation plans give directors excessive discretionary power over awards

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• if there are significant levels of dissent on the say-on-pay vote over two or more consecutive years

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We will generally support proposals that require enhanced disclosure of compensation for senior executives.

We will generally support proposals requiring an advisory vote by shareholders to approve the annual compensation report (i.e. "say-on-pay").

Where a say-on-pay proposal fails to obtain the support of at least 60% of its shareholders we believe boards should engage with their significant shareholders to determine the nature of their concerns with the company's executive compensation practices. If we share similar concerns and determine they are not adequately addressed in the next proxy circular, we will generally withhold/vote against the members of the compensation committee of the board.

We will assess all say-on-pay proposals on a case-by-case basis, but will generally not support plans where:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• There are inadequate equity retention requirements for named executives; specifically, where the equity retention requirement for the CEO is less than 5x base salary. It is preferred that these requirements extend for a period post-employment.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• There are inadequate claw-back provisions in the event of fraud or other acts that result in financial restatement or inappropriate compensation being paid.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• The compensation committee has exercised discretion to increase executive compensation beyond what was

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• indicated by the compensation metrics and has not provided adequate disclosure and justification for this action.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• The compensation plan and/or the compensation plan disclosure is overly complex with no apparent reason for that complexity.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• The plan uses per-share metrics and there was a significant repurchase of shares during the period with no business rationale.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• There were significant legal expenses incurred and/or settlements paid arising from the company's products, services, or business operations excluded from performance metric calculations.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• There was a significant environmental or social controversy during the year that had an actual or potential material impact on the company that is not reflected adequately in the remuneration of executives.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Substantial payouts are triggered for performance that falls below the relevant comparator group median or average.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• The amount of the total compensation paid to the CEO or senior management is excessive in light of all relevant circumstances.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• The highest paid executive earns greater than $20-million (USD) and the company provides no disclosure on thresholds and targets of performance metrics in both the Short-Term Incentive Plan (STIP) and Long-Term Incentive Plan (LTIP).

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Executives are awarded with excessive special or one-time awards in response to successful transactions.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• The compensation plan makes use of significant front- loaded awards or long-term mega grants without robust performance conditions aligning management and shareholder interests for the duration of the plan's life and beyond.

The compensation committee has exercised discretion to increase executive compensation to ensure the executive has an excessive amount of minimum guaranteed compensation.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Executives receive continued or outsized pay increases in instances where the company made significant cuts to its workforce or furloughed employees. We believe this may have detrimental impacts on company culture and performance.

**2.10 Compensation consultants**

Compensation consultants are used by boards to provide advice and recommendations on the structure of executive compensation plans. The use of consultants can provide invaluable support to the compensation committee in designing the executive compensation plan. To increase the likelihood of a compensation plan that appropriately incentivizes executives to create long-term, sustainable value for shareholders, we believe it is important that the independence of compensation consultants is not compromised and that the nature and the extent of the relationship are disclosed to shareholders. It is our view that no less

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than two-thirds of the total fees paid to the compensation consultant be for consulting services provided to the board. In addition, it is our view that the compensation consultants be engaged by the compensation committee and report directly to it.

We will generally support shareholder proposals requiring the full disclosure of all fees paid to a compensation consulting firm, distinguishing between fees paid for services to the board and for all other services provided to the company.

We will generally support shareholder proposals requiring compensation consultants to limit their overall relationship with a company to providing services to the board only.

**2.11 External management compensation disclosure** Occasionally issuers will employ external rather than internal senior management teams. In these situations senior management are not employees of the company but rather provide their services under a contract. For this type of management structure, disclosure requirements regarding executive compensation do not technically apply and consequently practices for these arrangements often fall well below those for internal management. RBC GAM expects that the disclosure of external management compensation should be the same as it is for senior management employed by an issuer.

Where compensation disclosure practices for issuers with external management fall materially below the disclosure requirements for issuers with internal management, we may vote against the say-on-pay proposal. If there is no say-on- pay proposal on the ballot we may withhold votes from all members of the compensation committee.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**3. Takeover protection and transactions**

The takeover protection measures that are available to boards and management can be a double-edged sword for the shareholder. They can be used to protect shareholder value by defending the company from hostile takeover bids that do not represent a fair value for the assets of the company. However, they can also be used to entrench a board and management who may ultimately undermine shareholder rights and shareholder value. We evaluate proposals related to takeover protection measures on a case-by-case basis, with a view to enhancing the long-term value of the securities held.

**3.1 Shareholder rights plans ("poison pills")**

There are two main purposes for a shareholder rights plan. The first is to help ensure that shareholders are treated equally. The second is to give the board time to consider other options, typically during a hostile takeover attempt. We believe some shareholder rights plans go beyond these two aims and may be used to prevent bids that are worthy of shareholder consideration.

It is our view that a shareholder rights plan should allow a takeover offer to stand for no longer than 60 days before the board responds. This gives management and the board sufficient time to consider the bid and assess alternatives.

In Canada, shareholder rights plans must be ratified by the shareholders at the first annual meeting following adoption of the plan. In the U.S., shareholder ratification is not required.

We will review each shareholder rights plan on a case-by- case basis, but will generally not support plans that are not subject to shareholder approval at least every three years.

We will generally oppose any shareholder rights plans that are triggered by a purchase of less than 20% of the company's shares, or that includes dead-hand, slow-hand, or no-hand provisions.

We will generally vote against directors if shareholder rights plans have features that we believe are not in the best interests of shareholders or if the board makes material adverse modifications without shareholder approval.

**3.2 Other takeover protection measures**

Other takeover protection measures may include, but are not limited to the following:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• going private transactions

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• leveraged buyouts

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• lock-up arrangements

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• crown-jewel defences

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• greenmail

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• fair price amendments

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• re-incorporation

When considering takeover protection measures, we would be more likely to support a proposal if:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• the measure protects the rights of all shareholders

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• sufficient time and information is made available to shareholders to make an informed decision

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• the measure will allow competing bids to be considered over a reasonable time

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• the measure is subject to shareholder approval

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• the measure is adopted for a limited period

We will review takeover protection measures on a case- by-case basis. We will generally oppose greenmail payments where there is no sufficient long-term business justification for them.

3.3 Dissident shareholders, contested elections, and proxy contests

In contested elections, it is important to understand what both management and the dissident are proposing and the implications it will have on performance going forward.

We will review dissident shareholder proposals for director nominees on a case-by-case basis to determine which will result in the best performance for the company. We may consider:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• the performance of current management and the company's long-term performance

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• the competing strategic plans of the dissident and incumbent slate to enhance long-term corporate value, including the impact on key constituents

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• the relative qualifications of the nominees and, where relevant, the company's current executive and board compensation practices board independence, performance, equity ownership and responsiveness to shareholder concerns

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• board independence, performance, equity ownership and responsiveness to shareholder concerns

**3.4 Dissident director nominee compensation**

In some contested director elections, dissident director nominees may have separate compensation agreements with the dissident shareholder. These agreements can be problematic, particularly if they extend beyond the election of the nominee directors, as they may compromise the independence of the nominee directors, motivate them to act in the best interests of the dissident shareholder rather than the best interests of the company, and create divisions within the board.

We will review nominee director compensation agreements with dissident shareholders on a case-by-case basis, but may vote against/withhold votes from dissident director nominees if we believe their independence has been or could be compromised.

We will generally support proposals to prohibit payments from a dissident shareholder to its nominee directors after those directors have been elected to the board.

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We will generally vote against proposals that would prevent the election of nominee directors who have received compensation from a dissident shareholder during a proxy contest, prior to being elected to the board.

**3.5 Mergers and acquisitions**

When dissidents are proposing an alternative strategy or if a proposed merger or acquisition is put to shareholders for a vote, we may consider relevant factors, including:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• impact on long-term corporate value

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• anticipated financial and operating benefits

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• the price being offered to shareholders

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• circumstances regarding how the deal was negotiated

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• any proposed or resulting changes in corporate governance and the potential impact of those changes on company performance

Votes on mergers or acquisitions are referred directly to portfolio managers and evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**4. Shareholder rights**

Shareholder rights include rights to vote on certain corporate matters, to receive information from the issuer, to sell or transfer shares, to receive a share of the income of the issuer and to share in the net proceeds on the sale or winding-up of the issuer. We believe the protection and maintenance of these rights is aligned with the bests interests of our portfolios.

**4.1 Confidential voting**

As with other electoral systems, the voting of proxies should be confidential, thereby ensuring that the process is impartial and free from coercion.

We will generally support proposals to introduce confidential voting.

**4.2 Proxy access**

We believe that a robust process for nominating directors is important for creating an effective board and that shareholders can have a role to play in that process. We believe it can be appropriate for significant shareholders to have the right to nominate a number of directors for election in the ordinary course, outside of any contest for control, and should have their nominees included in the proxy circular in the same manner as the company's nominees.

We will generally support proposals that provide shareholders owning at least 3% of a company's voting shares (individually or together with other shareholders) access to the company proxy statement to advance non- management board candidates comprising no more than 25% of the total board. We generally do not support limits on the number of shareholders that may aggregate their shares to satisfy the ownership requirement, but generally will not oppose proxy access proposals with reasonable limits on this basis alone.

In general, we will withhold support for proxy access proposals if the access right could be used to promote hostile takeovers by allowing for nomination of more than 25% of the board.

We generally will not support by-law amendments that will place unreasonable conditions or restrictions on shareholders' ability to nominate directors.

If proxy access provisions are used to unreasonably restrict the rights of shareholders, we may withhold votes from the members of the corporate governance and nominating committees until the issue is resolved.

**4.3 Advance notice provisions**

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When select shareholders nominate a director for election at or just before a company's annual or special meeting, we believe it poses undue risks to other shareholders that were unable to adequately review all relevant information relating to a proposed nominee. Advance Notice Policies allow companies to mitigate this risk by ensuring that the company and shareholders are notified within an appropriate timeframe of a shareholder's intention to nominate one or more directors. However, these Advance Notice Policies also have the potential to be used by the company to unreasonably restrict the right of shareholders to nominate directors.

We will generally support proposals seeking to establish Advance Notice Provisions so long as:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• The minimum notice period is not less than 30 days from the meeting date in the event of an annual meeting or 15 days in the event of a special meeting

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Nominations may be submitted within a minimum of 10 days following the first public announcement of a meeting if notice of the meeting date is given less than 50 days prior to the meeting date

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• There is no upper limit on the number of days before an annual meeting in which a director can be nominated

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• The policy provides that if the annual meeting is postponed or adjourned, a new time period for shareholder nominations will begin

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• There are no requirements that unnecessarily restrict the ability of shareholders to nominate directors, including the ability of companies' to request an unreasonable level of additional disclosure regarding shareholder nominees

**4.4 Dual-class stock & unequal voting rights**

A company with dual class shares gives multiple votes per share to a certain class of shares, resulting in unequal voting rights between classes of shares. This violates the principle of one share, one vote. Companies with multiple voting shares can give minority shareholders the ability to make decisions that may not be in the interests of other shareholders, which would typically include our portfolios.

For companies that maintain a share structure with unequal voting rights, we believe voting results should be disclosed and broken down by each class of share to provide greater transparency and allow both minority shareholders and the board to better understand how the different classes of shares were voted.

We will generally not support the creation or extension of an unequal voting right structure without substantial proof that such a plan is critical to the success of the issuer, for instance, as a result of specific and unique challenges facing the issuer. Any such plan must be subject to future approval by the holders of the subordinate voting shares at regular and pre-determined intervals. If the issuer does not provide an adequate rationale for the proposed structure, we may vote against members of the ,corporate governance committee.

Where an issuer that has historically used an unequal voting right structure does not have adequate protections for minority shareholders, we may vote against members of the corporate governance committee. At a minimum, adequate protections for minority shareholders should include either:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• a regular binding vote for holders of subordinate voting shares on whether or not the capital structure should be maintained; or

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• the existence of an adequate sunset clause to eliminate the unequal voting right structure. We will determine the adequacy of a sunset clause on a case-by-case basis. We will consider the length and structure of the sunset clause,in addition to the overall corporate governance of the issuer when determining the adequacy of a sunset clause.

We generally do not support newly public companies adopting share structures with unequal voting rights. If this structure is adopted, it should include a reasonable sunset provision. If a newly public company adopts a share structure with unequal voting rights and lacks a reasonable sunset provision, we may vote against the election of directors on a case-by-case basis.

We will generally support proposals to eliminate unequal voting right structures.

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We will consider any proposal to enhance the voting rights of long-term shareholders on a case-by-case basis, in light of the particular circumstances of the company and the legal regulatory regime to which it is subject.

We will generally support proposals that ask for the disclosure of voting results broken down by share class.

**4.5 Supermajority approval**

We believe that supermajority requirements do have a legitimate purpose, but can be subject to abuse. This includes the risk that a small number of significant investors can more easily prevent actions that may be in the best interests of shareholders. We believe supermajority requirements should not be used for votes regarding takeovers or control of a company, and the approval proportion should not be set too high. A two-thirds majority is most common, and we generally consider anything above that to be unreasonable.

We will consider supermajority voting proposals on a case-by- case basis but will generally vote against any supermajority proposal that has more than a two-third majority requirement unless it can be clearly demonstrated that it is in the shareholders' best interests.

**4.6 Linked proposals**

Linked proposals are used to pass proposals that may not be approved if they were proposed individually.

We will generally not support linked proposals.

**4.7 Increase in authorized shares**

We recognize that directors may need the flexibility to issue stock to meet changing financial conditions. This may include a stock split, to support an acquisition or restructuring plan, to use in a stock option plan or to implement an anti-takeover plan. To help ensure the decision is in the best interests of shareholders, authorization of additional stock should be approved by shareholders, and should meet a specific business need.

We will review proposals to increase authorized shares on a case-by-case basis. We will generally not support proposals for unlimited authorized shares.

We may support a reverse stock split if management provides a reasonable justification for it and reduces authorized shares accordingly.

We will generally oppose management proposals to issue tracking stocks designed to reflect the performance of a particular business unit.

**4.8 Disclosure of voting results**

We believe that disclosure of voting results can better position shareholders to evaluate the corporate governance of the company. As a result, it is our view that shareholders have the right to know whether a proposal has been passed or defeated, as well as the number of votes for, against and withheld. Additionally, we believe proposals should be cast by ballot rather than a show of hands, as this will ensure that all shareholders, whether present at the meeting or not, will be treated equally. In order to maintain the integrity of the proxy voting process, we believe vote results be subject to independent verification.

We will generally support proposals for the prompt disclosure of proxy voting results, to eliminate the practice of voting by a show of hands, and to adopt independent verification of proxy voting.

#### Blank-cheque preferred shares

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There may be valid business reasons for the issuance of blank-cheque preferred shares, but we believe the potential for abuse typically outweighs the benefits. The authorization of these shares can give directors complete discretion over the conditions of the stock and shareholders have no further power to determine how or when the shares will be allocated.

#### Voting guideline
We will generally not support the authorization of blank- cheque preferred shares.

**4.10 Shareholder meeting quorum**

We believe the quorum for shareholders' meetings should be high enough to ensure that individual shareholders or small groups of shareholders (for example the board or senior management) will not be able to act independently of other shareholders, but not so high as to make it difficult to achieve. We believe too low of a quorum risks the small group making decisions that are not it the best interests of other shareholders.

We review requests to reduce quorum requirements on a case-by-case basis and may take into consideration the market capitalization of the company, the company's ownership structure, and other factors as appropriate. We will generally support quorum amendment proposals that require a minimum of two shareholders representing 25% of outstanding shares to constitute a quorum.

**4.11 Equity issues**

To help preserve the value of shares, we believe shareholders should have input over the issuance of shares, especially when that issuance will result in significant dilution of ownership. This allows shareholder input on major decisions that affect the long-term interests of shareholders and the company.

We will review proposals regarding private placements and the issuance of equity on a case-by-case basis, but will vote against proposals that will cause excessive dilution without a valid business need.

**4.12 Other business**

We believe that the inclusion of an "other business" proposal on a proxy ballot gives the board broad discretion to act without specific shareholder approval and could pose undue risk to shareholders.

We generally will not support "other business" proposals.

**4.13 Implementing shareholder views**

When a resolution receives the support of a majority of shareholders, the board of directors should report back within a reasonable time, and not later than the next annual shareholders' meeting, on the action taken or explain why no action has been taken. We believe this is good corporate governance practice as failure to do so may be indicative of a board unwilling to make decisions a majority of shareholders believe are in the company's best interests.

When the board fails to implement a proposal that has received a majority of shareholder support, and does not demonstrate a valid reason for this action, we will generally withhold votes for all board members who served on the board during the period in question.

**4.14 Share blocking**

Some countries allow the practice of share blocking, where shareholders are "blocked" or prevented from trading their position from the time the proxy votes are submitted to the day after the shareholders' meeting. This practice has implications for the management of the portfolios in which these securities are held. We believe that this practice is not in the interests of shareholders.

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In general, we will not vote shares that are subject to blocking restrictions unless we determine that it is in our portfolios' best interests to do so.

**4.15 Income trust governance**

We believe holders of income trusts should enjoy the equivalent rights and protection as the shareholders of a corporation. The trust and associated entities should take steps to ensure that appropriate governance practices are adopted to achieve this end.

We will generally support proposals that enhance governance practices of the trust.

We may withhold votes from trustees where they have failed to establish or protect the rights of unit holders.

**4.16 Reincorporation**

There can be valid business reasons for a company to reincorporate in a different jurisdiction; however, a company may also be motivated to reincorporate for reasons that may be inconsistent with the interests of shareholders.

We will review reincorporation proposals on a case-by- case basis but will generally vote against proposals that will result in unjustified risk to the corporation, unreasonable limits on director liability, diminished shareholder rights or weaker corporate governance requirements.

We will generally oppose management proposals to restructure the venue for shareowner claims by adopting charter or bylaw provisions that seek to establish an exclusive judicial forum.

**4.17 Exclusive forum provisions**

Exclusive forum provisions relate to a company making a change to its by-laws stipulating that legal actions brought against the company will only be permitted in courts within a certain jurisdiction. For example, if a shareholder wanted to sue a company they could only file the action in the jurisdiction stipulated by the company. While there may be valid reasons for adopting an exclusive forum provision, there is also the potential that these provisions could be abused by a company and negatively impact the rights of shareholders.

We will assess exclusive forum provisions on a case-by- case basis, but will generally not support proposals unless the company can demonstrate a clear need for such a provision and how it is in the interests of all shareholders.

4.18 Pre-Initial Public Offering (IPO) unilateral bylaw/charter amendments

Private companies that are contemplating an IPO have the ability to adopt bylaw or charter amendments that may not be consistent with the corporate governance practices we believe are in the best interests of the company's performance. We believe these types of corporate governance practices are particularly egregious if they are adopted just prior to an IPO. These amendments have the potential to compromise the rights of the shareholders after an IPO, and may be more difficult for shareholders to amend or repeal once a company has gone public. We are concerned that companies in this situation will adopt these measures knowing that the new shareholder base would not approve them if they were proposed post-IPO.

With all IPOs, the expectation is that the newly public entity will have corporate governance and shareholder rights practices aligned with long-term sustainable value creation for shareholders. We will review the bylaws and charter for IPOs on a case-by-case basis, but will generally vote against the corporate governance committee of the board and the board chair if there are any unreasonable restrictions on the rights of shareholders that have not been removed prior to the IPO.

**4.19 Calling a special meeting**

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In some jurisdictions, shareholders holding a specific percentage of a company's shares are able to call a special meeting in order to take action on matters that arise between regularly-scheduled annual general meetings. If, however, shareholders are unable to do so, their ability to remove directors, put forward resolutions or respond to an offer from a bidder may be restricted.

We will generally support proposals allowing shareholders the right to call a special meeting. We will review shareholder proposals requesting that a company install or change the percentage of shares required to call a special meeting on a case-by-case basis.

**4.20 No-action and exemption requests**

In some jurisdictions (particularly the United States), companies may be permitted by market regulators and/or agencies to exclude shareholder proposals from the ballot if the proposal conflicts with a management proposal at the same meeting. However, companies may use this avenue to limit shareholder rights by putting forth management proposals similar to those filed by shareholders, but with more limited criteria than originally set out by the shareholder proposal proponent.

The removal of redundant shareholder proposals from the ballot may be warranted where the company takes reasonable action on the issue or where the proponent agrees on the withdrawal after engagement. However, we are generally not supportive of the exemption practice where it impedes improvements to shareholder rights.

We will examine cases where shareholder proposals have been excluded after the company has included a competing management proposal on a case-by-case basis. We may vote against members of the governance committee if we determine that the company has excluded a shareholder proposal and introduced a management proposal on substantially the same issue that may be contrary to shareholders' best interests, as compared to the original shareholder proposal.

We will vote on the resulting management proposal on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration the impacts on shareholder rights and shareholders' abilities to file future resolutions on the issue(s).

**4.21 Virtual and Hybrid shareholder meetings**

Although there are benefits to facilitating virtual participation in shareholder meetings, we believe virtual meeting formats have the potential to adversely impact shareholder rights, especially in the case of virtual-only meetings. We believe virtual meeting formats may facilitate practices such as filtering shareholder questions, which may deprive shareholders of meaningful insights from the board and management on material issues. In our view, a virtual meeting experience is not directly comparable to an in- person experience for all shareholders.

We are generally supportive of a hybrid meeting format where companies combine a traditional in-person meeting with the option of remote participation, as long as shareholder rights are not limited.

When a company holds a hybrid or virtual-only meeting, we expect effective disclosure demonstrating that shareholder rights are maintained under the meeting format. Disclosure should include:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Procedures on shareholder questions, including required timelines to submit questions, if questions are selected or screened, and disclosure practices (e.g. how virtual meeting participants can see questions, publicly addressing unanswered questions after the meeting)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Technical and logistical guidance for virtual meeting participation

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Details on technical support for issues encountered related to accessing or participating in the virtual meeting

We believe shareholders should be given the opportunity to vote on the adoption of virtual-only meetings. If a company adopts the right to hold a virtual-only meeting, we believe a virtual-only meeting should only be permitted in exceptional circumstances. Companies should provide clear disclosure on what are considered exceptional circumstances.

We may withhold our support from the corporate governance committee if the company holds a virtual-only meeting and:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· the resulting meeting format negatively impacts shareholder rights; or

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· the company fails to provide sufficient disclosures regarding meeting procedures, logistical guidance, and/or technical support.

We will evaluate proposals to adopt a virtual-only meeting format on a case-by-case basis. We may consider regional legislation related to virtual-only meetings and the company's disclosed approach to holding virtual-only meetings.

4.22 Acting by written consent

Acting by written consent provides shareholders with the ability to act on important issues outside of the regular annual meeting cycle. It can also be an effective alternative to calling a special meeting by reducing the cost and added expense to the company of holding a special meeting. In our view, the ability to act by written consent enhances shareholder rights.

We will generally support proposals:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Granting shareholders the right to act by written consent

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• That seek to restore or improve the right to act by written consent

We will generally oppose attempts to limit and/or eliminate shareholders' ability act by written consent.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**5. Shareholder proposals**

It is our view that shareholders should have the right to bring relevant proposals to the annual general meeting. We believe that these proposals should be included on the proxy ballot for consideration by all shareholders as long as they deal with appropriate issues and are not used to raise personal matters, politically- or ideologically-motivated requests, or to garner publicity.

We also believe that proposals should generally refrain from specifying how companies should achieve the desired objectives. We are mindful that, if fulfilled, some proposals may diminish long-term shareholder value by imposing

unreasonable constraints on the board and management, or result in the company taking actions inconsistent with long- term, sustainable value creation for shareholders.

We believe certain environmental, social, and governance issues can be material and impact the long-term, risk-adjusted performance of an issuer. We assess proposals that address these issues in terms of the risks and opportunities they represent for the company and whether those issues have been adequately disclosed to shareholders. We may consider the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB)'s global SASB Standards or IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards (includes IFRS S1 and IFRS S2) when assessing the materiality of a proposal.

We will generally review shareholder proposals on a case-by- case basis. Where proposals request enhanced disclosure in an area that represents a material risk or opportunity for the corporation, and we believe the enhanced disclosure would benefit shareholders, we will generally support them. Where we determine fulfillment of the proposal request would not be in the best interests of the portfolio, we will oppose it. This may include where proposals mandate a specific course of action for the company, are considered overly prescriptive, request action or disclosure we believe is already sufficiently provided by the issuer, or request action or disclosure on an issue we do not consider material to the company.

We expect the board to adequately respond to shareholder proposals that receive meaningful support. Meaningful support is assessed on a case-by-case basis, as support levels can be impacted by factors such as share class structure and insider ownership. However, in the case of widely owned companies with a single class share structure, we would generally consider 30% support to be meaningful.

Aside from adoption of the proposal's requests (where the board believes it is in the best interests of shareholders to do so), we generally consider adequate responsiveness to include:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Engagement with a reasonable number of shareholders (by number or percentage ownership).

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· A detailed rationale on why the requests of the proposal were not adopted or not fully adopted.

In cases where we determine the board has not sufficiently responded to meaningfully-supported shareholder proposals, we may vote against the election of directors with oversight of the shareholder proposal's content.

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5.1 Lobbying & political contributions disclosure proposals

We believe there is a risk to shareholders where companies engage in lobbying activities or political contributions either misaligned with long-term, sustainable value creation for shareholders or its publicly disclosed strategies and/or commitments. We believe companies should provide sufficient disclosure on their lobbying activities and political contributions where material. We will generally evaluate the quality of existing disclosures based on the following factors:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• The company's rationale for its lobbying activities and/or political contributions

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Board and/or management oversight of lobbying activities and/or political contributions and description of this oversight

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Disclosure of a list of trade associations or applicable groups where dues meet or exceed a specific threshold. In cases where there are recent controversies, fines,or litigation regarding the company's lobbying-related activities or political contributions, we may be supportive of enhanced disclosure, not limited to the following:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Disclosure of the company's overall lobbying expenditures and/or political contribution

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Disclosure of a comprehensive list of trade association memberships or memberships in applicable groups.

We will evaluate shareholder proposals seeking additional disclosure on companies' lobbying activities or political contributions on a case-by-case basis, but will generally support proposals where the company does not currently disclose such details or existing disclosure is inadequate. In cases where such details are disclosed, and the proponent has raised concerns regarding the alignment of companies' lobbying activities or political contributions with its stated strategies, or there are recent controversies, fines, or litigation regarding the company's lobbying-related activities or political contributions that we believe pose undue risk to shareholders, we may support the proposal.

**5.2 Cyber security**

We believe investors should be provided with sufficient information to evaluate a company's management of risks related to cyber security. We believe companies should provide additional disclosure on their cyber security policies and procedures where material.

We believe that cyber security is a material risk in several industries and we will generally support requests for enhanced disclosure on how the board and senior management are overseeing, managing, and mitigating these risks.

When evaluating cyber security-related shareholder proposals, we will generally consider:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• The level of disclosure of company protocols, policies, and procedures relating to data protection and guards against cyber attacks

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Commitment to applicable market-specific laws or regulations that may be imposed on the company

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Controversies, fines, or litigation related to cyber security related issues

**5.3 Climate change**

We believe climate-related risks are systemic risks that have the potential to materially impact issuers and the economies, markets and society in which they operate. Mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions may reduce the systemic risks that climate change poses. We recognize the importance of the global goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 or sooner, to mitigate climate-related risks.

Where climate change poses a financially material risk or opportunity to a company, we believe cliimate-related disclosures are beneficial in providing shareholders with the ability to evaluate how a company is addressing material climate-related risks and opportunities. We expect issuers to be guided by the recommendations of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) and/or the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). Companies applying ISSB's IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards (includes IFRS S1 and S2) meet the TCFD recommendations as the recommendations are incorporated into the ISSB Standards. This should include details on how they are addressing material

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climate risk and opportunities in their governance, strategy, and risk management, as well as any of their climate metrics and targets and transition plans. We expect issuers for which climate change is a material risk to:

• work towards identifying and publicly disclosing material financial and strategic impacts resulting from the transition to a net-zero economy.

• establish credible targets and develop action plans aligned with achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 or sooner. We also expect them to demonstrate progress in meeting their commitments.

When evaluating climate-related shareholder proposals, we may consider:

• The industry in which the company operates and the materiality of the requested disclosure in that industry

• The company's existing publicly-available information on the potential impacts of climate change on its operations, strategy or viability

• Existing oversight, policies and procedures on climate- related risks and opportunities

• The company's level of disclosure and preparedness compared to that of its industry peers

• Whether the company has recently been involved in climate- related controversies resulting in fines, litigation, penalties or significant environmental, social or financial impacts

• The company's existing climate-related targets, commitments, and initiatives

We will evaluate climate-related shareholder proposals on a case-by-case basis, but will generally support proposals requesting:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• That a company disclose the organization's governance around climate-related risks and opportunities.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• That a company disclose the actual and potential impacts of climate-related risks and opportunities on the

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• organization's businesses, strategy, and financial planning. This includes disclosure of the results of climate scenario analysis and related assessments.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• That a company disclose how the organization identifies, assesses and manages climate-related risks. Risks include Transition Risks (Policy and Legal, Technology, Market, and Reputation) and Physical Risks (Acute and Chronic), as defined by the TCFD.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• That a company disclose the metrics and targets used to assess and manage relevant climate-related risks and opportunities, or on how the company identifies, measures, and manages such risks.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• That a company adopt or implement initiatives to reduce GHG emissions, including carbon. This includes providing detailed disclosure of progress.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• That a company adopt long-term and interim net-zero or science-based targets, where climate-related risks are financially material and adoption timelines are within a reasonable time frame. Net-zero targets should relate to scope 1 and 2 emissions. Where a proponent requests that a company adopt net-zero targets on scope 3 emissions, we will review on a case-by-case basis, factoring in materiality of these emissions to the company, feasibility of the request, and usefulness to shareholders if the proponent's request is fulfilled..

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• That a company disclose its climate transition plan in line with the TCFD recommendations.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• That a company provide enhanced disclosure on the alignment of its lobbying activities with climate change initiatives, including its membership in industry associations.

Shareholder proposals requesting that a company adopt a regular, non-binding shareholder vote on its climate strategy (i.e. a "say-on-climate"), will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

**5.4 Environmental issues**

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How a company interacts with its environment and vice versa can be a material risk if left unmanaged. It is our view that inadequate management of these risks can impact a portfolio's long-term risk adjusted return.

Where we believe environmental impacts are material, we will generally vote in support of proposals that ask for:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• enhanced disclosure of a company's environmental practices and/or environmental risks and liabilities

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• initiatives to reduce toxic emissions and detailed disclosure of results

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• initiatives to promote recycling, including product life-cycle management, and disclosure of results

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• companies to abstain from operating in environmentally sensitive areas or using products produced from materials extracted from such areas, where material and insufficiently managed risks are identified

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• consideration and adoption of the Equator Principles

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• reporting on water use, intensity, supply, and risks

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• reporting on efforts to reduce overall water use or intensity and impacts on local water systems

**5.5 Human rights**

Respecting international human rights standards supports a stable, resilient business operating environment, as well as well-functioning global capital markets. International human rights standards include but are not limited to: the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, the International Bill of Rights, the International Labour Organization's (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (the UN Guiding Principles), and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

We believe that issuers that implement mechanisms to identify affected stakeholders and address potential or actual adverse human rights impacts may be more effective at managing material human rights risks from their supply chains, operations, customers and/or end users.

We will generally vote in support of proposals that call on companies to:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• adopt or comply with policies that conform to the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), and/or express a commitment to respect the International Bill of Rights, which includes the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• adopt or comply with policies that conform to the International Labour Organization's Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and report on the progress toward implementing those standards

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• take reasonable steps, or institute an adequate review process which may include third-party independent review, that monitors compliance with human rights and related policies throughout its supply chain,

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• disclose its practices, policies and oversight for assessing, preventing, and mitigating human rights risks the company's investments, operations and/or activities in countries with historical or current evidence of labour and human rights abuses

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• adopt policies that aim to address human rights for operations in a conflict zone. This may include policies to protect the rights of local communities and avoid exacerbating the conflict

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• adopt independent programs to monitor the company's compliance with codes of conduct or the company's human rights policy and to provide detailed disclosure of results

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• adopt or comply with policies that conform to the International Labour Organization's Core Conventions and report on the progress toward implementing those standards

**5.6 Community issues**

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We believe community issues can pose material risks and opportunities to certain companies, as their operations can be both reliant on and have an impact on the residents of the communities in which it operates. "Community" may also refer to larger areas, such as a province, state or nation, to the extent that a company's operations may have broader impact.

We will generally vote in support of proposals that call for:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• careful consideration of advertising policies and practices to ensure that they do not promote racial stereotyping

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• meaningful disclosure of plant closing criteria

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• eliminating the use of predatory lending practices and "redlining"

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• disclosure of lending practices in developing countries

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• support of the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative

**5.7 Indigenous rights**

Indigenous Peoples have inherent rights to self-determination in accordance with international and domestic law. They also have specific rights, such as those set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN DRIP), which includes Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).

We will generally vote in support of proposals that call for:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• disclosure on a company's impact on Indigenous Peoples and their rights

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• reporting on the company's policies and oversight relating to the rights of Indigenous Peoples

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• disclosure on how a company considers the rights of Indigenous Peoples in its operations and decision-making

**5.8 Employee rights**

We believe employees have the right to work in a safe and healthy environment. This includes a workplace that promotes a healthy and productive, professional environment that is free from unlawful discrimination, disrespectful or inappropriate behaviour, harassment (including sexual harassment), retaliation, and violence. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace is also an important consideration for employee rights. It is our view that proper consideration and management of risks and opportunities related to employee rights can reduce potential risks to shareholders and contribute to long-term, sustainable value creation for shareholders. In general, we support proposals that we believe can enhance meaningful disclosure on or the management of risks and opportunities related to DEI, diversity, dignity and safety in the workplace, and collective bargaining rights.

We will generally vote in support of proposals that ask companies to:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• enhance disclosure of DEI in the workplace such as, DEI-related programs, goals, and demographic metrics. This may include, but is not limited to, enhanced disclosure of promotion and retention rates at different levels of management. It may also include enhanced disclosure on the progress of stated DEI-related programs

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• report on racial or gender pay equity where the company has inadequate policies or disclosure and its practices lag behind peers' or the company has been the subject of a recent controversy, including litigation, related to racial or gender pay equity

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• enhance disclosure, which may include adopting policies and procedures, on initiatives seeking to prevent discrimination on the basis of age, gender, ethnicity, race, skin colour, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, Indigenous status, gender expression/identity, education, religion and other dimensions that are intrinsic to all people.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• adopt enhanced health and safety policies, report on the implementation of those policies, and disclose health and safety data to shareholders

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• report on human capital risks, opportunities, initiatives, commitments and relevant statistics

5.9 Nature-related risks

The Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) defines nature-related risks as potential threats posed to an organization, linked to their (and wider society's) dependencies and impacts on nature. These can derive from physical, transition, and systemic risks. There are also nature-related opportunities, which are activities that avoid, reduce, mitigate, or manage nature-related risks, or that actively work to reverse the loss of nature, including through restoration, regeneration of nature, and implementation of nature-based solutions.

The TNFD provides a framework and sector-specific guidance for the disclosure of nature-related dependencies, impacts, risks, and opportunities. As issuers continue to advance their understanding of the materiality of nature-related factors to their businesses, we believe they should consider related disclosures that take into consideration the TNFD recommendations and guidance. We believe that proper consideration and management of nature-related risks and opportunities can reduce potential risks to shareholders and contribute to long-term, sustainable value creation for shareholders.

#### Voting Guideline
We will evaluate nature-related shareholder proposals on a case-by-case basis.

We will generally support proposals requesting that a company disclose the organization's governance around nature-related risks and opportunities.

5.10 Board-related

The board of directors of a corporation must act in the best interests of that corporation. We believe that when boards are structured in a manner that promotes good governance practices, it facilitates the board's achievement of this objective. It is our view that issuers with good governance practices generally:

• Are better able to focus on long-term sustainable growth;

• Are more likely to effectively manage conflicts;

• Pose less risk for equity investors due to proper alignment of shareholder and management interests;

• Are more likely to be able to access fixed income markets when needed; and

• Are more likely to effectively manage material environmental and social risk factors.

We will generally support shareholder proposals requesting governance practices that we believe enhance an issuer's governance practices and are in the best interests of shareholders.

We will review each shareholder proposal on a case-by-case basis, but may vote in support of proposals that request that companies:

• Limit the employees of the company sitting on the board to the CEO only.

• Separate the roles of CEO and Chair of the board, or appoint an independent chair.

• Provide expanded disclosure on potential conflicts of interest regarding directors.

• Enhance disclosure of the responsibilities of the executive chair and the compensation structure for the role.

• Disclose senior management (including the CEO) and board short- and long-term succession planning policies.

• Include a proportion of director remuneration to be in the form of common stock in the company.

• Enhance disclosure of executive compensation, including additional disclosure of performance criteria and whether those criteria were met.

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• Link executive compensation to the company's achievement of goals that go beyond traditional financial metrics, provided that those goals are on material factors and support the company's long-term performance.

5.11 Artificial Intelligence

The development and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into the business operations of many companies. However, there may be material risks and opportunities associated with using this technology. We believe that companies using AI in a meaningful way should ensure they have appropriate governance and expertise to handle a changing regulatory, legal, and technological landscape.

We approach shareholder proposals on AI on a case-by-case basis. We may support proposals that call for enhanced disclosure on AI-related board and firm governance structures and expertise. Further, we will generally support proposals requesting enhanced disclosure on how a company uses AI within its operations, where material to the company's business.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**6. Management environmental and social proposals**

**6.1 Say-on-climate**

We believe climate and nature-related factors are systemic risks that may materially affect issuers and the economies, markets and society in which they operate. Mitigating GHG emissions may reduce the systemic risks that climate change poses. We recognize the importance of the global goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 or sooner, in order to mitigate climate-related risks. Many companies are now seeking regular advisory votes from shareholders on their climate transition plans and progress made on these plans (i.e., a "say-on-climate" vote).

We will evaluate say-on-climate management proposals on a case-by-case basis. We will generally not support proposals where the climate-related plans lack:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Clear and appropriately detailed disclosure of the governance, strategy, risk management, and metrics and targets, as they relate to climate-related risks and opportunities

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Improvements on disclosure and performance, where applicable

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Credible targets and disclosure of progress towards meeting these commitments

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Disclosure of corporate and trade association lobbying activities, and how the company considers this in line with the Paris Agreement goals, where material.

When evaluating say-on-climate management proposals, we will consider the completeness of climate-related plans as well as the suitability of said plans, as determined by RBC GAM, for the company on a best-efforts basis. In addition, we will give consideration to newly-disclosed climate transition plans that do not meet this minimum criteria if there is demonstrable evidence and commitments indicating the minimum criteria will be met.

This document is provided by RBC Global Asset Management (RBC GAM) for informational purposes only and may not be reproduced, distributed or published without the written consent of RBC GAM or its affiliated entities listed herein. This document does not constitute an offer or a solicitation to buy or to sell any security, product or service in any jurisdiction; nor is it intended to provide investment, financial, legal, accounting, tax, or other advice and such information should not be relied or acted upon for providing such advice. This document is not available for distribution to investors in jurisdictions where such distribution would be prohibited.

RBC GAM is the asset management division of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) which includes RBC Global Asset Management Inc., RBC Global Asset Management (U.S.) Inc., RBC Global Asset Management (UK) Limited, and RBC Global Asset Management (Asia) Limited, which are separate, but affiliated subsidiaries of RBC.

In Canada, this document is provided by RBC Global Asset Management Inc. (including PH&N Institutional) which is regulated by each provincial and territorial securities commission with which it is registered. In the United States, this document is provided by

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RBC Global Asset Management (U.S.) Inc., a federally registered investment adviser. In Europe this document is provided by RBC Global Asset Management (UK) Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority. In Asia, this document is provided by RBC Global Asset Management (Asia) Limited, which is registered with the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) in Hong Kong.

Additional information about RBC GAM may be found at www.rbcgam.com.

This document has not been reviewed by, and is not registered with any securities or other regulatory authority, and may, where appropriate and permissible, be distributed by the above-listed entities in their respective jurisdictions.

Opinions contained herein reflect the judgment and thought leadership of RBC GAM and are subject to change at any time. Such opinions are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be investment or financial advice and should not be relied or acted upon for providing such advice. RBC GAM does not undertake any obligation or responsibility to update such opinions.

RBC GAM reserves the right at any time and without notice to change, amend or cease publication of this information.

Some of the statements contained in this document may be considered forward-looking statements which provide current expectations or forecasts of future results or events. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and involve risks and uncertainties. Do not place undue reliance on these statements because actual results or events may differ materially from those described in such forward-looking statements as a result of various factors.

<sup>®</sup> / <sup>TM</sup> Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence.© RBC Global Asset Management Inc. 2025

(03/2025)

021GAM011 (03-2025) PROXYVOTINGGUIDELINES_EN_V2 03/11/2025

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| **FRANKLIN TEMPLETON INVESTMENT SOLUTIONS**<br>**Proxy Voting Policies & Procedures**<br>**An SEC Compliance Rule Policy and Procedures**<sup></sup> | **March 2025** |

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#### RESPONSIBILITY OF THE INVESTMENT MANAGERS TO VOTE PROXIES
Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions, a separate investment group within Franklin Templeton, comprised of investment personnel from the SEC-registered investment advisers listed on Appendix A (hereinafter individually an "Investment Manager" and collectively the "Investment Managers") have delegated the administrative duties with respect to voting proxies for securities to the Franklin Templeton Proxy Group. Proxy duties consist of disseminating proxy materials and analyses of issuers whose stock is owned by any client (including both investment companies and any separate accounts managed by the Investment Managers) that has either delegated proxy voting administrative responsibility to the Investment Managers or has asked for information and/or recommendations on the issues to be voted. The Investment Managers will inform advisory clients that have not delegated the voting responsibility but that have requested voting advice about the Investment Managers' views on such proxy votes. The Proxy Group also provides these services to other advisory affiliates of the Investment Managers.

The Proxy Group will process proxy votes on behalf of, and the Investment Managers vote proxies solely in the best interests of, separate account clients, the Investment Managers'-managed investment company shareholders, or shareholders of funds that have appointed Franklin Templeton International Services S.à.r.l. ("FTIS S.à.r.l.") as the Management Company, provided such funds or clients have properly delegated such responsibility in writing, or, where employee benefit plan assets subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, are involved ("ERISA accounts"), in the best interests of the plan participants and beneficiaries (collectively, "Advisory Clients"), unless (i) the power to vote has been specifically retained by the named fiduciary in the documents in which the named fiduciary appointed the Investment Managers or (ii) the documents otherwise expressly prohibit the Investment Managers from voting proxies. The Investment Managers recognize that the exercise of voting rights on securities held by ERISA plans for which the Investment Managers have voting responsibility is a fiduciary duty that must be exercised with care, skill, prudence and diligence.

In certain circumstances, Advisory Clients are permitted to direct their votes in a solicitation pursuant to the Investment Management Agreement. An Advisory Client that wishes to direct its vote shall give reasonable prior written notice to the Investment Managers indicating such intention and provide written instructions directing the Investment Managers or the Proxy Group to vote regarding the solicitation. Where such prior written notice is received, the Proxy Group will vote proxies in accordance with such written notification received from the Advisory Client.

The Investment Managers have adopted and implemented Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures ("Proxy Policies") that they believe are reasonably designed to ensure that proxies are voted in the best interest of Advisory Clients in accordance with their fiduciary duties and rule 206(4)-6 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. To the extent that the Investment Managers have a subadvisory agreement with an affiliated investment manager (the "Affiliated Subadviser") with respect to a particular Advisory Client, the Investment Managers may delegate proxy voting responsibility to the Affiliated Subadviser. The Investment Managers may also delegate proxy voting responsibility to a subadviser that is not an Affiliated Subadviser in certain limited situations as disclosed to fund shareholders (e.g., where an Investment Manager to a pooled investment vehicle has engaged a subadviser that is not an Affiliated Subadviser to manage all or a portion of the assets).

#### HOW THE INVESTMENT MANAGERS VOTE PROXIES

#### Proxy Services
All proxies received by the Proxy Group will be voted based upon the Investment Managers' instructions and/or policies. To assist it in analyzing proxies of equity securities, the Investment Managers subscribe to Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. ("ISS"), an unaffiliated third-party corporate governance research service that provides in-depth analyses of shareholder meeting agendas and vote recommendations. In addition, the Investment Managers subscribe to ISS's Proxy Voting Service and Vote Disclosure

<sup></sup> Rule 38a-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 ("1940 Act") and Rule 206(4)-7 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ("Advisers Act") (together the "Compliance Rule") require registered investment companies and registered investment advisers to, among other things, adopt and implement written policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent violations of the federal securities laws ("Compliance Rule Policies and Procedures").

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Service. These services include receipt of proxy ballots, custodian bank relations, account maintenance, vote execution, ballot reconciliation, vote record maintenance, comprehensive reporting capabilities, and vote disclosure services. Also, the Investment Managers subscribe to Glass, Lewis & Co., LLC ("Glass Lewis"), an unaffiliated third-party analytical research firm, to receive analyses and vote recommendations on the shareholder meetings of publicly held U.S. companies, as well as a limited subscription to its international research.

Although analyses provided by ISS, Glass Lewis, and/or another independent third-party proxy service provider (each a "Proxy Service") are thoroughly reviewed and considered in making a final voting decision, the Investment Managers do not consider recommendations from a Proxy Service or any third-party to be determinative of the Investment Managers' ultimate decision. Rather, the Investment Managers exercise their independent judgment in making voting decisions. As a matter of policy, the officers, directors and employees of the Investment Managers and the Proxy Group will not be influenced by outside sources whose interests conflict with the interests of Advisory Clients.

For ease of reference, the Proxy Policies often refer to all Advisory Clients. However, our processes and practices seek to ensure that proxy voting decisions are suitable for individual Advisory Clients. In some cases, the Investment Managers' evaluation may result in an individual Advisory Client or Investment Manager voting differently, depending upon the nature and objective of the fund or account, the composition of its portfolio, whether the Investment Manager has adopted a specialty or custom voting policy, and other factors.

#### Conflicts of Interest
All conflicts of interest will be resolved in the best interests of the Advisory Clients. The Investment Managers are affiliates of a large, diverse financial services firm with many affiliates and make their best efforts to mitigate conflicts of interest. However, as a general matter, the Investment Managers take the position that relationships between certain affiliates that do not use the "Franklin Templeton" name ("Independent Affiliates") and an issuer (e.g., an investment management relationship between an issuer and an Independent Affiliate) do not present a conflict of interest for an Investment Manager in voting proxies with respect to such issuer because: (i) the Investment Managers operate as an independent business unit from the Independent Affiliate business units, and (ii) informational barriers exist between the Investment Managers and the Independent Affiliate business units.

Material conflicts of interest could arise in a variety of situations, including as a result of the Investment Managers' or an affiliate's (other than an Independent Affiliate as described above): (i) material business relationship with an issuer or proponent, (ii) direct or indirect pecuniary interest in an issuer or proponent; or (iii) significant personal or family relationship with an issuer or proponent. Material conflicts of interest are identified by the Proxy Group based upon analyses of client, distributor, broker dealer, and vendor lists, information periodically gathered from directors and officers, and information derived from other sources, including public filings. The Proxy Group gathers and analyzes this information on a best-efforts basis, as much of this information is provided directly by individuals and groups other than the Proxy Group, and the Proxy Group relies on the accuracy of the information it receives from such parties.

Nonetheless, even though a potential conflict of interest between the Investment Managers or an affiliate (other than an Independent Affiliate as described above) and an issuer may exist: (1) the Investment Managers may vote in opposition to the recommendations of an issuer's management even if contrary to the recommendations of a third-party proxy voting research provider; (2) if management has made no recommendations, the Proxy Group may defer to the voting instructions of the Investment Managers; and (3) with respect to shares held by Franklin Resources, Inc. or its affiliates for their own corporate accounts, such shares may be voted without regard to these conflict procedures.

Otherwise, in situations where a material conflict of interest is identified between the Investment Managers or one of its affiliates (other than Independent Affiliates) and an issuer, the Proxy Group may vote consistent with the voting recommendation of a Proxy Service or send the proxy directly to the relevant Advisory Clients with the Investment Managers' recommendation regarding the vote for approval. To address certain affiliate conflict situations, the Investment Managers will employ pass-through voting or mirror voting when required pursuant to a fund's governing documents or applicable law.

Where the Proxy Group refers a matter to an Advisory Client, it may rely upon the instructions of a representative of the Advisory Client, such as the board of directors or trustees, a committee of the board, or an appointed delegate in the case of a U.S. registered investment company, a conducting officer in the case of a fund that has appointed FTIS S.à.r.l as its Management Company, the Independent Review Committee for Canadian investment funds, or a plan administrator in the case of an employee benefit plan. A quorum of the board of directors or trustees or of a committee of the board can be reached by a majority of members, or a majority of non-recused members. The Proxy Group may determine to vote all shares held by Advisory Clients of

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the Investment Managers and affiliated Investment Managers (other than Independent Affiliates) in accordance with the instructions of one or more of the Advisory Clients.

The Investment Managers may also decide whether to vote proxies for securities deemed to present conflicts of interest that are sold following a record date, but before a shareholder meeting date. The Investment Managers may consider various factors in deciding whether to vote such proxies, including the Investment Managers' long-term view of the issuer's securities for investment, or it may defer the decision to vote to the applicable Advisory Client. The Investment Managers also may be unable to vote, or choose not to vote, a proxy for securities deemed to present a conflict of interest for any of the reasons outlined in the first paragraph of the section of these policies entitled "Proxy Procedures."

#### Weight Given Management Recommendations
One of the primary factors the Investment Managers consider when determining the desirability of investing in a particular company is the quality and depth of that company's management. Accordingly, the recommendation of management on any issue is a factor that the Investment Managers consider in determining how proxies should be voted. However, the Investment Managers do not consider recommendations from management to be determinative of the Investment Managers' ultimate decision. Each issue is considered on its own merits, and the Investment Managers will not support the position of a company's management in any situation where it determines that the ratification of management's position would adversely affect the investment merits of owning that company's shares.

#### Engagement with Issuers
The Investment Managers believe that engagement with issuers is important to good corporate governance and to assist in making proxy voting decisions. The Investment Managers may engage with issuers to discuss specific ballot items to be voted on in advance of an annual or special meeting to obtain further information or clarification on the proposals. The Investment Managers may also engage with management on a range of issues throughout the year.

#### THE PROXY GROUP
The Proxy Group's full-time staff members and support staff are devoted to proxy voting administration and oversight and providing support and assistance where needed. On a daily basis, the Proxy Group will review each proxy upon receipt as well as any agendas, materials and recommendations that they receive from a Proxy Service or other sources. The Proxy Group maintains a record of all shareholder meetings that are scheduled for companies whose securities are held by the Investment Managers' managed funds and accounts. For each shareholder meeting, a member of the Proxy Group will consult with the research analyst that follows the security and provide the analyst with the agenda, analyses of one or more Proxy Services, recommendations and any other information provided to the Proxy Group. Except in situations identified as presenting material conflicts of interest, the Investment Managers' research analyst and relevant portfolio manager(s) are responsible for making the final voting decision based on their review of the agenda, analyses of one or more Proxy Services, proxy statements, their knowledge of the company and any other information publicly available.

In situations where the Investment Managers have not responded with vote recommendations to the Proxy Group by the deadline date, the Proxy Group may vote consistent with the vote recommendations of a Proxy Service. Except in cases where the Proxy Group is voting consistent with the voting recommendation of a Proxy Service, the Proxy Group must obtain voting instructions from the Investment Managers' research analysts, relevant portfolio manager(s), legal counsel and/or the Advisory Client prior to submitting the vote. In the event that an account holds a security that an Investment Manager did not purchase on its behalf, and the Investment Manager does not normally consider the security as a potential investment for other accounts, the Proxy Group may vote consistent with the voting recommendations of a Proxy Service or take no action on the meeting.

#### PROXY ADMINISTRATION PROCEDURES

#### Situations Where Proxies Are Not Voted
The Proxy Group is fully cognizant of its responsibility to process proxies and maintain proxy records as may be required by relevant rules and regulations. In addition, the Investment Managers understand their fiduciary duty to vote proxies and that proxy voting decisions may affect the value of shareholdings. Therefore, the Investment Managers will generally attempt to process every proxy they receive for all domestic and foreign securities.

However, there may be situations in which the Investment Managers may be unable to successfully vote a proxy, or may choose not to vote a proxy, such as where: (i) a proxy ballot was not received from the custodian bank; (ii) a meeting notice was received

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too late; (iii) there are fees imposed upon the exercise of a vote and it is determined that such fees outweigh the benefit of voting; (iv) there are legal encumbrances to voting, including blocking restrictions in certain markets that preclude the ability to dispose of a security if an Investment Manager votes a proxy or where the Investment Manager is prohibited from voting by applicable law, economic or other sanctions, or other regulatory or market requirements, including but not limited to, effective Powers of Attorney; (v) additional documentation or the disclosure of beneficial owner details is required; (vi) the Investment Managers held shares on the record date but has sold them prior to the meeting date; (vii) the Advisory Client held shares on the record date, but the Advisory Client closed the account prior to the meeting date; (viii) a proxy voting service is not offered by the custodian in the market; (ix) due to either system error or human error, the Investment Managers' intended vote is not correctly submitted; (x) the Investment Managers believe it is not in the best interest of the Advisory Client to vote the proxy for any other reason not enumerated herein; or (xi) a security is subject to a securities lending or similar program that has transferred legal title to the security to another person.

#### Rejected Votes
Even if the Investment Managers use reasonable efforts to vote a proxy on behalf of their Advisory Clients, such vote or proxy may be rejected because of (a) operational or procedural issues experienced by one or more third parties involved in voting proxies in such jurisdictions; (b) changes in the process or agenda for the meeting by the issuer for which the Investment Managers do not have sufficient notice; or (c) the exercise by the issuer of its discretion to reject the vote of the Investment Managers. In addition, despite the best efforts of the Proxy Group and its agents, there may be situations where the Investment Managers' votes are not received, or properly tabulated, by an issuer or the issuer's agent.

#### Securities on Loan
The Investment Managers or their affiliates may, on behalf of one or more of the proprietary registered investment companies advised by the Investment Managers or their affiliates, make efforts to recall any security on loan where the Investment Manager or its affiliates (a) learn of a vote on an event that may materially affect a security on loan and (b) determine that it is in the best interests of such proprietary registered investment companies to recall the security for voting purposes. The ability to timely recall shares is not entirely within the control of the Investment Managers. Under certain circumstances, the recall of shares in time for such shares to be voted may not be possible due to applicable proxy voting record dates or other administrative considerations.

#### Split Voting
There may be instances in certain non-U.S. markets where split voting is not allowed. Split voting occurs when a position held within an account is voted in accordance with two differing instructions. Some markets and/or issuers only allow voting on an entire position and do not accept split voting. In certain cases, when more than one Franklin Templeton investment manager has accounts holding shares of an issuer that are held in an omnibus structure, the Proxy Group will seek direction from an appropriate representative of the Advisory Client with multiple Investment Managers (such as a conducting officer of the Management Company in the case of a SICAV), or the Proxy Group will submit the vote based on the voting instructions provided by the Investment Manager with accounts holding the greatest number of shares of the security within the omnibus structure.

#### Bundled Items
If several issues are bundled together in a single voting item, the Investment Managers will assess the total benefit to shareholders and the extent that such issues should be subject to separate voting proposals.

#### PROCEDURES FOR MEETINGS INVOLVING FIXED INCOME SECURITIES & PRIVATELY HELD ISSUERS
From time to time, certain custodians may process events for fixed income securities through their proxy voting channels rather than corporate action channels for administrative convenience. In such cases, the Proxy Group will receive ballots for such events on the ISS voting platform. The Proxy Group will solicit voting instructions from the Investment Managers for each account or fund involved. If the Proxy Group does not receive voting instructions from the Investment Managers, the Proxy Group will take no action on the event. The Investment Managers may be unable to vote a proxy for a fixed income security, or may choose not to vote a proxy, for the reasons described under the section entitled "Proxy Procedures."

In the rare instance where there is a vote for a privately held issuer, the decision will generally be made by the relevant portfolio managers or research analysts.

The Proxy Group will monitor such meetings involving fixed income securities or privately held issuers for conflicts of interest in accordance with these procedures. If a fixed income or privately held issuer is flagged as a potential conflict of interest, the

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Investment Managers may nonetheless vote as it deems in the best interests of its Advisory Clients. The Investment Managers will report such decisions on an annual basis to Advisory Clients as may be required.

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#### Appendix A
These Proxy Policies apply to accounts managed by personnel within Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions, which includes the following Investment Managers:

Franklin Advisers, Inc. (FAV)

Franklin Advisory Services, LLC (FASL)

Franklin Mutual Advisers LLC (FMA)

Franklin Templeton Investments Corp. (FTIC)

Franklin Templeton Investment Management Limited (FTIML)

Templeton Asset Management Ltd. (TAML)

The following Proxy Policies apply to FAV, FMA, FTIC, FTIML, and TAML only:

#### HOW THE INVESTMENT MANAGERS VOTE PROXIES

#### Proxy Services
Certain of the Investment Managers' separate accounts or funds (or a portion thereof) are included under Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions ("FTIS"), a separate investment group within Franklin Templeton, and employ a quantitative strategy.

For such accounts, FTIS's proprietary methodologies rely on a combination of quantitative, qualitative, and behavioral analysis rather than fundamental security research and analyst coverage that an actively managed portfolio would ordinarily employ. Accordingly, absent client direction, in light of the high number of positions held by such accounts and the considerable time and effort that would be required to review proxy statements and ISS or Glass Lewis recommendations, the Investment Manager may review ISS's guidelines or Glass Lewis's US guidelines (the "ISS and Glass Lewis Proxy Voting Guidelines") and determine, consistent with the best interest of its clients, to provide standing instructions to the Proxy Group to vote proxies according to the recommendations of ISS or Glass Lewis.

In addition, the Investment Managers may request in-house voting research from Franklin Templeton's Stewardship Team (FT Stewardship). FT Stewardship provides customized research on specific corporate governance issues that is tailored to the investment manager and corporate engagement undertaken. This research may include opinions on voting decisions however, there is no obligation or inference for the investment manager to formally vote in line with these opinions. This research supports the independent vote decision making process, and may reduce reliance on third-party advice for certain votes.

The Investment Manager, however, retains the ability to vote a proxy differently than ISS or Glass Lewis recommends if the Investment Manager determines that it would be in the best interests of Advisory Clients.

The following Proxy Policies apply to FASL only:

#### HOW THE INVESTMENT MANAGERS VOTE PROXIES
**Proxy Services**

Passively managed exchange traded funds (collectively, "ETFs"), seek to track a particular securities index. As a result, each ETF may hold the securities of hundreds of issuers. Because the primary criteria for determining whether a security should be included (or continued to be included) in an ETF's investment portfolio is whether such security is a representative component of the securities index that the ETF is seeking to track, the ETFs do not require the fundamental security research and analyst coverage that an actively managed portfolio would require. Accordingly, in light of the high number of positions held by an ETF and the considerable time and effort that would be required to review proxy statements and ISS or Glass Lewis recommendations, the Investment Manager may review ISS's guidelines or Glass Lewis's US guidelines (the "ISS and Glass Lewis Proxy Voting Guidelines") and determine, consistent with the best interest of its clients, to provide standing instructions to the Proxy Group to vote proxies according to the recommendations of ISS or Glass Lewis rather than analyze each individual proxy vote. Permitting the Investment Manager of the ETFs to defer its judgment for voting on a proxy to the recommendations of ISS or Glass Lewis may result in a proxy related to the securities of a particular issuer held by an ETF being voted differently from the same proxy that is voted on by other funds managed by the Investment Managers.

In addition, the investment managers may request in-house voting research from Franklin Templeton's Stewardship Team (FT Stewardship). FT Stewardship provides customized research on specific corporate governance issues that is tailored to the investment manager and corporate engagement undertaken. This research may include opinions on voting decisions however,

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there is no obligation or inference for the investment manager to formally vote in line with these opinions. This research supports the independent vote decision making process, and may reduce reliance on third-party advice for certain votes.

The following Proxy Policies apply to FTIC, FTIML, and TAML only:

#### Proxy Services
For accounts managed by the Templeton Global Equity Group ("TGEG"), in making voting decisions, the Investment Manager may consider Glass Lewis's Proxy Voting Guidelines, ISS's Policies' and TGEG's custom sustainability guidelines, where appropriate.

The following Proxy Policies apply to FTIC only:

#### RESPONSIBILITY OF THE INVESTMENT MANAGERS TO VOTE PROXIES
To the extent that the Investment Manager has a subadvisory agreement with an affiliated investment manager (the "Affiliated Subadviser") with respect to a particular Advisory Client or the Investment Manager chooses securities for an Advisory Client's portfolios that are recommended by an Affiliated Subadviser, the Investment Manager may delegate proxy voting responsibility to the Affiliated Subadviser or vote proxies in accordance with the Affiliated Subadviser's recommendations.

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| FRANKLIN ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUNDS | FRANKLIN ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUNDS |
| File Nos. 811-22641 & 333-189667 | File Nos. 811-22641 & 333-189667 |
| PART C | PART C |
| <u>Other Information</u> | <u>Other Information</u> |
| **Item 28. Exhibits** | **Item 28. Exhibits** |
| The following exhibits are incorporated by reference to the previously filed documents indicated below, except as noted: | The following exhibits are incorporated by reference to the previously filed documents indicated below, except as noted: |
| (a) Agreement and Declaration of Trust | (a) Agreement and Declaration of Trust |
| (i) | [Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust of Franklin Alternative Strategies Funds dated May 17, 2018](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000137949118005114/ai2018-0517fasfamendedandres.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 24 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 27, 2018 |
| (b) By-laws | (b) By-laws |
| (i) | [Amended and Restated By-Laws of Franklin Alternative Strategies Funds effective as of May 17, 2018](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000137949118005114/bi2018-0517fasfamendedandres.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 24 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 27, 2018 |
| (c) Instruments Defining Rights of Security Holders | (c) Instruments Defining Rights of Security Holders |
| (i) | Agreement and Declaration of Trust |
| (a) | Article III, Shares |
| (b) | Article V, Shareholders' Voting Powers and Meetings |
| (c) | Article VI, Net Asset Value; Distributions; Redemptions; Transfers |
| (d) | Article VIII, Certain Transactions: Section 4 |
| (e) | Article X, Miscellaneous: Section 4 |
| (ii) | By-Laws |
| (a) | Article II, Meetings of Shareholders |
| (b) | Article VI, Records and Reports: Section 1, 2 and 3 |
| (c) | Article VII, General Matters: Section 3, 4, 6 and 7 |
| (d) | Article VIII, Amendment: Section 1 |
| (iii) | Part B, Statement of Additional Information – Item 22 |
| (d) Investment Advisory Contracts | (d) Investment Advisory Contracts |
| (i) | [Amended and Restated Investment Management Agreement between Registrant, on behalf of K2 Alternative Strategies Fund (formerly, Franklin K2 Alternative Strategies Fund) and K2/D&S Management Co., L.L.C. dated September 25, 2013 as amended October 1, 2017](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000137949119004288/ex99-di_k2franklinasfimagree.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 26 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 30, 2019 |
| (ii) | [Amendment dated February 28, 2024 to the Amended and Restated Investment Management Agreement between Registrant, on behalf of K2 Alternative Strategies Fund and K2/D&S Management Co., L.L.C. dated October 1, 2017](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000174177324004061/ex99dadvsrcontr-dii.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 32 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 26, 2024 |

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| (iii) | [Sub-advisory Agreement with K2/D&S Management Co., L.L.C. on behalf of K2 Alternative Strategies Fund (formerly, Franklin K2 Alternative Strategies Fund) dated November 1, 2024](ex99dadvsrcontr-diii.htm) |
| (iv) | [Amendment dated May 14, 2020 to the Amended and Restated Investment Management Agreements between Registrant, on behalf of K2 Alternative Strategies Fund (formerly, Franklin K2 Alternative Strategies Fund), and K2/D&S Management Co., L.L.C.](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000174177321002861/ex99dadvsrcontr-dvii.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 29 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 27, 2021 |
| (e) Underwriting Contracts | (e) Underwriting Contracts |
| (i) | [Distribution Agreement, between the Registrant and Franklin Distributors, LLC on behalf of K2 Alternative Strategies Fund (formerly, Franklin K2 Alternative Strategies Fund), along with Attachment A dated July 7, 2021](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000174177322003427/ex99eundrcontr-ei.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 30 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 26, 2022 |
| (ii) | [Form of Selling Agreements between Franklin Distributors, LLC and Securities Dealers dated July 7, 2021](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000174177322003427/ex99eundrcontr-eii.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 30 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 26, 2022 |
| (f) Bonus or Profit Sharing Contracts | (f) Bonus or Profit Sharing Contracts |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;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;&nbsp;&nbsp;Not Applicable |
| (g) Custodian Agreements | (g) Custodian Agreements |
| (i) | [Master Custody Agreement between Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon dated February 16, 1996](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000153553811000007/ex99_g-i.txt)<br>Filing: Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: December 6, 2011 |
| (ii) | [Amendment dated May 7, 1997 to Master Custody Agreement between Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon dated February 16, 1996](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000153553811000007/ex99_g-ii.txt)<br>Filing: Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: December 6, 2011 |
| (iii) | [Amendment dated February 27, 1998 to Master Custody Agreement between Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon dated February 16, 1996](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000153553811000007/ex99_g-iii.txt)<br>Filing: Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: December 6, 2011 |
| (iv) | [Exhibit A dated September 2022 of the Master Custody Agreement between Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon dated February 16, 1996](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000174177322003427/ex99gcustagreemt-giv.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 30 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 26, 2022 |

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| (v) | [Amendment dated May 16, 2001 to the Master Custody Agreement between Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon dated February 16, 1996](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000153553811000007/g-vbny17f7amendment51601.htm)<br>Filing: Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: December 6, 2011 |
| (vi) | [Amendment dated June 3, 2019 to Schedule 1 of the Amendment dated May 16, 2001 to the Master Custody Agreement between Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon dated February 16, 1996](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000137949119004249/ex99-giv_bonyamendmenttocust.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 26 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 30, 2019 |
| (vii) | [Amended and Restated Foreign Custody Manager Agreement between Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon made as of May 16, 2001](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000153553811000007/g-viifcm51601.htm)<br>Filing: Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: December 6, 2011 |
| (viii) | [Amendment dated January 27, 2017 to Schedule 1 of the Amended and Restated Foreign Custody Manager Agreement between Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon made as of May 16, 2001](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000137949117006300/bonyfcmschedule1revised01-27.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 22 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 28, 2017 |
| (ix) | [Amendment dated November 19, 2014 to Schedule 2 of the Amended and Restated Foreign Custody Manager Agreement between Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon made as of May 16, 2001](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000137949115000982/ex99gix_bnyfcmschedule2revis.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 11 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 8, 2015 |
| (x) | [Terminal Link Agreement between Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon dated February 16, 1996](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000153553811000007/ex99_g-x.txt)<br>Filing: Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: December 6, 2011 |
| (xi) | [Exhibit A dated September 2022 of the Terminal Link Agreement between Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon dated February 16, 1996](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000174177322003427/ex99gcustagreemt-gxi.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 30 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 26, 2022 |
| (xii) | [Supplement to the Master Custody Agreement Hong Kong- China Connect Service on behalf of K2 Alternative Strategies Fund (formerly, Franklin K2 Alternative Strategies Fund) dated July 26, 2018, revised Exhibit A dated August 1, 2019](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000137949120004824/ex99gxii_amd2018-0726hkchina.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 28 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 28, 2020 |
| (h) Other Material Contracts | (h) Other Material Contracts |
| (i) | [Form of Placement Agent Agreement between Registrant and Franklin Templeton Financial Services, Inc](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000153553811000007/hiii-draftplacementagrt.htm).<br>Filing: Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: December 6, 2011 |

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| (ii) | [Sub-Contract for Administrative Services between K2/D&S Management Co., L.L.C, on behalf of K2 Alternative Strategies Fund (formerly, Franklin K2 Alternative Strategies Fund) and Franklin Templeton Services, LLC dated December 16, 2013](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000137949114001034/amend-subcontract_hi.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 5 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 26, 2014 |
| (iii) | [Amended and Restated Sub-Contract for Fund Administrative and Accounting Services between Franklin Templeton Services, LLC and BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. with respect to K2 Alternative Strategies Fund (formerly, Franklin K2 Alternative Strategies Fund) dated December 16, 2013](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000137949114001034/franklink2subcontract-hiv.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 5 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 26, 2014 |
| (iv) | [Second Amended and Restated Transfer Agent and Shareholder Services Agreement between the Registrant and Franklin Templeton Investor Services, LLC dated October 1, 2022](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000174177323003311/ex99hothmatcont-hiv.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 31 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 26, 2023 |
| (v) | [Transfer Agent and Shareholder Services Agreement revised October 1, 2023 for Schedule A](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000174177324004061/ex99hothmatcont-hv.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 32 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 26, 2024 |
| (i) Legal Opinion | (i) Legal Opinion |
| (i) | [Opinion and consent of counsel with respect to K2 Alternative Strategies Fund (formerly, Franklin K2 Alternative Strategies Fund) dated October 1, 2013](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000145079113000328/sropinion.htm)<br>Filing: Pre-Effective Amendment No.3 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: October 2, 2013 |
| (j) Other Opinions | (j) Other Opinions |
| (i) | [Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm](ex99jotheropinin-ji.htm) |
| (k) Omitted Financial Statements | (k) Omitted Financial Statements |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;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;&nbsp;&nbsp;Not Applicable |
| (l) Initial Capital Agreements | (l) Initial Capital Agreements |
|  | Not Applicable |
| (m) Rule 12b-1 Plan | (m) Rule 12b-1 Plan |
| (i) | [Amended and Restated Class A Distribution Plan, pursuant to Rule 12b-1 between the Registrant, on behalf of K2 Alternative Strategies Fund (formerly, Franklin K2 Alternative Strategies Fund), and Franklin Distributors, LLC dated October 11, 2013 and revised on July 7, 2021](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000174177322003427/ex99m12b1plan-mi.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 30 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 26, 2022 |

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| (ii) | [Amended and Restated Class C Distribution Plan, pursuant to Rule 12b-1 between the Registrant, on behalf of K2 Alternative Strategies Fund (formerly, Franklin K2 Alternative Strategies Fund), and Franklin Distributors, LLC dated July 7, 2021](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000174177323003311/ex99m12b1plan-mii.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 31 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 26, 2023 |
| (iii) | [Amended and Restated Class R Distribution Plan, pursuant to Rule 12b-1 between the Registrant, on behalf of K2 Alternative Strategies Fund (formerly, Franklin K2 Alternative Strategies Fund), and Franklin Distributors, LLC dated October 11, 2013 and revised on July 7, 2021](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000174177322003427/ex99m12b1plan-miii.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 30 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 26, 2022 |
| (n) Rule 18f-3 Plan | (n) Rule 18f-3 Plan |
| (i) | [Amended Multiple Class Plan with respect to K2 Alternative Strategies Fund (formerly, Franklin K2 Alternative Strategies Fund) dated July 7, 2021](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000174177322003427/ex99n18f3plan-ni.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 30 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 26, 2022 |
| (p) Code of Ethics | (p) Code of Ethics |
| (i) | [Franklin Templeton Code of Ethics dated July 21, 2025](ex99pcodeeth-pi.htm) |
| (ii) | [Apollo Athene Code of Ethics](ex99pcodeeth-pii.htm) |
| (iii) | [RBC Global Asset Management (UK) Limited (RBC) (formerly, BlueBay Asset Management LLP) Code of Ethics April 2023](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000174177323003311/ex99pcodeeth-piv.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 31 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 26, 2023 |
| (iv) | [Electron Capital Partners, LLC Code of Ethics](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000174177323003311/ex99pcodeeth-pvi.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 31 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 26, 2023 |
| (v) | [Graham Capital Management, L.P. Code of Ethics dated December 2024](ex99pcodeeth-pv.htm) |
| (vi) | [Jennison Associates LLC Code of Ethics revised on December 31, 2024](ex99pcodeeth-pvi.htm) |
| (vii) | [K2/D&S Management Co., L.L.C. Code of Ethics dated May 2023](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000174177323003311/ex99pcodeeth-pix.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 31 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 26, 2023 |
| (viii) | [Lazard Asset Management LLC Code of Ethics dated April 2022](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000174177323003311/ex99pcodeeth-px.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 31 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 26, 2023 |
| (ix) | [ActusRayPartners Limited Code of Ethics dated September 2022](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000174177322003427/ex99pcodeeth-pxxi.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 30 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 26, 2022 |

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| (x) | [Capital Fund Management S.A. Code of Ethics dated October 10, 2023](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1535538/000174177324004061/ex99pcodeeth-pxi.htm)<br>Filing: Post-Effective Amendment No. 32 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A<br>File No. 811-22641<br>Filing Date: September 26, 2024 |
| (q) Power of Attorney | (q) Power of Attorney |
| (i) | [Power of Attorney dated January 2, 2025](ex99-qi.htm) |
| **Item 29. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with the Fund** | **Item 29. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with the Fund** |
| **Item 30. Indemnification** | **Item 30. Indemnification** |
| The Agreement and Declaration of Trust (the "Declaration") provides that any person who is or was a Trustee, officer, employee or other agent, including the underwriter, of such Trust shall be liable to the Trust and its shareholders only for (1) any act or omission that constitutes a bad faith violation of the implied contractual covenant of good faith and fair dealing, or (2) the person's own willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of such person (such conduct referred to herein as Disqualifying Conduct) and for nothing else. Except in these instances and to the fullest extent that limitations of liability of agents are permitted by the Delaware Statutory Trust Act (the "Delaware Act"), these Agents (as defined in the Declaration) shall not be responsible or liable for any act or omission of any other Agent of the Trust or any investment adviser or principal underwriter. Moreover, except and to the extent provided in these instances, none of these Agents, when acting in their respective capacity as such, shall be personally liable to any other person, other than such Trust or its shareholders, for any act, omission or obligation of the Trust or any trustee thereof. | The Agreement and Declaration of Trust (the "Declaration") provides that any person who is or was a Trustee, officer, employee or other agent, including the underwriter, of such Trust shall be liable to the Trust and its shareholders only for (1) any act or omission that constitutes a bad faith violation of the implied contractual covenant of good faith and fair dealing, or (2) the person's own willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of such person (such conduct referred to herein as Disqualifying Conduct) and for nothing else. Except in these instances and to the fullest extent that limitations of liability of agents are permitted by the Delaware Statutory Trust Act (the "Delaware Act"), these Agents (as defined in the Declaration) shall not be responsible or liable for any act or omission of any other Agent of the Trust or any investment adviser or principal underwriter. Moreover, except and to the extent provided in these instances, none of these Agents, when acting in their respective capacity as such, shall be personally liable to any other person, other than such Trust or its shareholders, for any act, omission or obligation of the Trust or any trustee thereof. |
| The Trust shall indemnify, out of its property, to the fullest extent permitted under applicable law, any of the persons who was or is a party, or is threatened to be made a party to any Proceeding (as defined in the Declaration) because the person is or was an Agent of such Trust. These persons shall be indemnified against any Expenses (as defined in the Declaration), judgments, fines, settlements and other amounts actually and reasonably incurred in connection with the Proceeding if the person acted in good faith or, in the case of a criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe that the conduct was unlawful. The termination of any Proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction or plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent shall not in itself create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith or that the person had reasonable cause to believe that the person's conduct was unlawful. There shall nonetheless be no indemnification for a person's own Disqualifying Conduct. | The Trust shall indemnify, out of its property, to the fullest extent permitted under applicable law, any of the persons who was or is a party, or is threatened to be made a party to any Proceeding (as defined in the Declaration) because the person is or was an Agent of such Trust. These persons shall be indemnified against any Expenses (as defined in the Declaration), judgments, fines, settlements and other amounts actually and reasonably incurred in connection with the Proceeding if the person acted in good faith or, in the case of a criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe that the conduct was unlawful. The termination of any Proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction or plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent shall not in itself create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith or that the person had reasonable cause to believe that the person's conduct was unlawful. There shall nonetheless be no indemnification for a person's own Disqualifying Conduct. |
| Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, may be permitted to Trustees, officers and controlling persons of the Trust pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Trust has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Trust of expenses incurred or paid by a Trustee, officer or controlling person of the Trust in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such Trustee, officer or controlling person in connection with securities being registered, the Trust may be required, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, to submit to a court or appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. | Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, may be permitted to Trustees, officers and controlling persons of the Trust pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Trust has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Trust of expenses incurred or paid by a Trustee, officer or controlling person of the Trust in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such Trustee, officer or controlling person in connection with securities being registered, the Trust may be required, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, to submit to a court or appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. |
| **Item 31. Business and Other Connections of the Investment Adviser** | **Item 31. Business and Other Connections of the Investment Adviser** |
| K2/D&S Management Co., L.L.C. (K2 Advisors) serves as investment manager to K2 Alternative Strategies Fund. For additional information please see Part B and Schedules A and D of Form ADV of K2 Advisors (SEC File 801-61852) incorporated herein by reference, which set forth the officers and directors of K2 Advisors and information as to any business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by those officers and directors during the past two years. | K2/D&S Management Co., L.L.C. (K2 Advisors) serves as investment manager to K2 Alternative Strategies Fund. For additional information please see Part B and Schedules A and D of Form ADV of K2 Advisors (SEC File 801-61852) incorporated herein by reference, which set forth the officers and directors of K2 Advisors and information as to any business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by those officers and directors during the past two years. |
| For additional information about the sub-advisers of the K2 Alternative Strategies Fund, please see Part B (the K2 Alternative Strategies Fund's statement of additional information) and Part 2A and Schedules A and D of Form ADV of each sub-adviser as listed below, each of which is incorporated herein by reference. | For additional information about the sub-advisers of the K2 Alternative Strategies Fund, please see Part B (the K2 Alternative Strategies Fund's statement of additional information) and Part 2A and Schedules A and D of Form ADV of each sub-adviser as listed below, each of which is incorporated herein by reference. |

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name of Sub-Advisor** | **Name of Sub-Advisor** | **SEC Number** |
| ActusRayPartners Limited | ActusRayPartners Limited | 801-124737 |
| Apollo Credit Management LLC | Apollo Credit Management LLC | 801-67592 |
| RBC Global Asset Management (UK) Limited (formerly, BlueBay Asset Management LLP)<br>RBC Global Asset Management (U.S.) Inc. (RBC US)  | RBC Global Asset Management (UK) Limited (formerly, BlueBay Asset Management LLP)<br>RBC Global Asset Management (U.S.) Inc. (RBC US)  | 801-61494<br>801-10228 |
| Franklin Advisers, Inc. | Franklin Advisers, Inc. | 801-26292 |
| Electron Capital Partners, LLC | Electron Capital Partners, LLC | 801-79375 |
| Graham Capital Management, L.P. | Graham Capital Management, L.P. | 801-73422 |
| Jennison Associates LLC | Jennison Associates LLC | 801-5608 |
| Lazard Asset Management LLC | Lazard Asset Management LLC | 801-61701 |
| Capital Fund Management S.A. | Capital Fund Management S.A. | 801-61960 |
| **Item 32. Principal Underwriters** | **Item 32. Principal Underwriters** | **Item 32. Principal Underwriters** |
| (a) | Franklin Distributors, LLC (Distributors) also act as principal underwriter of shares of: | Franklin Distributors, LLC (Distributors) also act as principal underwriter of shares of: |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Alternative Strategies Fund | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Alternative Strategies Fund | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Alternative Strategies Fund |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin California Tax-Free Income Fund | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin California Tax-Free Income Fund | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin California Tax-Free Income Fund |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin California Tax-Free Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin California Tax-Free Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin California Tax-Free Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Custodian Funds  | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Custodian Funds  | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Custodian Funds  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin ETF Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin ETF Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin ETF Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Federal Tax-Free Income Fund | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Federal Tax-Free Income Fund | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Federal Tax-Free Income Fund |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Fund Allocator Series | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Fund Allocator Series | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Fund Allocator Series |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Global Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Global Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Global Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Gold and Precious Metals Fund | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Gold and Precious Metals Fund | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Gold and Precious Metals Fund |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin High Income Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin High Income Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin High Income Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Investors Securities Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Investors Securities Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Investors Securities Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Managed Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Managed Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Managed Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Municipal Securities Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Municipal Securities Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Municipal Securities Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Mutual Series Funds | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Mutual Series Funds | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Mutual Series Funds |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin New York Tax-Free Income Fund | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin New York Tax-Free Income Fund | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin New York Tax-Free Income Fund |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin New York Tax-Free Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin New York Tax-Free Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin New York Tax-Free Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Real Estate Securities Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Real Estate Securities Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Real Estate Securities Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Tax-Free Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Tax-Free Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Tax-Free Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Templeton ETF Trust  | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Templeton ETF Trust  | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Templeton ETF Trust  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Templeton Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Templeton Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Templeton Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Templeton Variable Insurance Products Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Templeton Variable Insurance Products Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Templeton Variable Insurance Products Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin U.S. Government Money Fund  | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin U.S. Government Money Fund  | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin U.S. Government Money Fund  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Value Investors Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Value Investors Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Franklin Value Investors Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Institutional Fiduciary Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Institutional Fiduciary Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Institutional Fiduciary Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Templeton Developing Markets Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Templeton Developing Markets Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Templeton Developing Markets Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Templeton Funds | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Templeton Funds | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Templeton Funds |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Templeton Global Investment Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Templeton Global Investment Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Templeton Global Investment Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Templeton Global Smaller Companies Fund | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Templeton Global Smaller Companies Fund | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Templeton Global Smaller Companies Fund |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Templeton Growth Fund, Inc. | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Templeton Growth Fund, Inc. | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Templeton Growth Fund, Inc. |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Templeton Income Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Templeton Income Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Templeton Income Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Templeton Institutional Funds | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Templeton Institutional Funds | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Templeton Institutional Funds |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason ETF Investment Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason ETF Investment Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason ETF Investment Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason Global Asset Management Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason Global Asset Management Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason Global Asset Management Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason Partners Income Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason Partners Income Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason Partners Income Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason Partners Institutional Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason Partners Institutional Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason Partners Institutional Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason Partners Investment Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason Partners Investment Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason Partners Investment Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason Partners Variable Equity Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason Partners Variable Equity Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason Partners Variable Equity Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason Partners Variable Income Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason Partners Variable Income Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason Partners Variable Income Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason Partners Institutional Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason Partners Institutional Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason Partners Institutional Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason Partners Money Market Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason Partners Money Market Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Legg Mason Partners Money Market Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Western Asset Funds, Inc. | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Western Asset Funds, Inc. | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Western Asset Funds, Inc. |

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;George Putnam Balanced Fund  | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;George Putnam Balanced Fund  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Asset Allocation Funds  | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Asset Allocation Funds  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam California Tax Exempt Income Fund  | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam California Tax Exempt Income Fund  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Convertible Securities Fund  | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Convertible Securities Fund  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Diversified Income Trust  | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Diversified Income Trust  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam ETF Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam ETF Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Focused International Equity Fund  | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Focused International Equity Fund  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Funds Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Funds Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Global Health Care Fund | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Global Health Care Fund |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Global Income Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Global Income Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam High Yield Fund | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam High Yield Fund |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Income Fund  | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Income Fund  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam International Equity Fund | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam International Equity Fund |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Investment Funds | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Investment Funds |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Large Cap Value Fund | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Large Cap Value Fund |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Minnesota Tax Exempt Income Fund | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Minnesota Tax Exempt Income Fund |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Money Market Fund | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Money Market Fund |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Mortgage Securities Fund | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Mortgage Securities Fund |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam New Jersey Tax Exempt Income Fund | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam New Jersey Tax Exempt Income Fund |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam New York Tax Exempt Income Fund | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam New York Tax Exempt Income Fund |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Ohio Tax Exempt Income Fund | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Ohio Tax Exempt Income Fund |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Pennsylvania Tax Exempt Income Fund  | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Pennsylvania Tax Exempt Income Fund  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Sustainable Leaders Fund | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Sustainable Leaders Fund |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Target Date Funds  | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Target Date Funds  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Tax Exempt Income Fund  | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Tax Exempt Income Fund  |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Tax-Free Income Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Tax-Free Income Trust |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Variable Trust | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Putnam Variable Trust |
| (b) | The information required with respect to each director and officer of Distributors is incorporated by reference to Part B of this Form N-1A and Schedule A of Form BD filed by Distributors with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the Securities Act of 1934 (SEC File No. 008-05889) |
| (c) | Not Applicable. Registrant's principal underwriter is an affiliated person of an affiliated person of the Registrant. |
| **Item 33. Location of Accounts and Records** | **Item 33. Location of Accounts and Records** |
| The accounts, books or other documents required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 are kept by the Fund at One Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 or its shareholder service agent, Franklin Templeton Investor Services, LLC, at 100 Fountain Parkway, St. Petersburg, FL 33716. | The accounts, books or other documents required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 are kept by the Fund at One Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403-1906 or its shareholder service agent, Franklin Templeton Investor Services, LLC, at 100 Fountain Parkway, St. Petersburg, FL 33716. |
| **Item 34. Management Services** | **Item 34. Management Services** |
| There are no management-related service contracts not discussed in Part A or Part B. | There are no management-related service contracts not discussed in Part A or Part B. |
| **Item 35. Undertakings** | **Item 35. Undertakings** |
| The Registrant hereby undertakes, on behalf of the K2 Alternative Strategies Fund, to cause the K2 Cayman Subsidiary to: | The Registrant hereby undertakes, on behalf of the K2 Alternative Strategies Fund, to cause the K2 Cayman Subsidiary to: |
| (i) | maintain a set of its books and records at an office located within the U.S., where the SEC and its staff will have access to the books and records consistent with the requirements of Section 31 of the 1940 Act and the rules thereunder; and |
| (ii) | designate an agent in the United States for service of process in any suit, action or proceeding before the SEC or any appropriate court and consent to the jurisdiction of the United States courts and the SEC over it. |

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<u>SIGNATURES</u>

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 of the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act of 1933 and has duly caused this Amendment to the Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized in the City of San Mateo and the State of California, on the 25<sup>th</sup> day of September 2025.

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;FRANKLIN ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUNDS | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;FRANKLIN ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUNDS | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;FRANKLIN ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUNDS |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;By: <u>/s/ Navid J. Tofigh</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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;By: <u>/s/ Navid J. Tofigh</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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;By: <u>/s/ Navid J. Tofigh</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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Navid J. Tofigh | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Navid J. Tofigh | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Navid J. Tofigh |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Vice President and Secretary | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Vice President and Secretary | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Vice President and Secretary |
| Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated: | Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated: | Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated: |
| Signature | Title | Date |
| ROBERT CHRISTIAN\* |  |  |
| Robert Christian | President and Chief Executive Officer – Investment Management | September 25, 2025 |
| CHRISTOPHER KINGS\* |  |  |
| Christopher Kings | Chief Executive Officer – Finance and Administration | September 25, 2025 |
| JEFFREY W. WHITE\* |  |  |
| Jeffrey W. White | Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer | September 25, 2025 |
| ANN TORRE BATES\* |  |  |
| Ann Torre Bates | Trustee | September 25, 2025 |
| GREGORY E. JOHNSON\* |  |  |
| Gregory E. Johnson | Trustee | September 25, 2025 |
| JENNIFER M. JOHNSON\* |  |  |
| Jennifer M. Johnson | Trustee | September 25, 2025 |
| KEITH E. MITCHELL\* |  |  |
| Keith E. Mitchell | Trustee | September 25, 2025 |
| DAVID W. NIEMIEC\* |  |  |
| David W. Niemiec | Trustee | September 25, 2025 |
| JAN HOPKINS TRACHTMAN\* |  |  |
| Jan Hopkins Trachtman | Trustee | September 25, 2025 |
| VALERIE M. WILLIAMS\* |  |  |
| Valerie M. Williams | Trustee | September 25, 2025 |

---

\* By: <u>/s/ NAVID J. TOFIGH</u>

Navid J. Tofigh

Attorney-in-Fact

(Pursuant to Power of Attorney filed herewith)

------

FRANKLIN ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUNDS

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

EXHIBIT INDEX

The following exhibits are attached:

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
| EX-99(d)(iii) | Sub-advisory Agreement with K2/D&S Management Co., L.L.C. on behalf of K2 Alternative Strategies Fund (formerly, Franklin K2 Alternative Strategies Fund) dated November 1, 2024 |
| EX-99(j)(i) | Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm |
| EX-99(p)(i) | Franklin Templeton Code of Ethics dated July 21, 2025 |
| EX-99(p)(ii) | Apollo Athene Code of Ethics |
| EX-99(p)(v) | Graham Capital Management, L.P. Code of Ethics dated December 2024 |
| EX-99(p)(vi) | Jennison Associates LLC Code of Ethics revised on December 31, 2024 |
| EX-99(q)(i) | Power of Attorney dated January 2, 2025 |

---

------

## Ex-99.D

#### AMENDED AND RESTATED SUBADVISORY AGREEMENT

#### FRANKLIN ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUNDS
on behalf of

#### K2 ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUND
THIS AMENDED AND RESTATED SUBADVISORY AGREEMENT (this "Agreement") made as of November 1, 2024, by and between K2/D&S MANAGEMENT CO., L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company (hereinafter called "K2"), RBC Global Asset Management (U.S.) Inc., a Minnesota corporation ("RBC US") and RBC Global Asset Management (UK) Limited, a limited liability company incorporated in England and Wales (with registered number 03647343) ("RBC UK") (collectively called the "Sub-Advisers").

#### W I T N E S S E T H
WHEREAS, K2 Alternative Strategies Fund (the "Fund"), a series of Franklin Alternative Strategies Funds (the "Trust"), is an investment company registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") pursuant to the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act");

WHEREAS, the Trust has retained K2 to render investment management services to the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, pursuant to an investment management agreement (the "Management Agreement") between the Trust and K2 dated as of October 1, 2017;

WHEREAS, the Management Agreement provides that K2 may delegate any or all of its investment management services under the Management Agreement to one or more sub-advisers;

WHEREAS, K2 and RBC UK entered into a sub-advisory agreement, made as of March 1, 2023, pursuant to which K2 retains RBC UK to render investment advisory services to the Fund;

WHEREAS, RBC UK and RBC US are affiliates under common control, and RBC UK proposes to sub-delegate specified portfolio management services to RBC US, while remaining responsible for and overseeing such services (the "Sub-Delegation");

WHEREAS, in connection with the foregoing, K2 and RBC UK desire to amend and restate that certain sub-advisory agreement dated March 1, 2023 to include RBC US as a party; and

WHEREAS, K2 desires to retain Sub-Advisers to render investment advisory services to the Fund pursuant to the terms and provisions of this Agreement, and Sub-Advisers are willing to furnish said services.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the covenants and the mutual promises hereinafter set forth, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound hereby, mutually agree as follows:

1. **<u>Appointment of Sub-Advisers</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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(a) K2 hereby appoints Sub-Advisers to act as a Sub-Advisers for the Fund, subject to the overall policies, direction and review of the Trust's Board of Trustees (the "Board") and to the instructions and supervision of K2. Sub-Advisers shall manage the investment and reinvestment of the assets of the Sub-Advised Portion (as defined herein) in accordance with such investment strategies and within such guidelines and limitations as K2 and Sub-Advisers shall agree from time to time (the "Investment Strategy"). Sub-Advisers acknowledge and agree that the various investment management services provided herein will apply to the portion of the Fund's assets allocated to Sub-Advisers by K2, from time to time, which may consist of all, a portion or none of the Fund's assets (the "Sub-Advised Portion"). Sub-Advisers hereby accept such appointment and agree during such period, subject to oversight of the Board and K2, to render the services and to assume the obligations set forth herein. References to Sub-Advisers and their respective authorities, duties and liabilities set forth in this Agreement are in furtherance of the Sub-Delegation and as set out Section 2(i) "Delegation" below.

------

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(b) The Sub-Advisers shall not be responsible for aspects of the Fund's investment program other than the implementation of the Investment Strategy with respect to the Sub-Advised Portion unless expressly set forth herein.

2. **<u>Services to be Rendered by the Sub-Advisers</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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(a) <u>Investment Program.</u> The Sub-Advisers shall formulate and implement a continuous investment program for the Sub-Advised Portion (the "Investment Program"), determining in its discretion the securities, cash and other financial instruments to be purchased, retained or sold for the Sub-Advised Portion in a manner consistent with (i) the Investment Strategy, (ii) the investment policies and restrictions of the Fund as set forth in the Fund's prospectus (the "Prospectus") and statement of additional information ("SAI") included in the Trust's registration statement on Form N-1A under the 1940 Act, as may be amended or supplemented from time to time (together, the "Registration Statement"), (iii) the Trust's Agreement and Declaration of Trust and Bylaws, as each may be amended or supplemented from time to time and (iv) any written instructions or policies which the Board or K2 may deliver to the Sub-Advisers from time to time and the policies and procedures adopted by the Trust pursuant to Rule 38a-1 of the 1940 Act that are applicable to the Fund (together, the "Policies"). In the implementation of the Investment Program, the Sub-Advisers shall determine what investments shall be purchased, held, sold or exchanged by the Sub-Advised Portion and what portion, if any, of the assets of the Sub-Advised Portion shall be held in cash or cash equivalents.

In the performance of its duties, the Sub-Advisers shall comply with (i) applicable laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, the 1940 Act, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the "Advisers Act"), and the Commodity Exchange Act (the "CEA"), and the rules under each, (ii) the terms of this Agreement, (iii) the Investment Strategy and (iv) the Policies, all as may be amended or supplemented from time to time.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(b) <u>Portfolio Transactions</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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(i) To the extent that Sub-Advisers use counterparties with respect to the Sub-Advised Portion for brokerage, futures and options clearing and ISDA purposes, Sub-Advisers shall use such counterparties under agreements set up by, and in the name of, the Trust or the Fund. Sub-Advisers shall not establish any brokerage, futures and options clearing or ISDA arrangements for the Sub-Advised Portion without the prior express written consent of K2.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(ii) Sub-Advisers shall place orders for the execution of portfolio transactions for the Sub-Advised Portion with broker-dealers selected by Sub-Advisers. In selecting broker-dealers and the placement of orders for the purchase and sale of investments for the Sub-Advised Portion, the Sub-Advisers shall (except to the extent it is following a specific instruction from K2 in relation to execution of an order) owe to K2 a duty to take all sufficient steps to obtain the best possible result for the Sub-Advised Portion taking into account the execution factors that are relevant to the execution or placing of that order under the terms of the Sub-Advisers' Order Execution Policies. K2 agrees to and accepts the terms of RBC UK's Order Execution Policy, either as provided separately or as disclosed within the corporate governance section of RBC UK's website (www.bluebay.com). It is understood in accordance with Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that Sub-Advisers may negotiate with and assign to a broker a commission which may exceed the commission which another broker would have charged for effecting the transaction if Sub-Advisers determines in good faith that the amount of commission charged was reasonable in relation to the value of brokerage and/or research services (as defined in Section 28(e)) provided by such broker, viewed in terms either of the Fund or Sub-Advisers' overall responsibilities to Sub-Advisers' discretionary accounts.

------

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(iii) On occasions when the Sub-Advisers deem the purchase or sale of a security or other investment to be in the best interest of the Fund as well as other clients of the Sub-Advisers, the Sub-Advisers to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, may, but shall be under no obligation to, aggregate orders of the Fund and such other clients for the purchase or sale of such security or other investment to attempt to obtain a more favorable price or lower brokerage commissions. Allocation of the securities so purchased or sold, as well as the expenses incurred in the transaction, will be made by the Sub-Advisers in a manner that the Sub-Advisers consider to be fair and equitable in accordance with the Sub-Advisers' Aggregation and Allocation Policy and Procedures. K2 acknowledges that any aggregation of individual transactions may operate to the advantage of disadvantage of the Sub-Advised Portion.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(c) <u>Board Reports</u>. Sub-Advisers shall provide the Board at least quarterly, in advance of the regular meetings of the Board, a report of their activities hereunder on behalf of the Sub-Advised Portion, all in such form and detail as requested by K2 and the Board. Sub-Advisers shall also make an investment officer available to attend such meetings, including via telephonic means, of the Board as K2 or the Board may reasonably request.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(d) <u>Proxy Voting</u>. Sub-Advisers shall be required to vote all proxies, with respect to the Sub-Advised Portion, in accordance with Sub-Advisers' proxy voting policies and procedures. While K2 intends to allow Sub-Advisers to vote all proxies, Sub-Advisers acknowledge that K2 must preserve its ability to vote in the chance there is a conflict that K2 reserves the right to vote said proxies upon providing a written instruction to Sub-Advisers. Sub-Advisers shall make all proxy votes available to K2 upon its request. If both Sub-Advisers and another entity managing assets of the Fund have invested the Fund's assets in the same security, Sub-Advisers and such other entity will each have the power to vote its pro rata share of such security in accordance with its respective proxy voting policies and procedures. Sub-Advisers will establish a process for the timely distribution of Sub-Advisers' voting record with respect to the Fund's securities and other information necessary for the Fund to complete information required by applicable regulatory filings. Sub-Advisers are in addition authorized to give instructions to the Custodian or any other appropriate third party with respect to the exercise of any corporate actions attached to securities in the Sub-Advised Portion. In performing any proxy voting, the Sub-Advisers may utilize the personnel of their affiliate, RBC Global Asset Management Inc. for such purpose.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(e) <u>Daily Trade Reporting.</u> In connection with any purchase or sale of securities or other financial instruments for the Sub-Advised Portion, the Sub-Advisers shall arrange for the transmission to the custodian for the Fund (the "Custodian") and other service providers of the Fund on a daily basis such confirmation, trade tickets, and other information reasonably requested by the Custodian to enable the Custodian to perform its custodial, administrative and record-keeping responsibilities with respect to the Fund. Copies of such confirmations, trade tickets, and other information shall be concurrently provided to the Fund's administrator or its designee (the "Administrator").

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(f) <u>Monitoring of the Sub-Advised Portion</u>. Sub-Advisers shall be responsible for daily monitoring of the investment activities and portfolio holdings of the Sub-Advised Portion to ensure compliance with the Investment Strategy, Prospectus, SAI, Registration Statement, Policies and applicable law. Sub-Advisers shall advise K2 promptly in the event they become aware of any non-compliance with any of the above with respect to the Sub-Advised Portion.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(g) <u>Valuation of Sub-Advised Portion.</u> Sub-Advisers agree to monitor investments held by the Sub-Advised Portion for "significant events" that occur when the market is closed that may affect the value of such investments, Sub-Advisers shall promptly notify K2 of such events. Sub-Advisers shall provide reasonable assistance to the Administrator and other applicable parties designated by the Administrator in determining the fair value of such assets subject to a "significant event" or any assets held in the Sub-Advised Portion for which market

------

quotations are not readily available or for which K2, the Administrator and the Board have otherwise determined to fair value.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(h) <u>Review of Materials</u>. Upon K2's request, Sub-Advisers shall review and comment on selected portions relating to Sub-Advisers and/or the Investment Strategy of the Registration Statement, other offering documents and marketing materials prepared by K2 (or its affiliates) for the Fund. Sub-Advisers shall promptly notify K2 if any information in the Registration Statement or other materials that they have reviewed is (or will become) inaccurate or incomplete.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(i) <u>Delegation.</u> Sub-Advisers may not delegate to one or more entities any of the services for which Sub-Advisers are responsible under this Agreement without the prior consent and approval of K2 and the Board; provided that it is acknowledged that RBC US, as a Sub-Adviser party hereto and sub-delegate of RBC UK, may perform trade execution and operational support on behalf of the Sub-Advisers and provide RBC UK with investment research, investment analysis and investment recommendations for the Sub-Advised Portion. In respect of the delegation set forth in the foregoing proviso, RBC UK will be responsible for the compensation, if any, of RBC US for such services, will continue to have responsibility and liability for all such services required to be provided under this Agreement, and will supervise RBC US in its performance of its services for the Fund with a view to preventing violations of the federal securities laws. In the event that Sub-Advisers request, and K2 and the Board consent to, any such other delegation, Sub-Advisers will be responsible for the compensation, if any, of any such entities for such services, will continue to have responsibility and liability for all such services required to be provided under this Agreement and will supervise each delegate in its performance of its services for the Fund with a view to preventing violations of the federal securities laws.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(j) <u>Independent Contractor</u>. The Sub-Advisers will be independent contractors and will have no authority to act for or represent the Trust, the Fund or K2 in any way, including in any litigation or administrative proceeding involving the Fund or any security or investment held by the Fund, or otherwise be deemed an agent of the Trust, the Fund or K2, except as expressly authorized in this Agreement or another writing by the Trust, the Fund or K2.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(k) <u>Legal Proceedings</u>. The Sub-Advisers shall not act for, represent, or purport to bind the Trust, the Fund, or K2 in any legal or administrative proceeding involving the Fund or any such proceedings involving any security or investment currently or formerly held by the Fund, including, without limitation, class action lawsuits, regulatory or governmental victim funds, and bankruptcy proceedings. The Sub-Advisers do, however, agree that they will promptly notify K2 of any legal matters of which they are aware affecting the Fund or any security or investment currently or formerly held in the Fund, that Sub-Advisers reasonably believe the Fund and K2 should consider pursuing ("Legal Matters"). Sub-Advisers agree to cooperate with K2 to provide reasonable assistance regarding any Legal Matters, including providing factual information in their possession regarding such Legal Matters as the Fund and/or K2 may reasonably request.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;3. **<u>Expenses</u>**. During the term of this Agreement, Sub-Advisers shall bear their own expenses incurred in connection with their activities under this Agreement other than the cost of financial instruments (including brokerage commissions, if any) acquired and disposed for the Sub-Advised Portion. The Fund and K2 will be responsible for all of their respective expenses.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4. **<u>Books and Records; Notices of Events</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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(a) <u>Books and Records</u>. In compliance with the requirements of Rules 31a-1, 31a-2 and 31a-3 under the 1940 Act, Sub-Advisers hereby agree to maintain separate detailed records as are required by applicable laws and regulations of all matters hereunder relating to the Sub-Advised Portion and that all records which they maintain for the Fund are the property of the Fund and further agree to surrender promptly to the Fund, or to any third party at the Fund's direction, any of such records upon the Fund's request. Sub-Advisers further agree to preserve for the periods and in the place

------

prescribed by the Rules under the 1940 Act the records required to be maintained thereunder.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(b) <u>Notice of Certain Events</u>. Sub-Advisers will promptly notify K2 in writing, which may include by delivery of Form ADV, of the occurrence of any of the following events unless prohibited by applicable law or court order:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(i) Sub-Advisers cease to be registered as an investment adviser under the Advisers Act or under the laws of any jurisdiction in which Sub-Advisers are required to be registered as an investment adviser in order to perform its obligations under this Agreement;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(ii) either (a) the occurrence of any inspections, notices or inquiries from any governmental, administrative or self-regulatory agency, or actions, suits or proceedings involving the affairs of the Fund or Sub-Advisers' management of the Sub-Advised Portion or (b) any material occurrence of any inspections, notices or inquiries from any governmental, administrative or self-regulatory agency, or actions, suits or proceedings of the Sub-Advisers' affiliates that provide investment advisory services or act as general partner or managing member of fund registered under the 1940 Act (each a "Sub-Adviser Affiliate");

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(iii) any change in control (as that term is defined in the 1940 Act) of Sub-Advisers or any Sub-Adviser Affiliate; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(iv) any changes in the key personnel who are the portfolio managers responsible for the management of the Sub-Advised Portion.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(c) <u>Compliance Notices</u>. Throughout the term of this Agreement, Sub-Advisers shall submit to K2 any material changes to Sub-Advisers' written policies and procedures ("Compliance Policies") as required by Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act and Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act that relate to the services provided by Sub-Advisers to the Fund via the Sub-Advisers' annual compliance certification, and RBC UK shall submit to K2 notification of any material compliance matter that relates to the services provided by Sub-Advisers to the Fund including but not limited to any material violation of the Compliance Policies or of the code of ethics of Sub-Advisers. Throughout the term of this Agreement, Sub-Advisers shall provide K2 with any certifications in such form as K2 provides from time to time, and any information and access to personnel and resources (including those resources that will permit testing of the Compliance Policies by K2), each of the foregoing provisos shall apply to the extent that K2 may reasonably request to enable the Fund to comply with Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(d) <u>Documents</u>. K2 has furnished or will furnish to Sub-Advisers as soon as available copies (and any amendments thereto) of the Trust's Certificate of Trust, Agreement and Declaration of Trust, and Bylaws; the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and SAI; the Management Agreement; and the Policies.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;5. **<u>Compensation</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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(a) In consideration of the provision of its services hereunder, the Sub-Advisers shall be entitled to receive, and K2 shall pay to the Sub-Advisers, a monthly fee as set forth in Exhibit A attached hereto. If the Agreement is terminated at a date other than at the end of a month, the fees will be calculated pro rata to such date and will be payable within fifteen (15) days of such date and, save as expressly provided in this Agreement, the Sub-Advisers shall not be entitled to any other compensation arising solely as a result of termination of this Agreement. The sub-advisory fee under this Agreement shall be payable on the fifteenth (15<sup>th</sup>) calendar day of each month following the effective date of this Agreement and

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shall be reduced by the amount of any advance payments made by K2 relating to the previous month.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(b) If this Agreement is terminated prior to the end of any month, the monthly fee shall be prorated for that month according to the proportion of the number of calendar days in the month during which the Agreement is in effect with respect to the total number of calendar days in the month. The prorated monthly fee shall be payable within 15 calendar days after the date of termination.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;6. **<u>Representations, Warranties and Covenants</u>.** 

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(a) <u>Sub-Advisers</u>. Sub-Advisers represent and warrant to K2 that:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(i) the retention of Sub-Advisers by K2 as contemplated by this Agreement is permitted under Sub-Advisers' governing documents;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(ii) the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement do not violate any obligation by which Sub-Advisers or their property is bound, whether arising by contract, operation of law or otherwise;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(iii) this Agreement has been duly authorized by appropriate action of Sub-Advisers and when executed and delivered by Sub-Advisers will be a legal, valid and binding obligation of Sub-Advisers;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(iv) Sub-Advisers are registered as investment advisers under the Advisers Act and are duly registered and/or licensed with all other regulatory bodies necessary or appropriate to perform their obligations under this Agreement;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(v) Sub-Advisers are registered as Commodity Trading Advisers and RBC UK is registered as Commodity Pool Operator with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC") It is K2's intent to rely on Rule 4.5 with respect to the Fund, and Sub-Advisers shall at all times manage the Sub-Advised Portion in accordance with CFTC Rule 4.5(b) and shall comply at all times with one or both of the tests set forth in CFTC Rule 4.5(c)(2)(iii)(A) or Rule 4.5(c)(2)(iii)(B) as applied to the Sub-Advised Portion and without reference to assets of the Fund outside of the Sub-Advised Portion; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(vi) Sub-Advisers are not prohibited by the Advisers Act or other law, regulation or order from performing the services contemplated by this Agreement.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(b) <u>K2</u>. K2 represents and warrants to the Sub-Advisers that:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(i) the retention of the Sub-Advisers by K2 as contemplated by this Agreement is authorized by the governing documents of K2;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(ii) the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement do not violate any obligation by which K2 or its property is bound, whether arising by contract, operation of law or otherwise; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(iii) this Agreement has been duly authorized by appropriate action of K2 and when executed and delivered by K2 will be a legal, valid and binding obligation of K2, enforceable against K2 in accordance with its terms.

7. **<u>Liability; Indemnification</u>**<u>.</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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(a) <u>Liability.</u> Neither Sub-Advisers nor any of their directors, officers or employees shall be subject to liability to K2 or the Fund or to any shareholder of the Fund for any error of judgment or mistake of law or any other act or omission in the

------

course of, or connected with, rendering services hereunder, for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of any security by the Fund, or as a result of any activities of any other sub-adviser appointed by K2 to provide investment management services to the Fund, provided that nothing herein shall be construed to protect the Sub-Advisers or any director, officer or employee of Sub-Advisers in the event of (i) Sub-Advisers' material breach of this Agreement, willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of their obligations or duties hereunder or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact (or an omission of such statement) contained in the Prospectus, SAI, Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature or other materials pertaining to the Sub-Advised Portion or the Sub-Advisers to the extent that such statement was made in reliance on information furnished to the Fund and K2 by the Sub-Advisers or any director, officer, agent or employee of the Sub-Advisers for use therein.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(b) <u>Indemnification</u>. Sub-Advisers agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Fund, K2 and each of its affiliates, officers, directors, trustees, and employees (each a "Franklin Indemnified Party") harmless from, against, for and in respect of all losses, damages, costs and expenses incurred by a Franklin Indemnified Party with respect to (i) Sub-Advisers' material breach of this Agreement, willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of its obligations or duties hereunder or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact (or an omission of such statement) contained in the Prospectus, SAI, Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature or other materials pertaining to the Sub-Advised Portion or the Sub-Advisers to the extent that such statement was made in reliance on information furnished to the Fund and K2 by the Sub-Advisers or any director, officer, agent or employee of the Sub-Advisers for use therein, together with all legal and other expenses reasonably incurred by any such Franklin Indemnified Party in connection with such liability.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(c) <u>Liability</u>. Neither K2 (including its directors, officers and employees) nor the Fund shall be subject to liability to the Sub-Advisers for any error of judgment or mistake of law by K2, pertaining to the Fund, provided that nothing herein shall be construed to protect K2 (including its directors, officers and employees) or the Fund in the event of (i) K2's material breach of this Agreement, willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of its obligations hereunder or under the Management Agreement between K2 and the Fund or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact (or an omission of such statement) contained in the Prospectus, SAI, Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature or other materials unless such statement was made in reliance on information furnished to the Fund and K2 by the Sub-Advisers or any director, officer, agent or employee of the Sub-Advisers for use therein.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(d) <u>Indemnification</u>. K2 and the Fund agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Sub-Advisers and each of their respective affiliates, officers, partners, and employees (each a "Sub-Adviser Indemnified Party") against, all losses, damages, costs and expenses incurred by a Sub-Adviser Indemnified Party with respect to (i) K2's material breach of this Agreement, willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of its obligations or duties hereunder or under the Management Agreement between K2 and the Fund or (ii) any untrue statement of a material fact (or an omission of such statement) contained in the Prospectus, SAI, Registration Statement, proxy materials, reports, advertisements, sales literature or other materials pertaining to the Sub-Advised Portion or the Sub-Advisers unless such statement was made in reliance on information furnished to the Fund and K2 by the Sub-Advisers or any director, officer, agent or employee of the Sub-Advisers for use therein, together with all legal and other expenses reasonably incurred by any such Sub-Adviser Indemnified Party in connection with such liability.

------

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(e) No provision of this Agreement shall be construed to protect any director or officer of K2 or Sub-Advisers, from liability in violation of Sections 17(h) or (i) of the 1940 Act.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;8. **<u>Confidentiality</u>**. Sub-Advisers will treat confidentially and as proprietary information of the Fund all records and other information relative to the Fund and prior, present or potential shareholders, and will not use such records and information for any purpose other than performance of its responsibilities and duties hereunder, except after prior notification to and approval in writing by the Fund, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld and may not be withheld where (i) disclosure by Sub-Advisers is compelled by law, subpoena or other valid legal process, or is required or requested by applicable federal or state or other regulatory authorities, or when so requested by the Fund. It is acknowledged that the Sub-Advisers may share information about the Fund (i) with their affiliates to manage risks and operations or provide services hereunder to the extent the recipients of such information are bound to maintain the confidentiality of such information, and (ii) with advisors (including legal counsel) to the Sub-Advisers in connection with the Sub-Advisers proper performance of their responsibilities hereunder, provided such advisors are bound to maintain the confidentiality of such information. This Section 8 shall not apply to information Sub-Advisers can establish was (a) known to Sub-Advisers prior to this Agreement; (b) rightfully acquired by Sub-Advisers from a third party whom Sub-Advisers reasonably believes is not also under an obligation of confidentiality; (c) placed in public domain without fault of Sub-Advisers or their affiliates; or (d) independently developed by Sub-Advisers without reference or reliance upon the nonpublic information.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;9. **<u>Other Accounts</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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(a) It is understood that the services provided by Sub-Advisers are not to be deemed exclusive. K2 acknowledges that Sub-Advisers may have investment responsibilities, or render investment advice to, or perform other investment advisory services, for individuals or entities, including other investment companies registered pursuant to the 1940 Act ("Clients"), which may invest in the same type of securities as the Fund. K2 agrees that Sub-Advisers may give advice or exercise investment responsibility and take such other action with respect to such Clients which may differ from advice given or the timing or nature of action taken with respect to the Sub-Advised Portion.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(b) Sub-Advisers may not consult with any other sub-advisers for the Fund or other series of the Trust about transactions in securities or other assets of the Fund, except for purposes of complying with the 1940 Act or SEC rules or regulations applicable to the Fund or the Trust. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to prevent Sub-Advisers from lawfully giving other entities investment advice about, or trading on their behalf in, shares issued by the Fund or securities or other assets held or to be acquired by the Fund.

10. **<u>Term; Termination</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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(a) This Agreement shall be effective as of the date given above and shall continue in effect for two (2) years. It is renewable annually thereafter so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually (i) by a vote of the Board or by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund (as defined by the 1940 Act) and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not parties to this Agreement or interested persons thereof, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(b) This Agreement may be terminated at any time, without payment of any penalty, (i) by the Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund (as defined by the 1940 Act), upon sixty (60) days' written notice to K2 and Sub-Advisers, (ii) by K2 or Sub-Advisers upon at least sixty (60) days' written notice to the other party, and (iii) by K2 or the Fund upon a material breach by Sub-Advisers of any of Sub-Advisers' obligations or representations under this Agreement if such breach is not corrected within five (5) business days after notice thereof by K2 or the Fund.

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(c) This Agreement shall terminate automatically in the event of any assignment thereof, as defined in the 1940 Act, and upon any termination of the Management Agreement between K2 and the Fund.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(d) In the event that there is a proposed reorganization or change in control of the Sub-Advisers that, in Trust counsel's judgment, would act to terminate this Agreement, the Sub-Advisers agree to assume all reasonable costs and expenses (including the costs of printing and mailing) associated with the preparation of a proxy statement or information statement, as may be needed, related to the continuation or replacement of this Agreement with Sub-Advisers.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;11. **<u>Use of Name in Marketing Materials</u>**. During the term of this Agreement, K2 or its affiliates shall have permission to use Sub-Advisers' name in the marketing of the Fund, and agrees to furnish Sub-Advisers at the address reflected in Section 12 hereunder all prospectuses, proxy statements and reports to shareholders prepared for distribution to shareholders of the Fund or the public, which refer to Sub-Advisers in any way. The Sub-Advisers shall provide prior written notice to K2 and the Fund of any proposed change in the Sub-Advisers' name. During the term of this Agreement, Sub-Advisers may not use the name of the Fund, K2 or any of their affiliates in any marketing or advertising material unless otherwise expressly authorized in advance and in writing by K2.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;12. **<u>Notices</u>.** All notices or other communications given under this Agreement shall be made by guaranteed overnight delivery, or e-mail (confirmed by telephone); notice is effective when received. Notice shall be given to the parties at the following addresses:

K2: K2/D&S Management Co., L.L.C. <br> 300 Atlantic Street<br> 12th Floor<br> Stamford, CT 06901<br> Attn: Legal

RBC UK: RBC Global Asset Management (UK) Limited

100 Bishopsgate

London, EC2N 4AA

Attn: ccastle@bluebay.com

RBC US: RBC Global Asset Management (U.S.) Inc.<br> 250 Nicollet Mall<br> Suite 1550<br> Minneapolis, MN 55401<br> Attn: Client Operations

rbcgamusCSPA@rbc.com

Fund: Franklin K2 Alternative Strategies Fund

One Franklin Parkway

San Mateo, California 94403

Attn: General Counsel

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;13. **<u>Severability</u>**. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid by a court decision, statute, rule or otherwise, the remainder of this Agreement shall not be affected thereby.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;14. **<u>Integration</u>**. This Agreement embodies the entire understanding between the parties relating to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings, both written and oral, between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof. For the avoidance of doubt, the parties agree that any such prior agreements are hereby terminated and shall be of no further force and affect.

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;15. **<u>Force Majeure</u>**. Except as may be otherwise provided by law, each of the parties agrees that the other Party shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance of any obligation under this Agreement arising out of or caused, directly or indirectly, by a force majeure event. This includes, without limitation, acts of God, earthquakes, fires, floods, wars, terrorism, civil or military disturbances, sabotage, epidemics, riots, interruptions, loss or malfunctions of utility, transportation or communication service, accidents, labor disputes, acts of civil or military authority, governmental actions and inability to obtain labor, material, equipment or transportation.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;16. **<u>Governing Law</u>**. This Agreement shall be interpreted in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of Delaware of the United States of America, without regard to conflicts of law principles and in accordance with the 1940 Act. In case of any conflict, the 1940 Act shall control.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;17. **<u>Acknowledgment</u>**. Sub-Advisers acknowledge that each has received notice of and accepts the limitations of the Trust's liability as set forth in its Agreement and Declaration of Trust. Sub-Advisers agree that the Trust's obligations hereunder shall be limited to the assets of the Fund, and that Sub-Advisers shall not seek satisfaction of any such obligation from any shareholders of the Fund nor from any trustee, officer, employee or agent of the Trust.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;18. **<u>Headings; References</u>.** Headings to Sections herein are for the convenience of the parties only and are not intended to be or to affect the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement. Unless the context otherwise requires, any reference to a Section herein shall be deemed to be a reference to a Section of this Agreement.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;19. **<u>Counterparts</u>.** This Agreement may be executed simultaneously in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;20. **<u>Amendments</u>.** This Agreement may be amended by mutual consent of the parties, provided that the terms of any material amendment shall be approved by: (a) the Trust's Board of Trustees or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund (as required by the 1940 Act), and (b) the vote of a majority of those Trustees of the Trust who are not "interested persons" of any party to this Agreement cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval, if such approval is required by applicable law.

[*Signature page follows*.]

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed and attested by their duly authorized officers.

K2/D&S MANAGEMENT CO., L.L.C.

By: <u>/s/ Andrew A. Kandiew</u>

Name: Andrew A. Kandiew

Title: Senior Managing Director, Chief Operating Officer

RBC GLOBAL ASSET MANAGEMENT (UK) LIMITED

By: <u>/s/ Constantine Knox</u>

Name: Constantine Knox

Title: Managing Director, AGC

RBC GLOBAL ASSET MANAGEMENT (U.S.) INC.

By: <u>Brandon Lew</u>

Name: Brandon Lew

Title: President

Franklin Alternatives Strategies Funds, on behalf of K2 Alternative Strategies Fund, hereby acknowledges and agrees to the provision of Sections 3 and 7 of this Agreement.

FRANKLIN ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUNDS,

on behalf of K2 ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES FUND

By: <u>/s/ Alexander Y. Kymn</u>

Name: Alexander Y. Kymn

Title: Vice President; Assistant Secretary

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#### Exhibit A

#### Fee Schedule
In addition to the services provided to the Fund, Sub-Advisers provide sub-advisory services to a separate and distinct fund, FTIF Franklin K2 Alternative Strategies Fund, a fund organized under the laws of Luxembourg as a Société d'investissement à Capital Variable (SICAV) ("UCITS Fund," and together with the Fund, the "Sub-Advised Funds"), pursuant to a separate sub-investment management agreement. K2 shall pay a monthly fee in cash to RBC UK for the respective services rendered to and the respective obligations assumed by the Sub-Advisers in respect of the Sub-Advised Funds during the preceding month (the "**Combined Sub-Advisory Fee**").

*The payment of the Combined Sub-Advisory Fee will satisfy the obligations of K2 to pay such fee under both this Agreement and its separate sub-investment management agreement with the Sub-Advisers with respect to the UCITS Fund.*

The Combined Sub-Advisory Fee shall be calculated daily at an annual rate based on the combined net assets of the portions of the Sub-Advised Funds that are sub-advised by the Sub-Advisers ("**Combined Assets**") as follows:

 0.75% of the value of the Combined Assets up to and including $100 million;

 0.65% of the value of the Combined Assets in excess of $100 million and up to and including $200 million; and

 0.55% of the value of the Combined Assets in excess of $200 million.

The sub-advisory fee under this Agreement shall be payable on the fifteenth (15th) calendar day of each month following the effective date of this Agreement and shall be reduced by the amount of any advance payments made by K2 relating to the previous month. The fee may be varied from time to time with the written agreement of the parties.

No fee shall be payable by K2 to RBC UK under this Agreement unless, and only to the extent that, K2 has received an equivalent payment from the Fund in relation to its management and advisory services for the relevant period.

For the avoidance of doubt, the fees payable under this Agreement are exclusive of Value Added Tax, Goods and Services Tax, or any other equivalent taxes, if applicable.

------

## Ex-99.J

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

We consent to the references to our firm under the captions "Financial Highlights" in the Prospectus and "Policies and Procedures Regarding the Release of Portfolio Holdings" and "Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm" in the Statement of Additional Information, each dated October 1, 2025, and each included in this Post-Effective Amendment No. 33 to the Registration Statement (Form N-1A, File No. 333-189667) of Franklin Alternative Strategies Funds (the "Registration Statement").

We also consent to the incorporation by reference of our report dated July 24, 2025, with respect to the consolidated financial statements and financial highlights of K2 Alternative Strategies Fund (the sole Fund constituting Franklin Alternative Strategies Funds) included in the Annual Report to Shareholders (Form N-CSR) for the year ended May 31, 2025, into this Registration Statement, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

Boston, Massachusetts

September 26, 2025

------

## Ex-99.P

## <br> Personal Investments and <br> Insider Trading Policy ("the policy") <br>
<br>(This Policy serves as a code of ethics adopted pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the

Investment Company Act of 1940 and Rule 204A-1 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940)

#### Revised July 21, 2025

---

| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **[SECTION 1.](#_bookmark0_7)** | **[PURPOSE OF THE POLICY](#_bookmark0_7)** | **[1](#_bookmark0_7)** |
| [1.1](#_bookmark1_7) | [Scope and Purpose of the Policy](#_bookmark1_7) | [2](#_bookmark1_7) |
| [1.2](#_bookmark2_7) | [Statement of Principles](#_bookmark2_7) | [2](#_bookmark2_7) |
| [1.3](#_bookmark3_7) | [Prohibited Activities](#_bookmark3_7) | [2](#_bookmark3_7) |
| [1.4](#_bookmark4_7) | [Monitoring of the Policy and Additional Information](#_bookmark4_7) | [3](#_bookmark4_7) |
| **[SECTION 2.](#_bookmark5_7)** | **[PERSONAL INVESTMENTS](#_bookmark5_7)** | **[3](#_bookmark5_7)** |
| [2.1](#_bookmark6_7) | [Statement on Covered Employee Investments](#_bookmark6_7) | [3](#_bookmark6_7) |
| [2.2](#_bookmark7_7) | [Categories of Persons Subject to the Policy](#_bookmark7_7) | [3](#_bookmark7_7) |
| [2.3](#_bookmark8_7) | [Accounts and Transactions Covered by the Policy](#_bookmark8_7) | [4](#_bookmark8_7) |
| [2.4](#_bookmark9_7) | [Prohibited Transactions](#_bookmark9_7) | [4](#_bookmark9_7) |
| [2.5](#_bookmark10_7) | [Additional Prohibitions and Requirements for Access Persons and Portfolio Persons](#_bookmark10_7) | [5](#_bookmark10_7) |
| [2.6](#_bookmark11_7) | [Reporting Requirements](#_bookmark11_7) | [6](#_bookmark11_7) |
| [2.7](#_bookmark12_7) | [Pre-Clearance Requirements](#_bookmark12_7) | [7](#_bookmark12_7) |
| [2.8](#_bookmark13_7) | [Requirements for Independent Directors](#_bookmark13_7) | [8](#_bookmark13_7) |
| **[SECTION 3.](#_bookmark14_7)** | **[INSIDER TRADING](#_bookmark14_7)** | **[8](#_bookmark14_7)** |
| [3.1](#_bookmark15_7) | [Policy on Insider Trading](#_bookmark15_7) | [8](#_bookmark15_7) |
| **[SECTION 4.](#_bookmark16_7)** | **[RELATED POLICIES AND REQUIREMENTS](#_bookmark16_7)** | **[9](#_bookmark16_7)** |
| [4.1](#_bookmark17_7) | [Statement on Other Policies and Requirements](#_bookmark17_7) | [9](#_bookmark17_7) |
| **[SECTION 5.](#_bookmark18_7)** | **[ADMINISTRATION OF THE POLICY, WAIVERS & REPORTING VIOLATIONS](#_bookmark18_7)** | **[9](#_bookmark18_7)** |
| [5.1](#_bookmark19_7) | [Code of Ethics Committee; Reporting to FT Fund Boards](#_bookmark19_7) | **[9](#_bookmark19_7)** |
| [5.2](#_bookmark20_7) | [Violations of the Policy](#_bookmark20_7) | **[9](#_bookmark20_7)** |
| [5.3](#_bookmark21_7) | [Waivers of the Policy](#_bookmark21_7) | **[9](#_bookmark21_7)** |
| [5.4](#_bookmark22_7) | [Reporting Violations](#_bookmark22_7) | **[10](#_bookmark22_7)** |

---

------

#### This document is the proprietary product of Franklin Templeton. Any unauthorized use, reproduction or transfer of this document is strictly prohibited. Franklin Templeton© 2024. All Rights Reserved.

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#### SECTION 1. PURPOSE OF THE POLICY
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**1.1 Scope and Purpose of the Policy**

The Franklin Templeton Personal Investments and Insider Trading Policy (the "Policy") applies to the personal investment activities of all Covered Employees (as defined in section 2.2 of the Policy) of Franklin Resources, Inc. ("FRI") and all of its subsidiaries (collectively, "Franklin Templeton").

Franklin Templeton provides services to the funds that are advised or sub-advised by a Franklin Templeton investment adviser (the "FT Funds") and other client accounts ("Client Accounts"). Thus, for purposes of this Policy, "FT Fund" includes all open-end and closed-end funds within the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds, as well as any other fund that is advised or sub-advised by a Franklin Templeton investment adviser, such as the Putnam Funds.

The purpose of the Policy is to summarize the values, principles and business practices that guide Franklin Templeton's business conduct and to establish a set of principles to guide Covered Employees regarding the conduct expected of them when managing their personal investments.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**1.2 Statement of Principles**

All Covered Employees are required to conduct themselves in a lawful, honest and ethical manner in their business practices and to maintain an environment that fosters fairness, respect and integrity.

Franklin Templeton's policy is that the interests of the FT Funds and Client Accounts are paramount and come before the interests of any employee. Information concerning the securities, which include derivatives, such as futures, options and swaps, holdings and financial circumstances of the FT Funds and Client Accounts, as well as the identity of certain Client Accounts, is confidential and Covered Employees are required to safeguard this information.

The personal investment activities of Covered Employees must be conducted in a manner to avoid actual or potential conflicts of interest with the FT Funds and Client Accounts. In particular, to the extent that a Covered Employee learns of an investment opportunity because of his or her position with Franklin Templeton (e.g., internal or third party research, Franklin Templeton or company sponsored conferences, or communications with company officers), the Covered Employee must give preference to the FT Funds or Client Accounts.

Personal transactions in a security may not be executed, regardless of quantity, if the Covered Employee has access to information regarding, or knowledge or even a presumed knowledge of, FT Fund or Client Account activity in such security, including proposed activity and recommendations.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**1.3 Prohibited Activities**

Covered Employees generally are prohibited from engaging or participating in any activity that has the potential to cause harm to an FT Fund or Client Account. Examples of prohibited activities include, but are not limited to:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Making investment decisions, changes in research ratings and trading decisions other than exclusively for the benefit of, and in the best interest of, the FT Funds or Client Accounts;

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Taking, delaying or omitting to take any action with respect to any research recommendation, report or rating or any investment or trading decision for an FT Fund or Client Account in order to avoid economic injury to themselves or anyone other than the FT Funds or Client Accounts;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Purchasing or selling a security on the basis of knowledge of a possible trade by or for an FT Fund or Client Account with the intent of personally profiting from, or avoiding a loss with respect to, personal holdings in the same or related securities;

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Revealing to any other person (except in the normal course of the Covered Employee's duties on behalf of an

FT Fund or Client Account) any information regarding securities transactions by any FT Fund or Client Account or the consideration by any FT Fund or Client Account of any such securities transactions; or

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Engaging in any act, practice or course of business that operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit on an FT Fund or Client Account or engaging in any manipulative practice with respect to any FT Fund or Client Account.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**1.4 Monitoring of the Policy and Additional Information**

Questions regarding the Policy and related requirements should be directed to the Code of Ethics Department located in San Mateo, CA. The Code of Ethics Department can be reached by e-mail at lpreclear@franklintempleton.com. The Code of Ethics Department uses StarCompliance, https://franklintempleton.starcompliance.com/ an automated transaction pre-clearance system, to manage the oversight of personal investments. Administration of the Policy is the responsibility of the Code of Ethics Committee.

#### SECTION 2. PERSONAL INVESTMENTS
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**2.1 Statement on Covered Employee Investments**

Franklin Templeton recognizes the importance to Covered Employees of managing their own financial resources. However, because of the potential conflicts of interest inherent in its business, Franklin Templeton has implemented this Policy with regard to personal investments of Covered Employees. This Policy is designed to minimize these conflicts and help ensure that Franklin Templeton focuses on meeting its duties as a fiduciary to the FT Funds or Client Accounts.

Covered Employees should be aware that their ability to invest in certain securities and to liquidate those positions may be severely restricted under this Policy due to trading by the FT Funds or Client Accounts, including during times of market volatility. Therefore, as a general matter, Franklin Templeton encourages Covered Employees to exercise caution when investing in individual securities, particularly in situations where a Covered Employee wishes to invest in securities held or likely to be held by the FT Funds or Client Accounts.

Franklin Templeton also discourages Covered Employees from engaging in a pattern of securities transactions that is so excessively frequent as to potentially impact the Covered Employee's ability to carry out their assigned responsibilities, increases the possibility of potential conflicts or violates the Policy or the FT Funds' prospectuses.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**2.2 Categories of Persons Subject to the Policy**

All persons subject to the Policy are assigned to the following categories based on their access to information regarding, or involvement in, investment activities. In limited circumstances, certain affiliates of FRI may adopt separate policies or codes of ethics governing personal trading to address the specific features of their investment activities and operations. Persons subject to other personal trading policies or codes of ethics adopted by Franklin Templeton or its affiliates generally are exempt from this Policy. Please consult the Code of Ethics Department if you have any questions about how this Policy applies to you.

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**Covered Employees:** Covered Employees are: (1) partners, officers, directors (or persons occupying a similar status or having similar functions) and employees (including certain designated temporary employees or consultants) of any Franklin Templeton investment adviser, as well as any other persons who provide advice on behalf of any Franklin Templeton investment adviser and are subject to the supervision and control of that investment adviser; (2) Access Persons, as defined below; and (3) Independent directors of FT Funds within the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds and independent directors of Franklin Templeton investment advisers (collectively, "Independent Directors").

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**Access Persons:** Access Persons are a subset of Covered Employees and generally include: (1) employees of any Franklin Templeton investment adviser; and (2) those who have access to non-public information regarding FT Funds' or Client Accounts' securities transactions; or have access to recommendations that are non-public; or have access to non-public information regarding the portfolio holdings of the FT Funds or Client Accounts.

**Portfolio Persons:** Portfolio Persons, a subset of Access Persons, are those who, in connection with their regular functions or duties, make or participate in the decision to purchase or sell a security by an FT Fund or Client Account or if his or her functions relate to the making of any recommendations about those purchases or sales.

Please see the Appendix to this Policy for a table indicating how the provisions of the Policy apply to each category of persons. In addition, please see section 2.8 of the Policy for a description of the requirements for Independent Directors.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**2.3 Accounts and Transactions Covered by the Policy**

The Policy covers two types of securities accounts and transactions: (1) those in which Covered Employees have or share investment control, and (2) those in which Covered Employees have direct or indirect beneficial ownership.

Generally, a person has a beneficial ownership in a security if he or she, directly or indirectly, through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship or otherwise, has or shares a direct or indirect pecuniary interest in the security. "Pecuniary interest" has the same meaning as in Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Generally, a pecuniary interest in a security means the opportunity, directly or indirectly, to profit or share in any profit derived from a transaction in the security. Covered Employees are presumed to have a pecuniary interest in securities held by members of their immediate family or domestic partners sharing the same household.

Certain types of securities and investments are exempt from the Policy. These include, but are not limited to, direct obligations of the U.S. government, money market instruments, and registered open-end funds other than the FT Funds. Cryptocurrencies and digital assets must be precleared and are reportable only, (1) by members of those investment teams investing in cryptocurrencies, or any FT employee involved in trading or the creation and redemption process for any FT digital currency Fund or account, and (2) for the cryptocurrencies in which they are investing on behalf of clients or funds, and (3) those involved in the creation and redemption process for any FT digital currency ETF must also preclear their investments in FT digital Funds. Please consult the Code of Ethics Department for further information about specific types of securities that are exempt from the Policy.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**2.4 Prohibited Transactions**

#### Trading that Conflicts with FT Funds or Client Accounts
Covered Employees are prohibited from any trading activity that conflicts with the FT Funds' or Client Accounts' trading activity. Examples of prohibited trading activity include, but are not limited to:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• "front running" or trading ahead of an FT Fund or Client Account; and

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• trading parallel to or against an FT Fund or Client Account.

#### Short Sales of Securities Issued by Franklin Resources and FT Sponsored Closed-end Funds and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)
Covered Employees are prohibited from effecting short sales, including "short sales against the box," of securities issued by FRI, or any FT sponsored closed-end funds or FT exchange traded funds (ETFs). This prohibition includes economically equivalent transactions such as call or put options, swap transactions or other derivatives that would result in having a net short exposure to FRI or any closed-end fund or ETF sponsored or advised by Franklin Templeton.

#### Pledged Securities

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Directors and Executive Officers are also prohibited from pledging, hypothecating or otherwise encumbering securities issued by Franklin Resources as described in greater detail in the FRI Code of Ethics and Business Conduct.

#### Trading in Shares of the FT Funds
A Covered Employee is prohibited from buying or selling shares of an FT Fund while in possession of material non- public information about the FT Fund. Specifically, Covered Employees are prohibited from taking personal advantage of their non-public knowledge of recent or impending investment activities of FT Funds or the FT Funds' investment advisers or any other non-public information that a reasonable investor would likely consider important in making his or her investment decisions, including information that may have a material effect on an FT Fund's share price or net asset value.

In addition, Covered Employees must keep confidential at all times non-public information they may obtain about an FT Fund, including but not limited to information such as portfolio holdings, pricing or valuation of an FT Fund's portfolio holdings, recent or impending securities transactions by an FT Fund, changes related to an FT Fund's investment adviser, offerings of new FT Funds, changes to investment minimums, FT Fund closures or liquidations, changes to investment personnel, FT Fund flow activity, and information on current or prospective FT Fund shareholders.

Please consult your local Legal or Compliance department if you have any questions about materiality, confidentiality, or any other concerns before trading on or sharing non-public information relating to FT Funds.

#### Special Provision Relating to Ownership of Putnam Funds
Employees of Putnam Investment Management, LLC, The Putnam Advisory Company LLC, Putnam Investments Limited and of the principal underwriter of the Putnam open-end U.S. mutual funds Franklin Distributors, LLC (collectively, the "Putman Entities") must hold shares of Putnam open-end U.S. mutual funds through the Putnam transfer agent (Putnam Investor Services, Inc.) and all transactions must be executed through Franklin Distributors, LLC as dealer of record.

Holding Putnam mutual fund shares in discretionary accounts is prohibited. This requirement does not apply to shares of Putnam mutual funds owned in retirement accounts or other accounts required to be held through third-party administrators.

#### Short-Term Trading in Open-end FT Funds
Franklin Templeton discourages short-term or excessive trading, often referred to as "market timing," in shares of the open-end FT Funds. Covered Employees must be familiar with the "Frequent Trading Policy" or its equivalent described in the prospectus of each open-end FT Fund in which they invest and must not engage in trading activity that might violate the purpose or intent of such policy. Accordingly, all Covered Employees must comply with the purpose and intent of each open-end FT Fund's Frequent Trading Policy or its equivalent and must not engage in any short-term trading (if the relevant FT Fund has adopted a policy regarding short-term trading) or excessive trading in open-end FT Funds.

For open-end FT Funds within the Franklin Templeton Group of Funds, including FT Funds purchased through a 401(k) plan, trading activity by Covered Employees is monitored and any trading patterns or behaviors that may constitute short-term or excessive trading is reported to the

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Code of Ethics Department. These reports will include descriptions of any actions taken and any sanctions or penalties imposed in response to such trading activity. This policy does not apply to purchases and sales of money market funds.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**2.5 Additional Prohibitions and Requirements for Access Persons and Portfolio Persons**

#### Initial Public Offerings
Access Persons are prohibited from investing in securities sold in an initial public offering or a secondary offering (including Initial Coin Offerings ("ICOs")) by an issuer except for offerings of securities made by closed-end FT Funds advised or sub-advised by Franklin Templeton. However, IPOs may be permissible in certain circumstances

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or jurisdictions. Please contact the Code of Ethics department or your local Compliance Officer in advance of executing any IPO.

#### Single Stock ETFs
Access Persons are prohibited from investing in single stock ETFs including derivatives of the single stock ETF such as options.

#### Short Sales of Securities
Portfolio Persons are prohibited from selling short any security held by the FT Funds, including "short sales against the box." This prohibition also applies to effecting economically equivalent transactions, including, but not limited to, sales of uncovered call options, sales of put options while not owning the underlying security, and short sales of bonds that are convertible into equity positions, swaps or other derivatives where the security is held by FT Funds.

#### Short Swing Rule
Portfolio Persons are subject to a short swing rule whereby they cannot sell shares of a security at a price higher than any price paid within the prior 60 calendar days or buy a security at a price below any price which they sold it within the past 60 calendar days, including transactions in derivatives and transactions that may occur in margin and option accounts. Any profits made must be disgorged. Please consult the Code of Ethics Department for any exemptions and how profits are calculated.

#### Disclosure of Interest in Securities or Private Investments
Portfolio Persons are required to disclose any interest they have in the securities of an issuer or direct investment in any company if they are involved in either analysis or investment decisions related to the issuer or company.

Portfolio Persons must re-disclose any such interest if they participate in later recommendations or investment decisions related to the issuer or company.

Portfolio Persons must also disclose any personal transactions they are contemplating in the securities referenced above, any position they hold with the issuer and any proposed business relationship between the issuer and the Portfolio Person or any party in which the Portfolio Person has an interest.

The disclosures above must be made to their Chief Investment Officer and /or Director of Research.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**2.6 Reporting Requirements**

#### All Accounts
All Covered Employees must complete an Initial Code of Ethics Certification no later than 10 calendar days after the date the person is notified by a member of the Human Resources Department of the requirement to do so.

Additionally, by **February 15<sup>th</sup>** of each subsequent year they must complete an annual certification that they have complied with and will comply with the Policy.

Access Persons must also file an Initial Broker Accounts Certification and Initial Holdings Certification no later than 10 calendar days after the date the person is notified by a member of the Human Resources Department of the requirement to do so. Additionally, by **February 15<sup>th</sup>** of each subsequent year, Access Persons must file a then current **annual** report of all personal securities

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accounts and securities holdings and must certify that they have complied with and will comply with the Policy.

#### Non-Discretionary Accounts
On a **quarterly** basis, and no later than 30 calendar days after the end of each calendar quarter, every Access Person must report all transactions in securities covered by this Policy, except for those executed through an Automatic Investment Plan or that would duplicate information already provided in broker confirmations or statements sent to the Code of Ethics Department directly from the broker.

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No later than 30 calendar days after the calendar quarter, Access Persons must report any account established in which any securities were held during that calendar quarter.

#### Discretionary Accounts
Reporting of transactions is not required for discretionary accounts. A discretionary account is managed by a non- affiliated third party (registered broker-dealer, a registered investment adviser, or other investment manager acting in a similar fiduciary capacity) who exercises sole investment discretion.

The Access Person must certify initially and annually thereafter that they do not have investment control of the discretionary account other than the right to terminate. If the Access Person makes or participates in an investment decision for an account that has been reported as a discretionary account, any transactions related to that investment decision must be pre-cleared. If there is any uncertainty about whether a particular account would be deemed discretionary for purposes of the Policy, please consult the Code of Ethics Department.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**2.7 Pre-Clearance Requirements**

#### Securities Transactions
Access Persons must obtain pre-clearance from the Code of Ethics Department before buying or selling any security (other than those not requiring pre-clearance, a full list of which is available from the Code of Ethics Department) and are always prohibited from executing transactions in a security if aware that the FT Funds or Client Accounts are active or contemplate being active in the security (even if the transactions have been pre- cleared). Pre-clearance requests should be submitted via StarCompliance.

#### Private Investments and Limited Offerings
Access Persons must obtain pre-clearance from the Code of Ethics Department before investing in a private placement or purchasing other securities in a limited offering. For example, investments in private or unregistered funds (i.e., hedge funds) are required to be pre-cleared under the Policy.

#### Discretionary Accounts
Transactions in discretionary accounts do not need to be pre-cleared if satisfactory evidence has been provided to the Code of Ethics Department that sole investment discretion has been granted to an investment manager. If the Access Person makes or participates in an investment decision for an account that has been reported as a discretionary account, any transactions related to that investment decision must be pre-cleared.

#### Exemptions from Pre- Clearance
Certain types of securities and transactions are exempt from pre-clearance requirements. Examples of these types of securities and transactions include, but are not limited to, shares issued by FRI; shares of open-end Funds (including FT open-ended Funds) and permitted ETFs (including FT ETFs for certain FT employees) and closed- end funds (excluding FT sponsored closed-end Funds); certain government obligations and transactions effected pursuant to dividend reinvestment plans. In addition, transactions in small quantities of securities (e.g., in the case of equity securities, 500 shares within a 30 calendar day period) are not required to be pre-cleared. Please consult the Code of Ethics Department for further information about the types of securities and transactions that are exempt from the pre-clearance requirements of the Policy.

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#### "Intent" Is Important
While pre-clearance of Access Persons' transactions is a cornerstone of Franklin Templeton's compliance efforts, it cannot detect inappropriate or illegal transactions where the intent conflicts with the principles of the Policy. Thus, the fact that a proposed transaction received pre-clearance is not a defense against a charge of violating the Policy or the securities laws. For example, even if an Access Person received pre-clearance for a transaction, that transaction might constitute front-running if it occurred shortly before a transaction by an FT Fund or Client Account

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that the Access Person was aware of. In cases like this, the intent may not be evident when a particular transaction request is analyzed for pre-clearance.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**2.8 Requirements for Independent Directors**

#### Pre-clearance and Reporting Requirements
Unless covered by a separate policy, an Independent Director is subject to the pre-clearance and transaction reporting requirements of the Policy only if such Independent Director, at the time of his or her transaction, knew or should have known that, during the 15 calendar day period before or after the date of the Independent Director's transaction, the security was purchased or sold or considered for purchase or sale by an FT Fund or Client Account. The pre-clearance and reporting requirements of the Policy do not apply to securities transactions conducted in an account where an Independent Director has granted full investment discretion to a brokerage firm, bank or investment adviser or conducted in a trust account in which the trustee has full investment discretion. Independent Directors are not required to disclose any securities holdings or brokerage accounts, including brokerage accounts where he/she has granted discretionary authority to a brokerage firm, bank or investment adviser.

#### Initial and Annual Acknowledgment Reports
An Independent Director must complete and return an executed Acknowledgment Form to the Code of Ethics Department no later than 10 calendar days after the date the person becomes an Independent Director.

Independent Directors will be asked to certify by **February 15<sup>th</sup>** of each year that they have complied with and will comply with the Policy by filing the Acknowledgment Form with the Code of Ethics Department.

#### SECTION 3. INSIDER TRADING
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**3.1 Policy on Insider Trading**

Insider trading, or trading on material non-public information, is against the law and penalties are severe, both for individuals involved in such unlawful conduct and their employers. No Covered Employee may (1) trade, either personally or on behalf of the FT Funds or Client Accounts, while in possession of material non-public information, or (2) communicate material non-public information to others.

Material non-public information may be obtained by many means, both in connection with a Covered Employee's job functions (e.g., from meetings with company executives or consultations with expert networks) or independent of the Covered Employee's employment or relationship with Franklin Templeton (e.g., from friends or relatives).

Before trading for themselves or others (including FT Funds and Client Accounts) in the securities of a company about which a Covered Employee potentially may have material non-public information, the Covered Employee should consider the following questions:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• First, is the information material? Information is considered material if there is a substantial likelihood that a reasonable investor would consider the information to be important in making his or her investment decision, or if it is reasonably certain to have a substantial effect on the price of the company's securities.

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Second, is the information non-public? Information is non-public until it has been effectively communicated to the marketplace. For example, information in a report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or that appears in a publication of general circulation (e.g., The Wall Street Journal or Reuters) would be considered public. If the information has been obtained from someone who is betraying an obligation not to share the information (e.g., a company insider), that information is very likely to be non-public.

If, after consideration of these questions, the Covered Employee believes that the information that they have about a company may be material and non-public, or if the Covered Employee has questions as to whether the information is material or non-public, he or she must report the matter immediately to Trading Desk Compliance/IC,

------

the designated Compliance Officer or Legal Department. In addition, the Covered Employee must not purchase or sell any securities issued by such company on behalf of themselves or others (including on behalf of any FT Fund or Client Account), or communicate the information inside or outside Franklin Templeton.

Trading Desk Compliance/IC or the Compliance Officer will promptly contact the Legal Department for advice. After review of the facts, the Legal Department, Trading Desk Compliance/IC or the Compliance Officer will provide instructions to the Covered Employee. If the information in the Covered Employee's possession is determined to be material and non-public, the Covered Employee is required to keep the information confidential and secure. Those securities for which the Covered Employee has material non-public information will be placed on restricted trading lists for a timeframe determined by the Compliance Officer.

#### SECTION 4. RELATED POLICIES AND REQUIREMENTS
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**4.1 Statement on Other Policies and Requirements**

In addition to the Policy, Covered Employees are required to observe the applicable policies and procedures prescribed in the *Code of Ethics and Business Conduct*, the policies contained in the U.S. and non-U.S. employee handbooks (as applicable), and various other policies adopted by Franklin Templeton.

#### SECTION 5. ADMINISTRATION OF THE POLICY, WAIVERS & REPORTING VIOLATIONS
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**5.1 Code of Ethics Committee; Reporting to FT Fund Boards**

The Code of Ethics Committee is responsible for the administration of the Policy and provides oversight of compliance with the personal trading requirements of the Policy. Among other things, the Committee has the authority and responsibility to review the Policy periodically, review sanction guidelines for violations of the Policy and review trading violations and waivers granted.

At least annually, the FT Fund Boards who have adopted this policy will be provided with a report describing any issues arising under the Policy if requested. FT Fund Boards may require more frequent reporting, including detailing all violations of the Policy.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**5.2 Violations of the Policy**

*A Covered Employee that violates this Policy will be sanctioned in a manner commensurate with the violation. Prescribed sanctions range from warning memos for a first time failure to pre-clear a transaction to the immediate sale of positions, disgorgement of profits, personal trading suspensions and other sanctions, up to and including termination and reporting to regulatory authorities for more serious violations*.*

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**5.3 Waivers of the Policy**

The Chief Compliance Officer of the relevant investment adviser, or primary regional officer, may, in his or her discretion, waive compliance by any Covered Employee with the provisions of the Policy, if he or she finds that such a waiver:

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(1) is necessary to alleviate undue hardship or in view of unforeseen circumstances or is otherwise appropriate under all the relevant facts and circumstances;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(2) will not be inconsistent with the purposes and objectives of the Policy;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(3) will not adversely affect the interests of the FT Funds or Client Accounts or the interests of Franklin Templeton; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(4) will not result in a transaction or conduct that would violate provisions of applicable laws or regulations.

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Any waiver will be in writing, will contain a statement of the basis for it, and any waivers granted by the Chief Compliance Officer of the relevant investment adviser, or primary regional officer, will be reported to the SVP of Regulatory Compliance.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**5.4 Reporting Violations**

Covered Employees are required to report violations of the Policy or the related Procedures, whether by themselves or by others.

Franklin Templeton is dedicated to providing Covered Employees with the means and opportunity to report violations of the Policy or the related Procedures, or other instances of wrongdoing, or any concerns they may have regarding ethical violations or accounting, internal control or auditing matters, including fraud. Several means are provided by which reports to the Compliance and Ethics Hotline can be made including:

Online at: <u>https://franklintempleton.ethicspoint.com</u>

U.S., U.S. Territories or Canada can call toll-free 1-800-648-7932 All other countries can call collect at 704-540-0139

Franklin Templeton will not allow retaliation against any Covered Employee who has submitted a report of a violation of the Policy or the related Procedures in good faith.

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#### Appendix

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| | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  | **Covered Employees** | **Access Persons** | **Portfolio Persons** | **Independent Directors** |
| **Prohibited Activities (Section 1.3)** | X | X | X | X |
| **Prohibited Transactions and Other Requirements (Sections 2.4 and 2.5)** | **Prohibited Transactions and Other Requirements (Sections 2.4 and 2.5)** | **Prohibited Transactions and Other Requirements (Sections 2.4 and 2.5)** | **Prohibited Transactions and Other Requirements (Sections 2.4 and 2.5)** | **Prohibited Transactions and Other Requirements (Sections 2.4 and 2.5)** |
| Prohibition on Trading Activity that Conflicts with FT Funds or Client Accounts | X | X | X | X |
| Prohibition on Short Sales of FRI and Closed-end FT Funds and ETFs | X | X | X | X |
| Trading in Shares of the FT Funds When in Possession of Material Non-Public Information | X | X | X | X |
| Special Provision on Ownership of Putnam Funds |  | X | X |  |
| Short-Term Trading in Open-end FT Funds | X | X | X | X |
| Prohibition on Investments in Initial Public Offerings |  | X | X |  |
| Prohibition on Single Stock ETFs |  | X | X |  |
| Prohibition on Short Sales of All Securities |  |  | X |  |
| Short Swing Rule |  |  | X |  |
| Disclosure of Interest in Securities |  |  | X |  |
| **Reporting Requirements (Section 2.6)** | **Reporting Requirements (Section 2.6)** | **Reporting Requirements (Section 2.6)** | **Reporting Requirements (Section 2.6)** | **Reporting Requirements (Section 2.6)** |
| Initial Certification/Acknowledgment | X | X | X | X |
| Initial Disclosure of Accounts and Holdings |  | X | X |  |
| Annual Disclosure of Accounts and Holdings |  | X | X |  |
| Annual Certification of Compliance | X | X | X | X |
| Quarterly Disclosure of Transactions |  | X | X | X\* |
| Quarterly Disclosure of New Accounts |  | X | X |  |
| **Pre-Clearance Requirements (Section 2.7)** |  | X | X | X\* |
| **Insider Trading (Section 3)** | X | X | X | X |
| **Requirement to Report Violations (Section 5.4)** | X | X | X | X |

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\*Only applicable if the Independent Director, at the time of his or her transaction, knew or should have known that, during the 15 calendar day period before or after the date of the Independent Director's transaction, the security was purchased or sold or considered for purchase or sale by an FT Fund or Client Account.

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## Ex-99.P

## APOLLO ATHENE
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

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![](img_966814a96a164f8.jpg)

## Letter from our CEO
![](img_058dea538ec94f8.jpg)Respect and integrity are integral to the vision and mission of Apollo Asset Management, Inc. ("AAM"), Athene Holding Ltd. ("Athene" or "AHL") and Apollo Global Management, Inc. ("AGM", and together with its subsidiaries, "Apollo" or the "Company"). These important values are deeply embedded in the history of the companies that combined to form Apollo and are at the heart of who we are as a Company today. We are all responsible not only for our own actions, but also for fostering a culture that embraces excellence alongside compliance with the law and Company policies. Our shared culture reinforces our commitment to each other, our investors, customers, and communities.

Accordingly, this Code of Business Conduct and Ethics ("Code")

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covers a wide range of business practices and procedures. While it does not cover every issue that may arise, it affirms our collective responsibility for promoting honest, ethical, and lawful conduct across all levels, business units, and locations of our shared organization. The Code is based on our fundamental understanding that no one at the Company should ever sacrifice integrity for business.

We want to be a company known for our ethical leadership and treating others with integrity, respect, and fairness. The Code is integral to the way we do business and supports the Company's vision of being considered "best in class".

While the Code is helpful in reducing the risk of non-compliance with laws, regulations, and our internal policies and standards of business conduct, no document can replace good judgment. As you read and agree to be bound by this Code, we hope you will pause to reflect upon what the outlined guidelines truly mean. Acting in a manner consistent with these principles will strengthen our culture and make you proud to be part of our Company.

![](img_e6aae860ce334f8.jpg)

#### Marc Rowan
Chief Executive Officer

## Introduction

#### Our integrity and reputation depend on our ability to do the right thing. The Company is committed to promoting a culture that encourages compliance with the law and all our policies and procedures.
This Code assists us in complying with those standards and with applicable laws, rules, regulations, and controls to achieve quality and excellence in our business dealings. All of our people must comply with this Code, both in letter and in spirit. There is no single set of guidelines or automatic right answer for every business choice we face, and the Code will not provide obvious answers in all situations. However, it can serve as a basis for informing your judgment. Ultimately, we must rely on each person's character and sense of right and wrong. The critical guiding principles are complying with applicable laws and internal policies, and consulting with Compliance, Legal, Human Capital ("HC") or your manager as necessary.

The Code incorporates all of the policies and procedures referenced in this document, including those referenced in the appendices. The Code applies to all workplace conduct, whether in person, online, or over the phone. The workplace is much broader than just your physical office address. It might include any Company location, a client's location, a seminar or conference, a speaking engagement, Company travel, or even your home. Exercise common sense when performing your duties and act in an appropriate manner while at work or when representing the Company, even in a social setting.

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## About This Document
It is our policy to conduct our business in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations, applicable laws and regulations of any foreign jurisdictions in which we operate, applicable rules and requirements of the New York Stock Exchange, and in a manner that reflects high standards. Although you are not expected to know the details of all laws, rules, and regulations, it is important to know enough to decide when to get advice from your manager, Compliance, Legal, HC or other appropriate personnel.

#### Application

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This Code applies to all Company employees, including those of its direct and indirect subsidiaries. This Code also applies to the Company's officers and directors, certain consultants, temporary workers, independent contractors, third-party service providers, and operating executives, depending on their relationship to the Company. All Company employees and certain others to whom this Code applies are required to affirm that they have reviewed this Code and will comply with it. This Code does not create any rights to continued employment and is not an employment contract.

Employees and certain consultants of AAM, and other individuals designated by AAM Compliance, including a subset of Athene employees, are subject to AAM's compliance program and the policies referenced in **Appendix A**. Employees, directors and certain consultants of Athene are also subject to the additional Athene policies referenced in **Appendix B**. Employees of AAM and Athene are required to review and familiarize themselves with the policies referenced by the appendices, compliance with which is required by this Code. A violation of any such person's written obligations to the Company is a violation of this Code.

#### Consequence of Violating the Code

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Violating any laws or regulations that relate to the operation of our business, engaging in

any other criminal conduct, disregard of or failure to comply with the Code, which incorporates all of the policies and procedures referenced in this document, including those referenced in the appendices, or any other applicable policies and procedures, or failure to cooperate as directed by the Company with an investigation may result in corrective and/or disciplinary action, which may include termination. The Company will take reasonable actions to enforce this Code.

#### Administration

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The AGM Board of Directors (the "AGM Board") has adopted this Code to foster a culture that reinforces our commitment to integrity and compliance with the law and Company policies. AGM's Chief Compliance Officer is responsible for day-to-day administration of the Code and will report to the audit committee of the AGM Board (the "AGM Audit Committee"), AAM and/or Athene as appropriate with respect to this Code.

This Code may be amended as required by law or regulation or as otherwise advisable. Any material amendments to this Code must be approved by the AGM Board or a committee so delegated by the AGM Board. The AGM Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Legal Officer, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, the AGM Board or a committee of the AGM Board may, at their discretion, establish and disseminate additional policies and procedures.

#### Waivers

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Any waiver of the provisions of this Code for an executive officer or director of AGM must be approved by the AGM Board or a committee of the AGM Board so delegated by the AGM Board. Any waiver of the provisions of this Code for an executive officer or director of AAM or Athene must be approved by (i) the board of directors of AAM (the "AAM Board") or the board of directors of Athene (the "Athene Board") or a committee of the AAM Board or the Athene Board so delegated thereby, respectively, and (ii) the AGM Board or a committee so delegated by the AGM Board. If approved, disclosure of any such waiver must be made as required by applicable laws, rules, and regulations. Waivers for other individuals covered by the Code must be approved by the Chief Compliance Officer or Chief Legal Officer of AGM, AAM, or the Chief Compliance Officer or General Counsel of AAM, or Athene, as applicable.

## Raising Concerns & Reporting Violations
The Company is committed to promoting a shared culture that encourages ethical conduct, a commitment to compliance with the law, and due diligence to prevent and detect criminal conduct. Everyone has a responsibility to report misconduct, whether it's in your personal or professional dealings. You are responsible for promptly reporting any circumstance that you believe in good faith may constitute a violation of the Code or any other policies, laws, rules, or regulations applicable to the Company. You may also report or discuss any other concerns you may have with respect to business operations. In some cases, failure to report an illegal act by another person is itself a criminal act for which you could be prosecuted.

#### How to Report Concerns
Concerns, including concerns about Company financial statements and any matter regarding potential issues with financial reporting or any other questionable accounting controls or auditing matters can be reported by contacting your manager, Compliance, or through the Business Integrity Website or Hotline.

If you are not comfortable reporting through the aforementioned channels, you may also submit a concern to the chair of the AGM Audit Committee by sending a letter addressed to:

Apollo Global Management, Inc.

Attn: Chair, Audit Committee of the Board of Directors 9 West 57th Street

New York, NY 10019

See **Appendix B** for additional Athene-specific methods for raising concerns and reporting violations.

#### Reporting Generally
Reports may be made anonymously. If you wish to report anonymously, please do not provide your name or other identifying information when submitting your concern. However, please understand that if you do choose to remain anonymous and do not provide a means to contact you, the Company may be unable to obtain the additional information needed to investigate or address your concern.

If you have a question or concern about the Code, are not sure if something should be reported, or need to think through an ethics or compliance-related issue, we encourage you to talk to your manager or Compliance.

All reports will be referred to and investigated by the appropriate parties and handled in accordance with our evaluation and investigation procedures for screening and determining further handling. In circumstances where a member of Compliance, Legal, Internal Audit or HC may be conflicted in administering the procedures, he or she shall recuse him or herself, and one or more other senior members of that area, not selected by the conflicted individual, shall perform the role. Your report will be investigated with the highest discretion and you will be protected from retaliation. It is unacceptable to file a report if you know it is false and doing so will subject you to discipline.

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Nothing in this Code prohibits you from reporting possible violations of federal law or regulation to any governmental agency or entity, including but not limited to the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), the U.S. Congress, and any agency, Inspector General, or making other disclosures that are protected under the whistleblower provisions of federal law or regulation. You do not need the prior authorization of Legal and Compliance to make any such reports or disclosures and you are not required to notify the Company that you have made such reports or disclosures.

### Non-Retaliation Policy

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It is our policy to protect those who communicate their concerns. We comply with all applicable laws protecting employees against unlawful discrimination or retaliation as a result of good faith reporting or participating in investigations involving alleged

misconduct. Reporting known or suspected violations can provide a great benefit to the Company. We encourage the communication of legitimate concerns. The earlier a concern is expressed, the easier it is to take action. We will not tolerate threats or acts of retaliation against any individual who reports a concern or suspected violation in good faith. Any form of retaliation or threat of retaliation against Company employees for reporting actual or suspected violations, or lodging questions about policies, compliance or ethics is strictly prohibited and should be promptly reported in accordance with any of the reporting channels provided to you.

## Financial Integrity

### Anti-Bribery & Anti-Corruption
It is the Company's policy to strictly comply with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, United Kingdom Bribery Act, Bermuda Anti-Bribery Act of 2016, and similar anti-bribery laws and regulations in the jurisdictions in which we do business. Our people are precluded from offering or receiving improper payments or promises to provide anything of value, which includes gifts, entertainment, certain travel expenses, political or charitable contributions, and other payments both direct and indirect (i.e., through agents or contractors), to influence a business decision in our favor, or with a view toward inducing a party to do or not do something. Business gifts, hospitality, or entertainment involving government officials must be pre-approved by Compliance and comply with our internal policies.

### Gifts & Business Hospitality
The appropriate purpose of any business gift or entertainment should be to create goodwill or strengthen business relationships. Giving and receiving gifts and entertainment could give rise to a conflict of interest. Gifts and entertainment should never influence or give the appearance of influencing a party's ability to make impartial decisions. Business gifts and entertainment, whether offered or received, should never be lavish, unusual, or extravagant in the eyes of a third party.

### Anti-Money Laundering & Sanctions
It is our policy to strictly comply with all applicable laws and regulations designed to combat financial crime, money laundering, and terrorist financing. The Company does not do business with sanctioned persons, businesses, or countries. Our goal is to form business relationships and engage in transactions only with legitimate, law-abiding counterparties. To ensure compliance with this policy, we use the "know your customer" process to verify the identity of potential investors, policy holders, or counterparties prior to establishing a financial relationship. Additionally, our people are expected to report any unusual or potentially suspicious activity that could involve money laundering or terrorist financing, has no apparent business or lawful purpose, or may involve questionable sources of customer funds.

### Facilitation of Tax Evasion
It is the Company's policy to strictly comply with all laws and regulations designed to counteract tax evasion and the criminal facilitation of tax evasion (including, but not limited to, the U.S. Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act and the U.K. Criminal Finances Act 2017) in the jurisdictions in which the Company does business.

### Antitrust
Antitrust laws are designed to prevent monopolies and encourage competition. These laws are complex, and penalties can be severe. Determining if an action unreasonably restrains trade or is otherwise improper depends on a variety of factors. Our policy is to compete solely based on our superior products and services and to avoid improper actions that violate antitrust rules and regulations, are anti-competitive, or unreasonably restrain trade.

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### Fair Competition & Dealing
The Company's policy requires our people to deal fairly and act honestly in all business relationships, whether with clients, customers, suppliers, competitors, or other Company personnel. Our people should not take advantage of anyone through manipulation, concealment, abuse of privileged information, misrepresentation of material facts, or any other illegal practice. No one should ever use any illegal or deceitful method to gather competitive information. Stealing or possessing proprietary information or trade secret information that was obtained without consent, from past employers or others, or inducing such disclosures from past or present employees of other companies, is prohibited. Information about the Company's suppliers, customers, competitors, employees, and other personnel must always be used in compliance with the law.

### Corporate Opportunities
Our people owe a duty to the Company to advance its legitimate interests. They should not use their position, contacts, or information for personal gain for themselves, family members, or friends. In addition, subject to the Company's governing documents, our people may not compete against the Company or take for themselves opportunities they learn of through their work or through the use of Company property, information, or position, without the consent of the Chief Compliance Officer of AGM, AAM, or Athene, as applicable.

### Recordkeeping & Reporting
The Company is subject to various laws, regulations, and other data retention requirements. Our systems are configured to retain records consistent with these requirements, and records should be retained and destroyed in accordance with our records retention policies. Our people must send all business-related electronic communications that are subject to such retention requirements through the Company's electronic communication systems at all times, including when away from the office.

Additionally, our people should never destroy any documents relevant to any pending, threatened, or anticipated litigation, regulatory investigation, or audit for any reason. Destroying or altering a document with intent to impair its integrity or availability for use in any potential official proceeding is a crime.

### Communicating with Regulators & Public Disclosures
Relationships with regulators are primarily handled by Legal and Compliance, who are responsible for disclosures and reporting for the Company. It is important for the Company's communications to be coordinated, accurate, complete, and timely. Company personnel should escalate any inquiry from a regulatory or governmental source to Legal and Compliance. This includes forwarding to Legal any subpoenas or inquiries from a governmental source and notifying Legal of any substantive interaction with a regulatory authority.

The Company strives to provide full, fair, accurate, timely, and understandable disclosure in periodic reports it files with the SEC ("Periodic Reports"), in all other material disclosure documents filed with or submitted to the SEC, or provided to the Company's investors or prospective investors ("Disclosure Documents"). Company personnel involved in the preparation of Periodic Reports and Disclosure Documents (including those who are involved in the preparation of financial or other reports and the information included in such reports and documents) should strive to ensure disclosures are full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable.

## Avoiding Conflicts of Interest
Company personnel are prohibited from engaging in any activity, practice, or act which conflicts with, or appears to conflict with, the interests of the Company, without disclosing such activity, practice, or act and its

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potential conflicts to, and receiving approval from, the applicable Chief Compliance Officer or his/her designee. A conflict of interest exists when an individual's personal activities or financial affairs may influence his or her judgment in the performance of duties in an adverse way to the Company or its clients. In our business capacities, we may act as fiduciaries and owe a series of duties to our clients, including a general duty to act in their best interest and avoid actual and apparent conflicts of interest.

To protect the Company, our investors, and our people, it is essential that any conduct or transactions potentially raising conflict of interest concerns be fully disclosed to appropriate persons before they are undertaken.

#### Personal Trading & Personal Private Investments

#### Outside Interests & Activities

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Personal investment activities should always be conducted with the Company's reputation in mind and in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. Additionally, in the course of ordinary business activities, our people may become aware of non-public information regarding the business, operations or securities of a company that would be material to a decision to buy, sell, or hold securities issued by that company. Material non-public information ("MNPI") is information that is not

yet fully disclosed to the public and where there is a substantial likelihood that a reasonable investor would consider it important in making a decision to buy, sell or hold a security or where the fact is likely to have an impact on the market price of an issuer's securities. Using such information for your financial or other personal benefit or conveying this information to others is prohibited. Trading in securities while aware of MNPI, or tipping others to trade, is both unethical and illegal.

All personnel subject to this Code must comply with AGM's Insider Trading Policy and Apollo's Insider Trading Prevention Policy which sets forth obligations in respect of trading in Apollo's securities.

A conflict may arise from involvement in outside interests or activities that may either conflict with a duty to the Company, adversely affect one's judgment in the performance of Company responsibilities or provide an actual or potential personal benefit. The benefit may be direct or indirect, financial or nonfinancial, through family connections, personal associations, or otherwise. The Company's policy is that all our people must conduct the business affairs of the Company in such a manner to avoid such conflicts of interest, whether actual or potential. Any outside activities our people undertake should not reflect adversely on the Company or give rise to a real or apparent conflict of interest with their duties to the Company.

Full time employees are expected to devote substantially all of their business time, energy, and skill to the performance of their duties for the Company. Outside activities must not interfere with job performance or require such long hours as to affect physical or mental effectiveness.

#### Political Contributions & Activities

#### Personal Conflicts

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We respect the right of our employees to participate in the political process and to engage in political activities of their choosing, as long as that support is in compliance with laws, rules, and regulations that govern our business, and in

![](img_67e1f35a4d4c4f8.jpg)![](img_e0ed9e55ea584f8.jpg)accordance with our internal policies and procedures. Personnel involved in personal and civic affairs must make clear at all times that their views and actions are their own, and not those of the Company. Political contributions may never be made under circumstances in which it would appear to influence a business decision.

The Company may occasionally express its views on local and national issues that affect its operations. In such cases, Company funds and resources may be used, but only when permitted by law and our guidelines. The Company may also make limited contributions to political parties or candidates in jurisdictions where it is legal and customary to do so. The Company may pay related administrative and solicitation costs for political action committees formed in accordance with applicable laws

and regulations. Any use of Company resources for political activities, including contributions or donations, requires advance approval by the applicable Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, or their designee.

In general, our people should avoid any activity, investment, or relationship that raises a potential conflict of interest, including avoiding business transactions with the Company. For example, employees may not act on behalf of the Company in any transaction or undisclosed or unvetted business relationship involving themselves, members of their family, or other persons or organizations with which they, their family, or friends have had any significant personal connection or financial interest. Our people may not engage in self-dealing or otherwise trade upon their Company position or accept or solicit any personal benefit from a client, investor, other persons who have a relationship with the Company, or a related party of the Company that is not generally available to other persons or is made available to them due to their position without prior approval from Compliance.

## Safeguarding Information & Using Company Assets
We expect our people to apply their best judgment when using Company resources. Our assets should be protected and may never be used for illegal or improper purposes. Company assets include not only financial assets, such as cash and securities, and physical assets, such as furnishings, equipment, and supplies, but also confidential and proprietary client relationships and intellectual property, such as information about clients, investors, related parties, systems, and people. All property created, obtained, or compiled by or on behalf of the Company belongs to the Company.

#### Confidential, Proprietary, & Material Non-Public Information
The success of the Company depends on safeguarding our client, proprietary, and other confidential information. Maintaining the confidentiality of Company information is essential for competitive, security, and other business reasons, as well as to comply with federal and state securities laws.

Confidential information includes all information that you obtain during the course of your relationship with the

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Company that is non-public and includes all non-public information that might be of use to competitors or harmful to the Company or its clients if disclosed. Financial information is of special sensitivity and should under all circumstances be considered confidential, except where its disclosure is approved by the Company or when the information has been publicly disseminated.

Some confidential information is also proprietary information, which includes any information that our people create, develop, receive, or have access to as a result of their work at the Company. Examples of proprietary information include the Company's business information, trademarks, copyrights, and other intellectual or proprietary property. These are valuable assets that need to be protected.

Some confidential information is also MNPI. Using MNPI for your financial or other personal benefit or conveying this information to others is prohibited.

Access to confidential information should only be provided internally to those who have a valid business purpose and need to know this information. Such information should never be forwarded to personal e-mail accounts or other unauthorized external systems.

The obligations to preserve confidential information and to use proprietary information only for legitimate business purposes continue even after employees, officers and directors leave the Company.

#### Privacy & Data Protection
While conducting Company business, our people may also receive personally identifiable or sensitive information. Such information may be entrusted to us by our clients, policy holders, investors, employees, companies in which our clients invest, and prospective portfolio companies of our clients. Our people must maintain the confidentiality of any personal or sensitive information entrusted to us and comply with all Company policies, agreements, and regulatory requirements regarding the protection, collection, use, or release of such information. Our people must also exercise appropriate care to prevent unauthorized disclosure and use of such information.

#### Appropriate Use of Technology
The Company provides computers, telephones, e-mail systems, and other electronic communications devices, networks, applications, and other resources (collectively, "Systems") for conducting business. The Systems are Company property, and to the extent permitted by applicable laws, we treat all electronic communications created, sent, received, or stored on the Systems as property of the Company.

In accordance with applicable laws and regulations, any and all telephone conversations or transmissions, electronic mail or transmissions, or internet access or usage by an employee by any electronic device or system, including but not limited to the use of a computer, telephone, wire, radio or electromagnetic, photoelectronic or photo-optical systems may be subject to monitoring at all times as deemed appropriate for the Company's legitimate purposes without further notice or consent. The Company conducts regular monitoring of Systems and electronic communications.

Any records that you create and store are subject to this Code and may be demanded by third parties during the course of litigation or a government investigation or, in the case of records sent outside the Company, subject to the records retention policies of the recipients. It is unacceptable to include discriminatory remarks, harassment, and threats of violence or similar inappropriate or unlawful conduct in communications. This applies to communications of all kinds, including e-mail, instant messaging, voice mail messages, text messages, video recordings, and informal notes or interoffice memos. Records should be retained and destroyed in accordance with the Company's records retention policy.

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Personal e-mail and messaging systems, including social networking applications and websites, should not be used for business-related electronic communications. Personnel should adhere to their respective communication polices and may not forward confidential information to their personal e-mail account.

#### Communicating Responsibly
Our people should exercise good judgment and act with the Company's reputation in mind with regard to all internal and external communications.

The Company frequently receives requests for information from various third parties, including the media. Information disclosed publicly about the Company can significantly impact our business interests and reputation. Our people should not speak on behalf of the Company unless authorized to do so by Corporate Communications and should never give the impression that they are speaking on behalf of the Company in any personal communication, including social media accounts of any kind, user forums, blogs, chat rooms, or bulletin boards.

Any communications with the public must be consistent and accurate. Examples of public communications include: publishing press releases, communicating with the media, participating in conferences and speaking engagements, publishing written works, providing public testimony, posting content on social media, and responding to federal and state information act requests.

## Our People
The Company fosters an entrepreneurial growth mindset and empowers our people to succeed. We embrace innovation, challenge convention, and lead responsibly to drive our industry and our impact forward. We operate as one team, with an unwavering commitment to our shared core principles. Our people come first, and our culture continues to evolve to offer our employees greater flexibility and the support they need to succeed at work and

at home.

Whether you're new or already part of the Company, continuing and growing our success depends on you. To support you, the Company is committed to creating a dynamic, diverse, and collegial workplace where you can collaborate, learn, and develop.

While we must adapt to business customs and practices in global markets, our people should adhere to applicable

U.S. laws and regulations, as well as the laws, cultures, and customs of the countries in which they work.

### Demonstrating Appropriate Conduct
Appropriate conduct is critical to maintaining our culture of integrity and safeguarding the Company's reputation. All employees are required to comply with the law in their jurisdiction and with all applicable Company policies, procedures, agreements and terms to which they are subject, including, but not limited to, the policies referenced within this Code (including its appendices). In addition, all employees are expected to exercise sound judgment and always demonstrate appropriate behavior as all of our actions can have an impact on the Company's reputation. If you identify a risk that could result in harm to the Company, whether economic, reputational or otherwise, you should promptly notify your manager or Human Capital. These requirements and expectations are not limited to the workplace and Company events, but also extend to any personal conduct that could adversely impact the workplace, the Company's reputation, or any employee's ability to perform on the job. Employees who are found to have engaged in inappropriate conduct may be subject to disciplinary action, which may include termination. See Company Appendix.

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### Expanding Opportunity
The Company is committed to expanding opportunity within its workforce. This commitment extends to all employees. Diversity within the Company means a blend of different experiences, perspectives, skills, genders, ages, ethnicities, and cultural and social backgrounds across all levels of the Company. To this end, the Company aims to promote and implement strategies which expand opportunity at all levels of our workforce:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· In our employment practices, including endeavoring to consider a wide pool of talented candidates for every open role and selecting the best and most qualified candidate;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Across all components of the Company's business practices, including our workplace and anti-discrimination policies and flexible work practices, so that our policies, procedures, and culture empower and support employees from all backgrounds; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· In our development and training programs, including through our education programs and community and corporate social responsibility initiatives.

We are committed to fostering a modern, high-performance culture which values diversity and provides all employees with the opportunity to succeed.

### Discrimination & Harassment

#### Equal Employment Opportunity Policy
The Company provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression or military or veteran status, or any other impermissible criterion or circumstance protected by applicable law, ordinance, or regulation, including any intersectionality of these criterion. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, recruitment, selection, promotion, compensation, benefits, termination, layoff, transfer, leaves of absence, and training.

Company policy prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression or military or veteran status, or any other impermissible criterion or circumstance protected by applicable law, ordinance, or regulation.

#### Harassment Prohibited
The Company is committed to providing a workplace that is free of all forms of harassment. Under this policy, "harassment" is defined as verbal or physical conduct that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual because of an individual's race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression or military or veteran status, or any other impermissible criterion or circumstance protected by applicable law, ordinance or regulation, and that: (i) has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment; (ii) has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work performance; or (iii) otherwise adversely affects an individual's employment opportunities.

Harassment is a form of prohibited employee misconduct. Any employee found to have engaged in any form of harassment will be subject to discipline, which may include termination.

## Sustainability & Corporate Responsibility

------

We believe Apollo is uniquely positioned to drive a more sustainable future and expand opportunity in our workplace, the marketplace, and throughout the communities where we work and live. Accordingly, we take an integrated approach and incorporate relevant environmental, social and governance considerations into how we invest, how we lend, and how we operate our firm globally.

Our sustainability strategy prioritizes creating economic value for our shareholders and serving the needs of our clients and employees in a responsible way that can lead to long-term positive contributions to the communities in which we operate. Sustainability at Apollo is more than a negative screen, risk mitigator, or due diligence tool — it's a potential driver of opportunity and growth.

We view sustainable investment to be the strategy and practice of incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors and sustainability outcomes into our investment decisions, practices, and ownership, to the extent they are deemed to be material to financial performance and consistent with fiduciary obligations. We believe that managing relevant ESG risks and realizing ESG opportunities can make us better investors and better stewards of client capital by positioning portfolio companies and other investments of Apollo-managed funds for sustainable financial success.

#### Additional Resources
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· **<u>Sustainable</u> <u>Investing</u> <u>and</u> <u>Environmental,</u> <u>Social</u> <u>&</u> <u>Governance</u> <u>Policy</u>**

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· **<u>Annual</u> <u>Sustainability</u> <u>Report,</u> <u>Vol.</u> <u>15</u> <u>(2023)</u>**

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· **<u>ESG</u> <u>Reporting</u> <u>Supplement,</u> <u>Vol.</u> <u>15</u> <u>(2023)</u>**

#### Additional sustainability-related disclosures for Apollo and Athene can be found here and here

## Appendix A

## Apollo Asset Management, Inc. Policies

#### Raising Concerns & Reporting Violation
**Raising Concerns & Reporting Violations** 

All individuals subject to AAM's policies and procedures must immediately report any securities or other regulatory investigation, misdemeanor (other than minor traffic violations), criminal charge, or arrest involving you personally, regardless of whether it relates to the Company's business.

#### Financial Integrity

#### Anti-Bribery, Gifts & Entertainment
All individuals subject to AAM's policies and procedures are required to report to and/or pre-clear with Compliance certain gifts received from or given to anyone who is doing business with, or who is seeking to do business with AAM. Additionally, our people are required to pre-clear with or report to Compliance any entertainment provided to a government official regardless of value, as well as entertainment provided to or received from anyone doing business with or seeking to do business with the Company that exceeds $1,000 in total value per person.

#### Avoiding Conflicts of Interest

#### Personal Trading & Personal Private Investments

------

All individuals subject to AAM's policies and procedures must disclose personal brokerage accounts in which they have a beneficial ownership to Compliance and pre-clear certain securities transactions and private investments with Compliance prior to execution to evaluate whether any conflicts or other restrictions exist.

#### Outside Interests & Activities
Outside business activities include any form of employment other than AAM. Outside business activities also include serving as a director or officer of another company or organization, including of a portfolio company of an Apollo- managed fund, or any activity that has the potential to detract from your ability to devote appropriate time and attention to your responsibilities to the Company. AAM personnel are required to preclear proposed outside interests and activities with Compliance.

#### Political Contributions
AAM encourages its employees to support political causes of their choosing, so long as it is in compliance with relevant laws, rules, and regulations. Proposed political contributions to a candidate for any election (local, state, federal), committee, political party, political action committee, or other politically active entity must be disclosed to and pre-cleared with Compliance. Political contributions may never be made under circumstances in which it would appear to influence a business decision.

#### Employee Handbook & Additional Relevant Policies
All individuals subject to AAM's policies and procedures must also familiarize themselves with the policies contained in the applicable Employee Handbook for their jurisdiction which is made available on the AAM intranet.

In addition, all such individuals must also familiarize themselves with the additional policies made available on the Legal, Tax & Compliance homepage, including but not limited to the following:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Conflicts of Interest Policy

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· AGM Insider Trading Policy

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Insider Trading Prevention Policy

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Anti-Money Laundering Policy

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Anti-Bribery Policy

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Gifts & Entertainment Policy

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Lobbying Policy

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Outside Business Activities Policy

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Personal Trading and Private Investment Policy

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Political Activities Policy

## Appendix B

## Athene Holding Ltd. Values and Policies

------

#### Raising Concerns & Reporting Violations

#### Demonstrating Appropriate Conduct
All individuals subject to Athene's policies and procedures must immediately report a felony charge or conviction involving you personally, regardless of whether it relates to the Company's business. Employees must promptly report to Legal, Compliance, or Human Resources the following types of legal actions:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Any felonies (charge or conviction), whether in personal or professional dealings, that may constitute a violation of this Code or any other Company policies, laws, rules, or regulations.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Any securities or other regulatory investigation which could include felony or equivalent violations, criminal charge, or arrest involving the employee personally, regardless of whether it relates to the Company's business.

As a regulated insurance company, Athene is subject to the insurance regulations of each state and may be required by law to report employee felony convictions.

#### Bermuda Conflict of Interest management
**In accordance with their respective by-laws, directors and executive or chief officers of the Bermuda entities, who are directly or indirectly interested in a contract or proposed contract or arrangement, must declare the nature of such interest. Directors and executive or chief officers of other entities must disclose any material transaction, interest, affiliation or relationship which either conflicts with, or is likely to conflict with, the official duties of that person, or that otherwise might reasonably be expected to give rise to a conflict in accordance with the applicable governing documents. To ensure regular disclosure of such conflicts, Athene will send an annual conflicts of interest survey to its directors, officers, and certain key employees. Any such conflicts are handled in accordance with the respective entity's governing provisions related to conflicts. Please refer to the Athene Holding Ltd. Conflict Interest Policy.**

**Gifts & Entertainment** <br>When giving or receiving gifts or entertainment, you must make sure it is for a legitimate business purpose and in accordance with the Athene Employee Travel & Expense Reimbursement Policy and the Athene Anti-Bribery Policy. These policies are in addition to the guidance provided above. Those individuals who are registered through Athene Securities, LLC as an associated person should contact the Chief Compliance Officer of Athene Securities for guidance with respect to FINRA rules. Those who are part of the AAM Compliance Program may have pre-clearance requirements. Additionally, Athene employees are required to report with Compliance any gift or entertainment provided to or received from anyone doing business with or seeking to do business with the Company that exceeds<br>$250 annually in total cumulative value per person. Cash and cash-equivalent gift cards such as Visa credit cards are not permitted. Vendor gift cards (Starbucks, Target etc.) are allowed to be received from a third party and must be reported if over $50. Additional guidance is available by reviewing the following policies.<br>• Athene Employee Travel & Expense Reimbursement Policy<br>• Athene Anti-Bribery Policy<br>• Athene Holding Ltd. Conflict Interest Policy<br>

------

---

| |
|:---|
| **Ethical Sales Practices** <br>Protecting our customers and policyholders in any market environment is our top priority. Athene maintains and follows policies and procedures to help ensure customers' needs are met based on their objectives, risk tolerance and financial needs. This is done by making sure the customer is in an appropriate financial position to purchase an Athene annuity. Athene also protects our customers by making sure that the product features and benefits are able to meet the customers' current and long-term financial needs and objectives.<br>Customer protection is a very important part of the Athene application process to ensure an appropriate and suitable sale has occurred and is in the best interest of the customer. To help assure that financial professionals act in the best interest of our customers, Athene maintains a robust suitability program and procedures related to responsible marketing practices. |
| **Philanthropy & Grantmaking** <br>Athene is committed to social responsibility practices that benefit our communities. In furtherance of this commitment, Athene may periodically ask its service providers, vendors, and others with whom it has a business relationship to consider making a charitable contribution directly to an identified charitable organization. Athene will not require or expect that a contribution is made in response. Moreover, our people are precluded from considering such charitable contributions when making business decisions for Athene.<br>The Athene Charitable Foundation (the "Foundation") is a separate charitable organization that operates a community grantmaking program. Grantmaking decisions are made solely by the Foundation's Board of Directors and its designees. The Foundation's grantmaking will never be used to facilitate or impact Athene's business relationships. |
| **Review Athene Policies** <br>In addition to the guidance contained in this Code, there are many other Athene policies that Athene employees must also familiarize themselves with that are made available internally. |

---

------

## Ex-99.P

GRAHAM CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, L.P. GRAHAM CAPITAL LLP

CODE OF ETHICS

December 2024

#### **TABLE OF CONTENTS**
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A. Scope 1

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;B. Persons and Accounts Covered by the Code 1

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;C. [Compliance with Applicable Securities Laws 5](#_TOC_250005_9)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;D. [Policy on Insider Trading 5](#_TOC_250004_9)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;E. [Personal Trading in Derivative Instruments 7](#_TOC_250003_9)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;F. Reporting by Access Persons 8

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;G. [Pre-Approval Procedures, Holding Period Requirement and Limit on Transactions 9](#_TOC_250002_9)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;H. [Reporting Violations 10](#_TOC_250001_9)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I. [Administration of the Code 10](#_TOC_250000_9)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;J. Sanctions 11

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;K. Acknowledgment of Receipt and Compliance 11

Schedule 1-Access Persons S1-1

Schedule 2-Portfolio Managers/Associate Portfolio Managers/Trading Analysts/Trading Assistants/Risk Department S2-1

Schedule 3-Mutual Funds Advised by Graham S3-1

Exhibit 1-Initial Holdings Report.................................................................Exl-1

Appendix A-Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Rule 16a l(a)(2)...............................A-1 Appendix B-Designated Brokers....................................................................B-1

------

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**A. Scope**

As an investment adviser, Graham Capital Management, L.P., including for these

purposes Graham Capital LLP (together, "Graham"), stands in a position of trust and confidence with respect to its clients. Accordingly it has a fiduciary duty to act at all times in the best interests of the funds that it advises and separate managed account clients for whom Graham serves as investment adviser (together, "Clients"). In order to assist Graham and its employees or members (together, "employees"), as applicable, in meeting their obligations as fiduciaries, Graham has adopted this Code of Ethics (the "Code"). The Code incorporates the following general principles, which all employees are expected to uphold:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Employees must at all times place the interests of its Clients above the interests of all others.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• All personal securities transactions must be conducted in a manner consistent with the Code and avoid any actual or potential conflicts of interest or any abuse of an employee's position of trust and responsibility.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Employees must not take any inappropriate advantage of their positions at Graham.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Information concerning the identity of securities and financial circumstances of the Clients and their investors must be kept confidential.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Employees are absolutely forbidden from engaging in insider trading, as further described in the Code.

Graham believes that these general principles not only help it to fulfill its fiduciary obligations, but also protect Graham's reputation and instill in its employees Graham's commitment to honesty, integrity and professionalism. Employees should understand that these general principles apply to all conduct, whether or not the conduct also is covered by more specific standards or procedures set forth below. Failure to comply with the Code may result in disciplinary action, including termination of employment.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**B. Persons and Accounts Covered by the Code**

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1. Employees

The Code applies to all of Graham's "Supervised Persons." Graham's Supervised Persons consist of its officers (or other persons occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), its employees, and any other person who is contracted to provide services to Graham and who, by virtue of the services rendered, may have access to confidential information related to Graham's investment activity.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2. Access Persons

------

All Supervised Persons are subject to the Code; however, certain provisions of the Code apply only to Graham's "Access Persons." Access Persons include any Supervised Person who:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• has access to non-public information regarding any Client's purchases or sales of securities; is involved in making securities recommendations to Clients, or has access to such recommendations that are non-public; or

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• in respect of any Client advised by Graham that is an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Investment Company Act"), any officer or employee of Graham who, in connection with his or her regular functions or duties, makes, participates in or obtains information regarding, the purchase or sale of Covered Securities by such a Client, or whose functions relate to the making of any recommendations with respect to such purchases or sales.

All officers, employees and certain other designated persons are considered Supervised Persons and therefore subject to the general provisions of the Code. However, only those persons identified in Schedule 1 as Access Persons are subject to the requirements under Sections F and G of the Code.

In addition to those requirements applicable to Access Persons of Graham, portfolio managers, associate portfolio managers and their trading analysts and assistants, and members of Graham's Risk Department are subject to additional requirements and restrictions on personal trading as set forth in Schedule 2 hereof.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;3. Accounts

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;a. Personal Accounts

The term "Personal Account" means any securities account that has the ability to execute trades in Covered Securities, as that term is defined below, and in which an employee has any direct or indirect "Beneficial Ownership," and includes any Personal Account of an employee's immediate family members (including any relative by blood or marriage either living in the employee's household or financially dependent on the employee) and domestic partner sharing the employee's household.<sup>1</sup>

An employee is deemed to have Beneficial Ownership if the employee, directly or indirectly, through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship or otherwise, has or shares a direct or indirect opportunity to profit or share in any profit derived from the relevant

![](img_5104ef671c6e4f3.jpg)

<sup>1</sup> The term "immediate family member" is defined by reference to SEC Rule 16a-l(a)(2)(ii)(A) and includes any child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, stepparent, grandparent, spouse, sibling, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law, and includes adoptive relationships.

Personal Account. For examples of indirect Beneficial Ownership, refer to Appendix A attached hereto.

------

A Personal Account does not include an account over which the Access Person has no direct or indirect influence or control. For example, if an Access Person owns a securities account and all investment decisions for that account are made by an investment adviser or broker dealer (provided that the Access Person may define general investment criteria relating to the account), then that account would not be considered a Personal Account subject to this Code. This is generally referred to as a managed account arrangement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the details of any such account must be reported to Graham's Chief Compliance Officer ("CCO") upon an employee becoming an Access Person or in connection with an Access Person opening a managed account, including the name of the financial institution, account number, account name, identification of the account as being directed by a third party and a copy of the investment management agreement. Periodically Graham will require Access Persons and the investment adviser or broker-dealer that oversees the managed account to confirm certain information regarding the extent of the Access Person's involvement in investment recommendations for the account.

Examples of accounts that may be considered a Personal Account include a roll-over IRA, a child's UGMA or UTMA, a securities account with brokerage capabilities for which the Access Person serves as an executor, an ISA (for UK-based employees) and a SIPP (for UK-based employees), provided that in each case the account is able to transact in Covered Securities. Examples of accounts that are not Personal Accounts include a checking or savings account, your Graham 401(k) plan account and a state 529 college savings plan.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;b. Designated Brokers

<u>US-based Access Persons</u>. US-based Access Persons may only hold a Personal Account at a Designated Broker, as defined in Appendix B, subject to few exceptions. Designated Brokers provide electronic confirmation of an Access Person's securities transactions and holdings to Graham via MyComplianceOffice, the web-based application that provides holdings and transactions reporting capabilities for Graham's Access Persons. Existing Personal Accounts that are not held at a Designated Broker must either be transferred to a Designated Broker or closed, unless otherwise directed by the CCO. However, <u>certain</u> <u>Covered</u> <u>Securities may</u> <u>not</u> <u>be</u> <u>listed, and</u> <u>therefore</u> <u>cannot</u> <u>be</u> <u>held</u> <u>with</u> <u>a</u> <u>Designated Broker</u>. In such instances, Access Persons must contact Compliance to confirm how to report any related holdings and trades.

<u>UK-based Access Persons</u>. UK-based Access Persons are not required to maintain their Personal Accounts at a Designated Broker. Such employees must, however, (i) notify the CCO of all Personal Accounts that they hold and (ii) with respect to Personal Accounts not held with a Designated Broker arrange for their brokers to send duplicate account statements and trade confirmations to the CCO or his designee.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;c. Covered Securities

The term "Covered Securities" includes all securities as defined in section 2(a)(36) of the Investment Company Act, and includes:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Debt and equity securities;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Equity Options;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Shares of Exchange-Traded Funds/Exchange-Traded Notes;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• All forms of limited partnership and limited liability company

------

interests, including interests in private investment funds (such as hedge funds), and interests in investment clubs; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Foreign unit trusts and foreign mutual funds.

The term "Covered Securities," however, does not include the following:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Direct obligations of the Government of the United States or other sovereign debt (e.g. gilts) ("Government Securities");

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Bankers' acceptances, bank certificates of deposit, commercial paper, and high quality short-term debt obligations, including repurchase agreements; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Shares issued by open-end (NAV-traded) mutual funds, except where Graham serves as an investment adviser (as that term is defined in the Investment Company Act) to any such fund (a "Reportable Fund"). Schedule 3 is a list of mutual funds for which Graham serves as an investment adviser as of the date of this Code. This list may change without notice to employees; however, you can confirm this list with the Compliance Department prior to investing in a mutual fund.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Crypto or virtual currencies. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") has indicated that certain crypto or virtual currencies may be securities under applicable interpretations. However, for purposes of this Code, crypto or virtual currencies are not Covered Securities, with the exception of any crypto currency products, such as initial coin offerings, sold in SEC-registered securities offerings. For the avoidance of doubt, Exchange-Traded Funds - even if such Exchange-Traded Funds solely invest in crypto or virtual currencies - are Covered Securities as listed above.

Any questions regarding the application of these terms will be addressed by Graham's CCO.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**C. Compliance with Applicable Securities Laws**

In addition to the general principles of conduct stated in the Code and the specific trading restrictions and reporting requirements described below, the Code requires all supervised persons to comply with applicable US federal securities laws and, with respect to UK-based persons, UK laws. These laws include the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act"), the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, Title V of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and any rules adopted by the SEC under any of these statutes, the Bank Secrecy Act and the UK Criminal Justice Act and the UK Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**D. Policy on Insider Trading**

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1. Scope

------

Employees may not trade, personally or on behalf of others (such as Client accounts), on the basis of material, non-public information ("MNPI"). Employees should not communicate MNPI to anyone except persons who are entitled to receive the information in connection with the performance of their responsibilities for Graham. Graham's policy prohibiting insider trading extends to trading in all instrument types and asset classes in which Graham invests for its Client accounts.

Information 1s considered material if there is a substantial likelihood that a reasonable investor would consider it important in making his or her investment decision. Generally, this includes any information the disclosure of which will have a substantial effect on the price of a company's securities or other listed instrument. Material information often relates to an issuer's results and operations including, for example, dividend changes, earnings results, changes in previously released earnings estimates, merger or acquisition proposals or agreements, major litigation, and extraordinary business or management developments. Material information may also relate to the market for a security. Information about a significant order to purchase or sell securities may, in some contexts, be material. Prepublication information regarding reports in the financial press may also be material.

Non-public information is information that is not generally available to the investing public. Information is "public" when it has been disseminated broadly to investors in the marketplace, including through public filings with the SEC or other government agency, news reports, trade journals or similar sources.

Determinations as to what constitutes MNPI are highly fact specific and any questions in this regard should be directed to Graham's CCO.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2. Actions

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;a. Prior to executing any trade for a Client account, Personal Account or on behalf of others, an employee must determine whether he has access to MNPI. If the employee believes that he is in possession of such information, the following steps must be taken:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Report the information and proposed trade immediately to Graham's CCO;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Do not execute the trade;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Do not communicate the information other than to the CCO or his designee;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;b. Following a review of available information, a determination will be made as to whether the trade may be executed or if the information is either material or non-public such that the trade may not be executed.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;3. Information Barrier/Restricted List

Graham has established procedures (i) to notify employees of information that it deems to be MNPI, and appropriately restrict employees from trading in financial instruments directly impacted by the information, and (ii) to limit access by employees to MNPI properly received by Graham in a manner designed to minimize the impact to the firm. Following are summaries of the procedures; the detailed procedures are set forth in Graham's Compliance Manual.

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;a. Information Barrier

Graham uses an information barrier to isolate sens1t1ve information, including MNPI, to ensure that such information is not improperly received or communicated throughout the firm. The information barrier is designed to permit certain employees, for example, to evaluate potential transactions in an issuer prior to the details of the transaction being publicized, while other employees who are not made privy to this information can continue to trade in that issuer's securities. Typically, this information is made available to Graham under an explicit agreement by Graham to appropriately limit access to the information pursuant to an information barrier. These procedures are designed to enable Graham to meet its contractual obligations to the discloser of the information and also to ensure that it does not violate applicable securities laws.

Graham's Compliance Department is responsible for establishing and maintaining appropriate information barrier procedures. An information barrier will be maintained until such time as it is determined that the information received by Graham is no longer MNPI. To assist in the administration of these procedures, Graham utilizes an information control list, or "restricted list."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;b. Restricted List

Graham uses a restricted list to control information flow with respect to certain financial instruments in relation to which Graham has received confidential information. Graham's Compliance Department is responsible for overseeing the restricted list, including determining which financial instruments are to be added to or removed from the list and which employees shall be subject to the restrictions in respect of each instrument on the list, and the manner in which the information is communicated to affected employees.

A financial instrument will be added to the restricted list for a number of reasons. However, any employee who is in possession of MNPI, regardless of whether or not the financial

instrument is on the restricted list, is prohibited from trading in it for any reason. In determining whether to add a financial instrument to the restricted list and which employees will be restricted, Graham will consider various factors, including the source of the MNPI, the nature and credibility of the information, the potential impact to the firm resulting from the restriction, and other similar matters.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4. Sanctions for Violations

Severe penalties may result from engaging in illegal insider trading. In addition to any disciplinary action that Graham may take, including termination of employment, persons found guilty of having engaged in illegal insider trading may be subject to criminal and civil penalties in the United States and other countries. In the United States, the penalties are:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;a. <u>Criminal Sanctions</u>. The maximum prison sentence for an insider trading violation is currently 20 years. The maximum criminal fine for individuals is currently $5,000,000, and the maximum fine for non-natural persons (such as an entity whose securities are publicly traded) is currently $25,000,000.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;b. <u>Civil</u> <u>Sanctions</u>. Persons who violate insider trading laws may become subject to an injunction and may be forced to disgorge any profits gained or losses avoided. The civil penalty for a violator may be an amount up to three times the profit gained or loss avoided as a result of the insider trading violation. To the

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extent that Graham is deemed to be a controlling person of any employee who is found guilty of an insider trading violation, Graham (as well as other natural or non-natural persons who are deemed to be controlling persons of the violator) faces a civil penalty not to exceed the greater of $1,000,000 or three times the profit gained or loss avoided as a result of the violation if Graham knew or recklessly disregarded the fact that the controlled person was likely to engage in the acts constituting the insider trading violation and failed to take appropriate steps to prevent the acts before they occurred.

In addition to the foregoing, persons found guilty of insider trading could be permanently barred from the securities industry and face additional liability from claims by investors for damages resulting from illegal insider trading.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**E. Personal Trading in Derivative Instruments**

No employee is permitted to trade futures, foreign exchange, swaps or other derivatives for their own account or that of a family member, friend or any other third party without prior written approval from the CCO. Employees with access to sensitive information are required periodically and upon request to furnish the CCO with copies of their Federal income tax return, or a certificate in lieu thereof from a certified tax preparer attesting to the absence of income/loss from such activities on the employee's Federal income tax return, to confirm adherence to this policy. Note that spot currency conversion transactions for travel or other non-speculative purposes is not prohibited under this policy.

**F. Reporting by Access Persons**

1. Initial Holdings Report

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;a. Contents of Holdings Report

Every access person must submit an initial holdings report to the CCO that discloses all Covered Securities held in any Personal Account, whether or not such Personal Account is maintained at a Designated Broker. The report must contain, at a minimum:

1) the title and type of Covered Security, and as applicable the exchange ticker symbol or CUSIP number, number of shares, and principal amount of each Covered Security in any Personal Account

2) the name of any broker, dealer or bank with which the Access Person maintains any Personal Account; and

3) the date on which the Access Person submits the report.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;b. Timing of Initial Holdings Report

Every Access Person must submit the initial holdings report, substantially in the form attached hereto as <u>Exhibit 1</u> <u>(or</u> <u>as</u> <u>otherwise provided by</u> <u>electronic means)</u>, not later than 10 days after becoming an Access Person, and the information contained in the report must be current as of a date no more than 45 days prior to the date of becoming an Access Person. For any Covered Securities held with a broker, the Access Person may provide Compliance with current brokerage statement(s).

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2. Quarterly Transaction Attestation

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Every Access Person must attest to their quarterly transactions in Covered Securities in any Personal Account. Access Persons will make these attestations through MyComplianceOffice. Instructions for how to make these attestations will be contained in the assignment transmitted by MyComplianceOffice to Access Persons. In addition, Access Persons must report information on Personal Accounts established during the quarter, including the name of the broker, the date the account was established and the date the report is submitted. Quarterly transaction attestation assignments will be transmitted via MyComplianceOffice to Access Persons following the end of each calendar quarter and must be completed by the due date specified in the assignment, but not later than 30 days after the end of each calendar quarter.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;3. Annual Holdings Attestation

Every Access Person must attest to their holdings of Covered Securities in any Personal Account on an annual basis, as of December 31 of each year. Access Persons will make these attestations through MyComplianceOffice. Instructions for how to make these attestations will be contained in the assignment transmitted by MyComplianceOffice to Access Persons. Annual holdings attestation assignments will be transmitted to Access Persons following the end of

each calendar year and must be completed by the due date specified in the assignment, but not later than 30 days after the end of the calendar year.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4. Exceptions to the Reporting Requirements

No Access Person is required to report with respect to transactions (and holdings related thereto) effected pursuant to an automatic investment plan *(i.e.,* a program in which regular periodic purchases (or withdrawals) are made automatically in (or from) investment accounts in accordance with a predetermined schedule and allocation, including any dividend reinvestment plans).

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;G. **Pre-Approval Procedures, Holding Period Requirement and Limit on Transactions**

Every Access Person must obtain approval from the CCO before transacting in any Covered Security for a Personal Account.

1. ***Pre-Approval Procedure***

Requests must be entered into the MyComplianceOffice system. Requests will be reviewed by the Compliance Department for possible conflicts and approvals or denials will be communicated to the requestor through the MyComplianceOffice system, typically within twenty four hours of submission. Approvals will be valid for the later of the requested trade date or the date of approval and the following two business days. If the trade is not executed in that time a new request must be submitted prior to executing the trade.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2. ***Holding Period Requirement***

Personal Accounts, other than those with respect to which a third party exercises sole investment discretion, are prohibited from engaging in active trading in Covered Securities. For purposes of the Code, active trading is considered to be any purchase and sale, or any sale and purchase, of any Covered Security of an issuer within any period of less than 30 days.

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;3. ***Limit on Transactions***

Graham believes that excessive trading by Access Persons in Personal Accounts can create actual and perceived conflicts of interest between Graham, through the actions of Access Persons, and the accounts that it manages. To avoid any such conflicts, Access Persons are restricted from executing more than 40 transactions (aggregated over all Personal Accounts relating to the Access Person) in Covered Securities over any twelve-month period. For purposes of this Section G.3, a single trade or series of trades for one or more Personal Accounts in the same Covered Security, in the same direction (i.e., buy, sell or sell short) during the approval period (i.e., the requested trade date plus the following two business days) will be considered a single transaction.

Graham may, in its sole discretion, modify any of these requirements or restrictions, or except certain employees, accounts or types of transactions from this policy.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**H. Reporting Violations**

Every Supervised Person must immediately report any violation of the Code to the CCO. All reports will be treated confidentially and investigated promptly and appropriately.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**I. Administration of the Code**

The CCO will receive and review all reports, requests and attestations submitted pursuant to the Code. The CCO will review these submissions to determine that Access Person trades are consistent with requirements and restrictions set forth in the Code and do not otherwise indicate any improper trading activities. The CCO also will ensure that all books and records relating to the Code are properly maintained. The books and records required to be maintained include the following:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• A record of any violation of the Code, and of any action taken as a result of the violation;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• A record of all written acknowledgements of receipt, review and understanding of the Code from each person who is currently, or within the past five years was, a Supervised Person;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• A record of each report made by an Access Person, including any brokerage confirmations and brokerage account statements obtained from Access Persons;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• A record of the names of persons who are currently, or within the past five years were, Access Persons; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• A record of any decision, and the reasons supporting the decision, to approve the acquisition of an initial public offering *(i.e.,* an offering of securities registered under the Securities Act, the issuer of which, immediately before registration, was not subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) or limited offering *(i.e.,* an offering that is exempt from registration under the Securities Act pursuant to Section 4(2), Section 4(6), Rule 504, Rule 505 or Rule 506 thereunder).

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These books and records must be maintained by Graham in an easily accessible place for at least five years from the end of the fiscal year during which the record was created, the first two years in an appropriate office of Graham.

Graham reserves the right to amend, modify, terminate or interpret the Code from time to time in its sole discretion, and to make decisions respecting the Code as needed in order to conduct Graham's business in a manner that it believes to be beneficial to Graham.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**J. Sanctions**

Any violation of any provision of the Code may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. Graham has adopted the following guidelines that it will consult in connection with determining whether and how to impose sanctions for violations of the Code, subject, in its sole discretion, to vary any such sanctions depending on the circumstances surrounding the violation and any prior violations as well as the impact of the violation(s) on the trading and/or the reputation of the Firm.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1. For the first offense, the violation will be reported to the employee's supervisor and Graham's Compliance Committee and the employee will receive a written warning.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2. For the second offense, the employee may be subject to restrictions on the employee's personal trading.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;3. For the third offense, a fine ofup to $5,000 may be imposed, which amount will be deducted from any bonus or other amount payable to the employee for the period in which the violation occurs and subject to carryforward until satisfied or may be implemented in the form of a charitable donation by the employee.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4. For the fourth offense, additional fines and more restrictive measures may be imposed, up to and including termination of employment.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**K. Acknowledgment of Receipt and Compliance**

Graham will provide each Supervised Person with a copy of the Code and any amendments hereto. Any questions regarding any provision of the Code or its application should be directed to the CCO. Each Supervised Person shall attest to their having received the Code and having reviewed and understanding its subject matter.

#### SCHEDULE 1 ACCESS PERSONS
Persons assigned to the following departments and their supervisors or managers shall be considered Access Persons for purposes of the Code:

Executive

Quantitative Strategies

Investor Services

Portfolio Managers - Traders and their associate portfolio managers or trading

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analysts and assistants.

Risk

Technology

Trading Services (except for certain Corporate Accounting personnel)

Legal/Compliance

Independent Contractors (including personnel of Indus Valley Partners) designated as Access Persons

#### SCHEDULE2

#### PORTFOLIO MANAGERS/ASSOCIATE PORTFOLIO MANAGERS/TRADING ANALYSTS/TRADING ASSISTANTS/RISK DEPARTMENT
Personal trading of certain employees of Graham may give rise to actual and perceived conflicts of interest in relation to Graham's trading for GCM accounts, as defined below, which may be detrimental to the interests of Graham and its clients. In order to prevent such conflicts, portfolio managers, associate portfolio managers and their trading analysts or assistants, and members of Graham's Risk Department MUST COMPLY AT ALL TIMES with the following requirements and restrictions in connection with their personal trading, which are in addition to those requirements and restrictions applicable to them as Access Persons of Graham. For purposes of the Code, the term "GCM account" means any account managed by Graham on a proprietary basis or on behalf of Graham clients.

<u>Prohibited Transactions</u>. Personal Accounts may not trade or invest in any securities (debt or equity) of an issuer if the employee, while exercising investment discretion over such Personal Accounts, knows that any GCM account has a position in, or transacted in (purchase or sale) within the prior seven days, any securities of the same issuer, including for these purposes any derivatives related to such securities or such issuer irrespective of the counterparty. To be clear, this restriction relates to trading or investing in any security, including Covered Securities. In the event that a transaction for a GCM account causes Personal Accounts over which an employee has investment discretion and GCM accounts to be invested in securities of the same issuer, the Personal Accounts shall not dispose of the securities in the Personal Accounts for a seven-day period before and after any such securities are transacted (purchase or sale) for the GCM accounts.

<u>Exceptions</u>. GCM may, in its sole discretion, except certain employees, accounts or types of transactions from this policy.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A. The following types of securities are excepted from this policy:

(i) Government Securities (as defined in Section B.3.c hereof), (ii) municipal securities (which shall include securities which are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, a state or any political subdivision thereof, or any agency or instrumentality of a state or any political subdivision thereof, or any municipal corporate instrumentality of one or more states, and such other securities and instruments defined as municipal securities under the Exchange Act) and (iii) exchange traded funds that seek to track an index based on stocks, bonds, commodities or currencies, without regard to this

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restriction on prohibited transactions.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;B. Any trading or holdings in the Market Neutral Quantitative Equities Strategy account are excepted from this policy.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;C. With respect to members of the Risk department, the general prohibition of this policy shall not apply to any requests to trade in their Personal Accounts where a pre-clearance request for a security held or transacted in a GCM account was submitted at least seven days in advance of the requested trade date.

#### SCHEDULE3

#### MUTUAL FUNDS ADVISED BY GRAHAM

#### (as of December 3, 2024)
Following is a list of mutual funds advised by Graham for which pre-approval to trade is required:

Abbey Capital Onshore Series LLC - Series 5

ACMAF Onshore Series LLC - Series 7

Franklin K2 Alternative Strategies Fund

John Hancock Funds **("JHF")** Diversified Macro Fund

LoCorr Macro Strategies Fund (name changed from "LoCorr Managed Futures Strategy Fund")

LoCorr Market Trend Fund LoCorr Hedged Core Fund

Principal Global Multi-Strategy Fund

#### EXHIBIT 1

#### INITIAL HOLDINGS REPORT

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Name of Access Person: Date of Submission:

**Instructions:** Complete the following tables or attach applicable statements within 10 days of becoming an Access Person. For any Covered Securities held with a broker, provide Compliance with current brokerage statement(s). Information in or attached to this report must be current as of a date no more than 45 days prior to the date of becoming an Access Person.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**I. Securities Accounts**

---

| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| <u>Account</u> <u>Title</u> | Broker/Institution<br><u>Name</u> <u>and</u> <u>Address</u> | <u>Account</u> <u>Number</u> |

---

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**II. Covered Securities**

---

| | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| <u>Title</u> <u>of</u> <u>Security</u> | <u>Type</u> <u>of</u> <u>Security</u> | <u>Ticker</u> <u>or</u> <u>CUSIP</u> | <u>Number</u> <u>of</u> <u>Shares</u> | <u>Principal</u> <u>Amount</u> |
| 1. |  |  |  |  |
| 2. |  |  |  |  |
| 3. |  |  |  |  |
| 4. |  |  |  |  |
| 5. |  |  |  |  |
| 6. |  |  |  |  |
| 7. |  |  |  |  |
| 8. |  |  |  |  |
| 9. |  |  |  |  |
| 10. |  |  |  |  |

---

I hereby certify that the information contained in this report is accurate and that listed above or attached are all Personal Accounts and Covered Securities with respect to which I have Beneficial Ownership.

By: Name:

Date:

#### APPENDIX A

#### (from Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Rule 16a- l(a)(2))
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(2) Other than for purposes of determining whether a person is a beneficial owner of more than ten percent of any class of equity securities registered under Section 12 of the Act, the term "beneficial owner" shall mean any

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person who, directly or indirectly, through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship or otherwise, has or shares a direct or indirect pecuniary interest in the equity securities, subject to the following:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(i) The term "pecuniary interest" in any class of equity securities shall mean the opportunity, directly or indirectly, to profit or share in any profit derived from a transaction in the subject securities.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(ii) The term "indirect pecuniary interest" in any class of equity securities shall include, but not be limited to:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(A) securities held by members of a person's immediate family sharing the same household; provided, however, that the presumption of such beneficial ownership may be rebutted; see §240.16a-l(a)(4);

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(B) a general partner's proportionate interest in the portfolio securities held by a general or limited partnership. The general partner's proportionate interest, as evidenced by the partnership agreement in effect at the time of the transaction and the partnership's most recent financial statements, shall be the greater of:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(1) the general partner's share of the partnership's profits, including profits attributed to any limited partnership interests held by the general partner and any other interests in profits that arise from the purchase and sale of the partnership's portfolio securities; or

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(2) the general partner's share of the partnership capital account, including the share attributable to any limited partnership interest held by the general partner.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(C) a performance-related fee, other than an asset-based fee, received by any broker, dealer, bank, insurance company, investment company, investment adviser, investment manager, trustee or person or entity performing a similar function; provided, however, that no pecuniary interest shall be present where:

(**1)** the performance-related fee, regardless of when payable, is calculated based upon net capital gains and/or net capital appreciation generated from

the portfolio or from the fiduciary's overall performance over a period of one year or more; and

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(2) equity securities of the issuer do not account for more than ten percent of the market value of the portfolio. A right to a nonperformance-related fee alone shall not represent a pecuniary interest in the securities;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(D) A person's right to dividends that is separated or separable from the underlying securities. Otherwise, a right to dividends alone shall not represent a pecuniary interest in the securities;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(E) A person's interest in securities held by a trust, as specified in §240.16a- 8(b); 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;(F) A person's right to acquire equity securities through the exercise or conversion of any derivative security, whether or not presently exercisable.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(iii) A shareholder shall not be deemed to have a pecuniary interest in the portfolio securities held by a corporation or similar entity in which the person owns securities if the shareholder is not a controlling shareholder of the entity and does not have or share investment control over the entity's portfolio.

#### APPENDIXB

#### DESIGNATED BROKERS
The Designated Brokers are:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Charles Schwab

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Edward Jones

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Fidelity

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Goldman Sachs

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Interactive Brokers

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• **JP** Morgan Chase

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;• Morgan Stanley Smith Barney

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## Ex-99.P

![](img_2772e81317cf4f10.jpg)![](img_b628e3b7363f4f10.jpg)![](img_e319fb339a984f10.jpg)![](img_6bf7b17683b74f10.jpg)

Contents

[Contents 1](#_bookmark0_10)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I. [Code of Ethics Policy 3](#_bookmark1_10)

[Overview 3](#_bookmark2_10)

[Standards of Professional Conduct 3](#_bookmark3_10)

[Related Policies 4](#_bookmark5_10)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;II. [Personal Trading Policy 4](#_bookmark6_10)

[Key Principles 5](#_bookmark7_10)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;III. [Personal Trading Procedures 5](#_bookmark8_10)

[Section 1: Employee Monitoring Classifications 5](#_bookmark9_10)

[Section 2: Securities Account Maintenance 6](#_bookmark10_10)

[Securities Accounts and Authorized Broker-Dealers 6](#_bookmark11_10)

[Mutual Fund Only Accounts and 529 Accounts 6](#_bookmark12_10)

[Discretionary Managed Accounts 7](#_bookmark13_10)

[Cryptocurrency 7](#_bookmark14_10)

[Section 3: Preclearance Requirements 8](#_bookmark15_10)

[Preclearance Requirements – General 8](#_bookmark16_10)

[Preclearance Requirements – Margin Accounts and Limit Orders 8](#_bookmark17_10)

[Preclearance Requirements – Voluntary Corporate Actions 8](#_bookmark18_10)

[Preclearance Requirements – Gifts of Covered Securities 8](#_bookmark19_10)

[Submitting a Preclearance Request 8](#_bookmark20_10)

[Section 4: General Trading and Other Restrictions 9](#_bookmark21_10)

[Material Nonpublic Information (MNPI) 9](#_bookmark22_10)

[Blackout Period 9](#_bookmark23_10)

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[Exceptions to the Blackout Period 10](#_bookmark24_10)

[Investment Persons 10](#_bookmark25_10)

[Investing in Affiliated Open-End Mutual Funds 10](#_bookmark26_10)

[Sixty Day Covered Security Holding Period 11](#_bookmark27_10)

[Short Sales 11](#_bookmark28_10)

[Excessive Trading 11](#_bookmark29_10)

[Security Ownership 11](#_bookmark30_10)

[Prudential Securities 11](#_bookmark31_10)

[Employer-issued Stock Option Transactions 12](#_bookmark32_10)

[Direct Stock Purchase Plans 12](#_bookmark33_10)

[Options and Futures 12](#_bookmark34_10)

[Initial Public Offerings 12](#_bookmark35_10)

[Private Investments 12](#_bookmark36_10)

[Restricted Lists 12](#_bookmark37_10)

[Investment Clubs 13](#_bookmark38_10)

[Spread Betting 13](#_bookmark39_10)

[Section 5: Additional Requirements for Designated Persons 13](#_bookmark40_10)

[Section 6: Additional Requirements for Dual Hat Employees 13](#_bookmark41_10)

[Section 7: Certifications 13](#_bookmark42_10)

[Initial and Quarterly Compliance Policy Certification 13](#_bookmark43_10)

[Initial and Quarterly Securities Accounts Certification 14](#_bookmark44_10)

[Quarterly Transaction Certification 14](#_bookmark45_10)

[Initial and Annual Holdings Certifications 14](#_bookmark46_10)

[Broker Consent 14](#_bookmark47_10)

[Initial and Quarterly Information Barrier Standards Certification 15](#_bookmark48_10)

[Other Compliance Acknowledgements and Certifications 15](#_bookmark49_10)

[Section 8: Exceptions 15](#_bookmark50_10)

[Section 9: Violations 15](#_bookmark51_10)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;IV. [Internal Controls 16](#_bookmark52_10)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;V. [Escalating Concerns 16](#_bookmark53_10)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;VI. [Discipline and Sanctions 16](#_bookmark54_10)

------

[Exhibit A – Glossary 17](#_bookmark55_10)

[Exhibit B – Compliance and Reporting of Personal Transactions Matrix 20](#_bookmark57_10)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I. Code of Ethics Policy

Overview

Rule 204A-1 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 as amended requires investment advisers to adopt a written code of ethics designed to prevent fraud by reinforcing the principles that govern the conduct of investment advisory firms and their personnel. In addition, the Code of Ethics must set forth specific requirements relating to personal securities trading activity including reporting transactions and holdings.

Jennison's Code of Ethics and Personal Trading Policy (the "Code") applies to all employees. Jennison Associates ("Jennison" or the "Company") expects that all employees will adhere to this Code without exception.

Standards of Professional Conduct

It is Jennison's policy that its employees adhere to the highest ethical standards when discharging their investment advisory duties to our clients or in conducting general business activity on behalf of the Company. Actions, which expose any of us or the organization to even the appearance of an impropriety, must not occur. As a fiduciary[1](#_bookmark4_10), Jennison owes its clients a duty of honesty, good faith, and fair dealing when discharging our investment management responsibilities. It is a fundamental principle of the Company to ensure that the interests of our clients come before those of Jennison or any of its employees. Therefore, as an employee of Jennison, we expect you to uphold these standards of professional conduct by not taking inappropriate advantage of your position, such as using information obtained as a Jennison employee to benefit yourself or anyone else in any way. It is particularly important to adhere to these standards when engaging in personal securities transactions and maintaining the confidentiality of

information concerning the identity of security holdings and the financial circumstances of our clients. Any investment advice provided must be unbiased, independent and confidential. It is extremely important to not violate the trust that Jennison and its clients have placed in its employees.

The prescribed guidelines and principles, as set forth in the policies that follow, are designed to reasonably assure that these high ethical standards long maintained by Jennison continue to be applied and to protect Jennison's clients by deterring misconduct by its employees. It is each employee's responsibility to ensure that we:

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Nurture a company culture that is highly moral and make decisions based on what is right

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Build lasting customer relationships by offering only those products and services that are appropriate to customers' needs and provide fair value

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Maintain an environment where employees conduct themselves with courage, integrity, honesty and fair dealing at all times

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Ensure no individual's personal success or business group's bottom line is more important than preserving the name and goodwill of Jennison

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Regularly monitor and work to improve our ethical work environment

![](img_5104ef671c6e4f3.jpg)

1 Investments Advisers frequently are fiduciaries for clients. Fiduciary status may exist under contract; common law; state law; or federal laws, such as the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the Investment Company Act of 1940 and ERISA.

Jennison employees should use the Code, as well as the related policies and procedures, as an educational guide that is complemented by Jennison's training protocol.

Each Jennison employee has the responsibility to be fully aware of and strictly adhere to the Code of Ethics and the accompanying policies that support the Code. It should be noted that because ethics is not a science, there may be gray areas that are not covered by laws or regulations. Jennison and its employees will nevertheless be held accountable to such standards. Individuals are expected to seek assistance for help in making the right decision.

Related Policies

In addition to this document the following policies are designed to manage actual and potential conflicts of interest related to employees and abuse of an employee's position of trust and responsibility.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1. Conflicts of Interest Policy and Procedures

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2. Gifts and Entertainment Policy and Procedures

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;3. Personal Conflicts and Outside Business Activities Policy and Procedures

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4. Political Contribution Policy and Procedures

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;5. Safeguarding the Receipt of MNPI Policy and Procedures

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;6. Prudential Code of Conduct – Making the Right Choices

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;7. Prudential Information Barrier Standards

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;II. Personal Trading Policy

Jennison and its Employees owe a fiduciary duty to our Clients to conduct our affairs in a manner that:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· avoids placing our own personal interests ahead of the interests of our Clients

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· avoids taking inappropriate advantage of our position with the Company

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· avoids any actual or potential conflicts of interest.

As such, Jennison has adopted this Personal Trading Policy ("Policy") to ensure that Employees conduct their personal trading in a manner consistent with our fiduciary duty. This Policy is also designed to comply with various securities laws and regulations, including the Insider Trading and Securities Fraud Enforcement Act of 1988, the Conduct Rules of FINRA, Rule 204A-1 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and Rule 17(j) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as 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;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Capitalized terms used throughout this Policy are defined in the Glossary in Exhibit A

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· A Matrix of Jennison's pre-approval and reporting requirements is listed in Exhibit B

If you are unclear as to your personal trading and reporting responsibilities, or have any questions concerning any aspect of this Policy, please contact the Personal Trading Compliance Team (<u>PersonalTrading@jennison.com</u>).

Key Principles

Before engaging in any investment-related activity or transaction, you must carefully consider the nature of your responsibilities and the type of information that you might be deemed to possess regarding a particular securities transaction. In addition:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Employees may not trade based on Material Non-public Information (MNPI or Inside Information)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Employees may not profit, or cause others to profit, based on their knowledge of completed or contemplated client transactions

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Employees may not improperly benefit by causing a client to act, or fail to act, in making investment decisions

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Employees may not trade in any manner that conflicts with the interests of our clients, the parameters set by the Policy, or

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the restrictions imposed by Jennison's restricted list

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Employees may not use a derivative (futures, options, and other types) or any other instrument or

means to circumvent the Policy if a direct investment in the underlying security is prohibited

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;III. Personal Trading Procedures

The following rules, regulations and restrictions apply to the personal security transactions of all Employees.

Section 1: Employee Monitoring Classifications

Some of the more frequent Employee monitoring classifications are listed below. Please see the Glossary in Exhibit A for a full list of classifications. For ease of reference, the term Employee will be used throughout this Policy and multiple classifications may apply depending on the Employee's role.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Access Persons - Employees who work in support of our investment advisory activities and who may in the course of their responsibilities have access to nonpublic investment advisory client trading information or recommendations, or have access to nonpublic portfolio holdings. <u>All</u> <u>Jennison Employees are</u> <u>classified as Access Persons.</u> While contingent workers (e.g. consultants and temporary workers) are not Jennison Employees, those contingent workers who have access to sensitive or confidential information may be deemed Access Persons and subject to preclearance of personal securities trading activities and other Policy requirements as determined by the Personal Trading Compliance Team.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Designated Person - An Employee who, during the normal course of his or her job, has routine access to material nonpublic information about Prudential. Material nonpublic information may consist of financial or non-financial information about Prudential as a whole or one or more Divisions or Segments. Please refer to Prudential's Global Insider Trading Policy for specific standards/requirements.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Dual Hat Employee - Employee who works in or supports the investment advisory activities of another PGIM asset management business or another entity under Prudential's control. Please see Section 6 for additional rules and information.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Immediate Family Member – any of the following relatives who share the same household with you and are financially connected to you: child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, stepparent, grandparent, spouse, sibling, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in- law, sister-in-law, including adoptive relationships. The term also includes any related or unrelated

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individual who resides with, or whose investments are controlled by, or whose financial support is materially contributed to by, the Employee, such as a significant other or domestic partner. For example, this could include individuals with whom you share living expenses, bank accounts, rent or mortgage payments, ownership of a home, or any other material financial support. These situations should be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Personal Trading Compliance Team.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Investment Persons – Access Persons who, in connection with their regular functions or duties, make or participate in making recommendations regarding the purchase or sale of securities for client accounts (i.e., portfolio managers and research analysts).

Section 2: Securities Account Maintenance

Securities Accounts and Authorized Broker-Dealers

Access Persons and Investment Persons are required to maintain their Securities Accounts at an Authorized Broker-Dealer. Please review Exhibit A for the definition of Securities Accounts and for the list of Authorized Broker-Dealers.

All Securities Accounts must be reported in our third party vendor system, PTA, or by contacting the Personal Trading Compliance Team. Employees who are newly subject to this requirement are required to transfer their Securities Accounts to an Authorized Broker-Dealer within sixty days of their Company start date. In addition, in the event that you open a new Securities Account, you should report it in PTA within thirty days of activating the new account.

Exceptions to the Authorized Broker-Dealer requirement will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and will be approved on a limited basis. Exceptions must be submitted to the Personal Trading Compliance Team and require the approval of both the Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Executive Officer. If, at any time, the facts and circumstances have changed regarding an account(s) for which an exception has been previously granted, the Employee must promptly notify the Personal Trading Compliance Team and request that the account(s) be reviewed in light of the changed circumstances. Additionally, Employees must submit documentation to the Personal Trading Compliance Team upon request to re-validate exceptions that were previously granted.

Even if you are granted an exception to the Authorized Broker-Dealer requirement and are permitted to maintain an account with a broker-dealer who is not authorized, you or the brokerage firm(s) that maintain(s) your securities account(s) must provide trade confirmations and account statements ("trading activity") to Jennison's Personal Trading Compliance Team.

Certain brokers may require written consent forms with physical signatures from all account owners, including Immediate Family Members, prior to transmitting personal trading data to Jennison for new and existing accounts.

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Jennison recognizes that some of its Employees may, due to their living arrangements, be uncertain as to their obligations under this requirement of the Policy. If an Employee has any question or doubt as to whether a Securities Account is subject to this Policy, he or she must consult with the Personal Trading Compliance Team.

Mutual Fund Only Accounts and 529 Accounts

Access Persons and Investment Persons must report all Securities Accounts held at a broker-dealer even if the account is limited to the purchase and sale of open-end mutual funds.

Some mutual fund companies allow mutual fund shares to be purchased and held directly through the fund's transfer agent rather than through a broker-dealer. Such mutual fund transfer agency accounts, including the underlying transactions and holdings in those accounts, do not need to be reported to Jennison, unless such accounts hold Affiliated Open-End Mutual Funds.

529 College Savings Plans purchased directly from a state sponsor rather than through a broker-dealer are not subject to this Policy and do not require disclosure.

Discretionary Managed Accounts

Access Persons and Investment Persons must disclose Discretionary Managed Accounts to the Personal Trading Compliance Team and must provide a copy of the executed Discretionary Managed Account Agreement for review and approval. Upon approval, duplicate statements and trade confirmations for these accounts are not required to be submitted. However, any Employee may be asked to provide the Personal Trading Compliance Team with periodic statements for certain Discretionary Managed Accounts.

A Discretionary Managed Account Agreement may establish general investment objectives. However, the account owner may not make or be permitted to make any specific decisions regarding the purchase or sale of individual securities for the account. If the account owner has granted management of their Discretionary Managed Account to a third party, then the account owner must not influence or control the account, such as by suggesting purchases or sales of investments, directing transactions, or consulting with the manager regarding allocation of investments in any way that could affect the selection of specific securities.

Employees who reported and have received approval to maintain a Discretionary Managed Account are required to complete a periodic certification to the effect that they have not influenced the purchase and sale of investments as noted in the paragraph above. The financial professional responsible for the Discretionary Managed Account may be required to submit a separate certification to the Personal Trading Compliance Team regarding the account. Additionally, either the Employee or the financial professional may be asked periodically to discuss the nature of the account with the Personal Trading Compliance Team.

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Employees are required to inform the Personal Trading Compliance team immediately if they terminate any approved advisory relationship or make management changes.

For the purposes of this Policy, automated adviser accounts (colloquially referred to as robo-advisers) that utilize algorithms to manage client assets may be subject to the same provisions of this Policy as Discretionary Managed Accounts provided the robo-adviser's managed account agreement is accepted by the Personal Trading Compliance Team.

Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency (or other digital assets) accounts or "wallets," as they are commonly known, that do not have brokerage capability do not need to be reported and the purchase or sale of actual cryptocurrency (or other digital asset) does not require preclearance or reporting. However, because certain cryptocurrency offerings such as initial coin offerings and cryptocurrency-based ETFs and futures contracts may be considered securities offerings, while they do not require preclearance they are required to be reported.

Please contact the Personal Trading Compliance Team to determine whether any such offering requires preclearance or reporting.

Section 3: Preclearance Requirements

Preclearance Requirements – General

Preclearance of personal securities transactions allows Jennison to prevent personal trades that may conflict with Client trades or transactions. As such, Access Persons and Investment Persons (subject to the exceptions noted below) must preclear all transactions in Covered Securities as defined in Exhibit A. Preclearance is not required for transactions that are Non-Volitional as defined in Exhibit A.

Determination as to whether or not a particular transaction requires pre-approval should be made by consulting the Compliance and Reporting of Personal Transactions Matrix found in Exhibit B.

Preclearance is not required for Covered Securities based on certain broad-based indices, commodities and cryptocurrency (the "Broad Based Indices List"). A list of these securities is maintained by the Personal Trading Compliance Team and is available on PTA for your reference.

Preclearance Requirements – Margin Accounts and Limit Orders

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Access Persons and Investment Persons are discouraged from entering limit orders that carry over to a future trading day and from maintaining margin accounts. If you engage in multi-day limit orders, you must obtain preclearance approval on each day that the order is outstanding. Transactions triggered by limit orders, margin calls, or margin account maintenance fees require preclearance approval and may result in violations of the Policy.

Preclearance Requirements – Voluntary Corporate Actions

Access Person and Investment Persons are required pre-clear voluntary corporate actions. If Investment Persons hold or cover the issuer of the corporate action then they need to contact the Personal Trading Compliance Team for review.

Purchases or sales that are not voluntary, including tender offers and acquisition of securities because of a corporate action, are not subject to the requirements outlined in the Policy.

Preclearance Requirements – Gifts of Covered Securities

Preclearance is required if Access Person or Investment Person gifts a Covered Security to a person. Preclearance is not required if Access Person or Investment Person donates a Covered Security to charity/non-profit organization that the Employee does not own or control.

The acquisition of Covered Securities because of a gift or inheritance is not subject to the requirements outlined in the Policy.

Submitting a Preclearance Request

Preclearance requests must be submitted via PTA, which can be accessed by clicking on Personal Trading Quick Link on JennOnline. Automated feedback will be provided as to whether the request is approved, denied, or in need of further review. Preclearance requests may be submitted between 10:15 AM and 4:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. Submitting a preclearance request outside of these times will result in a system-generated denial.

When requesting preclearance for a personal securities trade or transaction, Access and Investment Persons should preclear the maximum number of shares and principal that they might trade that day. Also, Access and Investment Persons can trade fewer shares or principal, but you cannot trade more than the amount precleared that day.

Approved trades must be executed by the close of the business on the day in which the preclearance approval is granted. Approved orders for securities traded in foreign markets may be executed within two business days from the date preclearance is granted. Failure to

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obtain preclearance approval on the exact day of trading will result in a violation.

For private securities transactions, approval request forms can be found in PTA in the Forms section. Completed private securities transactions must be reported to the Personal Trading Compliance Team within thirty days of making the investment.

Section 4: General Trading and Other Restrictions

Material Nonpublic Information (MNPI):

No Access Persons or an Investment Person may buy or sell any security while in possession of Material Nonpublic Information. Employees may not recommend, advise, or encourage any other person to engage in such activity. Access Persons and Investment Persons may not use their knowledge of transactions in funds or other accounts advised by any Jennison or Prudential entity to profit by the market effect of these transactions.

Please refer to *Jennison's Safeguarding the Receipt of MNPI Policy and Procedures* for additional information.

Blackout Period

Jennison's Blackout Period Rules apply to all Access Persons and Investment Persons and is defined as the period of seven calendar days before or after a transaction was executed in a Client account in the same or an equivalent security. The Blackout Period also includes pending buy or sell orders in the same or equivalent security, otherwise known as an Open Order.

Subject to the exceptions noted below Access Persons and Investment Persons are prohibited from knowingly:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· executing a securities transaction on the same day that a client has a pending buy or sell order in the same or an equivalent security;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· buying or selling a security within seven calendar days before or after a client trades in the same or an equivalent security;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· executing a securities transaction if such trade will interfere in any way with the orderly trade execution of such security by any client; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· executing a securities transaction after such security has been recommended to any client or after being traded for any clients, if the trade is effected with a view to making a profit on the anticipated market action of the security resulting from such recommendation, purchase or sale.

If an Access Person or an Investment Person trades during a Blackout Period, reversal of the trade and disgorgement may be required. For example, if an Access Person's trade is pre-approved and executed and subsequently, within seven days of the transaction, the Company trades on behalf of clients, the Personal Trading Compliance Team will review

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the personal trade in light of firm trading activity and make

a recommendation as to whether additional action should be taken.

In those circumstances where an Investment Person personally trades within seven days of firm trading, the Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Legal Officer and Senior Management will determine on a case-by- case basis the appropriate action. Regardless of the actual impact to clients, the perceived conflict of interest and appearance may determine that the Investment Person be required to reverse the trade and disgorge to the firm any difference due to an incremental price advantage over the client's transaction.

Access Persons and Investment Persons who may also be Designated Persons are prohibited from executing trades in Prudential related securities unless the trading window is open.

Exceptions to the Blackout Period

Exceptions to the Blackout Period provision may be granted for De Minimis Transactions, which are:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Any trades, or series of trades effected over a 30 calendar day period, involving $50,000 or less in a security with a market capitalization greater than $2 billion and less than $25 billion; and

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Any trades, or series of trades effected over a 30 calendar day period, involving $100,000 or less in a security with a market capitalization greater than $25 billion.

Please note that there is no De Minimis exception for securities with market capitalization of under $2 billion or Fixed Income securities.

Trades meeting the De Minimis exception are subject to the preclearance requirement as well as additional rules and satisfactory responses to preclearance questions in PTA.

The Blackout Period restriction does not apply to the securities listed on the Broad Based Indices List.

Investment Persons

Investment Persons who are Portfolio Managers are prohibited from selling securities in their personal account(s) while that security is held in a Client account where they are named as a Portfolio Manager.

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Investment Persons who are Portfolio Managers are prohibited from buying securities in their personal account(s) while that security is held short in a Client account where they are named as a Portfolio Manager.

Investment Persons who are Research Analysts are prohibited from selling in their personal account(s) any security in their research coverage while that same security is held in any fundamental Client account.

The restrictions outlined in this Investment Persons section supersede the De Minimis Transaction exception outlined above.

Investing in Affiliated Open-End Mutual Funds

Jennison and Prudential serve as the sub-adviser and/or adviser to a variety of investment products including open-end mutual funds, exchange traded products and investment trusts. While Access Persons and Investment Persons must disclose accounts that hold Affiliated Open-End Mutual Funds, they do not need to pre-clear transactions in such funds. Employees should be aware that these funds may have restrictions on frequent trading and other restrictions as described in its fund prospectus.

Sixty Day Covered Security Holding Period

Access Persons and Investment Persons are prohibited from executing a purchase and sale, or sale and purchase, of the same or an equivalent Covered Security within any sixty calendar day period. Calculations are made using the LIFO accounting methodology.

This prohibition also does not apply when trading in those securities listed on the broad based indices list maintained by the Personal Trading Compliance Team and available on PTA for your reference.

Short Sales

Access Persons and Investment Persons may not short Prudential related securities under any circumstances. Additionally, Access Persons and Investment Persons are prohibited from taking a short position in a security that is held in a fundamental Client account.

Excessive Trading

Access Persons and Investment Persons are discouraged from engaging in a pattern of securities transactions that is so excessively frequent as to potentially impact their ability to carry out their assigned responsibilities. Personal trading activity of Access Persons and Investment Persons who execute more than 75 trades in Covered Securities in a quarter

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will be reported to senior management. A pattern of excessive or inappropriate trading may lead to disciplinary action under the Policy up to and including termination.

Security Ownership

Access Persons and Investment Persons are generally prohibited from holding more than 0.05% of shares outstanding of any individual Covered Security across all Securities Accounts. Investments in private companies will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Prudential Securities

Prudential Financial, Inc. (PFI) is a publicly traded company. All Access Persons and Investment Persons are prohibited from trading Prudential securities while in possession of material, nonpublic information regarding PFI.

It is against Prudential's interest for you to engage in speculative transactions in Prudential securities. Therefore, with respect to PFI related securities, you may not engage in: (a) short sales (selling PFI related securities you do not own); (b) transactions involving publicly traded options or other derivatives, such as trading in puts or calls; (c) hedging transactions; or (d) pledging, or using as collateral, PFI related securities to secure personal loans or other obligations, and holding shares of Prudential common stock in a margin account. For additional details refer to Prudential's Global Insider Trading Policy.

With the exception of Designated Persons, Access Persons and Investment Persons, are not required to pre-clear the purchase or sale of Prudential common stock (PRU) or the exercise of Prudential options. Additionally, Access Persons and Investment Persons are not subject to the Sixty Day Covered Security Holding Period.

Employer-issued Stock Option Transactions

The exercise of employee stock options granted by a third party as compensation do not require preclearance provided the converted shares are not liquidated. All Employees must preclear the sale of shares resulting from the exercise of an employer-issued stock option.

Direct Stock Purchase Plans

Subject to preclearance, long-term investing through direct stock purchase plans, Automatic Investment Plans and Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRIPs) is permitted. The terms of the plan, the initial investment, and any notice of intent to purchase through automatic debit must be provided to and approved by the Personal Trading Compliance Team. Any changes to the original terms of the approval as well as any sales or discretionary purchase of securities in the plan must be submitted for preclearance. Termination of participation in such a plan must be reported to the Personal Trading Compliance Team. Provided that the automatic monthly purchases have been approved by the Personal Trading Compliance Team, each automatic monthly purchase need not be submitted for pre-approval. For purposes of applying the Sixty- Day Covered Security

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Holding Period only discretionary (volitional transactions) will be matched.

Additionally, holdings need to be disclosed annually.

Options and Futures

Access Persons and Investment Persons are prohibited from transacting in options and futures where the underlying security is a Covered Security that requires preclearance.

Initial Public Offerings

Access Persons and Investment Persons are prohibited from purchasing initial public offerings of

securities. For purposes of this Policy, "initial public offerings of securities" do not include offerings of government or municipal securities.

Private Investments

Access Persons and Investment Persons are prohibited from investing in a Private Investment without prior approval from the Personal Trading Compliance Team, as needed. Such review will take into account, among other factors, whether the investment opportunity should be reserved for clients and whether the opportunity is being offered to the Employee by virtue of his or her position at Jennison. Review of the Private Investment will also consider whether the investment is likely to result in a current or future conflict with clients, including a future public offering. If the Personal Trading Compliance Team identifies a potential conflict additional approvals from the employee's supervisor or the Investment Strategy Head is required.

To preclear a Private Investment, please use the Private Investment Form which can be found in the "Forms" section in PTA.

Restricted Lists

Access Persons and Investment Persons are prohibited from purchasing or selling securities of issuers on Jennison's Restricted List.

Investment Clubs

Access Persons and Investment Persons may not participate in Investment Clubs.

Spread Betting

Spread betting is a speculative transaction that involves taking a bet on the price movement of a security, index, or other financial product via a spread betting company. Spread betting

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on financial products is not permitted and Access Persons and Investment Persons may not use spread betting accounts to circumvent the Policy. Spread betting on non-financial products, such as sporting events, is not covered by the Policy.

Section 5: Additional Requirements for Designated Persons

Access Persons who are identified as Designated Persons are subject to the requirements outlined in Prudential's Global Insider Trading Policy.

Section 6: Additional Requirements for Dual Hat Employees

Access Persons who are identified as Dual Hat Employees are subject to the requirements outlined in Prudential's Information Barrier Standards. Those employees are also required to attest annually that they have complied with the Standards.

Section 7: Certifications

All reports and certifications must be completed via PTA. Failure to complete certifications in a timely manner may result in disciplinary action such as monetary penalties, suspension without pay or other disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.

Initial and Quarterly Compliance Policy Certification

All Access Persons and Investment Persons must complete an initial and a quarterly Compliance Policy Certification acknowledging:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· The receipt and that they have read and understand Jennison's Code of Ethics and Personal Trading Policy

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· The receipt and that they have read, understood and complied with all Compliance Program Policies

Access Persons and Investment Persons must also provide a written (or electronic) acknowledgment of their receipt and understanding of any material amendment to Jennison's Code of Ethics and Personal Trading Policy.

Additionally, all Access Persons and Investment Persons must confirm compliance with all applicable federal securities laws on a quarterly basis.

Initial and Quarterly Securities Accounts Certification

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Upon hire and quarterly thereafter, all Access Persons and Investment Persons must certify to the completeness and accuracy of the list of all reportable Securities Accounts, including those held at Authorized Broker-Dealers and those held at non-authorized firms. Your submission of the Securities Accounts certification will confirm that you have instructed all brokers for such accounts to send duplicate copies of account statements and trade confirmations, physically or via an electronic feed, to the Personal Trading Compliance Team. Additionally, by submitting the certification you agree to notify the Personal Trading Compliance Team of any changes to your Securities Accounts that are not held at an Authorized Broker-Dealer pursuant to an exception that has been granted to you.

Please note that Access Persons and Investment Persons may hold and trade Affiliated Open-End Mutual Funds through Authorized Broker-Dealers, Prudential Mutual Fund Services, the Prudential Employee Savings Plan ("PESP"), and the Jennison Savings Plan.

In addition, Access Persons and Investment Persons may maintain accounts with respect to certain Affiliated Open-End Mutual Funds directly with the fund company, provided that details of such account and duplicate confirms and statements are provided to the Personal Trading Compliance Team.

Quarterly Transaction Certification

All Access Persons and Investment Persons must submit transaction information within 30 days after the end of a calendar quarter, with respect to any transaction in Securities Accounts, including activity in Affiliated Open-End Mutual Funds and Private Investments.

To facilitate compliance with this reporting requirement, the Company requires that a duplicate copy of all trade confirmations and brokerage statements be supplied, physically or via an electronic feed, directly to the Personal Trading Compliance Team..

Initial and Annual Holdings Certifications

Within ten calendar days of becoming an Access Person or Investment Person all Employees must

disclose their personal securities holdings in all Covered Securities. The information must be current as of a date no more than 45 days prior to the date the person becomes an Access Person or Investment Person.

Each Access Person or Investment Person shall also submit an annual holdings certification in the beginning of each calendar year with holdings that are current as of a date no more than 45 days prior to the date of submission of the certification.

This Initial and Annual Holding Certification must include all holdings of Private Investments (e.g., limited partnership interests, private placements, hedge funds, etc.) and all holdings in Affiliated Open-End Mutual Funds. This includes those positions held in 401(k) Plans held at other companies, excluding money market funds. Covered

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Securities held in Discretionary Managed Accounts and certain trust accounts are not required to be reported on an Initial or an Annual Holdings Certification.

Broker Consent

Certain brokers may require written consent forms with physical signatures from all account owners, including Immediate Family members, prior to transmitting personal trading data to Jennison for new and existing accounts. To assure compliance with this Policy, you must provide consent in a manner required

by each broker.

Initial and Quarterly Information Barrier Standards Certification

All Access Persons and Investment Persons must receive training on Prudential's Information Barrier Standards. Additionally Employees must acknowledge at time of employment and quarterly that they have read and understood the Information Barrier Standards and will abide by the terms stated therein.

Other Compliance Acknowledgements and Certifications

Access Persons and Investment Persons may be required to submit additional acknowledgements or certifications upon request as regulatory requirements change and industry standards evolve. Access Persons and Investment Persons will be notified by the Personal Trading Compliance Team when new acknowledgments are required.

Section 8: Exceptions

Exceptions to the Policy are rare and require the approval of the Chief Compliance Officer and the Chief Executive Officer. In all instances, exceptions will only be granted where such exception would not violate laws or regulation.

All personal trade monitoring requirements outlined in this Policy remain in effect while an Employee is on leave of absence, disability, or vacation.

Section 9: Violations

Employees are required to promptly report any known violations of this Policy to the Personal Trading Compliance Team or the Chief Compliance Officer or her designee. The Code forbids any form of intimidation or retaliation against an employee for fulfilling this obligation. Retaliation against an employee who reports a Code violation is in itself a violation of the Code. Additional policies and guidelines for reporting concerns regarding financial or compliance issues & non-retaliation are included in Jennison's Employee

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Handbook.

Reported violations and other violations of this Policy detected through internal monitoring will be reported to the Jennison Compliance Council and the Employee's supervisor. The Compliance Council will review all violations of the Policy and the penalties assessed and may recommend additional sanctions or other disciplinary actions it deems appropriate.

Penalties will generally be assessed in accordance with a schedule maintained by the Personal Trading Compliance Team. These, however, are minimum penalties. The Company reserves the right to take any other appropriate action and depending on the facts and circumstances of the violation, sanctions may include monetary penalties, suspension without pay, suspension of personal trading privileges or other disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment. Disgorgement of profits and reversal of the trade may also be required for Policy violations. Any Penalties or profits disgorged to the Company will be donated to a charitable organization selected by the Company in the name of the Company.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;IV. Internal Controls

The Personal Trading Compliance Team has the day to day responsibility of monitoring Employees' compliance with the requirements of the Code of Ethics and Personal Trading Policy and Procedures. The PTA system produces exception reports which are evaluated by the Personal Trading Compliance Team. Any breach determined to be a violation would be escalated to the Chief Compliance Officer. Additionally Jennison's Compliance Council meets quarterly and reviews personal trading topics including: policy violations and exceptions, private investments, and policy changes.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;V. Escalating Concerns

Any concerns about aspects of the policy that lack specific escalation guidance may be reported to the reporting employee's supervisor, the Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Legal Officer, Chief Risk Officer, Chief Ethics Officer, Chief Operating Officer or Chief Executive Officer. Alternatively, Jennison has an Ethics Reporting Hotline phone number and email address that enable employees to raise concerns

anonymously. Information about the Ethics Reporting Hotline phone number and email address can be found on the Jennison intranet's "Ethics" web page.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;VI. Discipline and Sanctions

All Jennison employees are responsible for understanding and complying with the policies and procedures outlined in this policy. The procedures described in this policy are intended to ensure that Jennison and its employees act in full compliance with the law. Violations of this policy and related procedures will be communicated to your supervisor and to senior management through Jennison's Compliance Council, and may lead to disciplinary action.

Exhibit A – Glossary

Access Persons – Employees who work in or support portfolio management activities,

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have access to nonpublic investment advisory client trading information or recommendations, or have access to nonpublic portfolio holdings. This includes Employees or officers of a mutual fund or investment adviser who, in connection with their normal responsibilities, make, participate in, or have access to current or pending information regarding the purchase or sale of securities by any portfolios managed by the

business unit or group of business units to which the individual is deemed to have access. <u>All Jennison</u> <u>Employees are</u> <u>classified</u> <u>as</u> <u>Access</u> <u>Persons.</u> While contingent workers (e.g. consultants and temporary workers) are not Jennison Employees, those contingent workers who have access to sensitive or confidential information may be deemed Access Persons and subject to preclearance of personal securities trading activities and other Policy requirements as determined by the Personal Trading Compliance Team.

Affiliated Open-End Mutual Fund - a proprietary investment company advised by Prudential, or a non- proprietary investment company sub-advised by Prudential, and any investment company whose investment adviser or principal underwriter is controlled by or under common control with Prudential, including Jennison.

Authorized Broker- Dealer – the Authorized Broker-Dealers include:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Charles Schwab

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· E\*TRADE

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Edward Jones

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Fidelity Investments

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Goldman Sachs

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· JP Morgan Chase

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Merrill Lynch

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Morgan Stanley

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· UBS Financial Services

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Vanguard

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Wells Fargo Advisors

Automatic Investment Plan – regular periodic purchases (or withdrawals) that are made automatically in (or from) investment accounts in accordance with a predetermined schedule and allocation. An automatic investment plan includes dividend reinvestment plans ("DRIPs") and Employee Stock Purchase Plans ("ESPPs").

Beneficial Interest – Employee has Beneficial Interest of any account or securities in which the Employee has a direct or indirect financial interest. This includes accounts or securities held in the Employee's own name or the name of their spouse or equivalent domestic partner, minor children, and relatives living with the Employee and to whom the Employee provides or receives financial support or whose investments for which the Employee has discretion, influence, or control. This could include accounts or securities of individuals with whom the Employee shares living expenses, bank accounts, rent or mortgage payments,

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ownership of a home, or any other material financial support.

Blackout Period – a period of one or seven calendar days before or after a transaction was executed in a client account in the same or an equivalent security The Blackout Period also includes pending buy or sell orders in the same or equivalent security, otherwise known as an Open Order.

Company – Jennison Associates LLC

Covered Security - includes all securities in which an Access Person or Investment Person has the opportunity, directly or indirectly, to profit or share in the profit derived from transactions in such securities. This includes all equity, debt and derivative related transactions with the exception of:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· direct obligations of the U.S. Government[2](#_bookmark56_10)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· bankers acceptances

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· bank certificates of deposit

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· commercial paper

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· high quality short-term debt (A-1, P-1 & maturity of less than 1 year), including repurchase agreements

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· U.S. treasury bills, notes, bonds

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Currencies

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· Cryptocurrencies

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· shares issued by money market funds

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· shares issued by open-end mutual funds (excluding the Affiliated Open-End Mutual Funds)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· annuities and life insurance contracts

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· 529 plans purchased directly from a state sponsor

Discretionary Managed Account – an account managed on a discretionary basis by a person other than the Employee or an algorithmic tool (robo-adviser), over which the Employee has no direct or indirect influence or control over the selection or disposition of securities and no knowledge of transactions therein. A Discretionary Managed Account must have a formal investment management agreement that provides full discretionary authority to a third-party money manager.

Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRIPs) – a stock purchase plan offered by a corporation whereby shareholders purchase stock directly from the company (usually through a transfer agent) and allow investors to reinvest their cash dividends by purchasing additional shares or fractional shares.

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Dual Hat Employee – Employee who works in or supports the investment advisory activities of another PGIM asset management business or another entity under Prudential's control.

Employee – any person employed by Jennison. While contingent workers are not Employees, those contingent workers that obtain information regarding the purchase or sale of securities in portfolios managed by the Company may be subject to this Policy, as determined on a case-by-case basis.

Immediate Family Member– any of the following relatives who share the same household with you and are financially connected to you: child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, stepparent, grandparent, spouse, sibling, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, including adoptive relationships. The term also includes any related or unrelated individual who resides with, or whose investments are controlled by, or whose financial support is materially contributed to by, the Employee, such as a significant other or domestic partner. For example, this could include individuals with whom you share living expenses, bank accounts, rent or mortgage payments, ownership of a home, or any other material financial support. These situations should be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Personal Trading Compliance Team.

In itial Public Offering – an offering of securities registered under the Securities Act of 1933, the issuer of which immediately before registration was not subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

![](img_5104ef671c6e4f3.jpg)

2 Includes securities that carry full faith and credit of the U.S. Government for the timely payment of principal and interest such as Ginnie Maes,

U.S. Savings Bonds and U.S. Treasuries

Investment Club – a group of two or more people, each of whom contributes monies to an investment pool and participates in the investment making decision process and shares in the investment returns.

Investment Persons – Access Persons who, in connection with their regular functions or duties, make or participate in making recommendations regarding the purchase or sale of securities for client accounts (i.e., portfolio managers and research analysts).

Material Nonpublic Information – Information that is not generally available to the investing public that an investor, considering all the surrounding facts and circumstances, would find important in deciding whether or when to buy, sell, or hold a security.

Non-Volitional – Securities Account activity related to: i) transactions in approved Discretionary Managed Accounts; ii) transaction in preapproved dividend reinvestment plans; iii) transactions resulting from automatic rebalancing plans; and v) receipt of stock or option bonus awards.

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Personal Trading Compliance Team – the team within Compliance responsible for oversight of all aspects of personal trading. You can contact the team at <u>PersonalTrading@jennison.com</u>.

Private Investment - an offering that is exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, under Sections 4(2) or 4(6), or Rules 504, 505 or 506 there under.

Prudential Affiliated Funds – Proprietary funds advised by Prudential, or a non-proprietary fund subadvised by Prudential, and any fund whose investment adviser or principal underwriter is controlled by or under common control with Prudential.

PTA (also called ECM) – FIS Employee Compliance Manager– a third-party vendor system used by Jennison to facilitate the surveillance and reporting of personal securities trading information, disclosures, certifications and reporting.

Restricted List – a listing of securities in which trading by Employees is generally prohibited.

Securities Accounts – a securities account is an account for which an Employee directly or indirectly, through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship or otherwise, has or shares a direct or indirect Beneficial Interest (as defined above) in the account. This includes:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· personal accounts;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· accounts in which the Employee's spouse has a beneficial interest;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· accounts in which the Employee's minor children or any dependent family member has a beneficial interest;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· joint or tenant-in-common accounts in which the Employee is a participant;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· accounts for which the Employee acts as trustee, executor or custodian;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· accounts over which the Employee exercises control or have investment discretion;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· accounts of any Immediate Family members;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· accounts in which purchases and sales are limited to Affiliated Open-End Mutual Funds or any other Prudential Affiliated Funds

Exhibit B – Compliance and Reporting of Personal Transactions Matrix

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| | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| Investment<br>Categor y / Method | Sub- Categor y | Requi r ed<br>**Pr e-Approval ⁴**<br>(Y / N) | Reportable (Y / N) | I f r epor tabl e, mi ni mum<br>r eporti ng<br>fr equency |

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| | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| BONDS | Treasury Bills, Notes, Bonds | N | N | N/A |
| BONDS | Commercial Paper | N | N | N/A |
| BONDS | Other High Quality Short-Term Debt Instrument[3](#_bookmark58_10) | N | N | N/A |
| BONDS | Agency | N | Y | Quarterly |
| BONDS | Tax Free Auction Rate Securities | N | Y | Quarterly |
| BONDS | Non tax free Auction Rate Securities | Y | Y | Quarterly |
| BONDS | Corporates | Y | Y | Quarterly |
| BONDS | MBS | Y | Y | Quarterly |
| BONDS | ABS | Y | Y | Quarterly |
| BONDS | CMO's | Y | Y | Quarterly |
| BONDS | Municipals | N | Y | Quarterly |
| BONDS | Convertibles | Y | Y | Quarterly |
| BONDS | Public Offering | Y | Y | Quarterly |
| STOCKS | Common | Y | Y | Quarterly |
| STOCKS | Preferred | Y | Y | Quarterly |
| STOCKS | Rights | Y | Y | Quarterly |
| STOCKS | Warrants | Y | Y | Quarterly |
| STOCKS | Initial, Secondary and Follow On Public Offerings | Y | Y | Quarterly |
| STOCKS | Automatic Dividend Reinvestments | N | N | N/A |
| STOCKS | Optional Dividend Reinvestments | Y | Y | Quarterly |
| STOCKS | Direct Stock Purchase Plans with automatic investments | Y | Y | Quarterly |
| STOCKS | Employee Stock Purchase/Option Plan | Y [4](#_bookmark59_10) | Y | \* |
| OPEN-END MUTUAL F UNDS AND<br>ANNUITIES | Affiliated Open-End Mutual Funds | N | Y | Quarterly |
| OPEN-END MUTUAL F UNDS AND<br>ANNUITIES | Non-Affiliated Open-End Mutual Funds, not<br>managed by Jennison or Prudential | N | N | N/A |
| CLOSED END F UNDS,<br>UNIT INVESTMENT<br>TRUSTS AND ETF s | All Prudential Affiliated & Non-Affiliated Funds | N | Y | Quarterly |
| CLOSED END F UNDS,<br>UNIT INVESTMENT<br>TRUSTS AND ETF s | Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) | Y [5](#_bookmark60_10) | Y | Quarterly |
| CLOSED END F UNDS,<br>UNIT INVESTMENT<br>TRUSTS AND ETF s | Purchase or Sale of Units | Y | Y | Quarterly |
| COMMODITIES | Physical Commodity | N | N | N/A |
| COMMODITIES | Commodity Futures | N | Y | Quarterly |
| COMMODITIES | ETFs tracking price of a Physical Commodity⁴ | N | Y | Quarterly |

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![](img_5104ef671c6e4f3.jpg)

3 "High Quality Short-Term Debt Instrument" means any instrument having a maturity at issuance of less than 366 days and which is rated in one of the highest two rating categories by a Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Agency (Moody's and S&P).

4 Pre-approval of the sales of securities or exercising of options acquired through Employee Stock Purchase or Employee Stock Option Plans are required, except for the exercise of Prudential options. Holdings are required to be reported annually, transactions subject to pre-approval are

required to be reported quarterly. Pre-approval is not required to participate in such plans.

5 Preclearance is not required for certain Covered Securities tracking broad based indices, commodities and cryptocurrency. The list of exempt securities is maintained by the Personal Trading Compliance Team and available on PTA for your reference.

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| | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| Investment<br>Categor y / Method | Sub- Categor y | Requi r ed<br>**Pr e-Approval ⁴**<br>(Y / N) | Reportable (Y / N) | If r epor tabl e, mi ni mum<br>r eporti ng fr equency |
| DERIVATIVES | Any exchange traded, NASDAQ, or OTC option or futures contract, including, but not limited to: | Any exchange traded, NASDAQ, or OTC option or futures contract, including, but not limited to: | Any exchange traded, NASDAQ, or OTC option or futures contract, including, but not limited to: | Any exchange traded, NASDAQ, or OTC option or futures contract, including, but not limited to: |
| DERIVATIVES | Financial Futures | \*\* | Y | Quarterly |
| DERIVATIVES | Commodity Futures | N | Y | Quarterly |
| DERIVATIVES | Options on Futures | \*\* | Y | Quarterly |
| DERIVATIVES | Options on Securities | \*\* | Y | Quarterly |
| DERIVATIVES | Non-Broad Based Index Options | Y | Y | Quarterly |
| DERIVATIVES | Non Broad-Based Index Futures Contracts and Options on Non-Broad Based Index Futures<br>Contracts | Y | Y | Quarterly |
| DERIVATIVES | Broad Based Index Options⁴ | N | Y | Quarterly |
| DERIVATIVES | Broad Based Index Futures Contracts and Options<br>on Broad Based Index Futures Contracts⁴ | N | Y | Quarterly |
| DERIVATIVES | Structured Notes | Y | Y | Quarterly |
| CURRENCY | Foreign Currency | N | N | N/A |
| CURRENCY | Any exchange traded currency/cryptocurrency<br>investment vehicle (e.g. trust, ETF) | N | Y | N/A |
| CURRENCY | Currency Options | N | Y | N/A |
| CURRENCY | Currency Futures | N | Y | N/A |
| CURRENCY | Currency Forwards | N | Y | N/A |
| CURRENCY | Cryptocurrency | N | N | N/A |
| LIMITED<br>PARTNERSHIPS, PRIVATE<br>INVESTMENTS | | Y | Y | Quarterly |
| VOLUNTARY TENDER<br>OF F ERS | | Y | Y | Quarterly |
| DISCRETIONARY <br>MANA GED ACCOUNT<br>PROGARMS | Employee Directed Portfolio Transactions | Y | Y | Quarterly |
| DISCRETIONARY <br>MANA GED ACCOUNT<br>PROGARMS | Transactions executed by the investment adviser<br>without account holder's direction | N | N | N/A |

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\*\* Pre-approval of a personal derivative securities transaction is required if the underlying security requires pre-approval.

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## Ex-99

#### POWER OF ATTORNEY
The undersigned officers and trustees of each trust or corporation listed in <u>Schedule A</u> hereto (each a "Registrant") hereby appoint ALISON E. BAUR, ALEXANDER Y. KYMN, NAVID J. TOFIGH, CHRISTINE DEBEVEC, HARRIS GOLDBLAT, MARC DE OLIVEIRA, TARA E. GORMEL, BRUCE G. LETO, DAVID GRIM, KRISTIN H. IVES AND MARGUERITE C. BATEMAN (with full power to each of them to act alone) his/her attorney-in-fact and agent, in all capacities, to execute, deliver and file in the names of the undersigned, any and all instruments that said attorneys and agents may deem necessary or advisable to enable the Registrant to comply with or register any security issued by the Registrant under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and/or the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules, regulations and interpretations thereunder, including but not limited to, any registration statement, including any and all pre- and post-effective amendments thereto, any other document to be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and any and all documents required to be filed with respect thereto with any other regulatory authority. Each of the undersigned grants to each of said attorneys, full authority to do every act necessary to be done in order to effectuate the same as fully, to all intents and purposes, as he/she could do if personally present, thereby ratifying all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

This Power of Attorney may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original and all of which shall be deemed to be a single document.

The undersigned officers and trustees hereby execute this Power of Attorney as of the 2nd day of January 2025.

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| /s/ Robert Christian | /s/ Anne Torre Bates |
| Robert Christian, President and Chief Executive Officer-Investment Management | Anne Torre Bates, Trustee |
| /s/ Jan Hopkins Trachtman | /s/ Gregory E. Johnson |
| Jan Hopkins Trachtman, Trustee | Gregory E. Johnson, Trustee |
| /s/ Jennifer M. Johnson | /s/ Keith E. Mitchell |
| Jennifer M. Johnson, Trustee | Keith E. Mitchell, Trustee |
| /s/ David W. Niemiec | /s/ Valerie M. Williams |
| David W. Niemiec, Trustee | Valerie M. Williams, Trustee |
| /s/ Christopher Kings | /s/ Jeffery W. White |
| Christopher Kings, Chief Executive Officer-Finance and Administration | Jeffery W. White, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer |

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#### Schedule A

#### To

#### Power of Attorney

#### Name of Trust Securities Act File No.
Franklin Alternative Strategies Funds 333-189667

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