HARTFORD FUNDS FAMILY OF FUNDS
690 LEE ROAD
WAYNE, PENNSYLVANIA 19087
690 LEE ROAD
WAYNE, PENNSYLVANIA 19087
August 24, 2026
Dear Shareholder:
You are cordially invited to attend a Joint Special Meeting of Shareholders (the “Meeting”) of the Hartford Funds Family of Funds (each a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”). The Meeting will be held virtually and take place on November 5, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. At the Meeting, shareholders who owned shares of one or more Funds as of August 19, 2026 will be asked to vote on the matters important to the Funds, which are listed below and in the attached Notice of Joint Special Meeting of Shareholders.
On June 3, 2026, The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. and Wellington Management announced that they had reached a definitive agreement under which Wellington Management will acquire Hartford Funds Management Group, Inc. (“HFMG”) and certain affiliates (including Hartford Funds Management Company, LLC and Lattice Strategies LLC) (the “Transaction”). Upon closing, HFMG will be integrated into Wellington Management’s U.S. Wealth business. The resulting company will be wholly owned by Wellington Management and will ultimately operate under the Wellington name. The Transaction amounts to a change of control of the Funds’ investment managers and automatically terminates the Funds’ existing investment management agreements. Therefore, we are asking you to approve new investment management agreements for the Funds so that we can continue to service the Funds.
As explained in the enclosed Joint Proxy Statement, the purpose of the Meeting is for the shareholders of each affected Fund to consider and vote on the following proposals:
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Proposal
No. |
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Description of Proposal
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1.
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| | The election of nominees to the Boards of Directors/Trustees of the Funds (each, a “Board”). | |
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2.
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| | The approval of new Investment Management Agreements between the Funds and Hartford Funds Management Company, LLC (“HFMC”) or Lattice Strategies LLC, as applicable. | |
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3.
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| | The approval to reclassify each of The Hartford Capital Appreciation Fund, Hartford Capital Appreciation HLS Fund, Hartford Core Equity Fund, Hartford Disciplined Equity HLS Fund, Hartford Emerging Markets Equity Fund, The Hartford Healthcare Fund, Hartford Healthcare HLS Fund and The Hartford Growth Opportunities Fund from a diversified investment company to a non-diversified investment company and to eliminate each Fund’s related fundamental diversification policy; | |
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4.
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| | To transact such other business as may properly come before the Meeting, or any adjournment(s) or postponement(s) thereof. | |
No Fund’s investment objective, investment strategy, portfolio management team, or current fees are expected to change as a result of these proposals. The Boards have reviewed the proposals and recommend that you vote FOR each proposal that applies to your Fund(s). The Joint Proxy Statement provides more information on the proposals. Please read it carefully, complete the enclosed proxy card, and return your completed proxy card in the enclosed, addressed, postage-paid envelope; or take advantage of the telephonic or internet voting procedures described in the Joint Proxy Statement. YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT. Voting takes only a few minutes — and voting early means you’re less likely to receive follow-up reminders by mail, text or phone. If we do not hear from you, you may receive a telephone call from a representative of HFMC, any of its affiliates, or from our proxy solicitor, Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc., reminding you to vote your shares.
If you have any questions or need more information about voting, please call us toll-free at (855) 496-3017.
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Sincerely,
![[MISSING IMAGE: sg_gregfrost-bw.jpg]](sg_gregfrost-bw.jpg)
Gregory A. Frost
President and Chief Executive Officer |
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR SHAREHOLDERS
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
YOUR VOTE MATTERS: We encourage you to read the enclosed Joint Proxy Statement. However, we
thought it would be helpful to provide brief answers to some questions about the proposals on
which you are being asked to vote.
thought it would be helpful to provide brief answers to some questions about the proposals on
which you are being asked to vote.
Why am I receiving the joint proxy statement?
The Hartford Funds Family of Funds (each, a “Fund” and, collectively, the “Funds”) is holding a joint special meeting of shareholders (the “Meeting”), which will be held virtually on November 5, 2026. This joint proxy statement describes proposals to: (1) elect ten members of the Funds’ Boards of Directors/Trustees (collectively, the “Board Members”), nine of whom are current members of each Fund’s Board (each a “Board nominee” and, collectively, the “Board nominees”). If elected, the Board nominees will serve as members of the Board of the Fund(s) in which you own shares; (2) approve new Investment Management Agreements between the Funds and Hartford Funds Management Company, LLC (“HFMC”) or Lattice Strategies LLC (“Lattice”), as applicable; and (3) approve the reclassification of each of The Hartford Capital Appreciation Fund, Hartford Capital Appreciation HLS Fund, Hartford Core Equity Fund, Hartford Disciplined Equity HLS Fund, Hartford Emerging Markets Equity Fund, The Hartford Healthcare Fund, Hartford Healthcare HLS Fund and The Hartford Growth Opportunities Fund from a diversified investment company to a non-diversified investment company and the elimination of each Fund’s related fundamental diversification policy. This joint proxy statement provides you with information relating to the proposals and the Meeting.
Shares of one or more series of Hartford Series Fund, Inc. may have been purchased at your request by your insurance company to serve as investment options under your variable annuity contract or variable life insurance policy. You are eligible to vote on the proposal (or to provide voting instructions to a financial intermediary, such as an insurance company, holding Fund shares in its name for your benefit) if you owned shares of one or more of the Funds as of August 19, 2026. Your proxy card indicates the Fund(s) in which you own shares. For ease of reference, owners of variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies are sometimes referred to as “shareholders” and voting instructions are sometimes referred to as a “vote.”
Who is being nominated to serve as Board Members?
Shareholders are being asked to consider the election of Hilary E. Ackermann, Robin C. Beery, Andra S. Bolotin, Derrick D. Cephas, Christine R. Detrick, Gregory A. Frost, John J. Gauthier, Andrew A. Johnson, Paul L. Rosenberg and David Sung (each a “Nominee” and, together, the “Nominees”) as Board Members of the Funds. With the exception of Andra S. Bolotin, the Nominees are current members of each Board. If each of the Nominees is elected to each Board, all the Boards will be composed of the same ten Board Members.
How were the Nominees chosen?
Each Board’s Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for screening and recommending candidates to the full Board. The Nominating and Governance Committees are made up of all of the Board Members who are not “interested persons” of the Funds, as that term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The Nominating and Governance Committees recommended each Nominee and, at a meeting held on August 4 – 5, 2026, the Nominees were unanimously nominated by the Boards to stand for election.
Why am I being asked to approve new Investment Management Agreements?
Section 15(a) of the 1940 Act provides that no person may serve as an investment adviser to a fund except pursuant to a written contract that, among other things, has been approved by a vote of a majority of the fund’s outstanding voting securities, as defined in the 1940 Act. A change of control of the investment manager causes the automatic termination of the existing investment management agreements and requires the approval of new investment management agreements by the Funds’ Board and shareholders.
On June 3, 2026, The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. and Wellington Management announced that they had reached a definitive agreement under which Wellington Management will acquire Hartford Funds Management Group, Inc. (“HFMG”) and certain affiliates (including HFMC and Lattice) (the “Transaction”). Upon closing, HFMG will be integrated into Wellington Management’s U.S. Wealth business. The resulting company will be wholly owned by Wellington Management and will ultimately operate under the Wellington name. The Transaction has been approved by both The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. and Wellington Management, and is expected to close by January 2027. The Transaction amounts to a change of control of the Funds’ investment managers and automatically terminates the Funds’ existing investment management agreements. The proposed new Investment Management Agreements between HFMC or Lattice, as applicable, and the Funds (the “New Agreements”) would be substantially similar to the existing investment management agreements between HFMC or Lattice and the Funds. The Boards are asking shareholders to approve the New Agreements solely as a result of the change in control of HFMG and its affiliates.
Shareholders of Hartford Climate Opportunities Fund, Hartford Hybrid and Credit Opportunities Fund, Hartford International Equity Fund and The Hartford High Yield Fund should be aware that, because each such Fund is expected to be converted to an ETF in October 2026 or November 2026, such shareholders will be asked to approve the New Agreement between HFMC and Hartford Funds Exchange-Traded Trust, which is the agreement that will apply to the new ETFs into which those Funds will convert. Please see the discussion under Proposal 2 in the joint proxy statement for more information.
Why am I being asked to approve changing each of The Hartford Capital Appreciation Fund, Hartford Capital Appreciation HLS Fund, Hartford Core Equity Fund, Hartford Disciplined Equity HLS Fund, Hartford Emerging Markets Equity Fund, The Hartford Healthcare Fund, Hartford Healthcare HLS Fund and The Hartford Growth Opportunities Fund from a diversified fund to a non-diversified fund and eliminating each Fund’s related fundamental diversification policy?
At a meeting held on August 4 – 5, 2026, the Board, including all of the independent Board Members, unanimously approved changing each Fund from a diversified to non-diversified fund and eliminating a related fundamental diversification policy, subject to the approval of each applicable Fund’s shareholders.
As a diversified fund, each of The Hartford Capital Appreciation Fund, Hartford Capital Appreciation HLS Fund, Hartford Core Equity Fund, Hartford Disciplined Equity HLS Fund, Hartford Emerging Markets Equity Fund, The Hartford Healthcare Fund, Hartford Healthcare HLS Fund and The Hartford Growth Opportunities Fund is currently limited in its ability to own the securities of any single issuer.
Some markets and indices, including those these Funds use to measure their performance, have in recent years become more concentrated in a handful of large companies. The 1940 Act’s diversification requirements can force a Fund to underweight those companies, which are generally some of the market’s biggest names, relative to its benchmark. As a result, a Fund’s portfolio management team may not be able to own those companies in the amounts they believe are appropriate for the Fund’s strategy, which ultimately can hinder the Fund’s ability to outperform its benchmark or its non-diversified peer funds with otherwise similar investment strategies.
If Proposal 3 is approved, each named Fund would be permitted to invest a larger percentage of its assets in a single issuer, which would give the portfolio managers increased investment flexibility to manage the Fund consistent with its existing investment objective and strategy.
Notwithstanding the increased investment flexibility and the potential for improved investment performance over time, a non-diversified fund typically presents a greater degree of investment risk due to its ability to invest a greater percentage of the fund’s assets in a single issuer and in fewer issuers overall. Because a non-diversified fund can invest more of its assets in a smaller number of issuers, it is more exposed to the risks associated with an individual issuer than a fund that invests more broadly across many issuers, including greater share price volatility.
Although changing to a non-diversified fund gives each Fund’s investment team more investment flexibility, it does not mean the Fund is changing its investment objective or investment philosophy. While the change to a non-diversified fund classification may allow for the potential for greater risk, each Fund’s
portfolio management team intends to manage the Fund using the substantially similar risk and volatility guidelines it has used while managing the Fund as a diversified fund.
HFMC believes that reclassifying the applicable Funds from diversified to non-diversified is in the best interests of each Fund and its shareholders because it provides each Fund’s portfolio managers with increased investment flexibility and the potential for better investment performance over time.
If the proposal is approved by shareholders, each applicable Fund’s diversification classification will change and that Fund’s related fundamental policy with respect to diversification will be eliminated.
Will there be any changes to any Fund’s investment objective or strategy as a result of the Transaction?
No, there will be no changes to any Fund’s investment objective or investment strategy as a result of the Transaction.
Will there be any changes to any Fund’s portfolio management team as a result of the Transaction?
No, there will not be any changes to any Fund’s portfolio management team as a result of the Transaction. HFMC or Lattice, as applicable, will continue to serve as the investment manager for the Funds. Wellington personnel will continue to provide investment management and related services to the Funds that Wellington currently sub-advises but Wellington will no longer serve in the capacity as a sub-adviser. Wellington personnel, acting on behalf of HFMC, will provide such investment advisory services under an intercompany arrangement whereby Wellington will share resources with HFMC. For the Funds for which Schroder Investment Management North America Inc. or an affiliate (collectively, “Schroders”) or Mellon Investments Corporation (“Mellon”) currently serves as a sub-adviser, Schroders or Mellon will continue to act as sub-adviser and HFMC will continue to serve as the investment manager (as noted above) and to oversee the sub-adviser.
Will the Proposals result in higher total annual fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement for any Fund?
No. The Proposals are not expected to result in an increase in total annual fund operating expenses after any applicable fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement for any Fund, as shown in the respective Fund’s prospectus. The Transaction is not expected to result in any changes to current fee waiver and expense reimbursement arrangements for the applicable Funds.
Who will pay the costs incurred in connection with the Meeting?
The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. and Wellington Management will pay the expenses relating to the enclosed Notice and Joint Proxy Statement and the Meeting, including printing, mailing, solicitation, vote tabulation, legal fees and out-of-pocket expenses.
The Funds have retained Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (“Broadridge”), a proxy services firm and the Funds’ proxy tabulator, to assist in the distribution of proxy materials and the solicitation and tabulation of proxies. It is anticipated that Broadridge will receive approximately $30 million for such services (including reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses).
How do the Boards of the Funds recommend that I vote?
The Board recommends that you vote “FOR” each proposal that applies to your Fund(s).
How can I vote?
There are five different ways you can vote your shares:
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Via the Internet. Access the Internet address provided on your proxy card and follow the instructions. You will need the control number provided on your proxy card.
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Via live agent. Call Broadridge, the Funds’ proxy solicitor, toll free at 855-496-3017.
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By touchtone telephone. Call the toll-free number provided on your proxy card and follow the instructions. You will need the control number provided on your proxy card.
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By mail. Complete, sign, and date your proxy card and mail it to the address shown on the card.
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Virtually at the meeting. You may virtually attend the special meeting of shareholders and vote; however, even if you intend to do so, we encourage you to vote early using one of the methods discussed above. Please see the Joint Proxy Statement for instructions on how to vote at the meeting if you hold shares through a financial intermediary in its name for your benefit. Variable annuity contract owners and variable life insurance policy holders should follow the instructions provided by their insurance company. Please see “Special Note to Variable Annuity Contract/Variable Life Insurance Owners” below.
With respect to Proposal 1, you may vote for “FOR ALL,” “WITHHOLD ALL” or “FOR ALL EXCEPT” with the option to identify certain Board nominees that would be excluded from a “vote for.” With respect to Proposals 2 and 3, you may vote “FOR,” “AGAINST” or “ABSTAIN.”
Your vote is important. Whichever method you choose, we urge you to read the full text of the attached joint proxy statement before voting.
How can I participate in the virtual meeting?
Virtual Meeting
The Meeting will be a virtual meeting, which will be conducted via live webcast.
To participate in the Meeting virtually via the Internet, please visit www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/HARTFD2026. You may ask Meeting related questions during the virtual Meeting. Questions will be reviewed and responded to as needed.
Attending the Virtual Meeting
The Meeting will be held entirely online using the unique link provided above. Additional information about the Meeting is provided below:
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Shareholders may submit questions while attending the Meeting via the Internet. For instructions on how to do so, please see below.
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The meeting webcast will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time on Thursday, November 5, 2026.
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We encourage you to access the meeting prior to the start time. Online check-in will begin at 9:45 a.m., Eastern Time, on Thursday, November 5, 2026 and you should allow ample time for the check-in procedures.
Submitting Questions at the Virtual Meeting
During the Meeting, if you wish to ask a question, you may do so by entering your question in the field provided in the web portal at or before the time the matters are before the Meeting for consideration. Questions submitted during the Meeting will not be visible to other attendees.
During the formal portion of the Meeting, all questions presented should relate directly to the Proposal under discussion, which will be answered before the voting is closed. To allow us to answer questions from as many shareholders as possible, we may limit the number of questions each shareholder may ask. Questions from multiple shareholders on the same topic or that are otherwise related to a particular topic may be grouped, summarized and answered together. If questions submitted are irrelevant to the business of the Meeting or are out of order or not otherwise suitable for the conduct of the Meeting as determined in the judgment of the chair of the Meeting, we may choose not to address them. If there are any matters of individual concern to a shareholder and not of general concern to all shareholders, or if a question posed was not otherwise answered, such matters may be raised separately after the Meeting.
Technical Assistance for the Virtual Meeting
We encourage shareholders to log into the virtual Meeting fifteen (15) minutes prior to the start of the Meeting to test their Internet connectivity. If you encounter any technical difficulties with the virtual meeting, the Technical Support phone numbers will be posted on the virtual shareholder meeting (“VSM”) website. Technical Support will be available starting at 9:45 a.m., Eastern Time on Thursday, November 5, 2026.
What if I have questions or need more information?
If you have any questions or need more information about voting, visit our proxy resource center at www.hartfordfunds.com/proxy2026 or call us toll-free at (855) 496-3017. To view or obtain a copy of the most recent annual or semi-annual report of the Funds, please go to www.hartfordfunds.com. To view the Joint Proxy Statement, please go to www.proxyvote.com and enter the Control Number located on your proxy card.
Thank you for being a shareholder of Hartford Funds and for voting promptly.
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Special Note to Variable Annuity Contract/Variable Life Insurance Owners
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| | | If you own a variable annuity contract or variable life insurance policy whose values are allocated to one or more series of Hartford Series Fund, Inc., you are receiving this material because your insurance company is asking you to provide it with instructions as to how to vote the shares attributable to your contract at the meeting or any adjourned session. Please complete the instruction card and return it to your insurance company as directed on the card or in the accompanying materials you received from the insurance company. Please do not return the instruction card to the Funds. | | |
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Please Vote Now.
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| | | To avoid further solicitation mailings, phone calls, texts, and other outreach, we urge you to vote as soon as possible via the Internet, by telephone, or by mail (or, if you own a variable annuity contract or variable life insurance policy whose values are allocated to one or more series of Hartford Series Fund, Inc., follow the instructions on the voting instruction card). No matter how large or small your investment in one or more of the Funds may be, your vote is important. | | |
THE ATTACHED JOINT PROXY STATEMENT CONTAINS
MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSALS.
PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY.
MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSALS.
PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY.
NOTICE OF JOINT SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
A Joint Special Meeting of Shareholders (the “Meeting”) of the series listed below (each a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”) of The Hartford Mutual Funds, Inc. (“HMF”), The Hartford Mutual Funds II, Inc. (“HMF II”), Hartford Funds Exchange-Traded Trust (“HFETT”), Lattice Strategies Trust (“LST”) and Hartford Series Fund, Inc. (“HLS”) will take place virtually on November 5, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time to consider and vote on the following proposals, as described more fully in the accompanying joint proxy statement:
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Proposal
No. |
| |
Description of Proposal
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|
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1.
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| | The election of nominees to the Boards of Directors/Trustees of the Funds (each, a “Board”). | |
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2.
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| | The approval of new Investment Management Agreements between the Funds and Hartford Funds Management Company, LLC (“HFMC”) or Lattice Strategies LLC (“Lattice”), as applicable. | |
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3.
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| | The approval to reclassify each of The Hartford Capital Appreciation Fund, Hartford Capital Appreciation HLS Fund, Hartford Core Equity Fund, Hartford Disciplined Equity HLS Fund, Hartford Emerging Markets Equity Fund, The Hartford Healthcare Fund, Hartford Healthcare HLS Fund and The Hartford Growth Opportunities Fund from a diversified investment company to a non-diversified investment company and to eliminate each Fund’s related fundamental diversification policy; | |
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4.
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| | To transact such other business as may properly come before the Meeting, or any adjournment(s) or postponement(s) thereof. | |
Shareholders of record at the close of business on August 19, 2026 (the “Record Date”) are entitled to vote at the Meetings. Shareholders of the Funds are entitled to one vote for each share held, with no shares having cumulative voting rights. The Boards have reviewed each Proposal and recommend that you vote FOR the proposals listed in this notice that apply to your Fund(s). The Joint Proxy Statement provides more information on the proposals. Please read it carefully, complete the enclosed proxy card, and return your completed proxy card in the enclosed, addressed, postage-paid envelope; or take advantage of the telephonic or internet voting procedures described in the Joint Proxy Statement. YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT. Voting takes only a few minutes — and voting early means you’re less likely to receive follow-up reminders by mail, text or phone. If we do not hear from you, you may receive a telephone call from a representative of HFMC, any of its affiliates, or from our proxy solicitor, Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc., reminding you to vote your shares. Please see the attached Questions and Answers and the joint proxy statement for more information on how to participate in the virtual meeting.
YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT. WHETHER OR NOT YOU EXPECT TO ATTEND THE MEETING, PLEASE FILL IN, SIGN, DATE, AND MAIL THE ENCLOSED PROXY CARD AS PROMPTLY AS POSSIBLE, OR TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE TELEPHONIC OR INTERNET VOTING PROCEDURES DESCRIBED IN THE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT, IN ORDER TO SAVE ANY FURTHER SOLICITATION EXPENSE. AN ADDRESSED, POSTAGE-PAID ENVELOPE IS ENCLOSED.
On behalf of the Boards,
Gregory A. Frost
President and Chief Executive Officer
President and Chief Executive Officer
Dated: August 24, 2026
THE HARTFORD MUTUAL FUNDS, INC.
| | The Hartford Balanced Income Fund | | | The Hartford Capital Appreciation Fund | |
| | The Hartford Checks and Balances Fund | | | Hartford Climate Opportunities Fund | |
| | The Hartford Conservative Allocation Fund | | | Hartford Core Equity Fund | |
| | The Hartford Dividend and Growth Fund | | | Hartford Dynamic Bond Fund | |
| | Hartford Emerging Markets Equity Fund | | | The Hartford Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund | |
| | The Hartford Equity Income Fund | | | The Hartford Floating Rate Fund | |
| | Hartford Global Impact Fund | | | The Hartford Healthcare Fund | |
| | The Hartford High Yield Fund | | | The Hartford Inflation Plus Fund | |
| | Hartford International Equity Fund | | | The Hartford International Growth Fund | |
| | The Hartford International Opportunities Fund | | | The Hartford International Value Fund | |
| | Hartford Hybrid and Credit Opportunities Fund | | | The Hartford MidCap Fund | |
| | The Hartford MidCap Value Fund | | | Hartford Moderate Allocation Fund | |
| | Hartford Moderately Aggressive Allocation Fund | | | Hartford Multi-Asset Income Fund | |
| | The Hartford Municipal Opportunities Fund | | | Hartford Municipal Short Duration Fund | |
| | Hartford Real Asset Fund | | | The Hartford Short Duration Fund | |
| | Hartford Small Cap Value Fund | | | The Hartford Small Company Fund | |
| | The Hartford Strategic Income Fund | | | Hartford Sustainable Municipal Bond Fund | |
| | The Hartford Total Return Bond Fund | | | The Hartford World Bond Fund | |
THE HARTFORD MUTUAL FUNDS II, INC.
| | The Hartford Growth Opportunities Fund | | | The Hartford Small Cap Growth Fund | |
| | Hartford Schroders Core Fixed Income Fund | | |
Hartford Schroders Diversified Opportunities Fund
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Hartford Schroders Emerging Markets Equity Fund
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| | Hartford Schroders Emerging Markets Multi-Sector Bond Fund | |
| | Hartford Schroders International Contrarian Value Fund | | | Hartford Schroders International Multi-Cap Value Fund | |
| | Hartford Schroders International Stock Fund | | | Hartford Schroders Tax-Aware Bond Fund | |
| | Hartford Schroders US MidCap Opportunities Fund | | | Hartford Schroders US Small Cap Opportunities Fund | |
HARTFORD FUNDS EXCHANGE-TRADED TRUST
| | Hartford AAA CLO ETF | | | Hartford Alpha Capture Growth ETF | |
| | Hartford Alpha Capture Value ETF | | | Hartford Core Bond ETF | |
| | Hartford Dynamic Bond ETF | | | Hartford Equity Premium Income ETF | |
| | Hartford Large Cap Growth ETF | | | Hartford Municipal Opportunities ETF | |
| | Hartford Strategic Income ETF | | | Hartford Schroders Tax-Aware Bond ETF | |
| | Hartford Total Return Bond ETF | | | | |
LATTICE STRATEGIES TRUST
| | Hartford Disciplined US Equity ETF | |
| | Hartford Multifactor Developed Markets (ex-US) ETF | |
| | Hartford Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF | |
| | Hartford Multifactor Small Cap ETF | |
| | Hartford Multifactor US Equity ETF | |
| | Hartford US Quality Growth ETF | |
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Hartford US Value ETF
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HARTFORD SERIES FUND, INC.
| | Hartford Balanced HLS Fund | | | Hartford Capital Appreciation HLS Fund | |
| | Hartford Disciplined Equity HLS Fund | | | Hartford Dividend and Growth HLS Fund | |
| | Hartford Healthcare HLS Fund | | | Hartford International Opportunities HLS Fund | |
| | Hartford MidCap HLS Fund | | | Hartford Small Company HLS Fund | |
| | Hartford Stock HLS Fund | | | Hartford Total Return Bond HLS Fund | |
| | Hartford Ultrashort Bond HLS Fund | | | Hartford Small Cap Growth HLS Fund | |
JOINT PROXY STATEMENT
November 5, 2026
Information about Voting and the Meeting
The enclosed proxy is being solicited by the Boards of Directors or Trustees, as applicable (each, a “Board” and together, the “Boards”) of The Hartford Mutual Funds, Inc. (“HMF”), The Hartford Mutual Funds II, Inc. (“HMF II”), Hartford Funds Exchange-Traded Trust (“HFETT”), Lattice Strategies Trust (“LST”) and Hartford Series Fund, Inc. (“HLS”). Each of HMF, HMF II and HLS is a Maryland corporation (each a “Company” and together, the “Companies”) and each of HFETT and LST are Delaware statutory Trusts (each a “Trust” and, collectively, the “Trusts”). The proxy is being solicited in connection with the Joint Special Meeting of Shareholders (the “Meeting”) of the series listed in Appendix A (each, a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”), to be held virtually on November 5, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time, and at any adjournment(s) or postponement(s) of the Meeting. The Meeting will be held virtually on November 5, 2026 for the purposes described in the accompanying Notice of Joint Special Meeting of Shareholders.
Proxy Solicitor and Payment of Related Expenses
The costs associated with the solicitation, including the cost of preparing and mailing the Notice of the Joint Special Meeting of Shareholders and this Joint Proxy Statement, will be paid jointly by The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. and Wellington Management. The approximate mailing date of this Joint Proxy Statement is September 8, 2026. Representatives of Hartford Funds Management Company, LLC (“HFMC”), any of its affiliates, or Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (“Broadridge”), a firm authorized by HFMC to assist in the solicitation of proxies, may contact you to solicit your proxy by mail or by telephone. The costs associated with the proxy statement, including printing, mailing, solicitation, vote tabulation and legal fees, are estimated to be approximately $30 million. As the meeting date approaches, shareholders of the Funds may receive a telephone call from a representative of Broadridge if their votes have not yet been received. Proxies that are obtained telephonically will be recorded in accordance with the procedures described below. These procedures are reasonably designed to ensure that both the identity of the shareholder casting the vote and the voting instructions of the shareholder are accurately determined.
Voting and Methods of Tabulation
You are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Meeting (or to provide voting instructions to a financial intermediary holding Fund shares in its name for your benefit) only if you owned shares of a Fund as of the close of business on August 19, 2026 (the “Record Date”). To participate in the Meeting, shareholders should visit www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/HARTFD2026 and submitting the required information to Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc., the Funds’ proxy tabulator.
Shareholders of the Funds are entitled to one vote for each full share and a proportionate fractional vote for each fractional share held as of the Record Date. Each properly executed proxy received before the Meeting, unless revoked, will be voted at the Meeting in accordance with the shareholder’s instructions. With respect to Proposal 1, votes can be cast “FOR ALL,” “WITHHOLD ALL” or “FOR ALL EXCEPT” with the option to identify certain Board nominees that would be excluded from a “vote for.” With respect to Proposals 2 and 3, votes can be cast “FOR,” “AGAINST” or “ABSTAIN.” Abstentions and broker non-votes (proxy cards received by each Company or Trust, as applicable, from brokers or nominees when the broker or nominee has not received instructions from the beneficial owner or other persons entitled to vote and has no discretion to vote on a particular matter) will be counted as present for purposes of determining whether a quorum of shares is present at the Meeting, and will have no effect on the vote on Proposal 1 and the same effect as a vote “AGAINST” the other Proposals. As far as the Boards are aware, no matters other than those described in this Joint Proxy Statement will be acted upon at the Meeting. Should any other matters properly come before the Meeting calling for a vote of shareholders, the persons named as proxies intend to vote upon such matters in their discretion.
Properly executed proxy cards that have been returned by shareholders without instructions will be voted (1) “FOR ALL” with respect to the election of each of the nominees for Director/Trustee of each Company or Trust; (2) “FOR” the approval of a new Investment Management Agreement between the Funds
and Hartford Funds Management Company, LLC or Lattice Strategies LLC, as applicable; and (3) “FOR” the approval to reclassify each of The Hartford Capital Appreciation Fund, Hartford Capital Appreciation HLS Fund, Hartford Core Equity Fund, Hartford Disciplined Equity HLS Fund, Hartford Emerging Markets Equity Fund, The Hartford Healthcare Fund, Hartford Healthcare HLS Fund and The Hartford Growth Opportunities Fund from a diversified investment company to a non-diversified investment company and to eliminate each Fund’s related fundamental diversification policy.
If you hold your Fund shares through a Coverdell Education Savings Account, Individual Retirement Account, or 403(b) Account for which State Street Bank and Trust Company serves as custodian, you must instruct the financial intermediary how to vote your shares. Fund shares held in these types of accounts on the Record Date (defined below) for which no timely instructions are received will be voted in the same proportion as voted by all Fund shareholders. Please consult your financial intermediary for more information about its practices with respect to voting beneficial owners’ shares. Proprietary assets of HFMC or its affiliates invested in the Funds will be voted FOR the Proposals or voted in the same proportion as voted by such Fund’s other shareholders, depending on the account through which the shares are held. As of the Record Date (as defined below), proprietary assets of HFMC or its affiliates amounted to 50% or more of the outstanding shares in the Hartford Alpha Capture Growth ETF, Hartford Dynamic Bond ETF and Hartford Equity Premium Income ETF. As a result, in the case of these Funds the Proposals may be approved by the vote FOR the Proposals by HFMC and its affiliates, without additional votes FOR the Proposals by other shareholders of the Funds. In addition, shares held by a Fund’s sub-adviser will be voted in accordance with the sub-adviser’s proxy voting policies and procedures.
Shareholders may revoke authority to vote their shares by (i) giving written notice of revocation to the Secretary of the Companies/Trusts; (ii) properly submitting, either by Internet, mail, or telephone, a proxy bearing a later date; or (iii) appearing at the meeting and voting in person. Attendance at the meeting will not by itself constitute revocation of a proxy. As beneficial owners of shares held through a broker or other nominee, shareholders must contact the organization that holds their shares to receive instructions as to how to revoke voting instructions.
Ownership of Fund Shares
The table in Appendix L sets forth the number of shares of each Fund issued and outstanding at the close of business on the Record Date. A list of each Fund’s shareholders of record as of the Record Date will be available for inspection during the Meeting.
To the best of the Funds’ knowledge, the persons listed in Appendix M beneficially owned more than 5% or 25% of the outstanding shares of the class or Fund indicated.
Shareholder Voting
Shareholders may authorize their proxy to vote by completing and returning the enclosed proxy card. Shareholders may also authorize their proxy to vote by telephone or by internet by following the instructions on the proxy card. To authorize their proxy to vote by internet or by telephone, shareholders will need the “control number” that appears on the proxy card. After inputting this number, shareholders will be prompted to provide their voting instructions on the Proposals. Shareholders will have an opportunity to review the voting instructions and make any necessary changes before submitting the voting instructions and terminating the telephone call or internet link.
The principal solicitation of proxies will be by the mailing of this Joint Proxy Statement beginning on or about September 8, 2026, but proxies may also be solicited by a representative of HFMC, any affiliate or from our proxy solicitor, Broadridge. If we have not received your vote as the date of the Meeting approaches, you may receive a call from these parties to ask for your vote. Arrangements will be made with brokerage houses and other custodians, nominees, and fiduciaries to forward proxies and proxy materials to shareholders. Shareholders may also provide written authorization to their financial adviser to vote the proxy on their behalf.
In all cases where a telephonic proxy is solicited by Broadridge, the Broadridge representative is required to ask for each shareholder’s full name and address, or the zip code, and to confirm that the
shareholder has received the proxy materials in the mail. If the shareholder is a corporation or other entity, the Broadridge representative is required to ask for the person’s title and for confirmation that the person is authorized to direct the voting of the shares. If the information solicited agrees with the information previously provided to the Broadridge representative, then the Broadridge representative will explain the proxy voting process, read the Proposal listed on the proxy card and ask for the shareholder’s instructions on the applicable Proposals. Although the Broadridge representative is permitted to answer questions about the process, he or she is not permitted to recommend to the shareholder how to vote, other than to read any recommendation set forth in this Joint Proxy Statement. The Broadridge representative will record the shareholder’s instructions on the card.
Within 72 hours, the shareholder will be sent a letter or e-mail to confirm his or her vote and asking the shareholder to call Broadridge immediately if his or her instructions are not correctly reflected in the confirmation.
Although a shareholder’s vote may be solicited and taken by telephone, each shareholder will also receive a copy of this Joint Proxy Statement and may vote by mail using the enclosed proxy card or by telephone or the internet as set forth on the proxy card. The last proxy vote received in time to be voted, whether by proxy card, telephone or internet, will be the vote that is counted and will revoke all previous votes by the shareholder. Only those shareholders owning shares as of the close of business on the Record Date may vote at the Meeting or any adjournment(s) or postponement(s) of the Meeting. Shareholders who own shares registered in their own names and which are held in an account directly with the Fund (or Funds) will be asked to submit their name and control number found on the shareholder’s proxy card in order to register to participate in and vote at the Meeting.
If you hold Fund shares through a financial intermediary, you will not be able to vote virtually at the Meeting unless you previously have obtained a “legal proxy” from your financial intermediary, which will provide you with a new control number. It may take several days for this process and you must submit your “legal proxy” to Broadridge in a reasonable time prior to the Meeting.
As a shareholder, you will not have appraisal rights in connection with the Proposals described in this Joint Proxy Statement.
Quorum and Adjournment
The presence, either in person or by proxy, of shareholders entitled to cast one-third of all the votes entitled to be cast at the Meeting shall constitute a quorum. If a quorum is not present or if a quorum is present but sufficient votes to approve any proposal are not received, the chairman of the Meeting may adjourn the Meeting to a date not more than 120 days after the Record Date without notice other than announcement at the Meeting. A shareholder vote may be taken for each proposal in this Joint Proxy Statement prior to any adjournment provided that there is a quorum. If a proposal is considered and receives a sufficient number of votes for approval prior to any adjournment, the proposal shall be adopted and shall not require any further shareholder approval at any adjournment or otherwise. At any subsequent reconvening of the Meeting, proxies will (unless previously revoked) be voted in the same manner as they would have been voted at the Meeting. The approval of any individual Proposal does not impact the approval of the other Proposals in this Joint Proxy Statement, and any adjournment of the Meeting may relate to one or more of the Proposals.
Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials
For the Joint Special Meeting of Shareholders to be Held on November 5, 2026
For the Joint Special Meeting of Shareholders to be Held on November 5, 2026
Copies of the Funds’ most recent annual and semi-annual reports, including financial statements, are available at no charge by visiting www.hartfordfunds.com; by sending a written request to Hartford Funds, 690 Lee Road, Wayne Pennsylvania 19087; or by calling 1-888-843-7824 (mutual funds) or 1-800-456-7526 (ETFs).
To view the Joint Proxy Statement and obtain voting information, please go to www.proxyvote.com on or after August 31, 2026. For information about the joint proxy statement, please call toll-free 855-496-3017.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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PROPOSAL 1
ELECTION OF BOARD MEMBERS
At the Meeting, shareholders will be asked to elect members of each Board, each to serve an indefinite term. Each Board has nominated each of Hilary E. Ackermann, Robin C. Beery, Andra S. Bolotin, Derrick D. Cephas, Christine R. Detrick, Gregory A. Frost, John J. Gauthier, Andrew A. Johnson, Paul L. Rosenberg and David Sung (each a “Nominee” and together, the “Nominees”) as Directors or Trustees, as applicable.
With the exception of Ms. Bolotin, the Nominees are the current members of each Board. With the exception of Ms. Bolotin, Mr. Frost and Mr. Gauthier, the Nominees have previously been elected by shareholders. Each Nominee, with the exception of Mr. Frost, is an independent or disinterested person, which means they are not “interested persons” of the Companies or Trusts, as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“1940 Act”). Such individuals are commonly referred to as “Independent Board Members.” Each of the current Directors/Trustees (“Board Members”) will continue to serve as Board Members, including Mr. Frost and Mr. Gauthier, who have been appointed by the Board but not elected by shareholders. Subject to shareholder approval, the effective date for Ms. Bolotin to become an Independent Board Member pursuant to her election by shareholders will be February 1, 2027, or the closing date of the Transaction, whichever is later. Each of the Nominees has consented to being named in this Joint Proxy Statement and to serve as a Board Member if elected.
Pertinent information regarding each Nominee’s principal occupation and business experience during at least the past five years, number of portfolios overseen or to be overseen and other directorships held is included in Appendix B. Shareholders wishing to send communications to the Nominees may submit written correspondence, directed to the Nominees, in care of the applicable Company’s/Trust’s Secretary, Thomas R. Phillips, c/o Hartford Funds, 690 Lee Road, Wayne, Pennsylvania 19087.
Each Board’s Nominating and Governance Committee operates pursuant to a written charter and is responsible for making nominations of candidates for appointment or election as independent Board Members. Accordingly, the Nominating and Governance Committee, at its meeting held on August 4 – 5, 2026, nominated each current Independent Board Member and Mr. Frost, and nominated Ms. Bolotin for election as an Independent Board Member by shareholders at the Meeting.
The governing documents for the Funds do not set forth any specific qualifications to serve as a Director/Trustee. The Charter for each Nominating and Governance Committee sets forth criteria that the Committee should consider as minimum requirements for consideration as an Independent Board Member, including: 15 years of business or academic experience in a management, administrative or other oversight capacity; a college degree or business experience equivalent to a college degree; an ability to invest in the Funds; a person of high ethical standards; and a person able to think through and discuss complicated regulatory and financial issues and arrive at reasonable decisions on these issues on behalf of Fund shareholders.
Each Nominating and Governance Committee and each Board concluded, based on each Nominee’s experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills, on an individual basis and in combination with those of other Nominees, that each Nominee is qualified to serve as a Board Member for each Company or Trust, as applicable. Among the attributes and skills common to all Nominees are the ability to review, evaluate and discuss information and proposals provided to them regarding the Funds, the ability to interact effectively with management and service providers, and the ability to exercise independent business judgment. Where applicable, each Board has considered the actual service of each Nominee in concluding that the Nominee should serve or continue to serve as a member of each Board. Each Nominee’s ability to perform his or her duties effectively has been attained through the Nominee’s education and work experience, as well as service, where applicable, as a Director/Trustee for the Funds and/or other entities. The individual qualifications of each Board nominee are described in Appendix C.
A summary of certain, but not necessarily all, factors that led each Nominating and Governance Committee and Board to conclude that each Nominee should be elected or re-elected to the Board is provided below.
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Each Nominee currently serving on the Board has dedicated considerable time and has executed his or her duties as a Board member with diligence and made substantial contributions during his or her service on the Board.
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Each Nominee has a desire and availability to serve as a Board member and each Nominee has a reputation for integrity, honesty, and high ethical standards.
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In the case of each Independent Nominee, there is an absence of conflicts that would interfere with qualifying as an Independent Board Member.
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Each Nominee possesses the experience and demonstrated ability to exercise sound business judgment.
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Each Nominee understands the role and responsibilities of serving as a Board Member, including the responsibilities of an Independent Board Member under the regulatory framework governing registered investment companies.
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Each Nominee possesses the skills necessary to critically evaluate information presented to the Board, to interact collaboratively and effectively with HFMC, other service providers, and other Board Members, and to enable the Board to operate effectively in governing the Funds and protecting shareholders’ interests.
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Each Fund achieves operational efficiencies by having the same Board Members oversee it and each of the other Funds.
In addition to individual qualifications, the qualifications described above are among those that each Nominating and Governance Committee may consider for any future Independent Nominees. The Nominating and Governance Committee periodically reviews the composition of the Board to determine whether it may be appropriate to add individuals with different backgrounds or skill sets from those already on the Board. It is the Nominating and Governance Committee’s policy to consider Board Member candidates recommended by shareholders using the same criteria the Committee uses to evaluate other candidates. Any Nominees recommended by shareholders must demonstrate an ability to represent all shareholders and not just a limited set of shareholders. A shareholder may submit a nomination to the Board by following the procedures detailed under “Shareholder Communications” below.
For a copy of the Nominating and Governance Committee Charter, please refer to Appendix D.
Board Leadership, Committee Structure, and Oversight
The Board currently consists of nine Board Members, eight of whom are Independent Board Members. If the Nominees are elected, the Board of the Funds will consist of ten Board Members, nine of whom will be Independent Board Members.
Christine R. Detrick, a current Independent Board Member, serves as the Chair of the Board and (i) presides over Board meetings and participates in the preparation of agendas for the Board and committee meetings, (ii) acts as a liaison with the Funds’ officers, HFMC, other service providers, and other Board Members between meetings, and (iii) coordinates Board activities and functions with the Chairs of the Board’s committees. The Board has determined that its leadership and committee structure is appropriate in light of the composition of the Board, its committees, and Ms. Detrick’s tenure with the Board and extensive knowledge of the investment management industry. The Board believes its leadership structure enhances the effectiveness of the Board’s oversight role because it provides a foundation for the Board to work effectively with HFMC and other service providers and facilitates the exercise of the Board’s independent judgment. In addition, the committee structure permits an efficient allocation of responsibility among the Board Members.
Standing Committees
As described in more detail below, the Board has established five standing committees that assist the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities: the Audit Committee; Compliance and Risk Oversight Committee; Contracts Committee; Investment Committee; and Nominating and Governance Committee (collectively, the “Committees”). The Funds do not have a standing compensation committee; however, the Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for making recommendations to the Board regarding the compensation of the Independent Board Members. The Board has adopted written charters for the Audit Committee, the Compliance and Risk Oversight Committee, the Investment Committee, and the
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Nominating and Governance Committee. The Funds do not have a compensation committee because their executive officers do not receive any direct compensation from the Funds. The Nominating and Governance Committee periodically reviews Independent Board Member compensation, typically on a bi-annual basis. The Board comprehensively reviews the Chief Compliance Officer’s (“CCO”) compensation, which is paid in part by HFMC and in part by the Funds (HFMC bears the costs allocated to certain of the ETFs).
The Audit Committee currently consists of the following Independent Board Members: Hilary E. Ackermann, Derrick D. Cephas, Paul L. Rosenberg, and David Sung. The Audit Committee (i) oversees the Funds’ accounting and financial reporting policies and practices, their internal controls and, as appropriate, the internal controls of certain service providers; (ii) assists the Board in its oversight of the qualifications, independence and performance of the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm; the quality, objectivity and integrity of the Funds’ financial statements and the independent audit thereof; and the performance of the Funds’ internal audit function; and (iii) acts as a liaison between the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm and the full Board. The Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm reports directly to the Audit Committee, and the Audit Committee regularly reports to the Board of Directors/Trustees.
Management is responsible for maintaining appropriate systems for accounting. The Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for conducting a proper audit of the Funds’ financial statements and is ultimately accountable to the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee has the ultimate authority and responsibility to select (subject to approval by the Independent Board Members and ratification by the Fund shareholders, as required) and evaluate the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm, to determine the compensation of the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm and, when appropriate, to replace the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm.
The Compliance and Risk Oversight Committee currently consists of Hilary E. Ackermann, Derrick D. Cephas, Paul L. Rosenberg, and David Sung. The Compliance and Risk Oversight Committee assists the Board in its oversight of the adoption and implementation of compliance and enterprise risk management policies and procedures.
The Contracts Committee currently consists of all Independent Board Members of the Funds: Hilary E. Ackermann; Robin C. Beery; Derrick D. Cephas; Christine R. Detrick; John J. Gauthier; Andrew A. Johnson; Paul L. Rosenberg; and David Sung. The Contracts Committee assists the Board in its consideration and review of fund contracts and the consideration of strategy-related matters.
The Investment Committee currently consists of Robin C. Beery, John J. Gauthier, and Andrew A. Johnson. The Investment Committee assists the Board in its oversight of the Funds’ investment performance and related matters.
The Nominating and Governance Committee currently consists of all Independent Board Members of the Fund: Hilary E. Ackermann; Robin C. Beery; Derrick D. Cephas; Christine R. Detrick; John J. Gauthier; Andrew A. Johnson; Paul L. Rosenberg; and David Sung. The Nominating and Governance Committee: (i) screens and selects candidates to the applicable Board and (ii) periodically reviews and evaluates the compensation of the Independent Board Members and makes recommendations to the Board regarding the compensation of, and expense reimbursement policies with respect to, Independent Board Members. The Nominating and Governance Committee is also authorized to consider and make recommendations to the Board regarding governance policies, including, but not limited to, any retirement policy for Independent Board Members. The Nominating and Governance Committee will consider nominees recommended by shareholders for Independent Board Members positions if a vacancy among the Independent Board Members occurs and if the nominee meets the Committee’s criteria.
The Board currently meets at least five times a year and may hold additional special meetings to address specific matters that arise between regularly scheduled meetings. The Independent Board Members also meet regularly outside of the presence of HFMC and are advised by independent legal counsel.
Information about the number of times the Board and each Committee met during each Fund’s most recent fiscal year is provided in Appendix E. No Board Member attended less than 75% of the total number of meetings of each Board and Committee on which the Board Member served during each Fund’s most recently completed fiscal year.
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The Board has engaged HFMC to manage the Funds on a day-to-day basis. The Board is responsible for overseeing HFMC, other service providers, and each Fund in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act, state law, other applicable laws, and each Fund’s governing documents. The Board reviews each Fund’s performance, operating expenses, and investment strategies and risks. The Board also reviews HFMC and its role in running the day-to-day operations of the Funds, including Fund administration, Fund accounting, Fund transfer agency operations and shareholder services, and Fund distribution.
Day-to-day risk management with respect to the Funds is the responsibility of HFMC or other service providers (depending on the nature of the risk), subject to oversight by HFMC. The Board oversees risk as part of its general oversight of the Funds and risk is addressed as part of various Board and Committee activities. The Funds are subject to a number of risks, including investment, compliance, financial, operational, and valuation risks. The Funds’ service providers, which are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Funds, implement risk management strategies in conducting their activities. The Board recognizes that it is not possible to identify all of the risks that may affect the Funds, and that it is not possible to develop processes and control measures to eliminate all risks and their possible effects. The Board may, at any time and in its discretion, change the manner in which it conducts its risk oversight role.
The Compliance and Risk Oversight Committee, Audit Committee, and Investment Committee receive reports or other information from HFMC regarding risk assessment and management. In addition, HFMC has established an internal committee focused on risk assessment and risk management related to the operations of the Funds and the investment manager, and the chairperson of that committee reports to the Compliance and Risk Oversight Committee on a semi-annual basis (or more frequently if appropriate). The Compliance and Risk Oversight Committee assists the Board in overseeing the activities of the Funds’ CCO, and the CCO provides an annual report to the Compliance and Risk Oversight Committee and the Board regarding material compliance matters. The Compliance and Risk Oversight Committee and the Board receive and consider other reports from the CCO throughout the year.
The Audit Committee assists the Board in reviewing financial matters, including matters relating to financial reporting risks and valuation risks. The Audit Committee oversees risk management efforts for financial reporting, pricing and valuation, and liquidity risk and meets regularly with the Funds’ Treasurer and independent auditors, as well as with members of management, to discuss financial reporting and audit issues, including risks related to financial controls. The Audit Committee operates pursuant to a written charter. For a copy of the Audit Committee Charter, please refer to Appendix F.
The Investment Committee assists the Board in overseeing investment matters. The Investment Committee receives reports from the investment manager relating to investment performance, including information regarding investment risk. The Investment Committee meets regularly with the Funds’ portfolio managers to discuss investment performance achieved by the Funds and the investment risks assumed by the Funds to achieve that performance.
The Committee structure facilitates the timely and efficient consideration of matters by the Board Members and fosters effective oversight of compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and of the Funds’ activities and their associated risks.
The CCO of the Funds and HFMC oversees the implementation and testing of the Funds’ compliance program and reports to the Board at least quarterly regarding compliance matters for the Funds, HFMC, and the Funds’ other service providers. The Independent Board Members have engaged independent legal counsel to assist them in performing their oversight responsibilities.
The Board also has appointed a Chief Legal Officer, who is responsible for overseeing internal reporting requirements imposed under rules adopted by the SEC pursuant to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which are designed to ensure that credible indications of material violations of federal securities laws or breaches of fiduciary duty are investigated and are adequately and appropriately resolved.
Finally, the Board appoints Fund officers to oversee the Funds’ daily operations. Each officer is an employee of HFMC. Information about the executive officers of each Fund is set forth in Appendix G.
Board Compensation
Information relating to compensation paid to Board Members is provided in Appendix H.
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Equity Securities Owned by Board Nominees and Executive Officers
Information relating to the dollar range of equity securities owned by Board Nominees in the Funds as of June 30, 2026, is set forth in Appendix I. Information concerning the Board Nominees’ and the Funds’ executive officers’ aggregate ownership in the Funds is provided in Appendix J.
Investment Manager, Principal Underwriter and Other Service Providers
HFMC is the investment manager for each Fund except for the series of Lattice Strategies Trust, for which Lattice, HFMC’s wholly owned subsidiary, is the investment adviser (HFMC and Lattice are collectively referred to as “HFMC”). HFMC is an indirect subsidiary of The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. (“The Hartford”), a Connecticut-based insurance company. As of June 30, 2026, HFMC had approximately $163.8 billion in discretionary and non-discretionary assets under management. HFMC is responsible for the management of the Funds and supervises the activities of the Funds’ sub-advisers. In addition, HFMC, its affiliate(s) or certain third-party service providers provide Fund administration, Fund accounting, and other administrative services to the Funds, including personnel, services, equipment and facilities and office space for proper operation of the Funds. HFMC’s principal offices are located at 690 Lee Road, Wayne, Pennsylvania 19087.
Hartford Funds Distributors, LLC (“HFD”), an affiliate of HFMC and a registered broker-dealer and member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), serves as the principal underwriter for each of the series of HMF, HMF II and HLS pursuant to an Underwriting Agreement approved by the Board. HFD’s principal offices are located at 690 Lee Road, Wayne, Pennsylvania 19087. ALPS Distributors, Inc. (“ALPS”), an unaffiliated broker-dealer and a member of FINRA, located at 1290 Broadway, Suite 1000, Denver, Colorado 80203, serves as the principal underwriter for the ETFs.
Hartford Administrative Services Company (“HASCO”), an affiliate of HFMC and a registered transfer agent, serves as transfer agent for the series of HMF, HMF II and HLS. State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”), One Congress Street, Suite 1, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, serves as the ETFs’ transfer agent. State Street also serves as the Funds’ custodian bank and holds the Funds’ cash, portfolio securities, and other investments in a custodial account established for each Fund.
On June 3, 2026, The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. (“The Hartford”) and Wellington Management Company LLP (“Wellington”) announced that they had reached a definitive agreement under which Wellington will acquire Hartford Funds Management Group, Inc. (“HFMG”) and certain affiliates (including HFMC and Lattice) (the “Transaction”). Upon closing, HFMG will be integrated into Wellington’s U.S. Wealth business. The resulting company will be wholly owned by Wellington and will ultimately operate under the Wellington name. The Transaction has been approved by both The Hartford and Wellington and is expected to close by January 2027.
REQUIRED VOTE
For all Companies and Trusts, other than LST, the affirmative vote of a plurality of the votes cast with respect to a Nominee at the Meeting, assuming a quorum is present, is necessary to elect each Nominee under this proposal. This means that, assuming a quorum is present, the Board nominees who receive the most votes will be elected even if none of the Nominees receive an outright majority of votes. In an uncontested election, as is the case for this election of Board members, the plurality requirement does not affect the outcome of the election. For LST, the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast with respect to a Nominee at the Meeting, assuming a quorum is present, is necessary to elect each Board nominee under this proposal. Because each Fund is a series of its respective Company or Trust, each shareholder vote will be counted together with the votes of shareholders of the other series of the applicable Company or Trust, voting as a single class in the election of Board Members. For Proposal 1, you may vote for “FOR ALL,” “WITHHOLD ALL” or “FOR ALL EXCEPT” with the option to identify certain Board nominees that would be excluded from a “vote for.”. Unless otherwise instructed, the proxies will vote all properly executed proxy cards and voting instruction cards “FOR ALL” the Nominees.
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The Board Members, including a majority of the Independent Board Members, of each Fund have selected PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (“PwC”) as the Funds’ independent registered public accounting
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firm for each Fund’s current fiscal year. PwC also will review the Funds’ federal and state income tax returns and provide certain permitted non-audit services. PwC, in accordance with Public Company Accounting Oversight Board Rule 3526, has confirmed to each Fund’s Audit Committee that they are independent auditors with respect to the Fund. Each Fund’s Audit Committee has considered whether the provision by PwC to the Fund of non-audit services to the Fund or of professional services to HFMC and entities that control, are controlled by or are under common control with HFMC is compatible with maintaining PwC’s independence and has discussed PwC’s independence with them. Representatives of PwC are not expected to be present at the Meeting but have been given the opportunity to make a statement if they so desire and will be available if any matter arises requiring their presence.
The amount of fees paid by the Funds for the two most recent fiscal years for all audit, non-audit, tax, and all other services provided directly to the Funds by the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm is provided in Appendix K.
The Boards unanimously recommend that you vote “FOR” Proposal 1.
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PROPOSAL 2
APPROVAL OF NEW INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT AGREEMENTS
At a meeting on August 4 – 5, 2026, the Boards, including all of the Independent Board Members, approved new Investment Management Agreements between HFMC and each of HMF, HMF II, HLS, HFETT and between Lattice and LST on behalf of the Funds (each a “New Agreement” and, collectively, the “New Agreements”). If approved by shareholders, the New Agreements will replace the current Investment Management Agreements between HFMC and HMF, HMF II, HLS and HFETT and between Lattice and LST (together, the “Current Agreements”). Copies of the forms of each New Agreement are attached as Appendix N.
Hartford Funds Management Company, LLC currently serves as investment manager for all series of HMF, HMF II, HLS and HFETT. Lattice serves as investment adviser to the series of LST. Currently, Wellington Management Company LLP (“Wellington”), Schroder Investment Management North America Inc. (“SIMNA”), Schroder Investment Management North America Ltd. (“SIMNA Ltd.”), and Mellon Investments Corporation (“Mellon”) serve as sub-adviser to one or more Funds. The Funds for which each HFMC, Lattice, Wellington, SIMNA, SIMNA Ltd. and Mellon serve as investment manager, investment adviser or investment sub-adviser, as applicable, are set forth in Appendix A.
As noted above with respect to Proposal 1, The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc. and Wellington Management announced that they had reached a definitive agreement under which Wellington will acquire Hartford Funds Management Group, Inc. and certain affiliates including HFMC and Lattice. Upon the closing of the Transaction, HFMG will be integrated into Wellington Management’s U.S. Wealth business. The resulting company will be wholly owned by Wellington Management and will ultimately operate under the Wellington name. The Transaction is expected to close by January 2027. Upon the closing of the Transaction, Wellington will no longer serve as sub-adviser to any Fund. The current sub-advisory arrangements with SIMNA, SIMNA Ltd. and Mellon will automatically terminate upon the closing of the Transaction; however, the Board will rely on the Funds’ multi-manager exemptive relief issued by the SEC and approve new sub-advisory arrangements for the Funds under which each such entity would continue to serve as sub-adviser.
The Funds’ Board is proposing the New Agreements for each Fund because the Current Agreements will terminate upon completion of the Transaction. As required by the 1940 Act, each Current Agreement provides for automatic termination upon its “assignment.” Under the 1940 Act, a change in control of an investment adviser constitutes an “assignment.” The consummation of the Transaction, therefore, will result in the assignment of the Current Agreements and their automatic termination. As a result, shareholders of each Fund are being asked to approve the New Agreement(s) for their Fund(s). The New Agreements would only be effective as of the consummation of the Transaction. If the Transaction is not completed, the New Agreements would not go into effect and the Current Agreements would remain in force.
Shareholders of Hartford Climate Opportunities Fund, Hartford Hybrid and Credit Opportunities Fund, Hartford International Equity Fund and The Hartford High Yield Fund are being asked to approve the New Agreement between HFMC and Hartford Funds Exchange-Traded Trust. Effective in October 2026, Hartford International Equity Fund, Hartford Climate Opportunities Fund, and The Hartford High Yield Fund, each a series of The Hartford Mutual Funds, Inc., each is expected to convert from a mutual fund to an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) by means of a reorganization into Hartford Alpha Capture International Equity ETF, Hartford Alpha Capture International Value ETF and Hartford High Yield ETF, respectively (each an “Acquiring ETF”), each a series of HFETT. Effective in November 2026, Hartford Hybrid and Credit Opportunities Fund is also expected to convert into an Acquiring ETF series of HFETT by means of a similar reorganization. In order to ensure that each Acquiring ETF is a party to both the Current Agreement for Hartford Climate Opportunities Fund, Hartford Hybrid and Credit Opportunities Fund, Hartford International Equity Fund and The Hartford High Yield Fund and the New Agreement that will apply to the Acquiring ETFs, prior to the expected conversion date and each Acquiring ETF’s public offering to shareholders, the Board and the sole initial shareholder of the Acquiring ETFs are expected to approve both the Current Agreement and the New Agreement for HFETT with approval of the New Agreement contingent upon the approval of the New Agreement by shareholders of Hartford Climate Opportunities
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Fund, Hartford Hybrid and Credit Opportunities Fund, Hartford International Equity Fund and The Hartford High Yield Fund.
If approved by shareholders, the New Agreements will not result in any changes to any Fund’s investment strategy or portfolio management team, and will not result in an increase in the overall fees paid by any Fund.
The terms of each New Agreement will be identical to those of the Current Agreements. The only difference that will result from completion of the Transaction is that HFMC and Lattice will become wholly owned subsidiaries of Wellington Management. The key terms of the New Agreements are described below.
The closing of the Transaction, which is currently expected to take place in the first quarter of 2027, is subject to customary conditions, including among other things, approval of the proposed New Agreements by a sufficient number of the Funds. In the event that the closing of the Transaction and the termination of a Fund’s Current Agreement occurs before shareholder approval of the New Agreement for the Fund is obtained, it is anticipated that the Fund would rely on Rule 15a-4 under the 1940 Act, which permits each Board (including a majority of the Independent Board Members) to approve and enter into an interim advisory agreement (“Interim Advisory Agreement”) pursuant to which HFMC or Lattice would serve as an interim adviser to a Fund for up to 150 days following the termination of the Current Agreement. At a meeting held on August 4 – 5, 2026, the Boards approved an Interim Advisory Agreement for each Fund, which would only take effect if the Closing occurs before a Fund’s shareholders approve the New Agreement. In the event that the New Agreement is not approved by a Fund’s shareholders, the Board will take such action as it believes to be in the best interest of the respective Fund and its shareholders, including, potentially, liquidation.
HFMG, a Delaware corporation formed in 2013, is a holding company that, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, provides advisory, asset management, limited broker-dealer and related products and services. HFMG’s investment management services are provided through its wholly owned subsidiaries, HFMC and Lattice. HFMC and Lattice are investment advisers registered with the SEC that serve as the investment manager or adviser to 79 Hartford Funds as of June 30, 2026, including 18 ETFs. HFMC and Lattice currently retain sub-advisers, which include Wellington, to manage the daily investment of the assets of the majority of the Hartford Funds. HFMC and Lattice monitor the sub-advisers for performance, compliance, management and legal activities. After the Transaction is finalized, HFMC and its affiliates, including Lattice, will continue to provide investment management services to the Funds but will be integrated into Wellington’s wealth management business.
Wellington Management Company was incorporated in 1933. The current Wellington Management Company LLP, a Delaware limited liability partnership, was established in 2014 and succeeded to the registration of the original firm on January 1, 2015. Wellington is one of the world’s largest independent investment management firms, serving as a trusted adviser to approximately 3,070 clients across more than 66 countries. As of June 30, 2026, the firm manages approximately $1.4 trillion in assets on behalf of a diverse client base, including pension plans, endowments and foundations, insurers, family offices, fund sponsors, global wealth managers, and other institutional and intermediary clients. The parent company of Wellington is Wellington Management Group LLP, a Massachusetts private limited liability partnership. The firm is owned by 184 partners as of January 1, 2026, all of whom are active in the business.
For nearly a century, Wellington has maintained a differentiated approach to its ownership structure, organizational design, and investment platform. As a private partnership with investment management as its sole business, the firm is able to align its long-term perspectives and interests closely with those of its clients. Central to this approach is a commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce, recognizing that the best investment outcomes are driven by the thoughtful exchange of varied perspectives.
Wellington traces its roots to the founding of the Wellington Fund in 1928. The firm is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, and maintains a broad global presence, with offices across the United States — including Chicago, Needham, New York, Radnor, and San Francisco — as well as in key international financial centers such as Dubai, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, and Zurich.
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Wellington’s US Wealth business currently oversees roughly $1.4 trillion (as of June 30, 2026) in client assets under management, including the Funds Wellington currently sub-advises for Hartford Funds. One of Wellington’s top strategic priorities is to further strengthen and expand its presence in the US Wealth market, which is one of the largest and fastest growing segments of the global asset management market. Wellington currently sponsors three registered funds that it distributes in the US Wealth market so the acquisition of Hartford Funds will dramatically increase the firm’s presence as a sponsor and distributor of funds in the US Wealth market. The Hartford Funds business is expected to become the foundation of Wellington’s “direct” (i.e., proprietary sales) presence in that market.
Wellington personnel will continue to provide investment advisory and related services to the Funds that Wellington currently sub-advises but Wellington will no longer serve in the capacity as a sub-adviser. Wellington personnel, acting on behalf of HFMC, will provide such investment advisory services under an intercompany arrangement whereby Wellington will share resources with HFMC. As noted above, Schroders or Mellon, as applicable, will continue to serve as sub-adviser to the Funds for which they currently provide such services and HFMC or an affiliate will continue to serve as the investment manager and will continue to oversee the sub-adviser. The intercompany agreement between Wellington and HFMC, among other things will provide that Wellington’s investment professionals providing services to the Funds currently sub-advised by Wellington will be subject to the supervision of both Wellington and HFMC and certain applicable policies of both Wellington and HFMC as appropriate in light of the shared services being provided.
Hartford Funds and Wellington believe that the Transaction will benefit Fund shareholders in a number of ways.
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First, it provides continuity. Unlike many transactions in the asset management space, there will not be widespread changes that can be disruptive. HFMC as the investment manager and the investment professionals responsible for managing the Funds’ investment portfolios will not change upon close.
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Second, HFMC will now be part of a large, stable private partnership with a long-term mindset whose sole business is investment management and that is committed to continuing to invest in the business.
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Third, we expect that over time economies of scale in Fund operations and servicing may result in lower Fund operating expenses. Moreover, if the strategy underlying the Transaction is successful in contributing to improved distribution and growth prospects for the business, many Funds may pay lower effective management fee rates as assets increase.
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Finally, the combined organization should be better positioned to respond more effectively to financial advisor and shareholder needs. For example, as one organization we will be able to streamline and improve coordination. HFMC and Wellington together can bring investment insights to financial advisors and their clients more seamlessly and quickly, along with associated service and support. We can innovate on product design more effectively, whether that be enhancements to existing investment strategies, the development of new strategies, or the addition of new vehicles.
The change in ownership of HFMC is not anticipated to create any costs for the Funds nor any negative effects for the Funds or their shareholders. As noted above, the terms of the New Agreements will be the same as those of the Current Agreements, and no fee changes are expected to occur as a result of the Transaction.
It is anticipated that following the closing of the Transaction, the majority of the Funds and any investment advisers being transferred to Wellington Management in the Transaction will operate under the Wellington brand. We expect that branding the Funds under the Wellington umbrella will be broadly helpful to the distribution of the Funds. Hartford Funds has established a strong brand name among financial advisors, leveraging in part its reputation for excellent service and engagement — which will continue under Wellington Management’s ownership. Wellington’s brand is oriented to its investment heritage and focus and is generally well-known and well-regarded in the distributor “home office”/CIO/investment research community.
In completing the Transaction, The Hartford and Wellington Management have agreed to comply with Section 15(f) of the 1940 Act. Section 15(f) provides in substance that when a sale of securities or a controlling
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interest in an investment adviser to an investment company occurs, the investment adviser or any of its affiliated persons may receive any amount or benefit in connection with the sale so long as two conditions are satisfied. The first condition of Section 15(f) is that during the three-year period following the consummation of a transaction, at least 75% of the investment company’s board must not be “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the investment adviser or predecessor adviser. Each Fund’s Board currently meets this test and is expected to do so after the Transaction is completed. Second, an “unfair burden” must not be imposed on the investment company as a result of the transaction relating to the sale of such interest, or any express or implied terms, conditions or understandings applicable thereto. The term “unfair burden” (as defined in the 1940 Act) includes any arrangement during the two-year period after the transaction whereby the investment adviser (or predecessor or successor adviser), or any “interested person” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of such an adviser, receives or is entitled to receive any compensation, directly or indirectly, from the investment company or its security holders (other than fees for bona fide investment advisory or other services) or from any person in connection with the purchase or sale of securities or other property to, from or on behalf of the investment company (other than bona fide ordinary compensation as principal underwriter for the investment company). The Hartford and Wellington Management have agreed under the Transaction Agreement to conduct, and use reasonable best efforts to cause their respective affiliates to conduct, their respective businesses in compliance with the conditions of Section 15(f) in relation to any public funds advised by HFMC and Wellington, respectively.
Description of Current and New Agreements
The following is a summary of the terms of the Current Agreements and the New Agreements, which are substantially identical.
Duties of the Investment Manager. Under the Current and New Agreements, HFMC, directly or through an affiliate, administers the business and affairs of the Companies/Trusts and the Funds and may retain and compensate sub-advisers that invest and reinvest the assets of the Funds pursuant to sub-advisory agreements with HFMC. In this regard, HFMC will, whether directly or through engagement of sub-advisers, regularly provide each Fund with research, advice and supervision, and will furnish continuously an investment program for each Fund consistent with the investment objectives and policies of the Fund. HFMC shall also monitor, supervise and oversee any sub-adviser. In addition, HFMC will regularly provide such administrative and management services as may from time to time be requested by the Companies/Trusts or Funds as necessary for the operation of the Funds. The provisions of the New Agreements with respect to these services and duties are identical to those of the Current Agreements and enumerate certain existing obligations and responsibilities, including, among others, the investment management and administrative and management services outlined below:
Investment Management Services
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Providing and, as necessary, re-evaluating and updating the investment objectives and parameters, asset classes, and risk profiles of the Funds.
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Determining, as permitted through the engagement of sub-advisers as the case may be, what securities and other financial instruments should be purchased for the Funds and the portion of the Funds’ portfolios to be held in cash.
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Monitoring the Funds’ performance and examining and recommending ways to improve performance.
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Meeting with and monitoring sub-advisers to confirm their compliance with the Funds’ investment strategies and policies and for their adherence to legal and compliance procedures.
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Researching and recommending sub-advisers or portfolio managers for the Funds.
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Reporting to the Boards on the performance of each Fund and recommending action as appropriate.
Administrative and Management Services
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Assisting in all aspects of the Funds’ operations, including the supervision and coordination of service providers (e.g., the custodian, transfer agent or other shareholder servicing agents, accountants, and attorneys), and serving as the liaison between such service providers and the Board.
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Drafting and negotiating agreements between service providers and the Funds.
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Preparing meeting materials for the Funds’ Board and producing such other materials as the Board may request.
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Coordinating and overseeing filings with the SEC.
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Developing and implementing compliance programs for the Funds.
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Providing day-to-day legal and regulatory support for the Funds.
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Assisting the Funds in the handling of regulatory examinations.
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Making reports to the Board regarding the performance of the Funds’ investment adviser.
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Maintaining and preserving records relating to the Funds.
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Performing due diligence on third-party service providers and negotiating service agreements with those third parties.
Compensation. Under the Current and New Agreements, HFMC or an affiliate receives, as compensation for its services, a fee from the applicable Fund computed separately for each Fund. The amount of the investment management fee for each Fund is determined by applying the daily equivalent of an annual fee rate to the net assets of each Fund. As noted above, no changes in the investment management fees are expected under the New Agreements.
The New Agreements, if approved by shareholders of each Fund, will not result in an increase in fees to shareholders.
Expenses Paid by the Funds. Under the Current and New Agreements, no change to any Fund’s operating expenses is anticipated.
Liability of HFMC and Lattice. The Current and New Agreements provide that HFMC and Lattice will not be liable for any loss or losses sustained by reason of any investment including the purchase, holding or sale of any security, or with respect to the administration of any Fund, as long as HFMC or Lattice shall have acted in good faith and with due care. HFMC and Lattice are not protected from liability to any Fund or its shareholders to the extent that the liability is due to its willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of its reckless disregard of its duties and obligations under the Current and New Agreements.
Term of the Investment Management Agreement. The term of the Current and New Agreements will continue in effect as to a Fund for a period no more than two years from the date of its execution (or the execution of an amendment making the Agreement applicable to that Fund) and thereafter if such continuance is specifically approved at least annually either by the Board or by a “vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” of that Fund, as defined under the 1940 Act. In either event, such continuance must also be approved by the vote of the majority of the Independent Board Members.
Termination of the Investment Management Agreement. The Current and New Agreements may be terminated at any time without the payment of any penalty on 60 days’ written notice to the other party or parties to such agreement. The following parties may terminate the Current and New Agreements:
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the applicable Board of the Company or Trust;
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a majority of the outstanding voting securities of a Fund with respect to that Fund; and
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HFMC or Lattice
The Current and New Agreements each will automatically terminate in the event of its “assignment,” as that term is defined under the 1940 Act.
Amendments to the Investment Management Agreement. The Current and New Agreements may be amended by the parties thereto (which include HFMC or an affiliate and each Company/Trust) provided that the amendment is approved by the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each relevant Fund or by the vote of a majority of the Board of the applicable Fund, including a majority of the Independent Board Members.
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Any required shareholder approval of any amendment will be effective with respect to any Fund if a majority of the outstanding voting securities of that Fund votes to approve the amendment, even if the amendment may not have been approved by a majority of the outstanding voting securities of (a) any other Fund affected by the amendment; or (b) all the Funds of the applicable Company/Trust.
Board Considerations in Approving the New Agreement
At a series of virtual and in-person meetings held during May, June, July and August 2026, the Boards discussed the Transaction and the New Agreements in detail and at an in-person meeting on August 4 – 5, 2026, the Board of each Fund, including each of the Independent Board Members, unanimously voted to approve the New Agreements on behalf of each Fund and recommend that shareholders approve the New Agreements.
The Boards, including the Independent Board Members, are responsible for selecting the Funds’ investment manager, approving the investment manager’s selection of Fund sub-advisers and approving each Company’s/Trust’s investment management and sub-advisory agreements, their periodic continuation and any amendments. The Boards considered such information as they deemed reasonably necessary to evaluate the New Agreements, which included not only the information specifically presented in connection with the Transaction and the approval of the New Agreements, but also information furnished to the Boards at their meetings throughout the year as well as the Boards’ substantial accumulated experience in interacting with HFMC and Wellington on matters relating to the oversight of the Funds. Information provided to the Boards at their meetings throughout the year included, among other things, reports on Fund performance, legal, compliance and risk management matters, sales and marketing activity, shareholder services, and the other services provided to each Fund by HFMC and its affiliates. The Boards also considered the materials and presentations provided by HFMC and Wellington, as well as the independent consultant engaged by the Independent Board Members to assist them in evaluating each Fund’s fees and expenses (the “Independent Consultant”), in connection with the Boards’ annual approval of the continuation of the Current Agreements and the current sub-advisory agreements between HFMC and Wellington with respect to the Funds currently sub-advised by Wellington, which was completed at the Boards’ meeting on August 4 – 5, 2026 (the “Annual Contract Renewal”).
At the Board meetings, the Independent Board Members conferred with representatives of HFMC and Wellington about the Transaction and the New Agreements and related matters. At these Board meetings, senior representatives of HFMC and Wellington made presentations to and responded to questions from the Boards. The Independent Board Members also conferred separately with their independent counsel on numerous occasions to discuss information about the Transaction and other matters related to the Transaction, to consider the New Agreements, and to discuss legal standards and certain other considerations relevant to the Independent Board Members’ deliberations.
In providing information to the Boards regarding the New Agreements, HFMC and Wellington were guided by a request for information submitted by independent counsel on behalf of the Independent Board Members. In this regard, the Board received information about the Transaction, including, but not limited to: (i) information about the structure, financing and material terms and conditions of the Transaction; (ii) information about Wellington Management, including its businesses and operations, organization, capabilities, personnel, resources, financial condition, and regulatory and compliance record; (iii) information about Wellington Management’s plans with respect to the Funds and HFMC, HFD and HASCO after the closing of the Transaction, including plans for and anticipated roles and responsibilities of senior management and other key employees of HFMC; and (iv) information about the anticipated impacts of the Transaction on the Funds and their shareholders.
In connection with the Boards’ evaluation of the New Agreements, HFMC and Wellington advised the Board about a variety of matters, including, but not limited to, the following:
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there is not expected to be any diminution in the nature, quality and extent of services provided to the Funds and their shareholders by HFMC, including investment management and other services, after the closing of the Transaction;
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the New Agreements will not result in any changes to any Fund’s investment strategy or portfolio management team;
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the operation of HFMC within the larger Wellington Management firm after the closing of the Transaction should enhance its ability to attract and retain talented professionals;
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the Funds should benefit from having access to Wellington Management’s state-of-the-art technology and risk management analytic tools, including investment tools;
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the management fee rates payable under the New Agreements will not increase as a result of the Transaction as compared to the rates under the Current Agreements;
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the New Agreements will not result in an increase in the overall expenses paid by any Fund;
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Wellington has no present intention to alter any expense limitations and fee waivers currently in effect for any of the Funds and, while it reserves the right to do so in the future, it would seek the approval of the Boards before making any changes;
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following the Transaction, the HFD sales force will continue to distribute shares of the Funds;
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the Funds will not bear any expenses, directly or indirectly, in connection with the Transaction, including costs associated with obtaining shareholder approval;
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under the Transaction Agreement, HFMC and Wellington Management have agreed that neither will take any steps that would impose an “unfair burden” (as that term is defined in Section 15(f) of the 1940 Act) on the Funds as a result of the Transaction; and
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The Hartford Insurance Group, Inc., HFMC and Wellington would derive benefits from the Transaction and, as a result, they have a different financial interest in the matters that were being considered than do Fund shareholders.
The Board also considered the information provided by HFMC and Wellington regarding the following factors, among others:
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the potential benefits to the Funds and Fund shareholders from being part of a larger, combined investment platform with Wellington-sponsored funds and accounts, including possible economies of scale and access to investment opportunities;
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the potential for expanding distribution of Fund shares through improved access to third party distribution;
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the reputation, financial strength and resources of Wellington and its affiliates;
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the compliance program and policies and procedures of Wellington;
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the terms and conditions of the New Agreements, including the fact that, except for the dates of the New Agreements, the terms and conditions of the New Agreements will be the same as the terms and conditions of the corresponding Current Agreements; and
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the fact that, within the past year, the Boards had performed an annual or initial review, as applicable, of the Current Agreements as required by Section 15(c) of the 1940 Act.
In addition to considering information furnished specifically to evaluate the impact of the Transaction on the Funds and their shareholders, the Board considered detailed information provided in connection with the Annual Contract Renewal. In this regard, in connection with the Annual Contract Renewal, the Board received information and materials regarding, among other matters: (i) each Fund’s performance and other investment-related matters, including information from Broadridge, in its capacity as an independent provider of investment company data, comparing the investment performance of each Fund to an appropriate universe of peer funds selected by Broadridge; (ii) each Fund’s fees and expenses, including information from Broadridge comparing each Fund’s contractual management fees, actual management fees and total expense ratios relative to an appropriate group of funds selected by Broadridge; (iii) information regarding HFMC’s profitability with respect to each Fund; (iv) economies of scale; (v) other benefits to HFMC and its affiliates from their relationships with the Funds; and (vi) other information relevant to an evaluation of the nature, extent and quality of the services provided by HFMC and Wellington in response to a series of detailed questions posed by independent counsel on behalf of the Independent Board Members. The Independent Board Members also considered the independent analysis and views of the Independent
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Consultant regarding each Fund’s fees and total operating expenses in the context of the Fund’s investment performance. Based on their review of the information and materials provided in connection with the Annual Contract Renewal, the Boards concluded that they were satisfied with the nature, extent and quality of the services provided to each Fund by HFMC under the Current Agreements and that each Fund’s fees and total operating expenses, in conjunction with the information about quality of services, profitability, economies of scale, and other matters considered, were reasonable in light of the services provided under the Current Agreements.
In determining whether to approve the New Agreements for the Funds, the members of the Boards reviewed and evaluated information and factors they believed to be relevant and appropriate in light of the information that the Boards deemed necessary and appropriate through the exercise of their reasonable business judgment. While individual members of the Boards may have weighed certain factors differently, the Boards’ determination to approve the New Agreements was based on a comprehensive consideration of all information provided to the Boards throughout the year and specifically with respect to the Transaction and the approval of the New Agreements. The Boards were furnished with an analysis of their fiduciary obligations in connection with their evaluation and, throughout the evaluation process, the Boards were assisted by counsel for the Funds, and the Independent Board Members were also separately assisted by their independent legal counsel.
A summary of the important, but not necessarily all, factors considered by the Boards with respect to its approval of the New Agreements and its recommendation that shareholders approve the New Agreements is provided below.
Nature, Extent and Quality of Services Provided by HFMC
The Boards considered the nature, extent and quality of the services that HFMC would continue to provide to each Fund under the New Agreements. The Boards considered a representation made by Wellington and HFMC that the Funds will not experience any diminution in the nature, extent or quality of advisory services currently provided to the Funds. In this regard, the Boards considered, among other things, the terms of the New Agreements and the range of services to be provided by HFMC thereunder, including HFMC’s oversight of fund operations and service providers, and provision of administrative and investment advisory services in connection with selecting, monitoring and supervising the Funds’ sub-advisers.
The Boards considered that Wellington will no longer serve in the capacity as a sub-adviser and, instead, under the New Agreements, HFMC will provide day-to-day portfolio management services for the Funds currently sub-advised by Wellington. The Boards considered that Wellington personnel, acting on behalf of HFMC, will provide investment advisory and portfolio management services to such Funds under an intercompany arrangement whereby Wellington will share resources with HFMC. The Boards considered that there will not be any changes to any Fund’s portfolio management team as a result of the Transaction. In connection with the Annual Contract Renewal, the Boards considered Wellington’s investment personnel, investment philosophy and process, investment research capabilities and resources, performance record, trade execution capabilities and experience, as well as the expertise of the portfolio managers and Wellington’s method for compensating the portfolio managers. The Boards also considered information regarding plans for Wellington’s investment platform line management function to conduct ongoing investment oversight for the Funds for which Wellington will no longer serve in the capacity as a sub-adviser after the Transaction, which will include monitoring and evaluating the Funds and their portfolio management teams and investment performance.
The Boards also considered that the day-to-day operational functions of HFMC are not anticipated to change as a result of the Transaction and that, over time, Wellington Management will assess whether there are operational efficiencies or other enhancements that may be realized by further integration of HFMC into Wellington Management’s operations. In this regard, the Board considered that, with limited exceptions, substantially all in-scope employees of HFMC (including senior management and other key individuals) are expected to continue at HFMC in their same roles initially after the Transaction and that the reporting lines among such HFMC employees are expected to remain substantially unchanged after the closing of the Transaction. The Boards considered information regarding the infrastructure, systems and resources
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within the Wellington Management organization that will support HFMC’s provision of services to the Funds under the New Agreements.
Based on these considerations, among others, the Boards concluded that they were satisfied with the nature, extent and quality of the services that HFMC would continue to provide to each Fund under the New Agreements.
Performance of each Fund
In connection with the Annual Contract Renewal, the Boards considered the investment performance of each Fund and evaluated each Fund’s performance. The Boards also considered the detailed investment analytics reports provided by HFMC throughout the year. These reports include, among other things, information on each Fund’s gross and net returns, the Fund’s investment performance relative to an appropriate benchmark and peer group, various statistics concerning the Fund’s portfolio, and a narrative summary of various factors affecting Fund performance. Additionally, the Boards considered that the day-to-day portfolio management of the Funds is expected to be unchanged by the Transaction. The Boards concluded that they had continued confidence in HFMC’s overall capabilities to manage the Funds under the New Agreements.
Costs of the Services and Profitability of HFMC
In connection with the Annual Contract Renewal, the Boards considered information regarding the costs of the services provided and the profits realized by HFMC and its affiliates from their relationships with the Funds, including information regarding profitability trends over time. The Boards also considered that the Independent Board Members’ prior independent consultant had previously reviewed the methodologies and estimates used by HFMC in calculating profitability in connection with the continuation of the Current Agreements and that the prior independent consultant previously reported that such process is reasonable, sound and consistent with common industry practice.
The Board considered information about the impact of the Transaction on HFMC. The Boards noted that the New Agreements would not result in an increase in the overall management fee rates payable by the Funds. The Boards considered that, with respect to the Funds currently sub-advised by Schroders or Mellon, HFMC does not anticipate material changes to HFMC’s profitability as a result of the Transaction. The Board considered that, with respect to the Funds currently sub-advised by Wellington, HFMC will no longer pay to Wellington an external sub-advisory fee with respect to those Funds after the Transaction and, instead, HFMC’s profitability is expected to reflect internal expense allocations associated with Wellington personnel, investment resources and related support. The Boards considered information regarding the methodologies and estimates to be used by HFMC in calculating profitability for purposes of reporting to the Board in connection with the approval of the New Agreements. The Boards noted that if the New Agreements are approved by shareholders and the Transaction closes, the Boards will have the opportunity in the future to review the profitability of HFMC from investment advisory activities under the New Agreements.
Comparison of Fees and Services Provided by HFMC
In connection with the Annual Contract Renewal, the Boards considered a detailed analysis of the Funds’ fees and expenses, including comparative information that had been provided with respect to the management fees paid by each Fund to HFMC under the Current Agreements and the total expense ratios of the Fund. The Boards also considered a representation made by Wellington and HFMC that they do not anticipate seeking any increases in management fees or total expense ratios in the Funds as a result of the Transaction. The Boards also considered a representation made by Wellington and HFMC that they are not contemplating any changes in the agreements relating to expense limitations and fee waivers in effect immediately prior to the Transaction. Based on these considerations, among others, the Boards concluded that each Fund’s fees and total operating expenses, in conjunction with the information about quality of services, profitability, economies of scale, and other matters considered, were reasonable in light of the services to be provided under the New Agreements.
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Economies of Scale
In connection with the Annual Contract Renewal, the Boards considered information regarding the extent to which economies of scale may be realized as a Fund grows and whether fee levels reflect these economies of scale for the benefit of shareholders of that Fund. In this regard, the Board reviewed the breakpoints in the management fee schedule for each Fund, if any, which reduce fee rates as the Fund’s assets grow over time. The Boards noted that the New Agreements would not result in any change in the management fee schedules for the Funds. Based on these considerations, among others, the Boards concluded that they were satisfied with the extent to which economies of scale, if any, would be shared for the benefit of each Fund’s shareholders based on currently available information and the effective management fees and total expense ratios for the Fund at its current and reasonably anticipated asset levels.
Other Benefits
In connection with the Annual Contract Renewal, the Boards considered information regarding other benefits to HFMC, Wellington and their affiliates from their relationships with the Funds, including fees for fund accounting services performed by HFMC, fees for transfer agency services performed by HASCO, and distribution fees paid to HFD. The Boards also considered other benefits to HFMC, Wellington and their affiliates from their anticipated relationships with the Funds following the Transaction. The Boards noted that there would be no changes to the contractual arrangements with HFMC, HASCO and HFD for fund accounting services, transfer agency services and distribution services, respectively, including the fees payable thereunder. The Boards also considered information regarding certain benefits to other investment products sponsored by Wellington that may result from the acquisition by Wellington Management of HFD and its resources.
Conclusion
Based upon their review of these various factors, among others, and such other matters as were deemed relevant, and with no single factor being determinative to their decision, the Boards, including the Independent Board Members, unanimously approved the New Agreements and voted to recommend that shareholders approve the New Agreements.
The Funds have received an order from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) that permits HFMC, for certain Funds and from time to time, without the expense and delays associated with obtaining shareholder approval, to enter into and change the terms (including sub-advisory fees) of sub-advisory agreements with sub-advisers that are not affiliates of HFMC. HFMC currently employs Wellington, Schroders and Mellon, each a registered investment adviser, as sub-adviser for one or more of the Funds. As noted above, after the Transaction is completed, Wellington is not expected to serve as sub-adviser to any Fund. However, Schroders’ and Mellon’s service as sub-adviser to the Funds for which each currently serves as sub-adviser is expected to continue following approval of the New Agreements.
Additional Information
For additional information about HFMC, the amounts of investment management fees paid to HFMC with respect to each Fund for the most recently completed fiscal year and “Other Fee Payments,” see Appendix O.
REQUIRED VOTE
For each Fund, approval of this Proposal requires an affirmative vote of the lesser of: (i) 67% or more of the Fund’s shares present at the Meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund are present or represented by proxy; or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund. If the shareholders of a particular Fund do not approve this Proposal, the applicable New Agreement will not take effect, and the applicable Current Agreement will continue in effect as to that Fund.
The Boards unanimously recommend that you vote “FOR” Proposal 2.
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PROPOSAL 3
APPROVAL TO RECLASSIFY EACH OF THE HARTFORD CAPITAL APPRECIATION FUND, HARTFORD CAPITAL APPRECIATION HLS FUND, HARTFORD CORE EQUITY FUND, HARTFORD DISCIPLINED EQUITY HLS FUND, HARTFORD EMERGING MARKETS EQUITY FUND, THE HARTFORD HEALTHCARE FUND, HARTFORD HEALTHCARE HLS FUND AND THE HARTFORD GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES FUND FROM A DIVERSIFIED INVESTMENT COMPANY TO A NON-DIVERSIFIED INVESTMENT COMPANY AND TO ELIMINATE EACH FUND’S RELATED FUNDAMENTAL DIVERSIFICATION POLICY
Shareholders are being asked to review and consider reclassifying each of The Hartford Capital Appreciation Fund (“Capital Appreciation Fund”), Hartford Capital Appreciation HLS Fund (“Capital Appreciation HLS Fund”), Hartford Core Equity Fund (“Core Equity Fund”), Hartford Disciplined Equity HLS Fund (“Disciplined Equity HLS Fund”), Hartford Emerging Markets Equity Fund (“Emerging Markets Equity Fund”), The Hartford Healthcare Fund (“Healthcare Fund”), Hartford Healthcare HLS Fund (“Healthcare HLS Fund”) and The Hartford Growth Opportunities Fund (“Growth Opportunities Fund”) from a diversified investment company to a non-diversified investment company and eliminating the following related fundamental diversification policy with respect to each Fund:
“The Fund has elected to be classified as a diversified series of an open-end management investment company. As a diversified fund, at least 75% of the value of the Fund’s total assets must be represented by cash and cash items (including receivables), U.S. Government securities, securities of other investment companies, and other securities for the purposes of this calculation limited in respect of any one issuer (i) to an amount not greater in value than 5% of the value of the total assets of the Fund and (ii) to not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer.”
Section 5(b) of the 1940 Act requires an investment company to be classified as either diversified or non-diversified, and a fund’s classification as diversified is considered a fundamental policy that cannot be changed without shareholder approval. Diversified funds are subject to the restrictions described in the policy set forth above while non-diversified funds are not. As a result, a non-diversified fund is permitted to hold a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer.
If the proposal is approved by shareholders of a Fund at the Meeting, that Fund will elect to be classified as a non-diversified series of an open-end management investment company, which means that the Fund will not be required to comply with the diversification rules of the 1940 Act set forth in the policy above, although the Fund must meet the tax-related diversification requirements set forth below.
Capital Appreciation Fund and Capital Appreciation HLS Fund, Core Equity Fund and Disciplined Equity HLS Fund
The primary performance benchmark for Capital Appreciation Fund, Capital Appreciation HLS Fund, Core Equity Fund and Disciplined Equity HLS Fund is the S&P 500 Index. The S&P 500 Index is a float-adjusted market capitalization weighted price index composed of 500 widely held common stocks.
Emerging Markets Equity Fund
The primary performance benchmark for Emerging Markets Equity Fund is the MSCI Emerging Markets (“MSCI EM Index”) Index. The MSCI EM Index is designed to capture large and mid cap securities across emerging market countries.
Healthcare Fund and Healthcare HLS Fund
The primary performance benchmark for Healthcare Fund and Healthcare HLS Fund is the S&P Composite 1500 Health Care Index (the “Composite 1500 Health Care Index”). The Composite 1500 Health Care Index is a float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index comprised of those companies included in the S&P Composite 1500 that are classified as members of the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS®) health care sector.
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Growth Opportunities Fund
The primary performance benchmark for Growth Opportunities Fund is the Russell 3000 Growth Index (the “Russell 3000 Growth”), which is designed to measure the performance of those Russell 3000 Index companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth values. The Russell 3000 Index is designed to measure the performance of the 3,000 largest US companies based on total market capitalization.
While none of the Funds is an index fund, each Fund’s portfolio managers evaluate and consider all of the holdings in the applicable performance index as potential investment opportunities. Over the past few years, certain stocks have experienced extraordinary increases in market capitalization. These stocks have included, for example, Apple, Inc., Amazon.com, Inc., Meta Platforms, Inc., Alphabet, Inc. and Microsoft Corp. As a result, indices such as those used by the Funds to track performance that have higher weightings to these stocks have become much less diversified at the individual stock level.
Although increased levels of concentration have fluctuated in the applicable indices in the past, HFMC and Wellington believe that this market concentration is likely to persist rather than “self-correct” as it has historically.
Due to the 1940 Act diversification requirements, a diversified fund like each Fund must underweight these holdings relative to their weights in the performance index even if the portfolio managers find them to be attractive investment opportunities. For this reason, maintaining each Fund as a diversified investment company is expected to increasingly limit each Fund’s investment flexibility within its investment universe as represented by its performance index and put each Fund at a competitive disadvantage against those of its peer funds that operate as non-diversified investment companies. Conversely, if a Fund operates as a non-diversified investment company, which would allow it to invest a greater percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers, the Fund will have increased investment flexibility that would allow its portfolio to better reflect the current composition of its investment universe.
For the reasons discussed above, HFMC believes that reclassifying each Fund as non-diversified is in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders because operating as a non-diversified investment company will provide each Fund’s investment team with increased investment flexibility and potential for better investment performance over time.
Notwithstanding the increased investment flexibility and the potential for improved investment performance over time, a non-diversified fund typically presents a greater degree of investment risk due to its ability to invest a greater percentage of the fund’s assets in a single issuer and in fewer issuers overall. Because a non-diversified fund can invest more of its assets in a smaller number of issuers, it is more exposed to the risks associated with an individual issuer than a fund that invests more broadly across many issuers, including greater share price volatility. For example, a sector-wide downturn or adverse regulatory development affecting one or more of the fund’s larger holdings may cause the fund’s share price to decline more sharply than it would have under its prior diversified structure, while poor performance by a single large holding of a fund would adversely affect the fund’s performance to a greater extent than if the fund were invested in a larger number of issuers. As a result, a non-diversified fund’s share price may fluctuate more than that of a similar fund that is more broadly diversified.
Tax Diversification Requirements
If the proposal is approved, each Fund would continue to be subject to tax diversification tests under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, which apply to regulated investment companies. To qualify for pass through tax treatment as a regulated investment company, a Fund must, among other requirements, limit its investments so that, at the close of each quarter of the taxable year, (1) not more than 25% of the Fund’s total assets will be invested in the securities of a single issuer, and (2) with respect to 50% of its total assets, not more than 5% of its total assets will be invested in the securities of a single issuer and the Fund will not own more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of a single issuer.
No other changes to the Funds are expected as a result of this Proposal 3 and each Fund will continue to invest pursuant to its current investment objective and strategies.
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REQUIRED VOTE
For each Fund, approval of Proposal 3 requires an affirmative vote of the lesser of: (i) 67% or more of each applicable Fund’s shares present at the Meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund are present or represented by proxy; or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of each applicable Fund. If the shareholders of a particular Fund do not approve this proposal, that Fund will continue to be classified as a diversified investment company.
Only shareholders of The Hartford Capital Appreciation Fund, Hartford Capital Appreciation HLS Fund, Hartford Core Equity Fund, Hartford Disciplined Equity HLS Fund, Hartford Emerging Markets Equity Fund, The Hartford Healthcare Fund, Hartford Healthcare HLS Fund and The Hartford Growth Opportunities Fund will be asked to vote on Proposal 3.
The Boards unanimously recommend that you vote “FOR” Proposal 3.
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OTHER MATTERS
Management does not intend to present any business to the Meeting not mentioned in this Joint Proxy Statement and currently knows of no other business to be presented. If any other matters are brought before the Meeting, the persons named as proxies will vote on such matters in their discretion.
OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS
The following affiliated companies also provide services to the Funds and will continue to do so whether or not Fund shareholders approve the proposals. HFMC or Lattice, an affiliate of HFMC, serves as the Funds’ investment manager and also provides fund accounting and administration services to each Fund. HFD serves as the Funds’ principal underwriter. As underwriter, HFD is responsible for the sale and distribution of fund shares. HASCO performs transfer agency services for each series of HMF, HMF II and HLS. As transfer agent, HASCO — either directly or through a sub-transfer agent — among other things, receives and processes purchase and redemption orders, effects transfers of shares, prepares and transmits payments for dividends and distributions, and maintains records of accounts. The principal business address for HFMC, HFD, and HASCO is 690 Lee Road, Wayne, Pennsylvania 19087.
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE
For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2025, October 31, 2025, or December 31, 2025, as applicable, the Funds did not pay brokerage commissions to any affiliate of HFMC or Wellington.
SHAREHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS
Shareholders who want to communicate with the Board or any individual Board member(s) should write their Fund to the attention of the Secretary of the Fund, 690 Lee Road, Wayne, PA 19087. Communications to the Board must be signed by the shareholder and must specify: (i) the shareholder’s name and address; (ii) the number of Fund shares owned by the shareholder; (iii) the Fund(s) in which the shareholder owns shares; and (iv) for shares held in “street name,” the name of the financial intermediary that holds Fund shares in its name for the shareholder’s benefit. The Secretary will forward such communications to the Board or the applicable Board member(s) at the next regularly scheduled meeting, if practicable, or promptly after receipt if the Secretary determines that the communications require more immediate attention.
Householding. HFMC has adopted a policy to permit sending only one copy of a prospectus, proxy statement, annual report, or semiannual report to certain shareholders residing in the same “household,” unless a Fund has received instructions to the contrary. This reduces Fund expenses, which benefits you and other shareholders. If you need additional copies or do not want your mailings to be “householded,” please call us at 1-888-843-7824 (mutual funds) or 1-800-456-7526 (ETFs), or send a written request with your name, the name of your Fund (or Funds), and your account number or numbers to Hartford Funds, P.O. Box 219060, Kansas City, MO 64121-9060 (mutual funds) or 690 Lee Road, Wayne, PA 19087 (ETFs). For overnight mail, please send the request to Hartford Funds, 801 Pennsylvania Ave., Suite 219060, Kansas City, MO 64105-1407 (mutual funds) or 690 Lee Road, Wayne, PA 19087 (ETFs).
A copy of each Fund’s most recent annual reports, annual financial statements or a copy of the prospectuses or proxy, is available upon request, and without charge.
Please go to www.proxyvote.com to view the proxy statement on the internet or call 855-496-3017 toll free and a copy will be sent without charge. Please go to www.hartfordfunds.com to view the Funds’ annual reports, annual financial statements or prospectuses on the internet or contact the applicable Fund at Hartford Funds, P.O. Box 219060, Kansas City, MO 64121-9060 (mutual funds) or 690 Lee Road, Wayne, PA 19087 (ETFs) and a copy will be sent without charge by first class mail within three business days of your request.
SHAREHOLDER PROPOSALS
The Funds are not required to hold shareholder meetings annually, and none of the Funds currently intends to hold such meetings unless shareholder action is required in accordance with the 1940 Act or other applicable law. To be considered for inclusion in the proxy statement at any subsequent meeting of
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shareholders pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, a shareholder proposal must be submitted to the applicable Fund at the address above at a reasonable time before the proxy statement for that meeting is mailed. Whether a proposal is included in the proxy statement will be determined in accordance with applicable federal laws. The timely submission of a proposal does not guarantee its inclusion. As of the date of this Joint Proxy Statement, no shareholder proposals had been submitted for this Meeting.
Each Company’s or Trust’s Bylaws currently provide that, in order for a shareholder to nominate a candidate for election as a director or a shareholder to propose other business to be presented at the Funds’ next Annual Meeting of shareholders, other than a shareholder proposal included in a Proxy Statement pursuant to Rule 14a-8, notice of such nomination or proposal must be delivered to the Company’s or Trust’s Secretary at its principal executive office not earlier than 120 days prior to such annual meeting and no later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the 90th day prior to such annual meeting, or the 10th day following the day on which public announcement is first made of the date of the annual meeting. The public announcement of a postponement or adjournment of an annual meeting shall not commence a new time period for the giving of a shareholder’s notice.
Special Note to Variable Annuity Contract/Variable Life Insurance Owners
Submitting Voting Instructions to your Insurance Company. If you own a variable annuity contract or a variable life insurance policy whose values are allocated to one or more series of Hartford Series Fund, Inc., you received this material because your insurance company is asking you to provide it with instructions as to how to vote the shares attributable to your contract at the Meeting or any adjourned session. Please complete the instruction card and return it to your insurance company as directed on the card or in the accompanying materials you received from the insurance company. Please do not return the instruction card to the Funds.
On behalf of the Board of Directors/Trustees
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Thomas R. Phillips
Secretary and Vice President
Secretary and Vice President
August 24, 2026
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