attractively valued, based on one or more
of the following factors: how the stock price compares to the company’s sales, earnings,
and assets, as well as the overall value of the company compared to its sales and the capital invested in it. “Assets” means net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.
The Fund may also invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs). A REIT
is a pooled investment vehicle that generally invests in income-producing real estate or real estate-related loans or interests. REITs are classified as equity REITs, mortgage REITs or hybrid REITs. Equity REITs, which
invest the majority of their assets directly in real property, derive their income primarily from
rents.
In selecting stocks for the Fund, FullerThaler applies
principles based on behavioral finance. FullerThaler believes that behavioral biases on the part
of investors may cause the market to overreact to old, negative information and underreact to new,
positive information concerning a company. In an effort to take advantage of such behavioral
biases, FullerThaler generally utilizes a three-pronged approach that includes (i) positive
signals such as significant share purchases by company insiders or stock repurchase activity by
the company, (ii) evidence of overreaction due to behavioral factors that have resulted in an
absolute or relative decline in valuation and (iii) analysis of the company fundamentals with
regard to business model, valuation and credit risk.
The Fund’s Main Investment Risks
The Fund is subject to management risk and may not achieve its objective if the adviser’s expectations
regarding particular instruments or markets are not met.
An investment in this Fund or any other fund may not provide a complete investment program. The suitability of an investment in the Fund
should be considered based on the investment objective, strategies and risks described in this prospectus, considered in light of all of the other investments in your
portfolio, as well as your risk tolerance, financial goals and time horizons. You may want to consult with a financial advisor to determine if this Fund is suitable for you.
The Fund is subject to the main risks noted below, any of which may
adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (NAV), market price, performance and ability to meet its investment objective.
Equity Market Risk. The price of equity securities may rise or fall because of changes in the broad market or changes in a
company’s financial condition, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. These price movements
may result from factors affecting individual companies, sectors or industries selected for the
Fund’s portfolio or the securities market as a whole, such as changes in economic or
political conditions. When the value of the Fund’s securities goes down, your investment in the Fund decreases in value.
General Market Risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or
conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries
or regions. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in general financial markets, a particular financial market or other asset classes due
to a number of factors, including inflation (or expectations for inflation), deflation (or expectations for deflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products
or resources, market instability, financial system instability, debt crises and downgrades,
embargoes, tariffs, trade wars, retaliatory trade measures, sanctions and other trade barriers, supply chain disruptions, regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control programs and related geopolitical
events. In addition, the value of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by the
occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics or pandemics or the threat or potential of one or more
such factors and occurrences.
Behavioral Strategy Risk. When taking investment positions, FullerThaler will apply principles based on behavioral finance. In order to take advantage of behavioral biases,
FullerThaler generally focuses on certain markers of possible under and overreaction by
investors. Securities identified using this type of strategy may perform differently from the market for various reasons, including the criteria used in the analysis, the weight placed on each criterion, and changes in the
criterion’s historical trends. The criteria used in implementing this strategy and the
weight placed on those criteria may not be predictive of a security’s value, and the effectiveness of the criteria can change over time. These changes may not be reflected in the current analytical approach used to implement the
behavioral strategy. FullerThaler’s strategy based on behavioral finance may be less
effective in certain market environments. For example, the Fund invests when FullerThaler
believes other investors are over-reacting to significant negative news coverage about a security.
As a result, the Fund may experience substantial under-performance during such periods of
investor “overreaction,” including as compared to the market overall, the Fund's
benchmark and/or to other funds that do not employ a behavioral finance strategy. There can be no
guarantee that FullerThaler will be successful in applying behavioral finance principles in
managing the Fund.
Smaller Company Risk. Investments in securities of smaller companies (mid cap and small cap companies) may be riskier, less liquid, more volatile and more vulnerable to economic, market and industry changes than securities of
larger, more established companies. The securities of smaller companies may trade less frequently
and in smaller volumes than securities of larger companies. As a result, changes in the price of securities issued by such companies may be more sudden or erratic than the prices of securities of larger companies,
especially over the short term. These risks are higher for small cap companies.
Value Investing Risk. A value stock may decrease in price
or may not increase in price as anticipated by the adviser if other investors fail to recognize
the company’s value or the factors that the adviser believes will cause the stock price to increase do not occur.
Larger Capitalization Company Risk. Although the Fund invests primarily in securities of small cap companies, it may invest in equity investments of larger capitalization
companies and, to the extent it does, it may underperform other funds during periods when the
Fund's larger capitalization securities are out of favor.