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RISK FACTORS

Risks Related to an Investment in the Fund

The ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective depends, in part, on the ability of the Adviser to allocate effectively the Fund’s assets among the various instruments in which the Fund invests and, with respect to each such asset class, among equities and fixed income securities. There can be no assurance that the actual allocations will be effective in achieving the Fund’s investment objective or delivering positive returns.

The value of a specific security can be more volatile than the market as a whole and can perform differently from the value of the market as a whole. The value of an issuer’s securities that are held in the Fund’s portfolio may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods and services.

The Fund is a investment company structured as an “interval fund” and designed for long-term investors. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund’s shares are not listed on any securities exchange and are not publicly traded. There currently is no secondary market for the shares and the Adviser does not expect that a secondary market will develop. Limited liquidity is provided to shareholders only through the Fund’s quarterly repurchase offers for no less than 5% of the Fund’s shares outstanding at net asset value. There is no guarantee that shareholders will be able to sell all of the shares they desire in a quarterly repurchase offer. The Fund’s investments are also subject to liquidity risk. Liquidity risk exists when particular investments of the Fund would be difficult to purchase or sell, possibly preventing the Fund from selling such illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price, or possibly requiring the Fund to dispose of other investments at unfavorable times or prices in order to satisfy its obligations.

The net asset value of the Fund changes daily based on the performance of the securities in which it invests. The Adviser’s judgments about the attractiveness, value and potential appreciation of a particular real estate segment and securities in which the Fund invests may prove to be incorrect and may not produce the desired results. The Fund’s portfolio managers and the other principals of the Adviser have limited experience in managing a fund.

The Fund is an interval fund and, in order to provide liquidity to shareholders, the Fund, subject to applicable law, will conduct repurchase offers of the Fund’s outstanding shares at NAV, with the size of the repurchase offer subject to approval of the Board. The Fund has in the past received, and may in the future receive, repurchase requests that exceed the limits of a quarterly repurchase offer, and the Fund has in the past repurchased less than the full amount of shares requested, resulting in the repurchase of shares on a pro rata basis. The Fund believes that these repurchase offers are generally beneficial to the Fund’s shareholders, and repurchases generally will be funded from available cash, cash from the sale of shares or sales of portfolio securities. However, repurchase offers and the need to fund repurchase obligations may affect the ability of the Fund to be fully invested or force the Fund to maintain a higher percentage of its assets in liquid investments, which may harm the Fund’s investment performance. Moreover, diminution in the size of the Fund through repurchases may result in untimely sales of portfolio securities (with associated imputed transaction costs, which may be significant), and may limit the ability of the Fund to participate in new investment opportunities or to achieve its investment objective. The Fund may accumulate cash by (i) holding back (i.e., not reinvesting)n connection with the Fund’s investments and (ii) holding back (i.e., not investing) cash from

 

the sale of shares. The Fund believes that it can meet the maximum potential amount of the Fund’s repurchase obligations. If at any time cash and other liquid assets held by the Fund are not sufficient to meet the Fund’s repurchase obligations, the Fund intends, if necessary, to sell investments. If, as expected, the Fund employs leverage, repurchases of shares would compound the adverse effects of leverage in a declining market. In addition, if the Fund borrows to finance repurchases, interest on that borrowing will negatively affect holders of shares who do not tender their shares by increasing the Fund’s expenses and reducing any net investment income.

If a repurchase offer is oversubscribed, the Board may determine to increase the amount repurchased by up to 2% of the Fund’s outstanding shares as of the date the repurchase offer ends (the “Repurchase Request Deadline”). In the event that the Board determines not to repurchase more than the repurchase offer amount, or if shareholders tender more than the repurchase offer amount plus 2% of the Fund’s outstanding shares as of the date of the Repurchase Request Deadline, the Fund will repurchase the shares tendered on a pro rata basis, and shareholders will have to wait until the next repurchase offer to make another repurchase request. Moreover, certain feeder vehicles have been formed, and additional feeder vehicles may be formed in the future, to facilitate indirect investments in the Fund by certain investors. Requests by these investors to withdraw their interests in a feeder vehicle may result in tenders by the feeder vehicle in a repurchase offer by the Fund and could contribute to an over-subscription of a particular repurchase offer. As a result, shareholders may be unable to liquidate all or a given percentage of their investment in the Fund during a particular repurchase offer. Some shareholders, in anticipation of proration, may tender more shares than they wish to have repurchased in a particular quarter, thereby increasing the likelihood that proration will occur. A shareholder may be subject to market and other risks, and the NAV of shares tendered in a repurchase offer may decline between the Repurchase Request Deadline and the date on which the NAV for tendered shares is determined. In addition, the repurchase of shares by the Fund will generally be a taxable event to common shareholders.

Various sectors of the global financial markets have been experiencing an extended period of adverse conditions. Market uncertainty has increased dramatically, particularly in the United States and Europe, and adverse market conditions have expanded to other markets. These conditions have resulted in disruption of the global credit markets, periods of reduced liquidity, greater volatility, general volatility of credit spreads, an acute contraction in the availability of credit and a lack of price transparency. These volatile and often difficult global credit market conditions have episodically adversely affected the market values of equity, fixed-income and other securities and this volatility may continue and conditions could even deteriorate further. Some of the largest banks and companies across many sectors of the economy in the United States and Europe have declared bankruptcy, entered into insolvency, administration or similar proceedings, been nationalized by government authorities, and/or agreed to merge with or be acquired by other banks or companies that had been considered their peers. The long-term impact of these events is uncertain, but could continue to have a material effect on general economic conditions, consumer and business confidence and market liquidity.

The Fund may invest in securities of publicly traded companies. Securities markets in certain countries in which the Fund may invest are fragmented, smaller, less liquid and more volatile than the securities markets of the United States and certain other developed countries. Securities markets in the countries in which the Fund may invest have, in the past, experienced substantial price volatility that could have an adverse impact on the value of the Fund’s investments that consist of securities. Periods of economic and political uncertainty may result in further volatility in the value of such investments. As a result, there may be greater volatility than the volatility that could be expected by investors in comparable securities traded in U.S. securities markets. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s investments will not be sold at prices below their acquisition costs.

The Fund may be affected by force majeure events (e.g., acts of God, fire, flood, earthquakes, outbreaks of an infectious disease, pandemic or any other serious public health concern, war, terrorism, nationalization of industry and labor strikes). Force majeure events could adversely affect the ability of the Fund or a counterparty to perform its obligations. The liability and cost arising out of a failure to perform obligations as a result of a force majeure event could be considerable and could be borne by the Fund. Certain force majeure events, such as war or an outbreak of an infectious disease and the current or any resulting financial, economic and capital

 

markets environment, and future developments in these and other areas present uncertainty and risk with respect to the Fund’s NAV, performance, financial condition, results of operations, ability to pay distributions, make share repurchases and portfolio liquidity. Additionally, a major governmental intervention into industry, including the nationalization of an industry or the assertion of control, could result in a loss to the Fund if an investment is affected, and any compensation provided by the relevant government may not be adequate.

The U.S. and global capital markets experienced extreme volatility and disruption in recent years, leading to periods of recessionary conditions and depressed levels of consumer and commercial spending. For instance, monetary policies of the Federal Reserve and political uncertainty resulting from recent events, including changes to U.S. trade policies and ongoing armed conflicts between Russia and Ukraine in Europe and among Israel, Iran, Hamas and other militant groups in the Middle East and Southwest Asia, including the ongoing conflict between the U.S. and Iran, political unrest in South America and recent U.S. military action overseas, have led, are currently leading, and for an unknown period of time may continue to lead to disruption and instability in the global markets. In addition, social unrest, changes regarding immigration and work permit policies and other political and security concerns may not abate, which may cause the debt and equity capital markets, and as a result, the Fund’s business to be adversely affected both within and outside of regions experiencing ongoing conflicts. Disruptions in the capital markets increased the spread between the yields realized on risk-free and higher risk securities, resulting in illiquidity in parts of the capital markets. It cannot be assured that these conditions will not worsen. If conditions worsen, a prolonged period of market illiquidity could have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s business, financial condition and results of operations. Unfavorable economic conditions also could increase the Fund’s funding costs, limit the Fund’s access to the capital markets or result in a decision by lenders not to extend credit to the Fund. These events could limit the Fund’s investment originations, limit the Fund’s ability to grow and negatively impact the Fund’s operating results.

Furthermore, a counterparty’s ability to meet or willingness to honor its financial obligations, including its ability to extend credit or otherwise to transact with the Fund or a portfolio company or issuer to which the Fund makes a loan or in which the Fund invests directly may be negatively impacted. Current conditions may affect how counterparties interpret their obligations (and the Fund’s obligations) pursuant to counterparty arrangements such that the applicability, or lack thereof, of force majeure or similar provisions could also come into question and ultimately could work to the detriment of the Fund. These circumstances also may hinder the Adviser’s, the Fund’s and/or a portfolio companies’ ability to conduct their affairs and activities as they normally would, including by impairing usual communication channels and methods, hampering the performance of administrative functions such as processing payments and invoices, and diminishing their ability to make accurate and timely projections of financial performance.

While the Adviser and the expect that the current environment will yield attractive investment opportunities for the Fund, the investments made by the Fund are expected to be sensitive to the performance of the overall economy. General fluctuations in the market prices of securities and interest rates may affect the value of portfolio investments or increase the risks associated with an investment in the Fund. There can be no assurances that conditions in the global financial markets will not change to the detriment of the Fund’s investments and investment strategy. The continuing negative impact on economic fundamentals and consumer and business confidence would likely further increase market volatility and reduce liquidity, both of which could adversely affect the access to capital, ability to utilize leverage or overall performance of the Fund or one or more of its portfolio companies and these or similar events may affect the ability of the Fund to execute its investment strategy.

The failure of certain financial institutions, namely banks, may increase the possibility of a sustained deterioration of financial market liquidity, or illiquidity at clearing, cash management and/or custodial financial institutions. The failure of a bank (or banks) with which the Fund and/or the Fund’s underlying investments have a commercial relationship could adversely affect, among other things, the Fund and/or the Fund’s underlying investments’ ability to pursue key strategic , including by affecting the Fund’s ability to borrow from financial institutions on favorable terms.

 

The Fund may incur major losses in the event of market disruptions and other extraordinary events in which historical pricing relationships become materially distorted. The risk of loss from pricing distortions is compounded by the fact that in disrupted markets many positions become illiquid, making it difficult or impossible to close out positions against which the me moving. Market disruptions caused by unexpected political, military and terrorist events may from time to time cause dramatic losses for the Fund and such events can result in otherwise historically strategies performing with unprecedented volatility and risk.

In recent years, the U.S. government has indicated its intent to alter its approach to international trade policy and in some cases to renegotiate, or potentially terminate, certain existing bilateral or multi-lateral trade agreements and treaties with foreign countries, and has made proposals and taken actions related thereto. For example, the U.S. government has imposed, and may in the future further increase, tariffs on certain foreign goods, including from China, such as steel and aluminum. Some foreign governments, including China, have instituted retaliatory tariffs on certain U.S. goods. Most recently, the current U.S. presidential administration has imposed or sought to impose significant increases to tariffs on goods imported into the U.S., including from China, Canada and Mexico. Tariffs on imported goods could further increase costs, decrease margins, reduce the competitiveness of products and services offered by current and future portfolio companies and adversely affect the revenues and profitability of portfolio companies whose businesses rely on goods imported from such impacted jurisdictions.

There is uncertainty as to further actions that may be taken under the current U.S. presidential administration with respect to U.S. trade policy. Further governmental actions related to the imposition of tariffs or other trade barriers, or changes to international trade agreements or policies, could further increase costs, decrease margins, reduce the competitiveness of products and services offered by current and future portfolio companies and adversely affect the revenues and profitability of companies whose businesses rely on goods imported from outside of the United States. These developments, or the perception that any of them could occur, may have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets, and may significantly reduce global trade and, in particular, trade between the impacted nations and the U.S. Any of these factors could depress economic activity and restrict the Fund’s portfolio companies’ access to suppliers or customers and have a material adverse effect on their business, financial condition and results of operations, which in turn would negatively impact the Fund.

The prices of financial instruments in which the Fund may invest can be highly volatile. The prices of instruments in which the Fund may invest are influenced by numerous factors, including interest rates, currency rates, default rates, governmental policies and political and economic events (both domestic and global). Moreover, political or economic crises, or other events may occur that can be highly disruptive to the markets in which the Fund may invest. In addition, governments from time to time intervene (directly and by regulation), which intervention may adversely affect the performance of the Fund and its investment activities. The Fund is also subject to the risk of a temporary or permanent failure of the exchanges and other markets on which its investments may trade. Sustained market turmoil and periods of heightened market volatility make it more difficult to produce positive trading results, and there can be no assurance that the Fund’s strategies will be successful in such markets.

U.S. debt ceiling and budget deficit concerns have increased the possibility of additional credit-rating downgrades and economic slowdowns, or a recession in the United States. Although U.S. lawmakers have historically passed legislation to raise the federal debt ceiling on multiple occasions, ratings agencies have lowered or threatened to lower the long-term sovereign credit rating on the United States. In August 2023, Fitch Ratings Inc., downgraded the U.S. credit rating to AA+ from AAA, citing fiscal deterioration over the next three years and close encounters with default due to ongoing political dysfunction. The impact of a U.S. default on its obligations or any further downgrades to the U.S. government’s sovereign credit rating or its perceived creditworthiness could adversely affect the U.S. and global financial markets and economic conditions. In addition, disagreement over the federal budget has caused the U.S. federal

 

government to shut down for periods of time. Continued adverse political and economic conditions could have a material effect on the Fund’s business, financial condition and results of operations.

. The Fund places its cash with one banking institution, which is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”). The FDIC limit is $250,000. At various times throughout the year, the amount on deposit may exceed the FDIC limit and subject the Fund to a credit risk. The Fund does not believe that such deposits are subject to any unusual risk associated with investment activities. The Fund may invest cash balances in an Money Market Mutual Fund (“Money Market Fund”). The Money Market Fund is valued at its closing NAV. The Money Market Fund is not subject to FDIC insurance.

The Fund seeks to produce returns that are less correlated to the broader financial markets over time. Although the prices of equity securities and fixed income securities, as well as other asset classes, often rise and fall at different times so that a fall in the price of one may be offset by a rise in the price of the other, in down markets the prices of these securities and asset classes can also fall in tandem. Because the Fund allocates its investments among different asset classes, the Fund is subject to correlation risk.

Quarterly repurchases by the Fund of its shares typically will be funded from available cash or sales of portfolio securities. However, payment for repurchased shares may require the Fund to liquidate portfolio holdings earlier than the Adviser otherwise would liquidate such holdings, potentially resulting in losses, and may increase the Fund’s portfolio turnover. The Adviser may take measures to attempt to avoid or minimize such potential losses and turnover, and instead of liquidating portfolio holdings, may borrow money to finance repurchases of shares. If the Fund borrows to finance repurchases, interest on any such borrowing will negatively affect shareholders who do not tender their shares in a repurchase offer by increasing the Fund’s expenses and reducing any net investment income. To the extent the Fund finances repurchase proceeds by selling investments, the Fund may hold a larger proportion of its net assets in less liquid securities. Also, the sale of securities to fund repurchases could reduce the market price of those securities, which in turn would reduce the Fund’s net asset value. We have in the past received, and may in the future receive, repurchase requests that exceed the limits under our repurchase policy, and we have in the past repurchased less than the full amount of shares requested, resulting in the repurchase of shares on a pro rata basis.

The Fund makes periodic distributions to its shareholders. All or a portion of a distribution may consist solely of a return of capital (i.e. from your original investment) and not a distribution of income or capital gain. Shareholders should not assume that the source of a distribution from the Fund is income or capital gain. Shareholders should note that return of capital will reduce the tax basis of their shares and potentially increase the taxable gain, if any, upon disposition of their shares. The Board reserves the right to change the distribution policy from time to time. Effective October 1, 2026, the Fund’s distribution policy has been amended to change the frequency of distributions to hareholders from quarterly to semi-annual.

 

Delaware law permits a Delaware statutory trust to include in its declaration of trust a provision to indemnify and hold harmless any trustee or beneficial owner or other person from and against any and all claims and demands whatsoever. The Fund’s Declaration of Trust provides that the Fund’s Trustees will not be liable to the Fund or the Fund’s shareholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a trustee to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law. The Fund’s Declaration of Trust provides for the indemnification of any person to the full extent permitted, and in the manner provided, by Delaware law. In accordance with the 1940 Act, the Fund will not indemnify certain persons for any liability to which such persons would be subject by reason of such person’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his office.

The Fund, its service providers and other market participants increasingly depend on complex information technology and communications systems to conduct business functions. These systems are subject to various threats or risks that could adversely affect the Fund and its shareholders.

For instance, unauthorized third parties may attempt to improperly access, modify, disrupt the operations of or prevent access to these systems or data within them, whether systems of the Fund, the Fund’s service providers, counterparties, or other market participants. Power or communication outages, acts of God, information technology equipment malfunctions, operational errors (both human and systematic) and inaccuracies within software or data processing systems may also disrupt business operations or impact critical data.

With the increased use of technologies such as the Internet and the dependence on computer systems to perform necessary business functions, investment companies such as the Fund and its service providers may be prone to operational and information security risks resulting from cyber-attacks. In general, cyber-attacks result from deliberate attacks but unintentional events may have effects similar to those caused by cyber-attacks. Cyber-attacks include, among other behaviors, stealing or corrupting data maintained online or digitally, denial of service attacks on websites, the unauthorized release of confidential information and causing operational disruption. Successful cyber-attacks against, or security breakdowns of, the Fund or its advisers, custodians, fund accountant, fund administrator, transfer agent, pricing vendors and/or other third party service providers may adversely impact the Fund and its shareholders. For instance, cyber-attacks may interfere with the processing of shareholder transactions, cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential Fund information, impede trading, cause reputational damage, and subject the Fund to regulatory fines, penalties or financial losses, reimbursement or other compensation costs, and/or additional compliance costs. The Fund also may incur substantial costs for cybersecurity risk management in order to guard against any cyber incidents in the future. While the Fund or its service providers may have established business continuity plans and systems designed to guard against such cyber-attacks or adverse effects of such attacks, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified, in large part because different, unknown threats may emerge in the future. Similar types of cybersecurity risks are also present for issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers, and may cause the Fund’s investment in such securities to lose value. In addition, cyber-attacks involving a counterparty to the Fund could affect such a counterparty’s ability to meet its obligations to the Fund, which may result in losses to the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund cannot directly control any cyber-security plans or systems put in place by its service providers, Fund counterparties, issuers in which the Fund invests or securities markets and exchanges.

The Adviser and may also utilize AI in their business operations, and the challenges with properly managing its use could result in reputational harm, competitive harm, legal liability, and/or an adverse effect on the Adviser’s and business operations. AI models may rely on techniques such as natural language processing and machine learning, which are less transparent or interpretable and may produce unexpected results, which could adversely impact the Fund. If the content, analyses, or recommendations that AI applications assist the Adviser or in producing are or are alleged to be deficient, inaccurate, or biased, the Fund may be

 

adversely affected. Additionally, AI tools used by the Adviser or may produce inaccurate, misleading or incomplete responses that could lead to errors in the Adviser’s or and their employees’ decision-making, portfolio management or other business activities, which could have a negative impact on the performance of the Fund. Such AI tools could also be used against the Adviser, or the Fund and its investments in criminal or negligent ways. The Adviser’s and competitors or other third parties could incorporate AI into their products more quickly or more successfully, which could impair the Adviser’s or ability to compete effectively. AI has the potential to result in significant and disruptive changes in companies, sectors or industries, including those in which the Fund invests, and any such changes could create new and unpredictable operational, legal and/or regulatory risks. Additionally, AI technologies may be exploited by malicious actors for cyberattacks, market manipulation, and fraud, further exacerbating risks. In the current period of technological and commercial innovation, startups and other companies have found success disrupting traditional approaches to industry or market practices, and the frequency of such disruptions is expected to increase. Such disruptions could negatively impact the Fund and its investments, alter market practices on which the Fund’s investment strategy depends to create investment returns, significantly disrupt the market in which the Fund operates and/or subject the Fund to increased .

Risks Related to the Fund’s Investments

The Fund will not invest in real estate directly, but, because the Fund will concentrate its investments in real estate securities, its portfolio will be significantly impacted by the performance of the real estate market and may experience more volatility and be exposed to greater risk than a more diversified portfolio.

The Fund is subject to risks generally attributable to the ownership of real property, including:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of these factors are beyond the Fund’s control. Any negative changes in these factors could affect the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s ability to meet the Fund’s obligations and make distributions to shareholders.

There are also special risks associated with particular sectors, or real estate operations generally, as described below:

Retail properties are affected by shifts in consumer demand due to demographic changes, changes in spending patterns and lease terminations.

 

Office are affected by factors such as a downturn in the businesses operated by their tenants.

Hotel properties and other properties in the hospitality real estate sector, such as motels and extended-stay properties, are affected by declines in business and leisure travel.

Healthcare and life sciences properties are affected by federal, state and local laws governing licenses, certification, adequacy of care, pharmaceutical distribution, rates, equipment, personnel and other factors regarding operations, and the continued availability of revenue from government reimbursement programs.

Student housing properties are affected by seasonal leasing and cash flow risks, and are subject to unique demand drivers.

Industrial properties are affected by downturns in the manufacturing, processing and shipping of goods.

Multifamily properties are affected by adverse economic conditions in the locale, oversupply and rent control laws.

Residential properties can be significantly affected by the national, regional and local real estate markets. This segment of the real estate industry also is sensitive to interest rate fluctuations which can cause changes in the availability of mortgage capital and directly affect the purchasing power of potential homebuyers. Thus, residential properties can be significantly affected by changes in government spending, consumer confidence, demographic patterns and the level of new and existing home sales.

Shopping center properties are affected by changes in the local markets where their properties are located and dependent upon the successful operations and financial condition of their major tenants.

Self-storage properties are affected by changes to competing local properties, consumer and small business demand for storage space, and the abilities of the management team.

Other factors may contribute to the risk of real estate investments:

Real estate development companies are affected by construction delays and insufficient tenant demand to occupy newly developed properties.

Certain of the companies in the Fund’s portfolio may fail to carry comprehensive liability, fire, flood, wind or earthquake extended coverage and rental loss insurance, or the insurance in place may be subject to various policy specifications, limits and deductibles.

The ability of real estate companies to make distributions to shareholders depends upon the ability of the tenants at their properties to generate enough income in excess of tenant operating expenses to make their lease payments.

Real estate companies may be highly leveraged and financial covenants may affect the ability of real estate companies to operate effectively.

Owners of properties that may contain hazardous or toxic substances may be responsible for removal or remediation costs.

Financial institutions in which the Fund may invest are subject to extensive government regulation. This regulation may limit both the amount and types of loans and other financial commitments a financial institution can make, and the interest rates and fees it can charge.

 

Investments made in connection with acquisition transactions are subject to a variety special risks, including the risk that the acquiring company has paid over market value for the acquired business, the risk of unforeseen liabilities, the risks associated with new or unproven management or new business strategies and the risk that the acquired business will not be successfully integrated with existing businesses or produce the expected synergies.

Companies in which the Fund may invest, either directly or through Portfolio Funds, may face significant fluctuations in operating results, may need to engage in acquisitions or divestitures of assets in order to compete successfully or survive financially, may be operating at a loss, may be engaged in a rapidly changing business with products subject to a substantial risk of obsolescence, may require substantial additional capital (which may be difficult to raise) to support their operations, to finance expansion or to maintain their competitive position, or otherwise may have a weak financial condition.

Companies in which the Fund may invest, either directly or through Portfolio Funds, may be highly leveraged and, as a consequence, subject to restrictive financial and operating covenants. The leverage may impair the ability of these companies to finance their future operations and capital needs. As a result, these companies may lack the flexibility to respond to changing business and economic conditions, or to take advantage of business opportunities.

Companies in which the Fund may invest, either directly or through Portfolio Funds, may face intense competition, including competition from companies with far greater financial resources, more extensive development, manufacturing, marketing and other capabilities, and a larger number of qualified managerial and technical personnel.

Direct investing alongside one or more other parties in an investment (i.e., as a involves risks that may not be present in investments made by lead or sponsoring private equity investors. As a the Fund may have interests or objectives that are inconsistent with those of the lead private equity investors that generally have a greater degree of control over such investments.

In addition, in order to take advantage of opportunities as a the Fund generally will be required to hold a interest, for example, by becoming a limited partner in a partnership that is controlled by the general partner or manager of the private equity fund offering the on a basis, to the Fund. In this event, the Fund would have less control over the investment and may be adversely affected by actions taken by such general partner or manager with respect to the portfolio company and the Fund’s investment in it. The Fund may not have the opportunity to participate in structuring investments or to determine the terms under which such investments will be made.

The Fund may in certain circumstances be liable for the actions of its third-party made with third parties in joint ventures or other entities also may involve carried interests and/or other fees payable to such third party partners or There can be no assurance that appropriate minority shareholder rights will be available to the Fund or that such rights will provide sufficient protection to the Fund’s interests.

 Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest in loans. The loans that the Fund may invest in include loans that are first lien, second lien, third lien or that are unsecured. In addition, the loans the Fund will invest in will usually be rated below investment grade or may be unrated. Loans are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this prospectus, including credit risk, liquidity risk, below investment grade instruments risk and management risk.

Although certain loans in which the Fund may invest will be secured by collateral, there can be no assurance that such collateral could be readily liquidated or that the liquidation of such collateral would satisfy the borrower’s obligation in the event scheduled interest or principal. In the event of the bankruptcy or

 

insolvency of a borrower, the Fund could experience delays or limitations with respect to its ability to realize the benefits of the collateral securing a loan. In the event of a decline in the value of the already pledged collateral, if the terms of a loan do not require the borrower to pledge additional collateral, the Fund will be exposed to the risk that the value of the collateral will not at all times equal or exceed the amount of the borrower’s obligations under the loans. To the extent that a loan is collateralized by stock in the borrower or its subsidiaries, such stock may lose some or all of its value in the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of the borrower. Those loans that are under-collateralized involve a greater risk of loss.

In general, the secondary trading market for loans is not fully-developed. No active trading market may exist for certain loans, which may make it difficult to value them. Illiquidity and adverse market conditions may mean that the Fund may not be able to sell certain loans quickly or at a fair price. To the extent that a secondary market does exist for certain loans, the market for them may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods.

Some loans are subject to the risk that a court, pursuant to fraudulent conveyance or other similar laws, could subordinate the loans to presently existing or future indebtedness of the borrower or take other action detrimental to lenders, including the Fund. Such court action could under certain circumstances include invalidation of loans.

If legislation or state or federal regulations impose additional requirements or restrictions on the ability of financial institutions to make loans, the availability of loans for investment by the Fund may be adversely affected. In addition, such requirements or restrictions could reduce or eliminate sources of financing for certain borrowers. This would increase the risk of default.

If legislation or federal or state regulations require financial institutions to increase their capital requirements, this may cause financial institutions to dispose of loans that are considered highly levered transactions. Such sales could result in prices that, in the opinion of the Adviser, do not represent fair value. If the Fund attempts to sell a loan at a time when a financial institution is engaging in such a sale, the price the Fund could get for the loan may be adversely affected.

The Fund may acquire loans through assignments or participations. The Fund will typically acquire loans through assignment. The purchaser of an assignment typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations of the assigning institution and becomes a lender under the credit agreement with respect to the debt obligation; however, the purchaser’s rights can be more restricted than those of the assigning institution, and the Fund may not be able to unilaterally enforce all rights and remedies under the loan and with regard to any associated collateral.

A participation typically results in a contractual relationship only with the institution selling the participation interest, not with the borrower. Sellers of participations typically include banks, broker- dealers, other financial institutions and lending institutions. Certain participation agreements also include the option to convert the participation to a full assignment under agreed upon circumstances. adopted best execution procedures and guidelines to mitigate credit and counterparty risk in the atypical situation when the Fund must acquire a loan through a participation.

In purchasing participations, the Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement against the borrower, and the Fund may not directly benefit from the collateral supporting the debt obligation in which it has purchased the participation. As a result, the Fund will be exposed to the credit risk of both the borrower and the institution selling the participation. Further, in purchasing participations in lending syndicates, the Fund will not be able to conduct the due diligence on the borrower or the quality of the loan with respect to which it is buying a participation that the Fund would otherwise conduct if it were investing directly in the loan, which may result in the Fund being exposed to greater credit or fraud risk with respect to the borrower or the loan than the Fund expected when initially purchasing the participation.

The Fund also may originate loans or acquire loans by participating in the initial issuance of the loan as part of a syndicate of banks and financial institutions, or receive its interest in a loan directly from the borrower.

 

Senior secured loans are usually rated below investment grade or may be unrated. As a result, the risks associated with senior secured loans are similar to the risks of below investment grade fixed income instruments, although senior secured loans are senior and secured in contrast to other below investment grade fixed income instruments, which are often subordinated or unsecured. Investment in senior secured loans rated below investment grade is considered speculative because of the credit risk of their issuers. There may be less readily available and reliable information about most senior secured loans than is the case for many other types of securities. As a result, the Adviser will rely primarily on its own evaluation of a borrower’s credit quality rather than on any available independent sources. Therefore, the Fund will be particularly dependent on the analytical abilities of the Adviser.

In general, the secondary trading market for senior secured loans is not well developed. No active trading market may exist for certain senior secured loans, which may make it difficult to value them. Illiquidity and adverse market conditions may mean that the Fund may not be able to sell senior secured loans quickly or at a fair price. To the extent that a secondary market does exist for certain senior secured loans, the market for them may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods.

Certain of the Fund’s investments may consist of loans or securities, or interests in pools of securities that are subordinated or may be subordinated in right of payment and ranked junior to other securities issued by, or loans made to obligors. If an obligor experiences financial difficulty, holders of its more senior securities will be entitled to payments in priority to the Fund. Some of the Fund’s asset-backed investments may also have structural features that divert payments of interest and/or principal to more senior classes of loans or securities backed by the same assets when loss rates or delinquency exceeds certain levels. This may interrupt the income the Fund receives from its investments, which may lead to the Fund having less income to distribute to investors.

In addition, many of the obligors are highly leveraged and many of the Fund’s investments will be in securities which are unrated or rated below investment grade. Such investments are subject to additional risks, including an increased risk of default during periods of economic downturn, possibility that the obligor may not be able to meet its debt payments, and limited secondary market support, among other risks.

Loans to private and middle-market companies involves risks that may not exist in the case of large, more established and/or publicly traded companies, including, without limitation:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Fund’s investments in Portfolio Funds are subject to a number of risks. The marketability of Portfolio Fund interests may be restricted, and the realization of investments from them may take considerable time and/or be costly. Some of the Portfolio Funds in which the Fund invests may have only limited operating histories. Although the Adviser will seek to receive detailed information from each Portfolio Fund regarding its business strategy and any performance history, in most cases the Adviser will have little or no means of independently verifying this information. In addition, Portfolio Funds may have little or no near-term cash flow available to distribute to investors, including the Fund. Due to the pattern of cash flows in Portfolio Funds, investors typically will see negative returns in the early stages of Portfolio Funds. Then, as investments are able to realize liquidity events, such as a sale or initial public offering, positive returns will be realized if the Portfolio Fund’s investments are successful.

Portfolio Fund interests are ordinarily valued based upon valuations provided by the Portfolio Fund managers, which may be received on a delayed basis. Certain securities in which the Portfolio Funds invest may not have a readily ascertainable market price and are fair valued by the Portfolio Fund managers. A Portfolio Fund manager may face a conflict of interest in valuing such securities because their values may have an impact on the Portfolio Fund manager’s compensation. The Adviser will review and perform due diligence on the valuation procedures used by each Portfolio Fund manager and monitor the returns provided by the Portfolio Funds. However, neither the Adviser nor the Board is able to confirm the accuracy of valuations provided by Portfolio Fund managers. Inaccurate valuations provided by Portfolio Funds could materially adversely affect the value of shares.

The Fund will pay asset-based fees, and, in most cases, will be subject to performance-based fees in respect of its interests in Portfolio Funds. Such fees and performance-based compensation are in addition to the monthly management fee. In addition, performance-based fees charged by Portfolio Fund managers may create incentives for the Portfolio Fund managers to make risky investments, and may be payable by the Fund to a Portfolio Fund manager based on a Portfolio Fund’s positive returns even if the Fund’s overall returns are negative.

Moreover, a shareholder in the Fund will indirectly bear a proportionate share of the fees and expenses of the Portfolio Funds, in addition to its proportionate share of the expenses of the Fund. Thus, a shareholder in the Fund may be subject to higher operating expenses than if the shareholder invested in the Portfolio Funds directly. In addition, because of the deduction of the fees payable by the Fund to the Adviser and other expenses payable directly by the Fund from amounts distributed to the Fund by the Portfolio Funds, the returns to a shareholder in the Fund will be lower than the returns to a direct investor in the Portfolio Funds. Fees and expenses of the Fund and the Portfolio Funds will generally be paid regardless of whether the Fund or Portfolio Funds produce positive investment returns. Shareholders could avoid the additional level of fees and expenses of the Fund by investing directly with the Portfolio Funds, although access to many Portfolio Funds may be limited or unavailable, and may not be permitted for investors who do not meet the substantial minimum net worth and other criteria for direct investment in Portfolio Funds.

There is a risk that the Fund may be precluded from acquiring an interest in certain Portfolio Funds due to regulatory implications under the 1940 Act or other laws, rules and regulations or may be limited in the amount it can invest in voting securities of Portfolio Funds. The Adviser also may refrain from including a Portfolio Fund in the Fund’s portfolio in order to address adverse regulatory implications that would arise under the 1940 Act for the Fund if such an investment was made. In addition, the SEC has adopted Rule under the 1940 Act, which, among other things, may impact the ability of the Fund to enter into unfunded commitment agreements, such as a capital commitment to a Portfolio Fund or as part of a The Fund’s investments in Secondary Investments typically will include an unfunded portion where the Fund commits to invest equity in a Portfolio Fund in the future. Similarly, the Fund’s may include an unfunded commitment to invest equity in special purpose vehicles or other issuers. These unfunded commitments generally can be drawn at the discretion of the general partner of the Portfolio Fund or other issuer subject to certain conditions (e.g., notice provisions). At times, the Fund expects that a significant portion of its assets will be invested in money market funds or other cash items, pending the calling of these unfunded commitments, as part of its risk management process to seek to ensure the Fund will have sufficient cash and cash equivalents to meet its

 

obligations with respect to its unfunded commitments to invest equity in Portfolio Funds and special purpose vehicles that acquire private market investments as they come due. In addition, the Fund’s ability to invest may be affected by considerations under other laws, rules or regulations. Such regulatory restrictions, including those arising under the 1940 Act, may cause the Fund to invest in different Portfolio Funds or than other clients of the Adviser.

If the Fund fails to satisfy capital calls to a Portfolio Fund in a timely manner then, generally, it will be subject to significant penalties, including the complete forfeiture of the Fund’s investment in the Portfolio Fund. Any failure by the Fund to make timely capital contributions may impair the ability of the Fund to pursue its investment program, cause the Fund to be subject to certain penalties from the Portfolio Funds or otherwise impair the value of the Fund’s investments.

The governing documents of a Portfolio Fund generally are expected to include provisions that would enable the general partner, the manager, or a majority in interest (or higher percentage) of its limited partners or members, under certain circumstances, to terminate the Portfolio Fund prior to the end of its stated term. Early termination of a Portfolio Fund in which the Fund is invested may result in the Fund having distributed to it a portfolio of immature securities, or the Fund’s inability to invest all of its capital as anticipated, either of which could have a material adverse effect on the performance of the Fund.

Although the Fund will be an investor in a Portfolio Fund, shareholders will not themselves be equity holders of that Portfolio Fund and will not be entitled to enforce any rights directly against the Portfolio Fund or the Portfolio Fund manager or assert claims directly against any Portfolio Funds, the Portfolio Fund managers or their respective affiliates. Shareholders will have no right to receive the information issued by the Portfolio Funds that may be available to the Fund as an investor in the Portfolio Funds. In addition, Portfolio Funds generally are not registered as investment companies under the 1940 Act; therefore, the Fund, as an investor in Portfolio Funds, will not have the benefit of the protections afforded by the 1940 Act. Portfolio Fund managers may not be registered as investment advisers under the Advisers Act, in which case the Fund, as an investor in Portfolio Funds managed by such Portfolio Fund managers, will not have the benefit of certain of the protections afforded by the Advisers Act.

Commitments to Portfolio Funds generally are not immediately invested. Instead, committed amounts are drawn down by Portfolio Funds and invested over time, as underlying investments are identified—a process that may take a period of several years, with limited ability to predict with precision the timing and amount of each Portfolio Fund’s drawdowns. During this period, investments made early in a Portfolio Fund’s life are often realized (generating distributions) even before the committed capital has been fully drawn. In addition, many Portfolio Funds do not draw down 100% of committed capital, and historic trends and practices can inform the Adviser as to when it can expect to no longer need to fund capital calls for a particular Portfolio Fund. Accordingly, the Adviser may make investments and commitments based, in part, on anticipated future capital calls and distributions from Portfolio Funds. This may result in the Fund making commitments to Portfolio Funds in an aggregate amount that exceeds the total amounts invested by shareholders in the Fund at the time of such commitment (i.e., to “over-commit”). To the extent that the Fund engages in an “over-commitment” strategy, the risk associated with the Fund defaulting on a commitment to a Portfolio Fund will increase. The Fund will maintain cash, cash equivalents, borrowings or other liquid assets in sufficient amounts, in the Adviser’s judgment, to satisfy capital calls from Portfolio Funds.

The Adviser will have no control over the investment decisions made by any Portfolio Fund. Although the Fund and the Adviser will regularly evaluate each Portfolio Fund and its manager to determine whether their respective investment programs are consistent with the Fund’s investment objective, the Adviser will not have any control over the investments made by any Portfolio Fund. Even though the Portfolio Funds are subject to certain constraints, the managers may change aspects of their investment strategies. The managers may do so at any time (for example, such change may occur immediately after providing the Adviser with the quarterly unaudited financial information for a

 

Private REIT). The Adviser may reallocate the Fund’s investments among the Portfolio Funds, but the Adviser’s ability to do so may be constrained by the withdrawal limitations imposed by the Portfolio Funds, which may prevent the Fund from reacting rapidly to market changes should a Portfolio Fund fail to effect portfolio changes consistent with such market changes and the demands of the Adviser. Such withdrawal limitations may also restrict the Adviser’s ability to terminate investments in Portfolio Funds that are poorly or have otherwise had adverse changes. The Adviser will be dependent on information provided by the Portfolio Fund, including quarterly unaudited financial statements, which if inaccurate, could adversely affect the Adviser’s ability to manage the Fund’s investment portfolio in accordance with its investment objective. By investing in the Fund, a shareholder will not be deemed to be an investor in any Portfolio Fund and will not have the ability to exercise any rights attributable to an investor in any such Portfolio Fund related to their investment.

Investments (directly or indirectly) in REITs will subject the Fund to various risks. REIT share prices may decline because of adverse developments affecting the real estate industry and real property values. In general, real estate values can be affected by a variety of factors, including supply and demand for properties, the economic health of the country or of different regions, and the strength of specific industries that rent properties. REITs often invest in highly leveraged properties. Returns from REITs, which typically are small or medium capitalization stocks, may trail returns from the overall stock market. In addition, changes in interest rates may hurt real estate values or make REIT shares less attractive than other income-producing investments. REITs are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers and self-liquidation.

Qualification as a REIT under the Code in any particular year is a complex analysis that depends on a number of factors. There can be no assurance that an entity in which the Fund invests with the expectation that it will be taxed as a REIT will, in fact, qualify as a REIT. An entity that fails to qualify as a REIT would be subject to a corporate level tax, would not be entitled to a deduction for dividends paid to its shareholders and would not pass through to its shareholders the character of income earned by the entity. If the Fund were to invest in an entity that failed to qualify as a REIT, such failure could significantly reduce the Fund’s yield on that investment. REITs can be classified as equity REITs, mortgage REITs, and hybrid REITs. Equity REITs invest primarily in real property and earn rental income from leasing those properties. They may also realize gains or losses from the sale of properties. Equity REITs will be affected by conditions in the real estate rental market and by changes in the value of the properties they own. Mortgage REITs invest primarily in mortgages and similar real estate interests and receive interest payments from the owners of the mortgaged properties. Mortgage REITs will be affected by changes in creditworthiness of borrowers and changes in interest rates. Hybrid REITs invest both in real property and in mortgages. Equity and mortgage REITs are dependent upon management skills, may not be diversified and are subject to the risks of financing projects.

Dividends paid by REITs will not generally qualify for the reduced U.S. federal income tax rates applicable to qualified dividends under the Code. See “U.S. Federal Income Tax Matters.” The Fund’s investments in REITs may include an additional risk to shareholders. Some or all of a REIT’s annual distributions to its investors may constitute a return of capital. Any such return of capital will generally reduce the Fund’s basis in the REIT investment, but not below zero. To the extent the distributions from a particular REIT exceed the Fund’s basis in such REIT, the Fund will generally recognize gain. In part because REIT distributions often include a nontaxable return of capital, Fund distributions to shareholders may also include a nontaxable return of capital. Shareholders that receive such a distribution will also reduce their tax basis in their shares of the Fund, but not below zero. To the extent the distribution exceeds a shareholder’s basis in the Fund’s shares, such shareholder will generally recognize a capital gain. The Fund does not have any investment restrictions with respect to investments in REITs.

REOCs, like REITs, expose the Fund to the risks of the real estate market. These risks can include fluctuations in the value of underlying properties; destruction of underlying properties; defaults by borrowers or tenants; market saturation; changes in general and local economic conditions; decreases in market rates for rents; increases in vacancies; competition; property taxes; capital expenditures, or operating expenses; and other economic, political or regulatory occurrences affecting the real estate industry. REOCs may also be affected by

 

risks similar to investments in debt securities, including changes in interest rates and the quality of credit extended. REOCs require specialized management and pay management expenses; may have less trading volume; may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements than the overall securities markets; and may invest in a limited number of properties, in a narrow geographic area, or in a single property type which increase the risk that the portfolio could be unfavorably affected by the poor performance of a single investment or investment type. In addition, defaults on or sales of investments that the REOC holds could reduce the cash flow needed to make distributions to .

The investments made by the Portfolio Funds will entail a high degree of risk and in most cases be difficult to value. As a general matter, companies in which the Portfolio Fund invests may face intense competition, including competition from companies with far greater financial resources; more extensive research, development, technological, marketing and other capabilities; and a larger number of qualified managerial and technical personnel.

A Portfolio Fund manager may focus on a particular industry or sector, which may subject the Portfolio Fund, and thus the Fund, to greater risk and volatility than if investments had been made in issuers in a broader range of industries. Likewise, a Portfolio Fund manager may focus on a particular country or geographic region, which may subject the Portfolio Fund, and thus the Fund, to greater risk and volatility than if investments had been made in issuers in a broader range of geographic regions. In addition, Portfolio Funds may establish positions in different geographic regions or industries that, depending on market conditions, could experience offsetting returns.

The Fund will not obtain or seek to obtain any control over the management of any portfolio company in which any Portfolio Fund may invest. The success of each investment made by a Portfolio Fund will largely depend on the ability and success of the management of the portfolio companies in addition to economic and market factors.

The Fund may have limited Secondary Investment opportunities. The Fund may make Secondary Investments in Portfolio Funds by acquiring the interests in the Portfolio Funds from existing investors in such Portfolio Funds. In such instances, it is generally not expected that the Fund will have the opportunity to negotiate the terms of the interests being acquired, other than the purchase price, or other special rights or privileges. Moreover, there is no assurance that the Fund will be able to purchase interests at discounts to NAV, or at all. The overall performance of the Fund will depend in large part on the acquisition price paid by the Fund for its Secondary Investments, the structure of such acquisitions and the overall success of the Portfolio Fund.

There is significant competition for Secondary Investments. No assurance can be given that the Fund will be able to identify Secondary Investments that satisfy the Fund’s investment objective or, if the Fund is successful in identifying such Secondary Investments, that the Fund will be permitted to invest, or invest in the amounts desired, in such Secondary Investments.

Asset-backed securities represent interests in “pools” of Real Estate Debt Investments or other real estate securities, including leasehold and fee simple interests in such assets. Asset-backed securities often involve risks that are different from or possibly more acute than risks associated with other types of debt instruments. Some asset-backed securities are subject to interest rate risk and prepayment risk. A change in interest can affect the pace of on the underlying loans, which in turn affects total return on the securities. Asset-backed securities also carry credit or default risk. If many borrowers on the underlying loans default, losses could exceed the credit enhancement level and result in losses to investors in asset-backed securities. In addition, asset-backed securities have structural risk due to a unique characteristic known as early amortization, or early payout, risk. Built into the structure of most asset-backed securities are triggers for early payout, designed to protect investors from losses. These triggers are unique to each transaction and can include a big rise in defaults on the underlying loans, a sharp drop in the credit enhancement level or even the bankruptcy of the originator. Once early amortization begins, all incoming loan payments (after expenses are paid) are used to pay investors as quickly as possible based upon a predetermined priority of payment.

 

Commercial mortgage-backed securities include securities that reflect an interest in, and are secured by, mortgage loans on commercial real property (such as office properties, retail properties, hospitality properties, industrial properties, healthcare-related properties or other types of income producing real property). Many of the risks of investing in commercial mortgage-backed securities reflect the risks of investing in the real estate securing the underlying mortgage loans, which include the risks associated with the effects of local and other economic conditions on real estate markets, the ability of tenants to make loan payments, increases in interest rates, real estate tax rates and other operating expenses, changes in governmental rules, regulations and fiscal policies, the effects of and responses to infectious illness outbreaks, epidemics of pandemics, and the ability of a property to attract and retain tenants. Commercial mortgage-backed securities depend on cash flows generated by underlying commercial real estate loans, receivables, and other assets, and can be significantly affected by changes in market and economic conditions, the availability of information regarding the underlying assets and their structures, and the creditworthiness of the borrowers or tenants. Commercial mortgage-backed securities may be less liquid and exhibit greater price volatility than other types of mortgage- or asset-backed securities. Commercial mortgage-backed securities issued by private issuers may offer higher yields than commercial mortgage-backed securities issued by government issuers, but also may be subject to greater volatility than commercial mortgage-backed securities issued by government issuers. The commercial mortgage-backed securities market may experience substantially lower valuations and greatly reduced liquidity. Commercial mortgage-backed securities held by the Fund may be subordinated to one or more other classes of securities of the same series for purposes of, among other things, establishing payment priorities and offsetting losses and other shortfalls with respect to the related underlying mortgage loans. There can be no assurance that the subordination will be sufficient on any date to offset all losses or expenses incurred by the underlying trust. The value of CMBS and other mortgage-backed securities in which the Fund may invest generally will have an inverse relationship with interest rates. Accordingly, if interest rates rise, the value of such securities will decline. In addition, to extent that the mortgage loans which underlie specific mortgage-backed securities are the value of such mortgage securities may be negatively affected by increasing prepayments, which generally occur when interest rates decline.

The Fund may invest certain of its assets in residential mortgage-backed securities and become a holder of RMBS. Holders of RMBS bear various risks, including credit, market, interest rate, structural and legal risks. RMBS represent interests in pools of residential mortgage loans secured by residential mortgage loans. Such loans may be prepaid at any time. Residential mortgage loans are obligations of the borrowers thereunder only and are not typically insured or guaranteed by any other person or entity, although such loans may be securitized and the securities issued in such securitization may be guaranteed or credit enhanced. The rate of defaults and losses on residential mortgage loans will be affected by a number of factors, including general economic conditions and those in the area where the related mortgaged property is located, the borrower’s equity in the mortgaged property and the financial circumstances of the borrower. If a residential mortgage loan is in default, foreclosure of such residential mortgage loan may be a lengthy and difficult process, and may involve significant expenses. Furthermore, the market for defaulted residential mortgage loans or foreclosed properties may be very limited.

Holders of structured products bear risks of the underlying investments, index or reference obligation and are subject to counterparty risk. The Fund may have the right to receive payments only from the structured product, and generally does not have direct rights against the issuer or the entity that sold the assets to be securitized. While certain structured products enable the investor to acquire interests in a pool of securities without the brokerage and other expenses associated with directly holding the same securities, investors in structured products generally pay their share of the structured product’s administrative and other expenses. Although it is difficult to predict whether the prices of indices and securities underlying structured products will rise or fall, these prices (and, therefore, the prices of structured products) will be influenced by the same types of political and economic events that affect issuers of securities and capital markets generally. If the issuer of a structured product uses shorter term financing to purchase longer term securities, the issuer may be forced to sell its securities at below market prices if it experiences difficulty in obtaining short-term financing, which may adversely affect the value of the structured products owned by the Fund.

 

Investments in structured notes involve risks, including credit risk and market risk. Where the Fund’s investments in structured notes are based upon the movement of one or more factors, including currency exchange rates, interest rates, referenced bonds and stock indices, depending on the factor used and the use of multipliers or deflators, changes in interest rates and movement of the factor may cause significant price fluctuations. Additionally, changes in the reference instrument or security may cause the interest on the structured note to be reduced to zero, and any further changes in the reference instrument may then reduce the principal amount payable on maturity. Structured notes may be less liquid than other types of securities and more volatile than the reference instrument or security underlying the note.

In addition to the general risks associated with real estate securities, debt securities and structured products discussed herein, CLOs carry additional risks, including, but not limited to (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; (iii) the possibility that the investments in CLOs are subordinate to other classes or tranches thereof, (iv) the potential of spread compression in the underlying loans of the CLO, which could reduce credit enhancement in the CLOs and (v) the complex structure of the security may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the issuer or unexpected investment results.

CLO junior debt securities that the Fund may acquire are subordinated to more senior tranches of CLO debt. CLO junior debt securities are subject to increased risks of default relative to the holders of superior priority interests in the same securities. In addition, at the time of issuance, CLO equity securities are under-collateralized in that the liabilities of a CLO at inception exceed its total assets. Though not exclusively, the Fund will typically be in a first loss or subordinated position with respect to realized losses on the assets of the CLOs in which it is invested. The Fund may recognize phantom taxable income from its investments in the subordinated tranches of CLOs.

Between the closing date and the effective date of a CLO, the CLO collateral manager will generally expect to purchase additional collateral obligations for the CLO. During this period, the price and availability of these collateral obligations may be adversely affected by a number of market factors, including price volatility and availability of investments suitable for the CLO, which could hamper the ability of the collateral manager to acquire a portfolio of collateral obligations that will satisfy specified concentration limitations and allow the CLO to reach the initial par amount of collateral prior to the effective date. An inability or delay in reaching the target initial par amount of collateral may adversely affect the timing and amount of interest or principal payments received by the holders of the CLO debt securities and distributions of the CLO on equity securities and could result in early redemptions which may cause CLO debt and equity investors to receive less than face value of their investment.

The failure by a CLO in which the Fund invests to satisfy financial covenants, including with respect to adequate collateralization and/or interest coverage tests, could lead to a reduction in the CLO’s payments to the Fund. In the event that a CLO fails certain tests, holders of CLO senior debt may be entitled to additional payments that would, in turn, reduce the payments the Fund would otherwise be entitled to receive. Separately, the Fund may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms, which may include the waiver of certain financial covenants, with a defaulting CLO or any other investment the Fund may make. If any of these occur, it could adversely affect the Fund’s operating results and cash flows.

The Fund’s CLO investments are exposed to leveraged credit risk. If certain minimum collateral value ratios and/or interest coverage ratios are not met by a CLO, primarily due to senior secured loan defaults, then cash flow that otherwise would have been available to pay distributions to the Fund on its CLO investments may instead be used to redeem any senior notes or to purchase additional senior secured loans, until the ratios again exceed the minimum required levels or any senior notes are repaid in full.

 

. The Fund may from time to time invest in debt instruments, including junior tranches of CMBS and “mezzanine” or junior mortgage loans (e.g., that are subordinated in an issuer’s capital structure. To the extent the Fund invests in subordinated debt of an issuer’s capital structure or subordinated CMBS bonds, such investments and the Fund’s remedies with respect thereto, including the ability to foreclose on any collateral securing such investments, will be subject to the rights of any senior creditors and, to the extent applicable, contractual inter-creditor and/or participation agreement provisions.

Investments in subordinated debt involve greater credit risk of default than the senior classes of the issue or series. Subordinated tranches of CMBS or other investments absorb losses from default before other more senior tranches of CMBS to which it is subordinate are put at risk. As a result, to the extent the Fund invests in subordinate debt instruments (including CMBS), the Fund would potentially receive payments or interest distributions after, and must bear the effects of losses or defaults on the senior debt (including underlying mortgage loans, senior mezzanine debt or senior CMBS bonds) before, the holders of other more senior tranches of debt instruments with respect to such issuer.

 Although not secured by the underlying real estate, mezzanine loans are also subject to risk of subordination and share certain characteristics of subordinate loan interests described above. As with commercial mortgage loans, repayment of a mezzanine loan is dependent on the successful operation of the underlying commercial properties and, therefore, is subject to similar considerations and risks. Mezzanine loans may also be affected by the successful operation of other properties, but mezzanine loans are not secured by interests in the underlying commercial properties.

In connection with the use of the BNP Credit Facility for leverage, the Fund permits the lender, subject to certain conditions, to rehypothecate (i.e., lend to other counterparties) portfolio securities pledged by the Fund up to the amount of the loan balance outstanding. The terms of the BNP Credit Facility provide that the Fund continue to receive dividends and interest on rehypothecated securities. The Fund has the right under the BNP Credit Facility to recall rehypothecated securities from BNP on demand. If BNP fails to deliver a recalled security in a timely manner, the BNP Credit Facility provides for compensation by BNP to the Fund for any fees or losses related to the failed delivery or, in the event a recalled security will not be returned by BNP, for the Fund, upon notice to BNP, to reduce the loan balance outstanding by the amount of the recalled security failed to be returned. The terms of the BNP Credit Facility pursuant to which portfolio securities pledged by the Fund are rehypothecated may provide for receipt by the Fund, either directly or indirectly through a reduction in the costs associated with the BNP Credit Facility, of a portion of the fees earned by BNP in connection with the rehypothecation of such portfolio securities. Rehypothecation by BNP of the Fund’s pledged portfolio securities entails risks, including the risk that BNP will be unable or unwilling to return rehypothecated securities, which could result in, among other things, the inability of the Fund to find suitable investments to replace the unreturned securities, thereby impairing the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective.

Although the Fund has the option to borrow, including through the Credit Facilities, there are significant risks that may be assumed in connection with such borrowings. Investors in the Fund should consider the various risks of financial leverage, including, without limitation, the matters described below. There is no assurance that a leveraging strategy would be successful. Financial leverage involves risks and special considerations for shareholders including: (i) the likelihood of greater volatility of NAV of the shares than a comparable portfolio without leverage; (ii) the risk that fluctuations in interest rates on borrowings and short-term debt that the Fund must pay will reduce the return to the shareholders; (iii) the effect of financial leverage in a market experiencing rising interest rates, which would likely cause a greater decline in the NAV of the shares than if the Fund were not leveraged; and (iv) the potential for an increase in operating costs, which may reduce the Fund’s total return.

In the event that the Fund would be required to sell assets at a loss, including in order to redeem or pay off any borrowing, such a sale would reduce the Fund’s NAV and may make it difficult for the NAV to recover. The Fund nevertheless may continue to use financial leverage if the Adviser expects that the benefits to the

 

shareholders of maintaining the leveraged position likely would outweigh a resulting reduction in the current return.

Certain types of borrowings by the Fund would result in the Fund being subject to covenants in credit agreements relating to asset coverage and Fund composition requirements that are more stringent than those currently imposed on the Fund by the 1940 Act. In addition, borrowings by the Fund may be made on a secured basis. The Custodian will then either segregate the assets securing the Fund’s borrowings for the benefit of the Fund’s lenders or arrangements will be made with a suitable If the assets used to secure a borrowing decrease in value, the Fund may be required to pledge additional collateral to the lender in the form of cash or securities to avoid liquidation of those assets. In the event of a default, the lenders will have the right, through the Custodian, to redeem the Fund’s investments in underlying Investment Funds without consideration of whether doing so would be in the best interests of the Fund’s shareholders. The rights of any lenders to the Fund to receive payments of interest on and repayments of principal of borrowings will be senior to the rights of the Fund’s shareholders, and the terms of the Fund’s borrowings may contain provisions that limit certain activities of the Fund and could result in precluding the purchase of instruments that the Fund would otherwise purchase.

The use of financial leverage involves financial risk and would increase the exposure of the Fund’s investment returns to adverse economic factors such as rising interest rates, downturns in the economy or deterioration in the condition of the investments. There would be a risk that operating cash flow available to the Fund would be insufficient to meet required payments and a risk that it would not be possible to refinance existing indebtedness or that the terms of such refinancing would not be as favorable as the terms of existing indebtedness. Borrowings by the Fund may be secured by any or all of the assets of the Fund, with the consequences that the Fund may lose more than its equity stake in any one investment, and may lose all of its capital.

The use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks, such as liquidity risk (which may be heightened for highly-customized derivatives), interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk, leveraging risk, counterparty risk, tax risk, and management risk, as well as risks arising from changes in applicable requirements. They also involve the risk of mispricing, the risk of unfavorable or ambiguous documentation and the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index. The Fund’s use of derivatives may increase or accelerate the amount of taxes payable by common shareholders.

The Fund relies on certain exemptions in Rule under the 1940 Act to enter into derivatives transactions and certain other transactions notwithstanding the restrictions on the issuance of “senior securities” under Section 18 of the 1940 Act. Under Rule “derivatives transactions” include the following: (1) any swap, security-based swap, futures contract, forward contract, option (excluding purchased options), any combination of the foregoing, or any similar instrument, under which the Fund is or may be required to make any payment or delivery of cash or other assets during the life of the instrument or at maturity or early termination, whether as margin or settlement payment or otherwise; (2) any short sale borrowing; and (3) if the Fund relies on the exemption in Rule reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions. The Fund will rely on a separate exemption in Rule when entering into unfunded commitment agreements, which includes any commitment to make a loan to a company, including term loans, delayed draw term loans, and revolvers, or to invest equity in a company. To rely on the unfunded commitment agreements exemption, the Fund must reasonably believe, at the time it enters into such agreement, that it will have sufficient cash and cash equivalents to meet its obligations with respect to all of its unfunded commitment agreements, in each case as they come due. The Fund will rely on the exemption in Rule when purchasing when-issued or forward-settling securities (e.g., firm and standby commitments, including commitments, and dollar rolls) and settlement cycle securities, if certain conditions are met.

The Fund intends to operate as a “limited derivatives user” for purposes of the derivatives transactions exemption in Rule To qualify as a limited derivatives user, the Fund’s “derivatives exposure” is limited to 10% of its

 

net assets subject to exclusions for certain currency or interest rate hedging transactions (as calculated in accordance with Rule Unless the Fund qualifies as a “limited derivatives user” as defined in Rule the rule would, among other things, require the Fund to establish a comprehensive derivatives risk management program, to comply with certain based leverage limits, to appoint a derivatives risk manager and to provide additional disclosure publicly and to the SEC regarding its derivatives positions.

The Fund’s use of reverse repurchase agreements involves many of the same risks involved in the Fund’s use of leverage, as the proceeds from reverse repurchase agreements generally will be invested in additional securities. There is a risk that the market value of the securities acquired in the reverse repurchase agreement may decline below the price of the securities that the Fund has sold but remains obligated to repurchase. In addition, there is a risk that the market value of the securities retained by the Fund may decline. If the buyer of securities under a reverse repurchase agreement were to file for bankruptcy or experiences insolvency, the Fund may be adversely affected. Also, in entering into reverse repurchase agreements, the Fund would bear the risk of loss to the extent that the proceeds of the reverse repurchase agreement are less than the value of the underlying securities. In addition, due to the interest costs associated with reverse repurchase agreements transactions, the Fund’s NAV will decline, and, in some cases, the Fund may be worse off than if it had not used such instruments.

In addition to any borrowing utilized by the Fund, the Portfolio Funds in which the Fund invests may utilize financial leverage. The Portfolio Funds may be able to borrow, subject to the limitations of their charters and operative documents. Certain Portfolio Funds may not be subject to the limitations imposed by the 1940 Act regarding the use of leverage with respect to which registered investment companies, including the Fund, are subject. To that end, the Fund intends to limit its direct borrowing to an amount that does not exceed 33 1/3% of the Fund’s gross asset value. Furthermore, Portfolio Funds typically will hold their investments in entities organized as REITs, corporations or other entities and this may allow the Fund’s risk of loss to be limited to the amount of its investment in the Portfolio Fund. While leverage presents opportunities for increasing the Fund’s total return, it has the effect of potentially increasing losses as well.

Certain Portfolio Funds in which the Fund invests are not publicly traded and the Fund may consider information provided by the institutional asset manager of each respective Portfolio Fund to determine the estimated value of the Fund’s investment therein. The valuation provided by an institutional asset manager as of a specific date may vary from the actual sale price that may be obtained if such investment were sold to a third party. To determine the estimated value of the Fund’s investment in Portfolio Funds, the Adviser considers, among other things, information provided by the Portfolio Funds, including quarterly unaudited financial statements, which if inaccurate could adversely affect the Adviser’s ability to value accurately the Fund’s shares. Portfolio Funds that invest primarily in publicly traded securities are more easily valued.

Credit risk is the risk that one or more loans in the Fund’s portfolio will decline in price or fail to pay interest or principal when due because the issuer of the instrument experiences a decline in its financial status. While a senior position in the capital structure of a borrower or issuer may provide some protection with respect to the Fund’s investments in certain loans, losses may still occur because the market value of loans is affected by the creditworthiness of borrowers or issuers and by general economic and specific industry conditions and the Fund’s other investments will often be subordinate to other debt in the issuer’s capital structure. To the extent the Fund invests in below investment grade instruments, it will be exposed to a greater amount of credit risk than a fund which invests in investment grade securities. The prices of lower grade instruments are more sensitive to negative developments, such as a decline in the issuer’s revenues or a general economic downturn, than are the prices of higher grade instruments. Instruments of below investment grade quality are predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal when due and therefore involve a greater risk of default.

There are various risks associated with investing in preferred securities, including credit risk, interest rate risk, deferral and omission of distributions, subordination to bonds and other debt

 

securities in a company’s capital structure, limited liquidity, limited voting rights and special redemption rights. Interest rate risk is, in general, the risk that the price of a preferred security falls when interest rates rise. Securities with longer maturities tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of a security may not be able to make principal and interest or dividend payments on the security as they become due. Holders of preferred securities may not receive, or the payment can be deferred for some period of time. In bankruptcy, creditors are generally paid before the holders of preferred securities.

Convertible securities are hybrid securities that have characteristics of both bonds and common stocks and are subject to risks associated with both debt securities and equity securities. Convertible securities are similar to fixed income securities because they usually pay a fixed interest rate (or dividend) and are obligated to repay principal on a given date in the future. The market value of fixed income and preferred securities tends to decline as interest rates increase and tends to increase as interest rates decline. Convertible securities have characteristics of a fixed income security and are particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates when their conversion value is lower than the value of the bond or preferred share. Fixed income and preferred securities also are subject to credit risk, which is the risk that an issuer of a security may not be able to make principal and interest or dividend payments on the security as they become due. Fixed income and preferred securities also may be subject to prepayment or redemption risk. If a convertible security held by the Fund is called for redemption, the Fund will be required to surrender the security for redemption, convert it into the issuing company’s common stock or cash or sell it to a third party at a time that may be unfavorable to the Fund. Convertible securities have characteristics similar to common stocks especially when their conversion value is the same as the value of the bond or preferred share. The price of equity securities may rise or fall because of economic or political changes. Stock prices in general may decline over short or even extended periods of time. Market prices of equity securities in broad market segments may be adversely affected by a prominent issuer having experienced losses or by the lack of earnings or such an issuer’s failure to meet the market’s expectations with respect to new products or services, or even by factors wholly unrelated to the value or condition of the issuer, such as changes in interest rates.

The Fund may invest in debt securities and preferred securities rated less than investment grade that are sometimes referred to as high yield or “junk.” These securities are speculative investments that carry greater risks and are more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions than higher quality securities. High yield securities offer the potential for higher return, but also involve greater risk than bonds of higher quality, including an increased possibility that the security’s issuer, obligor or guarantor may not be able to make its payments of interest and principal (credit quality risk). If that happens, the value of the security may decrease. An economic downturn or period of rising interest rates (interest rate risk) could adversely affect the market for these securities and reduce the Fund’s ability to sell its securities (liquidity risk). Such securities also may be subject to resale restrictions. The lack of a liquid market for these securities could decrease the Fund’s share price.

The fixed-income instruments that the Fund may invest in are subject to the risk that market values of such securities will decline as interest rates increase. These changes in interest rates have a more pronounced effect on securities with longer durations. Typically, the impact of changes in interest rates on the market value of an instrument will be more pronounced for fixed-rate instruments than it will for floating rate instruments. Fluctuations in the value of portfolio securities will not affect interest income on existing portfolio securities but will be reflected in the Fund’s NAV. The debt capital that will be available to the Fund in the future, if at all, may be impacted by changes in and uncertainty surrounding interest rates. Depending on the interest rate environment and general state of credit markets, potential debt capital may be available only at a higher cost and on terms and conditions less favorable than what the Fund has historically experienced. Market volatility, rising interest rates, uncertainty around interest rates and/or unfavorable economic conditions could adversely affect the Fund’s business.

An increase in interest rates could decrease the value of any investments the Fund holds that earn fixed interest rates, including subordinated loans, senior and junior secured and unsecured debt securities and loans and high

 

yield bonds, and also could increase the Fund’s interest expense, thereby decreasing the Fund’s net income. Federal Reserve policy, including with respect to certain interest rates and the decision to end its quantitative easing policy, may also adversely affect the value, volatility and liquidity of dividend- and interest-paying securities. From time to time, the Fund may also enter into certain hedging transactions to mitigate the Fund’s exposure to changes in interest rates. In the past, the Fund has entered into certain hedging transactions, such as interest rate swap agreements, to mitigate the Fund’s exposure to adverse fluctuations in interest rates, and the Fund may do so again in the future. However, the Fund cannot assure shareholders that such transactions will be successful in mitigating the Fund’s exposure to interest rate risk. There can be no assurance that a significant change in market interest rates will not have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s net investment income.

The Fund’s debt investments are based on fixed and floating rates, such as Euro Interbank Offer Rate, Term Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), the Federal Funds Rate or the Prime Rate. Market prices tend to fluctuate more for fixed-rate securities that have longer maturities. Although the Fund has no policy governing the maturities of the Fund’s investments, under current market conditions the Fund expects that it will invest in a portfolio of debt generally having maturities of up to 10 years. Market prices for debt that pays a fixed rate of return tend to decline as interest rates rise. This means that the Fund is subject to greater risk (other things being equal) than a fund invested solely in shorter-term, fixed-rate securities. Market prices for floating rate investments may also fluctuate in rising rate environments with prices tending to decline when credit spreads widen. Rising interest rates may also increase the cost of debt for the Fund’s underlying portfolio companies, which could adversely impact their financial performance and ability to meet ongoing obligations to the Fund.

The Fund may have investments in foreign securities. Foreign securities have investment risks different from those associated with domestic securities. Changes in foreign economies and political climates are more likely to affect the Fund with investments in foreign securities than another fund that invests exclusively in domestic securities. The value of foreign currency denominated securities or foreign currency contracts is affected by the value of the local currency relative to the U.S. dollar. There may be less government supervision of foreign markets, resulting in accounting practices and less publicly available information about issuers of foreign securities. The value of foreign investments may be affected by changes in exchange control regulations, application of foreign tax laws (including withholding tax), changes in governmental economic or monetary policy (in this country or abroad), or changed circumstances in dealings between nations. In addition, foreign brokerage commissions, custody fees, and other costs of investing in foreign securities are often higher than in the United States. Investments in foreign issues could be affected by other factors not present in the United States, including expropriation, armed conflict, confiscatory taxation, and potential difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations.

The Fund may also invest in emerging markets, which are markets of countries in the initial stages of industrialization and have low per capita income. In addition to the risks of foreign securities in general, countries in emerging markets are more volatile and can have relatively unstable governments, social and legal systems that do not protect shareholders, economies based on only a few industries, and securities markets that trade a small number of issues which could reduce liquidity.

 Infrastructure investments may be subject to a variety of risks, not all of which can be foreseen or quantified, including: (i) the burdens of ownership of infrastructure: (ii) local, national and international political and economic conditions; (iii) the supply and demand for services from and access to infrastructure; (iv) the financial condition of users and suppliers of infrastructure assets; (v) changes in interest rates and the availability of funds which may render the purchase, sale or refinancing of infrastructure assets difficult or impracticable; (vi) changes in regulations, planning laws and other governmental rules; (vii) changes in fiscal and monetary policies; (viii) under-insured or uninsurable losses, such as force majeure acts and terrorist events; (ix) reduced investment in public and private infrastructure projects; and (x) other factors which are beyond the reasonable control of the Fund. Many of the foregoing factors could cause fluctuations in usage, expenses and revenues, causing the value of investments to decline and a material adverse effect on the Fund’s or an infrastructure asset’s performance.

 

Risks Associated with Debt Financing

The use of leverage, such as borrowing money to purchase securities, by the Fund will magnify the Fund’s gains or losses. The use of leverage via short selling and short positions in futures contracts will also magnify the Fund’s gains or losses. Generally, the use of leverage also will cause the Fund to have higher expenses (especially interest and/or short selling related dividend expenses) than those of funds that do not use such techniques. In addition, a lender to the Fund may terminate or refuse to renew any credit facility. If the Fund is unable to access additional credit, it may be forced to sell investments at inopportune times, which may further depress the returns on the Fund.

There is a risk that debt issuers will not make payments, resulting in losses to the Fund. In addition, the credit quality of securities may be lowered if an issuer’s financial condition changes. Lower credit quality may lead to greater volatility in the price of a security and in shares of the Fund. Lower credit quality also may affect liquidity and make it difficult to sell the security. Default, or the market’s perception that an issuer is likely to default, could reduce the value and liquidity of securities, thereby reducing the value of your investment in Fund shares. In addition, default may cause the Fund to incur expenses in seeking recovery of principal or interest on its portfolio holdings.

Inflation risk is the risk that the value of certain assets or income from the Fund’s investments will be worth less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the real value of the Fund and its distributions can decline.

In addition, during any periods of rising inflation, the dividend rates or borrowing costs associated with the Fund’s use of leverage would likely increase, which would tend to further reduce returns to shareholders. Inflation may continue in the near to medium-term, particularly in the U.S., with the possibility that monetary policy continues to tighten in response. Deflation risk is the risk that prices throughout the economy decline over time—the opposite of inflation. Deflation may have an adverse effect on the creditworthiness of issuers and may make issuer defaults more likely, which may result in a decline in the value of the Fund’s portfolio.

Economic activity has continued to accelerate across sectors and regions. Nevertheless, global supply chain issues have led, and may in the future lead, to a rise in energy prices. Inflation may continue in the near to medium-term, particularly in the U.S., with the possibility that monetary policy continues to tighten in response. Persistent inflationary pressures could affect our portfolio companies’ profit margins. There can be no assurance that inflation will not become a serious problem in the future and have an adverse impact on the Fund’s returns.

Legal and Regulatory Risks

Apollo, certain of its affiliates, and the are regulated entities, and any compliance failures or other inappropriate behavior by them may have a material and/or adverse effect on the Fund. The provision of investment management services is regulated in most relevant jurisdictions, and the and Apollo must maintain their regulatory authorizations to continue to be involved both in the management of the Fund’s investments and to continue their businesses generally. The Adviser’s or ability to source and execute investment transactions for the Fund, and investor sentiment with respect to the Fund, may be adversely affected by negative publicity arising from regulatory compliance failures or other inappropriate behavior by any Apollo affiliate or its investment professionals.

Legal, tax and regulatory changes could occur that may adversely affect the Fund or its portfolio companies. There has been, and it is possible that there will be further, involvement of governmental and regulatory authorities in financial markets around the world. For example, the Fund expects to make investments in a number of different industries, some of which are or may become subject to regulation by one or more governmental agencies or authorities. New and existing regulations, changing regulatory requirements and the burdens of regulatory compliance all may have an adverse effect on the performance of investments that operate in these industries.

 

Neither the Adviser nor can predict whether new legislation regulation (including new tax measures) will be enacted by legislative bodies or governmental agencies, nor can either of them predict what effect such legislation or regulation might have. There can be no assurance that new legislation or regulation, including changes to existing laws and regulations, will not have an adverse effect on the Fund’s investment performance.

The enforceability of agreements governing hedging transactions may depend on compliance with applicable statutory and other regulatory requirements and, depending on the identity of the counterparty, applicable international requirements. New or amended regulations may be imposed by the CFTC, the SEC, the Federal Reserve, the EU or other financial regulators, other governmental or intergovernmental regulatory authorities or self-regulatory organizations that supervise the financial markets, and could adversely affect the Fund. In particular, the CFTC and the SEC are empowered to promulgate a variety of new rules pursuant to recently enacted financial reform legislation in the United States. The Fund also may be adversely affected by changes in the enforcement or interpretation of statutes and rules by these regulatory authorities or self-regulatory organizations.

Possible Risk of Conflicts

The Portfolio Funds trade independently of each other and may pursue investment strategies that “compete” with each other for execution or that cause the Fund to participate in positions that offset each other (in which case the Fund would bear its pro rata share of commissions and fees without the potential for a profit). Also, the Fund’s investments in any particular Portfolio Fund could increase the level of competition for the same trades that other Portfolio Funds might otherwise make, including the priorities of order entry. This could make it difficult or impossible to take or liquidate a position in a particular security at a price consistent with the Adviser’s strategy.

The directly or through its affiliates, may manage or advise multiple investment vehicles or accounts that have investment objectives that are similar to the Fund and that may seek to make investments or sell investments in the same securities or other instruments, sectors or strategies as the Fund. This may create potential conflicts, particularly in circumstances where the availability of such investment opportunities is limited or where the liquidity of such investment opportunities is limited. The results of the Fund’s investment activities may differ significantly from the results achieved by such other managed investment vehicles or accounts. It is possible that one or more of such vehicles or accounts will achieve investment results that are more or less favorable than the results achieved by the Fund.

The value of a specific security can be more volatile than the market as a whole and can perform differently from the value of the market as a whole. The value of an issuer’s securities that are held in the Fund’s portfolio may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods and services.

The net asset value of the Fund changes daily based on the performance of the securities in which it invests. The Adviser’s judgments about the attractiveness, value and potential appreciation of a particular real estate segment and securities in which the Fund invests may prove to be incorrect and may not produce the desired results. The Fund’s portfolio managers and the other principals of the Adviser have limited experience in managing a fund.

Various sectors of the global financial markets have been experiencing an extended period of adverse conditions. Market uncertainty has increased dramatically, particularly in the United States and Europe, and adverse market conditions have expanded to other markets. These conditions have resulted in disruption of the global credit markets, periods of reduced liquidity, greater volatility, general volatility of credit spreads, an acute contraction in the availability of credit and a lack of price transparency. These volatile and often difficult global credit market conditions have episodically adversely affected the market values of equity, fixed-income and other securities and this volatility may continue and conditions could even deteriorate further. Some of the largest banks and companies across many sectors of the economy in the United States and Europe have declared bankruptcy, entered into insolvency, administration or similar proceedings, been nationalized by government authorities, and/or agreed to merge with or be acquired by other banks or companies that had been considered their peers. The long-term impact of these events is uncertain, but could continue to have a material effect on general economic conditions, consumer and business confidence and market liquidity.

The Fund may invest in securities of publicly traded companies. Securities markets in certain countries in which the Fund may invest are fragmented, smaller, less liquid and more volatile than the securities markets of the United States and certain other developed countries. Securities markets in the countries in which the Fund may invest have, in the past, experienced substantial price volatility that could have an adverse impact on the value of the Fund’s investments that consist of securities. Periods of economic and political uncertainty may result in further volatility in the value of such investments. As a result, there may be greater volatility than the volatility that could be expected by investors in comparable securities traded in U.S. securities markets. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s investments will not be sold at prices below their acquisition costs.

The Fund may be affected by force majeure events (e.g., acts of God, fire, flood, earthquakes, outbreaks of an infectious disease, pandemic or any other serious public health concern, war, terrorism, nationalization of industry and labor strikes). Force majeure events could adversely affect the ability of the Fund or a counterparty to perform its obligations. The liability and cost arising out of a failure to perform obligations as a result of a force majeure event could be considerable and could be borne by the Fund. Certain force majeure events, such as war or an outbreak of an infectious disease and the current or any resulting financial, economic and capital

 

markets environment, and future developments in these and other areas present uncertainty and risk with respect to the Fund’s NAV, performance, financial condition, results of operations, ability to pay distributions, make share repurchases and portfolio liquidity. Additionally, a major governmental intervention into industry, including the nationalization of an industry or the assertion of control, could result in a loss to the Fund if an investment is affected, and any compensation provided by the relevant government may not be adequate.

The U.S. and global capital markets experienced extreme volatility and disruption in recent years, leading to periods of recessionary conditions and depressed levels of consumer and commercial spending. For instance, monetary policies of the Federal Reserve and political uncertainty resulting from recent events, including changes to U.S. trade policies and ongoing armed conflicts between Russia and Ukraine in Europe and among Israel, Iran, Hamas and other militant groups in the Middle East and Southwest Asia, including the ongoing conflict between the U.S. and Iran, political unrest in South America and recent U.S. military action overseas, have led, are currently leading, and for an unknown period of time may continue to lead to disruption and instability in the global markets. In addition, social unrest, changes regarding immigration and work permit policies and other political and security concerns may not abate, which may cause the debt and equity capital markets, and as a result, the Fund’s business to be adversely affected both within and outside of regions experiencing ongoing conflicts. Disruptions in the capital markets increased the spread between the yields realized on risk-free and higher risk securities, resulting in illiquidity in parts of the capital markets. It cannot be assured that these conditions will not worsen. If conditions worsen, a prolonged period of market illiquidity could have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s business, financial condition and results of operations. Unfavorable economic conditions also could increase the Fund’s funding costs, limit the Fund’s access to the capital markets or result in a decision by lenders not to extend credit to the Fund. These events could limit the Fund’s investment originations, limit the Fund’s ability to grow and negatively impact the Fund’s operating results.

Furthermore, a counterparty’s ability to meet or willingness to honor its financial obligations, including its ability to extend credit or otherwise to transact with the Fund or a portfolio company or issuer to which the Fund makes a loan or in which the Fund invests directly may be negatively impacted. Current conditions may affect how counterparties interpret their obligations (and the Fund’s obligations) pursuant to counterparty arrangements such that the applicability, or lack thereof, of force majeure or similar provisions could also come into question and ultimately could work to the detriment of the Fund. These circumstances also may hinder the Adviser’s, the Fund’s and/or a portfolio companies’ ability to conduct their affairs and activities as they normally would, including by impairing usual communication channels and methods, hampering the performance of administrative functions such as processing payments and invoices, and diminishing their ability to make accurate and timely projections of financial performance.

While the Adviser and the expect that the current environment will yield attractive investment opportunities for the Fund, the investments made by the Fund are expected to be sensitive to the performance of the overall economy. General fluctuations in the market prices of securities and interest rates may affect the value of portfolio investments or increase the risks associated with an investment in the Fund. There can be no assurances that conditions in the global financial markets will not change to the detriment of the Fund’s investments and investment strategy. The continuing negative impact on economic fundamentals and consumer and business confidence would likely further increase market volatility and reduce liquidity, both of which could adversely affect the access to capital, ability to utilize leverage or overall performance of the Fund or one or more of its portfolio companies and these or similar events may affect the ability of the Fund to execute its investment strategy.

The Fund may incur major losses in the event of market disruptions and other extraordinary events in which historical pricing relationships become materially distorted. The risk of loss from pricing distortions is compounded by the fact that in disrupted markets many positions become illiquid, making it difficult or impossible to close out positions against which the me moving. Market disruptions caused by unexpected political, military and terrorist events may from time to time cause dramatic losses for the Fund and such events can result in otherwise historically strategies performing with unprecedented volatility and risk.

The prices of financial instruments in which the Fund may invest can be highly volatile. The prices of instruments in which the Fund may invest are influenced by numerous factors, including interest rates, currency rates, default rates, governmental policies and political and economic events (both domestic and global). Moreover, political or economic crises, or other events may occur that can be highly disruptive to the markets in which the Fund may invest. In addition, governments from time to time intervene (directly and by regulation), which intervention may adversely affect the performance of the Fund and its investment activities. The Fund is also subject to the risk of a temporary or permanent failure of the exchanges and other markets on which its investments may trade. Sustained market turmoil and periods of heightened market volatility make it more difficult to produce positive trading results, and there can be no assurance that the Fund’s strategies will be successful in such markets.

. The Fund places its cash with one banking institution, which is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”). The FDIC limit is $250,000. At various times throughout the year, the amount on deposit may exceed the FDIC limit and subject the Fund to a credit risk. The Fund does not believe that such deposits are subject to any unusual risk associated with investment activities. The Fund may invest cash balances in an Money Market Mutual Fund (“Money Market Fund”). The Money Market Fund is valued at its closing NAV. The Money Market Fund is not subject to FDIC insurance.

Quarterly repurchases by the Fund of its shares typically will be funded from available cash or sales of portfolio securities. However, payment for repurchased shares may require the Fund to liquidate portfolio holdings earlier than the Adviser otherwise would liquidate such holdings, potentially resulting in losses, and may increase the Fund’s portfolio turnover. The Adviser may take measures to attempt to avoid or minimize such potential losses and turnover, and instead of liquidating portfolio holdings, may borrow money to finance repurchases of shares. If the Fund borrows to finance repurchases, interest on any such borrowing will negatively affect shareholders who do not tender their shares in a repurchase offer by increasing the Fund’s expenses and reducing any net investment income. To the extent the Fund finances repurchase proceeds by selling investments, the Fund may hold a larger proportion of its net assets in less liquid securities. Also, the sale of securities to fund repurchases could reduce the market price of those securities, which in turn would reduce the Fund’s net asset value. We have in the past received, and may in the future receive, repurchase requests that exceed the limits under our repurchase policy, and we have in the past repurchased less than the full amount of shares requested, resulting in the repurchase of shares on a pro rata basis.

The Fund will not invest in real estate directly, but, because the Fund will concentrate its investments in real estate securities, its portfolio will be significantly impacted by the performance of the real estate market and may experience more volatility and be exposed to greater risk than a more diversified portfolio.

The Fund is subject to risks generally attributable to the ownership of real property, including:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of these factors are beyond the Fund’s control. Any negative changes in these factors could affect the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s ability to meet the Fund’s obligations and make distributions to shareholders.

There are also special risks associated with particular sectors, or real estate operations generally, as described below:

Retail properties are affected by shifts in consumer demand due to demographic changes, changes in spending patterns and lease terminations.

 

Office are affected by factors such as a downturn in the businesses operated by their tenants.

Hotel properties and other properties in the hospitality real estate sector, such as motels and extended-stay properties, are affected by declines in business and leisure travel.

Healthcare and life sciences properties are affected by federal, state and local laws governing licenses, certification, adequacy of care, pharmaceutical distribution, rates, equipment, personnel and other factors regarding operations, and the continued availability of revenue from government reimbursement programs.

Student housing properties are affected by seasonal leasing and cash flow risks, and are subject to unique demand drivers.

Industrial properties are affected by downturns in the manufacturing, processing and shipping of goods.

Multifamily properties are affected by adverse economic conditions in the locale, oversupply and rent control laws.

Residential properties can be significantly affected by the national, regional and local real estate markets. This segment of the real estate industry also is sensitive to interest rate fluctuations which can cause changes in the availability of mortgage capital and directly affect the purchasing power of potential homebuyers. Thus, residential properties can be significantly affected by changes in government spending, consumer confidence, demographic patterns and the level of new and existing home sales.

Shopping center properties are affected by changes in the local markets where their properties are located and dependent upon the successful operations and financial condition of their major tenants.

Self-storage properties are affected by changes to competing local properties, consumer and small business demand for storage space, and the abilities of the management team.

Other factors may contribute to the risk of real estate investments:

Real estate development companies are affected by construction delays and insufficient tenant demand to occupy newly developed properties.

Certain of the companies in the Fund’s portfolio may fail to carry comprehensive liability, fire, flood, wind or earthquake extended coverage and rental loss insurance, or the insurance in place may be subject to various policy specifications, limits and deductibles.

The ability of real estate companies to make distributions to shareholders depends upon the ability of the tenants at their properties to generate enough income in excess of tenant operating expenses to make their lease payments.

Real estate companies may be highly leveraged and financial covenants may affect the ability of real estate companies to operate effectively.

Owners of properties that may contain hazardous or toxic substances may be responsible for removal or remediation costs.

Financial institutions in which the Fund may invest are subject to extensive government regulation. This regulation may limit both the amount and types of loans and other financial commitments a financial institution can make, and the interest rates and fees it can charge.

Direct investing alongside one or more other parties in an investment (i.e., as a involves risks that may not be present in investments made by lead or sponsoring private equity investors. As a the Fund may have interests or objectives that are inconsistent with those of the lead private equity investors that generally have a greater degree of control over such investments.

In addition, in order to take advantage of opportunities as a the Fund generally will be required to hold a interest, for example, by becoming a limited partner in a partnership that is controlled by the general partner or manager of the private equity fund offering the on a basis, to the Fund. In this event, the Fund would have less control over the investment and may be adversely affected by actions taken by such general partner or manager with respect to the portfolio company and the Fund’s investment in it. The Fund may not have the opportunity to participate in structuring investments or to determine the terms under which such investments will be made.

The Fund may in certain circumstances be liable for the actions of its third-party made with third parties in joint ventures or other entities also may involve carried interests and/or other fees payable to such third party partners or There can be no assurance that appropriate minority shareholder rights will be available to the Fund or that such rights will provide sufficient protection to the Fund’s interests.

Senior secured loans are usually rated below investment grade or may be unrated. As a result, the risks associated with senior secured loans are similar to the risks of below investment grade fixed income instruments, although senior secured loans are senior and secured in contrast to other below investment grade fixed income instruments, which are often subordinated or unsecured. Investment in senior secured loans rated below investment grade is considered speculative because of the credit risk of their issuers. There may be less readily available and reliable information about most senior secured loans than is the case for many other types of securities. As a result, the Adviser will rely primarily on its own evaluation of a borrower’s credit quality rather than on any available independent sources. Therefore, the Fund will be particularly dependent on the analytical abilities of the Adviser.

In general, the secondary trading market for senior secured loans is not well developed. No active trading market may exist for certain senior secured loans, which may make it difficult to value them. Illiquidity and adverse market conditions may mean that the Fund may not be able to sell senior secured loans quickly or at a fair price. To the extent that a secondary market does exist for certain senior secured loans, the market for them may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods.

Loans to private and middle-market companies involves risks that may not exist in the case of large, more established and/or publicly traded companies, including, without limitation:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Adviser will have no control over the investment decisions made by any Portfolio Fund. Although the Fund and the Adviser will regularly evaluate each Portfolio Fund and its manager to determine whether their respective investment programs are consistent with the Fund’s investment objective, the Adviser will not have any control over the investments made by any Portfolio Fund. Even though the Portfolio Funds are subject to certain constraints, the managers may change aspects of their investment strategies. The managers may do so at any time (for example, such change may occur immediately after providing the Adviser with the quarterly unaudited financial information for a

 

Private REIT). The Adviser may reallocate the Fund’s investments among the Portfolio Funds, but the Adviser’s ability to do so may be constrained by the withdrawal limitations imposed by the Portfolio Funds, which may prevent the Fund from reacting rapidly to market changes should a Portfolio Fund fail to effect portfolio changes consistent with such market changes and the demands of the Adviser. Such withdrawal limitations may also restrict the Adviser’s ability to terminate investments in Portfolio Funds that are poorly or have otherwise had adverse changes. The Adviser will be dependent on information provided by the Portfolio Fund, including quarterly unaudited financial statements, which if inaccurate, could adversely affect the Adviser’s ability to manage the Fund’s investment portfolio in accordance with its investment objective. By investing in the Fund, a shareholder will not be deemed to be an investor in any Portfolio Fund and will not have the ability to exercise any rights attributable to an investor in any such Portfolio Fund related to their investment.

REOCs, like REITs, expose the Fund to the risks of the real estate market. These risks can include fluctuations in the value of underlying properties; destruction of underlying properties; defaults by borrowers or tenants; market saturation; changes in general and local economic conditions; decreases in market rates for rents; increases in vacancies; competition; property taxes; capital expenditures, or operating expenses; and other economic, political or regulatory occurrences affecting the real estate industry. REOCs may also be affected by

 

risks similar to investments in debt securities, including changes in interest rates and the quality of credit extended. REOCs require specialized management and pay management expenses; may have less trading volume; may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements than the overall securities markets; and may invest in a limited number of properties, in a narrow geographic area, or in a single property type which increase the risk that the portfolio could be unfavorably affected by the poor performance of a single investment or investment type. In addition, defaults on or sales of investments that the REOC holds could reduce the cash flow needed to make distributions to .

The Fund may have limited Secondary Investment opportunities. The Fund may make Secondary Investments in Portfolio Funds by acquiring the interests in the Portfolio Funds from existing investors in such Portfolio Funds. In such instances, it is generally not expected that the Fund will have the opportunity to negotiate the terms of the interests being acquired, other than the purchase price, or other special rights or privileges. Moreover, there is no assurance that the Fund will be able to purchase interests at discounts to NAV, or at all. The overall performance of the Fund will depend in large part on the acquisition price paid by the Fund for its Secondary Investments, the structure of such acquisitions and the overall success of the Portfolio Fund.

There is significant competition for Secondary Investments. No assurance can be given that the Fund will be able to identify Secondary Investments that satisfy the Fund’s investment objective or, if the Fund is successful in identifying such Secondary Investments, that the Fund will be permitted to invest, or invest in the amounts desired, in such Secondary Investments.

Commercial mortgage-backed securities include securities that reflect an interest in, and are secured by, mortgage loans on commercial real property (such as office properties, retail properties, hospitality properties, industrial properties, healthcare-related properties or other types of income producing real property). Many of the risks of investing in commercial mortgage-backed securities reflect the risks of investing in the real estate securing the underlying mortgage loans, which include the risks associated with the effects of local and other economic conditions on real estate markets, the ability of tenants to make loan payments, increases in interest rates, real estate tax rates and other operating expenses, changes in governmental rules, regulations and fiscal policies, the effects of and responses to infectious illness outbreaks, epidemics of pandemics, and the ability of a property to attract and retain tenants. Commercial mortgage-backed securities depend on cash flows generated by underlying commercial real estate loans, receivables, and other assets, and can be significantly affected by changes in market and economic conditions, the availability of information regarding the underlying assets and their structures, and the creditworthiness of the borrowers or tenants. Commercial mortgage-backed securities may be less liquid and exhibit greater price volatility than other types of mortgage- or asset-backed securities. Commercial mortgage-backed securities issued by private issuers may offer higher yields than commercial mortgage-backed securities issued by government issuers, but also may be subject to greater volatility than commercial mortgage-backed securities issued by government issuers. The commercial mortgage-backed securities market may experience substantially lower valuations and greatly reduced liquidity. Commercial mortgage-backed securities held by the Fund may be subordinated to one or more other classes of securities of the same series for purposes of, among other things, establishing payment priorities and offsetting losses and other shortfalls with respect to the related underlying mortgage loans. There can be no assurance that the subordination will be sufficient on any date to offset all losses or expenses incurred by the underlying trust. The value of CMBS and other mortgage-backed securities in which the Fund may invest generally will have an inverse relationship with interest rates. Accordingly, if interest rates rise, the value of such securities will decline. In addition, to extent that the mortgage loans which underlie specific mortgage-backed securities are the value of such mortgage securities may be negatively affected by increasing prepayments, which generally occur when interest rates decline.

Holders of structured products bear risks of the underlying investments, index or reference obligation and are subject to counterparty risk. The Fund may have the right to receive payments only from the structured product, and generally does not have direct rights against the issuer or the entity that sold the assets to be securitized. While certain structured products enable the investor to acquire interests in a pool of securities without the brokerage and other expenses associated with directly holding the same securities, investors in structured products generally pay their share of the structured product’s administrative and other expenses. Although it is difficult to predict whether the prices of indices and securities underlying structured products will rise or fall, these prices (and, therefore, the prices of structured products) will be influenced by the same types of political and economic events that affect issuers of securities and capital markets generally. If the issuer of a structured product uses shorter term financing to purchase longer term securities, the issuer may be forced to sell its securities at below market prices if it experiences difficulty in obtaining short-term financing, which may adversely affect the value of the structured products owned by the Fund.

 

Investments in structured notes involve risks, including credit risk and market risk. Where the Fund’s investments in structured notes are based upon the movement of one or more factors, including currency exchange rates, interest rates, referenced bonds and stock indices, depending on the factor used and the use of multipliers or deflators, changes in interest rates and movement of the factor may cause significant price fluctuations. Additionally, changes in the reference instrument or security may cause the interest on the structured note to be reduced to zero, and any further changes in the reference instrument may then reduce the principal amount payable on maturity. Structured notes may be less liquid than other types of securities and more volatile than the reference instrument or security underlying the note.

. The Fund may from time to time invest in debt instruments, including junior tranches of CMBS and “mezzanine” or junior mortgage loans (e.g., that are subordinated in an issuer’s capital structure. To the extent the Fund invests in subordinated debt of an issuer’s capital structure or subordinated CMBS bonds, such investments and the Fund’s remedies with respect thereto, including the ability to foreclose on any collateral securing such investments, will be subject to the rights of any senior creditors and, to the extent applicable, contractual inter-creditor and/or participation agreement provisions.

Investments in subordinated debt involve greater credit risk of default than the senior classes of the issue or series. Subordinated tranches of CMBS or other investments absorb losses from default before other more senior tranches of CMBS to which it is subordinate are put at risk. As a result, to the extent the Fund invests in subordinate debt instruments (including CMBS), the Fund would potentially receive payments or interest distributions after, and must bear the effects of losses or defaults on the senior debt (including underlying mortgage loans, senior mezzanine debt or senior CMBS bonds) before, the holders of other more senior tranches of debt instruments with respect to such issuer.

In connection with the use of the BNP Credit Facility for leverage, the Fund permits the lender, subject to certain conditions, to rehypothecate (i.e., lend to other counterparties) portfolio securities pledged by the Fund up to the amount of the loan balance outstanding. The terms of the BNP Credit Facility provide that the Fund continue to receive dividends and interest on rehypothecated securities. The Fund has the right under the BNP Credit Facility to recall rehypothecated securities from BNP on demand. If BNP fails to deliver a recalled security in a timely manner, the BNP Credit Facility provides for compensation by BNP to the Fund for any fees or losses related to the failed delivery or, in the event a recalled security will not be returned by BNP, for the Fund, upon notice to BNP, to reduce the loan balance outstanding by the amount of the recalled security failed to be returned. The terms of the BNP Credit Facility pursuant to which portfolio securities pledged by the Fund are rehypothecated may provide for receipt by the Fund, either directly or indirectly through a reduction in the costs associated with the BNP Credit Facility, of a portion of the fees earned by BNP in connection with the rehypothecation of such portfolio securities. Rehypothecation by BNP of the Fund’s pledged portfolio securities entails risks, including the risk that BNP will be unable or unwilling to return rehypothecated securities, which could result in, among other things, the inability of the Fund to find suitable investments to replace the unreturned securities, thereby impairing the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective.

The use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks, such as liquidity risk (which may be heightened for highly-customized derivatives), interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk, leveraging risk, counterparty risk, tax risk, and management risk, as well as risks arising from changes in applicable requirements. They also involve the risk of mispricing, the risk of unfavorable or ambiguous documentation and the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index. The Fund’s use of derivatives may increase or accelerate the amount of taxes payable by common shareholders.

The Fund relies on certain exemptions in Rule under the 1940 Act to enter into derivatives transactions and certain other transactions notwithstanding the restrictions on the issuance of “senior securities” under Section 18 of the 1940 Act. Under Rule “derivatives transactions” include the following: (1) any swap, security-based swap, futures contract, forward contract, option (excluding purchased options), any combination of the foregoing, or any similar instrument, under which the Fund is or may be required to make any payment or delivery of cash or other assets during the life of the instrument or at maturity or early termination, whether as margin or settlement payment or otherwise; (2) any short sale borrowing; and (3) if the Fund relies on the exemption in Rule reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions. The Fund will rely on a separate exemption in Rule when entering into unfunded commitment agreements, which includes any commitment to make a loan to a company, including term loans, delayed draw term loans, and revolvers, or to invest equity in a company. To rely on the unfunded commitment agreements exemption, the Fund must reasonably believe, at the time it enters into such agreement, that it will have sufficient cash and cash equivalents to meet its obligations with respect to all of its unfunded commitment agreements, in each case as they come due. The Fund will rely on the exemption in Rule when purchasing when-issued or forward-settling securities (e.g., firm and standby commitments, including commitments, and dollar rolls) and settlement cycle securities, if certain conditions are met.

The Fund intends to operate as a “limited derivatives user” for purposes of the derivatives transactions exemption in Rule To qualify as a limited derivatives user, the Fund’s “derivatives exposure” is limited to 10% of its

 

net assets subject to exclusions for certain currency or interest rate hedging transactions (as calculated in accordance with Rule Unless the Fund qualifies as a “limited derivatives user” as defined in Rule the rule would, among other things, require the Fund to establish a comprehensive derivatives risk management program, to comply with certain based leverage limits, to appoint a derivatives risk manager and to provide additional disclosure publicly and to the SEC regarding its derivatives positions.

In addition to any borrowing utilized by the Fund, the Portfolio Funds in which the Fund invests may utilize financial leverage. The Portfolio Funds may be able to borrow, subject to the limitations of their charters and operative documents. Certain Portfolio Funds may not be subject to the limitations imposed by the 1940 Act regarding the use of leverage with respect to which registered investment companies, including the Fund, are subject. To that end, the Fund intends to limit its direct borrowing to an amount that does not exceed 33 1/3% of the Fund’s gross asset value. Furthermore, Portfolio Funds typically will hold their investments in entities organized as REITs, corporations or other entities and this may allow the Fund’s risk of loss to be limited to the amount of its investment in the Portfolio Fund. While leverage presents opportunities for increasing the Fund’s total return, it has the effect of potentially increasing losses as well.

Credit risk is the risk that one or more loans in the Fund’s portfolio will decline in price or fail to pay interest or principal when due because the issuer of the instrument experiences a decline in its financial status. While a senior position in the capital structure of a borrower or issuer may provide some protection with respect to the Fund’s investments in certain loans, losses may still occur because the market value of loans is affected by the creditworthiness of borrowers or issuers and by general economic and specific industry conditions and the Fund’s other investments will often be subordinate to other debt in the issuer’s capital structure. To the extent the Fund invests in below investment grade instruments, it will be exposed to a greater amount of credit risk than a fund which invests in investment grade securities. The prices of lower grade instruments are more sensitive to negative developments, such as a decline in the issuer’s revenues or a general economic downturn, than are the prices of higher grade instruments. Instruments of below investment grade quality are predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal when due and therefore involve a greater risk of default.