ck0001592900-20251028
per
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| STRIVE 500
ETF |
Ticker
Symbol: STRV |
| STRIVE EMERGING
MARKETS Ex-CHINA ETF |
Ticker
Symbol: STXE |
| STRIVE U.S. ENERGY
ETF |
Ticker
Symbol: DRLL |
| STRIVE U.S.
SEMICONDUCTOR ETF |
Ticker
Symbol: SHOC |
| STRIVE NATURAL
RESOURCES AND SECURITY ETF |
Ticker
Symbol: FTWO |
| STRIVE 1000 GROWTH
ETF |
Ticker
Symbol: STXG |
| STRIVE 1000 VALUE
ETF |
Ticker
Symbol: STXV |
| STRIVE SMALL-CAP
ETF |
Ticker
Symbol: STXK |
| STRIVE 1000
DIVIDEND GROWTH ETF |
Ticker
Symbol: STXD |
| STRIVE MID-CAP
ETF |
Ticker
Symbol: STXM |
| STRIVE
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPED MARKETS ETF |
Ticker
Symbol: STXI |
|
each
of the above is listed on New York Stock
Exchange |
Prospectus
October 31,
2025
These
securities have not been approved or disapproved by the Securities and Exchange
Commission nor has the Securities and Exchange Commission passed upon the
accuracy or adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a
criminal offense.
Table
of Contents
Strive
500 ETF
Fund
Summary
INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVE
The
Strive 500 ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the total return performance, before
fees and expenses, of an index composed of U.S.-listed large cap equity
securities.
FEES AND
EXPENSES
This
table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and
sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You
may also pay brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of Shares, which are
not reflected in the table or example.
ANNUAL FUND
OPERATING EXPENSES (EXPENSES THAT YOU PAY EACH YEAR AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE VALUE
OF YOUR INVESTMENT)
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|
Management
Fee1 |
0.05 |
% |
| Distribution
and/or Service (12b-1) Fees |
None |
|
Other
Expenses |
0.00 |
% |
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses1 |
0.05 |
% |
1
The
Fund’s Management Fee and Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses are
0.0545%.
EXAMPLE
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of
investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The example
assumes that you invest $10,000 for the time periods indicated and then hold or
sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes
that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain
the same. You may also pay brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of
Shares, which are not reflected in the example. Although your
actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would
be:
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| One
Year: |
Three
Years: |
Five
Years: |
Ten
Years: |
| $6 |
$18 |
$31 |
$70 |
PORTFOLIO
TURNOVER
The
Fund may pay transaction costs, including commissions when it buys and sells
securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may
indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are
held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund
operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. For the
fiscal period August 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, the portfolio turnover rate
for the Fund was 2% of the average value of its
portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The
Fund’s Investment Strategy
The
Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Bloomberg 500 Index (the
“Index”), which measures the performance of the large-capitalization sector in
the U.S. equity market as determined by Bloomberg (the “Index Provider” or
“Bloomberg”).
The
Index is a free float-adjusted capitalization-weighted index comprised primarily
of U.S. equity securities. The Index consists of the 500 most highly capitalized
companies.
To
be eligible for inclusion in the Index, a security must first meet the following
criteria: (i) it is primarily listed in the United States, (ii) it is listed on
a U.S. exchange, and (iii) the security’s free float must be a minimum of 10% of
the security’s total shares outstanding. The Index includes common stock and
real estate investment trusts. To determine Index components, all equity
securities that meet these criteria are sorted according to total market
capitalization in descending order and ranked. The largest 500 securities are
then selected for inclusion in the Index.
The
Index is expected to have significant exposure to the Information Technology
sector. The components of the Index are subject to change over
time.
The
Index is calculated as a total return index in U.S. dollars. The Index is
normally rebalanced on a semi-annual basis in January and July and such changes
take effect in March and September. The Index constituents’ weights are normally
updated in June and December.
Strive
Asset Management, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”) uses a “passive” or indexing approach
to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment
companies, the Fund does not try to “beat” the index it tracks and does not seek
temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear
overvalued.
Indexing
may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index
but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor
security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax
performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively
managed investment companies.
The
Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to seek to achieve its
investment objective, meaning the Fund will invest in all of the component
securities of the Index in the same approximate proportions as in the Index, but
may, when the Sub-Adviser believes it is in the best interests of the Fund, use
a “representative sampling” strategy, meaning the Fund may invest in a sample of
the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics closely
resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a
whole.
The
Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e.,
hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of
industries to approximately the same extent that the Index is
concentrated.
PRINCIPAL
INVESTMENT RISKS
An
investment in the Fund involves risk, including those described below.
There
is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
An investor may lose money by investing in the
Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank
deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government
agency. More complete risk descriptions are set forth below
under the heading “Additional
Information About the Funds’ Principal Investment Risks.”
Large-Capitalization
Companies Risk.
Large-capitalization companies may trail the returns of the overall stock
market. Large-capitalization stocks tend to go through cycles of doing better -
or worse - than the stock market in general. These periods have, in the past,
lasted for as long as several years. When large capitalization companies are out
of favor, these securities may lose value or may not appreciate in line with the
overall market. In addition, large capitalization companies may be unable to
respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology or
consumer tastes, and also may not be able to attain the high growth rate of
successful small companies, especially during extended periods of economic
expansion.
Sector
Risk.
To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the
economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that
significantly affect those sectors. The Fund may invest a significant portion of
its assets in the following sectors and, therefore, the performance of the Fund
could be negatively impacted by events affecting each of these sectors.
•Information
Technology Sector Risk.
The
Fund may invest in companies in the technology sector, and therefore, the Fund’s
performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. Market
or economic factors impacting technology companies and companies that rely
heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value
of the Fund’s investments. Technology companies, including information
technology companies, may have limited product lines, financial resources and/or
personnel. Technology companies typically face intense competition and
potentially rapid product obsolescence. They are also heavily dependent on
intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by the loss or
impairment of those rights. Companies in the technology sector also face
increased government regulation, including new regulations and scrutiny related
to data privacy, and may be subject to adverse government or regulatory actions,
which may be costly.
Investment
Risk.
When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Therefore, you may lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund could lose
money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market
downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities
markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the
markets. The value of a security may decline due to general
market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically
related to the issuer of the security, such as geopolitical events and
environmental disasters. The value of a security may also decline due to factors
that affect a particular industry or group of industries. During a general
downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively
affected. Therefore, you may lose money by investing in the
Fund.
Equity
Investing Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of
investing in any fund holding equity securities, such as market fluctuations,
changes in interest rates and perceived trends in stock prices. The values of
equity securities could decline generally or could underperform other
investments. In addition, securities may decline in value due to factors
affecting a specific issuer, market or securities markets
generally.
Concentration
Risk.
In following its methodology, the Index from time to time may be concentrated to
a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or
group of industries. To the extent that the Index concentrates in the securities
of issuers in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund also may
concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating
its investments in an industry or group of industries, the Fund may face more
risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or groups of
industries. If the Index is not concentrated in a particular industry or group
of industries, the Fund will not concentrate in a particular industry or group
of industries.
Passive
Investment Risk. The
Fund is not actively managed and the Sub-Adviser will not sell any investments
due to current or projected underperformance of the securities, industries or
sector in which it invests, unless the investment is removed from the Index,
sold in connection with a rebalancing of the Index as addressed in the Index
methodology, or sold to comply with the Fund’s investment limitations (for
example, to maintain the Fund’s tax status). The Fund will maintain investments
until changes to its Index are triggered, which could cause the Fund’s return to
be lower than if the Fund employed an active
strategy.
Index
Calculation Risk. The
Index relies on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers
included in the Index, including fundamental information that may be based on
assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser nor
the Index Provider can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology
or sources of information will provide a correct valuation of securities, nor
can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the
Index.
Tracking
Error Risk. As
with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its respective Index may
differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs
operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In
addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at
all times or may hold securities not included in the
Index.
ETF
Risks.
•Authorized
Participants, Market Makers and Liquidity Providers Concentration
Risk.
The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as
Authorized Participants (“APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of
market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent
either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to
NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become
unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step
forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity
providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities
and no other entities step forward to perform their
functions.
•Premium-Discount
Risk.
The
Shares may trade above or below their net asset value (“NAV”). The market prices
of Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV as well as
the relative supply of, and demand for, Shares on New York Stock Exchange (the
“Exchange”) or other securities exchanges. The trading price of Shares may
deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility or limited
trading activity in Shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,”
that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price of the
Shares.
•Cost
of Trading Risk.
Investors
buying or selling Shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. Brokerage
commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost
for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of Shares. In
addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the difference
between the price that an investor is willing to pay for Shares (the “bid”
price) and the price at which an
investor
is willing to sell Shares (the “ask” price). This difference in bid and ask
prices is often referred to as the “spread” or “bid/ask spread.” The bid/ask
spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity,
and is generally lower if the Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market
liquidity and higher if the Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market
liquidity. Further, increased market volatility may cause increased bid/ask
spreads.
•Trading
Risk.
Although
the Shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active
or liquid trading market for them will develop or be maintained. In addition,
trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted. In stressed market conditions,
the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of its underlying
portfolio holdings, which can be less liquid than Shares, potentially causing
the market price of Shares to deviate from its NAV. The spread varies over time
for Shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity
and is generally lower if the Fund has high trading volume and market liquidity,
and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market liquidity (which is
often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in
size).
Index
Rebalance Risk. Because
the Index generally changes its exposure based on data that is analyzed in
connection with a quarterly rebalance (a “Rebalance”), (i) the Index’s exposure
may be affected by significant market movements at or around the time of a
Rebalance that are not predictive of the market’s performance for any subsequent
Rebalance and (ii) changes to the Index’s exposure may lag a significant change
in the market’s direction (up or down) by as long as a quarter if such changes
first take effect at or around the time of a Rebalance. Such lags between market
performance and changes to the Index’s exposure may result in significant
underperformance relative to the broader equity or fixed income
market.
PERFORMANCE
The following
information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The
bar chart shows the Fund’s performance for calendar years ended December 31. The
table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for one-year and since
inception periods compare with those of its Index, which represents a broad
measure of market performance. The Fund’s past
performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the
Fund will perform in the future. Performance information is also
available on the Fund’s website at https://strivefunds.com/
or by calling the Fund at (215)
330-4476.
Calendar Year Total Returns
as of December 31
The
Fund’s calendar year-to-date return as of
September 30, 2025 was
15.16%. During the
period of time shown in the bar chart, the Fund’s highest
return for a calendar quarter was 11.91% (quarter ended December 31, 2023) and
the Fund’s lowest return for a
calendar quarter was -3.01% (quarter ended September 30,
2023).
Average
Annual Total Returns
(for
periods ended December 31, 2024)
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Strive
500 ETF |
1
Year |
Since
Inception (09/14/2022) |
|
Return
Before Taxes |
25.14% |
21.00% |
|
Return After
Taxes on Distributions |
24.78% |
20.63% |
|
Return After
Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Shares |
15.10% |
16.37% |
|
Bloomberg
500 Index (reflects no fees or
expenses) |
25.20% |
21.06% |
| Bloomberg
500 Index/Solactive GBS United States 500 Index (reflects no fees or
expenses) (reflects no fees or expenses) |
25.26% |
21.08% |
| Effective
January 26, 2024, the Fund’s investment strategy changed to track the
investment results of the Bloomberg 500 Index. Prior to January 26, 2024,
the Fund’s investment strategy was to track the investment results of the
Solactive GBS United States 500 Index. Performance shown for the Bloomberg
500 Index/Solactive GBS United States 500 Index for the period prior to
January 26, 2024 is that of the Solactive GBS United States 500 Index and
for the period beginning January 26, 2024 is that of the Bloomberg 500
Index. |
After-tax returns are
calculated using the highest historical individual U.S. federal marginal income
tax rates during the period covered by the table above and do not reflect the
impact of state and local taxes. Actual
after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from
those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold
their Shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as an individual retirement
account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged
accounts.
INVESTMENT
ADVISER & INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISER
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| Investment
Adviser: |
Empowered
Funds, LLC dba EA Advisers (the “Adviser”) |
| Investment
Sub-Adviser: |
Strive
Asset Management, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”) |
PORTFOLIO
MANAGERS
Matthew
Cole, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Strive and Jeffrey
Sherman, a Portfolio Manager of Strive, are each a co-Portfolio Manager of the
Fund and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Mr. Cole has managed the Fund since its inception (September 2022) and Mr.
Sherman has managed the Fund since June 2023.
PURCHASE
AND
SALE
OF SHARES
Individual
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange and may only be purchased
and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer at a market price.
Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a
price greater than NAV (at a “premium”) or less than NAV (at a “discount”). An
investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest
price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (bid) and the lowest price a
seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) when buying and selling Shares in
the secondary market (the “bid/ask spread”).
TAX
INFORMATION
The
Fund’s distributions generally are taxable to you as ordinary income, capital
gain, or some combination of both, unless your investment is made through an IRA
or other tax-advantaged account. However, subsequent withdrawals from such a
tax-advantaged account may be subject to U.S. federal income tax. You should
consult your own tax advisor about your specific tax situation.
PURCHASES
THROUGH BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
If
you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary, the
Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Shares
and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by
influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to
recommend Shares over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your
financial intermediary’s website for more information.
STRIVE
EMERGING MARKETS EX-CHINA ETF
Fund
Summary
INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVE
The
Strive Emerging Markets Ex-China ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the total
return performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed of emerging
market, ex-China securities.
FEES AND
EXPENSES
This
table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and
sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You
may also pay brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of Shares, which are
not reflected in the table or example.
ANNUAL FUND
OPERATING EXPENSES (EXPENSES THAT YOU PAY EACH YEAR AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE VALUE
OF YOUR INVESTMENT)
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Management
Fee |
0.32 |
% |
|
Distribution
and/or Service (12b-1) Fees |
None |
|
Other
Expenses |
0.00 |
% |
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
0.32 |
% |
EXAMPLE
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of
investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The example
assumes that you invest $10,000 for the time periods indicated and then hold or
sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes
that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain
the same. You may also pay brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of
Shares, which are not reflected in the example. Although your
actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would
be:
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| |
| One
Year: |
Three
Years: |
Five
Years: |
Ten
Years: |
| $33 |
$103 |
$180 |
$406 |
PORTFOLIO
TURNOVER
The
Fund may pay transaction costs, including commissions when it buys and sells
securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may
indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are
held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund
operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. For the
fiscal period August 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, the portfolio turnover
rate for the Fund was 21% of the average value of its
portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The
Fund’s Investment Strategy
The
Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Bloomberg Emerging Markets ex
China Large & Mid Cap Index (the “Index”), which tracks large and
mid-capitalization equity securities across 24 emerging market economies,
excluding China. Components of the Index (each an “Index Component” and
collectively the “Index Components”) are selected and weighted according to
free-float market capitalization. Under normal
circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any
borrowings for investment purposes) in emerging market securities, which may
include depositary receipts (including American Depository Receipts (“ADRs”) or
Global Depository Receipts (“GDRs”)). Depositary receipts
represent shares in a foreign company that are traded on a local stock
exchange.
The
Index will generally consist of over 500 securities. The Index consists of
issuers in the following emerging market countries: Brazil, Chile, Colombia,
Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Malaysia,
Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa,
South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates (each an
“Emerging Market” and collectively, the “Emerging Markets”). The Index is
expected to have significant exposure to India, Taiwan, and South Korea. The
Index is expected to have significant
exposure
to the Information Technology and Financials sectors. The components of the
Index and the Emerging Markets themselves will change over time.
Securities
are first screened for inclusion in the “Index Universe.” The Index Universe is
exclusively comprised of equity securities, which includes common stock and real
estate investment trusts (REITs) from issuers in Emerging Markets.
To
determine the Index Components, all equity securities in the Index Universe are
sorted by Emerging Market country. Thereafter, Index Components are individually
selected for inclusion based on such factors as free float market
capitalization, trading volume thresholds, and market price cap levels. Equity
securities passing these thresholds are included as Index Components within each
Emerging Market.
Thereafter,
the Index Components are aggregated together and ranked by total market
capitalization. Each Index Component is subsequently assigned a weight based on
its free float market capitalization. The weight represents the percentage
amount of the Index Component as a percentage of the total Index. Starting with
the largest free float market capitalization, the Index is fully comprised once
approximately 85% of the accumulated free float market-capitalization of the
Index Universe is selected.
The
Fund’s exposure to any asset class, country or geographic region will vary from
time to time as the weightings of the securities within the Index change, and
the Fund may not be invested in each country or geographic region at all times.
Bloomberg Index Services Limited (the “Index Provider”) will generally deem an
issuer to be located in an emerging market country based on several factors
related to economic development, market size and liquidity, and capital market
structure. The Index is calculated as a net total return index in U.S.
dollars.
The
Index is normally reconstituted on a semi-annual basis in March and September
and rebalanced on a quarterly basis. New securities from initial public
offerings generally must have traded for at least three months before the
semi-annual reconstitution date to be considered for inclusion in the Index.
Securities subject to United States, United Nations, United Kingdom or European
Union sanctions may not be eligible for inclusion in the Index. Index Components
impacted by such sanctions will be dropped from the Index as soon as practically
possible.
Strive
Asset Management, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”) uses a “passive” or indexing approach
to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment
companies, the Fund does not try to “beat” the index it tracks and does not seek
temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear
overvalued.
Indexing
may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index
but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor
security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax
performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively
managed investment companies.
The
Fund will generally use a “representative sampling” strategy, meaning the Fund
may invest in a sample of the securities in the Index whose risk, return and
other characteristics closely resemble the risk, return and other
characteristics of the Index as a whole, but may, when the Sub-Adviser believes
it is in the best interests of the Fund, use a “replication” strategy to seek to
achieve its investment objective, meaning the Fund will invest in all of the
component securities of the Index in the same approximate proportions as in the
Index. For example, the Fund may utilize a representative sampling strategy when
the Sub-Adviser believes a replication strategy might be detrimental or
disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when buying each security in the Index
is impracticable or inefficient, when there are practical difficulties or
additional costs involved in replicating the Index, or if one or more securities
in the Index is illiquid, unavailable or less liquid. In addition, the Fund may
use a representative sampling as a result of legal restrictions or limitations
(such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the
Index. The Fund will be reconstituted and rebalanced on the same schedule as the
Index.
The
Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e.,
hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of
industries to approximately the same extent that the Index is
concentrated.
PRINCIPAL
INVESTMENT RISKS
An
investment in the Fund involves risk, including those described below.
There
is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
An investor may lose money by investing in the
Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank
deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government
agency. More complete risk descriptions are set forth below
under the heading “Additional
Information About the Funds’ Principal Investment Risks.”
Emerging
Markets Risk. Investments
in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that
provide exposure to those securities or markets, can involve additional risks
relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with
investments in U.S. securities and instruments. For example, developing and
emerging markets may be subject to (i) greater market volatility, (ii) lower
trading volume and liquidity, (iii) greater social, political and economic
uncertainty, (iv) governmental controls on foreign investments and limitations
on repatriation of invested capital, (v) lower disclosure, corporate governance,
auditing and financial reporting standards, (vi) fewer protections of property
rights, (vii) restrictions on the transfer of securities or currency, and (viii)
settlement and trading practices that differ from those in U.S. markets. Each of
these factors may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise
transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Shares
and cause the Fund to decline in
value.
Foreign
Investment Risk. Returns
on investments in foreign securities could be more volatile than, or trail the
returns on, investments in U.S. securities. Investments in or exposures to
foreign securities are subject to special risks, including risks associated with
foreign securities generally. Those special risks may arise due to differences
in information available about issuers of securities and investor protection
standards applicable in other jurisdictions; capital controls risks, including
the risk of a foreign jurisdiction imposing restrictions on the ability to
repatriate or transfer currency or other assets; currency risks; political,
diplomatic and economic risks; regulatory risks; and foreign market and trading
risks, including the costs of trading and risks of settlement in foreign
jurisdictions.
Depositary
Receipt Risk. The
risks of investments in depositary receipts, including American Depositary
Receipts (“ADRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”), are substantially
similar to Foreign Investment Risk. In addition, depositary receipts may not
track the price of the underlying foreign securities, and their value may change
materially at times when the U.S. markets are not open for trading. In addition,
the underlying issuers of certain depositary receipts, particularly unsponsored
or unregistered depositary receipts, are under no obligation to distribute
shareholder communications to the holders of such receipts, or to pass through
any voting rights with respect to the deposited securities. Therefore, the
Sub-Adviser will not be able to vote on any matters with respect to these
instruments.
Investment
Risk. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you
paid for them. Therefore, you may lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund
could lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods
during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors
affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries
represented in the markets. The value of a security may decline due to general
market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related
to the issuer of the security, such as geopolitical events and environmental
disasters. The value of a security may also decline due to factors that affect a
particular industry or group of industries. During a general downturn in the
securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.
Therefore, you may lose money by investing in the Fund.
Equity
Investing Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of
investing in any fund holding equity securities, such as market fluctuations,
changes in interest rates and perceived trends in stock prices. The values of
equity securities could decline generally or could underperform other
investments. In addition, securities may decline in value due to factors
affecting a specific issuer, market or securities markets
generally.
Large-Capitalization
Companies Risk.
Large-capitalization companies may trail the returns of the overall stock
market. Large-capitalization stocks tend to go through cycles of doing better -
or worse - than the stock market in general. These periods have, in the past,
lasted for as long as several years. When large capitalization companies are out
of favor, these securities may lose value or may not appreciate in line with the
overall market. In addition, large capitalization companies may be unable to
respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology or
consumer tastes, and also may not be able to attain the high growth rate of
successful small companies, especially during extended periods of economic
expansion.
Mid-Capitalization
Companies Risk. The securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more
vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than
securities of larger-capitalization companies. The securities of
mid-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to
greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger capitalization stocks
or the stock market as a whole. Some of these companies have limited product
lines, markets, and financial and managerial resources and tend to concentrate
on fewer geographical markets relative to larger capitalization
companies.
Sector
Risk.
To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the
economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that
significantly affect those sectors. The Fund may invest a significant portion of
its assets in the following sectors and, therefore, the performance of the Fund
could be negatively impacted by events affecting each of these sectors.
•Financials
Sector Risk. The
Fund is expected to have exposure to companies in the financials sector, and
therefore, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events
affecting this sector. The financials sector includes, for example, banks and
financial institutions providing mortgage and mortgage related services. This
sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, changes in interest
rates, government regulation, the rate of defaults on corporate, consumer and
government debt, and the availability and cost of
capital.
•Information
Technology Sector Risk.
The
Fund may invest in companies in the technology sector, and therefore, the Fund’s
performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. Market
or economic factors impacting technology companies and companies that rely
heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value
of the Fund’s investments. Technology companies, including information
technology companies, may have limited product lines, financial resources and/or
personnel. Technology companies typically face intense competition and
potentially rapid product obsolescence. They are also heavily dependent on
intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by the loss or
impairment of those rights. Companies in the technology sector also face
increased government regulation, including new regulations and scrutiny related
to data privacy, and may be subject to adverse government or regulatory actions,
which may be costly.
Real
Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) Risk. A
REIT is a company that owns or finances income-producing real estate. Through
its investments in REITs, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in the
real estate market, including decreases in property revenues, increases in
interest rates, increases in property taxes and operating expenses, legal and
regulatory changes, a lack of credit or capital, defaults by borrowers or
tenants, environmental problems and natural disasters. Investments in REITs may
be volatile. REITs are pooled investment vehicles with their own fees and
expenses and the Fund will indirectly bear a proportionate share of those fees
and expenses.
Concentration
Risk.
In following its methodology, the Index from time to time may be concentrated to
a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or
group of industries. To the extent that the Index concentrates in the securities
of issuers in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund also may
concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating
its investments in an industry or group of industries, the Fund may face more
risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or groups of
industries. If the Index is not concentrated in a particular industry or group
of industries, the Fund will not concentrate in a particular industry or group
of industries.
Passive
Investment Risk. The
Fund is not actively managed and the Sub-Adviser will not sell any investments
due to current or projected underperformance of the securities, industries or
sector in which it invests, unless the investment is removed from the Index,
sold in connection with a rebalancing of the Index as addressed in the Index
methodology, or sold to comply with the Fund’s investment limitations (for
example, to maintain the Fund’s tax status). The Fund will maintain investments
until changes to its Index are triggered, which could cause the Fund’s return to
be lower than if the Fund employed an active
strategy.
Index
Calculation Risk. The
Index relies on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers
included in the Index, including fundamental information that may be based on
assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser nor
the Index Provider can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology
or sources of information will provide a correct valuation of securities, nor
can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the
Index.
Tracking
Error Risk.
As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its respective Index
may differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund
incurs operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the
Index. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the
Index at all times or may hold securities not included in the Index. In
addition, the Fund’s use of a representative sampling approach may
cause the Fund’s returns to not be as well correlated with the return of the
Index as would be the case if the Fund purchased all of the securities in the
Index in the proportions in which they are represented in the
Index.
Sampling Risk.
The Fund’s use of a representative sampling approach will result in it
holding a smaller number of securities than are in the Index. As a result, an
adverse development respecting a security held by the Fund could result in a
greater decline in NAV than would be the case if the Fund held all of the
securities in the Index. Conversely, a positive development relating to a
security in the Index that is not held by the Fund could cause the Fund to
underperform the Index. To the extent the Fund’s assets are smaller, it may be
more difficult to effectively implement a representative sampling strategy,
which could increase these risks.
ETF
Risks.
•Authorized
Participants, Market Makers and Liquidity Providers Concentration
Risk.
The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as
Authorized Participants (“APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of
market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent
either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to
NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become
unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step
forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity
providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities
and no other entities step forward to perform their
functions.
•Premium-Discount
Risk.
The
Shares may trade above or below their net asset value (“NAV”). The market prices
of Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV as well as
the relative supply of, and demand for, Shares on New York Stock Exchange (the
“Exchange”) or other securities exchanges. The trading price of Shares may
deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility or limited
trading activity in Shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,”
that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price of the
Shares.
•Cost
of Trading Risk.
Investors
buying or selling Shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. Brokerage
commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost
for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of Shares. In
addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the difference
between the price that an investor is willing to pay for Shares (the “bid”
price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares (the “ask”
price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the
“spread” or “bid/ask spread.” The bid/ask spread varies over time for Shares
based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the
Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the
Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Further,
increased market volatility may cause increased bid/ask
spreads.
•Trading
Risk.
Although the Shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no
assurance that an active or liquid trading market for them will develop or be
maintained. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted. In
stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the
liquidity of its underlying portfolio holdings, which can be less liquid than
Shares, potentially causing the market price of Shares to deviate from its NAV.
The spread varies over time for Shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading
volume and market liquidity and is generally lower if the Fund has high trading
volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume
and market liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched
or small in size).
Index
Rebalance Risk. Pursuant
to the methodology that the Index Provider uses to maintain the Index,
securities will only be added or removed from the Index during regular Index
updates. The Index is reconstituted semi-annually and rebalanced quarterly.
Changes to the Index’s exposure may lag a significant change in the market’s
direction (up or down) by as long as six months if such changes first take
effect following the most recent reconstitution. Such lags between market
performance and changes to the Index’s exposure may result in significant
underperformance relative to the broader market. Index updates may cause the
Fund to purchase or sell securities at inopportune times or for prices other
than at current market values. Due to these factors, the variation between the
Fund’s annual return and the return of the Index may increase
significantly.
PERFORMANCE
The following information provides some indication of the
risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows the Fund’s performance for
calendar years ended December 31. The table shows how the Fund’s average annual
returns for one-year and since inception periods compare with those of its
Index, which represents a broad measure of market
performance. The Fund’s past
performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the
Fund will perform in the future. Performance information is also
available on the Fund’s website at https://strivefunds.com/
or by calling the Fund at (215)
330-4476.
Calendar Year Total Returns
as of December 31
The
Fund’s calendar year-to-date return as of
September 30, 2025 was
21.12%. During the
period of time shown in the bar chart, the Fund’s highest
return for a calendar quarter was 4.13% (quarter ended June 30, 2024) and the
Fund’s lowest return for a
calendar quarter was -6.74% (quarter ended December 31,
2024).
Average
Annual Total Returns
(for
periods ended December 31, 2024)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Strive
Emerging Markets Ex-China ETF |
1
Year |
Since
Inception (01/30/2023) |
|
Return
Before Taxes |
3.30% |
7.65% |
|
Return
After Taxes on Distributions |
2.50% |
7.16% |
|
Return
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of
Shares |
2.45% |
5.94% |
|
Bloomberg
Emerging Markets Ex-China Large & Mid-Cap Index (reflects no fees or
expenses) |
3.79% |
8.99% |
After-tax returns are
calculated using the highest historical individual U.S. federal marginal income
tax rates during the period covered by the table above and do not reflect the
impact of state and local taxes. Actual
after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from
those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold
their Shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as an individual retirement
account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged
accounts.
INVESTMENT
ADVISER & INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISER
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Investment
Adviser: |
Empowered
Funds, LLC dba EA Advisers (the “Adviser”) |
| Investment
Sub-Adviser: |
Strive
Asset Management, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”) |
PORTFOLIO
MANAGERS
Matthew
Cole, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Strive and Jeffrey
Sherman, a Portfolio Manager of Strive, are each a co-Portfolio Manager of the
Fund and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Mr. Cole has managed the Fund since its inception (January 2023) and Mr. Sherman
has managed the Fund since June 2023.
PURCHASE
AND
SALE
OF SHARES
Individual
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange and may only be purchased
and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer at a market price.
Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a
price greater than NAV (at a “premium”) or less than NAV (at a “discount”). An
investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest
price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (bid) and the lowest price a
seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) when buying and selling Shares in
the secondary market (the “bid/ask spread”).
TAX
INFORMATION
The
Fund’s distributions generally are taxable to you as ordinary income, capital
gain, or some combination of both, unless your investment is made through an IRA
or other tax-advantaged account. However, subsequent withdrawals from such a
tax-advantaged account may be subject to U.S. federal income tax. You should
consult your own tax advisor about your specific tax situation.
PURCHASES
THROUGH BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
If
you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary, the
Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Shares
and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by
influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to
recommend Shares over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your
financial intermediary’s website for more information.
STRIVE
U.S. ENERGY ETF
Fund
Summary
INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVE
The
Strive U.S. Energy ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the total return performance,
before fees and expenses, of an index composed of U.S.-listed equities in the
energy sector (the “Index”).
FEES AND
EXPENSES
This
table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and
sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You
may also pay brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of Shares, which are
not reflected in the table or example.
ANNUAL FUND
OPERATING EXPENSES (EXPENSES THAT YOU PAY EACH YEAR AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE VALUE
OF YOUR INVESTMENT)
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Management
Fee |
0.41 |
% |
|
Distribution
and/or Service (12b-1) Fees |
None |
|
Other
Expenses |
0.00 |
% |
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
0.41 |
% |
EXAMPLE
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of
investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The example
assumes that you invest $10,000 for the time periods indicated and then hold or
sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes
that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain
the same. You may also pay brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of
Shares, which are not reflected in the example. Although your
actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would
be:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| One
Year: |
Three
Years: |
Five
Years: |
Ten
Years: |
| $42 |
$132 |
$230 |
$518 |
PORTFOLIO
TURNOVER
The
Fund may pay transaction costs, including commissions when it buys and sells
securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may
indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are
held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund
operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. For the
fiscal period August 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, the portfolio turnover
rate for the Fund was 8% of the average value of its
portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The
Fund’s Investment Strategy
The
Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Bloomberg US Energy Select
Index (the “Index”), which measures the performance of U.S. oil and gas
producers. The Index is designed by Bloomberg Index Services Limited (the “Index
Provider”) and consists of U.S. equity securities. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its
net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in U.S. energy
companies. The Fund defines U.S. energy companies as those
listed on U.S. exchanges that are in the energy industry or sector.
To
be eligible for inclusion in the Index, a security must (i) be a member of the
Bloomberg US 1500 Index (a free-float market-capitalization-weighted index of
the 1500 most highly capitalized U.S. companies); and (ii) belong to the
integrated oils, exploration & production, or refining & marketing
sub-industries according to the Bloomberg Industry Classification
System.
The
Index is a free float-adjusted capitalization-weighted (i.e.,
market capitalization based on the number of shares available to the public)
index. Constituents’ weights are capped such that no constituent’s weight
exceeds 22.5% and the
cumulative
weight of all constituents with weight greater than 4.5% does not exceed 45%.
Any excess weight from capping is distributed proportionally to all the
remaining uncapped constituents until the weighting conditions are satisfied.
The weight of one or more securities in the Index may exceed these limits due to
fluctuations in market value, corporate actions, or other events that change the
Index composition between rebalance and reconstitution dates. The Index includes
large- and mid-capitalization companies.
The
Index was established in 2024 and is owned and maintained by the Index
Provider.
Substantially
all of the Index is expected to be represented by securities of companies in the
energy industry or sector. Such companies generally include companies engaged in
the exploration, production, refinement, and marketing of oil and gas, including
integrated oil companies which engage in a combination of these activities
across the value chain. The components of the Index are likely to change over
time. The Index is calculated as a total return index in U.S. dollars. The Index
is normally reconstituted semi-annually in March and September and rebalanced
quarterly in March, June, September, and December.
Strive
Asset Management, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”) uses a “passive” or indexing approach
to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment
companies, the Fund does not try to “beat” the index it tracks and does not seek
temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear
overvalued.
Indexing
may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index
but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor
security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax
performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively
managed investment companies.
The
Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to seek to achieve its
investment objective, meaning the Fund will invest in all of the component
securities of the Index in the same approximate proportions as in the Index, but
may, when the Sub-Adviser believes it is in the best interests of the Fund, use
a “representative sampling” strategy, meaning the Fund may invest in a sample of
the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics closely
resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a
whole.
The
Fund will be considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest
more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of
issuers than if it were a diversified fund.
The
Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e.,
hold 25% or more of its total assets) in the energy industry to approximately
the same extent that the Index is so
concentrated.
PRINCIPAL
INVESTMENT RISKS
An
investment in the Fund involves risk, including those described below.
There
is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
An investor may lose money by investing in the
Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank
deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government
agency. More complete risk descriptions are set forth below
under the heading “Additional
Information About the Funds’ Principal Investment Risks.”
Energy
Sector Risk. The
market value of securities in the energy sector may decline for many reasons
including, fluctuations in energy prices and supply and demand of energy fuels
caused by geopolitical events, the success of exploration projects, weather or
meteorological events, taxes, increased governmental or environmental
regulation, resource depletion, rising interest rates, declines in domestic or
foreign production, accidents or catastrophic events that result in injury, loss
of life or property, pollution or other environmental damage claims, terrorist
threats or attacks, among other factors. Markets for various energy-related
commodities can have significant volatility and are subject to control or
manipulation by large producers or purchasers. Companies in the energy sector
may need to make substantial expenditures, and may incur significant amounts of
debt, to maintain or expand their reserves through exploration of new sources of
supply, through the development of existing sources, through acquisitions, or
through long-term contracts to acquire reserves. Factors adversely affecting
producers, refiners, distributors, or others in the energy sector may adversely
affect companies that service or supply those entities, either because demand
for those services or products is curtailed, or those services or products come
under price pressure. Issuers in the energy sector may also be impacted by
changing investor and consumer preferences arising from the sector’s potential
exposure to sustainability and environmental
concerns.
Oil
and Gas Sector Risk. The
profitability of companies in the oil and gas sector is related to worldwide
energy prices, exploration costs, and production spending. Companies in the oil
and gas sector may be at risk for environmental damage
claims
and other types of litigation, as well as negative publicity and perception.
Companies in the oil and gas sector may be adversely affected by natural
disasters or other catastrophes, changes in exchange rates, interest rates,
changes in prices for competitive energy services, economic conditions, tax
treatment, government regulation and intervention, and unfavorable events in the
regions where companies operate (e.g.,
expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or
imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of capital,
military coups, social unrest, violence or labor unrest). As a result, the value
of these companies may fluctuate widely. Companies in the oil and gas sector may
have significant capital investments in, or engage in transactions involving,
emerging market countries, which may heighten these risks. Any of these factors
could result in a material adverse impact on the Fund’s securities and the
performance of the Fund.
Investment
Risk. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you
paid for them. Therefore, you may lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund
could lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods
during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors
affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries
represented in the markets. The value of a security may decline due to general
market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related
to the issuer of the security, such as geopolitical events and environmental
disasters. The value of a security may also decline due to factors that affect a
particular industry or group of industries. During a general downturn in the
securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.
Therefore, you may lose money by investing in the Fund.
Equity
Investing Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of
investing in any fund holding equity securities, such as market fluctuations,
changes in interest rates and perceived trends in stock prices. The values of
equity securities could decline generally or could underperform other
investments. In addition, securities may decline in value due to factors
affecting a specific issuer, market or securities markets
generally.
Large-Capitalization
Companies Risk.
Large-capitalization companies may trail the returns of the overall stock
market. Large-capitalization stocks tend to go through cycles of doing better -
or worse - than the stock market in general. These periods have, in the past,
lasted for as long as several years. When large capitalization companies are out
of favor, these securities may lose value or may not appreciate in line with the
overall market. In addition, large capitalization companies may be unable to
respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology or
consumer tastes, and also may not be able to attain the high growth rate of
successful small companies, especially during extended periods of economic
expansion.
Mid-Capitalization
Companies Risk. The securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more
vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than
securities of larger-capitalization companies. The securities of
mid-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to
greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger capitalization stocks
or the stock market as a whole. Some of these companies have limited product
lines, markets, and financial and managerial resources and tend to concentrate
on fewer geographical markets relative to larger capitalization
companies.
Concentration
Risk.
In following its methodology, the Index will be concentrated to a significant
degree in securities of issuers located in the energy sector. To the extent that
the Index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry or
group of industries, the Fund also may concentrate its investments to
approximately the same extent. By concentrating its investments in the energy
sector, the Fund may face more risks than if it were diversified broadly over
numerous industries or groups of
industries.
Non-Diversification
Risk. Because
the Fund is non-diversified, it may be more sensitive to economic, business,
political or other changes affecting individual issuers or investments than a
diversified fund, which may result in greater fluctuation in the value of the
Fund’s Shares and greater risk of
loss.
Passive
Investment Risk. The
Fund is not actively managed and the Sub-Adviser will not sell any investments
due to current or projected underperformance of the securities, industries or
sector in which it invests, unless the investment is removed from the Index,
sold in connection with a rebalancing of the Index as addressed in the Index
methodology, or sold to comply with the Fund’s investment limitations (for
example, to maintain the Fund’s tax status). The Fund will maintain investments
until changes to its Index are triggered, which could cause the Fund’s return to
be lower than if the Fund employed an active
strategy.
Index
Calculation Risk. The
Index relies on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers
included in the Index, including fundamental information that may be based on
assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the
Adviser,
the Sub-Adviser nor the Index Provider can offer assurances that the Index’s
calculation methodology or sources of information will provide a correct
valuation of securities, nor can they guarantee the availability or timeliness
of the production of the Index.
Tracking
Error Risk. As
with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its respective Index may
differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs
operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In
addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at
all times or may hold securities not included in the
Index.
ETF
Risks.
•Authorized
Participants, Market Makers and Liquidity Providers Concentration
Risk.
The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as
Authorized Participants (“APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of
market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent
either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to
NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become
unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step
forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity
providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities
and no other entities step forward to perform their
functions.
•Premium-Discount
Risk.
The
Shares may trade above or below their net asset value (“NAV”). The market prices
of Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV as well as
the relative supply of, and demand for, Shares on New York Stock Exchange (the
“Exchange”) or other securities exchanges. The trading price of Shares may
deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility or limited
trading activity in Shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,”
that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price of the
Shares.
•Cost
of Trading Risk.
Investors
buying or selling Shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. Brokerage
commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost
for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of Shares. In
addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the difference
between the price that an investor is willing to pay for Shares (the “bid”
price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares (the “ask”
price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the
“spread” or “bid/ask spread.” The bid/ask spread varies over time for Shares
based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the
Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the
Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Further,
increased market volatility may cause increased bid/ask
spreads.
•Trading
Risk.
Although the Shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no
assurance that an active or liquid trading market for them will develop or be
maintained. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted. In
stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the
liquidity of its underlying portfolio holdings, which can be less liquid than
Shares, potentially causing the market price of Shares to deviate from its NAV.
The spread varies over time for Shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading
volume and market liquidity and is generally lower if the Fund has high trading
volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume
and market liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched
or small in size).
Index
Rebalance Risk.
Because the Index generally changes its exposure based on data only as of the
last business day of each quarter, (i) the Index’s exposure may be affected by
significant market movements at or near quarter end that are not predictive of
the market’s performance for the subsequent quarter and (ii) changes to the
Index’s exposure may lag a significant change in the market’s direction (up or
down) by as long as a quarter if such changes first take effect at or near the
beginning of a quarter. Such lags between market performance and changes to the
Index’s exposure may result in significant underperformance relative to the
broader equity or fixed income market.
PERFORMANCE
The following
information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The
bar chart shows the Fund’s performance for calendar years ended December 31. The
table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for one-year and since
inception periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance
and the Index. The
Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily
an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Performance information is also available on the Fund’s website at
https://strivefunds.com/
or by calling the Fund at (215)
330-4476.
Calendar Year Total Returns
as of December 31
The
Fund’s calendar year-to-date return as of
September 30, 2025 was
8.00%. During the
period of time shown in the bar chart, the Fund’s highest
return for a calendar quarter was 12.57% (quarter ended March 31, 2024) and the
Fund’s lowest return for a
calendar quarter was -5.94% (quarter ended December 31,
2023).
Average
Annual Total Returns
(for
periods ended December 31, 2024)
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|
Strive
U.S. Energy ETF |
1
Year |
Since
Inception (08/08/2022) |
|
Return
Before Taxes |
(0.12)% |
6.51% |
|
Return
After Taxes on Distributions |
(0.79)% |
5.78% |
|
Return
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of
Shares |
0.44% |
5.03% |
|
Bloomberg
US Energy Select Index/ Solactive United States Energy Regulated Capped
Index (reflects no fees or
expenses) |
0.30% |
6.91% |
|
Bloomberg
US 1000 Index (reflects no fees or
expenses) |
24.43% |
17.10% |
| Effective
April 11, 2024, the Fund’s investment strategy changed to track the
investment results of the Bloomberg US Energy Select Index. Prior to April
11, 2024, the Fund’s investment strategy was to track the investment
results of the Solactive United States Energy Regulated Capped Index.
Performance shown for the Bloomberg US Energy Select Index/Solactive
United States Energy Regulated Capped Index for periods prior to April 11,
2024 is that of the Solactive United States Energy Regulated Capped Index
and for periods beginning April 11, 2024 is that of the Bloomberg US
Energy Select Index. |
After-tax returns are
calculated using the highest historical individual U.S. federal marginal income
tax rates during the period covered by the table above and do not reflect the
impact of state and local taxes. Actual
after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from
those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold
their Shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as an individual retirement
account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged accounts. In certain instances, the
figure representing “Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Shares” may
be higher than the other return figures for the same period. A higher after-tax
return results when a capital loss occurs upon redemption and provides an
assumed tax deduction that benefits the
investor.
INVESTMENT
ADVISER & INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISER
|
|
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| Investment
Adviser: |
Empowered
Funds, LLC dba EA Advisers (the “Adviser”) |
| Investment
Sub-Adviser: |
Strive
Asset Management, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”) |
PORTFOLIO
MANAGERS
Matthew
Cole, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Strive and Jeffrey
Sherman, a Portfolio Manager of Strive, are each a co-Portfolio Manager of the
Fund and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of
the
Fund. Mr. Cole has managed the Fund since its inception (August 2022) and Mr.
Sherman has managed the Fund since June 2023.
PURCHASE
AND
SALE
OF SHARES
Individual
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange and may only be purchased
and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer at a market price.
Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a
price greater than NAV (at a “premium”) or less than NAV (at a “discount”). An
investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest
price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (bid) and the lowest price a
seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) when buying and selling Shares in
the secondary market (the “bid/ask spread”).
TAX
INFORMATION
The
Fund’s distributions generally are taxable to you as ordinary income, capital
gain, or some combination of both, unless your investment is made through an IRA
or other tax-advantaged account. However, subsequent withdrawals from such a
tax-advantaged account may be subject to U.S. federal income tax. You should
consult your own tax advisor about your specific tax situation.
PURCHASES
THROUGH BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
If
you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary, the
Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Shares
and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by
influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to
recommend Shares over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your
financial intermediary’s website for more information.
STRIVE
U.S. SEMICONDUCTOR ETF
Fund
Summary
INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVE
The
Strive U.S. Semiconductor ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the total return
performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed of U.S.-listed
equities in the semiconductor sector.
FEES AND
EXPENSES
This
table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and
sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You
may also pay brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of Shares, which are
not reflected in the table or example.
ANNUAL FUND
OPERATING EXPENSES (EXPENSES THAT YOU PAY EACH YEAR AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE VALUE
OF YOUR INVESTMENT)
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Management
Fee |
0.40 |
% |
|
Distribution
and/or Service (12b-1) Fees |
None |
|
Other
Expenses |
0.00 |
% |
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
0.40 |
% |
EXAMPLE
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of
investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The example
assumes that you invest $10,000 for the time periods indicated and then hold or
sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes
that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain
the same. You may also pay brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of
Shares, which are not reflected in the example. Although your
actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would
be:
|
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| |
| One
Year: |
Three
Years: |
Five
Years: |
Ten
Years: |
| $41 |
$128 |
$224 |
$505 |
PORTFOLIO
TURNOVER
The
Fund may pay transaction costs, including commissions when it buys and sells
securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may
indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are
held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund
operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. For the
fiscal period August 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, the portfolio turnover
rate for the Fund was 25% of the average value of its
portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The
Fund’s Investment Strategy
The
Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Bloomberg US Listed
Semiconductors Select Index (the “Index”), which measures the performance of the
top 30 U.S.-listed semiconductor companies. The Index is designed by Bloomberg
Index Services Limited (the “Index Provider”) to consist of U.S.-listed equity
securities of companies that have been classified by the Index Provider as
providing exposure to the semiconductor sector. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its
net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in U.S. semiconductor
companies.
Index
Eligibility Process
Semiconductor
Universe Creation
The
Index Provider determines eligible semiconductor companies based on a multistep
process which is constructed to utilize both analyst expertise and data
analytics. The process begins with the generation of a preliminary list of
companies by Bloomberg Intelligence (an affiliate of the Index Provider) (“BI”)
analysts and a list of key terms
associated
with semiconductor companies. Next, using search tools that employ Natural
Language Processing capabilities, publicly available company documents are
scraped for occurrences associated with the key terms related to semiconductor
companies. This process also utilizes methods for synonym-matching to reduce
variability in frequency counts due to corporate communication styles. Documents
scraped include, but are not limited to, company filings, investor
presentations, quarterly earnings reports, earnings call transcripts, press
releases, news articles or media coverage. Companies identified using this
process constitute the Index universe of semiconductor companies.
Relevancy
Assessment
In
addition, BI analysts reviews the identified universe of semiconductor companies
to inform a BI view on each company’s current, and potential near-term,
relevancy to the semiconductor theme across two categories — revenue exposure
(“Revenue Score”) and theme exposure (“Theme Score”). All semiconductor
companies are assigned a Revenue Score and a Theme Score ranging from 1 (most
exposed) to 3 (least exposed) (each as further described below).
The
Revenue Score reflects BI’s view of near-term (3 to 5 year) revenue exposure of
each semiconductor company to the semiconductor theme as a percent of the
company’s total revenue. BI analysts leverage publicly available company data
such as financial disclosures, and where necessary other available research, to
assess a semiconductor company’s Revenue Score. An Revenue Score of 1 reflects
BI’s assessment of a company being more than 50% of revenue tied to the theme, 2
means 20-50%, and 3 means less than 20%.
The
Theme Score aims to capture a view on a semiconductor company’s positioning and
ability to execute within the competitive landscape of the semiconductor theme.
BI analysts consider a series of data points to inform a perspective on relevant
issues such as a company’s ability to ramp production, relevant capital
allocation trends, and access to capital. Quantitative operational data is used,
but BI’s assessment of other publicly availability data and industry knowledge
is also used. Companies are assessed on a scale of 1 (high theme relevancy) to 3
(lower theme relevancy).
To
be eligible for inclusion in the Index, a semiconductor company must i) have
either a Revenue Score of 1 or a Theme Score of 1; and ii) have a combined
Revenue Score and Theme Score that ranges from 2 to 4.
Further,
for inclusion in the Index, companies that are identified as part of the
universe described above must be listed on a U.S. exchange, and a security’s
country of risk (i.e.,
an assessment of based on the location from which the majority of its revenue
comes and its reporting currency) and country of domicile (i.e.,
where a company’s senior management is located) must not be classified as China,
Taiwan, or Hong Kong.
Index
Selection Process
All
securities that satisfy the Index Eligibility Process described above are
eligible for inclusion in the Index. Each eligible security’s free float market
capitalization (i.e.,
market capitalization based on the number of shares available to the public) is
adjusted by its Revenue Score to determine the security’s modified market
capitalization (“Modified Market Cap”). The top 30 securities by Modified Market
Cap are selected for inclusion in the Index.
Index
Weighting
Index
constituents are weighted using each constituent’s Modified Market Cap
(i.e.,
constituents with a Revenue Score of 1 are included in the Index at its full
free float adjusted market capitalization weight; constituents with a Revenue
Score of 2 are included at half of its free float adjusted market capitalization
weight; and constituents with a Revenue Score of 3 are included at one-third of
its free float adjusted market capitalization weight). Constituents’ weights are
then capped such that no constituent’s weight exceeds 22.5% and the cumulative
weight of all constituents with weight greater than 4.5% does not exceed 45%.
Any excess weight from capping is distributed proportionally to all the
remaining uncapped constituents until the weighting conditions are satisfied.
The weight of one or more securities in the Index may exceed these limits due to
fluctuations in market value, corporate actions, or other events that change the
Index composition between quarterly rebalance dates.
The
Index was established in 2024 and is owned and maintained by the Index
Provider.
The
Index includes large- and mid-capitalization companies, and it is anticipated
that the Fund’s holdings will be comprised primarily of large-capitalization
companies.
Substantially
all of the Index is expected to be represented by securities of companies in the
semiconductor sector. Such companies generally include semiconductor
manufacturers and suppliers of materials that are used by semiconductor
companies.
The components of the Index are likely to change over time. The Index is
calculated as a total return index in U.S. dollars. The Index is normally
reconstituted on a quarterly basis in March, June, September, and
December.
Strive
Asset Management, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”) uses a “passive” or indexing approach
to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment
companies, the Fund does not try to “beat” the index it tracks and does not seek
temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear
overvalued.
Indexing
may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index
but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor
security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax
performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively
managed investment companies.
The
Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to seek to achieve its
investment objective, meaning the Fund will invest in all of the component
securities of the Index in the same approximate proportions as in the Index, but
may, when the Sub-Adviser believes it is in the best interests of the Fund, use
a “representative sampling” strategy, meaning the Fund may invest in a sample of
the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics closely
resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a
whole.
The
Fund will be considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest
more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of
issuers than if it were a diversified fund.
The
Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e.,
hold 25% or more of its total assets) in the semiconductor sector to
approximately the same extent that the Index is
concentrated.
PRINCIPAL
INVESTMENT RISKS
An
investment in the Fund involves risk, including those described below.
There
is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
An investor may lose money by investing in the
Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank
deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government
agency. More complete risk descriptions are set forth below
under the heading “Additional
Information About the Funds’ Principal Investment Risks.”
Semiconductor
Sector Risk.
The semiconductor sector is highly cyclical and periodically experiences
significant economic downturns characterized by diminished product demand,
resulting in production overcapacity and excess inventory, which can result in
rapid erosion of product selling prices. The sector has experienced significant
downturns, often in connection with, or in anticipation of, maturing product
cycles of both semiconductor companies’ and their customers’ products and the
decline in general economic
conditions.
Information
Technology Sector Risk. The
Fund may invest in companies in the technology sector, and therefore, the Fund’s
performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. Market
or economic factors impacting technology companies and companies that rely
heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value
of the Fund’s investments. Technology companies, including information
technology companies, may have limited product lines, financial resources and/or
personnel. Technology companies typically face intense competition and
potentially rapid product obsolescence. They are also heavily dependent on
intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by the loss or
impairment of those rights. Companies in the technology sector also face
increased government regulation, including new regulations and scrutiny related
to data privacy, and may be subject to adverse government or regulatory actions,
which may be costly.
Investment
Risk. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you
paid for them. Therefore, you may lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund
could lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods
during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors
affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries
represented in the markets. The value of a security may decline due to general
market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related
to the issuer of the security, such as geopolitical events and environmental
disasters. The value of a security may also decline due to factors that affect a
particular industry or group of industries. During a general downturn in the
securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.
Therefore, you may lose money by investing in the Fund.
Foreign
Exposure Risk.
Although the Fund invests in securities of companies listed on U.S. securities
exchanges, the international operations of those companies may create exposure
to foreign markets where such companies operate. The international operations of
many semiconductor companies expose them to risks associated with political,
social or economic events in other countries or regions, which may include
instability and changes in economic and political
conditions,
foreign currency fluctuations, changes in foreign regulations, tariffs and trade
disputes, competition from subsidized foreign competitors with lower production
costs and other risks inherent to international
business.
Equity
Investing Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of
investing in any fund holding equity securities, such as market fluctuations,
changes in interest rates and perceived trends in stock prices. The values of
equity securities could decline generally or could underperform other
investments. In addition, securities may decline in value due to factors
affecting a specific issuer, market or securities markets
generally.
Large-Capitalization
Companies Risk.
Large-capitalization companies may trail the returns of the overall stock
market. Large-capitalization stocks tend to go through cycles of doing better -
or worse - than the stock market in general. These periods have, in the past,
lasted for as long as several years. When large capitalization companies are out
of favor, these securities may lose value or may not appreciate in line with the
overall market. In addition, large capitalization companies may be unable to
respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology or
consumer tastes, and also may not be able to attain the high growth rate of
successful small companies, especially during extended periods of economic
expansion.
Mid-Capitalization
Companies Risk. The securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more
vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than
securities of larger-capitalization companies. The securities of
mid-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to
greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger capitalization stocks
or the stock market as a whole. Some of these companies have limited product
lines, markets, and financial and managerial resources and tend to concentrate
on fewer geographical markets relative to larger capitalization
companies.
Concentration
Risk. In
following its methodology, the Index will be concentrated to a significant
degree in securities of issuers in the semiconductor sector. To the extent that
the Index concentrates in the securities of issuers in a particular industry,
group of industries or sector(s), the Fund also will concentrate its investments
to approximately the same extent. By concentrating its investments in the
semiconductor sector, the Fund may face more risks than if it were diversified
broadly over numerous industries, groups of industries or
sectors.
Non-Diversification
Risk. Because
the Fund is non-diversified, it may be more sensitive to economic, business,
political or other changes affecting individual issuers or investments than a
diversified fund, which may result in greater fluctuation in the value of the
Fund’s Shares and greater risk of
loss.
Passive
Investment Risk. The
Fund is not actively managed and the Sub-Adviser will not sell any investments
due to current or projected underperformance of the securities, industries or
sector in which it invests, unless the investment is removed from the Index,
sold in connection with a rebalancing of the Index as addressed in the Index
methodology, or sold to comply with the Fund’s investment limitations (for
example, to maintain the Fund’s tax status). The Fund will maintain investments
until changes to its Index are triggered, which could cause the Fund’s return to
be lower than if the Fund employed an active
strategy.
Index
Calculation Risk. The
Index relies on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers
included in the Index, including fundamental information that may be based on
assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser nor
the Index Provider can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology
or sources of information will provide a correct valuation of securities, nor
can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the
Index.
Tracking
Error Risk. As
with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its respective Index may
differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs
operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In
addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at
all times or may hold securities not included in the
Index.
ETF
Risks.
•Authorized
Participants, Market Makers and Liquidity Providers Concentration
Risk.
The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as
Authorized Participants (“APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of
market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent
either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to
NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become
unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step
forward
to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit
the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other
entities step forward to perform their functions.
•Premium-Discount
Risk.
The
Shares may trade above or below their net asset value (“NAV”). The market prices
of Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV as well as
the relative supply of, and demand for, Shares on New York Stock Exchange (the
“Exchange”) or other securities exchanges. The trading price of Shares may
deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility or limited
trading activity in Shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,”
that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price of the
Shares.
•Cost
of Trading Risk.
Investors
buying or selling Shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. Brokerage
commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost
for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of Shares. In
addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the difference
between the price that an investor is willing to pay for Shares (the “bid”
price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares (the “ask”
price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the
“spread” or “bid/ask spread.” The bid/ask spread varies over time for Shares
based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the
Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the
Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Further,
increased market volatility may cause increased bid/ask
spreads.
•Trading
Risk.
Although
the Shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active
or liquid trading market for them will develop or be maintained. In addition,
trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted. In stressed market conditions,
the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of its underlying
portfolio holdings, which can be less liquid than Shares, potentially causing
the market price of Shares to deviate from its NAV. The spread varies over time
for Shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity
and is generally lower if the Fund has high trading volume and market liquidity,
and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market liquidity (which is
often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in
size).
Index
Rebalance Risk. Because
the Index generally changes its exposure based on data that is analyzed in
connection with a quarterly rebalance (a “Rebalance”), (i) the Index’s exposure
may be affected by significant market movements at or around the time of a
Rebalance that are not predictive of the market’s performance for the subsequent
Rebalance and (ii) changes to the Index’s exposure may lag a significant change
in the market’s direction (up or down) by as long as a quarter if such changes
first take effect at or around the time of Rebalance. Such lags between market
performance and changes to the Index’s exposure may result in significant
underperformance relative to the broader equity or fixed income market. Index
rebalances may cause the Fund to purchase or sell securities at inopportune
times or for prices other than at current market values. Due to these factors,
the variation between the Fund’s annual return and the return of the Index may
increase significantly.
PERFORMANCE
The following
information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The
bar chart shows the Fund’s performance for calendar years ended December 31. The
table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for one-year and since
inception periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance
and the Index. The Fund’s past performance,
before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will
perform in the future. Performance information is also available
on the Fund’s website at https://strivefunds.com/
or by calling the Fund at (215)
330-4476.
Calendar Year Total Returns
as of December 31
The
Fund’s calendar year-to-date return as of
September 30, 2025 was
36.57%. During the
period of time shown in the bar chart, the Fund’s highest
return for a calendar quarter was 25.32% (quarter ended March 31, 2023) and the
Fund’s lowest return for a
calendar quarter was -7.19% (quarter ended September 30,
2024).
Average
Annual Total Returns
(for
periods ended December 31, 2024)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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| |
|
Strive
U.S. Semiconductor ETF |
1
Year |
Since
Inception (10/05/2022) |
|
Return
Before Taxes |
16.71% |
31.75% |
|
Return
After Taxes on Distributions |
16.62% |
31.56% |
|
Return
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of
Shares |
9.96% |
25.06% |
|
Bloomberg
US Listed Semiconductors Select Index/ Solactive United States
Semiconductors 30 Capped Index (reflects no fees or
expenses) |
17.21% |
32.35% |
|
Bloomberg
US 1000 Index (reflects no fees or
expenses) |
24.23% |
23.18% |
| Effective
March 21, 2024, the Fund’s investment strategy changed to track the
investment results of the Bloomberg US Listed Semiconductors Select Index.
Prior to March 21, 2024, the Fund’s investment strategy was to track the
investment results of the Solactive United States Semiconductors 30 Capped
Index. Performance shown for the Bloomberg US Listed Semiconductors Select
Index/Solactive United States Semiconductors 30 Capped Index for periods
prior to March 21, 2024 is that of the Solactive United States
Semiconductors 30 Capped Index and for periods beginning March 21, 2024 is
that of the Bloomberg US Listed Semiconductors Select
Index. |
After-tax returns are
calculated using the highest historical individual U.S. federal marginal income
tax rates during the period covered by the table above and do not reflect the
impact of state and local taxes. Actual
after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from
those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold
their Shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as an individual retirement
account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged
accounts.
INVESTMENT
ADVISER & INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISER
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Investment
Adviser: |
Empowered
Funds, LLC dba EA Advisers (the “Adviser”) |
| Investment
Sub-Adviser: |
Strive
Asset Management, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”) |
PORTFOLIO
MANAGERS
Matthew
Cole, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Strive and Jeffrey
Sherman, a Portfolio Manager of Strive, are each a co-Portfolio Manager of the
Fund and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Mr. Cole has managed the Fund since its inception (October 2022) and Mr. Sherman
has managed the Fund since June 2023.
PURCHASE
AND
SALE
OF SHARES
Individual
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange and may only be purchased
and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer at a market price.
Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a
price greater than NAV (at a “premium”) or less than NAV (at a “discount”). An
investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest
price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (bid) and the lowest price a
seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) when buying and selling Shares in
the secondary market (the “bid/ask spread”).
TAX
INFORMATION
The
Fund’s distributions generally are taxable to you as ordinary income, capital
gain, or some combination of both, unless your investment is made through an IRA
or other tax-advantaged account. However, subsequent withdrawals from such a
tax-advantaged account may be subject to U.S. federal income tax. You should
consult your own tax advisor about your specific tax situation.
PURCHASES
THROUGH BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
If
you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary, the
Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Shares
and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by
influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to
recommend Shares over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your
financial intermediary’s website for more information.
STRIVE
NATURAL RESOURCES AND SECURITY ETF
Fund
Summary
INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVE
The
Strive Natural Resources and Security ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the total
return performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed of companies
that are engaged in national security and natural resource
security.
FEES AND
EXPENSES
This
table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and
sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You
may also pay brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of Shares, which are
not reflected in the table or example.
ANNUAL FUND
OPERATING EXPENSES (EXPENSES THAT YOU PAY EACH YEAR AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE VALUE
OF YOUR INVESTMENT)
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Management
Fee |
0.49 |
% |
| Distribution
and/or Service (12b-1) Fees |
None |
|
Other
Expenses |
0.00 |
% |
| Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
0.49 |
% |
EXAMPLE
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of
investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The example
assumes that you invest $10,000 for the time periods indicated and then hold or
sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes
that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain
the same. You may also pay brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of
Shares, which are not reflected in the example. Although your
actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would
be:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| One
Year: |
Three
Years: |
Five
Years: |
Ten
Years: |
| $50 |
$157 |
$274 |
$616 |
PORTFOLIO
TURNOVER
The
Fund may pay transaction costs, including commissions when it buys and sells
securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may
indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are
held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund
operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. For the
fiscal period August 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, the portfolio turnover
rate for the Fund was 21% of the average value of its
portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The
Fund’s Investment Strategy
The
Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Bloomberg Natural Resources
& Security Index (the “Index”), which measures the performance of companies
that are engaged in national security and natural resource security as defined
by Bloomberg (the “Index Provider” or “Bloomberg”). The Index includes large-
and mid-capitalization companies. Under normal
circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any
borrowings for investment purposes) in companies in the Natural Resources and
Security Sectors. The Fund defines “Natural Resources and
Security Sectors” as companies that focus their primary business activities in
the “Fuel”, “Aerospace and Defense”, “Agriculture”, “Nuclear”, or “Gold and
Other Base and Precious Metals” (“Gold”) sectors (collectively, the “Natural
Resources and Security Sectors”).
To
be eligible for inclusion in the Index, a security must be a member of the
Bloomberg Developed Markets North America Large, Mid & Small Index, which is
a free float, market-cap weighted equity index. The Bloomberg North America
Large, Mid & Small Index includes the largest companies that comprise 99% of
total market capitalization in North America. Thereafter, only U.S. and Canadian
listed securities are included.
Each
company that is included in the Index must focus its primary business activities
in the Natural Resources and Security Sectors. Companies within the Natural
Resources and Security Sectors must be classified as: (i) Fuel, which includes
issuers in the oil and gas sector, (ii) Aerospace, which includes companies in
the aerospace and defense sector, (iii) Agriculture, which includes companies in
the agriculture chemicals, agriculture producers, agricultural machinery sector,
(iv) Nuclear, which includes issuers in the nuclear energy sector, and (v) Gold,
which includes companies involved in mining of base and precious metals. The
Index utilizes Bloomberg Industry Classification codes to determine sector
classifications for the Fuel, Aerospace and Defense, Agriculture, and Gold
categories, and the Nuclear BI Theme Basket for the Nuclear
category.
Bloomberg
identifies companies that are within each Natural Resources and Security Sector
and those companies are ranked based on issuer free float market capitalization.
Each of the five Natural Resources and Security Sectors are equal-weighted (20%
each) at the time of rebalance. Within each Natural Resources and Security
Sector, the top 10 issuers based on free float market capitalization are
selected for inclusion in the Index. Thereafter, each security’s weight is
determined by dividing its free float market capitalization by the sum of the
free float market capitalizations of all securities in the Index. The Index has
approximately 50 constituents. The components of the Index are likely to change
over time.
The
Index is calculated as a total return index in U.S. dollars. The Index is
normally rebalanced on a quarterly basis in March, June, September, and
December. The Fund is also rebalanced in March, June, September, and
December.
Strive
Asset Management, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”) uses a “passive” or indexing approach
to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment
companies, the Fund does not try to “beat” the index it tracks and does not seek
temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear
overvalued.
Indexing
may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index
but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor
security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax
performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively
managed investment companies.
The
Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to seek to achieve its
investment objective, meaning the Fund will invest in all of the component
securities of the Index in the same approximate proportions as in the Index, but
may, when the Sub-Adviser believes it is in the best interests of the Fund, use
a “representative sampling” strategy, meaning the Fund may invest in a sample of
the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics closely
resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a
whole.
The
Fund will be considered to be non-diversified, which means that it may invest
more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of
issuers than if it were a diversified fund.
The
Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e.,
hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of
industries to approximately the same extent that the Index is
concentrated.
PRINCIPAL
INVESTMENT RISKS
An
investment in the Fund involves risk, including those described below.
There
is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
An investor may lose money by investing in the
Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank
deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government
agency. More complete risk descriptions are set forth below
under the heading “Additional
Information About the Funds’ Principal Investment Risks.”
Equity
Investing Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of
investing in any fund holding equity securities, such as market fluctuations,
changes in interest rates and perceived trends in stock prices. The values of
equity securities could decline generally or could underperform other
investments. In addition, securities may decline in value due to factors
affecting a specific issuer, market or securities markets
generally.
Oil
and Gas Sector Risk. The
profitability of companies in the oil and gas sector is related to worldwide
energy prices, exploration costs, and production spending. Companies in the oil
and gas sector may be at risk for environmental damage claims and other types of
litigation, as well as negative publicity and perception. Companies in the oil
and gas sector may be adversely affected by natural disasters or other
catastrophes, changes in exchange rates, interest rates, changes in prices for
competitive energy services, economic conditions, tax treatment, government
regulation and intervention, and unfavorable events in the regions where
companies operate (e.g.,
expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or
imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of capital,
military coups, social unrest,
violence
or labor unrest). As a result, the value of these companies may fluctuate
widely. Companies in the oil and gas sector may have significant capital
investments in, or engage in transactions involving, emerging market countries,
which may heighten these risks. Any of these factors could result in a material
adverse impact on the Fund’s securities and the performance of the
Fund.
Aerospace
and Defense Sector Risk.
Aerospace and defense companies can be significantly affected by government
aerospace and defense regulation and spending policies because companies
involved in this industry rely to a significant extent on U.S. (and other)
government demand for their products and services. Thus, the financial condition
of, and investor interest in, aerospace and defense companies are heavily
influenced by governmental defense spending policies which are typically under
pressure from efforts to control the U.S. (and other) government budgets. The
aerospace industry in particular has recently been affected by adverse economic
conditions and consolidation within the
industry.
Nuclear
Energy Sector Risk.
The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater
extent on, the overall condition of nuclear energy companies. The companies
represented in the Fund’s portfolio may face considerable risk as a result of,
among other risks, incidents and accidents, breaches of security,
ill-intentioned acts or terrorism, natural disasters (such as floods or
earthquakes), equipment malfunctions or mishandling in storage, handling,
transportation, treatment or conditioning of substances and nuclear materials.
Such events could have serious consequences, especially in case of radioactive
contamination and irradiation of the environment, for the general population, as
well as a material, negative impact on the Fund’s portfolio companies and thus
the Fund’s financial situation. In addition, the nuclear energy sector is
subject to competitive risk associated with the prices of other energy sources,
such as natural gas and oil. Consumers of nuclear energy may have the ability to
switch between nuclear energy and other energy sources and, as a result, during
periods when competing energy sources are less expensive, the revenues of
companies in the nuclear energy sector may decline with a corresponding impact
on earnings.
Nuclear
activity is also subject to particularly detailed and restrictive regulations,
with a scheme for the monitoring and periodic re-examination of operating
authorization, which primarily takes into account nuclear safety, environmental
and public health protection, and also national security considerations
(terrorist threats in particular). These regulations and any future regulations
may be subject to significant tightening by national and international
authorities. This could result in increased operating costs, which would have a
negative impact on the Fund’s portfolio companies and may cause operating
businesses related to nuclear energy to become unprofitable or impractical to
operate. Furthermore, uranium prices are subject to fluctuation. The price of
uranium has been and will continue to be affected by numerous factors beyond the
Fund’s control. With respect to uranium, such factors include the demand for
nuclear power, political and economic conditions in uranium producing and
consuming countries, uranium supply from secondary sources and uranium
production levels and costs of production. In addition, the prices of crude oil,
natural gas and electricity produced from traditional hydro power and possibly
other undiscovered energy sources could potentially have a negative impact on
the competitiveness of nuclear energy companies in which the Fund
invests.
Agriculture
Sector Risk.
Economic forces, including forces affecting agricultural markets, as well as
government policies and regulations affecting agriculture companies, could
adversely impact the Fund’s investments. Agricultural and livestock production
and trade flows are significantly affected by government policies and
regulations. Governmental policies affecting agriculture companies, such as
taxes, tariffs, duties, subsidies and import and export restrictions on
agricultural commodities, commodity products and livestock, can influence
agriculture company profitability, the planting/raising of certain
crops/livestock versus other uses of resources, the location and size of crop
and livestock production, whether unprocessed or processed commodity products
are traded and the volume and types of imports and exports. In addition,
companies in the agriculture sector must comply with a broad range of
environmental laws and regulations.
Gold
and Precious Metals Risk. The
Fund will be sensitive to changes in the overall condition of the gold, precious
metals and mining sector. Competitive pressures may have a significant effect on
the financial condition of companies in such industry. Also, such companies are
highly dependent on the price of certain precious metals. These prices may
fluctuate substantially over short periods of time, so the Fund’s share price
may be more volatile than other types of investments. The prices of precious
metals rise and fall in response to many factors, including: economic cycles;
changes in inflation or expectations about inflation in various countries;
interest rates; currency fluctuations; metal sales by governments, central
banks, or international agencies; investment speculation; resource availability;
fluctuations in industrial and commercial supply and demand; government
regulation of the metals and materials industries; and government prohibitions
or restrictions on the private ownership of certain precious and rare metals.
The Index
measures,
in part, the performance of equity securities of gold and precious metals
companies and does not measure the performance of direct investment in precious
metals. Consequently, the Fund’s share price may not move in the same direction
and to the same extent as the spot prices of precious
metals.
Foreign
Investment Risk. Returns
on investments in foreign securities could be more volatile than, or trail the
returns on, investments in U.S. securities. Investments in or exposures to
foreign securities are subject to special risks, including risks associated with
foreign securities generally, such as differences in information available about
issuers of securities and investor protection standards applicable in other
jurisdictions; capital controls risks, including the risk of a foreign
jurisdiction imposing restrictions on the ability to repatriate or transfer
currency or other assets; currency risks; political, diplomatic and economic
risks; regulatory risks; and foreign market and trading risks, including the
costs of trading and risks of settlement in foreign
jurisdictions.
Canadian
Investment Risk. Investments
in securities of Canadian issuers involve risks and special considerations not
typically associated with investments in the U.S. securities markets. The
Canadian economy is very dependent on the demand for, and supply and price of,
natural resources. The Canadian market is relatively concentrated in issuers
involved in the production and distribution of natural resources. There is a
risk that any changes in natural resources sectors could have an adverse impact
on the Canadian economy. Additionally, the Canadian economy is heavily dependent
on relationships with certain key trading partners including the United States,
countries in the European Union and China. Because the United States is Canada’s
largest trading partner and foreign investor, the Canadian economy is dependent
on and may be significantly affected by developments impacting the U.S. economy.
Reduction in spending on Canadian products and services or changes in the U.S.
economy may adversely impact the Canadian economy. Uncertainty as to the future
of certain trade agreements between the U.S. and Canada may cause a decline in
the value of the Fund’s Shares. In addition, certain sectors of Canada’s economy
may be subject to foreign ownership limitations. This may negatively impact the
Fund’s ability to invest in Canadian issuers and to track the
Index.
Natural
Resources and Commodity-Related Industries Risk.
The Fund is subject to the risks associated with companies in the natural
resources and commodities-related industries. These industries can be
significantly affected by (and often rapidly affected by) changes in the supply
of, or demand for, various natural resources and commodities. Investments in
natural resources companies, which include companies engaged in energy (oil, gas
& consumable fuels), agriculture, and precious and industrial metals and
mining can be significantly affected by events relating to these industries,
including international political and economic developments, embargoes, tariffs,
inflation, weather and natural disasters, livestock diseases, limits on
exploration, rapid changes in the supply and demand for natural resources and
other factors. The Fund’s investments may experience substantial price
fluctuations as a result of these factors, and may move independently of the
trends of other operating companies. Companies engaged in the sectors listed
above may be adversely affected by changes in government policies and
regulations, technological advances and/or obsolescence, environmental damage
claims, energy conservation efforts, the success of exploration projects,
limitations on the liquidity of certain natural resources and commodities and
competition from new market entrants. Changes in general economic conditions,
including commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates, imposition of
import controls, rising interest rates, prices of raw materials and other
commodities, depletion of resources and labor relations, could adversely affect
the Fund’s investments.
Investment
Risk. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you
paid for them. Therefore, you may lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund
could lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods
during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors
affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries
represented in the markets. The value of a security may decline due to general
market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related
to the issuer of the security, such as geopolitical events and environmental
disasters. The value of a security may also decline due to factors that affect a
particular industry or group of industries. During a general downturn in the
securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.
Therefore, you may lose money by investing in the Fund.
Large-Capitalization
Companies Risk.
Large-capitalization companies may trail the returns of the overall stock
market. Large-capitalization stocks tend to go through cycles of doing better -
or worse - than the stock market in general. These periods have, in the past,
lasted for as long as several years. When large capitalization companies are out
of favor, these securities may lose value or may not appreciate in line with the
overall market. In addition, large capitalization companies may be unable to
respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in
technology
or consumer tastes, and also may not be able to attain the high growth rate of
successful small companies, especially during extended periods of economic
expansion.
Mid-Capitalization
Companies Risk. The securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more
vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than
securities of larger-capitalization companies. The securities of
mid-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to
greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger capitalization stocks
or the stock market as a whole. Some of these companies have limited product
lines, markets, and financial and managerial resources and tend to concentrate
on fewer geographical markets relative to larger capitalization
companies.
Concentration
Risk.
In following its methodology, the Index may be concentrated to a significant
degree in securities of issuers located in the Fuel, Aerospace, Nuclear,
Agriculture, and Gold sectors. By concentrating its investments in the Fuel,
Aerospace, Nuclear, Agriculture and Gold sectors, the Fund may face more risks
than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or groups of
industries.
Non-Diversification
Risk. Because
the Fund is non-diversified, it may be more sensitive to economic, business,
political or other changes affecting individual issuers or investments than a
diversified fund, which may result in greater fluctuation in the value of the
Fund’s Shares and greater risk of
loss.
Passive
Investment Risk. The
Fund is not actively managed and the Sub-Adviser will not sell any investments
due to current or projected underperformance of the securities, industries or
sector in which it invests, unless the investment is removed from the Index,
sold in connection with a rebalancing of the Index as addressed in the Index
methodology, or sold to comply with the Fund’s investment limitations (for
example, to maintain the Fund’s tax status). The Fund will maintain investments
until changes to its Index are triggered, which could cause the Fund’s return to
be lower than if the Fund employed an active
strategy.
Index
Calculation Risk. The
Index relies on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers
included in the Index, including fundamental information that may be based on
assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser nor
the Index Provider can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology
or sources of information will provide a correct valuation of securities, nor
can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the
Index.
Tracking
Error Risk. As
with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its respective Index may
differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs
operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In
addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at
all times or may hold securities not included in the
Index.
ETF
Risks.
•Authorized
Participants, Market Makers and Liquidity Providers Concentration
Risk.
The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as
Authorized Participants (“APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of
market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent
either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to
NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become
unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step
forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity
providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities
and no other entities step forward to perform their
functions.
•Premium-Discount
Risk.
The
Shares may trade above or below their net asset value (“NAV”). The market prices
of Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV as well as
the relative supply of, and demand for, Shares on New York Stock Exchange (the
“Exchange”) or other securities exchanges. The trading price of Shares may
deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility or limited
trading activity in Shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,”
that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price of the
Shares.
•Cost
of Trading Risk.
Investors
buying or selling Shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. Brokerage
commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost
for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of Shares. In
addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the difference
between the price that an investor is willing to pay for Shares (the “bid”
price) and the price at which an
investor
is willing to sell Shares (the “ask” price). This difference in bid and ask
prices is often referred to as the “spread” or “bid/ask spread.” The bid/ask
spread varies over time for Shares based on trading volume and market liquidity,
and is generally lower if the Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market
liquidity and higher if the Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market
liquidity. Further, increased market volatility may cause increased bid/ask
spreads.
•Trading
Risk.
Although
the Shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active
or liquid trading market for them will develop or be maintained. In addition,
trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted. In stressed market conditions,
the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of its underlying
portfolio holdings, which can be less liquid than Shares, potentially causing
the market price of Shares to deviate from its NAV. The spread varies over time
for Shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity
and is generally lower if the Fund has high trading volume and market liquidity,
and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market liquidity (which is
often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in
size).
Index
Rebalance Risk.
Because the Index generally changes its exposure based on data only as of the
last business day of March, June, September, and December (i) the Index’s
exposure may be affected by significant market movements at or near quarter end
that are not predictive of the market’s performance for the subsequent quarter
and (ii) changes to the Index’s exposure may lag a significant change in the
market’s direction (up or down) by as long as a quarter if such changes first
take effect at or near the beginning of a quarter. Such lags between market
performance and changes to the Index’s exposure may result in significant
underperformance relative to the broader equity or fixed income market. Unusual
market conditions may cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled
rebalance, which could cause the Index to vary from its normal or expected
composition.
PERFORMANCE
The following
information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The
bar chart shows the Fund’s performance for calendar years ended December 31. The
table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for one-year and since
inception periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance
and the Index. The Fund’s past performance,
before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will
perform in the future. Performance information is also available
on the Fund’s website at https://strivefunds.com/
or by calling the Fund at (215)
330-4476.
Calendar Year Total Returns
as of December 31
The
Fund’s calendar year-to-date return as of
September 30, 2025 was
37.68%. During the
period of time shown in the bar chart, the Fund’s highest
return for a calendar quarter was 11.09% (quarter ended September 30, 2024) and
the Fund’s lowest return for a
calendar quarter was -7.17%% (quarter ended December 31,
2024).
Average
Annual Total Returns
(for
periods ended December 31, 2024)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Strive
Natural Resources and Security ETF |
1
Year |
Since
Inception (08/30/2023) |
|
Return
Before Taxes |
15.36% |
12.16% |
|
Return
After Taxes on Distributions |
15.03% |
11.80% |
|
Return
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of
Shares |
9.34% |
9.30% |
|
Bloomberg
Natural Resources and Security Index (reflects
no fees or expenses) |
15.87% |
12.75% |
|
Bloomberg
US 1000 Index (reflects no fees or
expenses) |
24.23% |
23.43% |
After-tax returns are
calculated using the highest historical individual U.S. federal marginal income
tax rates during the period covered by the table above and do not reflect the
impact of state and local taxes. Actual
after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from
those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold
their Shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as an individual retirement
account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged
accounts.
INVESTMENT
ADVISER & INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISER
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Investment
Adviser: |
Empowered
Funds, LLC dba EA Advisers (the “Adviser”) |
| Investment
Sub-Adviser: |
Strive
Asset Management, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”) |
PORTFOLIO
MANAGERS
Matthew
Cole, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Strive and Jeffrey
Sherman, a Portfolio Manager of Strive, are each a co-Portfolio Manager of the
Fund and have been primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the
Fund since its inception (August 2023).
PURCHASE
AND
SALE
OF SHARES
Individual
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange and may only be purchased
and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer at a market price.
Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a
price greater than NAV (at a “premium”) or less than NAV (at a “discount”). An
investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest
price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (bid) and the lowest price a
seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) when buying and selling Shares in
the secondary market (the “bid/ask spread”).
TAX
INFORMATION
The
Fund’s distributions generally are taxable to you as ordinary income, capital
gain, or some combination of both, unless your investment is made through an IRA
or other tax-advantaged account. However, subsequent withdrawals from such a
tax-advantaged account may be subject to U.S. federal income tax. You should
consult your own tax advisor about your specific tax situation.
PURCHASES
THROUGH BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
If
you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary, the
Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Shares
and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by
influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to
recommend Shares over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your
financial intermediary’s website for more information.
STRIVE
1000 GROWTH ETF
Fund
Summary
INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVE
The
Strive 1000 Growth ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the total return performance,
before fees and expenses, of an index composed of large- and mid-capitalization
U.S. equity securities that exhibit growth
characteristics.
FEES AND
EXPENSES
This
table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and
sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You
may also pay brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of Shares, which are
not reflected in the table or example.
ANNUAL FUND
OPERATING EXPENSES (EXPENSES THAT YOU PAY EACH YEAR AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE VALUE
OF YOUR INVESTMENT)
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Management
Fee |
0.18 |
% |
|
Distribution
and/or Service (12b-1) Fees |
None |
|
Other
Expenses |
0.00 |
% |
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
0.18 |
% |
EXAMPLE
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of
investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The example
assumes that you invest $10,000 for the time periods indicated and then hold or
sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes
that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain
the same. You may also pay brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of
Shares, which are not reflected in the example. Although your
actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would
be:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| One
Year: |
Three
Years: |
Five
Years: |
Ten
Years: |
| $18 |
$58 |
$101 |
$230 |
PORTFOLIO
TURNOVER
The
Fund may pay transaction costs, including commissions when it buys and sells
securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may
indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are
held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund
operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. For the
fiscal period August 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, the portfolio turnover
rate for the Fund was 8% of the average value of its
portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The
Fund’s Investment Strategy
The
Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Bloomberg US 1000 Growth Index
(the “Index”), which measures the performance of large- and mid-capitalization
growth companies in the U.S. equity market as determined by Bloomberg (the
“Index Provider” or “Bloomberg”). The Index includes large- and
mid-capitalization companies and is a subset of the Bloomberg US 1000 Index (the
“Growth Index Universe”). Under normal
circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any
borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of growth
companies. The Fund defines growth companies as companies with
higher forecasted growth, higher valuations, lower earnings yield and
lower dividend yield relative to all issuers included in the Growth Index
Universe.
The
Index will generally consist of over 500 constituents. The Index is expected to
have significant exposure to the Information Technology sector. The components
of the Index will change over time.
The
Index is a free float-adjusted capitalization-weighted index comprised primarily
of U.S. equity securities issued by the largest growth-oriented U.S. companies.
The Index measures the performance of U.S. equity securities of issuers
with
higher forecasted growth, higher valuations, lower earnings yield and
lower dividend yield relative to all issuers included in the Growth Index
Universe. The Index Provider ranks the securities in the Growth Index Universe
according to a value formula that takes into consideration the following
criteria: earnings yield, valuation, dividend yield and growth, each of which
are equal weighted. Within each equal weighted criteria, underlying accounting
screens are assessed. Using current market prices, these accounting screens are
captured at the month end prior to Index rebalancing. Virtually all accounting
screens are based on trailing twelve month data, except for Earnings to Price
ratios, which use forward-looking twelve-month forecasts.
Using
the screens above, the Index selects the highest scoring growth stocks for
inclusion. Specifically, companies that rank highly in terms of growth metrics
(e.g.,
sales growth) and/or possess high market prices relative to peers across
valuation (e.g.,
Sales to Price), dividend yield (Dividend to Price), and earnings metrics
(e.g.
Earnings to Price) are deemed to be growth stocks.
Based
on this ranking, the securities that score within the highest 30% of the Growth
Index Universe are included in the Index and market cap weighted. The following
40% of securities are included at a decreasing linear scale with the full 100%
weight given at the 30th percentile and a 0% weight given at the 30th
percentile. The bottom scoring 30% of stocks are excluded from the
Index.
To
be eligible for inclusion in the Index, a security must first meet the following
criteria: (i) it is primarily listed in the United States, (ii) it is listed on
a U.S. exchange, and (iii) the security’s free float must be a minimum of 10% of
the security’s total shares outstanding. The Index includes common stock and
real estate investment trusts.
The
Index is calculated as a total return index in U.S. dollars. The Index is
normally rebalanced on a semi-annual basis in January and July and such changes
take effect in March and September.
Strive
Asset Management, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”) uses a “passive” or indexing approach
to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment
companies, the Fund does not try to “beat” the index it tracks and does not seek
temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear
overvalued.
Indexing
may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index
but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor
security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax
performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively
managed investment companies.
The
Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to seek to achieve its
investment objective, meaning the Fund will invest in all of the component
securities of the Index in the same approximate proportions as in the Index, but
may, when the Sub-Adviser believes it is in the best interests of the Fund, use
a “representative sampling” strategy, meaning the Fund may invest in a sample of
the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics closely
resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole. The
Fund will be reconstituted and rebalanced on the same schedule as the
Index.
The
Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e.,
hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of
industries to approximately the same extent that the Index is
concentrated.
The
Fund intends to be diversified in approximately the same proportion as the Index
is diversified. The Fund may become “non‑diversified,” as defined in the 1940
Act, solely as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or index
weighting of one or more constituents of the Index. Shareholder approval will
not be sought if the Fund becomes “non‑diversified” due solely to a change in
the relative market capitalization or index weighting of one or more
constituents of the Index. The Fund discloses its portfolio holdings and
weightings at www.strivefunds.com/stxg.
PRINCIPAL
INVESTMENT RISKS
An
investment in the Fund involves risk, including those described below.
There
is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
An investor may lose money by investing in the
Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank
deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government
agency. More complete risk descriptions are set forth below
under the heading “Additional
Information About the Funds’ Principal Investment Risks.”
Equity
Investing Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of
investing in any fund holding equity securities, such as market fluctuations,
changes in interest rates and perceived trends in stock prices. The values of
equity securities could decline generally or could underperform other
investments. In addition, securities may decline in value due to factors
affecting a specific issuer, market or securities markets
generally.
Growth
Investing Risk. The
Fund invests in growth securities, which may be more volatile than other types
of investments, may perform differently than the market as a whole and may
underperform when compared to securities with different investment parameters.
Under certain market conditions, growth securities have performed better during
the later stages of economic recovery (although there is no guarantee that they
will continue to do so). Therefore, growth securities may go in and out of favor
over time.
Investment
Risk. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you
paid for them. Therefore, you may lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund
could lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods
during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors
affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries
represented in the markets. The value of a security may decline due to general
market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related
to the issuer of the security, such as geopolitical events and environmental
disasters. The value of a security may also decline due to factors that affect a
particular industry or group of industries. During a general downturn in the
securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.
Therefore, you may lose money by investing in the Fund.
Large-Capitalization
Companies Risk.
Large-capitalization companies may trail the returns of the overall stock
market. Large-capitalization stocks tend to go through cycles of doing better -
or worse - than the stock market in general. These periods have, in the past,
lasted for as long as several years. When large capitalization companies are out
of favor, these securities may lose value or may not appreciate in line with the
overall market. In addition, large capitalization companies may be unable to
respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology or
consumer tastes, and also may not be able to attain the high growth rate of
successful small companies, especially during extended periods of economic
expansion.
Mid-Capitalization
Companies Risk. The securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more
vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than
securities of larger-capitalization companies. The securities of
mid-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to
greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger capitalization stocks
or the stock market as a whole. Some of these companies have limited product
lines, markets, and financial and managerial resources and tend to concentrate
on fewer geographical markets relative to larger capitalization
companies.
Sector
Risk.
To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the
economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that
significantly affect those sectors. The Fund may invest a significant portion of
its assets in the following sectors and, therefore, the performance of the Fund
could be negatively impacted by events affecting each of these sectors.
•Information
Technology Sector Risk.
The
Fund may invest in companies in the technology sector, and therefore, the Fund’s
performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. Market
or economic factors impacting technology companies and companies that rely
heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value
of the Fund’s investments. Technology companies, including information
technology companies, may have limited product lines, financial resources and/or
personnel. Technology companies typically face intense competition and
potentially rapid product obsolescence. They are also heavily dependent on
intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by the loss or
impairment of those rights. Companies in the technology sector also face
increased government regulation, including new regulations and scrutiny related
to data privacy, and may be subject to adverse government or regulatory actions,
which may be costly.
Real
Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) Risk.
A REIT is a company that owns or finances income-producing real estate. Through
its investments in REITs, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in the
real estate market, including decreases in property revenues, increases in
interest rates, increases in property taxes and operating expenses, legal and
regulatory changes, a lack of credit or capital, defaults by borrowers or
tenants, environmental problems and natural disasters. Investments in REITs may
be volatile. REITs are pooled investment vehicles with their own fees and
expenses and the Fund will indirectly bear a proportionate share of those fees
and expenses.
Passive
Investment Risk. The
Fund is not actively managed and the Sub-Adviser will not sell any investments
due to current or projected underperformance of the securities, industries or
sector in which it invests, unless the investment is removed from the Index,
sold in connection with a rebalancing of the Index as addressed in the Index
methodology, or sold to comply with the Fund’s investment limitations (for
example, to maintain the Fund’s tax status). The Fund will
maintain
investments until changes to its Index are triggered, which could cause the
Fund’s return to be lower than if the Fund employed an active
strategy.
Index
Calculation Risk. The
Index relies on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers
included in the Index, including fundamental information that may be based on
assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser nor
the Index Provider can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology
or sources of information will provide a correct valuation of securities, nor
can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the
Index.
Tracking
Error Risk. As
with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its respective Index may
differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs
operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In
addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at
all times or may hold securities not included in the
Index.
Concentration
Risk.
In following its methodology, the Index from time to time may be concentrated to
a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or
group of industries. To the extent that the Index concentrates in the securities
of issuers in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund also may
concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating
its investments in an industry or group of industries, the Fund may face more
risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or groups of
industries. If the Index is not concentrated in a particular industry or group
of industries, the Fund will not concentrate in a particular industry or group
of industries.
ETF
Risks.
•Authorized
Participants, Market Makers and Liquidity Providers Concentration
Risk.
The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as
Authorized Participants (“APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of
market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent
either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to
NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become
unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step
forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity
providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities
and no other entities step forward to perform their
functions.
•Premium-Discount
Risk.
The
Shares may trade above or below their net asset value (“NAV”). The market prices
of Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV as well as
the relative supply of, and demand for, Shares on New York Stock Exchange (the
“Exchange”) or other securities exchanges. The trading price of Shares may
deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility or limited
trading activity in Shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,”
that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price of the
Shares.
•Cost
of Trading Risk.
Investors
buying or selling Shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. Brokerage
commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost
for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of Shares. In
addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the difference
between the price that an investor is willing to pay for Shares (the “bid”
price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares (the “ask”
price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the
“spread” or “bid/ask spread.” The bid/ask spread varies over time for Shares
based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the
Fund's Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the
Fund's Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Further,
increased market volatility may cause increased bid/ask
spreads.
•Trading
Risk.
Although
the Shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active
or liquid trading market for them will develop or be maintained. In addition,
trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted. In stressed market conditions,
the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of its underlying
portfolio holdings, which can be less liquid than Shares, potentially causing
the market price of Shares to deviate from its NAV. The spread varies over time
for Shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity
and is generally lower if the Fund has high trading volume and market liquidity,
and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market liquidity (which is
often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in
size).
Index
Rebalance Risk.
Because the Index generally changes its exposure based on data only as of the
last week of January and July, (i) the Index’s exposure may be affected by
significant market movements at or near the rebalance date that are not
predictive of the market’s performance for the subsequent six-month period and
(ii) changes to the Index’s exposure may lag a significant change in the
market’s direction (up or down) by as long as a six months if such changes first
take effect at or near the beginning of a rebalance date. Such lags between
market performance and changes to the Index’s exposure may result in significant
underperformance relative to the broader equity
market.
Change
in Diversification Status Risk. In
seeking to track its Index, the Strive 1000 Growth ETF may become
non-diversified as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or
index weighting of one or more constituents of the Index. A “non-diversified”
fund generally invests a greater portion of its assets in the securities of one
or more issuers and invests overall in a smaller number of issuers than a
diversified fund. The Fund may be more sensitive to a single economic, business,
political, regulatory, or other occurrence than a more diversified fund might
be, which may negatively impact the Fund’s performance and result in greater
fluctuation in the value of the Fund’s shares.
PERFORMANCE
The following
information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The
bar chart shows the Fund’s performance for calendar years ended December 31. The
table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for one-year and since
inception periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance
and the Index. The Fund’s past performance,
before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will
perform in the future. Performance information is also available
on the Fund’s website at https://strivefunds.com/
or by calling the Fund at (215)
330-4476.
Calendar Year Total Returns
as of December 31
The
Fund’s calendar year-to-date return as of
September 30, 2025 was
15.63%. During the
period of time shown in the bar chart, the Fund’s highest
return for a calendar quarter was 13.33% (quarter ended December 31, 2023) and
the Fund’s lowest return for a
calendar quarter was -3.83% (quarter ended September 30,
2023).
Average
Annual Total Returns
(for
periods ended December 31, 2024)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Strive
1000 Growth ETF |
1
Year |
Since
Inception (11/09/2022) |
|
Return
Before Taxes |
28.59% |
31.41% |
|
Return
After Taxes on Distributions |
28.43% |
31.21% |
|
Return
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of
Shares |
17.03% |
24.71% |
|
Bloomberg
US 1000 Growth Index (reflects no fees or
expenses) |
28.88% |
31.66% |
|
Bloomberg
US 1000 Index (reflects no fees or
expenses) |
24.23% |
25.09% |
After-tax returns are
calculated using the highest historical individual U.S. federal marginal income
tax rates during the period covered by the table above and do not reflect the
impact of state and local taxes. Actual
after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from
those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold
their Shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as an individual retirement
account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged
accounts.
INVESTMENT
ADVISER & INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISER
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Investment
Adviser: |
Empowered
Funds, LLC dba EA Advisers (the “Adviser”) |
| Investment
Sub-Adviser: |
Strive
Asset Management, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”) |
PORTFOLIO
MANAGERS
Matthew
Cole, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Strive and Jeffrey
Sherman, a Portfolio Manager of Strive, are each a co-Portfolio Manager of the
Fund and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Mr. Cole has managed the Fund since its inception (November 2022) and Mr.
Sherman has managed the Fund since June 2023.
PURCHASE
AND
SALE
OF SHARES
Individual
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange and may only be purchased
and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer at a market price.
Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a
price greater than NAV (at a “premium”) or less than NAV (at a “discount”). An
investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest
price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (bid) and the lowest price a
seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) when buying and selling Shares in
the secondary market (the “bid/ask spread”).
TAX
INFORMATION
The
Fund’s distributions generally are taxable to you as ordinary income, capital
gain, or some combination of both, unless your investment is made through an IRA
or other tax-advantaged account. However, subsequent withdrawals from such a
tax-advantaged account may be subject to U.S. federal income tax. You should
consult your own tax advisor about your specific tax situation.
PURCHASES
THROUGH BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
If
you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary, the
Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Shares
and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by
influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to
recommend Shares over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your
financial intermediary’s website for more information.
STRIVE
1000 VALUE ETF
Fund
Summary
INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVE
The
Strive 1000 Value ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the total return performance,
before fees and expenses, of an index composed of large- and mid-capitalization
U.S. equity securities that exhibit value
characteristics.
FEES AND
EXPENSES
This
table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and
sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You
may also pay brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of Shares, which are
not reflected in the table or example.
ANNUAL FUND
OPERATING EXPENSES (EXPENSES THAT YOU PAY EACH YEAR AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE VALUE
OF YOUR INVESTMENT)
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Management
Fee |
0.18 |
% |
|
Distribution
and/or Service (12b-1) Fees |
None |
|
Other
Expenses |
0.00 |
% |
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
0.18 |
% |
EXAMPLE
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of
investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The example
assumes that you invest $10,000 for the time periods indicated and then hold or
sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes
that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain
the same. You may also pay brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of
Shares, which are not reflected in the example. Although your
actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would
be:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| One
Year: |
Three
Years: |
Five
Years: |
Ten
Years: |
| $18 |
$58 |
$101 |
$230 |
PORTFOLIO
TURNOVER
The
Fund may pay transaction costs, including commissions when it buys and sells
securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may
indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are
held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund
operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. For the
fiscal period August 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, the portfolio turnover
rate for the Fund was 17% of the average value of its
portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The
Fund’s Investment Strategy
The
Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Bloomberg US 1000 Value Index
(the “Index”), which measures the performance of the large- and
mid-capitalization value sector of the U.S. equity market as determined by
Bloomberg (the “Index Provider” or “Bloomberg”). The Index includes large- and
mid-capitalization companies and is a subset of the Bloomberg US 1000 Index (the
“Value Index Universe”). Under normal
circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any
borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of value
companies. The Fund defines value companies as companies with
higher earnings yield, higher dividend yield and lower forecasted growth and
lower valuations relative to all securities included in the Value Index
Universe.
The
Index will generally consist of over 500 constituents. The Index is expected to
have significant exposure to the Financials sector. The components of the Index
will change over time.
The
Index is a free float-adjusted capitalization-weighted index comprised primarily
of U.S. equity securities issued by the largest value-oriented U.S. companies.
The Index measures the performance of U.S. equity securities of issuers with
higher
earnings yield, higher dividend yield and lower forecasted growth and lower
valuations relative to all securities included in the Value Index Universe. The
Index Provider ranks the securities in the Value Index Universe according to a
value formula that takes into consideration the following criteria: earnings
yield, valuation, dividend yield and growth, each of which are equal weighted.
Within each equal weighted criteria, underlying accounting screens are assessed.
Using current market prices, these accounting screens are captured at the month
end prior to Index rebalancing. Virtually all accounting screens are based on
trailing twelve month data, except for Earnings to Price ratios, which use
forward-looking twelve-month forecasts.
Using
the screens above, the Index selects the highest scoring value stocks for
inclusion. Specifically, companies that rank highly in terms of value metrics
(e.g.,
stable or mature sales growth) and/or possess low market prices relative to
peers across valuation (e.g.,
Sales to Price), dividend yield (Dividend to Price), and earnings metrics
(e.g.
Earnings to Price) are deemed to be value stocks.
Based
on this ranking, the securities that score within the highest 30% of the Value
Index Universe are included in the Index and are market cap weighted. The
following 40% of securities are included at an increasing linear scale with the
full 100% weight given at the 30th percentile and a 0% weight given at the 70th
percentile. The bottom scoring 30% of stocks are excluded from the
Index.
To
be eligible for inclusion in the Index, a security must meet the following
criteria: (i) it is primarily listed in the United States, (ii) it is listed on
a U.S. exchange, and (iii) the security’s free float must be a minimum of 10% of
the security’s total shares outstanding. The Index includes common stock and
real estate investment trusts.
The
Index is calculated as a total return index in U.S. dollars. The Index is
normally reconstituted on a semi-annual basis in January and July and such
changes take effect in March and September. The Index constituents’ weights are
normally updated in June and December.
Strive
Asset Management, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”) uses a “passive” or indexing approach
to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment
companies, the Fund does not try to “beat” the index it tracks and does not seek
temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear
overvalued.
Indexing
may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index
but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor
security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax
performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively
managed investment companies.
The
Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to seek to achieve its
investment objective, meaning the Fund will invest in all of the component
securities of the Index in the same approximate proportions as in the Index, but
may, when the Sub-Adviser believes it is in the best interests of the Fund, use
a “representative sampling” strategy, meaning the Fund may invest in a sample of
the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics closely
resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole. The
Fund will be reconstituted and rebalanced on the same schedule as the
Index.
The
Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e.,
hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of
industries to approximately the same extent that the Index is
concentrated.
PRINCIPAL
INVESTMENT RISKS
An
investment in the Fund involves risk, including those described below.
There
is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
An investor may lose money by investing in the
Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank
deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government
agency. More complete risk descriptions are set forth below
under the heading “Additional
Information About the Funds’ Principal Investment Risks.”
Equity
Investing Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of
investing in any fund holding equity securities, such as market fluctuations,
changes in interest rates and perceived trends in stock prices. The values of
equity securities could decline generally or could underperform other
investments. In addition, securities may decline in value due to factors
affecting a specific issuer, market or securities markets
generally.
Value
Investing Risk.
Securities issued by companies that may be perceived as undervalued may be
appropriately valued. Value securities may fail to appreciate for long periods
of time or may never realize their full potential value. In addition, the Fund’s
ability to realize any benefits of investing in value securities may depend on
the Fund’s ability to stay invested until the market’s perception of such
securities change. Value securities have generally performed better
than
non-value securities during periods of economic recovery (although there is no
assurance that they will continue to do so). Value securities may go in and out
of favor over time.
Investment
Risk. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you
paid for them. Therefore, you may lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund
could lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods
during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors
affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries
represented in the markets. The value of a security may decline due to general
market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related
to the issuer of the security, such as geopolitical events and environmental
disasters. The value of a security may also decline due to factors that affect a
particular industry or group of industries. During a general downturn in the
securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.
Therefore, you may lose money by investing in the Fund.
Large-Capitalization
Companies Risk.
Large-capitalization companies may trail the returns of the overall stock
market. Large-capitalization stocks tend to go through cycles of doing better -
or worse - than the stock market in general. These periods have, in the past,
lasted for as long as several years. When large capitalization companies are out
of favor, these securities may lose value or may not appreciate in line with the
overall market. In addition, large capitalization companies may be unable to
respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology or
consumer tastes, and also may not be able to attain the high growth rate of
successful small companies, especially during extended periods of economic
expansion.
Mid-Capitalization
Companies Risk. The securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more
vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than
securities of larger-capitalization companies. The securities of
mid-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to
greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger capitalization stocks
or the stock market as a whole. Some of these companies have limited product
lines, markets, and financial and managerial resources and tend to concentrate
on fewer geographical markets relative to larger capitalization
companies.
Sector
Risk.
To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the
economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that
significantly affect those sectors. The Fund may invest a significant portion of
its assets in the following sectors and, therefore, the performance of the Fund
could be negatively impacted by events affecting each of these sectors.
•Financials
Sector Risk. The
Fund is expected to have exposure to companies in the financials sector, and
therefore, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events
affecting this sector. The financials sector includes, for example, banks and
financial institutions providing mortgage and mortgage related services. This
sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, changes in interest
rates, government regulation, the rate of defaults on corporate, consumer and
government debt, the availability and cost of capital, and fallout from the
housing and sub-prime mortgage
crisis.
Real
Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) Risk.
A REIT is a company that owns or finances income-producing real estate. Through
its investments in REITs, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in the
real estate market, including decreases in property revenues, increases in
interest rates, increases in property taxes and operating expenses, legal and
regulatory changes, a lack of credit or capital, defaults by borrowers or
tenants, environmental problems and natural disasters. Investments in REITs may
be volatile. REITs are pooled investment vehicles with their own fees and
expenses and the Fund will indirectly bear a proportionate share of those fees
and expenses.
Passive
Investment Risk. The
Fund is not actively managed and the Sub-Adviser will not sell any investments
due to current or projected underperformance of the securities, industries or
sector in which it invests, unless the investment is removed from the Index,
sold in connection with a rebalancing of the Index as addressed in the Index
methodology, or sold to comply with the Fund’s investment limitations (for
example, to maintain the Fund’s tax status). The Fund will maintain investments
until changes to its Index are triggered, which could cause the Fund’s return to
be lower than if the Fund employed an active
strategy.
Concentration
Risk.
In following its methodology, the Index from time to time may be concentrated to
a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or
group of industries. To the extent that the Index concentrates in the securities
of issuers in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund also may
concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating
its investments in an industry or group of industries, the Fund may face more
risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or groups of
industries. If the Index is not
concentrated
in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund will not concentrate
in a particular industry or group of
industries.
Index
Calculation Risk. The
Index relies on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers
included in the Index, including fundamental information that may be based on
assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser nor
the Index Provider can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology
or sources of information will provide a correct valuation of securities, nor
can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the
Index.
Tracking
Error Risk. As
with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its respective Index may
differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs
operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In
addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at
all times or may hold securities not included in the
Index.
ETF
Risks.
•Authorized
Participants, Market Makers and Liquidity Providers Concentration
Risk.
The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as
Authorized Participants (“APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of
market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent
either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to
NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become
unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step
forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity
providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities
and no other entities step forward to perform their
functions.
•Premium-Discount
Risk.
The
Shares may trade above or below their net asset value (“NAV”). The market prices
of Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV as well as
the relative supply of, and demand for, Shares on New York Stock Exchange (the
“Exchange”) or other securities exchanges. The trading price of Shares may
deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility or limited
trading activity in Shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,”
that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price of the
Shares.
•Cost
of Trading Risk.
Investors
buying or selling Shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. Brokerage
commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost
for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of Shares. In
addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the difference
between the price that an investor is willing to pay for Shares (the “bid”
price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares (the “ask”
price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the
“spread” or “bid/ask spread.” The bid/ask spread varies over time for Shares
based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the
Fund's Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the
Fund's Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Further,
increased market volatility may cause increased bid/ask
spreads.
•Trading
Risk.
Although the Shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no
assurance that an active or liquid trading market for them will develop or be
maintained. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted. In
stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the
liquidity of its underlying portfolio holdings, which can be less liquid than
Shares, potentially causing the market price of Shares to deviate from its NAV.
The spread varies over time for Shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading
volume and market liquidity and is generally lower if the Fund has high trading
volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume
and market liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched
or small in size).
Index
Rebalance Risk.
Because the Index generally changes its exposure based on data only as of the
last week of January and July, (i) the Index’s exposure may be affected by
significant market movements at or near the rebalance date that are not
predictive of the market’s performance for the subsequent six-month period and
(ii) changes to the Index’s exposure may lag a significant change in the
market’s direction (up or down) by as long as six months if such changes first
take effect at or near the beginning of a quarter. Such lags between market
performance and changes to the Index’s exposure may result in significant
underperformance relative to the broader equity or fixed income market. Unusual
market
conditions may cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance, which
could cause the Index to vary from its normal or expected
composition.
PERFORMANCE
The following
information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The
bar chart shows the Fund’s performance for calendar years ended December 31. The
table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for one-year and since
inception periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance
and the Index. The Fund’s past performance,
before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will
perform in the future. Performance information is also available
on the Fund’s website at https://strivefunds.com/
or by calling the Fund at (215)
330-4476.
Calendar Year Total Returns
as of December 31
The
Fund’s calendar year-to-date return as of
September 30, 2025 was
11.71%. During the
period of time shown in the bar chart, the Fund’s highest
return for a calendar quarter was 9.25% (quarter ended March 31, 2024) and the
Fund’s lowest return for a
calendar quarter was -2.34% (quarter ended June 30,
2024).
Average
Annual Total Returns
(for
periods ended December 31, 2024)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Strive
1000 Value ETF |
1
Year |
Since
Inception (11/09/2022) |
|
Return
Before Taxes |
13.32% |
11.74% |
|
Return
After Taxes on Distributions |
12.67% |
11.11% |
|
Return
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of
Shares |
8.32% |
9.01% |
|
Bloomberg
US 1000 Value Index (reflects no fees or
expenses) |
13.63% |
11.97% |
|
Bloomberg
US 1000 Index (reflects no fees or
expenses) |
24.23% |
25.09% |
After-tax returns are
calculated using the highest historical individual U.S. federal marginal income
tax rates during the period covered by the table above and do not reflect the
impact of state and local taxes. Actual
after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from
those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold
their Shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as an individual retirement
account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged
accounts.
INVESTMENT
ADVISER & INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISER
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Investment
Adviser: |
Empowered
Funds, LLC dba EA Advisers (the “Adviser”) |
| Investment
Sub-Adviser: |
Strive
Asset Management, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”) |
PORTFOLIO
MANAGERS
Matthew
Cole, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Strive and Jeffrey
Sherman, a Portfolio Manager of Strive, are each a co-Portfolio Manager of the
Fund and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Mr. Cole has managed the Fund since its inception (November 2022) and Mr.
Sherman has managed the Fund since June 2023.
PURCHASE
AND
SALE
OF SHARES
Individual
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange and may only be purchased
and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer at a market price.
Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a
price greater than NAV (at a “premium”) or less than NAV (at a “discount”). An
investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest
price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (bid) and the lowest price a
seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) when buying and selling Shares in
the secondary market (the “bid/ask spread”).
TAX
INFORMATION
The
Fund’s distributions generally are taxable to you as ordinary income, capital
gain, or some combination of both, unless your investment is made through an IRA
or other tax-advantaged account. However, subsequent withdrawals from such a
tax-advantaged account may be subject to U.S. federal income tax. You should
consult your own tax advisor about your specific tax situation.
PURCHASES
THROUGH BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
If
you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary, the
Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Shares
and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by
influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to
recommend Shares over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your
financial intermediary’s website for more information.
STRIVE
SMALL-CAP ETF
Fund
Summary
INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVE
The
Strive Small-Cap ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the total return performance,
before fees and expenses, of an index composed of U.S. small-capitalization
companies.
FEES AND
EXPENSES
This
table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and
sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You
may also pay brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of Shares, which are
not reflected in the table or example.
ANNUAL FUND
OPERATING EXPENSES (EXPENSES THAT YOU PAY EACH YEAR AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE VALUE
OF YOUR INVESTMENT)
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Management
Fee |
0.18 |
% |
|
Distribution
and/or Service (12b-1) Fees |
None |
|
Other
Expenses |
0.00 |
% |
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
0.18 |
% |
EXAMPLE
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of
investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The example
assumes that you invest $10,000 for the time periods indicated and then hold or
sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes
that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain
the same. You may also pay brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of
Shares, which are not reflected in the example. Although your
actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would
be:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| One
Year: |
Three
Years: |
Five
Years: |
Ten
Years: |
| $18 |
$58 |
$101 |
$230 |
PORTFOLIO
TURNOVER
The
Fund may pay transaction costs, including commissions when it buys and sells
securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may
indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are
held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund
operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. For the
fiscal period August 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, the portfolio turnover
rate for the Fund was 32% of the average value of its
portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The
Fund’s Investment Strategy
The
Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Bloomberg US 600 Index (the
“Index”), which measures the performance of the small-capitalization sector in
the U.S. equity market as determined by Bloomberg (the “Index Provider” or
“Bloomberg”). Under normal
circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any
borrowings for investment purposes) in U.S. small cap equity
securities. The Fund defines U.S. small cap equity securities as
companies listed on U.S. exchanges and are the lowest 600 by market
capitalization of the Bloomberg US 1500, as described below.
The
Index is a free float-adjusted capitalization-weighted index comprised primarily
of U.S. equity securities. The Index is a subset of the Bloomberg US 3000 Index,
which measures the performance of the broad U.S. equity market, and the
Bloomberg US 1500 Index, which consists of the securities ranked 1 to 1500 by
market capitalization in the Bloomberg US 3000 Index. The Index consists of the
lowest 600 in capitalization of the Bloomberg US 1500 Index (i.e., 901 to 1500).
The Index primarily measures the performance of the small-capitalization sector
of the U.S. equity market.
To
be eligible for inclusion in the Index, a security must first meet the following
criteria: (i) it is primarily listed in the United States, (ii) it is listed on
a U.S. exchange, and (iii) the security’s free float must be a minimum of 10% of
the security’s total shares outstanding. The Index includes common stock and
real estate investment trusts (“REITs”).
The
Index is calculated as a total return index in U.S. dollars. The Index is
normally rebalanced on a semi-annual basis in January and July and such changes
take effect in March and September. The Index constituents’ weights are normally
updated in June and December.
Strive
Asset Management, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”) uses a “passive” or indexing approach
to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment
companies, the Fund does not try to “beat” the index it tracks and does not seek
temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear
overvalued.
Indexing
may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index
but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor
security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax
performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively
managed investment companies.
The
Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to seek to achieve its
investment objective, meaning the Fund will invest in all of the component
securities of the Index in the same approximate proportions as in the Index, but
may, when the Sub-Adviser believes it is in the best interests of the Fund, use
a “representative sampling” strategy, meaning the Fund may invest in a sample of
the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics closely
resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole. The
Fund will be reconstituted and rebalanced on the same schedule as the
Index.
The
Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e.,
hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of
industries to approximately the same extent that the Index is
concentrated.
PRINCIPAL
INVESTMENT RISKS
An
investment in the Fund involves risk, including those described below.
There
is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
An investor may lose money by investing in the
Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank
deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government
agency. More complete risk descriptions are set forth below
under the heading “Additional
Information About the Funds’ Principal Investment Risks.”
Equity
Investing Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of
investing in any fund holding equity securities, such as market fluctuations,
changes in interest rates and perceived trends in stock prices. The values of
equity securities could decline generally or could underperform other
investments. In addition, securities may decline in value due to factors
affecting a specific issuer, market or securities markets
generally.
Investment
Risk. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you
paid for them. Therefore, you may lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund
could lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods
during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors
affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries
represented in the markets. The value of a security may decline due to general
market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related
to the issuer of the security, such as geopolitical events and environmental
disasters. The value of a security may also decline due to factors that affect a
particular industry or group of industries. During a general downturn in the
securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.
Therefore, you may lose money by investing in the Fund.
Small-Capitalization
Companies Risk.
The securities of small-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to
adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of
large- or mid-capitalization companies. The securities of small-capitalization
companies generally trade in lower volumes and during adverse circumstances, may
be more difficult to sell and receive a sales price comparable to the value
assigned to the security by the Fund. These securities are subject to greater
and more unpredictable price changes than large- or mid-capitalization stocks or
the stock market as a whole. There is typically less publicly available
information concerning smaller-capitalization companies than for larger, more
established companies, which may make the valuation of such securities more
difficult if there isn’t a readily available market
price.
Sector
Risk.
To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the
economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that
significantly affect those sectors. The Fund may invest a significant portion of
its
assets in the following sectors and, therefore, the performance of the Fund
could be negatively impacted by events affecting each of these sectors.
•Industrials
Sector Risk. The
Fund is expected to have exposure to companies in the Industrials sector, and
therefore, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events
affecting this sector. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other
things, business cycle fluctuations, worldwide economy growth, international
political and economic developments, exchange rates, commodity prices,
environmental issues, government and corporate spending, supply and demand for
specific products and manufacturing, and government
regulation.
•Financials
Sector Risk. The
Fund is expected to have exposure to companies in the financials sector, and
therefore, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events
affecting this sector. The financials sector includes, for example, banks and
financial institutions providing mortgage and mortgage related services. This
sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, changes in interest
rates, government regulation, the rate of defaults on corporate, consumer and
government debt, and the availability and cost of
capital.
Real
Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) Risk. A
REIT is a company that owns or finances income-producing real estate. Through
its investments in REITs, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in the
real estate market, including decreases in property revenues, increases in
interest rates, increases in property taxes and operating expenses, legal and
regulatory changes, a lack of credit or capital, defaults by borrowers or
tenants, environmental problems and natural disasters. Investments in REITs may
be volatile. REITs are pooled investment vehicles with their own fees and
expenses and the Fund will indirectly bear a proportionate share of those fees
and expenses.
Passive
Investment Risk. The
Fund is not actively managed and the Sub-Adviser will not sell any investments
due to current or projected underperformance of the securities, industries or
sector in which it invests, unless the investment is removed from the Index,
sold in connection with a rebalancing of the Index as addressed in the Index
methodology, or sold to comply with the Fund’s investment limitations (for
example, to maintain the Fund’s tax status). The Fund will maintain investments
until changes to its Index are triggered, which could cause the Fund’s return to
be lower than if the Fund employed an active
strategy.
Index
Calculation Risk. The
Index relies on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers
included in the Index, including fundamental information that may be based on
assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser nor
the Index Provider can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology
or sources of information will provide a correct valuation of securities, nor
can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the
Index.
Concentration
Risk.
In following its methodology, the Index from time to time may be concentrated to
a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or
group of industries. To the extent that the Index concentrates in the securities
of issuers in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund also may
concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating
its investments in an industry or group of industries, the Fund may face more
risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or groups of
industries. If the Index is not concentrated in a particular industry or group
of industries, the Fund will not concentrate in a particular industry or group
of industries.
Tracking
Error Risk. As
with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its respective Index may
differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs
operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In
addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at
all times or may hold securities not included in the
Index.
ETF
Risks.
•Authorized
Participants, Market Makers and Liquidity Providers Concentration
Risk.
The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as
Authorized Participants (“APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of
market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent
either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to
NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become
unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step
forward
to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit
the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other
entities step forward to perform their functions.
•Premium-Discount
Risk.
The
Shares may trade above or below their net asset value (“NAV”). The market prices
of Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV as well as
the relative supply of, and demand for, Shares on New York Stock Exchange (the
“Exchange”) or other securities exchanges. The trading price of Shares may
deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility or limited
trading activity in Shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,”
that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price of the
Shares.
•Cost
of Trading Risk.
Investors
buying or selling Shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. Brokerage
commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost
for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of Shares. In
addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the difference
between the price that an investor is willing to pay for Shares (the “bid”
price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares (the “ask”
price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the
“spread” or “bid/ask spread.” The bid/ask spread varies over time for Shares
based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the
Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the
Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Further,
increased market volatility may cause increased bid/ask
spreads.
•Trading
Risk.
Although the Shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no
assurance that an active or liquid trading market for them will develop or be
maintained. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted. In
stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the
liquidity of its underlying portfolio holdings, which can be less liquid than
Shares, potentially causing the market price of Shares to deviate from its NAV.
The spread varies over time for Shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading
volume and market liquidity and is generally lower if the Fund has high trading
volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume
and market liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched
or small in size).
Index
Rebalance Risk.
Because the Index generally changes its exposure based on data only as of the
last week of January and July, (i) the Index’s exposure may be affected by
significant market movements at or near the rebalance date that are not
predictive of the market’s performance for the subsequent six-month period and
(ii) changes to the Index’s exposure may lag a significant change in the
market’s direction (up or down) by as long as a six months if such changes first
take effect at or near the beginning of a rebalance date. Such lags between
market performance and changes to the Index’s exposure may result in significant
underperformance relative to the broader equity market. Unusual market
conditions may cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance, which
could cause the Index to vary from its normal or expected
composition.
PERFORMANCE
The following
information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The
bar chart shows the Fund’s performance for calendar years ended December 31. The
table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for one-year and since
inception periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance
and the Index. The Fund’s past performance,
before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will
perform in the future. Performance information is also available
on the Fund’s website at https://strivefunds.com/
or by calling the Fund at (215)
330-4476.
Calendar Year Total Returns
as of December 31
The
Fund’s calendar year-to-date return as of
September 30, 2025 was
7.09%. During the
period of time shown in the bar chart, the Fund’s highest
return for a calendar quarter was 15.76% (quarter ended December 31, 2023) and
the Fund’s lowest return for a
calendar quarter was -4.88% (quarter ended September 30,
2023).
Average
Annual Total Returns
(for
periods ended December 31, 2024)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Strive
Small-Cap ETF |
1
Year |
Since
Inception (11/09/2022) |
|
Return
Before Taxes |
9.50% |
14.09% |
|
Return
After Taxes on Distributions |
9.00% |
13.62% |
|
Return
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of
Shares |
5.85% |
10.82% |
|
Bloomberg
US 600 Index/Bloomberg US 2000 Index (reflects
no fees or expenses) |
9.66% |
14.28% |
| Bloomberg
US 1000 Index (reflects no fees or expenses) |
24.23% |
25.09% |
| Effective
January 25, 2023, the Fund’s investment objective changed to track the
total return performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed
of U.S. small-capitalization companies, and the Fund’s investment strategy
changed to track the investment results of the Bloomberg 600 Index. Prior
to January 25, 2023, the Fund’s investment objective was to track the
total return performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed
of U.S. small- and mid-capitalization companies, and the Fund’s investment
strategy was to track the investment results of the Bloomberg US 2000
Index. Performance shown for the Bloomberg US 600 Index/Bloomberg US 2000
Index for periods prior to January 25, 2023 is that of the Bloomberg US
2000 Index and for periods beginning January 25, 2023 is that of the
Bloomberg US 600 Index. |
After-tax returns are
calculated using the highest historical individual U.S. federal marginal income
tax rates during the period covered by the table above and do not reflect the
impact of state and local taxes. Actual
after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from
those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold
their Shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as an individual retirement
account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged
accounts.
INVESTMENT
ADVISER & INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISER
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Investment
Adviser: |
Empowered
Funds, LLC dba EA Advisers (the “Adviser”) |
| Investment
Sub-Adviser: |
Strive
Asset Management, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”) |
PORTFOLIO
MANAGERS
Matthew
Cole, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Strive and Jeffrey
Sherman a Portfolio Manager of Strive, are each a co-Portfolio Manager of the
Fund and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Mr. Cole has managed the Fund since its inception (November 2022) and Mr.
Sherman has managed the Fund since June 2023.
PURCHASE
AND
SALE
OF SHARES
Individual
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange and may only be purchased
and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer at a market price.
Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a
price greater than NAV (at a “premium”) or less than NAV (at a “discount”). An
investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest
price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (bid) and the lowest price a
seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) when buying and selling Shares in
the secondary market (the “bid/ask spread”).
TAX
INFORMATION
The
Fund’s distributions generally are taxable to you as ordinary income, capital
gain, or some combination of both, unless your investment is made through an IRA
or other tax-advantaged account. However, subsequent withdrawals from such a
tax-advantaged account may be subject to U.S. federal income tax. You should
consult your own tax advisor about your specific tax situation.
PURCHASES
THROUGH BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
If
you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary, the
Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Shares
and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by
influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to
recommend Shares over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your
financial intermediary’s website for more information.
STRIVE
1000 DIVIDEND GROWTH ETF
Fund
Summary
INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVE
The
Strive 1000 Dividend Growth ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the total return
performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed of U.S.-listed
equities with a history of consistently growing
dividends.
FEES AND
EXPENSES
This
table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and
sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You
may also pay brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of Shares, which are
not reflected in the table or example.
ANNUAL FUND
OPERATING EXPENSES (EXPENSES THAT YOU PAY EACH YEAR AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE VALUE
OF YOUR INVESTMENT)
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Management
Fee |
0.35 |
% |
|
Distribution
and/or Service (12b-1) Fees |
None |
|
Other
Expenses |
0.00 |
% |
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
0.35 |
% |
EXAMPLE
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of
investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The example
assumes that you invest $10,000 for the time periods indicated and then hold or
sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes
that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain
the same. You may also pay brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of
Shares, which are not reflected in the example. Although your
actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would
be:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| One
Year: |
Three
Years: |
Five
Years: |
Ten
Years: |
| $36 |
$113 |
$197 |
$443 |
PORTFOLIO
TURNOVER
The
Fund may pay transaction costs, including commissions when it buys and sells
securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may
indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are
held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund
operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. For the
fiscal period August 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, the portfolio turnover
rate for the Fund was 18% of the average value of its
portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The
Fund’s Investment Strategy
The
Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Bloomberg US 1000 Dividend
Growth Index (the “Index”). The Index is a subset of the Bloomberg US 1000
Growth Index, which measures the performance of large- and mid-capitalization
growth companies in the U.S. equity market as determined by Bloomberg.
Under normal
circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any
borrowings for investment purposes) in dividend paying equity
securities. The Fund defines dividend paying equity securities
as companies that have i) demonstrated five consecutive years of positive growth
and ii) exhibits a five year-dividend growth ratio that is greater than the
overall Bloomberg US 1000 Growth Index (“Dividend Paying
Companies”).
The
Index will generally consist of approximately 200 constituents. The Index is
expected to have significant exposure to the Information Technology and
Financials sectors. The components of the Index will change over
time.
A
security is eligible for inclusion in the Index if such security i) is a
Dividend Paying Company and ii) has a minimum average daily value traded that is
greater than or equal to $5 million. Each security in the Index is free float
market capitalization weighted.
An
Index position is capped at (i) 5% maximum at the issuer level (only the top
eight securities are eligible to be weighted at 5%) and (ii) securities that are
not part of the top eight securities in the Index are capped at a 2.5% maximum
weight. Any excess weight from capping is redistributed proportionally to the
remaining uncapped securities until there are no issuers with a weight greater
than either 5% (for the top eight securities) or 2.5% (for the remaining
securities).
If
there are less than 20 issuers included in the Index, then all the issuers are
equally weighted. For issuers with multiple securities, the issuer weight is
redistributed proportionally based on the free float market capitalization of
each security for a given issuer.
The
Index is calculated as a total return index in U.S. dollars. The Index is
normally reconstituted on an annual basis in April. The Index constituents’
weights are normally rebalanced quarterly in January, April, July and
October.
Strive
Asset Management, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”) uses a “passive” or indexing approach
to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment
companies, the Fund does not try to “beat” the index it tracks and does not seek
temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear
overvalued.
Indexing
may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index
but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor
security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax
performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively
managed investment companies.
The
Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to seek to achieve its
investment objective, meaning the Fund will invest in all of the component
securities of the Index in the same approximate proportions as in the Index, but
may, when the Sub-Adviser believes it is in the best interests of the Fund, use
a “representative sampling” strategy, meaning the Fund may invest in a sample of
the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics closely
resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole. The
Fund will be reconstituted and rebalanced on the same schedule as the
Index.
The
Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e.,
hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of
industries to approximately the same extent that the Index is
concentrated.
PRINCIPAL
INVESTMENT RISKS
An
investment in the Fund involves risk, including those described below.
There
is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
An investor may lose money by investing in the
Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank
deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government
agency. More complete risk descriptions are set forth below
under the heading “Additional
Information About the Funds’ Principal Investment Risks.”
Equity
Investing Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of
investing in any fund holding equity securities, such as market fluctuations,
changes in interest rates and perceived trends in stock prices. The values of
equity securities could decline generally or could underperform other
investments. In addition, securities may decline in value due to factors
affecting a specific issuer, market or securities markets
generally.
Dividend-Paying
Common Equity Security Risk. Investing
in dividend-paying stocks involves the risk that such stocks may fall out of
favor with investors and underperform the broader market. Companies that issue
dividend-paying stocks are not required to pay or continue paying dividends on
such stocks. It is possible that issuers of the stocks held by the Fund will not
declare dividends in the future or will reduce or eliminate the payment of
dividends (including reducing or eliminating anticipated accelerations or
increases in the payment of dividends) in the
future.
Growth
Investing Risk. The
Fund invests in growth securities, which may be more volatile than other types
of investments, may perform differently than the market as a whole and may
underperform when compared to securities with different investment parameters.
Under certain market conditions, growth securities have performed better during
the later stages of economic recovery (although there is no guarantee that they
will continue to do so). Therefore, growth securities may go in and out of favor
over time.
Investment
Risk.
When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Therefore, you may lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund could lose
money due to short-term market movements and over longer
periods during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due
to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or
industries represented in the markets. The value of a security may decline due
to general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not
specifically related to the issuer of the security, such as geopolitical events
and environmental disasters. The value of a security may also decline due to
factors that affect a particular industry or group of industries. During a
general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may be
negatively affected. Therefore, you may lose money by investing in the
Fund.
Large-Capitalization
Companies Risk.
Large-capitalization companies may trail the returns of the overall stock
market. Large-capitalization stocks tend to go through cycles of doing better -
or worse - than the stock market in general. These periods have, in the past,
lasted for as long as several years. When large capitalization companies are out
of favor, these securities may lose value or may not appreciate in line with the
overall market. In addition, large capitalization companies may be unable to
respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology or
consumer tastes, and also may not be able to attain the high growth rate of
successful small companies, especially during extended periods of economic
expansion.
Mid-Capitalization
Companies Risk. The securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more
vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than
securities of larger-capitalization companies. The securities of
mid-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to
greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger capitalization stocks
or the stock market as a whole. Some of these companies have limited product
lines, markets, and financial and managerial resources and tend to concentrate
on fewer geographical markets relative to larger capitalization
companies.
Sector
Risk.
To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the
economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that
significantly affect those sectors. The Fund may invest a significant portion of
its assets in the following sectors and, therefore, the performance of the Fund
could be negatively impacted by events affecting each of these sectors.
•Information
Technology Sector Risk.
The
Fund may invest in companies in the technology sector, and therefore, the Fund’s
performance could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. Market
or economic factors impacting technology companies and companies that rely
heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value
of the Fund’s investments. Technology companies, including information
technology companies, may have limited product lines, financial resources and/or
personnel. Technology companies typically face intense competition and
potentially rapid product obsolescence. They are also heavily dependent on
intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by the loss or
impairment of those rights. Companies in the technology sector also face
increased government regulation, including new regulations and scrutiny related
to data privacy, and may be subject to adverse government or regulatory actions,
which may be costly.
•Financials
Sector Risk. The
Fund is expected to have exposure to companies in the financials sector, and
therefore, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events
affecting this sector. The financials sector includes, for example, banks and
financial institutions providing mortgage and mortgage related services. This
sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, changes in interest
rates, government regulation, the rate of defaults on corporate, consumer and
government debt, and the availability and cost of
capital.
Passive
Investment Risk. The
Fund is not actively managed and the Sub-Adviser will not sell any investments
due to current or projected underperformance of the securities, industries or
sector in which it invests, unless the investment is removed from the Index,
sold in connection with a rebalancing of the Index as addressed in the Index
methodology, or sold to comply with the Fund’s investment limitations (for
example, to maintain the Fund’s tax status). The Fund will maintain investments
until changes to its Index are triggered, which could cause the Fund’s return to
be lower than if the Fund employed an active
strategy.
Index
Calculation Risk. The
Index relies on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers
included in the Index, including fundamental information that may be based on
assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser nor
the Index Provider can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology
or sources of information will provide a correct valuation of securities, nor
can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the
Index.
Concentration
Risk.
In following its methodology, the Index from time to time may be concentrated to
a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or
group of industries. To the extent that the Index concentrates in the securities
of issuers in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund also may
concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating
its investments in an industry or group of industries, the Fund may face more
risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or groups of
industries. If the Index is not concentrated in a particular industry or group
of industries, the Fund will not concentrate in a particular industry or group
of industries.
Tracking
Error Risk. As
with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its respective Index may
differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs
operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In
addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at
all times or may hold securities not included in the
Index.
ETF
Risks.
•Authorized
Participants, Market Makers and Liquidity Providers Concentration
Risk.
The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as
Authorized Participants (“APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of
market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent
either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to
NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become
unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step
forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity
providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities
and no other entities step forward to perform their
functions.
•Premium-Discount
Risk.
The
Shares may trade above or below their net asset value (“NAV”). The market prices
of Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV as well as
the relative supply of, and demand for, Shares on New York Stock Exchange (the
“Exchange”) or other securities exchanges. The trading price of Shares may
deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility or limited
trading activity in Shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,”
that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price of the
Shares.
•Cost
of Trading Risk.
Investors
buying or selling Shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. Brokerage
commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost
for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of Shares. In
addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the difference
between the price that an investor is willing to pay for Shares (the “bid”
price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares (the “ask”
price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the
“spread” or “bid/ask spread.” The bid/ask spread varies over time for Shares
based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the
Fund’s Shares have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the
Fund’s Shares have little trading volume and market liquidity. Further,
increased market volatility may cause increased bid/ask
spreads.
•Trading
Risk.
Although the Shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no
assurance that an active or liquid trading market for them will develop or be
maintained. In addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted. In
stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the
liquidity of its underlying portfolio holdings, which can be less liquid than
Shares, potentially causing the market price of Shares to deviate from its NAV.
The spread varies over time for Shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading
volume and market liquidity and is generally lower if the Fund has high trading
volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume
and market liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched
or small in size).
Index
Rebalance Risk.
Because the Index generally changes its exposure based on data only as January,
April, July and October (i) the Index’s exposure may be affected by significant
market movements at or near the rebalance date that are not predictive of the
market’s performance for the subsequent annual period and (ii) changes to the
Index’s exposure may lag a significant change in the market’s direction (up or
down) by as long as a year if such changes first take effect at or near the
beginning of a year. Such lags between market performance and changes to the
Index’s exposure may result in significant underperformance relative to the
broader equity or fixed income market. Unusual market conditions
may
cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance, which could cause
the Index to vary from its normal or expected
composition.
PERFORMANCE
The following
information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The
bar chart shows the Fund’s performance for calendar years ended December 31. The
table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for one-year and since
inception periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance
and the Index. The Fund’s past performance,
before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will
perform in the future. Performance information is also available
on the Fund’s website at https://strivefunds.com/
or by calling the Fund at (215)
330-4476.
Calendar Year Total
Returns as of December 31
The
Fund’s calendar year-to-date return as of
September 30, 2025 was
12.74%. During the
period of time shown in the bar chart, the Fund’s highest
return for a calendar quarter was 10.24% (quarter ended December 31, 2023) and
the Fund’s lowest return for a
calendar quarter was -3.86% (quarter ended September 30,
2023).
Average
Annual Total Returns
(for
periods ended December 31, 2024)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Strive
1000 Dividend Growth ETF |
1
Year |
Since
Inception (11/09/2022) |
|
Return
Before Taxes |
14.62% |
15.75% |
|
Return
After Taxes on Distributions |
14.28% |
15.38% |
|
Return
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of
Shares |
8.89% |
12.19% |
|
Bloomberg
US 1000 Dividend Growth Index (reflects no fees or
expenses) |
15.05% |
16.18% |
|
Bloomberg
US 1000 Index (reflects no fees or
expenses) |
24.23% |
25.09% |
After-tax returns are
calculated using the highest historical individual U.S. federal marginal income
tax rates during the period covered by the table above and do not reflect the
impact of state and local taxes. Actual
after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from
those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold
their Shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as an individual retirement
account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged
accounts.
INVESTMENT
ADVISER & INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISER
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Investment
Adviser: |
Empowered
Funds, LLC dba EA Advisers (the “Adviser”) |
| Investment
Sub-Adviser: |
Strive
Asset Management, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”) |
PORTFOLIO
MANAGERS
Matthew
Cole, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Strive and Jeffrey
Sherman, a Portfolio Manager of Strive, are each a co-Portfolio Manager of the
Fund and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Mr. Cole has managed the Fund since its inception (November 2022) and Mr.
Sherman has managed the Fund since June 2023.
PURCHASE
AND
SALE
OF SHARES
Individual
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange and may only be purchased
and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer at a market price.
Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a
price greater than NAV (at a “premium”) or less than NAV (at a “discount”). An
investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest
price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (bid) and the lowest price a
seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) when buying and selling Shares in
the secondary market (the “bid/ask spread”).
TAX
INFORMATION
The
Fund’s distributions generally are taxable to you as ordinary income, capital
gain, or some combination of both, unless your investment is made through an IRA
or other tax-advantaged account. However, subsequent withdrawals from such a
tax-advantaged account may be subject to U.S. federal income tax. You should
consult your own tax advisor about your specific tax situation.
PURCHASES
THROUGH BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
If
you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary, the
Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Shares
and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by
influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to
recommend Shares over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your
financial intermediary’s website for more information.
STRIVE
MID-CAP ETF
Fund
Summary
INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVE
The
Strive Mid-Cap ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the total return performance,
before fees and expenses, of an index composed of U.S. mid-capitalization
companies.
FEES AND
EXPENSES
This
table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and
sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You
may also pay brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of Shares, which are
not reflected in the table or example.
ANNUAL FUND
OPERATING EXPENSES (EXPENSES THAT YOU PAY EACH YEAR AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE VALUE
OF YOUR INVESTMENT)
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Management
Fee |
0.18 |
% |
| Distribution
and/or Service (12b-1) Fees |
None |
| Other
Expenses |
0.00 |
% |
| Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
0.18 |
% |
EXAMPLE
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of
investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The example
assumes that you invest $10,000 for the time periods indicated and then hold or
sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes
that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain
the same. You may also pay brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of
Shares, which are not reflected in the example. Although your
actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would
be:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| One
Year: |
Three
Years: |
Five
Years: |
Ten
Years: |
| $18 |
$58 |
$101 |
$230 |
PORTFOLIO
TURNOVER
The
Fund may pay transaction costs, including commissions when it buys and sells
securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may
indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are
held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund
operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. For the
fiscal period August 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, the Fund's portfolio
turnover rate was 24% of the average value of its
portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The
Fund’s Investment Strategy
The
Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Bloomberg US 400 Index (the
“Index”), which measures the performance of the mid-capitalization sector in the
U.S. equity market as determined by Bloomberg (the “Index Provider” or
“Bloomberg”). Under normal
circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any
borrowings for investment purposes) will be invested in mid-capitalization
companies, as defined below. The Index is a free float-adjusted
capitalization-weighted (i.e.,
market capitalization based on the number of shares available to the public)
index comprised primarily of U.S. equity securities. The constituents of the
Index are determined using the following steps:
Step
1.
To be eligible for inclusion in the Index, a security must meet the following
criteria: (i) it is primarily listed in the United States, (ii) it is listed on
a U.S. exchange, and (iii) the security’s free float (i.e.,
the proportion of shares that are publicly available) must be a minimum of 10%
of the security’s total shares outstanding. The Index includes common stock and
real estate investment trusts (“REITs”).
Step
2.
Eligible securities are sorted in descending order of total market
capitalization and the cumulative free-float market capitalization is determined
for each company to create the Bloomberg US 3000 Index (which measures the
performance of the broad U.S. equity market).
Step
3.
After completing the reconstitution of the Bloomberg US 3000 Index, the
securities ranked 1 to 1500 within the Bloomberg US 3000 Index by market
capitalization constitute the Bloomberg US 1500.
Step
4.
After completing the reconstitution of the Bloomberg US 1500, the securities
ranked 501 to 900 (i.e.,
the middle 400 companies by capitalization) (“Mid-Capitalization Companies”)
constitute the Index.
The
Index is expected to have significant exposure to the Industrials and Financials
sector. The Industrials sector includes, for example, aerospace and defense,
non-residential construction, engineering, machinery, transportation, and
commercial and professional services companies. The financials sector includes,
for example, banks and financial institutions providing mortgage and mortgage
related services. The components of the Index are likely to change over
time.
The
Index is calculated as a total return index in U.S. dollars. The Index is
normally rebalanced on a semi-annual basis in January and July and such changes
take effect in March and September. The Index constituents’ weights are normally
updated in June and December.
Strive
Asset Management, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”) uses a “passive” or indexing approach
to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment
companies, the Fund does not try to “beat” the index it tracks and does not seek
temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear
overvalued.
Indexing
may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index
but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor
security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax
performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively
managed investment companies.
The
Fund will generally use a “replication” strategy to seek to achieve its
investment objective, meaning the Fund will invest in all of the component
securities of the Index in the same approximate proportions as in the Index, but
may, when the Sub-Adviser believes it is in the best interests of the Fund, use
a “representative sampling” strategy, meaning the Fund may invest in a sample of
the securities in the Index whose risk, return and other characteristics closely
resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Index as a whole. For
example, the Fund may utilize a representative sampling strategy when the
Sub-Adviser believes a replication strategy might be detrimental or
disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when buying each security in the Index
is impracticable or inefficient, when there are practical difficulties or
additional costs involved in replicating the Index, or if one or more securities
in the Index is illiquid, unavailable or less liquid. In addition, the Fund may
use a representative sampling as a result of legal restrictions or limitations
(such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the
Index. The Fund will be reconstituted and rebalanced on the same schedule as the
Index.
The
Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e.,
hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of
industries to approximately the same extent that the Index is
concentrated.
PRINCIPAL
INVESTMENT RISKS
An
investment in the Fund involves risk, including those described below.
There
is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
An investor may lose money by investing in the
Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank
deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government
agency. More complete risk descriptions are set forth below
under the heading “Additional
Information About the Funds’ Principal Investment Risks.”
Equity
Investing Risk.
An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any
fund holding equity securities, such as market fluctuations, changes in interest
rates and perceived trends in stock prices. The values of equity securities
could decline generally or could underperform other investments. In addition,
securities may decline in value due to factors affecting a specific issuer,
market or securities markets
generally.
Investment
Risk.
When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you paid for them.
Therefore, you may lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund could lose
money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market
downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities
markets generally or particular asset classes or industries represented in the
markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions,
economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the
security, such as
geopolitical events and environmental disasters. The value of a
security may also decline due to factors that affect a particular industry or
group of industries. During a general downturn in the securities markets,
multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. Therefore, you may lose money
by investing in the Fund.
Mid-Capitalization
Companies Risk. Investing in securities of mid-capitalization companies involves
greater risk than customarily is associated with investing in larger, more
established companies. These companies’ securities may be more volatile and less
liquid than those of more established companies. Often mid-capitalization
companies and the industries in which they focus are still evolving and, as a
result, they may be more sensitive to changing market
conditions.
Real
Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) Risk. A
REIT is a company that owns or finances income-producing real estate. Through
its investments in REITs, the Fund is subject to the risks of investing in the
real estate market, including decreases in property revenues, increases in
interest rates, increases in property taxes and operating expenses, legal and
regulatory changes, a lack of credit or capital, defaults by borrowers or
tenants, environmental problems and natural disasters. Investments in REITs may
be volatile. REITs are pooled investment vehicles with their own fees and
expenses and the Fund will indirectly bear a proportionate share of those fees
and expenses.
Passive
Investment Risk. The
Fund is not actively managed and the Sub-Adviser will not sell any investments
due to current or projected underperformance of the securities, industries or
sector in which it invests, unless the investment is removed from the Index,
sold in connection with a rebalancing of the Index as addressed in the Index
methodology, or sold to comply with the Fund’s investment limitations (for
example, to maintain the Fund’s tax status). The Fund will maintain investments
until changes to its Index are triggered, which could cause the Fund’s return to
be lower than if the Fund employed an active
strategy.
Index
Calculation Risk. The
Index relies on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers
included in the Index, including fundamental information that may be based on
assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser nor
the Index Provider can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology
or sources of information will provide a correct valuation of securities, nor
can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the
Index. Errors in index data, index computation or the construction of the Index
in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be
identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all,
which may negatively impact the Fund and its
shareholders.
Concentration
Risk.
In following its methodology, the Index from time to time may be concentrated to
a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or
group of industries. To the extent that the Index concentrates in the securities
of issuers in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund also may
concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating
its investments in an industry or group of industries, the Fund may face more
risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or groups of
industries. If the Index is not concentrated in a particular industry or group
of industries, the Fund will not concentrate in a particular industry or group
of industries.
Tracking
Error Risk. As
with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its respective Index may
differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs
operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In
addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at
all times or may hold securities not included in the
Index.
ETF
Risks.
•Authorized
Participants, Market Makers and Liquidity Providers Concentration
Risk.
The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as
Authorized Participants (“APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of
market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent
either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to
NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become
unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step
forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity
providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities
and no other entities step forward to perform their
functions.
•Premium-Discount
Risk.
The Shares may trade above or below their net asset value (“NAV”). The market
prices of Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV as
well as the relative supply of, and demand for, Shares on the New York Stock
Exchange (the “Exchange”) or other securities exchanges. The trading price of
Shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility or
limited
trading
activity in Shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that
is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price of the
Shares.
•Cost
of Trading Risk.
Investors
buying or selling Shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. Brokerage
commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost
for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of
Shares.
•Trading
Risk.
Although
the Shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active
or liquid trading market for them will develop or be maintained. In addition,
trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted. In stressed market conditions,
the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of its underlying
portfolio holdings, which can be less liquid than Shares, potentially causing
the market price of Shares to deviate from its NAV. The spread varies over time
for Shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market liquidity
and is generally lower if the Fund has high trading volume and market liquidity,
and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market liquidity (which is
often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in
size).
Sector
Risk.
To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the
economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that
significantly affect those sectors. The Fund may invest a significant portion of
its assets in the following sectors and, therefore, the performance of the Fund
could be negatively impacted by events affecting each of these sectors.
•Industrials
Sector Risk. The
Fund is expected to have exposure to companies in the Industrials sector, and
therefore, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events
affecting this sector. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other
things, business cycle fluctuations, worldwide economy growth, international
political and economic developments, exchange rates, commodity prices,
environmental issues, government and corporate spending, supply and demand for
specific products and manufacturing, and government
regulation.
•Financials
Sector Risk. The
Fund is expected to have exposure to companies in the financials sector, and
therefore, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events
affecting this sector. The financials sector includes, for example, banks and
financial institutions providing mortgage and mortgage related services. This
sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, changes in interest
rates, government regulation, the rate of defaults on corporate, consumer and
government debt, and the availability and cost of
capital.
Index
Rebalance Risk.
Because the Index generally changes its exposure based on data only as of the
last week of January and July, (i) the Index’s exposure may be affected by
significant market movements at or near the rebalance date that are not
predictive of the market’s performance for the subsequent six-month period and
(ii) changes to the Index’s exposure may lag a significant change in the
market’s direction (up or down) by as long as a six-months if such changes first
take effect at or near the beginning of a rebalance date. Such lags between
market performance and changes to the Index’s exposure may result in significant
underperformance relative to the broader equity market. Unusual market
conditions may cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance, which
could cause the Index to vary from its normal or expected
composition.
Limited
Operating History.
The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with limited
operating history. As a result, prospective investors have a limited track
record on which to base their investment decision. An investment in the Fund may
therefore involve greater uncertainty than an investment in a fund with a more
established record of performance.
PERFORMANCE
Performance
information is not provided below because the Fund has not yet been in operation
for one full calendar year. When provided, the information will
provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing how the
Fund’s average annual returns compare with a broad measure of market
performance. Past performance does not
necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future.
Updated performance information will be available at https://strivefunds.com/
or by calling the Fund at (215)
330-4476.
INVESTMENT
ADVISER & INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISER
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Investment
Adviser: |
|
Empowered
Funds, LLC, dba EA Advisers (the “Adviser”) |
| Investment
Sub-Adviser: |
|
Strive
Asset Management, LLC (the
“Sub-Adviser”) |
PORTFOLIO
MANAGERS
Matthew
Cole, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Strive and Jeffrey
Sherman, a Portfolio Manager of Strive, are each a co-Portfolio Manager of the
Fund and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
Mr. Cole and Mr. Sherman have managed the Fund since its inception (April
2024).
PURCHASE
AND
SALE
OF SHARES
Individual
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange and may only be purchased
and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer at a market price.
Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a
price greater than NAV (at a “premium”) or less than NAV (at a “discount”). An
investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest
price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (bid) and the lowest price a
seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) when buying and selling Shares in
the secondary market (the “bid/ask spread”).
TAX
INFORMATION
The
Fund’s distributions generally are taxable to you as ordinary income, capital
gain, or some combination of both, unless your investment is made through an
Individual Retirement Account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account. However,
subsequent withdrawals from such a tax-advantaged account may be subject to U.S.
federal income tax. You should consult your own tax advisor about your specific
tax situation.
PURCHASES
THROUGH BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
If
you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary, the
Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Shares
and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by
influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to
recommend Shares over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your
financial intermediary’s website for more information.
STRIVE
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPED MARKETS ETF
Fund
Summary
INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVE
The
Strive International Developed Markets ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the total
return performance, before fees and expenses, of an index composed of developed
markets, ex-US securities.
FEES AND
EXPENSES
This
table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and
sell shares of the Fund (“Shares”). You
may also pay brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of Shares, which are
not reflected in the table or example.
ANNUAL FUND
OPERATING EXPENSES (EXPENSES THAT YOU PAY EACH YEAR AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE VALUE
OF YOUR INVESTMENT)
|
|
|
|
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| |
|
Management
Fee |
0.29 |
% |
|
Distribution
and/or Service (12b-1) Fees |
None |
|
Other
Expenses |
0.00 |
% |
|
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
0.29 |
% |
EXAMPLE
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of
investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The example
assumes that you invest $10,000 for the time periods indicated and then hold or
sell all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes
that the Fund provides a return of 5% a year and that operating expenses remain
the same. You may also pay brokerage commissions on the purchase and sale of
Shares, which are not reflected in the example. Although your
actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would
be:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| One
Year: |
Three
Years: |
Five
Years: |
Ten
Years: |
| $30 |
$93 |
$163 |
$368 |
PORTFOLIO
TURNOVER
The
Fund may pay transaction costs, including commissions when it buys and sells
securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may
indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are
held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund
operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. For the
fiscal period August 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025, the Fund's portfolio
turnover rate was 12% of the average value of its
portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
The
Fund’s Investment Strategy
The
Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Bloomberg Developed Markets ex
US Large & Mid Cap Total Return Index (the “Index”), which tracks mid- and
large- cap companies of developed market countries, not including the U.S. (each
an “Index Component” and collectively the “Index Components”), which are
selected and weighted according to free-float market capitalization.
Under normal
circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any
borrowings for investment purposes) in developed markets
securities.
The
Bloomberg Developed Markets ex US Large & Mid Cap Total Return Index is a
free float market-cap-weighted equity benchmark that covers 85% market cap of
the measured market. To qualify as a developed market country security,
securities must have a country classification corresponding to the developed
markets within the Index and a free float adjusted market capitalization of at
least $100 million. The Index may include depositary receipts (including
American Depositary Receipts and Global Depositary Receipts.
The
Index consists of issuers in the following developed market countries:
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany,
Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Macau, Netherlands, New Zealand,
Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and United Kingdom
(each a “Developed Market” and collectively, the “Developed Markets”). The Index
will generally have significant exposure to companies in Japan, United Kingdom,
Canada, and France.
The
Index will generally consist of over 500 securities. The Index will generally
have significant exposure to the Financials and Industrial sectors. Index
Components and the Developed Markets themselves will change over
time.
Securities
are first screened for inclusion in the “Index Universe.” The Index Universe is
exclusively comprised of equity securities, which includes common stock and real
estate investment trusts (REITs) from issuers in Developed Markets.
To
determine the Index Components, all equity securities in the Index Universe are
sorted by Developed Market country. Thereafter, Index Components are
individually selected for inclusion based on factors such as free float market
capitalization, trading volume thresholds, and market price cap levels. Equity
securities passing these thresholds are included as Index Components within each
Developed Market.
Thereafter,
the Index Components are aggregated together and ranked by total market
capitalization. Each Index Component is subsequently assigned a weight based on
its free float market capitalization. The weight represents the percentage
amount of the Index Component as a percentage of the total Index. Starting with
the largest free float market capitalization, the Index is fully comprised once
approximately 85% of the accumulated free float market-capitalization of the
Index Universe is selected.
The
Fund’s exposure to any asset class, country or geographic region will vary from
time to time as the weightings of the securities within the Index change, and
the Fund may not be invested in each country or geographic region at all times.
Bloomberg Index Services Limited (the “Index Provider”) will generally deem an
issuer to be located in a developed market country based on several factors
related to economic development, market size and liquidity, and capital market
structure. The Index is calculated as a total return index in U.S.
dollars.
The
Index is normally reconstituted on a semi-annual basis in March and September
and rebalanced on a quarterly basis. New securities from initial public
offerings generally must have traded for at least three months before the
semi-annual reconstitution date to be considered for inclusion in the Index.
Securities subject to US Office of Financial Assets Control, US Department of
Defense United States, United Nations, United Kingdom or European Union
sanctions may not be eligible for inclusion in the Index. Securities
incorporated, listed and/or with a country of risk pointing to a country subject
to comprehensive economic sanctions may also not be eligible for inclusion in
the Index. Index Components impacted by such sanctions will be dropped from the
Index as soon as practically possible.
Strive
Asset Management, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”) uses a “passive” or indexing approach
to try to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. Unlike many investment
companies, the Fund does not try to “beat” the index it tracks and does not seek
temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear
overvalued.
Indexing
may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Index
but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor
security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax
performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively
managed investment companies.
The
Fund will generally use a “representative sampling” strategy, meaning the Fund
may invest in a sample of the securities in the Index whose risk, return and
other characteristics closely resemble the risk, return and other
characteristics of the Index as a whole, but may, when the Sub-Adviser believes
it is in the best interests of the Fund, use a “replication” strategy to seek to
achieve its investment objective, meaning the Fund will invest in all of the
component securities of the Index in the same approximate proportions as in the
Index. For example, the Fund may utilize a representative sampling strategy when
the Sub-Adviser believes a replication strategy might be detrimental or
disadvantageous to shareholders, such as when buying each security in the Index
is impracticable or inefficient, when there are practical difficulties or
additional costs involved in replicating the Index, or if one or more securities
in the Index is illiquid, unavailable or less liquid. In addition, the Fund may
use a representative sampling as a result of legal restrictions or limitations
(such as tax diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the
Index. The Fund will be reconstituted and rebalanced on the same schedule as the
Index.
PRINCIPAL
INVESTMENT RISKS
An
investment in the Fund involves risk, including those described below.
There
is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
An investor may lose money by investing in the
Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank
deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government
agency. More complete risk descriptions are set forth below
under the heading “Additional
Information About the Funds’ Principal Investment Risks.”
Developed
Markets Risk.
Developed market countries generally tend to rely on the services sectors
(e.g.,
the financial sector) as the primary source of economic growth and may be
susceptible to the risks of individual service sectors. Many developed market
countries have heavy indebtedness, which may lead downward pressure on the
economies of these countries. As a result, it is possible that interest rates on
debt of certain developed countries may rise to levels that make it difficult
for such countries to service high debt levels without significant help from
other countries or from a central bank. Developed market countries generally are
dependent on the economies of certain key trading partners. Changes in any one
economy may cause an adverse impact on several developed
countries.
Foreign
Investment Risk.
Returns on investments in foreign securities could be more volatile
than, or trail the returns on, investments in U.S. securities. Investments in or
exposures to foreign securities are subject to special risks, including risks
associated with foreign securities generally, including differences in
information available about issuers of securities and investor protection
standards applicable in other jurisdictions; capital controls risks, including
the risk of a foreign jurisdiction imposing restrictions on the ability to
repatriate or transfer currency or other assets; currency risks; political,
diplomatic and economic risks; regulatory risks; and foreign market and trading
risks, including the costs of trading and risks of settlement in foreign
jurisdictions.
Geographic
Investment Risk.
To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the
securities of companies of a single country or region, it is more likely to be
impacted by events or conditions affecting that country or region.
•Risks
Related to Investing in Japan.
To the extent the Fund invests Japanese securities, it will be subject to the
risks related to investing in Japan. Political, social or economic disruptions
in Japan or the region, even in countries in which the Fund is not invested, may
adversely affect the value of investments held by the
Fund.
The
Japanese economy may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political
and social instability, which could have a negative impact on Japanese
securities. Since the year 2000, Japan’s economic growth rate has remained
relatively low and it may remain low in the future. In addition, Japan is
subject to the risk of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, volcanoes,
typhoons and tsunamis.
Additionally,
decreasing U.S. imports, new trade regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar
exchange rates, a recession in the United States or continued increases in
foreclosure rates may have an adverse impact on the economy of Japan. Japan also
has few natural resources, and any fluctuation or shortage in the commodity
markets could have a negative impact on Japanese securities. In addition, Japan
is subject to the risk of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions, typhoons and tsunamis, which could negatively affect the Funds’
investment in Japan.
•Risks
Related to Investing in Europe.
To the extent the Fund invests in European securities, it will be subject to
risks related to investing in Europe. The economies and markets of European
countries are often closely connected and interdependent, and events in one
country in Europe can have an adverse impact on other European countries. The
Fund makes investments in securities of issuers that are domiciled in, or have
significant operations in, member countries of the European Union (the “EU”)
that are subject to economic and monetary controls that can adversely affect the
Fund’s investments. The European financial markets have experienced volatility
and adverse trends in recent years and these events have adversely affected the
exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect other
European countries. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU
regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or
threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an
economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect
on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners, including
some or all of the European countries in which the Fund
invests.
In
addition, the United Kingdom resolved to leave the EU, an event commonly known
as “Brexit.” The United Kingdom officially left the EU on January 31, 2020.
Although the UK and EU have made a trade agreement
that
was entered into force on May 1, 2021, certain post-EU arrangements were outside
the scope of the negotiating mandate and remain unresolved and subject to
further negotiation and agreement. There remains significant market uncertainty
regarding Brexit’s ramifications, and the range of possible political,
regulatory, economic and market outcomes are difficult to predict. The
uncertainty surrounding the UK’s economy, and its legal, political, and economic
relationship with the remaining member states of the EU, may continue to be a
source of instability and cause considerable disruption in securities markets,
including increased volatility and illiquidity, as well as currency fluctuations
in the British pound’s exchange rate against the U.S.
dollar.
•Risks
Related to Investing in Canada.
The Canadian economy is very dependent on the demand for, and supply and price
of, natural resources. The Canadian market is relatively concentrated in issuers
involved in the production and distribution of natural resources. There is a
risk that any changes in natural resources sectors could have an adverse impact
on the Canadian economy. Additionally, the Canadian economy is heavily dependent
on relationships with certain key trading partners including the United States,
countries in the European Union and China. Because the United States is Canada’s
largest trading partner and foreign investor, the Canadian economy is dependent
on and may be significantly affected by developments impacting the U.S. economy.
Reduction in spending on Canadian products and services or changes in the U.S.
economy may adversely impact the Canadian economy. Uncertainty as to the future
of certain trade agreements between the U.S. and Canada may cause a decline in
the value of the Fund’s Shares. In addition, certain sectors of Canada’s economy
may be subject to foreign ownership limitations. This may negatively impact the
Fund’s ability to invest in Canadian issuers and to track the
Index.
Depositary
Receipt Risk.
The risks of investments in depositary receipts, including American Depositary
Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”), and Global Depositary
Receipts (“GDRs”), are substantially similar to Foreign Investment Risk. In
addition, depositary receipts may not track the price of the underlying foreign
securities, and their value may change materially at times when the U.S. markets
are not open for trading. In addition, the underlying issuers of certain
depositary receipts, particularly unsponsored or unregistered depositary
receipts, are under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications to
the holders of such receipts, or to pass through any voting rights with respect
to the deposited securities. Therefore, the Sub-Adviser will not be able to vote
on any matters with respect to these instruments.
Investment
Risk. When you sell your Shares, they could be worth less than what you
paid for them. Therefore, you may lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund
could lose money due to short-term market movements and over longer periods
during market downturns. Securities may decline in value due to factors
affecting securities markets generally or particular asset classes or industries
represented in the markets. The value of a security may decline due to general
market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related
to the issuer of the security, such as geopolitical events and environmental
disasters. The value of a security may also decline due to factors that affect a
particular industry or group of industries. During a general downturn in the
securities markets, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected.
Therefore, you may lose money by investing in the Fund.
Equity
Investing Risk. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of
investing in any fund holding equity securities, such as market fluctuations,
changes in interest rates and perceived trends in stock prices. The values of
equity securities could decline generally or could underperform other
investments. In addition, securities may decline in value due to factors
affecting a specific issuer, market or securities markets
generally.
Large-Capitalization
Companies Risk.
Large-capitalization companies may trail the returns of the overall stock
market. Large-capitalization stocks tend to go through cycles of doing better -
or worse - than the stock market in general. These periods have, in the past,
lasted for as long as several years. When large capitalization companies are out
of favor, these securities may lose value or may not appreciate in line with the
overall market. In addition, large capitalization companies may be unable to
respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology or
consumer tastes, and also may not be able to attain the high growth rate of
successful small companies, especially during extended periods of economic
expansion.
Mid-Capitalization
Companies Risk. Investing in securities of mid-capitalization companies involves
greater risk than customarily is associated with investing in larger, more
established companies. These companies’ securities may be more volatile and less
liquid than those of more established companies. Often mid-capitalization
companies and the industries in which they focus are still evolving and, as a
result, they may be more sensitive to changing market
conditions.
Sector
Risk.
To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the
economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that
significantly affect those sectors. The Fund may invest a significant portion of
its assets in the following sectors and, therefore, the performance of the Fund
could be negatively impacted by events affecting each of these sectors.
•Financials
Sector Risk.
The Fund is expected to have exposure to companies in the financials sector, and
therefore, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events
affecting this sector. The financials sector includes, for example, banks and
financial institutions providing mortgage and mortgage related services. This
sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, changes in interest
rates, government regulation, the rate of defaults on corporate, consumer and
government debt, and the availability and cost of
capital.
•Industrials
Sector Risk. The
Fund is expected to have exposure to companies in the Industrials sector, and
therefore, the Fund’s performance could be negatively impacted by events
affecting this sector. This sector can be significantly affected by, among other
things, business cycle fluctuations, worldwide economy growth, international
political and economic developments, exchange rates, commodity prices,
environmental issues, government and corporate spending, supply and demand for
specific products and manufacturing, and government
regulation.
REITs
Risk.
In addition to the risks associated with investing in securities of real estate
companies and real estate related companies, REITs are subject to certain
additional risks. Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the
underlying properties owned by the trusts. Mortgage REITs are exposed to risks
associated with changes in interest rates, changes in credit spreads, and
declines in real estate values. Debt investments are also subject to loss in
value due to high or sustained inflation because the debt could be paid back in
significantly depreciated currency. Further, REITs are dependent upon
specialized management skills and cash flows, and may have investments in
relatively few properties, or in a small geographic area or a single property
type. Failure of a company to qualify as a REIT under federal tax law may have
adverse consequences to the Fund. In addition, REITs have their own expenses,
and the Fund will bear a proportionate share of those expenses. The value of a
REIT may be affected by changes in interest
rates.
Passive
Investment Risk.
The Fund is not actively managed and the Sub-Adviser will not sell any
investments due to current or projected underperformance of the securities,
industries or sector in which it invests, unless the investment is removed from
the Index, sold in connection with a rebalancing of the Index as addressed in
the Index methodology, or sold to comply with the Fund’s investment limitations
(for example, to maintain the Fund’s tax status). The Fund will maintain
investments until changes to its Index are triggered, which could cause the
Fund’s return to be lower than if the Fund employed an active
strategy.
Index
Calculation Risk. The
Index relies on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers
included in the Index, including fundamental information that may be based on
assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser nor
the Index Provider can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology
or sources of information will provide a correct valuation of securities, nor
can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the
Index. Errors in index data, index computation or the construction of the Index
in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be
identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all,
which may negatively impact the Fund and its
shareholders.
Tracking
Error Risk. As
with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its respective Index may
differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs
operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In
addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at
all times or may hold securities not included in the Index. In addition, the
Fund’s use of a representative sampling approach may cause the Fund’s returns to
not be as well correlated with the return of the Index as would be the case if
the Fund purchased all of the securities in the Index in the proportions in
which they are represented in the
Index.
Sampling
Risk.
The Fund’s use of a representative sampling approach will result in it holding a
smaller number of securities than are in the Index. As a result, an adverse
development respecting a security held by the Fund could result in a greater
decline in NAV than would be the case if the Fund held all of the securities in
the Index. Conversely, a positive development relating to a security in the
Index that is not held by the Fund could cause the Fund to underperform the
Index.
To the extent the Fund’s assets are smaller, it may be more difficult to
effectively implement a representative sampling strategy, which could increase
these risks.
ETF
Risks.
•Authorized
Participants, Market Makers and Liquidity Providers Concentration
Risk.
The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as
Authorized Participants (“APs”).In addition, there may be a limited number of
market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent
either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to
NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become
unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step
forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity
providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities
and no other entities step forward to perform their
functions.
•Premium-Discount
Risk.
The Shares may trade above or below their net asset value (“NAV”). The market
prices of Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV as
well as the relative supply of, and demand for, Shares on the New York Stock
Exchange (the “Exchange”) or other securities exchanges. The trading price of
Shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility or
limited trading activity in Shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the
“spread,” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price of the
Shares. In addition, because securities held by the Fund may trade on foreign
exchanges that are closed when its primary listing exchange is open, the Fund is
likely to experience premiums and discounts greater than those of domestic
ETFs.
•Cost
of Trading Risk.
Investors buying or selling Shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage
commissions or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker.
Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant
proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts
of Shares.
•Trading
Risk.
Although the Shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that
an active or liquid trading market for them will develop or be maintained. In
addition, trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted. In stressed market
conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of its
underlying portfolio holdings, which can be less liquid than Shares, potentially
causing the market price of Shares to deviate from its NAV. The spread varies
over time for Shares of the Fund based on the Fund’s trading volume and market
liquidity and is generally lower if the Fund has high trading volume and market
liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market liquidity
(which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in
size).
Index
Rebalance Risk.
Pursuant to the methodology that the Index Provider uses to maintain the Index,
securities will only be added or removed from the Index during regular Index
updates. The Index is reconstituted semi-annually and rebalanced quarterly.
Changes to the Index’s exposure may lag a significant change in the market’s
direction (up or down) by as long as six months if such changes first take
effect following the most recent reconstitution. Such lags between market
performance and changes to the Index’s exposure may result in significant
underperformance relative to the broader market. Index updates may cause the
Fund to purchase or sell securities at inopportune times or for prices other
than at current market values. Due to these factors, the variation between the
Fund’s annual return and the return of the Index may increase
significantly.
Limited
Operating History.
The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with limited
operating history. As a result, prospective investors have a limited track
record on which to base their investment decision. An investment in the Fund may
therefore involve greater uncertainty than an investment in a fund with a more
established record of performance.
PERFORMANCE
Performance
information is not provided below because the Fund has not yet been in operation
for one full calendar year. When provided, the information will
provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing how the
Fund’s average annual returns compare with a broad measure of market
performance. Past performance does not
necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future.
Updated performance information will be available at https://strivefunds.com/
or by calling the Fund at (215)
330-4476.
INVESTMENT
ADVISER & INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISER
|
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| Investment
Adviser: |
Empowered
Funds, LLC dba EA Advisers (the “Adviser”) |
| Investment
Sub-Adviser: |
Strive
Asset Management, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”) |
PORTFOLIO
MANAGERS
Matthew
Cole, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Strive and Jeffrey
Sherman, a Portfolio Manager of Strive, are each a co-Portfolio Manager of the
Fund and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund
since its inception (June 2024).
PURCHASE
AND
SALE
OF SHARES
Individual
Shares are listed on a national securities exchange and may only be purchased
and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer at a market price.
Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a
price greater than NAV (at a “premium”) or less than NAV (at a “discount”). An
investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest
price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (bid) and the lowest price a
seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) when buying and selling Shares in
the secondary market (the “bid/ask spread”).
TAX
INFORMATION
The
Fund’s distributions generally are taxable to you as ordinary income, capital
gain, or some combination of both, unless your investment is made through an
Individual Retirement Account (“IRA”) or other tax-advantaged account. However,
subsequent withdrawals from such a tax-advantaged account may be subject to U.S.
federal income tax. You should consult your own tax advisor about your specific
tax situation.
PURCHASES
THROUGH BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
If
you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary, the
Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Shares
and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by
influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to
recommend Shares over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your
financial intermediary’s website for more information.
ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS’ INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT
STRATEGIES
Each
Fund’s investment objective is a non-fundamental investment policy and may be
changed without a vote of shareholders upon 60 days’ prior written notice to
shareholders.
Certain
Funds have adopted the following policies to comply with Rule 35d-1 under the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Such
policies have been adopted as a non-fundamental investment policies and may be
changed without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ prior written notice to
shareholders.
Under
normal circumstances, each Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any
borrowings for investment purposes) in...
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| STXE |
…
emerging market securities. |
| DRLL |
…
U.S. energy companies. |
| SHOC |
…
U.S. semiconductor companies. |
| FTWO |
…
companies in the Natural Resources and Security
Sectors. |
| STXG |
…
equity securities of growth companies. |
| STXV |
…
equity securities of value companies. |
| STXK |
…
U.S. small cap equity securities. |
| STXD |
…
dividend paying equity securities. |
|
STXM |
…
mid-capitalization companies. |
|
STXI |
…
developed markets securities. |
ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS’ PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS
The
table below provides additional information about the risks of investing in each
Fund (in alphabetical order), including the principal risks identified under
“Principal Risks” in each Fund Summary. Following the table, each risk is
explained.
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| Principal
Risks |
STRV |
STXG |
STXV |
STXK |
STXD |
| Change
in Diversification Risk |
| X |
|
| |
| Concentration
Risk |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Dividend-Paying
Common Equity Security Risk |
|
|
|
| X |
| Equity
Investing Risk |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| ETF
Risks |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Financials
Sector Risk |
|
| X |
X |
X |
| Growth
Investing Risk |
| X |
|
| X |
| Index
Calculation Risk |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Index
Rebalance Risk |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Industrials
Sector Risk |
|
|
| X |
|
| Information
Technology Sector Risk |
X |
X |
|
| X |
| Investment
Risk |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Large-Cap
Companies Risk |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
| Mid-Cap
Companies Risk |
| X |
X |
X |
X |
| Passive
Investment Risk |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| REIT
Risk |
| X |
X |
X |
|
| Sector
Risk |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Small-Capitalization
Companies Risk |
|
|
| X |
|
| Tracking
Error Risk |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Value
Investing Risk |
|
| X |
| |
|
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|
|
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|
|
|
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| |
| Principal
Risks |
STXE |
DRLL |
SHOC |
FTWO |
STXM |
STXI |
| Aerospace
and Defense Sector Risk |
|
|
| X |
| |
| Agricultural
Sector Risk |
|
|
| X |
| |
| Canadian
Investment Risk |
|
|
| X |
| X |
| Concentration
Risk |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
| Depositary
Receipt Risk |
X |
|
|
|
| X |
| Developed
Markets Risk |
|
|
|
|
| X |
| Emerging
Markets Risk |
X |
|
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|
| |
| Energy
Sector Risk |
| X |
|
|
| |
| Equity
Investing Risk |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| ETF
Risks |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Financials
Sector Risk |
X |
|
|
| X |
X |
| Foreign
Exposure Risk |
|
| X |
|
| |
| Foreign
Investment Risk |
X |
|
| X |
| X |
| Geographic
Investment Risk |
|
|
|
|
| X |
|
Gold
and Precious Metals Risk |
|
|
| X |
| |
| Index
Calculation Risk |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Index
Rebalance Risk |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Industrial
Sector Risk |
|
|
|
|
| X |
| Information
Technology Sector Risk |
X |
| X |
|
| |
| Investment
Risk |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Large-Cap
Companies Risk |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| X |
| Limited
Operating History Risk |
|
|
|
| X |
X |
| Mid-Cap
Companies Risk |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Natural
Resources and Commodity-Related Industries Risk |
|
|
| X |
| |
| Non-Diversification
Risk |
| X |
X |
X |
| |
|
Nuclear
Energy Sector Risk |
|
|
| X |
| |
| Oil
and Gas Sector Risk |
| X |
| X |
| |
| Passive
Investment Risk |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| REIT
Risk |
X |
|
|
| X |
X |
| Sampling
Risk |
X |
|
|
|
| X |
| Sector
Risk |
X |
|
|
| X |
X |
| Semiconductor
Sector Risk |
|
| X |
|
| |
| Tracking
Error Risk |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
Aerospace
and Defense Sector Risk.
Aerospace and defense companies can be significantly affected by government
aerospace and defense regulation and spending policies because companies
involved in this industry rely to a significant extent on U.S. (and other)
government demand for their products and services. Thus, the financial condition
of, and investor interest in, aerospace and defense companies are heavily
influenced by governmental defense spending policies which are typically under
pressure from efforts to control the U.S. (and other) government budgets. The
aerospace industry in particular has recently been affected by adverse economic
conditions and consolidation within the industry.
Agriculture
Sector Risk. The
Fund will invest in agriculture companies. Economic forces, including forces
affecting agricultural markets, as well as government policies and regulations
affecting agriculture companies, could adversely impact a Fund’s investments.
Agricultural and livestock production and trade flows are significantly affected
by government policies and regulations. Governmental policies affecting
agriculture companies, such as taxes, tariffs, duties, subsidies and import and
export restrictions on agricultural commodities, commodity products and
livestock, can
influence
agriculture company profitability, the planting/raising of certain
crops/livestock versus other uses of resources, the location and size of crop
and livestock production, whether unprocessed or processed commodity products
are traded and the volume and types of imports and exports. In addition,
companies in the agriculture sector must comply with a broad range of
environmental laws and regulations. Additional or more stringent environmental
laws and regulations may be enacted in the future and such changes could have a
material adverse effect on the business of such companies. In addition,
agriculture companies may be significantly affected by adverse weather,
pollution and/or disease which could limit or halt production.
Canadian
Investment Risk. Investments
in securities of Canadian issuers, including issuers located outside of Canada
that generate significant revenue from Canada, involve risks and special
considerations not typically associated with investments in the U.S. securities
markets. The Canadian economy is very dependent on the demand for, and supply
and price of, natural resources. The Canadian market is relatively concentrated
in issuers involved in the production and distribution of natural resources.
There is a risk that any changes in natural resources sectors could have an
adverse impact on the Canadian economy. Additionally, the Canadian economy is
heavily dependent on relationships with certain key trading partners, including
the United States, countries in the EU and China. Because the United States is
Canada’s largest trading partner and foreign investor, the Canadian economy is
dependent on and may be significantly affected by the U.S. economy. Reduction in
spending on Canadian products and services or changes in the U.S. economy may
adversely impact the Canadian economy. Trade agreements may further increase
Canada’s dependency on the U.S. economy, and uncertainty as to the future of
such trade agreements may cause a decline in the value of the Fund’s Shares.
Past periodic demands by the Province of Quebec for sovereignty have
significantly affected equity valuations and foreign currency movements in the
Canadian market and such demands may have this effect in the future. In
addition, certain sectors of Canada’s economy may be subject to foreign
ownership limitations. This may negatively impact the Fund’s ability to invest
in Canadian issuers and to track the Fund’s Index.
Change
in Diversification Risk.
In seeking to track its Index, the Strive 1000 Growth ETF may become
non-diversified as a result of a change in relative market capitalization or
index weighting of one or more constituents of the Index. A “non-diversified”
fund generally invests a greater portion of its assets in the securities of one
or more issuers and invests overall in a smaller number of issuers than a
diversified fund. The Fund may be more sensitive to a single economic, business,
political, regulatory, or other occurrence than a more diversified fund might
be, which may negatively impact the Fund’s performance and result in greater
fluctuation in the value of the Fund’s shares.
Concentration
Risk.
In following its methodology, the Index from time to time may be concentrated to
a significant degree in securities of issuers located in a single industry or
group of industries. To the extent that the Index concentrates in the securities
of issuers in a particular industry or group of industries, the Fund also may
concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent. By concentrating
its investments in an industry or group of industries, the Fund may face more
risks than if it were diversified broadly over numerous industries or groups of
industries. If the Index is not concentrated in a particular industry or group
of industries, the Fund will not concentrate in a particular industry or group
of industries.
Depositary
Receipt Risk.
The Fund’s investments in foreign companies may be in the form of depositary
receipts, including ADRs, EDRs, and GDRs. ADRs, EDRs, and GDRs are generally
subject to the risks of investing directly in foreign securities and, in some
cases, there may be less information available about the underlying issuers than
would be the case with a direct investment in the foreign issuer. ADRs are U.S.
dollar-denominated receipts representing shares of foreign-based corporations.
GDRs are similar to ADRs but are shares of foreign-based corporations generally
issued by international banks in one or more markets around the world.
Investment in ADRs and GDRs may be more or less liquid than the underlying
shares in their primary trading market and GDRs may be more volatile. Depositary
receipts may be “sponsored” or “unsponsored” and may be unregistered and
unlisted. Sponsored depositary receipts are established jointly by a depositary
and the underlying issuer, whereas unsponsored depositary receipts may be
established by a depositary without participation by the underlying issuer.
Holders of an unsponsored depositary receipt generally bear all the costs
associated with establishing the unsponsored depositary receipt. In addition,
the issuers of the securities underlying unsponsored depositary receipts are not
obligated to disclose material information in the United States and, therefore,
there may be less information available regarding those issuers and there may
not be a correlation between that information and the market value of the
depositary receipts. In general, ADRs must be sponsored, but the Fund may invest
in unsponsored ADRs under various limited circumstances. It is expected that not
more than 10% of the net assets of the Fund will be invested in unsponsored
ADRs. The Fund’s investments may also include ADRs and GDRs that are not
purchased in the public markets and are restricted securities that can be
offered and sold only to “qualified
institutional
buyers” under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
“Securities Act”). The Adviser will determine the liquidity of these investments
pursuant to guidelines established by the Board. If a particular investment in
ADRs or GDRs is deemed illiquid, that investment will be included within the
Fund’s limitation on investment in illiquid securities. Moreover, if adverse
market conditions were to develop during the period between the Fund’s decision
to sell these types of ADRs or GDRs and the point at which the Fund is permitted
or able to sell the security, the Fund might obtain a price less favorable than
the price that prevailed when it decided to sell.
Developed
Markets Risk.
Developed market countries generally tend to rely on the services sectors
(e.g.,
the financial sector) as the primary source of economic growth and may be
susceptible to the risks of individual service sectors. Many developed market
countries have heavy indebtedness, which may lead downward pressure on the
economies of these countries. As a result, it is possible that interest rates on
debt of certain developed countries may rise to levels that make it difficult
for such countries to service high debt levels without significant help from
other countries or from a central bank. Developed market countries generally are
dependent on the economies of certain key trading partners. Changes in any one
economy may cause an adverse impact on several developed countries.
Dividend-Paying
Common Equity Security Risk.
The Fund will normally receive income from dividends that are paid by issuers of
the Fund’s investments. The amount of the dividend payments may vary and depends
on performance and decisions of the issuer. Poor performance by the issuer or
other factors may cause the issuer to lower or eliminate dividend payments to
investors, including the Fund. Additionally, these types of securities may fall
out of favor with investors and underperform the broader market. Depending upon
market conditions, dividend-paying securities that meet the Fund’s investment
criteria may not be widely available or may be highly concentrated in only a few
market sectors.
Emerging
Markets Risk. Investments
in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that
provide exposure to those securities or markets, can involve additional risks
relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with
investments in U.S. securities and instruments. For example, developing and
emerging markets may be subject to (i) greater market volatility, (ii) lower
trading volume and liquidity, (iii) greater social, political and economic
uncertainty, (iv) governmental controls on foreign investments and limitations
on repatriation of invested capital, (v) lower disclosure, corporate governance,
auditing and financial reporting standards, (vi) fewer protections of property
rights, (vii) restrictions on the transfer of securities or currency, and (viii)
settlement and trading practices that differ from those in U.S. markets. Each of
these factors may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise
transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Shares
and cause the Fund to decline in value.
Specifically
with respect to index funds, the conditions in emerging markets may lead to
potential errors in index data, index computation, and/or index construction if
information on non-U.S. companies is unreliable or outdated, or if less
information about the non-U.S. companies is publicly available due to
differences in regulatory, accounting, auditing and financial recordkeeping
standards. This, in turn, may limit the fund adviser’s ability to oversee the
index provider’s due diligence process over index data prior to its use in index
computation, construction, and/or rebalancing. All of these factors may
adversely impact fund performance. In addition, the rights and remedies
associated with investments in a fund that tracks an index comprised of foreign
securities may be different than a fund that tracks an index of domestic
securities.
Energy
Sector Risk. The
market value of securities in the energy sector may decline for many reasons
including, fluctuations in energy prices and supply and demand of energy fuels
caused by geopolitical events, the success of exploration projects, weather or
meteorological events, taxes, increased governmental or environmental
regulation, resource depletion, rising interest rates, declines in domestic or
foreign production, accidents or catastrophic events that result in injury, loss
of life or property, pollution or other environmental damage claims, terrorist
threats or attacks, among others. Markets for various energy-related commodities
can have significant volatility and are subject to control or manipulation by
large producers or purchasers. Companies in the energy sector may need to make
substantial expenditures, and may incur significant amounts of debt, to maintain
or expand their reserves through exploration of new sources of supply, through
the development of existing sources, through acquisitions, or through long-term
contracts to acquire reserves. Factors adversely affecting producers, refiners,
distributors, or others in the energy sector may adversely affect companies that
service or supply those entities, either because demand for those services or
products is curtailed, or those services or products come under price
pressure. Issuers in the energy sector may also be impacted by changing
investor and consumer preferences.
Equity
Investing Risk.
An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in any
fund holding equity securities, such as market fluctuations, changes in interest
rates and perceived trends in stock prices. The values of equity securities
could decline generally or could underperform other investments. Different types
of equity securities tend to go through cycles of outperformance and
underperformance in comparison to the general securities markets. In addition,
securities may decline in value due to factors affecting a specific issuer,
market or securities markets generally. Recent turbulence in financial markets
and reduced liquidity in credit and fixed income markets may negatively affect
many issuers worldwide, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund.
ETF
Risks.
•Authorized
Participants, Market Makers and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk.
Each
Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized
Participants (“APs”). In addition, there may be a limited number of market
makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of
the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and
possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to
process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to
perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit
the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other
entities step forward to perform their functions.
•Premium-Discount
Risk.
The
Shares may trade above or below their NAV. The NAV of the Fund will generally
fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund’s holdings. The market
prices of Shares, however, will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes
in NAV as well as the relative supply of, and demand for, Shares on the Exchange
and other securities exchanges. The trading price of Shares may deviate
significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility or limited trading in
Shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, any
difference between the bid price and the ask price of the Shares. The Adviser
cannot predict whether Shares will trade below, at or above their NAV. Price
differences may be due, in large part, to the fact that supply and demand forces
at work in the secondary trading market for Shares will be closely related to,
but not identical to, the same forces influencing the prices of the securities
held by the Fund. However, given that Shares can be purchased and redeemed in
large blocks of Shares, called Creation Units (unlike shares of closed-end
funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at
premiums to, their NAV), and the Fund’s portfolio holdings are fully disclosed
on a daily basis, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the
NAV of Shares should not be sustained, but that may not be the case. In
addition, because securities held by the Fund may trade on foreign exchanges
that are closed when its primary listing exchange is open, the Fund is likely to
experience premiums and discounts greater than those of domestic
ETFs.
•Cost
of Trading Risk.
Investors
buying or selling Shares in the secondary market will pay brokerage commissions
or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. Brokerage
commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost
for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts of Shares. In
addition, secondary market investors will also incur the cost of the difference
between the price that an investor is willing to pay for Shares (the “bid”
price) and the price at which an investor is willing to sell Shares (the “ask”
price). This difference in bid and ask prices is often referred to as the
“spread” or “bid/ask spread.” The bid/ask spread varies over time for Shares
based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if Shares
have more trading volume and market liquidity and higher if Shares have little
trading volume and market liquidity. Further, increased market volatility may
cause increased bid/ask spreads.
•Trading
Risk.
Although
the Shares are listed on the Exchange, there can be no assurance that an active
or liquid trading market for them will develop or be maintained. In addition,
trading in Shares on the Exchange may be halted due to market conditions or for
reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in Shares inadvisable.
When markets are stressed, Shares could suffer erratic or unpredictable trading
activity, extraordinary volatility or wide bid/ask spreads, which could cause
some market makers and APs to reduce their market activity or “step away” from
making a market in ETF shares. This could cause a Fund’s market price to
deviate, materially, from the NAV, and reduce the effectiveness of the ETF
arbitrage process. Further, trading in Shares on the Exchange is subject to
trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to the “circuit
breaker” rules, which temporarily halt trading on the Exchange when a decline in
the S&P 500 Index during a single day reaches certain thresholds
(e.g.,
7%, 13% and 20%). There can be no assurance that the requirements of the
Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of each Fund will continue to be met
or will
remain
unchanged. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to
mirror the liquidity of a Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings, which can be
significantly less liquid than Shares, and this could lead to differences
between the market price of the Shares and the underlying value of those
Shares.
Financials
Sector Risk. The
financials sector includes, for example, banks and financial institutions
providing mortgage and mortgage related services. This sector can be
significantly affected by, among other things, changes in interest rates,
government regulation, the rate of defaults on corporate, consumer and
government debt, and the availability and cost of capital. These factors and
events have had, and may continue to have, a significant negative impact on the
valuations and stock prices of companies in this sector and have increased the
volatility of investments in this sector.
Foreign
Exposure Risk.
Although the Fund invests in securities of companies listed on U.S. securities
exchanges, the international operations of those companies may create exposure
to foreign markets where such companies operate. The international operations of
many semiconductor companies expose them to risks associated with political,
social or economic events in other countries or regions, which may include
instability and changes in economic and political conditions, foreign currency
fluctuations, changes in foreign regulations, tariffs and trade disputes,
competition from subsidized foreign competitors with lower production costs and
other risks inherent to international business.
Foreign
Investment Risk. The
Fund may invest in foreign securities, including non-U.S. dollar-denominated
securities traded outside of the United States and U.S. dollar-denominated
securities of foreign issuers traded in the United States. Returns on
investments in foreign securities could be more volatile than, or trail the
returns on, investments in U.S. securities. Investments in foreign securities,
including investments in American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), European
Depositary Receipts (EDRs) and Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs), are subject to
special risks, including the following:
•Foreign
Securities Risk.
Investments in non-U.S. securities involve certain risks that may not be present
with investments in U.S. securities. For example, investments in non-U.S.
securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations
or to political or economic instability. There may be less information publicly
available about a non-U.S. issuer than a U.S. issuer. Non-U.S. issuers may be
subject to different accounting, auditing, financial reporting and investor
protection standards than U.S. issuers. Changes to the financial condition or
credit rating of foreign issuers may also adversely affect the value of the
Fund’s securities. Investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to
withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement,
custodial, and operational risks. Because legal systems differ, there is also
the possibility that it will be difficult to obtain or enforce legal judgments
in certain countries. Since foreign exchanges may be open on days when the Fund
does not price its Shares, the value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio
may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the
Fund’s Shares. Conversely, Shares may trade on days when foreign exchanges are
closed. Investment in foreign securities may involve higher costs than
investment in U.S. securities, including higher transaction and custody costs as
well as the imposition of additional taxes by foreign governments. Each of these
factors can make investments in an underlying ETF more volatile and potentially
less liquid than other types of investments.
•Capital
Controls Risk.
Economic conditions, such as volatile currency exchange rates and interest
rates, political events and other conditions may, without prior warning, lead to
government intervention and the imposition of “capital controls” or
expropriation or nationalization of assets. The possible establishment of
exchange controls or freezes on the convertibility of currency, or the adoption
of other governmental restrictions, might adversely affect an investment in
foreign securities. Capital controls include the prohibition of, or restrictions
on, the ability to transfer currency, securities or other assets within or out
of a jurisdiction. Levies may be placed on profits repatriated by foreign
entities (such as the Fund). Capital controls may impact the ability of the Fund
to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities or currency, may adversely affect
the trading market and price for Shares of the Fund, and may cause the Fund to
decline in value.
•Currency
Risk.
The Fund’s NAV is determined on the basis of U.S. dollars; therefore, the Fund
may lose value if the local currency of a foreign market depreciates against the
U.S. dollar, even if the local currency value of the Fund’s holdings goes up.
Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time.
Currency exchange rates also can be affected unpredictably by intervention; by
failure to intervene by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks; or by
currency controls or political developments in the U.S. or abroad. Changes in
foreign currency exchange rates may affect the NAV of the Fund and the price of
the Fund’s Shares.
Devaluation
of a currency by a country’s government or banking authority would have a
significant impact on the value of any investments denominated in that
currency.
•Political
and Economic Risk.
The Fund is subject to foreign political and economic risk not associated with
U.S. investments, meaning that political events (civil unrest, national
elections, changes in political conditions and foreign relations, imposition of
exchange controls and repatriation restrictions), social and economic events
(labor strikes, rising inflation) and natural disasters occurring in a foreign
country could cause the Fund’s investments to experience gains or losses. The
Fund also could be unable to enforce its ownership rights or pursue legal
remedies in countries where it invests.
•Foreign
Market and Trading Risk.
The trading markets for many foreign securities are not as active as U.S.
markets and may have less governmental regulation and oversight. Foreign markets
also may have clearance and settlement procedures that make it difficult for the
Fund to buy and sell securities. The procedures and rules governing foreign
transactions and custody (holding of the Fund’s assets) also may involve delays
in payment, delivery or recovery of money or investments. These factors could
result in a loss to the Fund by causing the Fund to be unable to dispose of an
investment or to miss an attractive investment opportunity, or by causing Fund
assets to be uninvested for some period of time.
Geographic
Investment Risk.
To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the
securities of companies of a single country or region, it is more likely to be
impacted by events or conditions affecting that country or region.
•Risks
Related to Investing in Japan.
To the extent the Fund invests Japanese securities, it will be subject to the
risks related to investing in Japan. Political, social or economic disruptions
in Japan or the region, even in countries in which the Fund is not invested, may
adversely affect the value of investments held by the Fund.
The
Japanese economy may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political
and social instability, which could have a negative impact on Japanese
securities. Since the year 2000, Japan’s economic growth rate has remained
relatively low and it may remain low in the future. In addition, Japan is
subject to the risk of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, volcanoes,
typhoons and tsunamis.
Additionally,
decreasing U.S. imports, new trade regulations, changes in the U.S. dollar
exchange rates, a recession in the United States or continued increases in
foreclosure rates may have an adverse impact on the economy of Japan. Japan also
has few natural resources, and any fluctuation or shortage in the commodity
markets could have a negative impact on Japanese securities. In addition, Japan
is subject to the risk of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions, typhoons and tsunamis, which could negatively affect the Funds’
investment in Japan.
•Risks
Related to Investing in Europe.
To the extent the Fund invests in European securities, it will be subject to
risks related to investing in Europe. The economies and markets of European
countries are often closely connected and interdependent, and events in one
country in Europe can have an adverse impact on other European countries. The
Fund makes investments in securities of issuers that are domiciled in, or have
significant operations in, member countries of the European Union (the “EU”)
that are subject to economic and monetary controls that can adversely affect the
Fund’s investments. The European financial markets have experienced volatility
and adverse trends in recent years and these events have adversely affected the
exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect other
European countries. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU
regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or
threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an
economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect
on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners, including
some or all of the European countries in which the Fund invests.
In
addition, the United Kingdom resolved to leave the EU, an event commonly known
as “Brexit.” The United Kingdom officially left the EU on January 31, 2020.
Although the UK and EU have made a trade agreement that was entered into force
on May 1, 2021, certain post-EU arrangements were outside the scope of the
negotiating mandate and remain unresolved and subject to further negotiation and
agreement. There remains significant market uncertainty regarding Brexit’s
ramifications, and the range of possible political, regulatory, economic and
market outcomes are difficult to predict. The uncertainty surrounding the UK’s
economy, and its legal, political, and economic relationship with the remaining
member states of the EU, may continue to be a
source
of instability and cause considerable disruption in securities markets,
including increased volatility and illiquidity, as well as currency fluctuations
in the British pound’s exchange rate against the U.S. dollar.
•Risks
Related to Investing in Canada.
The Canadian economy is very dependent on the demand for, and supply and price
of, natural resources. The Canadian market is relatively concentrated in issuers
involved in the production and distribution of natural resources. There is a
risk that any changes in natural resources sectors could have an adverse impact
on the Canadian economy. Additionally, the Canadian economy is heavily dependent
on relationships with certain key trading partners including the United States,
countries in the European Union and China. Because the United States is Canada’s
largest trading partner and foreign investor, the Canadian economy is dependent
on and may be significantly affected by developments impacting the U.S. economy.
Reduction in spending on Canadian products and services or changes in the U.S.
economy may adversely impact the Canadian economy. Uncertainty as to the future
of certain trade agreements between the U.S. and Canada may cause a decline in
the value of the Fund’s Shares. In addition, certain sectors of Canada’s economy
may be subject to foreign ownership limitations. This may negatively impact the
Fund’s ability to invest in Canadian issuers and to track the
Index.
Gold
and Precious Metals Risk.
The Fund will be sensitive to changes in the overall condition of the metals and
mining industry. Competitive pressures may have a significant effect on the
financial condition of companies in such industry. Also, such companies are
highly dependent on the price of certain precious metals. These prices may
fluctuate substantially over short periods of time, so the Fund’s share price
may be more volatile than other types of investments. The prices of precious
metals rise and fall in response to many factors, including: economic cycles;
changes in inflation or expectations about inflation in various countries;
interest rates; currency fluctuations; metal sales by governments, central
banks, or international agencies; investment speculation; resource availability;
fluctuations in industrial and commercial supply and demand; government
regulation of the metals and materials industries; and government prohibitions
or restrictions on the private ownership of certain precious and rare metals.
The Index measures, in part, the performance of equity securities of gold and
precious metals companies and does not measure the performance of direct
investment in precious metals. Consequently, the Fund’s share price may not move
in the same direction and to the same extent as the spot prices of precious
metals.
In
times of stable economic growth, traditional equity and debt investments could
offer greater appreciation potential, and the value of precious metals may be
adversely affected, which could in turn affect the Fund’s returns. The
production and sale of precious metals by governments, central banks, or other
large holders can be affected by various economic, financial, social, and
political factors, which may be unpredictable and may have a significant impact
on the supply and prices of precious metals. Economic and political conditions
in those countries that are the largest producers of precious metals may have a
direct effect on the production and marketing of such metals and on sales of
central bank holdings. Some precious metals mining operation companies may hedge
their exposure to falls in precious metals prices by selling forward future
production, which may result in lower returns during periods when the price of
precious metals increases. The precious metals industry can be significantly
affected by events relating to international political developments, the success
of exploration projects, commodity prices, and tax and government regulations.
If a natural disaster or other event with a significant economic impact occurs
in a region where the companies in which the Fund invests operate, such disaster
or event could negatively affect the profitability of such companies and, in
turn, the Fund’s investment in them.
Growth
Investing Risk. The
Fund invests in growth securities, which may be more volatile than other types
of investments, may perform differently than the market as a whole and may
underperform when compared to securities with different investment parameters.
Under certain market conditions, growth securities have performed better during
the later stages of economic recovery (although there is no guarantee that they
will continue to do so). Therefore, growth securities may go in and out of favor
over time.
Healthcare
Sector Risk. The
profitability of companies in the healthcare sector may be adversely affected by
the following factors, government regulations, including new regulations and
scrutiny related to data privacy, restrictions on government reimbursement for
medical expenses, rising costs of medical products and services, pricing
pressure, an increased emphasis on outpatient services, changes in the demand
for medical products and services, a limited number of products, industry
innovation, changes in technologies and other market developments. A number of
issuers in the healthcare sector have recently merged or otherwise experienced
consolidation. The effects of this trend toward consolidation are unknown and
may be far-reaching. Many healthcare companies are heavily dependent on patent
protection. The expiration of a company’s patents may adversely affect that
company’s profitability. Many healthcare
companies
are subject to extensive litigation based on product liability and similar
claims. Healthcare companies are subject to competitive forces that may make it
difficult to raise prices and, in fact, may result in price discounting. Many
new products in the healthcare sector may be subject to regulatory approvals.
The process of obtaining such approvals may be long and costly, and such efforts
ultimately may be unsuccessful. Companies in the healthcare sector may be thinly
capitalized and may be susceptible to product obsolescence. In addition, a
number of legislative proposals concerning healthcare have been considered by
the U.S. Congress in recent years. It is unclear what proposals will ultimately
be enacted, if any, and what effect they may have on companies in the healthcare
sector. Companies in the healthcare sector may be subject to adverse government
or regulatory actions, which may be costly.
Index
Calculation Risk. The
Index relies on various sources of information to assess the criteria of issuers
included in the Index, including fundamental information that may be based on
assumptions and estimates. Neither the Fund, the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser nor
the Index Provider can offer assurances that the Index’s calculation methodology
or sources of information will provide a correct valuation of securities, nor
can they guarantee the availability or timeliness of the production of the
Index. Errors in index data, index computation or the construction of the Index
in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be
identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all,
which may negatively impact the Fund and its shareholders.
Index
Rebalance Risk.
Because each Index generally only changes their respective exposures based on
data as of a quarter end, semi-annual period end, or annually (each, a “Period
End”), (i) an Index’s exposure may be affected by significant market movements
at or near a Period End that are not predictive of the market’s performance for
the subsequent Period End and (ii) changes to the Index’s exposure may lag a
significant change in the market’s direction (up or down) by as long as the next
Period End if such changes first take effect at or near the beginning of a
Period End. Such lags between market performance and changes to the Index’s
exposure may result in significant underperformance relative to the broader
equity or fixed income market. Unusual market conditions may cause the Index
Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance, which could cause the Index to vary
from its normal or expected composition.
Industrials
Sector Risk. The
industrials sector includes, for example, aerospace and defense, non-residential
construction, engineering, machinery, transportation, and commercial and
professional services companies. This sector can be significantly affected by,
among other things, business cycle fluctuations, worldwide economic growth,
exchange rates, commodity prices, government and corporate spending, supply and
demand for specific products and manufacturing, rapid technological
developments, international political and economic developments, environmental
issues, and tax and governmental regulatory policies. As the demand for, or
prices of, industrials increase, the value of a Fund’s investments generally
would be expected to also increase. Conversely, declines in the demand for, or
prices of, industrials generally would be expected to contribute to declines in
the value of such securities. Such declines may occur quickly and without
warning and may negatively impact the value of a Fund and your
investment.
Investment
Risk. As
with all investments, an investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk.
Investors in the Fund could lose money, including the possible loss of the
entire principal amount of an investment, over short or long periods of
time.
Large-Capitalization
Companies Risk.
Large-capitalization companies may trail the returns of the overall stock
market. Large-capitalization stocks tend to go through cycles of doing better -
or worse - than the stock market in general. These periods have, in the past,
lasted for as long as several years. When large capitalization companies are out
of favor, these securities may lose value or may not appreciate in line with the
overall market. In addition, large capitalization companies may be unable to
respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology or
consumer tastes, and also may not be able to attain the high growth rate of
successful small companies, especially during extended periods of economic
expansion.
Limited
Operating History Risk.
A Fund that is recently organized has a limited operating history. As a result,
prospective investors have a limited track record or history on which to base
their investment decision. There can be no assurance that a Fund will grow to or
maintain an economically viable size.
Mid-Capitalization
Companies Risk. The
securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse
issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of
larger-capitalization companies. The securities of mid-capitalization companies
generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more
unpredictable price changes than larger capitalization stocks or the stock
market as a whole. Some mid-capitalization
companies
have limited product lines, markets, and financial and managerial resources and
tend to concentrate on fewer geographical markets relative to larger
capitalization companies.
Natural
Resources and Commodity-Related Industries Risk.
The Fund is subject to the risks associated with companies in the natural
resources and commodities-related industries. These industries can be
significantly affected by (and often rapidly affected by) changes in the supply
of, or demand for, various natural resources and commodities. Investments in
natural resources companies, which include companies engaged in energy (oil, gas
& consumable fuels), agriculture, and precious and industrial metals and
mining can be significantly affected by events relating to these industries,
including international political and economic developments, embargoes, tariffs,
inflation, weather and natural disasters, livestock diseases, limits on
exploration, rapid changes in the supply and demand for natural resources and
other factors. The Fund’s investments may experience substantial price
fluctuations as a result of these factors, and may move independently of the
trends of other operating companies. Companies engaged in the sectors listed
above may be adversely affected by changes in government policies and
regulations, technological advances and/or obsolescence, environmental damage
claims, energy conservation efforts, the success of exploration projects,
limitations on the liquidity of certain natural resources and commodities and
competition from new market entrants. Changes in general economic conditions,
including commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates, imposition of
import controls, rising interest rates, prices of raw materials and other
commodities, depletion of resources and labor relations, could adversely affect
the Fund’s investments.
Non-Diversification
Risk.
A non-diversified fund may be more sensitive to economic, business, political or
other changes affecting individual issuers or investments than a diversified
fund, which may result in greater fluctuation in the value of the Shares and
greater risk of loss.
Nuclear
Energy Sector Risk. The
Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent
on, the overall condition of nuclear energy companies. The companies represented
in the Fund’s portfolio may face considerable risk as a result of, among other
risks, incidents and accidents, breaches of security, ill-intentioned acts or
terrorism, natural disasters (such as floods or earthquakes), equipment
malfunctions or mishandling in storage, handling, transportation, treatment or
conditioning of substances and nuclear materials. Such events could have serious
consequences, especially in case of radioactive contamination and irradiation of
the environment, for the general population, as well as a material, negative
impact on the Fund’s portfolio companies and thus the Fund’s financial
situation. In addition, the nuclear energy sector is subject to competitive risk
associated with the prices of other energy sources, such as natural gas and oil,
obsolescence of existing technology, short product cycles, falling prices and
profits, competition from new market entrants and general economic conditions.
The price of uranium may be affected by changes in inflation rates, interest
rates, monetary policy, economic conditions and political stability. In
addition, uranium mining companies may also be significantly affected by import
controls, energy conservation efforts, the success of energy exploration
projects, liability for environmental damage, depletion of resources, and
mandated expenditures for safety and pollution control devices. Consumers of
nuclear energy may have the ability to switch between nuclear energy and other
energy sources and, as a result, during periods when competing energy sources
are less expensive, the revenues of companies in the nuclear energy sector may
decline with a corresponding impact on earnings.
Nuclear
activity is also subject to particularly detailed and restrictive regulations,
with a scheme for the monitoring and periodic re-examination of operating
authorization, which primarily takes into account nuclear safety, environmental
and public health protection, and also national security considerations
(terrorist threats in particular). These regulations and any future regulations
may be subject to significant tightening by national and international
authorities. There are substantial differences among the regulatory practices
and policies of various jurisdictions, and any given regulatory agency may make
major shifts in policy from time to time. There is no assurance that regulatory
authorities will, in the future, grant rate increases or that such increases
will be adequate to permit the payment of dividends on common stocks issued by a
utility company. Additionally, existing and possible future regulatory
legislation may make it even more difficult for utilities to obtain adequate
relief. In addition, governmental authorities may from time-to-time review
existing policies and impose additional requirements governing the licensing,
construction and operation of nuclear power plants. This could result in
increased operating costs, which would have a negative impact on the Fund’s
portfolio companies and may cause operating businesses related to nuclear energy
to become unprofitable or impractical to operate.
Uranium
prices are subject to fluctuation. The price of uranium has been and will
continue to be affected by numerous factors beyond the Fund’s control. Such
factors include the demand for nuclear power, political and economic conditions
in
uranium producing and consuming countries, uranium supply from secondary sources
and uranium production levels and costs of production. In addition, the prices
of crude oil, natural gas and electricity produced from traditional hydro power
and possibly other undiscovered energy sources could potentially have a negative
impact on the competitiveness of nuclear energy companies in which the Fund
invests.
Securities
of the companies involved in this industry have been significantly more volatile
than securities of companies operating in other more established industries.
Certain valuation methods currently used to value companies involved in the
nuclear power and power technology sectors, particularly those companies that
have not yet traded profitably, have not been in widespread use for a
significant period of time. As a result, the use of these valuation methods may
serve to increase further the volatility of certain alternative power and power
technology company share prices.
Oil
and Gas Sector Risk. The
profitability of companies in the oil and gas sector is related to worldwide
energy prices, exploration costs, and production spending. Companies in the oil
and gas sector may be at risk for environmental damage claims and other types of
litigation, as well as negative publicity and perception. Companies in the oil
and gas sector may be adversely affected by natural disasters or other
catastrophes, changes in exchange rates, interest rates, changes in prices for
competitive energy services, economic conditions, tax treatment, government
regulation and intervention, and unfavorable events in the regions where
companies operate (e.g.,
expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or
imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of capital,
military coups, social unrest, violence or labor unrest). As a result, the value
of these companies may fluctuate widely. Companies in the oil and gas sector may
have significant capital investments in, or engage in transactions involving,
emerging market countries, which may heighten these risks. Any of these factors
could result in a material adverse impact on the Fund’s securities and the
performance of the Fund.
Passive
Investment Risk. Each
Fund invests in the securities included in, or representative of, it’s Index
regardless of their investment merit. The Fund does not attempt to outperform
its respective Index or take defensive positions in declining markets. As a
result, the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected by a general decline in
the market segments relating to its Index. The returns from the types of
securities in which the Fund invests may underperform returns from the various
general securities markets or different asset classes. The Fund is not actively
managed and the Sub-Adviser will not sell any investments due to current or
projected underperformance of the securities, industries or sector in which it
invests, unless the investment is removed from the Index, sold in connection
with a rebalancing of the Index as addressed in the Index methodology, or sold
to comply with the Fund’s investment limitations (for example, to maintain the
Fund’s tax status). The Fund will maintain investments until changes to its
Index are triggered, which could cause the Fund’s return to be lower than if the
Fund employed an active strategy.
REIT
Risk.
Investments in REITs involve unique risks. REITs may have limited financial
resources, may trade less frequently and in limited volume, and may be more
volatile than other securities. In addition, to the extent the Fund holds
interests in REITs, it is expected that investors in the Fund will bear two
layers of asset-based management fees and expenses (directly at the Fund level
and indirectly at the REIT level). The risks of investing in REITs include risks
associated with the direct ownership of real estate and the real estate industry
in general. These include risks related to general, regional and local economic
conditions; fluctuations in interest rates and property tax rates; shifts in
zoning laws, environmental regulations and other governmental action like the
exercise of eminent domain; cash flow dependency; increased operating expenses;
lack of availability of mortgage funds; losses due to natural disasters;
overbuilding; losses due to casualty or condemnation; changes in property values
and rental rates; and other factors. In addition to these risks,
residential/diversified REITs and commercial equity REITs may be affected by
changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the trusts, while
mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of any credit extended. Further,
REITs are dependent upon management skills and generally may not be diversified.
REITs are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers and
self-liquidation. In addition, REITs could possibly fail to qualify for the
beneficial tax treatment available to REITs under the Internal Revenue Code of
1986 (the “Code”), or to maintain their exemptions from registration under the
Investment Company Act. The Fund expects that dividends received from a REIT and
distributed to Fund shareholders generally will be taxable to the shareholder as
ordinary income. The above factors may also adversely affect a borrower’s or a
lessee’s ability to meet its obligations to the REIT. In the event of a default
by a borrower or lessee, the REIT may experience delays in enforcing its rights
as a mortgagee or lessor and may incur substantial costs associated with
protecting investments.
Sampling
Risk.
The Fund’s use of a representative sampling approach will result in it holding a
smaller number of securities than are in the Index. As a result, an adverse
development respecting a security held by the Fund could result in
a
greater decline in NAV than would be the case if the Fund held all of the
securities in the Index. Conversely, a positive development relating to a
security in an Index that is not held by the Fund could cause the Fund to
underperform its Index. To the extent the Fund’s assets are smaller, it may be
more difficult to effectively implement a representative sampling strategy,
which could increase these risks.
Sector
Risk. Companies
with similar characteristics may be grouped together into broad categories
called sectors. A certain sector may underperform other sectors or the market as
a whole. As a Fund allocates more of its portfolio holdings to a particular
sector, the Fund’s performance will be more susceptible to any economic,
business, or other developments which generally affect that sector.
Semiconductor
Sector Risk. The
semiconductor sector is highly cyclical and periodically experiences significant
economic downturns characterized by diminished product demand, resulting in
production overcapacity and excess inventory, which can result in rapid erosion
of product selling prices. The sector has experienced significant downturns,
often in connection with, or in anticipation of, maturing product cycles of both
semiconductor companies’ and their customers’ products and the decline in
general economic conditions.
Small-Capitalization
Companies Risk.
The securities of small-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to
adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of
large- or mid-capitalization companies. The securities of small-capitalization
companies generally trade in lower volumes and during adverse circumstances, may
be more difficult to sell and receive a sales price comparable to the value
assigned to the security by the Fund. These securities are subject to greater
and more unpredictable price changes than large- or mid-capitalization stocks or
the stock market as a whole. There is typically less publicly available
information concerning smaller-capitalization companies than for larger, more
established companies, which may make the valuation of such securities more
difficult if there isn’t a readily available market price.
Information
Technology Sector Risk. Market
or economic factors impacting technology companies and companies that rely
heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value
of the Fund’s investments. Technology companies, including information
technology companies, may have limited product lines, financial resources and/or
personnel. Technology companies typically face intense competition and
potentially rapid product obsolescence. They are also heavily dependent on
intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by the loss or
impairment of those rights. Companies in the technology sector also face
increased government regulation, including new regulations and scrutiny related
to data privacy, and may be subject to adverse government or regulatory actions,
which may be costly.
Tracking
Error Risk. As
with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and its respective Index may
differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs
operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In
addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at
all times or may hold securities not included in the Index. Tracking error risk
may be heightened during times of market volatility or other unusual market
conditions. In addition, the Fund’s use of a representative sampling approach
may cause the Fund’s returns to not be as well correlated with the return of the
Index as would be the case if the Fund purchased all of the securities in its
Index in the proportions in which they are represented in the Index. The Fund’s
investments may also vary from the securities of the Index due to the Fund’s
inability to invest in certain securities as a result of legal and compliance
restrictions applicable to the Fund and regulatory limits or other restrictions
on securities that may be purchased by the Fund. As an Index may consist of
relatively few securities or issuers, tracking error may be heightened at times
that the Fund is limited by restrictions on potential investments.
Value
Investing Risk.
Securities issued by companies that may be perceived as undervalued may be
appropriately valued. Value securities may fail to appreciate for long periods
of time or may never realize their full potential value. In addition, the Fund’s
ability to realize any benefits of investing in value securities may depend on
the Fund’s ability to stay invested until the market’s perception of such
securities change. Value securities have generally performed better than
non-value securities during periods of economic recovery (although there is no
assurance that they will continue to do so). Value securities may go in and out
of favor over time.
ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION ABOUT THE INDEXES
The
Sub-Adviser has entered into a license agreement with the Index Provider
pursuant to which the Sub-Adviser pays a fee to use each Index and the marketing
names as licensed trademarks of Bloomberg (“Bloomberg”). The Index Provider
has
also licensed the use of each Index to the Adviser and the Trust. Each Index is
compiled and calculated by Bloomberg.
No
entity that creates, compiles, sponsors or maintains an index is or will be an
affiliated person, as defined in Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company
Act, or an affiliated person of an affiliated person, of the Trust, the Adviser,
the Sub-Adviser, the Distributor or a promoter of a Fund.
Neither
the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser, nor any of their respective affiliates have any
rights to influence the selection of the securities in an Index.
“Bloomberg®”
and the Bloomberg indices listed herein (the “Indices”) are service marks of
Bloomberg Finance L.P. and its affiliates, including Bloomberg Index Services
Limited (“BISL”), the administrator of the index (collectively, “Bloomberg”),
and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by the distributor hereof
(the “Licensee”). The Sub-Adviser has licensed the use of the each Index to the
Adviser and the Adviser is sub-licensing the rights to such Index to the
respective Fund. Each Index is compiled and calculated by the Index
Provider.
The
financial products named herein (the “Products”) are not sponsored, endorsed,
sold or promoted by Bloomberg. Bloomberg does not make any representation or
warranty, express or implied, to the owners of or counterparties to the Products
or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in
securities or commodities generally or in the Product particularly. The only
relationship of Bloomberg to Licensee is the licensing of certain trademarks,
trade names and service marks and of the Indices, which are determined, composed
and calculated by BISL without regard to Licensee or the Products. Bloomberg has
no obligation to take the needs of Licensee or the owners of the Products into
consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Indices. Bloomberg is
not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing,
price, or quantities of the Products to be issued. Bloomberg shall not have any
obligation or liability, including, without limitation, to customers of the
Products, in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the
Products.
BLOOMBERG
DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY AND/OR THE COMPLETENESS OF THE INDICES OR ANY
DATA RELATED THERETO AND SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS, OMISSIONS OR
INTERRUPTIONS THEREIN. BLOOMBERG DOES NOT MAKE ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY LICENSEE, OWNERS OF THE PRODUCT OR ANY OTHER
PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE INDICES OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO.
BLOOMBERG DOES NOT MAKE ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES AND EXPRESSLY
DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
OR USE WITH RESPECT TO THE INDICES OR ANY DATA RELATED THERETO. WITHOUT LIMITING
ANY OF THE FOREGOING, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW, BLOOMBERG, ITS
LICENSORS, AND ITS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, AGENTS,
SUPPLIERS, AND VENDORS SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY WHATSOEVER FOR
ANY INJURY OR DAMAGES—WHETHER DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL,
PUNITIVE OR OTHERWISE—ARISING IN CONNECTION WITH THE PRODUCT OR INDICES OR ANY
DATA OR VALUES RELATING THERETO—WHETHER ARISING FROM THEIR NEGLIGENCE OR
OTHERWISE, EVEN IF NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY THEREOF.
FUND
MANAGEMENT
Investment
Adviser
Empowered
Funds, LLC dba EA Advisers serves as each Fund’s investment adviser (the
“Adviser”). The Adviser is located at 3803 West Chester Pike, Suite 150, Newtown
Square, PA 19073 and is wholly-owned by Alpha Architect, LLC. The Adviser is
registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) under the
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and provides investment advisory services to the
Fund, other exchange-traded funds, and Alpha Architect, LLC, its parent company.
The Adviser was founded in October 2013.
The
Adviser provides trading, execution and various other administrative services
and supervises the overall daily affairs of the Funds, subject to the general
supervision and control of the Board. The Adviser performs its services to each
Fund pursuant to the terms of an investment advisory agreement (the “Advisory
Agreement”) between the EA Series Trust (the
“Trust”)
and the Adviser, each Fund will pay the Adviser an annual advisory fee based on
its average daily net assets payable at the annual rates set forth in the table
below:
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Fund |
Advisory
Fee |
|
Strive
500 ETF |
0.0545% |
|
Strive
1000 Growth ETF |
0.18% |
|
Strive
1000 Value ETF |
0.18% |
|
Strive
Small-Cap ETF |
0.18% |
|
Strive
1000 Dividend Growth ETF |
0.35% |
|
Strive
Emerging Markets Ex-China ETF |
0.32% |
|
Strive
U.S. Energy ETF |
0.41% |
|
Strive
U.S. Semiconductor ETF |
0.40% |
|
Strive
Natural Resources and Security ETF |
0.49% |
|
Strive
Mid-Cap ETF |
0.18% |
| Strive
International Developed Markets ETF |
0.29% |
For
the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025, the aggregate advisory fees paid to
the Adviser by the Funds as a percentage of average daily net assets are set
forth in the table below:
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Fund |
Advisory
Fee Paid* |
|
Strive
500 ETF |
0.0499% |
|
Strive
1000 Growth ETF |
0.16% |
|
Strive
1000 Value ETF |
0.16% |
|
Strive
Small-Cap ETF |
0.16% |
|
Strive
1000 Dividend Growth ETF |
0.32% |
|
Strive
Emerging Markets Ex-China ETF |
0.29% |
|
Strive
U.S. Energy ETF |
0.38% |
|
Strive
U.S. Semiconductor ETF |
0.37% |
|
Strive
Natural Resources and Security ETF |
0.45% |
|
Strive
Mid-Cap ETF |
0.16% |
| Strive
International Developed Markets ETF |
0.27% |
*For
the period August 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025. Effective February 1, 2025, each
Fund’s fiscal year end changed from July 31 to June 30.
The
Adviser (or an affiliate of the Adviser) bears all of the Adviser’s own costs
associated with providing these advisory services and all expenses of the Fund,
except for the fee payment under the Advisory Agreement, payments under the
Fund’s Rule 12b-1 Distribution and Service Plan (the “Plan”), brokerage
expenses, acquired fund fees and expenses (including affiliated funds’ fees and
expenses), taxes (including tax-related services), interest (including borrowing
costs), litigation expenses (including class action-related services) and other
non-routine or extraordinary expenses. Additionally, the Fund shall be
responsible for its non-operating expenses (see the italicized items in the
preceding sentence) and fees and expenses associated with the Fund’s securities
lending program, if applicable.
The
Advisory Agreement for each Fund provides that it may be terminated at any time,
without the payment of any penalty, by the Board or, with respect to the Fund,
by a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund, on 60 days’ written notice
to the Adviser, and by the Adviser upon 60 days’ written notice, and that it
shall be automatically terminated if it is assigned. The Adviser retains the
authority, pursuant to the terms of the investment sub-advisory agreement, to
exercise its right to control the overall management of the Fund’s
assets.
Investment
Sub-Adviser
The
Adviser has retained Strive Asset Management, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”), an
investment adviser registered with the SEC, to provide sub-advisory services for
the Funds. The Sub-Adviser is organized as an Ohio limited liability company
with its principal office located at 200 Crescent Court, Suite 1400, Dallas TX
75201. The Sub-Adviser was founded in 2022. The Sub-Adviser has discretionary
responsibility to select each Fund’s investments in accordance with each Fund’s
investment objectives, policies and restrictions. The Sub-Adviser is not
responsible for selecting broker-dealers or placing each Fund’s trades. Rather,
the Sub-Adviser constructs the overall portfolio and provides trading
instructions to the Adviser, and, in turn, the Adviser is responsible for
selecting broker-dealers and placing each Fund’s trades.
Pursuant
to a sub-advisory agreement (the “Sub-Advisory Agreement”), the Adviser pays the
Sub-Adviser a fee, which is calculated daily and paid monthly, at an annual rate
based on a Fund’s average daily net assets as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Fund |
Sub-Advisory
Fee |
|
Strive
500 ETF |
0.0200% |
|
Strive
1000 Growth ETF |
0.10% |
|
Strive
1000 Value ETF |
0.10% |
|
Strive
Small-Cap ETF |
0.10% |
|
Strive
1000 Dividend Growth ETF |
0.18% |
|
Strive
Emerging Markets Ex-China ETF |
0.12% |
|
Strive
U.S. Energy ETF |
0.20% |
|
Strive
U.S. Semiconductor ETF |
0.20% |
|
Strive
Natural Resources and Security ETF |
0.25% |
|
Strive
Mid-Cap ETF |
0.09% |
| Strive
International Developed Markets ETF |
0.15% |
Fund
Sponsor
The
Adviser has entered into a fund sponsorship agreement with the Sub-Adviser
pursuant to which the Sub-Adviser is also the sponsor of each Fund (“Fund
Sponsor”). Under this arrangement, the Fund Sponsor has agreed to provide
financial support to each Fund (as described below) and, in turn, the Adviser
has agreed to share with the Fund Sponsor a portion of profits, if any,
generated by each Fund’s Advisory Fee (also as described below). Every month,
the Advisory Fee, which is a unitary management fee, is calculated and paid to
the Adviser.
If
the amount of the unitary management fee exceeds a Fund’s operating expenses and
the Adviser-retained amount, the Adviser pays the net total to the Fund Sponsor.
The amount paid to the Fund Sponsor represents both the sub-advisory fee and any
remaining profits from the Advisory Fee. During months where there are no
profits or the funds are not sufficient to cover the entire sub-advisory fee,
the sub-advisory fee is automatically waived.
If
the amount of the unitary management fee is less than a Fund’s operating
expenses and the Adviser-retained amount, Fund Sponsor is obligated to reimburse
the Adviser for the shortfall.
The
Adviser-retained amount represents an agreed upon fee arrangement between the
Adviser and Fund Sponsor. This arrangement calls for the Fund Sponsor to pay the
Adviser a fee and reimburse the Adviser for certain Fund operating expenses it
paid pursuant to the Advisory Agreement.
APPROVAL
OF ADVISORY AGREEMENT & INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISORY AGREEMENT
A
discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Advisory
Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreement with respect to the Fund is available
in the Funds’ Form
N-CSR
to shareholders for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025.
Manager
of Managers Structure
(with
respect to the Strive International Developed Markets Fund only)
The
Adviser and the Trust have received an exemptive order (the “Order”) from the
SEC that allows the Fund to operate in a “manager of managers” structure whereby
the Adviser can appoint and replace unaffiliated sub-advisers, and enter into,
amend and terminate sub-advisory agreements with such sub-advisers, each subject
to Board approval, but without obtaining prior shareholder approval (“Manager of
Managers Structure”). The Fund will, however, inform shareholders
of
the hiring of any new sub-adviser within 90 days after the hiring, to the extent
the Fund is relying on the Order. The Order provides the Fund with greater
flexibility and efficiency by preventing the Fund from incurring the expense and
delays associated with obtaining shareholder approval of such sub-advisory
agreements.
To
the extent the Fund relies on the Order, the Fund’s use of the Manager of
Managers Structure is subject to certain conditions that are set forth in the
Order. Under the Manager of Managers Structure, the Adviser has the ultimate
responsibility, subject to oversight by the Board, to oversee sub-advisers and
recommend their hiring, termination and replacement. The Adviser will also,
subject to the review and approval of the Board; set the Fund’s overall
investment strategy; evaluate, select and recommend sub-advisers to manage all
or a portion of the Fund’s assets; and implement procedures reasonably designed
to ensure that each sub-adviser complies with the Fund’s investment goal,
policies and restrictions. Subject to review by the Board, the Adviser will
allocate and, when appropriate, reallocate the Fund’s assets among sub-advisers
and monitor and evaluate the sub-advisers’ performance.
PORTFOLIO
MANAGERS
Mr.
Matthew Cole and Mr. Jeffrey Sherman are co-Portfolio Managers and are primarily
responsible for the day-to-day management of each Fund.
Mr.
Cole has been with the Sub-Adviser since 2022, where he is the Chief Executive
Officer and Chief Investment Officer. Mr. Cole has advised on determining the
investment exposures of each Fund since each Fund’s respective inception. Prior
to Mr. Cole’s tenure with the Sub-Adviser, Mr. Cole was a Fixed Income Portfolio
Manager for a large U.S. pension fund starting in 2011. Mr. Cole has a MBA in
Finance and a B.Sc in Finance and Risk Management & Insurance from
Sacramento State University. He is also a CFA®
Charterholder.
Mr.
Sherman joined the Sub-Adviser as a portfolio manager in 2023. Mr. Sherman has
advised on determining the investment exposures of each Fund since June 2023
(except for Strive Natural Resources and Security ETF, Strive Mid-Cap ETF, and
Strive International Developed Markets ETF which Mr. Sherman has served as
portfolio manager for since each Fund’s inception). Prior to Mr. Sherman’s
tenure with the Sub-Adviser, Mr. Sherman was a Quantitative Analyst for a large
insurance company and built multi-asset model portfolios for an investment
advisory platform from 2020 to 2022. Additionally, Mr. Sherman worked as an
Investment Officer in the Public Equities department of a large U.S. pension
fund from 2017 to 2020. Mr. Sherman holds a master’s degree in Quantitative
Finance & Risk Analytics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a
bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from the University at Albany, State University
of New York.
The
Funds’ Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) provides additional
information about the portfolio managers, including other accounts each manages,
their ownership in the Fund, and compensation.
OTHER
SERVICE PROVIDERS
PINE
Distributors LLC (“Distributor”) serves as the distributor of Creation Units
(defined above) for the Funds on an agency basis. The Distributor does not
maintain a secondary market in Shares.
U.S.
Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, doing business as U.S. Bank Global Fund Services, is
the administrator, fund accountant, and transfer agent for the Funds.
U.S.
Bank National Association is the custodian for the Funds.
Practus,
LLP, 11300 Tomahawk Creek Parkway, Suite 310, Leawood, Kansas 66211, serves as
legal counsel to the Trust.
Tait,
Weller & Baker LLP, 50 South 16th Street, Suite 2900, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania 19102, serves as the Funds’ independent registered public
accounting firm. The independent registered public accounting firm is
responsible for auditing the annual financial statements of the Funds.
THE
EXCHANGE
Shares
are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by the Exchange. The Exchange is not
responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the timing of,
prices of, or quantities of Shares to be issued, nor in the determination or
calculation of the equation by which Shares are redeemable. The Exchange has no
obligation or liability to owners of Shares in connection with the
administration, marketing or trading of Shares. Without limiting any of the
foregoing, in
no
event shall the Exchange have any liability for any direct, indirect, special,
punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if
notified of the possibility of such damages.
BUYING
AND SELLING FUND SHARES
Each
Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as “Creation
Units,” which only APs (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem.
Creation Units are generally issued and redeemed only in-kind for securities
although a portion may be in cash.
Shares
will trade on the secondary market, however, which is where most retail
investors will buy and sell Shares. It is expected that only a limited number of
institutional investors, called Authorized Participants or “APs,” will purchase
and redeem Shares directly from the Funds. APs may acquire Shares directly from
the Funds, and APs may tender their Shares for redemption directly to the Funds,
at NAV per Share only in large blocks, or Creation Units. Purchases and
redemptions directly with the Funds must follow the Funds’ procedures, which are
described in the SAI.
Except
when aggregated in Creation Units, Shares are not redeemable with the Funds.
BUYING
AND SELLING SHARES ON THE SECONDARY MARKET
Most
investors will buy and sell Shares in secondary market transactions through
brokers and, therefore, must have a brokerage account to buy and sell Shares.
Shares can be bought or sold through your broker throughout the trading day like
shares of any publicly traded issuer. The Trust does not impose any redemption
fees or restrictions on redemptions of Shares in the secondary market. When
buying or selling Shares through a broker, you will incur customary brokerage
commissions and charges, and you may pay some or all of the spread between the
bid and the offered prices in the secondary market for Shares. The price at
which you buy or sell Shares (i.e.,
the market price) may be more or less than the NAV of the Shares. Unless imposed
by your broker, there is no minimum dollar amount you must invest in a Fund and
no minimum number of Shares you must buy.
Shares
of each Fund are listed on the Exchange under the following symbol:
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Fund |
Trading
Symbol |
|
Strive
500 ETF |
STRV |
|
Strive
1000 Growth ETF |
STXG |
|
Strive
1000 Value ETF |
STXV |
|
Strive
Small-Cap ETF |
STXK |
|
Strive
1000 Dividend Growth ETF |
STXD |
|
Strive
Emerging Markets Ex-China ETF |
STXE |
|
Strive
U.S. Energy ETF |
DRLL |
|
Strive
U.S. Semiconductor ETF |
SHOC |
|
Strive
Natural Resources and Security ETF |
FTWO |
| Strive
Mid-Cap ETF |
STXM |
| Strive
International Developed Markets ETF |
STXI |
The
Exchange is generally open Monday through Friday and is closed for weekends and
the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day,
Washington’s Birthday, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National
Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas
Day.
For
information about buying and selling Shares on the Exchange or in the secondary
markets, please contact your broker or dealer.
Book
Entry.
Shares are held in book entry form, which means that no stock certificates are
issued. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), or its nominee, will be the
registered owner of all outstanding Shares and is recognized as the owner of all
Shares. Participants in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust
companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or
indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of
Shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates
or to have Shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a
registered owner of Shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of
Shares, you must rely on the procedures of DTC and its participants. These
procedures are the same as those that apply to any stocks
that
you hold in book entry or “street name” through your brokerage account. Your
account information will be maintained by your broker, which will provide you
with account statements, confirmations of your purchases and sales of Shares,
and tax information. Your broker also will be responsible for distributing
income dividends and capital gain distributions and for ensuring that you
receive shareholder reports and other communications from each
Fund.
Share
Trading Prices.
The trading prices of Shares may differ from the applicable Fund’s daily NAV and
can be affected by market forces of supply and demand for Shares, the prices of
the applicable Fund’s portfolio securities, economic conditions and other
factors.
The
Exchange, through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association or another
market information provider, intends to disseminate the approximate value of a
Fund’s portfolio every fifteen seconds during regular U.S. trading hours. This
approximate value should not be viewed as a “real-time” update of the NAV of a
Fund because the approximate value may not be calculated in the same manner as
the NAV, which is computed once a day. The quotations for certain investments
may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in
the U.S., except such quotations may be updated to reflect currency
fluctuations. A Fund is not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or
dissemination of the approximate values and makes no warranty as to the accuracy
of these values.
Continuous
Offering.
The method by which Creation Units of Shares are created and traded may raise
certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units of
Shares are issued and sold by a Fund on an ongoing basis, a “distribution,” as
such term is used in the Securities Act, may occur at any point. Broker-dealers
and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may,
depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a
distribution in a manner which could render them statutory underwriters and
subject them to the prospectus delivery requirements and liability provisions of
the Securities Act. For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be
deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order
with the Distributor, breaks them down into constituent Shares and sells the
Shares directly to customers or if it chooses to couple the creation of a supply
of new Shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary
market demand for Shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for
purposes of the Securities Act must take into account all the facts and
circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in
the particular case, and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a
complete description of all the activities that could lead to a characterization
as an underwriter.
Broker-dealer
firms should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are effecting
transactions in Shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of
Shares, are generally required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the
prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act is
not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d)
of the Investment Company Act. As a result, broker-dealer firms should note that
dealers who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as
contrasted with engaging in ordinary secondary market transactions) and thus
dealing with the Shares that are part of an overallotment within the meaning of
Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the Securities Act, will be unable to take advantage of
the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities
Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery
mechanism of Rule 153 under the Securities Act is only available with respect to
transactions on a national exchange.
ACTIVE
INVESTORS AND MARKET TIMING
The
Board has evaluated the risks of market timing activities by the Funds’
shareholders. The Board noted that Shares can be purchased and redeemed directly
from a Fund only in Creation Units by APs and that the vast majority of trading
in Shares occurs on the secondary market. Because the secondary market trades do
not directly involve the Funds, it is unlikely those trades would cause the
harmful effects of market timing, including dilution, disruption of portfolio
management, increases in the Funds’ trading costs and the realization of capital
gains. With regard to the purchase or redemption of Creation Units directly with
a Fund, to the extent effected in-kind (i.e.,
for securities), the Board noted that those trades do not cause the harmful
effects (as previously noted) that may result from frequent cash trades. To the
extent trades are effected in whole or in part in cash, the Board noted that
those trades could result in dilution to a Fund and increased transaction costs,
which could negatively impact the Funds’ ability to achieve its investment
objective, although in certain circumstances (e.g.,
in conjunction with a reallocation of the Fund’s investments), such trades may
benefit Fund shareholders by increasing the tax efficiency of a Fund. The Board
also noted that direct trading by APs is critical to ensuring that Shares trade
at or close to NAV. In addition, the Funds will impose transaction fees on
purchases and redemptions of Shares to cover the custodial and other costs
incurred by a Fund in effecting trades. Given this
structure,
the Board determined that it is not necessary to adopt policies and procedures
to detect and deter market timing of Shares.
DISTRIBUTION
AND SERVICE PLAN
Each
Fund has adopted the Plan pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company
Act. Under the Plan, a Fund may be authorized to pay distribution fees of up to
0.25% of its average daily net assets each year to the Distributor and other
firms that provide distribution and shareholder services (“Service Providers”).
As of the date of this Prospectus, the maximum amount payable under the Plan is
set at 0% until further action by the Board. In the event 12b-1 fees are
charged, over time they would increase the cost of an investment in a Fund
because they would be paid on an ongoing basis.
Payments
to Certain Employee Benefit Plan Financial Intermediaries.
The Sub-Adviser may provide compensation to certain employee benefit plan
financial intermediaries with respect to the Funds. These payments may be made,
at the discretion of the Sub-Adviser, for shareholder recordkeeping or other
administrative services provided to eligible defined contribution employee
benefit plans holding a Fund’s Shares, either directly or indirectly. The level
of payments made to such a qualifying employee benefit plan Financial
Intermediary in any given year may vary depending on the market value of a
Fund’s Shares serviced by the Financial Intermediary. A number of factors will
be considered in determining whether compensation should be paid to a Financial
Intermediary, including the qualifying Financial Intermediary’s willingness to
enter into a recordkeeping agreement (or something equivalent) that calls for
recordkeeping, reporting, or other services to be provided, and the quality of
the relationship with the Fund. The Sub-Adviser will make these payments to help
defray the costs incurred by qualifying financial intermediaries in connection
with efforts to maintain employee benefit plan accounts for participants in a
cost-efficient manner; however, the Sub-Adviser does not audit the financial
intermediaries to verify the extent or nature of services provided. The
Sub-Adviser will, on a periodic basis, determine the advisability of continuing
these payments. These payments may be more or less than the payments received by
financial intermediaries with respect to other funds and may influence your
Financial Intermediary to make available a Fund over other funds. You should ask
your Financial Intermediary about these differing and divergent interests and
how it is compensated for administering your investment in a Fund’s
Shares.
NET
ASSET VALUE
The
NAV of Shares is calculated each business day as of the close of regular trading
on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), generally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time.
Each
Fund calculates its NAV per Share by:
•Taking
the current market value of its total assets,
•Subtracting
any liabilities, and
•Dividing
that amount by the total number of Shares owned by shareholders.
If
you buy or sell Shares on the secondary market, you will pay or receive the
market price, which may be higher or lower than NAV. Your transaction will be
priced at NAV only if you purchase or redeem your Shares in Creation Units.
Because
securities listed on foreign exchanges may trade on weekends or other days when
a Fund does not price its Shares, the NAV of the Fund, to the extent it may hold
foreign securities, may change on days when shareholders will not be able to
purchase or sell Shares. In particular, where all or a portion of the Fund’s
underlying securities trade in a market that is closed when the market in which
the Fund’s shares are listed and trading in that market is open, there may be
changes between the last quote from its closed foreign market and the value of
such security during the Fund’s domestic trading day. In addition, please note
that this in turn could lead to differences between the market price of the
Fund’s shares and the underlying value of those shares.
Equity
securities that are traded on a national securities exchange, except those
listed on the NASDAQ Global Market®
(“NASDAQ”) are valued at the last reported sale price on the exchange on which
the security is principally traded. Securities traded on NASDAQ will be valued
at the NASDAQ Official Closing Price (“NOCP”). If, on a particular day, an
exchange-traded or NASDAQ security does not trade, then the most recent quoted
bid for exchange traded or the mean between the most recent quoted bid and ask
price for NASDAQ securities will be used. Equity securities that are not traded
on a listed exchange are generally valued at the last sale price in the
over-the-counter market. If a
nonexchange
traded security does not trade on a particular day, then the mean between the
last quoted closing bid and asked price will be used.
The
value of assets denominated in foreign currencies is converted into U.S. dollars
using exchange rates deemed appropriate by the Fund.
Redeemable
securities issued by open-end investment companies are valued at the investment
company’s applicable net asset value, with the exception of exchange-traded
open-end investment companies which are priced as equity securities.
If
a market price is not readily available or is deemed not to reflect market
value, the relevant Fund will determine the price of the security held by the
Fund based on a determination of the security’s fair value pursuant to policies
and procedures approved by the Board.
To
the extent a Fund holds securities that may trade infrequently, fair valuation
may be used more frequently. Fair valuation may have the effect of reducing
stale pricing arbitrage opportunities presented by the pricing of Shares.
However, when a Fund uses fair valuation to price securities, it may value those
securities higher or lower than another fund would have priced the security.
Also, the use of fair valuation may cause the Shares’ NAV performance to diverge
from the Shares’ market price and from the performance of various benchmarks
used to compare a Fund’s performance because benchmarks generally do not use
fair valuation techniques. Because of the judgment involved in fair valuation
decisions, there can be no assurance that the value ascribed to a particular
security is accurate.
FUND
WEBSITE AND DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
The
Sub-Adviser maintains a website for each Fund at https://strivefunds.com/. Among
other things, the website includes this Prospectus and the SAI, the Funds’
holdings, proxy information, and the Funds’ last annual
and semi-annual
reports. The website shows each Fund’s daily NAV per share, market price, and
premium or discount, each as of the prior business day. The website also shows
the extent and frequency of each Fund’s premiums and discounts. Further, the
website includes each Fund’s median bid-ask spread over the most recent thirty
calendar days.
Each
day a Fund is open for business, the Trust publicly disseminates each Fund’s
full portfolio holdings as of the close of the previous day through its website
at https://strivefunds.com/. A description of the Trust’s policies and
procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Funds’portfolio holdings is
available in the Funds’ SAI.
INVESTMENTS
BY OTHER INVESTMENT COMPANIES
For
purposes of the Investment Company Act, Shares are issued by a registered
investment company and purchases of such Shares by registered investment
companies and companies relying on Section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Investment
Company Act are subject to the restrictions set forth in Section 12(d)(1) of the
Investment Company Act, except as permitted by Rule 6c-11, Rule 12d1-4, or an
exemptive order of the SEC.
DIVIDENDS,
DISTRIBUTIONS, AND TAXES
As
with any investment, you should consider how your investment in Shares will be
taxed. The tax information in this Prospectus is provided as general
information. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax
consequences of an investment in Shares.
Unless
your investment in Shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred
retirement account, such as an IRA, you need to be aware of the possible tax
consequences when:
•Your
Fund makes distributions,
•You
sell your Shares listed on the Exchange, and
•You
purchase or redeem Creation Units.
Dividends
and Distributions
Dividends
and Distributions.
Each Fund has elected and intends to qualify each year as a regulated investment
company under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. As a regulated
investment company, a Fund generally pays no U.S. federal income tax on the
income and gains it distributes to you. Each Fund expects to declare and to
distribute its net investment income, if any, to shareholders as dividends
quarterly. Each Fund will distribute net realized capital gains, if any, at
least annually. A Fund may distribute such income dividends and capital gains
more frequently, if necessary, in
order
to reduce or eliminate U.S. federal excise or income taxes on the Fund. The
amount of any distribution will vary, and there is no guarantee a Fund will pay
either an income dividend or a capital gains distribution. Distributions may be
reinvested automatically in additional whole Shares only if the broker through
whom you purchased Shares makes such option available.
Avoid
“Buying a Dividend.”
At the time you purchase Shares of a Fund, the Fund’s NAV may reflect
undistributed income, undistributed capital gains, or net unrealized
appreciation in value of portfolio securities held by the Fund. For taxable
investors, a subsequent distribution to you of such amounts, although
constituting a return of your investment, would be taxable. Buying Shares in a
Fund just before it declares an income dividend or capital gains distribution is
sometimes known as “buying a dividend.”
Taxes
Tax
Considerations.
Each Fund expects, based on its investment objective and strategies, that its
distributions, if any, will be taxable as ordinary income, capital gains, or
some combination of both. This is true whether you reinvest your distributions
in additional Shares or receive them in cash. For U.S. federal income tax
purposes, Fund distributions of short-term capital gains are taxable to you as
ordinary income. Fund distributions of long-term capital gains are taxable to
you as long-term capital gain no matter how long you have owned your Shares. A
portion of income dividends reported by a Fund may be qualified dividend income
eligible for taxation by certain shareholders at long-term capital gain rates
provided certain holding period requirements are met.
Taxes
on Sales of Shares.
A sale or exchange of Shares is a taxable event and, accordingly, a capital gain
or loss will generally be recognized. Currently, any capital gain or loss
realized upon a sale of Shares generally is treated as long-term capital gain or
loss if the Shares have been held for more than one year and as short-term
capital gain or loss if the Shares have been held for one year or less. The
ability to deduct capital losses may be limited.
Medicare
Tax.
An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income
(including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from a
Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Shares) of
U.S. individuals, estates, and trusts to the extent that such person’s “modified
adjusted gross income” (in the case of an individual) or “adjusted gross income”
(in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds a threshold amount. This Medicare
tax, if applicable, is reported by you on, and paid with, your U.S. federal
income tax return.
Backup
Withholding.
By law, if you do not provide a Fund with your proper taxpayer identification
number and certain required certifications, you may be subject to backup
withholding on any distributions of income, capital gains or proceeds from the
sale of your Shares. A Fund also must backup withhold if the Internal Revenue
Service (“IRS”) instructs it to do so. When backup withholding is required, the
amount will be 24% of any distributions or proceeds paid.
State
and Local Taxes.
Fund distributions and gains from the sale or exchange of your Shares generally
are subject to applicable state and local taxes.
Taxes
on Purchase and Redemption of Creation Units.
An AP who exchanges equity securities for Creation Units generally will
recognize a gain or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference
between the market value of the Creation Units at the time of purchase and the
exchanger’s aggregate basis in the securities surrendered and the cash amount
paid. A person who exchanges Creation Units for equity securities generally will
recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanger’s basis
in the Creation Units and the aggregate market value of the securities received
and the cash amount received. The IRS, however, may assert that a loss realized
upon an exchange of securities for Creation Units cannot be deducted currently
under the rules governing “wash sales,” or on the basis that there has been no
significant change in economic position. Persons exchanging securities should
consult their own tax advisor with respect to whether the wash sale rules apply
and when a loss might not be deductible.
Under
current U.S. federal tax laws, any capital gain or loss realized upon redemption
of Creation Units is generally treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the
Shares have been held for more than one year and as a short-term capital gain or
loss if the Shares have been held for one year or less.
If
a Fund redeems Creation Units in cash, it may recognize more capital gains than
it will if it redeems Creation Units in-kind.
Foreign
Tax Credits.
If a Fund qualifies to pass through to you the tax benefits from foreign taxes
it pays on its investments, and elects to do so, then any foreign taxes it pays
on these investments may be passed through to you as a foreign tax
credit.
Non-U.S.
Investors.
Non-U.S. investors may be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax at a 30% or
lower treaty rate and are subject to special U.S. federal tax certification
requirements to avoid backup withholding and claim any treaty benefits. An
exemption from U.S. federal withholding tax is provided for capital gain
dividends paid by a Fund from long-term capital gains, if any. However,
interest-related dividends paid by a Fund from its qualified net interest income
from U.S. sources and short-term capital gain dividends may be exempt from U.S.
withholding provided the Fund makes certain designations and other requirements
are met. Furthermore, notwithstanding such exemptions from U.S. federal
withholding at the source, any such dividends and distributions of income and
capital gains will be subject to U.S. federal backup withholding at a rate of
24% if you fail to properly certify that you are not a U.S. person. In addition,
U.S. estate tax may apply to Shares of a Fund.
Other
Reporting and Withholding Requirements.
Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), each Fund will be required
to withhold a 30% tax on (i) income dividends paid by the Fund, and (ii)
possibly in the future, certain capital gain distributions and the proceeds
arising from the sale of Shares paid by the Fund, to certain foreign entities,
referred to as foreign financial institutions or non-financial foreign entities,
that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive reporting and
withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury
of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. A Fund may disclose the information
that it receives from its shareholders to the IRS, non-U.S. taxing authorities
or other parties as necessary to comply with FATCA. Withholding also may be
required if a foreign entity that is a shareholder of a Fund fails to provide
the Fund with appropriate certifications or other documentation concerning its
status under FATCA.
Possible
Tax Law Changes.
At the time that this prospectus is being prepared, various administrative and
legislative changes to the U.S. federal tax laws are under consideration, but it
is not possible at this time to determine whether any of these changes will be
made or what the changes might entail.
This
discussion of “Dividends, Distributions and Taxes” is not intended or written to
be used as tax advice. Because everyone’s tax situation is unique, you should
consult your tax professional about U.S. federal, state, local or foreign tax
consequences before making an investment in a Fund.
The
financial highlights tables are intended to help you understand each Fund’s
financial performance for the period of such Fund’s operations. Certain
information reflects financial results for a single Share. The total returns in
the tables represent the rate that an investor would have gained (or lost) on an
investment in a Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions).
The information in the tables below has been audited by Tait, Weller & Baker
LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with
the Funds’ financial statements, is included in the Funds’ Form
N-CSR,
which is available upon request.
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INVESTMENT
OPERATIONS: |
LESS
DISTRIBUTIONS FROM: |
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SUPPLEMENTAL
DATA AND RATIOS: |
|
For
the period ended |
Net
asset value, beginning of period |
Net
investment income (loss)(a) |
Net
realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments(b) |
Total
from investment operations |
Net
investment income |
Return
of capital |
Net
realized gains |
Total
distributions |
ETF
transaction fees per share |
Net
asset value, end of period |
Total
return(c) |
Net
assets, end of period (in thousands) |
Ratio
of expense to average net assets(d) |
Ratio
of net investment income (loss) to average net assets(d) |
Portfolio
turnover rate(c)(e) |
|
Strive
1000 Dividend Growth ETF |
|
6/30/2025(p) |
$32.24 |
0.39 |
2.50 |
2.89 |
(0.41) |
– |
– |
(0.41) |
– |
$34.72 |
9.02% |
$52,082 |
0.35% |
1.29% |
18% |
|
7/31/2024 |
$28.02 |
0.44 |
4.20 |
4.64 |
(0.42) |
– |
– |
(0.42) |
– |
$32.24 |
16.73% |
$43,200 |
0.35% |
1.50% |
10% |
|
7/31/2023(f) |
$24.59 |
0.30 |
3.35 |
3.65 |
(0.22) |
– |
– |
(0.22) |
0.00(g) |
$28.02 |
14.90% |
$22,415 |
0.35% |
1.56% |
18% |
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Strive
1000 Growth ETF |
|
6/30/2025(p) |
$39.70 |
0.24 |
6.27 |
6.51 |
(0.23) |
– |
(0.01) |
(0.24) |
– |
$45.97 |
16.43% |
$129,629 |
0.18% |
0.61% |
8% |
|
7/31/2024 |
$32.20 |
0.24 |
7.49 |
7.73 |
(0.23) |
– |
– |
(0.23) |
0.00(g) |
$39.70 |
24.14% |
$86,953 |
0.18% |
0.65% |
9% |
|
7/31/2023(f) |
$24.51 |
0.16 |
7.64 |
7.80 |
(0.11) |
– |
– |
(0.11) |
– |
$32.20 |
31.88% |
$28,978 |
0.18% |
0.74% |
2% |
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Strive
1000 Value ETF |
|
6/30/2025(p) |
$29.56 |
0.73 |
1.30 |
2.03 |
(0.77) |
– |
– |
(0.77) |
– |
$30.82 |
6.97% |
$62,251 |
0.18% |
2.63% |
17% |
|
7/31/2024 |
$26.31 |
0.73 |
3.18 |
3.91 |
(0.66) |
– |
– |
(0.66) |
– |
$29.56 |
15.12% |
$54,679 |
0.18% |
2.66% |
13% |
|
7/31/2023(f) |
$24.45 |
0.47 |
1.72 |
2.19 |
(0.33) |
– |
– |
(0.33) |
– |
$26.31 |
9.03% |
$17,101 |
0.18% |
2.62% |
4% |
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Strive
500 ETF |
|
6/30/2025(p) |
$35.34 |
0.44 |
4.67 |
5.11 |
(0.45) |
– |
– |
(0.45) |
0.00(g) |
$40.00 |
14.50% |
$923,505 |
0.05% |
1.28% |
2% |
|
7/31/2024 |
$29.29 |
0.44 |
6.02 |
6.46 |
(0.41) |
– |
– |
(0.41) |
0.00(g) |
$35.34 |
22.26% |
$601,208 |
0.05% |
1.40% |
4% |
|
7/31/2023(h) |
$25.10 |
0.35 |
4.10 |
4.45 |
(0.26) |
– |
– |
(0.26) |
– |
$29.29 |
17.85% |
$251,869 |
0.05% |
1.52% |
3% |
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Strive
Emerging Markets Ex-China ETF |
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6/30/2025(p) |
$29.95 |
0.59 |
1.63 |
2.22 |
(1.16) |
– |
– |
(1.16) |
0.02 |
$31.03 |
7.72% |
$99,301 |
0.32% |
2.24% |
21% |
|
7/31/2024 |
$26.97 |
0.82 |
2.35 |
3.17 |
(0.31) |
– |
– |
(0.31) |
0.12 |
$29.95 |
12.38% |
$100,346 |
0.32% |
3.02% |
80% |
|
7/31/2023(i) |
$25.17 |
0.29 |
1.43 |
1.88 |
(0.08) |
– |
– |
(0.08) |
0.16 |
$26.97 |
7.49% |
$153,727 |
1.29% |
2.28% |
39% |
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INVESTMENT
OPERATIONS: |
LESS
DISTRIBUTIONS FROM: |
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SUPPLEMENTAL
DATA AND RATIOS: |
|
For
the period ended |
Net
asset value, beginning of period |
Net
investment income (loss)(a) |
Net
realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments(b) |
Total
from investment operations |
Net
investment income |
Return
of capital |
Net
realized gains |
Total
distributions |
ETF
transaction fees per share |
Net
asset value, end of period |
Total
return(c) |
Net
assets, end of period (in thousands) |
Ratio
of expense to average net assets(d) |
Ratio
of net investment income (loss) to average net assets(d) |
Portfolio
turnover rate(c)(e) |
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Strive
International Developed Markets ETF |
|
6/30/2025(p) |
$25.67 |
0.65 |
2.93 |
3.58 |
(0.62) |
– |
– |
(0.62) |
0.00(g) |
$28.63 |
14.05% |
$18,607 |
0.29% |
2.73% |
12% |
|
7/31/2024(k) |
$25.11 |
0.02 |
0.54 |
0.56 |
– |
– |
– |
– |
0.00(g) |
$25.67 |
2.24% |
$10,269 |
0.29% |
0.77% |
0% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Strive
Mid Cap ETF |
|
6/30/2025(p) |
$25.28 |
0.31 |
1.12 |
1.43 |
(0.32) |
– |
(0.00)(g) |
(0.32) |
– |
$26.39 |
5.71% |
$17,154 |
0.18% |
1.31% |
24% |
|
7/31/2024(l) |
$24.50 |
0.09 |
0.75 |
0.84 |
(0.06) |
– |
– |
(0.06) |
– |
$25.28 |
3.44% |
$12,388 |
0.18% |
1.24% |
4% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Strive
Natural Resources and Security ETF |
|
6/30/2025(p) |
$29.01 |
0.40 |
6.63 |
7.03 |
(0.39) |
|
– |
(0.39) |
– |
$35.65 |
24.46% |
$35,652 |
0.49% |
1.40% |
21% |
|
7/31/2024(m) |
$25.13 |
0.30 |
3.84 |
4.14 |
(0.26) |
– |
– |
(0.26) |
– |
$29.01 |
16.60% |
$23,208 |
0.49% |
1.20% |
27% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
– |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Strive
Small-Cap ETF |
|
6/30/2025(p) |
$31.52 |
0.39 |
(1.04) |
(0.65) |
(0.47) |
(0.05) |
– |
(0.52) |
0.00(g) |
$30.35 |
-2.08% |
$60,701 |
0.18% |
1.41% |
32% |
|
7/31/2024 |
$28.05 |
0.38 |
3.48 |
3.86 |
(0.39) |
– |
– |
(0.39) |
0.00(g) |
$31.52 |
13.99% |
$54,846 |
0.18% |
1.36% |
31% |
|
7/31/2023(f) |
$24.32 |
0.25 |
3.67 |
3.92 |
(0.19) |
– |
– |
(0.19) |
0.00(g) |
$28.05 |
16.20% |
$23,840 |
0.18% |
1.34% |
20% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Strive
U.S. Energy ETF |
|
6/30/2025(p) |
$30.41 |
0.79 |
(3.24) |
(2.45) |
(0.82) |
– |
– |
(0.82) |
– |
$27.14 |
-8.08% |
$261,917 |
0.41% |
3.07% |
8% |
|
7/31/2024 |
$29.38 |
0.81 |
1.06 |
1.87 |
(0.84) |
– |
– |
(0.84) |
– |
$30.41 |
6.43% |
$344,211 |
0.41% |
2.74% |
21% |
|
7/31/2023(n) |
$25.12 |
0.84 |
4.20 |
5.04 |
(0.78) |
– |
– |
(0.78) |
0.00(g) |
$29.38 |
20.22% |
$360,203 |
0.41% |
3.04% |
6% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
Strive
U.S. Semiconductor ETF |
|
6/30/2025(p) |
$47.53 |
0.16 |
5.55 |
5.71 |
(0.17) |
– |
– |
(0.17) |
– |
$53.07 |
12.07% |
$102,954 |
0.40% |
0.38% |
25% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
INVESTMENT
OPERATIONS: |
LESS
DISTRIBUTIONS FROM: |
|
|
|
SUPPLEMENTAL
DATA AND RATIOS: |
|
For
the period ended |
Net
asset value, beginning of period |
Net
investment income (loss)(a) |
Net
realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments(b) |
Total
from investment operations |
Net
investment income |
Return
of capital |
Net
realized gains |
Total
distributions |
ETF
transaction fees per share |
Net
asset value, end of period |
Total
return(c) |
Net
assets, end of period (in thousands) |
Ratio
of expense to average net assets(d) |
Ratio
of net investment income (loss) to average net assets(d) |
Portfolio
turnover rate(c)(e) |
|
7/31/2024 |
$36.63 |
0.21 |
10.90 |
11.11 |
(0.21) |
– |
– |
(0.21) |
– |
$47.53 |
30.46% |
$83,169 |
0.40% |
0.51% |
29% |
|
7/31/2023(o) |
$25.07 |
0.22 |
11.53 |
11.75 |
(0.19) |
– |
– |
(0.19) |
– |
$36.63 |
47.03% |
$36,626 |
0.40% |
0.92% |
10% |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
(a) |
Net
investment income per share has been calculated based on average shares
outstanding during the periods. |
|
(b) |
Realized
and unrealized gains and losses per share in the caption are balancing
amounts necessary to reconcile the change in net asset value per share for
the periods, and may not reconcile with the aggregate gains and losses in
the Statement of Operations due to share transactions for the
periods. |
|
(c) |
Not
annualized for periods less than one year. |
|
(d) |
Annualized
for periods less than one year. |
|
(e) |
Portfolio
turnover rate excludes in-kind transactions. |
|
(f) |
Inception
date of the Fund was November 9, 2022. |
|
(g) |
Amount
represents less than $0.005 per share. |
|
(h) |
Inception
date of the Fund was September 14, 2022. |
|
(i) |
Inception
date of the Fund was January 30, 2023. |
|
(j) |
Inception
date of the Fund was August 9, 2023. |
|
(k) |
Inception
date of the Fund was June 25, 2024. |
|
(l) |
Inception
date of the Fund was April 10, 2024. |
|
(m) |
Inception
date of the Fund was August 30, 2023. |
|
(n) |
Inception
date of the Fund was August 8, 2022. |
|
(o) |
Inception
date of the Fund was October 5, 2022. |
| (p) |
For
the period August 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025.
|
If
you would like more information about the Funds and the Trust, the following
documents are available free, upon request:
ANNUAL/SEMI-ANNUAL
REPORTS TO SHAREHOLDERS
Additional
information about each Fund is available in its annual
and semi-annual
reports to shareholders and in Form N-CSR. The annual report explains the market
conditions and investment strategies affecting each Fund’s performance during
the last fiscal year. In Form N-CSR, you will find each Fund’s annual and
semi-annual financial statements.
STATEMENT
OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The
SAI dated October 31, 2025 which contains more details about the Funds, is
incorporated by reference in its entirety into this Prospectus, which means that
it is legally part of this Prospectus.
Recent
information regarding each Fund covered by this Prospectus, including its NAV,
market price, premiums and discounts, and bid/ask spreads, is available on the
Fund’s website listed below. To receive a free copy of the latest annual or
semi-annual report, or the SAI, or to request additional information about the
Funds, please contact us as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Call: |
(215)
330-4476 |
|
| |
| Write: |
3803
West Chester Pike, Suite 150 |
|
| Newtown
Square, PA 19073 |
|
| |
| Visit: |
https://strivefunds.com/ |
INFORMATION
PROVIDED BY THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Reports
and other information about each Fund are also available:
•Free
of charge from the SEC’s EDGAR database on the SEC’s website at
http://www.sec.gov; or
Investment
Company Act File No. 811-22961.