THE JPM PIERPONT FUNDS
THE JPM PIERPONT EMERGING MARKETS DEBT FUND
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
SEPTEMBER 2, 1997,
as supplemented September 17, 1997
THIS STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS NOT A PROSPECTUS, BUT CONTAINS
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WHICH SHOULD BE READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE PROSPECTUS
FOR THE JPM PIERPONT EMERGING MARKETS DEBT FUND, DATED SEPTEMBER 2, 1997, AS
SUPPLEMENTED FROM TIME TO TIME, WHICH MAY BE OBTAINED UPON REQUEST FROM FUNDS
DISTRIBUTOR, INC., ATTENTION: THE JPM PIERPONT FUNDS; (800) 221-7930.
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Table of Contents
PAGE
General...................................................................1
Investment Objective and Policies.........................................1
Investment Restrictions..................................................16
Trustees and Officers....................................................18
Investment Advisor.......................................................23
Distributor..............................................................26
Co-Administrator.........................................................26
Services Agent...........................................................27
Custodian and Transfer Agent.............................................27
Shareholder Servicing....................................................28
Independent Accountants..................................................29
Expenses.................................................................29
Purchase of Shares.......................................................29
Redemption of Shares.....................................................30
Exchange of Shares.......................................................30
Dividends and Distributions..............................................31
Net Asset Value..........................................................31
Performance Data.........................................................32
Portfolio Transactions...................................................33
Massachusetts Trust............................................ .........35
Description of Shares....................................................36
Taxes....................................................................38
Additional Information...................................................42
Financial Statements.....................................................43
Appendix A - Description of Securities Ratings...........................A-1
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GENERAL
This Statement of Additional Information relates only to The JPM
Pierpont Emerging Markets Debt Fund (the "Fund"). The Fund is a series of shares
of beneficial interest of The JPM Pierpont Funds, an open-end management
investment company formed as a Massachusetts business trust (the "Trust"). In
addition to the Fund, the Trust consists of nineteen other series representing
separate investment funds (each a "JPM Pierpont Fund"). The other JPM Pierpont
Funds are covered by separate Statements of Additional Information.
This Statement of Additional Information describes the financial
history, investment objective and policies, management and operation of the
Fund. The Fund operates through a two-tier master-feeder investment fund
structure.
This Statement of Additional Information provides additional
information with respect to the Fund and should be read in conjunction with the
Fund's current Prospectus (the "Prospectus"). Capitalized terms not otherwise
defined herein have the meanings accorded to them in the Prospectus. The Fund's
executive offices are located at 60 State Street, Suite 1300, Boston,
Massachusetts 02109.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND POLICIES
The Fund is designed for the aggressive investor seeking to diversify
an investment portfolio by investing in fixed income securities of emerging
markets issuers. The Fund's investment objective is high total return from a
portfolio of fixed income securities of emerging markets issuers. The Fund seeks
to achieve its objective by investing all of its investable assets in The
Emerging Markets Debt Portfolio (the "Portfolio"), a non-diversified open-end
management investment company having the same investment objective as the Fund.
The Portfolio attempts to achieve its investment objective by investing
primarily in debt obligations of governments, government-related agencies and
companies located in emerging markets around the world. Under normal
circumstances, the Portfolio expects to invest at least 65% of its total assets
in such securities. The Portfolio does not intend to invest in U.S. securities
(other than money market instruments), except temporarily, when extraordinary
circumstances prevailing at the same time in a significant number of emerging
markets countries render investments in such countries inadvisable.
The following discussion supplements the information regarding the
investment objective of the Fund and the policies to be employed to achieve this
objective by the Portfolio as set forth above and in the Prospectus. The
investment objective of the Fund and the investment objective of the Portfolio
are identical. Accordingly, references below to the Fund also include the
Portfolio; similarly, references to the Portfolio also include the Fund unless
the context requires otherwise.
MONEY MARKET INSTRUMENTS
As discussed in the Prospectus, the Fund may invest in money market
instruments to the extent consistent with its investment objective and policies.
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A description of the various types of money market instruments that may be
purchased by the Fund appears below.
U.S. TREASURY SECURITIES. The Fund may invest in direct obligations of the
U.S. Treasury, including Treasury bills, notes and bonds, all of which are
backed as to principal and interest payments by the full faith and credit of the
United States.
ADDITIONAL U.S. GOVERNMENT OBLIGATIONS. The Fund may invest in
obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies or
instrumentalities. These obligations may or may not be backed by the "full faith
and credit" of the United States. Securities which are backed by the full faith
and credit of the United States include obligations of the Government National
Mortgage Association, the Farmers Home Administration, and the Export-Import
Bank. In the case of securities not backed by the full faith and credit of the
United States, the Fund must look principally to the federal agency issuing or
guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment and may not be able to assert
a claim against the United States itself in the event the agency or
instrumentality does not meet its commitments. Securities in which the Fund may
invest that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States
include, but are not limited to: (i) obligations of the Tennessee Valley
Authority, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, the Federal Home Loan
Banks and the U.S. Postal Service, each of which has the right to borrow from
the U.S. Treasury to meet its obligations; (ii) securities issued by the Federal
National Mortgage Association, which are supported by the discretionary
authority of the U.S. Government to purchase the agency's obligations; and (iii)
obligations of the Federal Farm Credit System and the Student Loan Marketing
Association, each of whose obligations may be satisfied only by the individual
credits of the issuing agency.
FOREIGN GOVERNMENT OBLIGATIONS. The Fund, subject to its investment
policies, may also invest in short-term obligations of foreign sovereign
governments or of their agencies, instrumentalities, authorities or political
subdivisions. These securities may be denominated in the U.S. dollar or in
another currency. See "Foreign Investments."
BANK OBLIGATIONS. The Fund unless otherwise noted in the Prospectus or
below, may invest in negotiable certificates of deposit, time deposits and
bankers' acceptances of (i) foreign branches of U.S. banks and U.S. savings and
loans associations or of foreign banks (Euros) and (ii) U.S. branches of foreign
banks (Yankees). See "Foreign Investments." The Fund will not invest in
obligations for which the Advisor, or any of its affiliated persons, is the
ultimate obligor or accepting bank. The Fund may also invest in obligations of
international banking institutions designated or supported by national
governments to promote economic reconstruction, development or trade between
nations (e.g., the European Investment Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank
or the World Bank).
COMMERCIAL PAPER. The Fund may invest in commercial paper, including
master demand obligations. Master demand obligations are obligations that
provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid and permit daily
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changes in the amount borrowed. Master demand obligations are governed by
agreements between the issuer and Morgan acting as agent, for no additional fee,
in its capacity as investment advisor to the Portfolio and as fiduciary for
other clients for whom it exercises investment discretion. The monies loaned to
the borrower come from accounts managed by the Advisor or its affiliates,
pursuant to arrangements with such accounts. Interest and principal payments are
credited to such accounts. The Advisor, acting as a fiduciary on behalf of its
clients, has the right to increase or decrease the amount provided to the
borrower under an obligation. The borrower has the right to pay without penalty
all or any part of the principal amount then outstanding on an obligation
together with interest to the date of payment. Since these obligations typically
provide that the interest rate is tied to the Federal Reserve commercial paper
composite rate, the rate on master demand obligations is subject to change.
Repayment of a master demand obligation to participating accounts depends on the
ability of the borrower to pay the accrued interest and principal of the
obligation on demand, which is continuously monitored by the Advisor. Since
master demand obligations typically are not rated by credit rating agencies, the
Fund may invest in such unrated obligations only if at the time of an investment
the obligation is determined by the Advisor to have a credit quality which
satisfies the Fund's quality restrictions. See "Quality and Diversification
Requirements." Although there is no secondary market for master demand
obligations, such obligations are considered by the Fund to be liquid because
they are payable upon demand. The Fund does not have any specific percentage
limitation on investments in master demand obligations. It is possible that the
issuer of a master demand obligation could be a client of the Advisor to whom
the Advisor, in its capacity as a commercial bank, has made a loan.
REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements
with brokers, dealers or banks that meet the credit guidelines approved by the
Trustees. In a repurchase agreement, the Fund buys a security from a seller that
has agreed to repurchase the same security at a mutually agreed upon date and
price. The resale price normally is in excess of the purchase price, reflecting
an agreed upon interest rate. This interest rate is effective for the period of
time the Fund is invested in the agreement and is not related to the coupon rate
on the underlying security. A repurchase agreement may also be viewed as a fully
collateralized loan of money by the Fund to the seller. The period of these
repurchase agreements will usually be short, from overnight to one week, and at
no time will the Fund invest in repurchase agreements for more than thirteen
months. The securities which are subject to repurchase agreements, however, may
have maturity dates in excess of thirteen months from the effective date of the
repurchase agreement. The Fund will always receive securities as collateral
whose market value is, and during the entire term of the agreement remains, at
least equal to 100% of the dollar amount invested by the Fund in each agreement
plus accrued interest, and the Fund will make payment for such securities only
upon physical delivery or upon evidence of book entry transfer to the account of
the Custodian. If the seller defaults, the Fund might incur a loss if the value
of the collateral securing the repurchase agreement declines and might incur
disposition costs in connection with liquidating the collateral. In addition, if
bankruptcy proceedings are commenced with respect to the seller of the security,
realization upon disposal of the collateral by the Fund may be delayed or
limited.
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The Fund may make investments in other debt securities with remaining
effective maturities of not more than thirteen months, including without
limitation corporate and foreign bonds, asset-backed securities and other
obligations described in the Prospectus or this Statement of Additional
Information.
CORPORATE BONDS AND OTHER DEBT SECURITIES
As discussed in the Prospectus, the Fund may invest in bonds and other
debt securities of domestic and foreign issuers to the extent consistent with
its investment objective and policies. A description of these investments
appears in the Prospectus and below. See "Quality and Diversification
Requirements." For information on short-term investments in these securities,
see "Money Market Instruments."
MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES. The Fund may invest in mortgage-backed
securities. Each mortgage pool underlying mortgage-backed securities consists of
mortgage loans evidenced by promissory notes secured by first mortgages or first
deeds of trust or other similar security instruments creating a first lien on
owner occupied and non-owner occupied one-unit to four-unit residential
properties, multifamily (i.e., five or more) properties, agriculture properties,
commercial properties and mixed use properties. The investment characteristics
of adjustable and fixed rate mortgage-backed securities differ from those of
traditional fixed income securities. The major differences include the payment
of interest and principal on mortgage-backed securities on a more frequent
(usually monthly) schedule and the possibility that principal may be prepaid at
any time due to prepayments on the underlying mortgage loans or other assets.
These differences can result in significantly greater price and yield volatility
than is the case with traditional fixed income securities. As a result, a faster
than expected prepayment rate will reduce both the market value and the yield to
maturity from those which were anticipated. A prepayment rate that is slower
than expected will have the opposite effect of increasing yield to maturity and
market value.
GOVERNMENT GUARANTEED MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES. Government National
Mortgage Association mortgage-backed certificates ("Ginnie Maes") are supported
by the full faith and credit of the United States. Certain other U.S. Government
securities, issued or guaranteed by federal agencies or government sponsored
enterprises, are not supported by the full faith and credit of the United
States, but may be supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S.
Treasury. These securities include obligations of instrumentalities such as the
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("Freddie Macs") and the Federal National
Mortgage Association ("Fannie Maes"). No assurance can be given that the U.S.
Government will provide financial support to these federal agencies,
authorities, instrumentalities and government sponsored enterprises in the
future.
There are several types of guaranteed mortgage-backed securities
currently available, including guaranteed mortgage pass-through certificates and
multiple class securities, which include guaranteed real estate mortgage
investment conduit certificates ("REMIC Certificates"), other collateralized
mortgage obligations ("CMOs") and stripped mortgage-backed securities.
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Mortgage pass-through securities are fixed or adjustable rate
mortgage-backed securities which provide for monthly payments that are a
"pass-through" of the monthly interest and principal payments (including any
prepayments) made by the individual borrowers on the pooled mortgage loans, net
of any fees or other amounts paid to any guarantor, administrator and/or
servicer of the underlying mortgage loans.
Multiple class securities include CMOs and REMIC Certificates issued by
U.S. Government agencies, instrumentalities (such as Fannie Mae) and sponsored
enterprises (such as Freddie Mac) or by trusts formed by private originators of,
or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations,
mortgage bankers, commercial banks, insurance companies, investment banks and
special purpose subsidiaries of the foregoing. In general, CMOs are debt
obligations of a legal entity that are collateralized by, and multiple class
mortgage-backed securities represent direct ownership interests in, a pool of
mortgage loans or mortgaged-backed securities and payments on which are used to
make payments on the CMOs or multiple class mortgage-backed securities.
CMOs and guaranteed REMIC Certificates issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie
Mac are types of multiple class mortgage-backed securities. Investors may
purchase beneficial interests in REMICs, which are known as "regular" interests
or "residual" interests. The Fund does not intend to purchase residual interests
in REMICs. The REMIC Certificates represent beneficial ownership interests in a
REMIC trust, generally consisting of mortgage loans or Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac
or Ginnie Mae guaranteed mortgage-backed securities (the "Mortgage Assets"). The
obligations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac under their respective guaranty of the
REMIC Certificates are obligations solely of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,
respectively.
CMOs and REMIC Certificates are issued in multiple classes. Each class
of CMOs or REMIC Certificates, often referred to as a "tranche," is issued at a
specific adjustable or fixed interest rate and must be fully retired no later
than its final distribution date. Principal prepayments on the assets underlying
the CMOs or REMIC Certificates may cause some or all of the classes of CMOs or
REMIC Certificates to be retired substantially earlier than their final
scheduled distribution dates. Generally, interest is paid or accrues on all
classes of CMOs or REMIC Certificates on a monthly basis.
STRIPPED MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES. Stripped mortgage-backed
securities ("SMBS") are derivative multiclass mortgage securities, issued or
guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities or by
private issuers. Although the market for such securities is increasingly liquid,
privately issued SMBS may not be readily marketable and will be considered
illiquid for purposes of the Fund's limitation on investments in illiquid
securities. The Advisor may determine that SMBS which are U.S. Government
securities are liquid for purposes of the Fund's limitation on investments in
illiquid securities in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board of
Trustees. The market value of the class consisting entirely of principal
payments generally is unusually volatile in response to changes in interest
rates. The yields on a class of SMBS that receives all or most of the interest
from Mortgage Assets are generally higher than prevailing market yields on other
mortgage-backed securities because their
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cash flow patterns are more volatile and there is a greater risk that the
initial investment will not be fully recouped.
ZERO COUPON, PAY-IN-KIND AND DEFERRED PAYMENT SECURITIES. While
interest payments are not made on such securities, holders of such securities
are deemed to have received "phantom income." Because the Fund will distribute
"phantom income" to shareholders, to the extent that shareholders elect to
receive dividends in cash rather than reinvesting such dividends in additional
shares, the Portfolio will have fewer assets with which to purchase income
producing securities.
ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES. Asset-backed securities directly or indirectly
represent a participation interest in, or are secured by and payable from, a
stream of payments generated by particular assets such as motor vehicle or
credit card receivables or other asset-backed securities collateralized by such
assets. Payments of principal and interest may be guaranteed up to certain
amounts and for a certain time period by a letter of credit issued by a
financial institution unaffiliated with the entities issuing the securities. The
asset-backed securities in which the Fund may invest are subject to the Fund's
overall credit requirements. However, asset-backed securities, in general, are
subject to certain risks. Most of these risks are related to limited interests
in applicable collateral. For example, credit card debt receivables are
generally unsecured and the debtors are entitled to the protection of a number
of state and federal consumer credit laws, many of which give such debtors the
right to set off certain amounts on credit card debt thereby reducing the
balance due. Additionally, if the letter of credit is exhausted, holders of
asset-backed securities may also experience delays in payments or losses if the
full amounts due on underlying sales contracts are not realized. Because
asset-backed securities are relatively new, the market experience in these
securities is limited and the market's ability to sustain liquidity through all
phases of the market cycle has not been tested.
FOREIGN INVESTMENTS
The Fund makes substantial investments in foreign countries. Foreign
investments may be made directly in securities of foreign issuers or in the form
of American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), European Depositary Receipts ("EDRs")
and Global Depositary Receipts ("GDRs") or other similar securities of foreign
issuers. ADRs are securities, typically issued by a U.S. financial institution
(a "depositary"), that evidence ownership interests in a security or a pool of
securities issued by a foreign issuer and deposited with the depositary. ADRs
include American Depositary Shares and New York Shares. EDRs are receipts issued
by a European financial institution. GDRs, which are sometimes referred to as
Continental Depositary Receipts ("CDRs"), are securities, typically issued by a
non-U.S. financial institution, that evidence ownership interests in a security
or a pool of securities issued by either a U.S. or foreign issuer. ADRs, EDRs,
GDRs and CDRs may be available for investment through "sponsored" or
"unsponsored" facilities. A sponsored facility is established jointly by the
issuer of the security underlying the receipt and a depositary, whereas an
unsponsored facility may be established by a depositary without participation by
the issuer of the receipt's underlying security.
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Holders of an unsponsored depositary receipt generally bear all costs
of the unsponsored facility. The depositary of an unsponsored facility
frequently is under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications
received from the issuer of the deposited security or to pass through to the
holders of the receipts voting rights with respect to the deposited securities.
Since investments in foreign securities may involve foreign currencies,
the value of the Fund's assets as measured in U.S. dollars may be affected
favorably or unfavorably by changes in currency rates and in exchange control
regulations, including currency blockage. The Fund may enter into forward
commitments for the purchase or sale of foreign currencies in connection with
the settlement of foreign securities transactions or to manage the Fund's
currency exposure related to foreign investments. See "Additional Investment
Practices and Risks" in the Prospectus.
The Fund may also invest in countries with emerging economies or
securities markets. Political and economic structures in many of such countries
may be undergoing significant evolution and rapid development, and such
countries may lack the social, political and economic stability characteristic
of more developed countries. Certain of such countries may have in the past
failed to recognize private property rights and have at times nationalized or
expropriated the assets of private companies. As a result, the risks described
above, including the risks of nationalization or expropriation of assets, may be
heightened. In addition, unanticipated political or social developments may
affect the values of the Fund's investments in those countries and the
availability to the Fund of additional investments in those countries. The small
size and inexperience of the securities markets in certain of such countries and
the limited volume of trading in securities in those countries may make the
Fund's investments in such countries illiquid and more volatile than investments
in more developed countries, and the Fund may be required to establish special
custodial or other arrangements before making certain investments in those
countries. There may be little financial or accounting information available
with respect to issuers located in certain of such countries, and it may be
difficult as a result to assess the value or prospects of an investment in such
issuers.
For a description of the risks associated with investing in foreign
securities, see "Additional Investment Practices and Risks" in the Prospectus.
ADDITIONAL INVESTMENTS
WHEN-ISSUED AND DELAYED DELIVERY SECURITIES. The Fund may purchase
securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis. For example, delivery of
and payment for these securities can take place a month or more after the date
of the purchase commitment. The purchase price and the interest rate payable, if
any, on the securities are fixed on the purchase commitment date or at the time
the settlement date is fixed. The value of such securities is subject to market
fluctuation and for money market instruments and other fixed income securities
no interest accrues to the Fund until settlement takes place. At the time the
Fund makes the commitment to purchase securities on a when-issued or delayed
delivery basis, it will record the transaction, reflect the value each day of
such securities in determining its net asset value and, if applicable,
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calculate the maturity for the purposes of average maturity from that date. At
the time of settlement a when-issued security may be valued at less than the
purchase price. To facilitate such acquisitions, the Fund will maintain with the
Custodian a segregated account with liquid assets, consisting of cash, U.S.
Government securities or other appropriate securities, in an amount at least
equal to such commitments. On delivery dates for such transactions, the Fund
will meet its obligations from maturities or sales of the securities held in the
segregated account and/or from cash flow. If the Fund chooses to dispose of the
right to acquire a when-issued security prior to its acquisition, it could, as
with the disposition of any other portfolio obligation, incur a gain or loss due
to market fluctuation.
INVESTMENT COMPANY SECURITIES. Securities of other investment companies
may be acquired by the Fund to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act. These
limits require 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
its total assets will be invested in the aggregate 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, provided however, that
the Fund may invest all of its investable assets in an open-end investment
company that has the same investment objective as the Fund. As a shareholder of
another investment company, the Fund would bear, along with other shareholders,
its pro rata portion of the other investment company's expenses, including
advisory fees. These expenses would be in addition to the advisory and other
expenses that the Fund bears directly in connection with its own operations. The
Trust and the Portfolio have applied for exemptive relief from the Securities
and Exchange Commission ("SEC") to permit investment in affiliated funds. If the
requested relief is granted, the Fund would then be permitted to invest in
affiliated funds, subject to certain conditions specified in the applicable
order.
REVERSE REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS. The Fund may enter into reverse
repurchase agreements. In a reverse repurchase agreement, the Fund sells a
security and agrees to repurchase the same security at a mutually agreed upon
date and price. For purposes of the 1940 Act, a reverse repurchase agreement is
also considered as the borrowing of money by the Fund and, therefore, a form of
leverage. The Fund will invest the proceeds of borrowings under reverse
repurchase agreements. In addition, the Fund will enter into a reverse
repurchase agreement only when the interest income to be earned from the
investment of the proceeds is greater than the interest expense of the
transaction. The Fund will not invest the proceeds of a reverse repurchase
agreement for a period which exceeds the duration of the reverse repurchase
agreement. The Fund will establish and maintain with the Custodian a separate
account with a segregated portfolio of securities in an amount at least equal to
its purchase obligations under its reverse repurchase agreements. See
"Investment Restrictions" below for the Fund's limitations on reverse repurchase
agreements and bank borrowings.
MORTGAGE DOLLAR ROLL TRANSACTIONS. The Fund may engage in mortgage dollar
roll transactions with respect to mortgage securities issued by the Government
National Mortgage Association, the Federal National Mortgage Association and the
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Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation. In a mortgage dollar roll transaction,
the Fund sells a mortgage backed security and simultaneously agrees to
repurchase a similar security on a specified future date at an agreed upon
price. During the roll period, the Fund will not be entitled to receive any
interest or principal paid on the securities sold. The Fund is compensated for
the lost interest on the securities sold by the difference between the sale
price and the lower price for the future repurchase as well as by the interest
earned on the reinvestment of the sale proceeds. The Fund may also be
compensated by receipt of a commitment fee. When the Fund enters into a mortgage
dollar roll transaction, liquid assets in an amount sufficient to pay for the
future repurchase are segregated with the Custodian. Mortgage dollar roll
transactions are considered reverse repurchase agreements for purposes of the
Fund's investment restrictions.
LOANS OF PORTFOLIO SECURITIES. The Fund may lend its securities if such
loans are secured continuously by cash or equivalent collateral or by a letter
of credit in favor of the Fund at least equal at all times to 100% of the market
value of the securities loaned, plus accrued interest. While such securities are
on loan, the borrower will pay the Fund any income accruing thereon. Loans will
be subject to termination by the Fund in the normal settlement time, generally
three business days after notice, or by the borrower on one day's notice.
Borrowed securities must be returned when the loan is terminated. Any gain or
loss in the market price of the borrowed securities which occurs during the term
of the loan inures to the Fund. The Fund may pay reasonable finders' and
custodial fees in connection with a loan. In addition, the Fund will consider
all facts and circumstances, including the creditworthiness of the borrowing
financial institution, and the Fund will not make any loans in excess of one
year. The Fund will not lend its securities to any officer, Trustee, Director,
employee or other affiliate of the Fund, the Advisor or the Distributor, unless
otherwise permitted by applicable law.
PRIVATELY PLACED AND CERTAIN UNREGISTERED SECURITIES. The Fund may
invest in privately placed, restricted, Rule 144A or other unregistered
securities as described in the Prospectus.
As to illiquid investments, the Fund is subject to a risk that should
the Fund decide to sell them when a ready buyer is not available at a price the
Fund deems representative of their value, the value of the Fund's net assets
could be adversely affected. Where an illiquid security must be registered under
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") before it may be sold,
the Fund may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expenses, and a
considerable period may elapse between the time of the decision to sell and the
time the Fund may be permitted to sell a security under an effective
registration statement. If, during such a period, adverse market conditions were
to develop, the Fund might obtain a less favorable price than prevailed when it
decided to sell.
SYNTHETIC INSTRUMENTS. The Fund may invest in certain synthetic
instruments. Such instruments generally involve the deposit of asset-backed
securities in a trust arrangement and the issuance of certificates and/or notes
evidencing interests in the trust. These securities are generally sold in
private placements in reliance on Rule 144A.
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SWAPS AND RELATED SWAP PRODUCTS. The Fund may engage in swap
transactions, specifically interest rate, currency, index and total return swaps
and in the purchase or sale of related caps, floors and collars. In a typical
interest rate swap agreement, one party agrees to make payments equal to a
floating interest rate on a specified amount (the "notional amount") in return
for payments equal to a fixed interest rate on the same amount for a specified
period. If a swap agreement provides for payments in different currencies, the
parties might agree to exchange the notional amount as well. The purchaser of an
interest rate cap or floor, upon payment of a fee, has the right to receive
payments (and the seller of the cap is obligated to make payments) to the extent
a specified interest rate exceeds (in the case of a cap) or is less than (in the
case of a floor) a specified level over a specified period of time or at
specified dates. The purchaser of an interest rate collar, upon payment of a
fee, has the right to receive payments (and the seller of the collar is
obligated to make payments) to the extent that a specified interest rate falls
outside an agreed upon range over a specified period of time or at specified
dates.
Index and currency swaps, caps, floors, and collars are similar to
those described in the preceding paragraph, except that, rather than being
determined by variations in specified interest rates, the obligations of the
parties are determined by variations in specified interest rate or currency
indexes, and, in the case of total return swaps, variations in the total return
of specific securities.
The amount of the Fund's potential gain or loss on any swap transaction
is not subject to any fixed limit. Nor is there any fixed limit on the Fund's
potential loss if it sells a cap, floor or collar. If the Fund buys a cap, floor
or collar, however, the Fund's potential loss is limited to the amount of the
fee that it has paid. Swaps, caps, floors and collars tend to be more volatile
than many other types of investments. Nevertheless, the Fund will use these
techniques only as a risk management tool and not for purposes of leveraging the
Fund's market exposure or its exposure to changing interest rates, security
values or currency values The Fund will use these transactions only to preserve
a return or spread on a particular investment or portion of its investments, to
protect against currency fluctuations, as a duration management technique, to
protect against any increase in the price of securities the Fund anticipates
purchasing at a later date, or to gain exposure to certain markets in the most
economical way possible. The Fund will not sell interest rate caps, floors or
collars if it does not own securities providing the interest that the Fund may
be required to pay.
The use of swaps, caps, floors and collars involves investment
techniques and risks different from those associated with other portfolio
security transactions. If the Advisor is incorrect in its forecasts of market
values, interest rates, currency rates and other applicable factors, the
investment performance of the Fund will be less favorable than if these
techniques had not been used. These instruments are typically not traded on
exchanges. Accordingly, there is a risk that the other party to certain of these
instruments will not perform its obligations to the Fund or that the Fund may be
unable to enter into offsetting positions to terminate its exposure or liquidate
its
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investment under certain of these instruments when it wishes to do so. Such
occurrences could result in losses to the Fund.
The Advisor will, however, consider such risks and will enter into
swap, cap, floor and collar transactions only when it believes that the risks
are not unreasonable.
Provided contracts relative to the Fund's use of swaps, caps, floors
and collars permit, the Fund will usually enter into swaps on a net basis--that
is, the two payment streams are netted out in a cash settlement on the payment
date or dates specified in the instrument--with the Fund receiving or paying, as
the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments.
The Fund will maintain cash or liquid assets in a segregated account
with its custodian in an amount sufficient at all times to cover its current
obligations under swaps, caps, floors and collars. If the Fund enters into a
swap agreement on a net basis, it will segregate assets with a daily value at
least equal to the excess, if any, of the Fund's accrued obligations under the
swap agreement over the accrued amount the Fund is entitled to receive under the
agreement. If the Fund enters into a swap agreement on other than a net basis,
or sells a cap, floor or collar, it will segregate assets with a daily value at
least equal to the full amount of the Fund's accrued obligations under the
agreement.
The Fund will not enter into any swap, cap, floor, or collar, unless
the counterparty to the transaction is deemed creditworthy by the Advisor. If a
counterparty defaults, the Fund may have contractual remedies pursuant to the
agreements related to the transaction. The swap market has grown substantially
in recent years, with a large number of banks and investment banking firms
acting both as principals and as agents utilizing standardized swap
documentation. As a result, the swap market has become relatively liquid Caps,
floors and collars are more recent innovations for which standardized
documentation has not yet been fully developed and, for that reason, they are
less liquid than swaps.
The liquidity of swaps, caps, floors and collars will be determined by
the Advisor based on various factors, including (1) the frequency of trades and
quotations, (2) the number of dealers and prospective purchasers in the
marketplace, (3) dealer undertakings to make a market, (4) the nature of the
instrument (including any demand or tender features) and (5) the nature of the
marketplace for trades (including the ability to assign or offset the Fund's
rights and obligations relating to the investment). Such determination will
govern whether the instrument will be deemed within the 15% restriction on
investments in securities that are not readily marketable.
In connection with such transactions, the Fund will segregate cash or
liquid securities to cover any amounts it could owe under swaps that exceed the
amounts it is entitled to receive, and it will adjust that amount daily, as
needed. During the term of a swap, changes in the value of the swap are
recognized as unrealized gains or losses by marking to market to reflect the
market value of the swap. When the swap is terminated, the Fund will record a
realized gain or loss equal to the difference, if any, between the proceeds from
(or cost of) the closing transaction and the Fund's basis in the contract. The
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Fund is exposed to credit loss in the event of nonperformance by the other party
to the swap.
The federal income tax treatment with respect to swaps, caps, floors,
and collars may impose limitations on the extend to which the Fund may engage in
such transactions.
QUALITY AND DIVERSIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
Although the Fund is not limited by the diversification requirements of the
1940 Act, the Fund will comply with the diversification requirements imposed by
the Code for qualification as a regulated investment company. See "Taxes."
Under normal circumstances, at least 95% of the Fund's total assets
will consist of securities rated B or better at the time of purchase by Moody's
Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's") or Standard & Poor's Ratings Group
("Standard & Poor's"). The higher total return sought by the Fund is generally
obtainable from high yield high risk securities in the lower rating categories
of the established rating services. These securities are rated below Baa by
Moody's or below BBB by Standard & Poor's. The Fund may invest in securities
that are speculative to a high degree and in default. Lower rated securities are
generally referred to as junk bonds. See the Appendix attached to this Statement
of Additional Information for a description of the characteristics of the
various ratings categories. The Fund is not obligated to dispose of securities
whose issuers subsequently are in default or which are downgraded below the
minimum ratings noted above. The credit ratings of Moody's and Standard & Poor's
(the "Rating Agencies"), such as those ratings described in this Statement of
Additional Information, may not be changed by the Rating Agencies in a timely
fashion to reflect subsequent economic events. The credit ratings of securities
do not evaluate market risk. The Fund may also invest in unrated securities
which, in the opinion of the Advisor, offer comparable yields and risks to the
rated securities in which the Fund may invest.
Debt securities that are rated in the lower rating categories, or which
are unrated, involve greater volatility of price and risk of loss of principal
and income. In addition, lower ratings reflect a greater possibility of an
adverse change in financial condition affecting the ability of the issuer to
make payments of interest and principal. The market price and liquidity of lower
rated fixed income securities generally respond to short-term corporate and
market developments to a greater extent than the price and liquidity of higher
rated securities, because these developments are perceived to have a more direct
relationship to the ability of an issuer of lower rated securities to meet its
ongoing debt obligations. Although the Advisor seeks to minimize these risks
through diversification, investment analysis and attention to current
developments in interest rates and economic conditions, there can be no
assurance that the Advisor will be successful in limiting the Fund's exposure to
the risks associated with lower rated securities. Because the Fund invests in
securities in the lower rated categories, the achievement of the Fund's
investment objective is more dependent on the Advisor's ability than would be
the case if the Fund were investing in securities in the higher rated
categories.
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Reduced volume and liquidity in the high yield bond market or the
reduced availability of market quotations may make it more difficult to dispose
of the Fund's investments in high yield securities and to value accurately these
assets. The reduced availability of reliable, objective data may increase the
Fund's reliance on management's judgment in valuing high yield bonds. In
addition, the Fund's investments in high yield securities may be susceptible to
adverse publicity and investor perceptions whether or not justified by
fundamental factors.
In determining suitability of investment in a particular unrated
security, the Advisor takes into consideration asset and debt service coverage,
the purpose of the financing, history of the issuer, existence of other rated
securities of the issuer, and other relevant conditions, such as comparability
to other issuers.
OPTIONS AND FUTURES TRANSACTIONS
EXCHANGE TRADED AND OTC OPTIONS. All options purchased or sold by the
Fund will be traded on a securities exchange or will be purchased or sold by
securities dealers (OTC options) that meet creditworthiness standards approved
by the Trustees. While exchange-traded options are obligations of the Options
Clearing Corporation, in the case of OTC options, the Fund relies on the dealer
from which it purchased the option to perform if the option is exercised. Thus,
when the Fund purchases an OTC option, it relies on the dealer from which it
purchased the option to make or take delivery of the underlying securities.
Failure by the dealer to do so would result in the loss of the premium paid by
the Fund as well as loss of the expected benefit of the transaction.
Provided that the Fund has arrangements with certain qualified dealers
who agree that the Fund may repurchase any option it writes for a maximum price
to be calculated by a predetermined formula, the Fund may treat the underlying
securities used to cover written OTC options as liquid. In these cases, the OTC
option itself would only be considered illiquid to the extent that the maximum
repurchase price under the formula exceeds the intrinsic value of the option.
FUTURES CONTRACTS AND OPTIONS ON FUTURES CONTRACTS. The Fund may
purchase or sell (write) futures contracts and purchase and sell (write) put and
call options, including put and call options on futures contracts. Futures
contracts obligate the buyer to take and the seller to make delivery at a future
date of a specified quantity of a financial instrument or an amount of cash
based on the value of a securities index. Currently, futures contracts are
available on various types of fixed income securities, including but not limited
to U.S. Treasury bonds, notes and bills, Eurodollar certificates of deposit and
on indexes of fixed income securities and indexes of equity securities.
Unlike a futures contract, which requires the parties to buy and sell a
security or make a cash settlement payment based on changes in a financial
instrument or securities index on an agreed date, an option on a futures
contract entitles its holder to decide on or before a future date whether to
enter into such a contract. If the holder decides not to exercise its option,
the holder may close out the option position by entering into an offsetting
transaction or may decide to let the option expire and forfeit the premium
thereon. The
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purchaser of an option on a futures contract pays a premium for the option but
makes no initial margin payments or daily payments of cash in the nature of
"variation" margin payments to reflect the change in the value of the underlying
contract as does a purchaser or seller of a futures contract.
The seller of an option on a futures contract receives the premium paid
by the purchaser and may be required to pay initial margin. Amounts equal to the
initial margin and any additional collateral required on any options on futures
contracts sold by the Fund are paid by the Fund into a segregated account, in
the name of the Futures Commission Merchant, as required by the 1940 Act and the
SEC's interpretations thereunder.
COMBINED POSITIONS. The Fund may write options in combination with each
other, or in combination with futures or forward contracts, to adjust the risk
and return characteristics of the overall position. For example, the Fund may
purchase a put option and write a call option on the same underlying instrument
in order to construct a combined position whose risk and return characteristics
are similar to selling a futures contract. Another possible combined position
would involve writing a call option at one strike price and buying a call option
at a lower price, in order to reduce the risk of the written call option in the
event of a substantial price increase. Because combined options positions
involve multiple trades, they result in higher transaction costs and may be more
difficult to open and close out.
CORRELATION OF PRICE CHANGES. Because there are a limited number of
types of exchange-traded options and futures contracts, it is likely that the
standardized options and futures contracts available will not match the Fund's
current or anticipated investments exactly. The Fund may invest in options and
futures contracts based on securities with different issuers, maturities, or
other characteristics from the securities in which it typically invests, which
involves a risk that the options or futures position will not track the
performance of the Fund's other investments.
Options and futures contracts prices can also diverge from the prices
of their underlying instruments, even if the underlying instruments match the
Fund's investments well. Options and futures contracts prices are affected by
such factors as current and anticipated short term interest rates, changes in
volatility of the underlying instrument, and the time remaining until expiration
of the contract, which may not affect security prices the same way. Imperfect
correlation may also result from differing levels of demand in the options and
futures markets and the securities markets, from structural differences in how
options and futures and securities are traded, or from imposition of daily price
fluctuation limits or trading halts. The Fund may purchase or sell options and
futures contracts with a greater or lesser value than the securities it wishes
to hedge or intends to purchase in order to attempt to compensate for
differences in volatility between the contract and the securities, although this
may not be successful in all cases. If price changes in the Fund's options or
futures positions are poorly correlated with its other investments, the
positions may fail to produce anticipated gains or result in losses that are not
offset by gains in other investments.
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LIQUIDITY OF OPTIONS AND FUTURES CONTRACTS. There is no assurance that
a liquid market will exist for any particular option or futures contract at any
particular time even if the contract is traded on an exchange. In addition,
exchanges may establish daily price fluctuation limits for options and futures
contracts and may halt trading if a contract's price moves up or down more than
the limit in a given day. On volatile trading days when the price fluctuation
limit is reached or a trading halt is imposed, it may be impossible for the Fund
to enter into new positions or close out existing positions. If the market for a
contract is not liquid because of price fluctuation limits or otherwise, it
could prevent prompt liquidation of unfavorable positions, and could potentially
require the Fund to continue to hold a position until delivery or expiration
regardless of changes in its value. As a result, the Fund's access to other
assets held to cover its options or futures positions could also be impaired.
See "Exchange Traded and OTC Options" above for a discussion of the liquidity of
options not traded on an exchange.
POSITION LIMITS. Futures exchanges can limit the number of futures and
options on futures contracts that can be held or controlled by an entity. If an
adequate exemption cannot be obtained, the Fund or the Advisor may be required
to reduce the size of its futures and options positions or may not be able to
trade a certain futures or options contract in order to avoid exceeding such
limits.
ASSET COVERAGE FOR FUTURES CONTRACTS AND OPTIONS POSITIONS. The Fund
intends to comply with Section 4.5 of the regulations under the Commodity
Exchange Act, which limits the extent to which the Fund can commit assets to
initial margin deposits and option premiums. In addition, the Fund will comply
with guidelines established by the SEC with respect to coverage of options and
futures contracts by mutual funds, and if the guidelines so require, will set
aside appropriate liquid assets in a segregated custodial account in the amount
prescribed. Securities held in a segregated account cannot be sold while the
futures contract or option is outstanding, unless they are replaced with other
suitable assets. As a result, there is a possibility that segregation of a large
percentage of the Fund's assets could impede portfolio management or the Fund's
ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.
RISK MANAGEMENT
The Fund may employ non-hedging risk management techniques. Examples of
risk management strategies include synthetically altering the duration of a
portfolio or the mix of securities in a portfolio. For example, if the Advisor
wishes to extend maturities in a fixed income portfolio in order to take
advantage of an anticipated decline in interest rates, but does not wish to
purchase the underlying long term securities, it might cause the Fund to
purchase futures contracts on long term debt securities. Similarly, if the
Advisor wishes to decrease fixed income securities or purchase equities, it
could cause the Fund to sell futures contracts on debt securities and purchase
futures contracts on a stock index. Such non-hedging risk management techniques
are not speculative, but because they involve leverage include, as do all
leveraged transactions, the possibility of losses as well as gains that are
greater than if these techniques
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involved the purchase and sale of the securities themselves rather than their
synthetic derivatives.
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The portfolio turnover rate for the Portfolio for the period March 7,
1997 (commencement of operations) through June 30, 1997 was 118% (unaudited). A
rate of 100% indicates that the equivalent of all of the Fund's assets have been
sold and reinvested in a year. High portfolio turnover may result in the
realization of substantial net capital gains or losses. To the extent net short
term capital gains are realized, any distributions resulting from such gains are
considered ordinary income for federal income tax purposes. See "Taxes" below.
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS
The investment restrictions of the Fund and the Portfolio are
identical, unless otherwise specified. Accordingly, references below to the Fund
also include the Portfolio unless the context requires otherwise; similarly,
references to the Portfolio also include the Fund unless the context requires
otherwise.
The investment restrictions below have been adopted by the Trust with
respect to the Fund and by the Portfolio. Except where otherwise noted, these
investment restrictions are "fundamental" policies which, under the 1940 Act,
may not be changed without the vote of a "majority of the outstanding voting
securities" (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund or Portfolio, as the case
may be. A "majority of the outstanding voting securities" is defined in the 1940
Act as the lesser of (a) 67% or more of the voting securities present at a
meeting if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities are
present or represented by proxy, or (b) more than 50% of the outstanding voting
securities. The percentage limitations contained in the restrictions below apply
at the time of the purchase of securities. Whenever the Fund is requested to
vote on a change in the fundamental investment restrictions of the Portfolio,
the Trust will hold a meeting of Fund shareholders and will cast its votes as
instructed by the Fund's shareholders.
Unless Sections 8(b)(1) and 13(a) of the 1940 Act or any SEC or SEC
staff interpretations thereof, are amended or modified, the Fund and the
Portfolio may not:
1. Purchase any security if, as a result, more than 25% of the value of
the Fund's total assets would be invested in securities of issuers
having their principal business activities in the same industry. This
limitation shall not apply to obligations issued or guaranteed by the
U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities.
2. Issue senior securities. For purposes of this restriction, borrowing
money in accordance with paragraph 3 below, making loans in accordance
with paragraph 7 below, the issuance of shares of beneficial interest
in multiple classes or series, the purchase or sale of options, futures
contracts, forward commitments, swaps and transactions in repurchase
agreements are not deemed to be senior securities.
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3. Borrow money, except in amounts not to exceed one third of the Fund's
total assets (including the amount borrowed) less liabilities (other than
borrowings) (i) from banks for temporary or short-term purposes or for the
clearance of transactions, (ii) in connection with the redemption of Fund
shares or to finance failed settlements of portfolio trades without
immediately liquidating portfolio securities or other assets, (iii) in
order to fulfill commitments or plans to purchase additional securities
pending the anticipated sale of other portfolio securities or assets and
(iv) pursuant to reverse repurchase agreement entered into by the Fund.1
4. Underwrite the securities of other issuers, except to the extent that,
in connection with the disposition of portfolio securities, the Fund
may be deemed to be an underwriter under the 1933 Act.
5. Purchase or sell real estate except that the Fund may (i) acquire or
lease office space for its own use, (ii) invest in securities of
issuers that invest in real estate or interests therein, (iii) invest
in securities that are secured by real estate or interests therein,
(iv) make direct investments in mortgages, (v) purchase and sell
mortgage-related securities and (vi) hold and sell real estate acquired
by the Fund as a result of the ownership of securities including
mortgages.
6. Purchase or sell commodities or commodity contracts, unless acquired as
a result of the ownership of securities or instruments, except the Fund
may purchase and sell financial futures contracts, options on financial
futures contracts and warrants and may enter into swap and forward
commitment transactions.
7. Make loans, except that the Fund (1) may lend portfolio securities with a
value not exceeding one third of the Fund's total assets, (2) enter into
repurchase agreements, and (3) purchase all or a portion of an issue of
debt obligations (including privately issued debt obligations and direct
investments in mortgages), bank loan participation interests, bank
certificates of deposit, bankers' acceptances, debentures or other
securities, whether or not the purchase is made upon the original issuance
of the securities.
NON-FUNDAMENTAL INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS - The investment restrictions
described below are not fundamental policies of the Fund and the Portfolio and
may be changed by their respective Trustees. These non-fundamental investment
policies require that the Fund may not:
(i) Acquire securities of other investment companies, except as permitted by the
1940 Act or any rule, order or interpretation thereunder, or in connection with
a merger, consolidation, reorganization, acquisition of assets or an offer of
exchange;
- --------
1 Although the Fund is permitted to fulfill plans to purchase
additional securities pending the anticipated sale of other portfolio
securities or assets, the Fund has no current intention of engaging in
this form of leverage.
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(ii) Acquire any illiquid securities, such as repurchase agreements with more
than seven days to maturity or fixed time deposits with a duration of over seven
calendar days, if as a result thereof, more than 15% of the market value of the
Fund's net assets would be in investments that are illiquid;
(iii) Sell any security short, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act.
Transactions in futures contracts and options shall not constitute selling
securities short;
(iv) Purchase securities on margin, but the Fund may obtain such short term
credits as may be necessary for the clearance of transactions;
Notwithstanding any other fundamental or non-fundamental investment
restriction or policy, the Fund reserves the right, without the approval of
shareholders, to invest all of its assets in the securities of a single open-end
registered investment company with substantially the same investment objective,
restrictions and policies as the Fund.
There will be no violation of any investment restriction if that
restriction is complied with at the time the relevant action is taken
notwithstanding a later change in market value of an investment, in net or total
assets, in the securities rating of the investment, or any other later change.
For purposes of fundamental investment restrictions regarding industry
concentration, the Advisor may classify issuers by industry in accordance with
classifications set forth in the DIRECTORY OF COMPANIES FILING ANNUAL REPORTS
WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION or other sources. In the absence of
such classification or if the Advisor determines in good faith based on its own
information that the economic characteristics affecting a particular issuer make
it more appropriately considered to be engaged in a different industry, the
Advisor may classify accordingly. For instance, personal credit finance
companies and business credit finance companies are deemed to be separate
industries and wholly owned finance companies are considered to be in the
industry of their parents if their activities are primarily related to financing
the activities of their parents.
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS
TRUSTEES
The Trustees of the Trust, who are also the Trustees of the Portfolio,
their business addresses, principal occupations during the past five years and
dates of birth are set forth below.
FREDERICK S. ADDY--Trustee; Retired; Executive Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer since prior to April 1994, Amoco Corporation. His address is
5300 Arbutus Cove, Austin, TX 78746, and his date of birth is January 1, 1932.
WILLIAM G. BURNS--Trustee; Retired, Former Vice Chairman and Chief
Financial Officer, NYNEX. His address is 2200 Alaqua Drive, Longwood, FL 32779,
and his date of birth is November 2, 1932.
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ARTHUR C. ESCHENLAUER--Trustee; Retired; Former Senior Vice President,
Morgan Guaranty Trust Company of New York. His address is 14 Alta Vista Drive,
RD #2, Princeton, NJ 08540, and his date of birth is May 23, 1934.
MATTHEW HEALEY (*)--Trustee, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer;
Chairman, Pierpont Group, Inc., ("Pierpont Group") since prior to 1992. His
address is Pine Tree Club Estates, 10286 Saint Andrews Road, Boynton Beach, FL
33436, and his date of birth is August 23, 1937.
MICHAEL P. MALLARDI--Trustee; Retired; Senior Vice President, Capital
Cities/ABC, Inc. and President, Broadcast Group since prior to April 1996. His
address is 10 Charnwood Drive, Suffern, NY 10910, and his date of birth is March
17, 1934.
- ------------------------
(*) Mr. Healey is an "interested person" of the Trust, the Portfolio and the
Advisor, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act.
The Trustees of the Trust are the same as the Trustees of the
Portfolio. In accordance with applicable state requirements, a majority of the
disinterested Trustees have adopted written procedures reasonably appropriate to
deal with potential conflicts of interest arising from the fact that the same
individuals are Trustees of the Trust, the Portfolio and The JPM Institutional
Funds, up to and including creating a separate board of trustees.
Each Trustee is currently paid an annual fee of $75,000 (adjusted as of
April 1, 1997) for serving as Trustee of the Trust, each of the Master
Portfolios (as defined below), The JPM Institutional Funds and the JPM Series
Trust and is reimbursed for expenses incurred in connection with service as a
Trustee. The Trustees may hold various other directorships unrelated to these
funds.
Trustee compensation expenses accrued by the Trust for the calendar
year ended December 31, 1996 is set forth below.
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TOTAL TRUSTEE
COMPENSATION ACCRUED
AGGREGATE BY THE MASTER
TRUSTEE PORTFOLIOS(*), THE JPM
COMPENSATION INSTITUTIONAL FUNDS,
ACCRUED BY THE JPM SERIES TRUST AND
TRUST DURING THE TRUST DURING
NAME OF TRUSTEE 1996 1996 (***)
- --------------- -------------- ----------
Frederick S. Addy, Trustee $15,808 $65,000
William G. Burns, Trustee $15,808 $65,000
Arthur C. Eschenlauer, Trustee $15,808 $65,000
Matthew Healey, Trustee (**) $15,808 $65,000
Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer
Michael P. Mallardi, Trustee $15,808 $65,000
(*) Includes the Portfolio, each Portfolio in which a series of the Trust
invests, The Non-U.S. Fixed Income Portfolio and The Disciplined Equity
Portfolio (collectively the "Master Portfolios").
(**) During 1996, Pierpont Group paid Mr. Healey, in his role as Chairman of
Pierpont Group, compensation in the amount of $140,000, contributed $21,000 to a
defined contribution plan on his behalf and paid $21,500 in insurance premiums
for his benefit.
(***) No investment company within the fund complex has a pension or retirement
plan. Currently there are 18 investment companies (15 investment companies
comprising the Master Portfolios, the Trust, The JPM Institutional Funds and JPM
Series Trust) in the fund complex.
The Trustees, in addition to reviewing actions of the Trust's and the
Portfolio's various service providers, decide upon matters of general policy.
The Portfolio and the Trust have entered into a Fund Services Agreement with
Pierpont Group to assist the Trustees in exercising their overall supervisory
responsibilities over the affairs of the Portfolio and the Trust. Pierpont Group
was organized in July 1989 to provide services for The Pierpont Family of Funds,
and the Trustees are the equal and sole shareholders of Pierpont Group. The
Trust and the Portfolio have agreed to pay Pierpont Group a fee in an amount
representing its reasonable costs in performing these services to the Trust, the
Portfolio and certain other registered investment companies with similar
agreements with Pierpont Group. These costs are periodically reviewed by the
Trustees.
The aggregate fees paid to Pierpont Group Inc. by the Fund and the
Portfolio during the indicated fiscal period are set forth below:
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FUND -- For the period April 17, 1997 (commencement of operations) through June
30, 1997 (unaudited): $43.
PORTFOLIO -- For the period March 7, 1997 (commencement of operations)
through June 30, 1997(unaudited): $935.
OFFICERS
The Trust's and Portfolio's executive officers (listed below), other
than the Chief Executive Officer, are provided and compensated by Funds
Distributor, Inc. ("FDI"), a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Boston
Institutional Group, Inc. The officers conduct and supervise the business
operations of the Trust and the Portfolio. The Trust and the Portfolio have no
employees.
The officers of the Trust and the Portfolio, their principal
occupations during the past five years and dates of birth are set forth below.
Unless otherwise specified, each officer holds the same position with the Trust
and the Portfolio. The business address of each of the officers unless otherwise
noted is Funds Distributor, Inc., 60 State Street, Suite 1300, Boston,
Massachusetts
02109.
MATTHEW HEALEY; Chief Executive Officer; Chairman, Pierpont Group,
since prior to 1992. His address is Pine Tree Club Estates, 10286 Saint Andrews
Road, Boynton Beach, FL 33436. His date of birth is August 23, 1937.
MARIE E. CONNOLLY; Vice President and Assistant Treasurer. President,
Chief Executive Officer, Chief Compliance Officer and Director of FDI, Premier
Mutual Fund Services, Inc., an affiliate of FDI ("Premier Mutual") and an
officer of certain investment companies advised or administered by the Dreyfus
Corporation ("Dreyfus") or its affiliates. From December 1991 to July 1994, she
was President and Chief Compliance Officer of FDI. Her date of birth is August
1, 1957.
DOUGLAS C. CONROY; Vice President and Assistant Treasurer. Assistant Vice
President and Manager of Treasury Services and Administration of FDI and an
officer of certain investment companies advised or administered by Dreyfus or
its affiliates. Prior to April 1997, Mr. Conroy was Supervisor of Treasury
Services and Administration of FDI. From April 1993 to January 1995, Mr. Conroy
was a Senior Fund Accountant for Investors Bank & Trust Company. Prior to March
1993, Mr. Conroy was employed as a fund accountant at The Boston Company, Inc.
His date of birth is March 31, 1969.
JACQUELINE HENNING; Assistant Secretary and Assistant Treasurer of the
Portfolio only. Managing Director, State Street Cayman Trust Company, Ltd. since
October 1994. Prior to October 1994, Mrs. Henning was head of mutual funds at
Morgan Grenfell in Cayman and for five years was Managing Director of Bank of
Nova Scotia Trust Company (Cayman) Limited from September 1988 to September
1993. Address: P.O. Box 2508 GT, Elizabethan Square, 2nd Floor, Shedden Road,
George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. Her date of birth is March 24, 1942.
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RICHARD W. INGRAM; President and Treasurer. Executive Vice President
and Director of Client Services and Treasury Administration of FDI, Senior Vice
President of Premier Mutual and an officer of RCM Capital Funds, Inc., RCM
Equity Funds, Inc., Waterhouse Investors Cash Management Fund, Inc. and certain
investment companies advised or administered by Dreyfus or Harris Trust and
Savings Bank ("Harris") or their respective affiliates. Prior to April 1997, Mr.
Ingram was Senior Vice President and Director of Client Service and Treasury
Administration of FDI. From March 1994 to November 1995, Mr. Ingram was Vice
President and Division Manager of First Data Investor Services Group, Inc. From
1989 to 1994, Mr. Ingram was Vice President, Assistant Treasurer and Tax
Director - Mutual Funds of The Boston Company, Inc. His date of birth is
September 15, 1955.
KAREN JACOPPO-WOOD; Vice President and Assistant Secretary. Assistant Vice
President of FDI and an officer of RCM Capital Funds, Inc. and RCM Equity Funds,
Inc., Waterhouse Investors Cash Management Fund, Inc. and Harris or their
respective affiliates. From June 1994 to January 1996, Ms. Jacoppo-Wood was a
Manager, SEC Registration, Scudder, Stevens & Clark, Inc. From 1988 to May 1994,
Ms. Jacoppo-Wood was a senior paralegal at The Boston Company Advisors, Inc.
("TBCA"). Her date of birth is December 29, 1966.
MARK A. KARPE; Vice President and Assistant Secretary. Counsel of FDI and
an officer of certain investment companies advised or administered by The
Dreyfus Corporation or its affiliates since September 1996. From August 1993 to
May 1996, Mr. Karpe was enrolled at Hofstra Law School and received his JD in
May 1996. From August 1992 to July 1993, Mr. Karpe was employed as an Associate
Examiner with the Enforcement Department of the NASD. Prior to September 1992,
Mr. Karpe was an Associate Analyst with the Enforcement Department of the
American Stock Exchange. His date of birth is November 22, 1968.
ELIZABETH A. KEELEY; Vice President and Assistant Secretary. Vice President
and Senior Counsel of FDI and Premier Mutual and an officer of RCM Capital
Funds, Inc., RCM Equity Funds, Inc., Waterhouse Investors Cash Management Fund,
Inc. and certain investment companies advised or administered by Dreyfus or
Harris or their respective affiliates. Prior to August 1996, Ms. Keeley was
Assistant Vice President and Counsel of FDI and Premier Mutual. Prior to
September 1995, Ms. Keeley was enrolled at Fordham University School of Law and
received her JD in May 1995. Prior to September 1992, Ms. Keeley was an
assistant at the National Association for Public Interest Law. Address: 200 Park
Avenue, New York, New York 10166. Her date of birth is September 14, 1969.
CHRISTOPHER J. KELLEY; Vice President and Assistant Secretary. Vice
President and Associate General Counsel of FDI and Premier Mutual and an officer
of Waterhouse Investors Cash Management Fund, Inc. and certain investment
companies advised or administered by Harris or its affiliates. From April 1994
to July 1996, Mr. Kelley was Assistant Counsel at Forum Financial Group. From
1992 to 1994, Mr. Kelley was employed by Putnam Investments in legal and
compliance capacities. Prior to September 1992, Mr. Kelley was enrolled at
Boston College Law School and received his JD in May 1992. His date of birth is
December 24, 1964.
LENORE J. MCCABE; Assistant Secretary and Assistant Treasurer of the
Portfolio only. Assistant Vice President, State Street Bank and Trust Company
since November 1994. Assigned as Operations Manager, State Street Cayman Trust
Company, Ltd. since February 1995. Prior to November, 1994, employed by Boston
Financial Data Services, Inc. as Control Group Manager. Address: P.O. Box 2508
GT, Elizabethan Square, 2nd Floor, Shedden Road, George Town, Grand Cayman,
Cayman Islands. Her date of birth is May 31, 1961.
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MARY A. NELSON; Vice President and Assistant Treasurer. Vice President and
Manager of Treasury Services and Administration of FDI and Premier Mutual, an
officer of RCM Capital Funds, Inc., RCM Equity Funds, Inc., Waterhouse Investors
Cash Management Fund, Inc. and certain investment companies advised or
administered by Dreyfus or Harris or their respective affiliates. From 1989 to
1994, Ms. Nelson was an Assistant Vice President and Client Manager for The
Boston Company, Inc. Her date of birth is April 22, 1964.
JOHN E. PELLETIER; Vice President and Secretary. Senior Vice President,
General Counsel, Secretary and Clerk of FDI and Premier Mutual and an officer of
RCM Capital Funds, Inc., RCM Equity Funds, Inc., Waterhouse Investors Cash
Management Fund, Inc. and certain investment companies advised or administered
by Dreyfus or Harris or their respective affiliates. From February 1992 to April
1994, Mr. Pelletier served as Counsel for TBCA. From August 1990 to February
1992, Mr. Pelletier was employed as an Associate at Ropes & Gray. His date of
birth is June 24, 1964.
MICHAEL S. PETRUCELLI; Vice President and Assistant Secretary. Senior Vice
President and Director of Strategic Client Initiatives for FDI since December
1996. From December 1989 through November 1996, Mr. Petrucelli was employed with
GE Investments where he held various financial, business development and
compliance positions. He also served as Treasurer of the GE Funds and as
Director of GE Investment Services. Address: 200 Park Avenue, New York, New
York, 10166. His date of birth is May 18, 1961.
JOSEPH F. TOWER III; Vice President and Assistant Treasurer. Executive Vice
President, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer, Chief Administrative Officer
and Director Of FDI. Senior Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Financial
Officer, Chief Administrative Officer and Director of Premier Mutual and an
officer of Waterhouse Investors Cash Management Fund, Inc. and certain
investment companies advised or administered by Dreyfus or its Affiliates. Prior
to April 1997, Mr. Tower was Senior Vice President, Treasurer and Chief
Financial Officer, Chief Administrative Officer and Director of FDI. From July
1988 to November 1993, Mr. Tower was Financial Manager of The Boston Company,
Inc. His date of birth is June 13, 1962.
INVESTMENT ADVISOR
The investment advisor to the Portfolio is Morgan Guaranty Trust
Company of New York, a wholly owned subsidiary of J.P. Morgan & Co. Incorporated
("J.P. Morgan"), a bank holding company organized under the laws of the State of
Delaware. The Advisor, whose principal offices are at 60 Wall Street, New York,
New York 10260, is a New York trust company which conducts a general banking and
trust business. The Advisor is subject to regulation by the New York State
Banking Department and is a member bank of the Federal Reserve System. Through
offices in New York City and abroad, the Advisor offers a wide range of
services, primarily to governmental, institutional, corporate and high net worth
individual customers in the United States and throughout the world.
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J.P. Morgan, through the Advisor and other subsidiaries, acts as
investment advisor to individuals, governments, corporations, employee benefit
plans, mutual funds and other institutional investors with combined assets under
management of over $234 billion.
J.P. Morgan has a long history of service as adviser, underwriter and
lender to an extensive roster of major companies and as a financial advisor to
national governments. The firm, through its predecessor firms, has been in
business for over a century and has been managing investments since 1913.
The basis of the Advisor's investment process is fundamental investment
research as the firm believes that fundamentals should determine an asset's
value over the long term. J.P. Morgan currently employs over 100 full time
research analysts, among the largest research staffs in the money management
industry, in its investment management divisions located in New York, London,
Tokyo, Frankfurt, Melbourne and Singapore to cover companies, industries and
countries on site. In addition, the investment management divisions employ
approximately 300 capital market researchers, portfolio managers and traders.
The investment advisory services the Advisor provides to the Portfolio
are not exclusive under the terms of the Advisory Agreement. The Advisor is free
to and does render similar investment advisory services to others. The Advisor
serves as investment advisor to personal investors and other investment
companies and acts as fiduciary for trusts, estates and employee benefit plans.
Certain of the assets of trusts and estates under management are invested in
common trust funds for which the Advisor serves as trustee. The accounts which
are managed or advised by the Advisor have varying investment objectives and the
Advisor invests assets of such accounts in investments substantially similar to,
or the same as, those which are expected to constitute the principal investments
of the Portfolio. Such accounts are supervised by officers and employees of the
Advisor who may also be acting in similar capacities for the Portfolio. See
"Portfolio Transactions."
Sector weightings are generally similar to a benchmark with the
emphasis on security selection as the method to achieve investment performance
superior to the benchmark. The benchmark for the Portfolio in which the Fund
invests is currently Emerging Market Bond Index+ ("EMBI+").
J.P. Morgan Investment Management Inc., also a wholly owned subsidiary
of J.P. Morgan, is a registered investment adviser under the Investment Advisers
Act of 1940, as amended, which manages employee benefit funds of corporations,
labor unions and state and local governments and the accounts of other
institutional investors, including investment companies. Certain of the assets
of employee benefit accounts under its management are invested in commingled
pension trust funds for which the Advisor serves as trustee. J.P. Morgan
Investment Management Inc. advises the Advisor on investment of the commingled
pension trust funds.
The Portfolio is managed by officers of the Advisor who, in acting for
their customers, including the Portfolio, do not discuss their investment
decisions with any personnel of J.P. Morgan or any personnel of other divisions
of the Advisor or with any of its affiliated persons, with the exception of J.P.
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Morgan Investment Management Inc. and certain other investment management
affiliates of JP Morgan.
As compensation for the services rendered and related expenses such as
salaries of advisory personnel borne by the Advisor under the Advisory
Agreement, the Portfolio has agreed to pay the Advisor a fee, which is computed
daily and may be paid monthly, equal to an annual rate of 0.70% of the
Portfolio's average daily net assets. The advisory fees paid by the Portfolio to
the Advisor for the period March 7, 1997 (commencement of operations) through
June 30, 1997 was $271,243 (unaudited). See "Expenses" in the prospectus and
below for applicable expense limitations.
The Investment Advisory Agreement provides that it will continue in
effect for a period of two years after execution only if specifically approved
thereafter annually in the same manner as the Distribution Agreement. See
"Distributor" below. The Investment Advisory Agreement will terminate
automatically if assigned and is terminable at any time without penalty by a
vote of a majority of the Portfolio's Trustees, or by a vote of the holders of a
majority of the Portfolio's outstanding voting securities, on 60 days' written
notice to the Advisor and by the Advisor on 90 days' written notice to the
Portfolio. See "Additional Information."
The Glass-Steagall Act and other applicable laws generally prohibit
banks such as the Advisor from engaging in the business of underwriting or
distributing securities, and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve
System has issued an interpretation to the effect that under these laws a bank
holding company registered under the federal Bank Holding Company Act or certain
subsidiaries thereof may not sponsor, organize, or control a registered open-end
investment company continuously engaged in the issuance of its shares, such as
the Trust. The interpretation does not prohibit a holding company or a
subsidiary thereof from acting as investment advisor and custodian to such an
investment company. The Advisor believes that it may perform the services for
the Portfolio contemplated by the Advisory Agreement without violation of the
Glass-Steagall Act or other applicable banking laws or regulations. State laws
on this issue may differ from the interpretation of relevant federal law, and
banks and financial institutions may be required to register as dealers pursuant
to state securities laws. However, it is possible that future changes in either
federal or state statutes and regulations concerning the permissible activities
of banks or trust companies, as well as further judicial or administrative
decisions and interpretations of present and future statutes and regulations,
might prevent the Advisor from continuing to perform such services for the
Portfolio.
If the Advisor were prohibited from acting as investment advisor to the
Portfolio, it is expected that the Trustees of the Portfolio would recommend to
investors that they approve the Portfolio's entering into a new investment
advisory agreement with another qualified investment advisor selected by the
Trustees.
Under separate agreements, Morgan also provides certain financial, fund
accounting and administrative services to the Trust and the Portfolio and
shareholder services for the Trust. See "Services Agent" and "Shareholder
Servicing" below.
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DISTRIBUTOR
FDI serves as the Trust's exclusive Distributor and holds itself
available to receive purchase orders for the Fund's shares. In that capacity,
FDI has been granted the right, as agent of the Trust, to solicit and accept
orders for the purchase of the Fund's shares in accordance with the terms of the
Distribution Agreement between the Trust and FDI. Under the terms of the
Distribution Agreement between FDI and the Trust, FDI receives no compensation
in its capacity as the Trust's distributor.
The Distribution Agreement shall continue in effect with respect to the
Fund for a period of two years after execution only if it is approved at least
annually thereafter (i) by a vote of the holders of a majority of the Fund's
outstanding shares or by the Trust's Trustees and (ii) by a vote of a majority
of the Trustees of the Trust who are not "interested persons" (as defined by the
1940 Act) of the parties to the Distribution Agreement, cast in person at a
meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval (see "Trustees and
Officers"). The Distribution Agreement will terminate automatically if assigned
by either party thereto and is terminable at any time without penalty by a vote
of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust, a vote of a majority of the Trustees
who are not "interested persons" of the Trust, or by a vote of the holders of a
majority of the Fund's outstanding shares as defined under "Additional
Information," in any case without payment of any penalty on 60 days' written
notice to the other party. The principal offices of FDI are located at 60 State
Street, Suite 1300, Boston, Massachusetts 02109.
CO-ADMINISTRATOR
Under Co-Administration Agreements with the Trust and the Portfolio
dated August 1, 1996, FDI also serves as the Trust's and the Portfolio's
Co-Administrator. The Co-Administration Agreements may be renewed or amended by
the respective Trustees without a shareholder vote. The Co-Administration
Agreements are terminable at any time without penalty by a vote of a majority of
the Trustees of the Trust or the Portfolio, as applicable, on not more than 60
days' written notice nor less than 30 days' written notice to the other party.
The Co-Administrator may subcontract for the performance of its obligations,
provided, however, that unless the Trust or the Portfolio, as applicable,
expressly agrees in writing, the Co-Administrator shall be fully responsible for
the acts and omissions of any subcontractor as it would for its own acts or
omissions. See "Services Agent" below.
For its services under the Co-Administration Agreements, the Fund and
the Portfolio have agreed to pay FDI fees equal to its allocable share of an
annual complex-wide charge of $425,000 plus FDI's out-of-pocket expenses. The
amount allocable to the Fund or the Portfolio is based on the ratio of its net
assets to the aggregate net assets of the Trust, the Portfolio and certain other
investment companies subject to similar agreements with FDI.
The table below sets forth the administrative fees paid to FDI for the
fiscal period indicated. See "Expenses" below for applicable expense
limitations.
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PORTFOLIO -- For the period March 7, 1997 (commencement of operations) through
June 30, 1997(unaudited): $941.
FUND -- For the period April 17, 1997 (commencement of operations)
through June 30, 1997 (unaudited): $46.
SERVICES AGENT
The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and the Portfolio have entered into
Administrative Services Agreements (the "Services Agreements") with Morgan
pursuant to which Morgan is responsible for certain administrative and related
services provided to the Fund and the Portfolio. The Services Agreements may be
terminated at any time, without penalty, by the Trustees or Morgan, in each case
on not more than 60 days' nor less than 30 days' written notice to the other
party.
Under the Services Agreements, the Fund and the Portfolio have agreed
to pay Morgan fees equal to its allocable share of an annual complex-wide
charge. This charge is calculated daily based on the aggregate net assets of the
Master Portfolios and the JPM Series Trust in accordance with the following
annual schedule: 0.09% on the first $7 billion of their aggregate average daily
net assets and 0.04% of their average daily net assets in excess of $7 billion,
less the complex-wide fees payable to FDI. The portion of this charge payable by
the Fund and the Portfolio is determined by the proportionate share that its net
assets bear to the total net assets of the Trust, the Master Portfolios, the
other investors in the Master Portfolios for which Morgan provides similar
services and JPM Series Trust.
The table below sets forth the service fees paid to Morgan, net of fee
waivers and reimbursements, for the fiscal period indicated.
PORTFOLIO -- For the period March 7, 1997 (commencement of operations) through
June 30, 1997(unaudited): $11,875.
FUND -- For the period April 17, 1997 (commencement of operations) through
June 30, 1997(unaudited): $464.
CUSTODIAN AND TRANSFER AGENT
State Street Bank and Trust Company ("State Street"), 225 Franklin
Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, serves as the Trust's and the Portfolio's
custodian and fund accounting agent and the Fund's transfer and dividend
disbursing agent. Pursuant to the Custodian Contracts, State Street is
responsible for maintaining the books of account and records of portfolio
transactions and holding portfolio securities and cash. In the case of foreign
assets held outside the United States, the Custodian employs various
subcustodians who were approved by the Trustees of the Portfolio in accordance
with the regulations of the SEC. The Custodian maintains portfolio transaction
records. As Transfer Agent and Dividend Disbursing Agent, State Street is
responsible for maintaining account records detailing the ownership of Fund
shares and for crediting income, capital gains and other changes in share
ownership to shareholder accounts.
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SHAREHOLDER SERVICING
The Trust on behalf of the Fund has entered into a Shareholder
Servicing Agreement with Morgan pursuant to which Morgan acts as shareholder
servicing agent for its customers and for other Fund investors who are customers
of an Eligible Institution. Under this agreement, Morgan is responsible for
performing shareholder account administrative and servicing functions, which
includes, but is not limited to, answering inquiries regarding account status
and history, the manner in which purchases and redemptions of Fund shares may be
effected, and certain other matters pertaining to the Fund; assisting customers
in designating and changing dividend options, account designations and
addresses; providing necessary personnel and facilities to coordinate the
establishment and maintenance of shareholder accounts and records with the
Fund's transfer agent; transmitting purchase and redemption orders to the Fund's
transfer agent and arranging for the wiring or other transfer of funds to and
from customer accounts in connection with orders to purchase or redeem Fund
shares; verifying purchase and redemption orders, transfers among and changes in
accounts; informing the Distributor of the gross amount of purchase orders for
Fund shares; and providing other related services.
Under the Shareholder Servicing Agreement, the Fund has agreed to pay
Morgan for these services a fee at an annual rate of 0.25% of the average daily
net asset value of Fund shares owned by or for shareholders for whom Morgan is
acting as shareholder servicing agent). Morgan acts as shareholder servicing
agent for all shareholders.
The shareholder servicing fees paid by the Fund to Morgan, net of fee
waivers and reimbursements, for the period April 17, 1997 (commencement of
operations) through June 30, 1997 (unaudited) were $3,716.
As discussed under "Investment Advisor," the Glass-Steagall Act and
other applicable laws and regulations limit the activities of bank holding
companies and certain of their subsidiaries in connection with registered
open-end investment companies. The activities of Morgan in acting as shareholder
servicing agent for Fund shareholders under the Shareholder Servicing Agreement
and providing administrative services to the Fund and the Portfolio under the
Services Agreements and in acting as Advisor to the Portfolio under the
Investment Advisory Agreement, may raise issues under these laws. However,
Morgan believes that it may properly perform these services and the other
activities described in the Prospectus without violation of the Glass-Steagall
Act or other applicable banking laws or regulations.
If Morgan were prohibited from providing any of the services under the
Shareholder Servicing Agreement and the Services Agreements, the Trustees would
seek an alternative provider of such services. In such event, changes in the
operation of the Fund or the Portfolio might occur and a shareholder might no
longer be able to avail himself or herself of any services then being provided
to shareholders by Morgan.
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INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
The independent accountants of the Trust and the Portfolio are Price
Waterhouse LLP, 1177 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10036. Price
Waterhouse LLP conducts an annual audit of the financial statements of the Fund
and the Portfolio, assists in the preparation and/or review of the Fund's and
the Portfolio's federal and state income tax returns and consults with the Fund
and the Portfolio as to matters of accounting and federal and state income
taxation.
EXPENSES
In addition to the fees payable to Pierpont Group, Morgan and FDI under
various agreements discussed under "Trustees and Officers," "Investment
Advisor," "Co-Administrator and Distributor," "Services Agent" and "Shareholder
Servicing" above, the Fund and the Portfolio are responsible for usual and
customary expenses associated with their respective operations. Such expenses
include organization expenses, legal fees, accounting expenses, insurance costs,
the compensation and expenses of the Trustees, registration fees under federal
securities laws, and extraordinary expenses applicable to the Fund or the
Portfolio. For the Fund, such expenses also include transfer, registrar and
dividend disbursing costs, the expenses of printing and mailing reports, notices
and proxy statements to Fund shareholders, and registration fees under state
securities laws. For the Portfolio, such expenses also include applicable
registration fees under foreign securities laws, custodian fees and brokerage
expenses. For additional information regarding waivers or expense subsidies, see
"Management of the Fund and Portfolio" in the Prospectus.
PURCHASE OF SHARES
Investors may open Fund accounts and purchase shares as described in
the Prospectus under "Purchase of Shares." References in the Prospectus and this
Statement of Additional Information to customers of Morgan or an Eligible
Institution include customers of their affiliates and references to transactions
by customers with Morgan or an Eligible Institution include transactions with
their affiliates. Only Fund investors who are using the services of a financial
institution acting as shareholder servicing agent pursuant to an agreement with
the Trust on behalf of the Fund may make transactions in shares of the Fund.
The Fund may, at its own option, accept securities in payment for
shares. The securities delivered in such a transaction are valued by the method
described in "Net Asset Value" as of the day the Fund receives the securities.
This is a taxable transaction to the shareholder. Securities may be accepted in
payment for shares only if they are, in the judgment of Morgan, appropriate
investments for the Portfolio. In addition, securities accepted in payment for
shares must: (i) meet the investment objective and policies of the Portfolio;
(ii) be acquired by the Fund for investment and not for resale (other than for
resale to the Portfolio); (iii) be liquid securities which are not restricted as
to transfer either by law or liquidity of market; and (iv) have a value which is
readily ascertainable as evidenced by a listing on a stock exchange, OTC market
or by readily available market quotations from a dealer in such securities. The
Fund reserves the right to accept or reject at its own option any and all
securities offered in payment for its shares.
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Prospective investors may purchase shares with the assistance of an
Eligible Institution, and the Eligible Institution may charge the investor a fee
for this service and other services it provides to its customers.
REDEMPTION OF SHARES
Investors may redeem shares as described in the Prospectus under
"Redemption of Shares."
If the Trust on behalf of the Fund and the Portfolio determine that it
would be detrimental to the best interest of the remaining shareholders of the
Fund to make payment wholly or partly in cash, payment of the redemption price
may be made in whole or in part by a distribution in kind of securities from the
Portfolio, in lieu of cash, in conformity with the applicable rule of the SEC.
If shares are redeemed in kind, the redeeming shareholder might incur
transaction costs in converting the assets into cash. The method of valuing
portfolio securities is described under "Net Asset Value," and such valuation
will be made as of the same time the redemption price is determined. The Trust
on behalf of Fund has elected to be governed by Rule 18f-1 under the 1940 Act
pursuant to which the Fund is obligated to redeem shares solely in cash up to
the lesser of $250,000 or one percent of the net asset value of the Fund during
any 90-day period for any one shareholder. The Trust will redeem Fund shares in
kind only if it has received a redemption in kind from the Portfolio, and
therefore shareholders of the Fund that receive redemptions in kind will receive
Portfolio holdings. The Portfolio has advised the Trust that the Portfolio will
not redeem in kind except in circumstances in which the Fund is permitted to
redeem in kind.
FURTHER REDEMPTION INFORMATION. The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and
the Portfolio reserves the right to suspend the right of redemption and to
postpone the date of payment upon redemption as follows: (i) for up to seven
days, (ii) during periods when the New York Stock Exchange is closed for other
than weekends and holidays or when trading on such Exchange is restricted as
determined by the SEC by rule or regulation, (iii) during periods in which an
emergency, as determined by the SEC, exists that causes disposal by the
Portfolio of, or evaluation of the net asset value of, its portfolio securities
to be unreasonable or impracticable, or (iv) for such other periods as the SEC
may permit.
EXCHANGE OF SHARES
An investor may exchange shares from any JPM Pierpont Fund into any
other JPM Pierpont Fund or shares of The JPM Institutional Funds or JPM Series
Trust, as described under "Exchange of Shares" in the Prospectus. For complete
information, the prospectus as it relates to a fund into which a transfer is
being made should be read prior to the transfer. Requests for exchange are made
in the same manner as requests for redemptions. See "Redemption of Shares."
Shares of the fund to be acquired are purchased for settlement when the proceeds
from redemption become available. In the case of investors in certain states,
state securities laws may restrict the availability of the exchange privilege.
The Trust reserves the right to discontinue, alter or limit the exchange
privilege at any time.
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DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
The Fund declares and pays dividends and distributions as described
under "Dividends and Distributions" in the Prospectus.
Determination of the net income for the Fund is made at the times
described in the Prospectus; in addition, net investment income for days other
than business days is determined at the time net asset value is determined on
the prior business day.
If a shareholder has elected to receive dividends and/or capital gain
distributions in cash and the postal or other delivery service is unable to
deliver checks to the shareholder's address of record, such shareholder's
distribution option will automatically be converted to having all dividend and
other distributions reinvested in additional shares. No interest will accrue on
amounts represented by uncashed distribution or redemption checks.
NET ASSET VALUE
The Fund computes its net asset value once daily on Monday through
Friday as described under "Net Asset Value" in the Prospectus. The net asset
value will not be computed on the days the following legal holidays are
observed: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good
Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and
Christmas Day. The Fund and the Portfolio may also close for purchases and
redemptions at such other times as may be determined by the Board of Trustees to
the extent permitted by applicable law. The days on which net asset value is
determined are the Fund's business days.
The net asset value of the Fund is equal to the value of the Fund's
investment in the Portfolio (which is equal to the Fund's pro rata share of the
total investment of the Fund and of any other investors in the Portfolio less
the Fund's pro rata share of the Portfolio's liabilities) less the Fund's
liabilities. The following is a discussion of the procedures used by the Fund in
valuing its assets.
Securities with a maturity of 60 days or more, including securities that
are listed on an exchange or traded over the counter, are valued using prices
supplied daily by an independent pricing service or services that (i) are based
on the last sale price on a national securities exchange or, in the absence of
recorded sales, at the readily available closing bid price on such exchange or
at the quoted bid price in the OTC market, if such exchange or market
constitutes the broadest and most representative market for the security and
(ii) in other cases, take into account various factors affecting market value,
including yields and prices of comparable securities, indication as to value
from dealers and general market conditions. If such prices are not supplied by
the Fund's independent pricing service, such securities are priced in accordance
with procedures adopted by the Trustees. All portfolio securities with a
remaining maturity of less than 60 days are valued by the amortized cost method.
Securities listed on a foreign exchange are valued at the last quoted sale price
available before the time when net assets are valued.
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Options are traded on national securities exchanges and are valued at the
close of options trading on such exchanges which is currently 4:10 P.M., New
York time. Futures and related options, which are traded on commodities
exchanges, are valued at their last sales price as of the close of such
commodities exchanges which is currently 4:15 P.M., New York time. Securities or
other assets for which market quotations are not readily available (including
certain restricted and illiquid securities) are valued at fair value in
accordance with procedures established by and under the general supervision and
responsibility of the Trustees. Such procedures include the use of independent
pricing services which use prices based upon yields or prices of securities of
comparable quality, coupon, maturity and type; indications as to values from
dealers; and general market conditions. Short-term investments which mature in
60 days or less are valued at amortized cost if their original maturity was 60
days or less, or by amortizing their value on the 61st day prior to maturity, if
their original maturity when acquired by the Portfolio was more than 60 days,
unless this is determined not to represent fair value by the Trustees.
Trading in securities in most foreign markets is normally completed
before the close of trading in U.S. markets and may also take place on days on
which the U.S. markets are closed. If events materially affecting the value of
securities occur between the time when the market in which they are traded
closes and the time when the Fund's net asset value is calculated, such
securities will be valued at fair value in accordance with procedures
established by and under the general supervision of the Trustees.
PERFORMANCE DATA
As required by regulations of the SEC, the annualized yield for Fund is
computed by dividing the Fund's net investment income per share earned during a
30-day period by the net asset value on the last day of the period. The average
daily number of shares outstanding during the period that are eligible to
receive dividends is used in determining the net investment income per share.
Income is computed by totaling the interest earned on all debt obligations
during the period and subtracting from that amount the total of all recurring
expenses incurred during the period. The 30-day yield is then annualized on a
bond-equivalent basis assuming semi-annual reinvestment and compounding of net
investment income, as described under "Additional Information" in the
Prospectus.
TOTAL RETURN QUOTATIONS. As required by regulations of the SEC, the
annualized total return of the Fund for a period is computed by assuming a
hypothetical initial payment of $1,000. It is then assumed that all of the
dividends and distributions distributed by the Fund over the period are
reinvested. It is then assumed that at the end of the period, the entire amount
is redeemed. The annualized total return is then calculated by determining the
annual rate required for the initial payment to grow to the amount which would
have been received upon redemption.
HISTORICAL PERFORMANCE
Historical return information for the Fund for the fiscal period April
17, 1997 (commencement of operations) through June 30, 1997 was:
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Average annual total return, 1 year: N/A; average annual total return, 5 years:
N/A; average annual total return, commencement of operations(*) to period end:
6.80%; aggregate total return, 1 year: N/A; aggregate total return, 5 years:
N/A; aggregate total return, commencement of operations(*) to period end: 6.80%.
- --------------------
* The Fund commenced operations on April 17, 1997.
GENERAL. The Fund's performance will vary from time to time depending
upon market conditions, the composition of the Fund, and its operating expenses.
Consequently, any given performance quotation should not be considered
representative of the Fund's performance for any specified period in the future.
In addition, because performance will fluctuate, it may not provide a basis for
comparing an investment in the Fund with certain bank deposits or other
investments that pay a fixed yield or return for a stated period of time.
Comparative performance information may be used from time to time in
advertising the Fund's shares, including appropriate market indices including
the benchmark indicated under "Investment Advisor" above or data from Lipper
Analytical Services, Inc., Micropal, Inc., Ibbotson Associates, Morningstar
Inc., the Dow Jones Industrial Average and other industry publications.
From time to time, the Fund may quote performance in terms of yield,
actual distributions, total return, or capital appreciation in reports, sales
literature, and advertisements published by the Fund. Current performance
information for the Fund may be obtained by calling the number provided on the
cover page of this Statement of Additional Information. See "Additional
Information" in the Prospectus.
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS
The Advisor places orders for the Fund for all purchases and sales of
portfolio securities, enters into repurchase agreements, and may enter into
reverse repurchase agreements and execute loans of portfolio securities on
behalf of the Fund. See "Investment Objective and Policies."
Fixed income and debt securities are generally traded at a net price
with dealers acting as principal for their own accounts without a stated
commission. The price of the security usually includes profit to the dealers. In
underwritten offerings, securities are purchased at a fixed price which includes
an amount of compensation to the underwriter, generally referred to as the
underwriter's concession or discount. On occasion, certain securities may be
purchased directly from an issuer, in which case no commissions or discounts are
paid.
Portfolio transactions for the Fund will be undertaken principally to
accomplish the Fund's objective in relation to expected movements in the general
level of interest rates. The Fund may engage in short-term trading consistent
with its objective. See "Investment Objective and Policies -- Portfolio
Turnover."
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In connection with portfolio transactions for the Fund, the Advisor
intends to seek best price and execution on a competitive basis for both
purchases and sales of securities.
Subject to the overriding objective of obtaining the best possible
execution of orders, the Advisor may allocate a portion of the Fund's brokerage
transactions to affiliates of the Advisor. In order for affiliates of the
Advisor to effect any portfolio transactions for the Fund, the commissions, fees
or other remuneration received by such affiliates must be reasonable and fair
compared to the commissions, fees, or other remuneration paid to other brokers
in connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities being
purchased or sold on a securities exchange during a comparable period of time.
Furthermore, the Trustees, including a majority of the Trustees who are not
"interested persons," have adopted procedures which are reasonably designed to
provide that any commissions, fees, or other remuneration paid to such
affiliates are consistent with the foregoing standard.
Portfolio securities will not be purchased from or through or sold to
or through the Co-Administrator, the Distributor or the Advisor or any other
"affiliated person" (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Co-Administrator,
Distributor or Advisor when such entities are acting as principals, except to
the extent permitted by law. In addition, the Fund will not purchase securities
during the existence of any underwriting group relating thereto of which the
Advisor or an affiliate of the Advisor is a member, except to the extent
permitted by law.
On those occasions when the Advisor deems the purchase or sale of a
security to be in the best interests of the Fund as well as other customers, the
Advisor to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, may, but is
not obligated to, aggregate the securities to be sold or purchased for the Fund
with those to be sold or purchased for other customers in order to obtain best
execution, including lower brokerage commissions if appropriate. In such event,
allocation of the securities so purchased or sold as well as any expenses
incurred in the transaction will be made by the Advisor in the manner it
considers to be most equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations to
the Fund. In some instances, this procedure might adversely affect the Fund.
If the Fund effects a closing purchase transaction with respect to an
option written by it, normally such transaction will be executed by the same
broker-dealer who executed the sale of the option. The writing of options by the
Fund will be subject to limitations established by each of the exchanges
governing the maximum number of options in each class which may be written by a
single investor or group of investors acting in concert, regardless of whether
the options are written on the same or different exchanges or are held or
written in one or more accounts or through one or more brokers. The number of
options which the Fund may write may be affected by options written by the
Advisor for other investment advisory clients. An exchange may order the
liquidation of positions found to be in excess of these limits, and it may
impose certain other sanctions.
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MASSACHUSETTS TRUST
The Trust is a trust fund of the type commonly known as a
"Massachusetts business trust" of which the Fund is a separate and distinct
series. A copy of the Declaration of Trust for the Trust is on file in the
office of the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Declaration of
Trust and the By-Laws of the Trust are designed to make the Trust similar in
most respects to a Massachusetts business corporation. The principal distinction
between the two forms concerns shareholder liability described below.
Effective October 10, 1996, the name of the Trust was changed from "The
Pierpont Funds" to "The JPM Pierpont Funds".
Under Massachusetts law, shareholders of such a trust may, under
certain circumstances, be held personally liable as partners for the obligations
of the trust, which is not the case for a corporation. However, the Trust's
Declaration of Trust provides that the shareholders shall not be subject to any
personal liability for the acts or obligations of any series thereof and that
every written agreement, obligation, instrument or undertaking made on behalf of
any series shall contain a provision to the effect that the shareholders are not
personally liable thereunder.
No personal liability will attach to the shareholders under any
undertaking containing such provision when adequate notice of such provision is
given, except possibly in a few jurisdictions. With respect to (i) all types of
claims in the latter jurisdictions, (ii) tort claims, (iii) contract claims
where the provision referred to is omitted from the undertaking, (iv) claims for
taxes and (v) certain statutory liabilities in other jurisdictions, a
shareholder may be held personally liable to the extent that claims are not
satisfied by the Fund. How ever, upon payment of such liability, the shareholder
will be entitled to reimbursement from the general assets of the Fund. The
Trustees intend to conduct the operations of the Trust in such a way so as to
avoid, as far as possible, ultimate liability of the shareholders for
liabilities of the Fund.
The Trust's Declaration of Trust further provides that the name of the
Trust refers to the Trustees collectively as Trustees, not as individuals or
personally, that no Trustee, officer, employee or agent of the Fund is liable to
the Fund or to a shareholder and that no Trustee, officer, employee, or agent is
liable to any third persons in connection with the affairs of the Fund, except
as such liability may arise from his or its own bad faith, willful misfeasance,
gross negligence or reckless disregard of his or its duties to such third
persons. It also provides that all third persons shall look solely to Fund
property for satisfaction of claims arising in connection with the affairs of
the Fund. With the exceptions stated, the Trust's Declaration of Trust provides
that a Trustee, officer, employee or agent is entitled to be indemnified against
all liability in connection with the affairs of the Fund.
The Trust shall continue without limitation of time subject to the
provisions in the Declaration of Trust concerning termination by action of the
shareholders or by action of the Trustees upon notice to the shareholders.
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DESCRIPTION OF SHARES
The Trust is an open-end management investment company organized as a
Massachusetts business trust in which the Fund represents a separate series of
shares of beneficial interest. See "Massachusetts Trust."
The Declaration of Trust permits the Trustees to issue an unlimited
number of full and fractional shares ($0.001 par value) of one or more series
and classes within any series and to divide or combine the shares (of any
series, if applicable) without changing the proportionate beneficial interest of
each shareholder in the Fund (or in the assets of other series, if applicable).
To date shares of 19 series have been authorized and are available for sale to
the public. Each share represents an equal proportional interest in the Fund
with each other share. Upon liquidation of the Fund, holders are entitled to
share pro rata in the net assets of the Fund available for distribution to such
shareholders. See "Massachusetts Trust." Shares of the Fund have no preemptive
or conversion rights and are fully paid and nonassessable. The rights of
redemption and exchange are described in the Prospectus and elsewhere in this
Statement of Additional Information.
The shareholders of the Trust are entitled to a full vote for each full
share held and to a fractional vote for each fractional share. Subject to the
1940 Act, the Trustees have the power to alter the number and the terms of
office of the Trustees, to lengthen their own terms, or to make their terms of
unlimited duration subject to certain removal procedures and to appoint their
own successors, provided, however, that immediately after such appointment the
requisite majority of the Trustees have been elected by the shareholders of the
Trust. The voting rights of shareholders are not cumulative so that holders of
more than 50% of the shares voting can, if they choose, elect all Trustees being
selected while the shareholders of the remaining shares would be unable to elect
any Trustees. It is the intention of the Trust not to hold meetings of
shareholders annually. The Trustees may call meetings of shareholders for action
by shareholder vote as may be required by either the 1940 Act or the Trust's
Declaration of Trust.
Shareholders of the Trust have the right, upon the declaration in
writing or vote of more than two-thirds of its outstanding shares, to remove a
Trustee. The Trustees will call a meeting of shareholders to vote on removal of
a Trustee upon the written request of the record holders of 10% of the Trust's
shares. In addition, whenever ten or more shareholders of record who have been
such for at least six months preceding the date of application, and who hold in
the aggregate either shares having a net asset value of at least $25,000 or at
least 1% of the Trust's outstanding shares, whichever is less, shall apply to
the Trustees in writing, stating that they wish to communicate with other
shareholders with a view to obtaining signatures to request a meeting for the
purpose of voting upon the question of removal of any Trustee or Trustees and
accompanied by a form of communication and request which they wish to transmit,
the Trustees shall within five business days after receipt of such application
either (i) afford to such applicants access to a list of the names and addresses
of all shareholders as recorded on the books of the Trust or (ii) inform such
applicants as to the approximate number of shareholders of record, and the
approximate cost of mailing to them the proposed communication and form of
request. If the Trustees elect
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<PAGE>
to follow the latter course, the Trustees, upon the written request of such
applicants, accompanied by a tender of the material to be mailed and of the
reasonable expenses of mailing, shall, with reasonable promptness, mail such
material to all shareholders of record at their addresses as recorded on the
books, unless within five business days after such tender the Trustees shall
mail to such applicants and file with the SEC, together with a copy of the
material to be mailed, a written statement signed by at least a majority of the
Trustees to the effect that in their opinion either such material contains
untrue statements of fact or omits to state facts necessary to make the
statements contained therein not misleading, or would be in violation of
applicable law, and specifying the basis of such opinion. After opportunity for
hearing upon the objections specified in the written statements filed, the SEC
may, and if demanded by the Trustees or by such applicants shall, enter an order
either sustaining one or more of such objections or refusing to sustain any of
them. If the SEC shall enter an order refusing to sustain any of such
objections, or if, after the entry of an order sustaining one or more of such
objections, the SEC shall find, after notice and opportunity for hearing, that
all objections so sustained have been met, and shall enter an order so
declaring, the Trustees shall mail copies of such material to all shareholders
with reasonable promptness after the entry of such order and the renewal of such
tender.
The Trustees have authorized the issuance and sale to the public of
shares of twenty series of the Trust. The Trustees have no current intention to
create any classes within the initial series or any subsequent series. The
Trustees may, however, authorize the issuance of shares of additional series and
the creation of classes of shares within any series with such preferences,
privileges, limitations and voting and dividend rights as the Trustees may
determine. The proceeds from the issuance of any additional series would be
invested in separate, independently managed portfolios with distinct investment
objectives, policies and restrictions, and share purchase, redemption and net
asset valuation procedures. Any additional classes would be used to distinguish
among the rights of different categories of shareholders, as might be required
by future regulations or other unforeseen circumstances. All consideration
received by the Trust for shares of any additional series or class, and all
assets in which such consideration is invested, would belong to that series or
class, subject only to the rights of creditors of the Trust and would be subject
to the liabilities related thereto. Shareholders of any additional series or
class will approve the adoption of any management contract or distribution plan
relating to such series or class and of any changes in the investment policies
related thereto, to the extent required by the 1940 Act.
For information relating to mandatory redemption of Fund shares or
their redemption at the option of the Trust under certain circumstances, see
"Redemption of Shares" in the Prospectus.
As of August 31, 1997, Morgan as Agent for Three M Operating Subsidiary
Ltd. owned of record or, to the knowledge of management, beneficially owned
84.77% of the outstanding shares of the Fund.
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<PAGE>
TAXES
The Fund intends to qualify as a regulated investment company under
Subchapter M of the Code. As a regulated investment company, the Fund must,
among other things, (a) derive at least 90% of its gross income from dividends,
interest, payments with respect to loans of stock and securities, gains from the
sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currency and other
income (including but not limited to gains from options, futures, and forward
contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock,
securities or foreign currency; (b) derive less than 30% of its gross income
from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities, options, futures or
forward contracts (other than options, futures or forward contracts on foreign
currencies) held less than three months, or foreign currencies (or options,
futures or forward contracts on foreign currencies), but only if such currencies
(or options, futures or forward contracts on foreign currencies) are not
directly related to the Fund's principal business of investing in stocks or
securities (or options and futures with respect to stocks or securities); and
(c) diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of its taxable
year, (i) at least 50% of the value of the Fund's total assets is represented by
cash, cash items, U.S. Government securities, securities of other regulated
investment companies, and other securities limited, in respect of any one
issuer, to an amount not greater than 5% of the Fund's total assets, and 10% of
the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of
the value of its total assets is invested in the securities of any one issuer
(other than U.S. Government securities or securities of other regulated
investment companies). Effective as of January 1, 1998, the 30% of gross income
test described in (b) above will no longer apply to the Fund.
As a regulated investment company, the Fund (as opposed to its
shareholders) will not be subject to federal income taxes on the net investment
income and capital gain that it distributes to its shareholders, provided that
at least 90% of its net investment income and realized net short-term capital
gain in excess of net long-term capital loss for the taxable year is distributed
in accordance with the Code's timing requirements.
Under the Code, the Fund will be subject to a 4% excise tax on a
portion of its undistributed taxable income and capital gains if it fails to
meet certain distribution requirements by the end of the calendar year. The Fund
intends to make distributions in a timely manner and accordingly does not expect
to be subject to the excise tax.
For federal income tax purposes, dividends that are declared by the
Fund in October, November or December as of a record date in such month and
actually paid in January of the following year will be treated as if they were
paid on December 31 of the year declared. Therefore, such dividends will be
taxable to a shareholder in the year declared rather than the year paid.
Distributions of net investment income, certain foreign currency gains
and realized net short-term capital gain in excess of net long-term capital loss
(other than exempt interest dividends) are generally taxable to shareholders of
the Fund as ordinary income whether such distributions are taken in cash or
reinvested in additional shares. Distributions to corporate shareholders of
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the Fund are not eligible for the dividends received deduction. Distributions of
net long-term capital gain (i.e., net long-term capital gain in excess of net
short-term capital loss) are taxable to shareholders of the Fund as long-term
capital gain, regardless of whether such distributions are taken in cash or
reinvested in additional shares and regardless of how long a shareholder has
held shares in the Fund. As a result of the enactment of the Taxpayer Relief Act
of 1997 (the "Act"), long-term capital gain of an individual is generally
subject to a maximum rate of 28% in respect of a capital asset held directly by
such individual for more than one year. The maximum rate is reduced to 20% in
respect of a capital asset held in excess of 18 months. The Act authorizes the
Treasury department to promulgate regulations that would apply these rules in
the case of distributions of net long-term gain by the Fund. See "Taxes" in the
Prospectus for a discussion of the federal income tax treatment of any gain or
loss realized on the redemption or exchange of the Fund's shares. Additionally,
any loss realized on a redemption or exchange of shares of the Fund will be
disallowed to the extent the shares disposed of are replaced within a period of
61 days beginning 30 days before such disposition, such as pursuant to
reinvestment of a dividend in shares of the Fund.
Gains or losses on sales of portfolio securities will be treated as
long-term capital gains or losses if the securities have been held for more than
one year except in certain cases where a put is acquired or a call option is
written thereon or the straddle rules described below are otherwise applicable.
Other gains or losses on the sale of securities will be short-term capital gains
or losses. Gains and losses on the sale, lapse or other termination of options
on securities will be treated as gains and losses from the sale of securities.
Except as described below, if an option written by the Portfolio lapses or is
terminated through a closing transaction, such as a repurchase by the Portfolio
of the option from its holder, the Portfolio will realize a short-term capital
gain or loss, depending on whether the premium income is greater or less than
the amount paid by the Portfolio in the closing transaction. If securities are
purchased by the Portfolio pursuant to the exercise of a put option written by
it, the Portfolio will subtract the premium received from its cost basis in the
securities purchased.
Under the Code, gains or losses attributable to disposition of foreign
currency or to certain foreign currency contracts, or to fluctuations in
exchange rates between the time the Portfolio accrues income or receivables or
expenses or other liabilities denominated in a foreign currency and the time the
Portfolio actually collects such income or pays such liabilities, are generally
treated as ordinary income or ordinary loss. Similarly, gains or losses on the
disposition of debt securities held by the Portfolio, if any, denominated in
foreign currency, to the extent attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates
between the acquisition and disposition dates are also treated as ordinary
income or loss.
Forward currency contracts, options and futures contracts entered into
by the Portfolio may create "straddles" for U.S. federal income tax purposes and
this may affect the character and timing of gains or losses realized by the
Portfolio on forward currency contracts, options and futures contracts or on the
underlying securities. Certain straddles treated as short sales for tax purposes
may also result in the loss of the holding period of underlying securities for
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<PAGE>
purposes of the 30% of gross income test described above, and therefore, the
Portfolio's ability to enter into forward currency contracts, options and
futures contracts may be limited under current law. Effective as of January 1,
1998, the 30% of gross income test will no longer apply to the Fund.
Certain options, futures and foreign currency contracts held by the
Portfolio at the end of each taxable year will be required to be "marked to
market" for federal income tax purposes -- i.e., treated as having been sold at
market value. For options and futures contracts, 60% of any gain or loss
recognized on these deemed sales and on actual dispositions will be treated as
long-term capital gain or loss, and the remainder will be treated as short-term
capital gain or loss regardless of how long the Portfolio has held such options
or futures. However, gain or loss recognized on certain foreign currency
contracts will be treated as ordinary income or loss.
The Portfolio may invest in equity securities of foreign issuers. If
the Portfolio purchases shares in certain foreign corporations (referred to as
passive foreign investment companies ("PFICs") under the Code, the Fund may be
subject to federal income tax on a portion of any "excess distribution" from
such foreign corporation including any gain from the disposition of such shares,
even though a portion of such income may have to be distributed as a taxable
dividend by the Fund to its shareholders. In addition, certain interest charges
may be imposed on the Fund as a result of any such distributions. Alternatively,
a Fund may in some cases be permitted to include each year in its income and
distribute to shareholders a pro rata portion of the PFIC's income, whether or
not distributed to the Fund.
For taxable years of the Portfolio beginning after 1997, the Portfolio
will be permitted to "mark to market" any marketable stock held by the Portfolio
in a PFIC. If the Portfolio made such an election, the Fund would include in
income each year an amount equal to its share of the excess, if any of the fair
market value of the PFIC stock as of the taxable year over the adjusted basis of
such stock. The Fund would be allowed a deduction for its shares in excess, if
any, of the adjusted basis of the PFIC stock over its fair market value as of
the close of the taxable year, but only to the extent of any net mark-to-market
gains with respect to the stock included by the Fund for prior taxable years.
FOREIGN SHAREHOLDERS. Dividends of net investment income and
distributions of realized net short-term gain in excess of net long-term loss to
a shareholder who, as to the United States, is a nonresident alien individual,
fiduciary of a foreign trust or estate, foreign corporation or foreign
partnership (a "foreign shareholder") will be subject to U.S. withholding tax at
the rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate) unless the dividends are effectively
connected with a U.S. trade or business of the shareholder, in which case the
dividends will be subject to tax on a net income basis at the graduated rates
applicable to U.S. individuals or domestic corporations. Distributions treated
as long term capital gains to foreign shareholders will not be subject to U.S.
tax unless the distributions are effectively connected with the shareholder's
trade or business in the United States or, in the case of a shareholder who is a
nonresident alien individual, the shareholder was present in the United States
for more than 182 days during the taxable year and certain other conditions are
met.
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In the case of a foreign shareholder who is a nonresident alien
individual or foreign entity, the Fund may be required to withhold U.S. federal
income tax as "backup withholding" at the rate of 31% from distributions treated
as long-term capital gains and from the proceeds of redemptions, exchanges or
other dispositions of Fund shares unless IRS Form W-8 is provided. Transfers by
gift of shares of the Fund by a foreign shareholder who is a nonresident alien
individual will not be subject to U.S. federal gift tax, but the value of shares
of the Fund held by such a shareholder at his or her death will be includible in
his or her gross estate for U.S. federal estate tax purposes.
FOREIGN TAXES. It is expected that the Fund may be subject to foreign
withholding taxes or other foreign taxes with respect to income (possibly
including, in some cases, capital gains) received from sources within foreign
countries. So long as more than 50% in value of the total assets of the Fund
(including its share of the assets of the Portfolio) at the close of any taxable
year consists of stock or securities of foreign corporations, the Fund may elect
to treat any foreign income taxes deemed paid by it as paid directly by its
shareholders. The Fund will make such an election only if they deem it to be in
the best interest of their respective shareholders. The Fund will notify its
shareholders in writing each year if they make the election and of the amount of
foreign income taxes, if any, to be treated as paid by the shareholders and the
amount of foreign taxes, if any, for which shareholders of the Fund will not be
eligible to claim a foreign tax credit because the holding period requirements
(described below) have not been satisfied. If the Fund makes the election, each
shareholder will be required to include in his income (in addition to the
dividends and distributions he receives) his proportionate share of the amount
of foreign income taxes deemed paid by the Fund and will be entitled to claim
either a credit (subject to the limitations discussed below) or, if he or she
itemizes deductions, a deduction for his or her share of the foreign income
taxes in computing federal income tax liability. (No deduction will be permitted
in computing an individual's alternative minimum tax liability.) Effective for
dividends paid after September 5, 1997, shareholders of the Fund will not be
eligible to claim a foreign tax credit with respect to taxes paid by the Fund
(notwithstanding that the Fund elects to treat the foreign taxes deemed paid by
it as paid directly by its shareholders) unless certain holding period
requirements are met. A shareholder who is a nonresident alien individual or a
foreign corporation may be subject to U.S. withholding tax on the income
resulting from the election described in this paragraph, but may not be able to
claim a credit or deduction against such U.S. tax for the foreign taxes treated
as having been paid by such shareholder. A tax-exempt shareholder will not
ordinarily benefit from this election. Shareholders who choose to utilize a
credit (rather than a deduction) for foreign taxes will be subject to the
limitation that the credit may not exceed the shareholder's U.S. tax (determined
without regard to the availability of the credit) attributable to his or her
total foreign source taxable income. For this purpose, the portion of dividends
and distributions paid by Fund from its foreign source net investment income
will be treated as foreign source income. The Fund's gains and losses from the
sale of securities will generally be treated as derived from U.S. sources,
however, and certain foreign currency gains and losses likewise will be treated
as derived from U.S. sources. The limitation on the foreign tax credit is
applied separately to foreign source "passive income," such as the portion of
dividends
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<PAGE>
received from the Fund which qualifies as foreign source income. In addition,
the foreign tax credit is allowed to offset only 90% of the alternative minimum
tax imposed on corporations and individuals. Because of these limitations, if
the election is made, shareholders may nevertheless be unable to claim a credit
for the full amount of their proportionate shares of the foreign income taxes
paid by the Fund. Effective for taxable years of a shareholder beginning after
December 31, 1997, individual shareholders of the Fund with $300 or less of
creditable foreign taxes ($600 in the case of an individual shareholder filing
jointly) may elect to be exempt from the foreign tax credit limitation rules
described above (other than the 90% limitation applicable for purposes of the
alternative minimum tax), provided that all of such individual shareholder's
foreign source income is "qualified passive income" (which generally includes
interest, dividends, rents, royalties and certain other types of income) and
further provided that all of such foreign source income is shown on one or more
payee statements furnished to the shareholder. Shareholders making this election
will not be permitted to carry over any excess foreign taxes to or from a tax
year to which such an election applies.
STATE AND LOCAL TAXES. The Fund may be subject to state or local taxes
in jurisdictions in which the Fund is deemed to be doing business. In addition,
the treatment of the Fund and its shareholders in those states which have income
tax laws might differ from treatment under the federal income tax laws.
Shareholders should consult their own tax advisors with respect to any state or
local taxes.
OTHER TAXATION. The Trust is organized as a Massachusetts business
trust and, under current law, neither the Trust nor the Fund is liable for any
income or franchise tax in The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, provided that the
Fund continues to qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M
of the Code. The Portfolio is organized as a New York trust. The Portfolio is
not subject to any federal income taxation or income or franchise tax in the
State of New York or The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The investment by the
Fund in the Portfolio does not cause the Fund to be liable for any income or
franchise tax in the State of New York.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
As used in this Statement of Additional Information and the Prospectus,
the term "majority of the outstanding voting securities" means the vote of (i)
67% or more of the Fund's shares or the Portfolio's outstanding voting
securities present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the Fund's
outstanding shares or the Portfolio's outstanding voting securities are present
or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the Fund's outstanding shares
or the Portfolio's outstanding voting securities, whichever is less.
Telephone calls to the Fund, Morgan or Eligible Institutions as
shareholder servicing agent may be tape recorded. With respect to the securities
offered hereby, this Statement of Additional Information and the Prospectus do
not contain all the information included in the Trust's Registration Statement
filed with the SEC under the 1933 Act and the Trust's and the Portfolio's
Registration Statement filed under the 1940 Act. Pursuant to the rules and
regulations of the SEC, certain portions have been omitted. The Registration
Statements including
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42
<PAGE>
the exhibits filed therewith may be examined at the office of the SEC in
Washington D.C.
Statements contained in this Statement of Additional Information and
the Prospectus concerning the contents of any contract or other document are not
necessarily complete, and in each instance, reference is made to the copy of
such contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the applicable
Registration Statements. Each such statement is qualified in all respects by
such reference.
No dealer, salesman or any other person has been authorized to give any
information or to make any representations, other than those contained in the
Prospectus and this Statement of Additional Information, in connection with the
offer contained therein and, if given or made, such other information or
representations must not be relied upon as having been authorized by any of the
Trust, the Fund or the Distributor. The Prospectus and this Statement of
Additional Information do not constitute an offer by the Fund or by the
Distributor to sell or solicit any offer to buy any of the securities offered
hereby in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful for the Fund or
the Distributor to make such offer in such jurisdictions.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The Fund's financial statements are incorporated herein by reference from
the Fund's June 30, 1997 semi-annual report filing made with the SEC on
September 2, 1997 pursuant to Section 30(b) of the 1940 Act and Rule 30b2-1
thereunder Accession No. 0000912057-97-029671. The Fund's financial statements
include the Portfolio's financial statements. The semi-annual report is
available without charge upon request by calling J.P. Morgan Funds Services at
(800) 521-5411.
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43
<PAGE>
APPENDIX A
Description of Security Ratings
STANDARD & POOR'S
CORPORATE BONDS
AAA - Debt rated AAA has the highest ratings assigned by Standard & Poor's to a
debt obligation. Capacity to pay interest and repay principal is extremely
strong.
AA - Debt rated AA has a very strong capacity to pay interest and repay
principal and differs from the highest rated issues only in a small degree.
A - Debt rated A has a strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal
although it is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in
circumstances and economic conditions than debt in higher rated categories.
BBB - Debt rated BBB is regarded as having an adequate capacity to pay interest
and repay principal. Whereas it normally exhibits adequate protection
parameters, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more
likely to lead to a weakened capacity to pay interest and repay principal for
debt in this category than for debt in higher rated categories.
BB - Debt rated BB is regarded as having less near-term vulnerability to default
than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or
exposure to adverse business, financial or economic conditions which could lead
to inadequate capacity to meet timely interest and principal payments.
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
commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic
conditions will likely impair the obligor's capacity or willingness to meet its
financial commitment 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 commitment 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 commitment on the obligation.
CC - An obligation rated CC is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment.
C - The C rating may be used to cover a situation where a bankruptcy petition
has been filed or similar action has been taken, but payments on this obligation
are being continued.
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Appendix A-1
<PAGE>
COMMERCIAL PAPER
A - Issues assigned this highest rating are regarded as having the greatest
capacity for timely payment. Issues in this category are further refined with
the designations 1, 2, and 3 to indicate the relative degree of safety.
A-1 - This designation indicates that the degree of safety regarding timely
payment is very strong.
MOODY'S
CORPORATE BONDS
Aaa - Bonds which are rated Aaa are judged to be of the best quality. They carry
the smallest degree of investment risk and are generally referred to as "gilt
edge." Interest payments are protected by a large or by an exceptionally stable
margin and principal is secure. While the various protective elements are likely
to change, such changes as can be visualized are most unlikely to impair the
fundamentally strong position of such issues.
Aa - Bonds which are rated Aa are judged to be of high quality by all standards.
Together with the Aaa group they comprise what are generally known as high grade
bonds. They are rated lower than the best bonds because margins of protection
may not be as large as in Aaa securities or fluctuation of protective elements
may be of greater amplitude or there may be other elements present which make
the long term risks appear somewhat larger than in Aaa securities.
A - Bonds which are rated A possess many favorable investment attributes and are
to be considered as upper medium grade obligations. Factors giving security to
principal and interest are considered adequate but elements may be present which
suggest a susceptibility to impairment sometime in the future.
Baa - Bonds which are rated Baa are considered as medium grade obligations,
i.e., they are neither highly protected nor poorly secured. Interest payments
and principal security appear adequate for the present but certain protective
elements may be lacking or may be characteristically unreliable over any great
length of time. Such bonds lack outstanding investment characteristics and in
fact have speculative characteristics as well.
Ba - Bonds which are rated Ba are judged to have speculative elements; their
future cannot be considered as well-assured. Often the protection of interest
and principal payments may be very moderate, and thereby not well safeguarded
during both good and bad times over the future. Uncertainty of position
characterizes bonds in this class.
B - Bonds which are rated B generally lack characteristics of the desirable
investment. Assurance of interest and principal payments or of maintenance of
other terms of the contract over any long period of time may be small.
Caa - Bonds which are rated Caa are of poor standing. Such issues may be in
default or there may be present elements of danger with respect to principal or
interest.
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Appendix A-2
<PAGE>
Ca - Bonds which are rated Ca represent obligations which are speculative in a
high degree. Such issues are often in default or have other marked shortcomings.
C - Bonds which are rated C are the lowest rated class of bonds and issues so
rated can be regarded as having extremely poor prospects of ever attaining any
real investment standing.
COMMERCIAL PAPER
Prime-1 - Issuers rated Prime-1 (or related supporting institutions) have a
superior capacity for repayment of short-term promissory obligations. Prime-1
repayment capacity will normally be evidenced by the following characteristics:
- Leading market positions in well established industries.
- High rates of return on funds employed.
- Conservative capitalization structures with moderate reliance on debt and
internal cash generation.
- Well established access to a range of financial markets and assured sources
of alternate liquidity.
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Appendix A-3
