Principal Investment
Strategies
The Fund seeks to maintain a stable price of $1.00 per share by using
the amortized cost method of valuation to value portfolio securities. The Fund invests primarily in a portfolio of U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements that are
collateralized fully by cash or U.S. government securities, and which mature in 397 calendar days or less, with certain exceptions permitted by applicable regulations. U.S. government securities are debt securities issued and/or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the United States, or by a person controlled or supervised by and acting as an instrumentality of the government of the United States.
The Fund limits investments to those securities that are Eligible Securities as defined by applicable regulations at the time of purchase (i.e., securities that are determined to present minimal credit risks, government securities, and shares of other money market funds). The Fund maintains a dollar-weighted average maturity of no more than 60 calendar days and a dollar-weighted
average life of no more than 120 calendar days that is determined without reference to certain interest rate re-adjustments.
The Fund operates as a “Government Money Market Fund,” as defined in Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. This means that the Fund invests at least 99.5% of its total assets in (1) U.S. government securities, (2) repurchase agreements that are collateralized fully by U.S. government securities or cash, (3) cash, and/or (4) other money market mutual
funds that operate as Government Money Market Funds. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in U.S. government securities and repurchase agreements that are fully collateralized by U.S. government securities. In
contrast to the Fund’s 99.5% policy, the Fund’s 80% policy does not include cash.
The Fund does not currently intend to impose liquidity fees on Fund
redemptions. However, the Fund’s Board of Trustees reserves the ability to subject the Fund to a liquidity fee in the future, after providing prior notice to
shareholders.
Because the Fund invests in short-term securities, the Fund’s subadviser generally sells securities only to meet liquidity needs, to maintain target allocations or to take advantage of more favorable opportunities.
You could lose money by investing in the Fund. Although the Fund seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it cannot guarantee it will do so.
An investment in the Fund is not a bank account and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The Fund’s sponsor is not required to reimburse the
Fund for losses, and you should not expect that the sponsor will provide financial support to the Fund at any time, including during periods of market stress.
Yield risk – there is no guarantee that the Fund will provide a certain level of
income or that any such income will stay ahead of inflation. Further, the Fund’s yield will vary; it is not fixed for a specific period like the yield on a bank certificate
of deposit. On days during which there are net purchases of Fund shares, the Fund must invest the proceeds at prevailing market yields or hold cash. If the Fund holds cash, or if the yield of the securities purchased is less than that of the securities already in the portfolio, the Fund’s yield will likely decrease. Conversely, net purchases on days on which short-term yields rise will likely cause the Fund’s yield to increase.
Interest rate risk– generally, when interest rates go up, the value of fixed-income
securities goes down. Prices of longer-term securities generally change more in response to interest rate changes than prices of shorter-term securities. The interest earned
on the Fund's investments in fixed-income securities will decline when prevailing interest rates fall. Declines in interest rates increase the likelihood that debt obligations will be prepaid, which, in turn, increases these risks. Very low or negative interest rates may prevent the Fund from providing a positive yield or from paying Fund expenses out of current income without
impairing the Fund’s ability to maintain a stable net asset value and increase the risk that, if followed by rising interest rates, the Fund's performance will be negatively impacted. The Fund is subject to the risk that the income generated by its investments in fixed-income securities will not keep pace with inflation. Recent and potential future changes in government policy may affect
interest rates. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, may result in heightened market volatility and may detract from Fund performance to the extent the Fund is exposed to such interest rates
and/or volatility.
Credit risk – U.S. government securities generally have the least credit risk, but
are not completely free from credit risk. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer will default if it is unable to pay the interest or principal when due. If an issuer defaults, the
Fund will lose money. Changes in a bond issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness also affect the value of a bond. Any downgrade of securities issued by the U.S. government may result in a downgrade of securities issued by its agencies or instrumentalities.