Investment Risks
Oct. 28, 2026
 | Medium-capitalization stocks held by the Ethical Fund could fall out of favor and returns would subsequently trail returns from the overall stock market. The performance of such stocks also could be more volatile than large-capitalization stocks. Medium-cap companies are more likely to have more limited product lines, fewer capital resources and less depth of management than larger companies. |
| Growth stocks can react differently to issuer, political, market, and economic developments than the market, and other types of stocks. The stocks of such companies can therefore be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than stocks of larger, more established companies or the stock market in general. |
| Investing primarily in issuers within the same market capitalization category carries the risk that the category may be out of favor due to current market conditions or investor sentiment. Because the Ethical Fund invests primarily in securities issued by mid-cap companies, it is likely to be more volatile than a fund that focuses on securities issued by large companies. Medium-sized companies typically have less seasoned management, narrower product lines, and fewer capital reserves and liquidity than larger companies. |
| The stock market may fall in value, causing prices of stocks held by the Ethical Fund to fall. Stock prices fluctuate based on changes to a company’s financial condition, on overall market and economic conditions and on investors’ perception of a company’s soundness. Stock markets are volatile and can decline significantly in response to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments. Different parts of the market, including different market sectors, and different types of securities can react differently to these developments. |
| At times, the Ethical Fund may have a significant portion of its assets invested in securities of companies conducting business in a broadly related group of industries within an economic sector. Individual sectors may be more volatile, and may perform differently, than the broader market. Companies in the same economic sector may be similarly affected by economic or market events, making the Ethical Fund more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that economic sector than funds that invest more broadly. |
| Investment risks associated with investing in the information technology sector, in addition to other risks, include the intense competition to which information technology companies may be subject; the dramatic and often unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for qualified personnel among information technology companies; effects on profitability from being heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights and the loss or impairment of those rights; obsolescence of existing technology; general economic conditions; and government regulation. |
| Investment risks associated with investing in the industrial sector. Industrial companies are affected by supply and demand both for their specific product or service and for industrial sector products in general. Government regulation, world events, exchange rates and economic conditions, technological developments and liabilities for environmental damage and general civil liabilities will likewise affect the performance of these companies. |
| The Ethical Fund’s ethical investment restrictions do not allow investing in certain businesses, and there are broad limitations upon the types of securities or other instruments in which the Ethical Fund may invest, as well as upon commonly used investment techniques. As a result, the Ethical Fund will not be able to participate in strong performance from those businesses and may not be able to earn income comparable to other funds from non-invested assets. |
| The Ethical Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. The Adviser’s management practices and investment strategies might not produce the desired results. The Adviser may be incorrect in its assessment of a stock’s appreciation or depreciation potential. |
| The increasing interconnectivity between global economies and financial markets increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region, or financial market. Markets in which the Ethical Fund invests can be volatile and can decline significantly in response to, or investor perceptions of, issuer, market, economic, industry, political, regulatory, geopolitical, environmental, public health, natural disasters, pandemics, epidemics, terrorism, governmental actions, tariffs and trade wars and other conditions. As a result, the Ethical Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. |
| The stock market may fall in value, causing prices of stocks held by the Wise Fund to fall. Stock prices fluctuate based on changes to a company’s financial condition, on overall market and economic conditions and on investors’ perception of a company’s soundness. |
| The Wise Fund’s ethical investment restrictions will narrow the availability of investment opportunities in which it can invest. It is possible that the restrictions placed on investments may cause the Wise Fund to underperform compared to other funds that do not place such restrictions on their investments. |
| The Wise Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. The Adviser’s management practices and investment strategies might not produce the desired results. The Adviser may be incorrect in its assessment of a stock’s appreciation or depreciation potential. |
| The increasing interconnectivity between global economies and financial markets increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region, or financial market. Markets in which the Wise Fund invests can be volatile and can decline significantly in response to, or investor perceptions of, issuer, market, economic, industry, political, regulatory, geopolitical, environmental, public health, natural disasters, pandemics, epidemics, terrorism, governmental actions, tariffs and trade wars and other conditions. As a result, the Wise Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. |
| The Wise Fund invests in fixed-income securities, which are subject to credit risk. Credit risk includes issuer credit risk, which is the risk that payments will not be paid when due in accordance with their terms. Such non-payment or default may reduce the value of the Wise Fund’s portfolio holdings, its share price, and its performance. The counterparty issuing the securities may not be able to pay the securities when due or otherwise fulfill their contractual obligations, which could reduce the value of the Wise Fund’s portfolio holdings, its share price, and its performance. |
| A rise in prevailing interest rates generally will cause the price of a fixed-rate debt security to fall. Generally, the longer the duration or maturity of a security or weighted average maturity of the Wise Fund, the more sensitive its price is to a rise in interest rates. Recent and potential future changes in government monetary policy are likely to affect the level of interest rates. |
| Sukuk involve many of the same risks that conventional bonds incur such as credit and counterparty risk, interest rate, maturity, and investment grade securities risk. In addition to these risks, there are certain risks specific to sukuk. These include various operational risks including default risk, a lack of institutional support, and risks related to the underlying assets. The sukuk markets are in their infancy and most sukuk trading is restricted to the primary markets. Unlike conventional bonds, sukuk tend to be held until maturity; thus, they are traded less frequently compared to conventional bonds. |
| Investments in below investment-grade fixed-income securities may subject the Wise Fund to greater risks than other securities, including being subject to greater levels of interest rate risk, credit risk (including a greater risk of default), and liquidity risk. The ability of the issuer to make payments is predominantly speculative for below investment-grade fixed income securities. |
| The Wise Fund invests in trade finance securities located primarily in or having exposure to global emerging markets. As such, the Wise Fund is subject to all the risks typical to investments generally made in emerging markets. In addition, the Wise Fund is subject to risks specific to the trade finance asset class such as liquidity risk, credit rating risk, and counter-party risk. |
| When the Wise Fund invests in wakala, it will be subject to the credit risk of the bank acting as agent, and the risk that the bank will not manage the investment in a profitable manner. |
| Individual securities or other holdings in the Wise Fund may not perform as expected, and the Wise Fund’s portfolio management practices may not achieve the desired result. |
| Investing in foreign securities involves risks not typically associated with U.S. investments, including, among others, adverse fluctuations in foreign currency values as well as adverse political, social, and economic developments affecting a foreign country, less publicly available information, more volatile or less liquid securities markets, restrictions on receiving the investment proceeds from a foreign country, foreign tax laws, potential difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations, less revealing accounting practices, inadequate or irregular regulation, and more volatile performance. Foreign financial markets may also have fewer investor protections. Foreign companies may also receive less coverage than U.S. companies by market analysts and the financial press. These factors may prevent the Wise Fund and its Adviser from obtaining information concerning foreign companies that is as frequent, extensive, and reliable as the information available concerning companies in the United States. There is also the risk of confiscation, taxation, currency blockage, or political or social instability. |
| Securities that trade or are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar may be adversely affected by fluctuations in currency exchange rates or currency controls imposed by foreign governments. When the U.S. dollar strengthens relative to a foreign currency, the U.S. dollar value of an investment denominated in that currency will typically fall. Investing in currencies or securities denominated in a foreign currency entails risk of being exposed to a currency that may not fully reflect the strengths and weaknesses of the economy of the country or region utilizing the currency. In addition, it is possible that a currency (such as, for example, the euro) could be abandoned in the future by countries that have already adopted its use, and the effects of such an abandonment on the applicable country and the rest of the countries utilizing the currency are uncertain but could negatively affect the Wise Fund’s investments denominated in the currency. |
| The Wise Fund concentrates its investments in the financial services industry. Adverse developments affecting a security in the financial services industry may affect all securities in that industry, and any negative developments affecting that industry will have a greater impact on the Wise Fund than a fund that is not concentrated in that industry. Further, because the Wise Fund’s investments are concentrated in securities issued by a limited number of counterparties, all of which share a single industry, the Wise Fund is even more susceptible to any single negative economic, technological, political, or regulatory occurrence that impacts the financial services industry than funds that are not similarly concentrated. |
| Investments in emerging market securities impose risks different from, or greater than, risks of investing in foreign developed countries including smaller market capitalization; significant price volatility; and restrictions on foreign investment. Emerging market countries may have relatively unstable governments and may present the risk of nationalization of businesses, expropriation, and confiscatory taxation, or, in certain instances, reversion to closed market, centrally planned economies. Emerging market economies may also experience more severe downturns. The currencies of emerging market countries may experience significant declines against the U.S. dollar, and devaluation may occur subsequent to investments in these currencies by the Wise Fund. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain emerging market countries. |
| The Wise Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in issuers located in, or with economic ties to, a limited number of countries, particularly countries in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, due in part to the relatively small size of the global sukuk market. As a result, the Wise Fund is more susceptible to adverse economic, political, regulatory, or military developments affecting those countries or that region, including armed conflict, than a fund that is more geographically diversified. |
| The Wise Fund’s investment in securities issued by foreign governments and agencies of foreign governments (sovereign debt) differs from debt obligations issued by private entities in that, generally, remedies for defaults must be pursued in the courts of the defaulting party. Legal recourse is therefore limited. The foreign sovereign debt securities the Wise Fund purchases involve specific risks, including that (i) the governmental entity that controls the repayment of sovereign debt may not be willing or able to repay the principal and/or interest when it becomes due because of political constraints, cash flow problems, and other national economic factors; (ii) governments may default on their sovereign debt, which may require holders of such sovereign debt to participate in debt rescheduling or additional lending to defaulting governments; and (iii) there are no bankruptcy proceedings by which defaulted sovereign debt may be collected in whole or in part. |
| The Wise Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in securities considered to be illiquid as defined by the 1940 Act. These can include certificates issued by foreign banks, trade finance, sukuk, and wakala. As a result, if the Wise Fund receives a large amount of redemptions, the Wise Fund may be forced to sell such illiquid investments at a significant loss to be able to meet such redemption requests. |
| The Wise Fund may, from time to time, invest a certain amount of its assets in the financials sector. The operations and businesses of financial services companies are subject to extensive governmental regulation, the availability and cost of capital funds, and interest rate changes. General market downturns may affect financial services companies adversely. |