Prospectus
Harbor Short Term Treasury ETF
| Fund |
Exchange |
Ticker |
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| Harbor Short Term Treasury ETF |
NYSE Arca, Inc. |
HBIL |
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved the Fund’s shares as an investment or determined whether this Prospectus is accurate or complete. Anyone who tells you otherwise is committing a crime.
Table of Contents
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| Management Fees |
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| Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees |
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| Other Expenses1,2 |
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| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
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1 Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Advisor pays all of the operating expenses of the Fund, except for (i) the fee payment under the Investment Advisory Agreement; (ii) payments under the Fund’s 12b-1 plan (if any); (iii) the costs of borrowing, including interest and dividend expenses; (iv) taxes and governmental fees; (v) acquired fund fees and expenses; (vi) brokers’ commissions and any other transaction-related expenses and fees arising out of transactions effected on behalf of the Fund; (vii) costs of holding shareholder meetings; and (viii) litigation and indemnification expenses and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund’s business.
2 “Other Expenses” are estimated for the current fiscal year.
| One Year |
Three Years |
| $ |
$ |
Principal Risks
There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved. Fixed income securities fluctuate in price in response to various factors, including changes in interest rates, changes in market conditions and issuer-specific events, and the value of your investment in the Fund may go down. This means that you could lose money on your investment in the Fund or the Fund may not perform as well as other possible investments. Principal risks impacting the Fund (in alphabetical order after the first six risks) include:
1
Fund Summary Harbor Short Term Treasury ETF
2
Fund Summary Harbor Short Term Treasury ETF
Portfolio Management
Investment Advisor
Harbor Capital Advisors, Inc.
Portfolio Managers
The portfolio managers are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day investment decision making for the Fund.
Spenser P. Lerner, CFA, Head of Multi-Asset Solutions, Managing Director and Portfolio Manager of Harbor Capital Advisors, Inc., has managed the Fund since 2026.
Everett Lyons, Research Associate and Portfolio Manager of Harbor Capital Advisors, Inc., has managed the Fund since 2026.
Buying and Selling Fund Shares
Individual Fund shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker or dealer at a market price. Shares of the Fund are listed and traded on an exchange at market price throughout the day rather than at NAV and may trade at a price greater than the Fund’s NAV (premium) or less than the Fund’s NAV (discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares (ask) when buying or selling Fund shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information, including information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spread, is available at harborcapital.com.
Tax Information
Distributions you receive from the Fund are subject to federal income tax and may also be subject to state and local taxes. These distributions will generally be taxed as ordinary income, capital gains or some combination of both, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred retirement account, such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account. Investments in tax-deferred accounts may be subject to tax at ordinary income tax rates when they are withdrawn.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
The Advisor and/or its related companies have in the past and could in the future pay intermediaries, which may include banks, broker-dealers, or financial professionals, for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems and data or other services related to the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your sales representative to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your sales representative or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
3
Additional Information about the Fund’s Investments
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks to provide exposure, before fees and expenses, generally consistent with the price and yield performance of the 3-month U.S. Treasury bill market. There can be no assurance that the Fund will be successful in achieving its investment objective. The Board of Trustees of Harbor ETF Trust (the “Board of Trustees”) may change the Fund’s investment objective without shareholder approval.
Principal Investment Strategies and Risks
The Fund’s principal investment strategies and the principal associated risks are described in the Fund Summary section at the front of this Prospectus. More detailed descriptions of certain of the principal investments and risks are described below. The order of the below investments and risk factors does not indicate the significance of any particular investment or risk factor.
In addition to the investment strategies described in this Prospectus, the Fund may also make other types of investments, and, therefore, may be subject to other risks. For additional information about the Fund, its investments and related risks, please see the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
80% INVESTMENT POLICY
The 80% investment policy of the Fund may be changed by the Fund upon 60 days’ advance notice to shareholders.
ACTIVE MANAGEMENT
The Fund is actively managed by the Advisor. Actively managed portfolios are subject to management risk. In managing the Fund’s portfolio, the Advisor applies investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment and asset allocation decisions, but there can be no guarantee that they will produce the desired results.
Temporary Defensive Positions
The Fund may take temporary defensive positions that are inconsistent with its normal investment policies and strategies—for instance, by allocating substantial assets to cash equivalent instruments or other less volatile instruments—in response to adverse market, economic, political, or other conditions. In doing so, the Fund may succeed in avoiding losses but may otherwise fail to achieve its investment objective.
EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND STRUCTURE
Shares can be purchased and redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV only by authorized participants in large increments (Creation Units). The Fund’s shares are listed on an exchange and can be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market price of the Fund’s shares, like other exchange-traded securities, may include a “bid-ask spread” (the difference between the price at which investors are willing to buy shares and the price at which investors are willing to sell shares). The Fund’s market price per share will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings and as a result of the supply and demand for shares of the Fund on the listing exchange.
There is no guarantee that the Fund will be able to attract market makers and authorized participants. Market makers and authorized participants are not obligated to make a market in the Fund’s shares or to engage in purchase or redemption transactions. Decisions by market makers or authorized participants to reduce their role with respect to market making or creation and redemption activities during times of market stress, or a decline in the number of authorized participants due to decisions to exit the business, bankruptcy, or other factors, could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings and the market price of Fund shares. To the extent no other authorized participants are able to step forward to create or redeem, shares may trade at a discount to NAV and possibly face delisting. The authorized participant concentration risk may be heightened during market disruptions or periods of market volatility and in scenarios where authorized participants have limited or diminished access to the capital required to post collateral.
Investors may sustain losses if they pay more than the Fund’s NAV per share when purchasing shares or receive less than the Fund’s NAV per share when selling shares in the secondary market. In addition, trading of shares of the Fund in the secondary market may be halted, for example, due to activation of marketwide “circuit breakers.” If trading halts or an unanticipated early closing of the listing exchange occurs, an investor may be unable to purchase or sell shares of the Fund. Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore also subject to the risk of increased volatility and price decreases associated with being sold short. There are various methods by which investors can purchase and sell shares and various orders that may be placed. Investors should consult their financial intermediary before purchasing or selling shares of the Fund.
Certain accounts or Advisor affiliates, including other funds advised by the Advisor or third parties, may from time to time own (beneficially or of record) or control a substantial amount of the Fund’s shares, including through seed capital arrangements. Such shareholders such as those investing through one or more model portfolios, may at times be considered to control the Fund. Dispositions of a large number of shares of the Fund by these shareholders, including as a result of an asset allocation decision made by the Advisor, an affiliate of the Advisor or a third-party intermediary, may adversely affect the Fund’s liquidity and net assets to the extent such transactions are executed directly with the Fund in the form
4
Additional Information about the Fund’s Investments
of redemptions through an authorized participant, rather than executed in the secondary market. These redemptions may also force the Fund to sell securities, which may increase the Fund’s brokerage costs. To the extent these large shareholders transact in shares of the Fund on the secondary market, such transactions may account for a large percentage of the trading volume on the listing exchange and may, therefore, have a material effect (upward or downward), on the market price of the Fund’s shares.
FIXED INCOME SECURITIES
Fixed income securities represent a creditor relationship, or the right to receive specified payments of principal and interest from an issuer. Fixed income securities may have all types of interest rate payment and reset terms, including fixed rate, adjustable rate, inflation indexed, zero coupon, contingent, deferred, payment in-kind and auction rate features. The Fund principally invests in fixed income securities of the type and in the manner detailed in the Fund Summary.
Government Securities: “Government securities,” as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and interpreted, include securities issued or guaranteed by the United States or certain U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities. There are different types of government securities with different levels of credit risk, including the risk of default, depending on the nature of the particular government support for that security. For example, a U.S. government-sponsored entity, such as Federal National Mortgage Association or Federal Home Fixed income securities, as used, although chartered or sponsored by an Act of Congress, may issue securities that are neither insured nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and are therefore riskier than those that are insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.
Risks Associated with Fixed Income Securities
Changing interest rates may have unpredictable effects on the markets, may result in heightened market volatility and may detract from Fund performance. In addition, changes in monetary policy may exacerbate the risks associated with changing interest rates. A sudden or unpredictable increase in interest rates may cause volatility in the market and may decrease liquidity in the fixed-income securities markets, making it harder for the Fund to sell its fixed-income investments at an advantageous time. Decreased market liquidity also may make it more difficult to value some or all of the Fund’s fixed-income securities holdings. Certain countries have experienced negative interest rates on certain fixed-income securities. A low or negative interest rate environment may pose additional risks to the Fund because low or negative yields on the Fund’s portfolio holdings may have an adverse impact on the Fund’s ability to provide a positive yield to its shareholders, pay expenses out of Fund assets, or minimize the volatility of the Fund’s net asset value per share. It is difficult to predict the magnitude, timing or direction of interest rate changes and the impact these changes will have on the Fund’s investments and the markets where it trades. Securities issued by U.S. government agencies or government-sponsored enterprises may not be guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury.
NEW OR SMALLER FUND RISK
A new fund or a fund with fewer assets under management may be more significantly affected by purchases and redemptions of its Creation Units than a fund with relatively greater assets under management would be affected by purchases and redemptions of its shares. As compared to a larger fund, a new or smaller fund is more likely to sell a comparatively large portion of its portfolio to meet significant Creation Unit redemptions, or invest a comparatively large amount of cash to facilitate Creation Unit purchases, in each case when the fund otherwise would not seek to do so. Such transactions may cause funds to make investment decisions at inopportune times or prices or miss attractive investment opportunities. Such transactions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income if sales of securities result in gains and the fund redeems Creation Units for cash, or otherwise cause a fund to perform differently than intended. While such risks may apply to funds of any size, such risks are heightened in funds with fewer assets under management. In addition, new funds may not be able to fully implement their investment strategy immediately upon commencing investment operations, which could reduce investment performance.
NOT FDIC INSURED
An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Fund shares will go up and down in price, meaning that you could lose money by investing in the Fund. Many factors influence the Fund’s performance and the Fund’s investment strategy may not produce the intended results.
OPERATIONAL RISKS
An investment in the Fund, like any fund, can involve operational risks arising from factors such as processing errors, inadequate or failed processes, failure in systems and technology, cybersecurity breaches, changes in personnel and errors caused by third-party service providers. These errors or failures as well as other technological issues may adversely affect the Fund’s ability to calculate its net asset value in a timely manner, including over a potentially extended period, or may otherwise adversely affect the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund seeks to minimize such events through controls and oversight, there may still be failures that could cause losses to the Fund. In addition, similar incidents affecting issuers of securities held by the Fund may negatively impact Fund performance.
5
Additional Information about the Fund’s Investments
REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS AND REVERSE REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements and reverse repurchase agreements. The Fund may lose money if the counterparty to a repurchase agreement defaults on its obligation to repurchase the securities, if the value of the collateral declines, or if the Fund experiences delays in enforcing its rights against the collateral. Reverse repurchase agreements involve borrowing and may increase the volatility of the Fund’s returns. Reverse repurchase agreements expose the Fund to counterparty risk, including the risk that the counterparty is unwilling or unable to meet its contractual obligations, and leverage risk, which could cause the Fund’s returns to be more volatile than if leverage had not been used. The Fund could lose money if the counterparty defaults on its obligations under a reverse repurchase agreement or if the value of the collateral, including investments made with the proceeds of the transaction, is less than the value of the securities or the repurchase price. In addition, the Fund may incur losses if the return earned on the investment of the proceeds is less than the financing costs associated with the reverse repurchase agreement. Rising interest rates may increase financing costs and reduce or eliminate the benefits of leverage.
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund expects to engage in frequent trading to achieve its principal investment strategy. Active and frequent trading in the Fund’s portfolio may lead to the realization and distribution to shareholders of higher capital gains, which would increase the shareholders’ tax liability. Frequent trading also increases transaction costs, which could detract from the Fund’s performance. A portfolio turnover rate greater than 100% would indicate that the Fund sold and replaced the entire value of its securities holdings during the previous one-year period. In accordance with industry practice, derivative instruments and instruments with a maturity of one year or less at the time of acquisition are excluded from the calculation of the portfolio turnover rate.
Portfolio Holdings Disclosure Policy
A full list of Fund holdings will be provided on harborcapital.com on each business day prior to the opening of regular trading on the listing exchange.
Additional information about Harbor ETF Trust’s portfolio holdings disclosure policy is available in the Statement of Additional Information.
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The Advisor
Harbor Capital Advisors, Inc.
Harbor Capital Advisors, Inc. (“Harbor Capital” or the “Advisor”) is the investment adviser to Harbor ETF Trust. The Advisor, located at 111 South Wacker Drive, 34th Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60606-4302, is a wholly owned subsidiary of ORIX Corporation (“ORIX”), a global financial services company based in Tokyo, Japan. ORIX provides a range of financial services to corporate and retail customers around the world, including financing, leasing, real estate and investment banking services. The stock of ORIX trades publicly on both the New York (through American Depositary Receipts) and Tokyo Stock Exchanges.
The combined assets of Harbor ETF Trust and the other products managed by the Advisor were approximately $69.1 billion as of June 30, 2026.
The Advisor may manage funds directly or employ a “manager-of-managers” approach in selecting and overseeing investment subadvisers (each, a “Subadvisor”). The Advisor makes day-to-day investment decisions with respect to each fund that it directly manages, such as the Fund. For funds that employ one or more discretionary Subadvisors, the Subadvisors are responsible for the day-to-day management of the fund assets allocated to them by the Advisor. For Harbor funds that employ one or more non-discretionary Subadvisors, the Advisor will make day-to-day investment decisions with respect to each such fund to implement model portfolios provided by non-discretionary Subadvisors.
Subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees, the Advisor establishes, and may modify whenever deemed appropriate, the investment strategy of the Fund. The Advisor also is responsible for overseeing each Subadvisor and recommending the selection, termination and replacement of Subadvisors.
The Advisor also:
■
Seeks to ensure quality control in the Subadvisor’s investment process with the objective of adding value compared with returns of an appropriate risk and return benchmark or tracking an index, as applicable.
■
Monitors and measures risk and return results against appropriate benchmarks and recommends whether the Subadvisor should be retained or changed.
■
Focuses on cost control.
In order to more effectively manage the Fund, Harbor Funds and the Advisor have been granted an order from the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), which extends to Harbor ETF Trust, permitting the Advisor, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees, to select Subadvisors not affiliated with the Advisor to serve as portfolio managers for the Harbor funds, and to enter into new subadvisory agreements and to materially modify existing subadvisory agreements with such unaffiliated subadvisors, all without obtaining shareholder approval.
In addition to its investment management services, the Advisor administers the business affairs of Harbor ETF Trust. Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and the Advisor with respect to the Fund, and subject to the general supervision of the Board of Trustees, the Advisor provides or causes to be furnished, all supervisory and other services reasonably necessary for the operation of the Fund and also bears the costs of various third-party services required by the Fund, including administration, certain custody, audit, legal, transfer agency, and printing costs. The Advisor pays all other expenses of the Fund except for (i) the fee payment under the Investment Advisory Agreement; (ii) payments under the Fund’s 12b-1 plan (if any); (iii) the costs of borrowing, including interest and dividend expenses; (iv) taxes and governmental fees; (v) acquired fund fees and expenses; (vi) brokers’ commissions and any other transaction-related expenses and fees arising out of transactions effected on behalf of the Fund; (vii) costs of holding shareholder meetings; (viii) any gains or losses attributable to investments under a deferred compensation plan for Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust; and (ix) litigation and indemnification expenses and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund’s business.
Annual Advisory Fee Rates
(annual rate based on the Fund’s average net assets)
| |
Actual Advisory Fee Paid |
Contractual Advisory Fee |
| Harbor Short Term Treasury ETF |
N/A 1 |
0.10 % |
1
Has not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus.
A discussion of the factors considered by the Board of Trustees when approving the investment advisory of the Fund will be available in the Fund’s first Form N-CSR filing following the Fund’s commencement of operations.
From time to time, the Advisor or its affiliates may invest “seed” capital in a fund, typically to enable a fund to commence investment operations and/or achieve sufficient scale. The Advisor and its affiliates may hedge such seed capital exposure by investing in derivatives or other instruments expected to produce offsetting exposure. Such hedging transactions, if any, would occur outside of a fund.
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The Advisor
Portfolio Management
Harbor Short Term Treasury ETF
Harbor Capital Advisors, Inc., located at 111 S. Wacker Drive, 34th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606, serves as investment adviser to Harbor Short Term Treasury ETF. The portfolio managers are jointly responsible for the day-to-day investment decision making for the Fund.
| PORTFOLIO MANAGER |
SINCE |
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE |
| Spenser P. Lerner, CFA |
2026 |
Mr. Lerner joined Harbor Capital in 2020 and is the Head of Multi-Asset Solutions, a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager. Prior to joining Harbor Capital, Mr. Lerner was a Vice President of Equity and Quantitative Investment Research and Equity Manager Research for JP Morgan Asset Management. Before that, he worked as a Research, Portfolio Management and Quantitative Investment Strategy Associate for JP Morgan Asset Management. Mr. Lerner began his investment career in 2009. |
| Everett Lyons |
2026 |
Mr. Lyons joined Harbor Capital in 2025 and currently serves as a Research Associate and Portfolio Manager. Prior to joining Harbor, Mr. Lyons was a member of PNC Bank’s Capital Markets Group on the FX Sales and Trading desk. Mr. Lyons holds a Master of Science in Finance from the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business. Mr. Lyons began his investment career in 2023. |
The Statement of Additional Information provides additional information about each portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by each portfolio manager and each portfolio manager’s ownership of shares in the Fund.
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Shareholder Information
Valuing Fund Shares
The Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) per share, is generally calculated each day the NYSE is open for trading as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE, generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. The NAV per share is computed by dividing the net assets of the Fund by the number of Fund shares outstanding. The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form. The time at which shares and transactions are priced and until which orders are accepted may vary to the extent permitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission and applicable regulations.
Shares of the Fund may be purchased through a broker in the secondary market by individual investors at market prices which may vary throughout the day and may differ from NAV.
On holidays or other days when the NYSE is closed, the NAV is not calculated and the Fund does not transact purchase or redemption requests. Trading of securities that are primarily listed on foreign exchanges may take place on weekends and U.S. business holidays on which the Fund’s NAV is not calculated. Consequently, the Fund’s portfolio securities may trade and the NAV of the Fund’s shares may be significantly affected on days when a shareholder will not be able to purchase or sell shares of the Fund.
Investments are valued pursuant to valuation procedures approved by the Board of Trustees. The valuation procedures permit the Advisor to use a variety of valuation methodologies, consider a number of subjective factors, analyze applicable facts and circumstances and, in general, exercise judgment, when valuing Fund investments. The methodology used for a specific type of investment may vary based on the circumstances and relevant considerations, including available market data. As a general matter, accurately fair valuing investments is difficult and can be based on inputs and assumptions that may not always be correct.
The Fund generally values portfolio securities and other assets for which market quotes are readily available at market value for purposes of calculating the Fund’s NAV. In the case of equity securities, market value is generally determined on the basis of last sale prices, or if no sales are reported, on quotes obtained from a quotation reporting system, established market makers, or independent pricing vendors. In the case of fixed income securities and non-exchange traded derivative instruments, fair value is generally determined using prices provided by independent pricing vendors. The prices provided by independent pricing vendors reflect the pricing vendor’s assessment using various market inputs of what it believes are the fair values of the securities at the time of pricing. Those market inputs include recent transaction prices and dealer quotations for the securities, transaction prices for what the independent pricing vendor believes are similar securities and various relationships between factors such as interest rate changes and security prices that are believed to affect the prices of individual securities. Because many fixed income securities trade infrequently, the independent pricing vendor often does not have as a market input, current transaction price information when determining a price for a particular security on any given day. When current transaction price information is available, it is one input into the independent pricing vendor’s evaluation process, which means that the price supplied by the pricing vendor may differ from that transaction price. Short-term fixed income investments having a maturity of 60 days or less are generally valued at amortized cost, which approximates fair value. Exchange-traded options, futures and options on futures are generally valued at the settlement price determined by the relevant exchange.
When reliable market quotations or prices supplied by an independent pricing vendor are not readily available or are not believed to accurately reflect fair value, securities are generally priced at their fair value, determined according to fair value pricing procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees. The Fund may also use fair value pricing if the value of some or all of the Fund’s securities have been materially affected by events occurring before the Fund’s pricing time but after the close of the primary markets or exchanges on which the security is traded. This most commonly occurs with foreign securities, but may occur with other securities as well. When fair value pricing is employed, the prices of securities used by the Fund to calculate its NAV may differ from market quotations, official closing prices or prices supplied by an independent pricing vendor for the same securities. This means the Fund may value those securities higher or lower than another given fund that uses market quotations, official closing prices or prices supplied by an independent pricing vendor. The fair value prices used by the Fund may also differ from the prices that the Fund could obtain for those securities if the Fund were to sell those securities at the time the Fund determines its NAV.
Buying and Selling Shares
The Fund issues and redeems shares only in Creation Units at the NAV per share next determined after receipt of an order from an authorized participant. Authorized participants must be a member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the SEC and must execute a Participant Agreement that has been agreed to by the Distributor, and that has been accepted by the Transfer Agent, with respect to purchases and redemptions of Creation Units. Only authorized participants may acquire shares directly from the Fund, and only authorized participants may tender their shares for redemption directly to the Fund, at NAV. Once created, shares trade in the secondary market in quantities less than a Creation Unit.
These transactions are made at market prices that may vary throughout the day and may be greater than the Fund’s NAV (premium) or less than the Fund’s NAV (discount). As a result, you may pay more than NAV when you purchase shares, and receive less than NAV when you sell shares, in the secondary market.
9
Shareholder Information
If you buy or sell shares in the secondary market, you will generally incur customary brokerage commissions and charges and you may also incur the cost of the spread between the price at which a dealer will buy shares of the Fund and the somewhat higher price at which a dealer will sell shares. Due to such commissions and charges and spread costs, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment returns.
The Fund may impose a creation transaction fee and a redemption transaction fee to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units of shares. Information about the procedures regarding creation and redemption of Creation Units and the applicable transaction fees is included in the Statement of Additional Information.
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees
Harbor ETF Trust has adopted a distribution plan for the Fund in accordance with Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act. Under its plan, the Fund is authorized to pay distribution and service fees to the Distributor for the sale, distribution and servicing of shares. No Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by the Fund, and there are no current plans to impose these fees. However, in the event Rule 12b-1 fees are charged in the future, because these fees are paid out of the Fund’s assets on an ongoing basis, these fees will increase the cost of your investment in the Fund and may cost you more than certain other types of sales charges.
Investing Through a Financial Intermediary
The Advisor and/or its related companies have in the past and could in the future pay intermediaries, which may include banks, broker-dealers, or financial professionals, for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems and data or other services related to the sale of Fund shares and related services, including making shares of the Fund and certain other Harbor funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary or its representatives, are not made by the Fund. Rather, such payments are made by the Advisor or its affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the Harbor fund complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments.
A financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments or financial incentives it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments or other financial incentives offered or made to an intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary (or its representatives) and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other Harbor funds over another investment. See the Statement of Additional Information for more information. Ask your sales representative or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
Book Entry
Shares of the Fund are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company (DTC), or its nominee, is the registered owner of all outstanding shares of the Fund. Your ownership of shares will be shown on the records of DTC and the DTC participant broker-dealer through which you hold the shares. Your broker-dealer will provide you with account statements, confirmations of your purchases and sales, and tax information. Your broker-dealer will also be responsible for distributing income and capital gain distributions and for sending you shareholder reports and other information as may be required.
Frequent Purchases and Redemptions of Shares
The Fund accommodates frequent purchases and redemptions of Creation Units by authorized participants and does not place a limit on purchases or redemptions of Creation Units by these investors. The Fund reserves the right, but does not have the obligation, to reject any purchase or redemption transaction (subject to legal and regulatory limits regarding redemption transactions) at any time.
Shareholder Actions
With the exception of any claims under the federal securities laws, any suit, action or proceeding brought by or in the right of any shareholder or any person claiming any interest in any Fund shares seeking to enforce any provision of, or based on any matter arising out of, or in connection with, Harbor ETF Trust’s By-Laws or Harbor ETF Trust or any Fund, including any claim of any nature against Harbor ETF Trust, a Fund, the Trustees or officers or employees of Harbor ETF Trust, shall be brought exclusively in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware to the extent there is subject matter jurisdiction in such court for the claims asserted or, if not, then in the Superior Court of the State of Delaware. Any suits, actions or proceedings arising under the federal securities laws shall be exclusively brought in the federal district courts of the United States of America. As a result of these provisions, shareholders may have to bring suit in an inconvenient and less favorable forum. There is a question regarding the enforceability of these
10
Shareholder Information
provisions since the Securities Act of 1933 (the “1933 Act”) and the 1940 Act permit shareholders to bring claims arising from these Acts in both state and federal courts.
Investments by Registered Investment Companies
Section 12(d)(1) of the Investment Company Act restricts investments by registered investment companies in the securities of other investment companies, including shares of the Fund. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the Fund beyond the limits of Section 12(d)(1), subject to certain terms and conditions, including the requirement to enter into an agreement with the Fund.
Note to Authorized Participants Regarding Continuous Offering
Certain legal risks may exist that are unique to authorized participants purchasing Creation Units directly from the Fund. Because new Creation Units may be issued on an ongoing basis, at any point a “distribution," as such term is used in the 1933 Act, could be occurring. As a broker-dealer, certain activities that you perform may, depending on the circumstances, result in your being deemed a participant in a distribution, in a manner which could render you a statutory underwriter and subject you to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act.
For example, you may be deemed a statutory underwriter if you purchase Creation Units from the Fund, break them down into individual Fund shares, and sell such shares directly to customers, or if you choose to couple the creation of a supply of new Fund shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for Fund shares. A determination of whether a person is an underwriter for purposes of the 1933 Act depends upon all of the facts and circumstances pertaining to that person’s activities, and the examples mentioned here should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a categorization as an underwriter.
Dealers who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as opposed to engaging in ordinary secondary market transactions), and thus dealing with shares as part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the 1933 Act, will be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act.
This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. As a result, you should note that dealers who are not underwriters but are participating in a distribution (as opposed to engaging in ordinary secondary market transactions) and thus dealing with the shares that are part of an overallotment within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(A) of the 1933 Act would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. Firms that incur a prospectus-delivery obligation with respect to shares of the Fund are reminded that, under Rule 153 under the 1933 Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the 1933 Act owed to an exchange member in connection with a sale on an exchange is satisfied by the fact that the prospectus is available at the exchange upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is only available with respect to transactions on an exchange. Certain Fund affiliates may purchase and resell Fund shares pursuant to this prospectus.
11
Shareholder and Account Policies
This Prospectus provides general tax information only. You should consult your tax adviser about particular federal, state, local or foreign taxes that may apply to you.
Dividends, Distributions and Taxes
The Fund expects to distribute all or substantially all of its net investment income and realized capital gains, if any, each year. The Fund declares and pays any dividends from net income and capital gains monthly. The Fund may also pay dividends and capital gain distributions at other times if necessary, to avoid federal income or excise tax. The Fund expects distributions, if any, to be from net investment income and/or capital gains. If you purchased your shares in the secondary market, your broker is responsible for distributing the income and capital gains distributions to you.
For U.S. federal income tax purposes, distributions of net long-term capital gains are taxable as long-term capital gains which may be taxable at different rates depending on their source and other factors. Distributions of net short-term capital gains are taxable as ordinary income. Dividends from net investment income are taxable either as ordinary income or, if so reported by the Fund and certain other conditions (including holding period requirements) are met by the Fund and the shareholder, as “qualified dividend income” (“QDI”). QDI is taxable to individual shareholders at a maximum rate of 15% or 20% for federal income tax purposes (depending on whether the individual’s income exceeds certain threshold amounts). More information about QDI is included in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information. Dividends and capital gains distributions are taxable whether you receive them in cash or reinvest them in additional Fund shares.
Generally, you should avoid investing in the Fund before an anticipated dividend or capital gain distribution. If you purchase shares of the Fund just before the distribution, you will pay the full price for the shares and receive a portion of the purchase price back as a taxable distribution. Dividends paid to you may be included in your gross income for tax purposes, even though you may not have participated in the increase in the NAV of the Fund. This is referred to as “buying a dividend.”
When you sell Fund shares, you generally will realize a capital gain or capital loss in an amount equal to the difference between the net amount of the sale proceeds you receive and your tax basis for the shares that you sell or exchange. Character and tax status of distributions will be available to shareholders after the close of each calendar year.
An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gains distributions received from the Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares) earned by U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such person’s “modified adjusted gross income” (in the case of an individual) or “adjusted gross income” (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds a threshold amount.
If you do not provide your correct social security number or other taxpayer identification number, along with certifications required by the Internal Revenue Service, you may be subject to a backup withholding tax, currently at a rate of 24%, on any dividends and capital gain distributions, and any other payments to you. Investors other than U.S. persons may be subject to different federal income tax treatment, including withholding tax at the rate of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) on amounts treated as ordinary dividends or otherwise “withholdable payments” from the Fund, as discussed in more detail in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
Taxes on Creations and Redemptions of Creation Units
An authorized participant who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally will recognize a gain or loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the market value of the Creation Units at the time of exchange and the sum of the exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and the amount of any cash paid for such Creation Units. An authorized participant who exchanges Creation Units for securities will generally recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger’s basis in the Creation Units and the sum of the aggregate market value of the securities received. The IRS, however, may assert that a loss realized upon an exchange of primarily securities for Creation Units cannot be deducted currently under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic position. Authorized participants exchanging securities for Creation Units or redeeming Creation Units should consult their own tax advisers with respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss might be deductible and the tax treatment of any creation or redemption transaction.
Under current U.S. federal income tax laws, any capital gain or loss realized upon a redemption (or creation) of Creation Units held as capital assets is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares (or securities surrendered) have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if the shares (or securities surrendered) have been held for one year or less.
12
Shareholder and Account Policies
If you create or redeem Creation Units, you will be sent a confirmation statement showing how many shares you created or sold and at what price.
Cost Basis
The cost basis of shares acquired by purchase will generally be based on the amount paid for the shares subject to adjustments as required by the Internal Revenue Code. The difference between the selling price and the cost basis of shares generally determines the amount of the capital gain or loss realized on the sale or exchange of shares. The cost basis information for sale transactions is generally required to be reported to the IRS and the shareholders. You may elect to have one of several cost basis methods applied to your account and should consult with your tax adviser regarding your specific situation. You should contact your financial intermediary through whom you purchased your shares to obtain information with respect to the available cost basis reporting methods and elections for your account.
13
Fund Details
| CUSIP NUMBER |
TICKER SYMBOL |
|
| Harbor Short Term Treasury ETF | ||
| 41151J570 |
HBIL |
|
Updates Available
For updates on the Fund following the end of each calendar quarter, please visit our website at harborcapital.com.
14
 |
For more information |
| For investors who would like more information about the Fund, the following documents are available upon request: |
Annual/Semi-Annual Shareholder Reports and Form N-CSRs
Additional information about the Fund’s investments is available in the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders and in Form N-CSR. The Fund’s annual shareholder report contains a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during its last fiscal year. In Form N-CSR, you will find the Fund’s annual and semi-annual financial statements.
Statement of Additional Information (SAI)
The SAI provides more detailed information about the Fund and is incorporated into this prospectus by reference and therefore is legally part of this prospectus.
This prospectus is not an offer to sell securities in places other than the United States, its territories, and those countries where shares of a Fund are registered for sale.
Investment Adviser
Harbor Capital Advisors, Inc.
111 South Wacker Drive, 34th Floor
Chicago, IL 60606-4302
312-443-4400
111 South Wacker Drive, 34th Floor
Chicago, IL 60606-4302
312-443-4400
Distributor
Foreside Fund Services, LLC
Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100
Portland, ME 04101
484-320-6239
Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100
Portland, ME 04101
484-320-6239
Shareholder Inquiries
P.O. Box 804660
Chicago, IL 60680-4108
800-422-1050
Chicago, IL 60680-4108
800-422-1050
Obtain Documents
Free copies of the annual and semi-annual shareholder reports, the SAI, and other information, such as the Fund’s financial statements, are available:
 |
harborcapital.com |
 |
800-422-1050 |
 |
Harbor ETF Trust P.O. Box 804660 Chicago, IL 60680-4108 |
Investors may get text-only copies:
| |
sec.gov |
 |
publicinfo@sec.gov (for a fee) |
Trustees & Officers
| Charles F. McCain Chairman, President & Trustee Anne F. Ackerley Trustee Scott M. Amero Trustee Donna J. Dean Trustee Robert Kasdin Trustee Kathryn L. Quirk Trustee Douglas J. Skinner Trustee Ann M. Spruill Trustee Landis Zimmerman Trustee Diana R. Podgorny Chief Legal Officer and Chief Compliance Officer |
Howard M. Reich Treasurer Ryan L. Elve Vice President and AML Compliance Officer Walt O. Breuninger Vice President Kristof M. Gleich Vice President Diane J. Johnson Vice President Dana D. Steiner Vice President Meredyth A. Whitford-Schultz Secretary Meredith S. Dykstra Assistant Secretary Lana M. Lewandowski Assistant Secretary |
Investment Company Act File No. 811-23661
ETF.SP.HBIL.0826
