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Critical Facts You Need to Know About Preferred Stocks
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Name
As of 12/24/2024Price
Aum/Mkt Cap
YIELD
Exp Ratio
Watchlist
YTD Return
16.5%
1 yr return
15.3%
3 Yr Avg Return
-2.7%
5 Yr Avg Return
3.2%
Net Assets
$53.1 M
Holdings in Top 10
70.7%
Expense Ratio 1.52%
Front Load N/A
Deferred Load N/A
Turnover 231.35%
Redemption Fee N/A
Standard (Taxable)
$500
IRA
$500
Fund Type
Open End Mutual Fund
Name
As of 12/24/2024Price
Aum/Mkt Cap
YIELD
Exp Ratio
Watchlist
SMI Advisory Services, LLC (the “Advisor”), the Multi-Strategy Fund’s adviser, typically allocates the Multi-Strategy Fund’s assets on a 50/40/10 basis among various investment strategies as follows:
50% - Dynamic Asset Allocation Strategy
40% - Stock Upgrading Strategy
10% - Sector Rotation Strategy
However, the Strategy allocations may be adjusted by adding up to 25% to or by subtracting up to 25% from the target percentage allocations shown above, based on the Advisor’s proprietary indicators.
Dynamic Asset Allocation Strategy. This strategy involves investing in open-end mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) (collectively, “Underlying Funds”) that invest in securities, including, but not limited to, the following asset classes – U.S. Equities, International Equities, Fixed Income Securities, Commodities, Alternative Investments, and Cash. Markets experience times of inflation, deflation, economic growth and recession. The Advisor believes value can be added by adjusting portfolio exposure between the asset classes as changes in market environments are identified. The factors considered in determining asset class weighting include, but are not limited to, each class’s total returns for the most recent one, three, six, and twelve months, changes in those returns, asset flows, regression analysis and historical volatility. The Advisor periodically rebalances the Multi-Strategy Fund’s asset allocation in response to market conditions as well as to balance the Multi-Strategy Fund’s exposure to the asset classes. The Multi-Strategy Fund’s investment strategy involves active trading, which may result in a high portfolio turnover rate. The Multi-Strategy Fund obtains its exposure to the particular asset classes by investing in the instruments below.
U.S. Equities – The Multi-Strategy Fund may invest in Underlying Funds that invest primarily in the equity securities of companies located in the United States. The Underlying Funds may invest in companies of any market capitalization. The Multi-Strategy Fund may also invest directly in such companies. The Multi-Strategy Fund may also invest in Underlying Funds that utilize derivatives, such as investing in futures contracts.
International Equities – The Multi-Strategy Fund may invest in Underlying Funds that invest primarily in the equity securities of companies located outside of the United States, including issuers located in emerging market countries. The Underlying Funds may invest in companies of any market capitalization. The Multi-Strategy Fund may also invest directly in such companies. The Multi-Strategy Fund may also invest in Underlying Funds that utilize derivatives, such as investing in futures contracts.
Fixed Income Securities – The Multi-Strategy Fund may invest in Underlying Funds that invest primarily in fixed income securities of varying maturities and credit qualities including high-risk debt securities (or junk bonds). There are no limits on the level of investment in which the Multi-Strategy Fund may invest with respect to high-risk debt securities and there is no average weighted maturity of the securities in which the Multi-Strategy Fund must invest. The Underlying Funds may invest in fixed income securities denominated in foreign currencies. The Underlying Funds may also invest in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts, currency forwards or credit default swap agreements.
Commodities – The Multi-Strategy Fund may invest in Underlying Funds that invest primarily in precious metals, and in energy-related and other commodities, including, but not limited to oil, natural gas and gasoline, and in mining and other commodity/precious metal related companies. The Multi-Strategy Fund may also invest in Publicly Traded Partnerships (PTPs) that invest in commodities. PTPs are traded on stock exchanges or markets such as the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ. They are generally treated as “pass-through” entities for tax purposes; they do not ordinarily pay income taxes, but pass their earnings on to unit holders.
Alternative Investments – The Multi-Strategy Fund may invest in Underlying Funds that invest in alternative investments, such as real estate securities or real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), Bitcoin, and other alternative assets and strategies.
The Multi-Strategy Fund may invest in Underlying Funds that use alternative strategies. Alternative strategies may include, but are not limited to, strategies such as: Long/Short, Market Neutral, Global Macro, Trend-Following, Merger Arbitrage, Convertible Arbitrage, and Event Driven. An Underlying Fund may use one of these strategies or a combination of such strategies. A brief description of each strategy follows:
● | Long/Short Strategy is an investment strategy that seeks to take a long position in underpriced stocks while selling short, overpriced shares. A Long/Short strategy seeks to augment traditional long-only investing by taking advantage of profit opportunities from securities identified as both under-valued and over-valued. |
● | A Market Neutral Strategy seeks to profit regardless of an upward or downward market environment, typically through the use of paired long and short positions or derivatives. These strategies can potentially serve to mitigate market risk as they seek to generate positive returns in all market environments. |
● | A Global Macro Strategy is a hedge fund or mutual fund strategy that bases its holdings primarily on the overall economic and political views of various countries or their macroeconomic principles. |
● | A Trend-Following Strategy or trend trading is a trading strategy according to which one should buy an asset when its price trend goes up, and sell when its trend goes down, expecting price movements to continue. |
● | Merger Arbitrage, otherwise known as risk arbitrage, is an investment strategy that aims to generate profits from successfully completed mergers and/or takeovers. It is a type of event-driven investing that aims to capitalize on differences between stock prices before and after mergers. |
● | Convertible Arbitrage is a relative value strategy in which a fund profits based on the pricing discrepancy between a company’s convertible bonds and its underlying stock. |
● | An Event-Driven strategy refers to an investment strategy in which an institutional investor attempts to profit from a stock mispricing that may occur during or after a corporate event. |
The Multi-Strategy Fund may invest in Underlying Funds that utilize derivatives, such as investing in futures contracts.
Cash (and cash equivalents) –The Multi-Strategy Fund may invest in short-term cash instruments including U.S. Treasury securities, repurchase agreements, short-term debt instruments, money market deposit accounts, and money market funds and ETFs that focus on investing in the foregoing.
Stock Upgrading Strategy – This strategy is a systematic investment approach that is based on the belief of the Advisor that superior returns can be obtained by constantly monitoring the performance of a wide universe of other investment companies, and standing ready to move assets into funds deemed by the Advisor to be most attractive at the time of analysis. So long as the other investment companies have a track record of a minimum of 12 months, they may be monitored by the Advisor as a potential investment. This upgrading process strives to keep assets invested in funds that are demonstrating superior current performance relative to their peers as determined by a combination of size and investment style criteria.
The Multi-Strategy Fund primarily invests in the following types of funds: open-end equity mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), and publicly traded partnerships (“PTPs”) (collectively, “Underlying Funds”) using its Stock Upgrading strategy. Generally, Underlying Funds with the highest momentum scores are chosen. Underlying Funds that do not have the highest momentum scores may not outperform and could, in fact, lose money. These Underlying Funds may, in turn, invest in a broad range of equity securities, including foreign securities and securities of issuers located in emerging markets. Underlying Funds also may invest in other investments, including but not limited to, commodities, fixed income securities of any maturity or credit quality, including high-yield, high-risk debt securities (junk bonds), and they may engage in derivative transactions.
The Underlying Funds are typically categorized into the following seven “risk categories”: Large Value, Large Growth, Small Value, Small Growth, International, Commodities, and Non-Diversified (which includes concentrated and other higher-risk funds that are not normally included in the six other risk categories). The Multi-Strategy Fund may or may not hold investments in all seven categories simultaneously. Target allocations for each of the seven risk categories are monitored continuously and can shift based on relative performance, and holdings for each of the seven risk categories can range from 0% - 66% of the overall Stock Upgrading portfolio. The Stock Upgrading strategy also incorporates defensive protocols and may occasionally shift part or all of the portfolio holdings out of equity funds or commodities and into holdings focused on fixed income and/or cash based on the Advisor’s proprietary indicators.
Additionally, the Multi-Strategy Fund may also invest in one or more ETFs that employ momentum and trend-based investing strategies, whose managers are affiliated with the Multi-Strategy Fund. Such investments will be exempted from the 12 months track record requirement discussed above and will be made in accordance with the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”).
The Advisor is under common control with the publisher of the Sound Mind Investing Newsletter (the “Newsletter”), a monthly financial publication that recommends a Stock Upgrading Strategy similar to the strategy utilized by the Multi-Strategy Fund. Although Underlying Funds purchased by the Multi-Strategy Fund generally will be highly ranked in the Newsletter, the Multi-Strategy Fund may also invest in funds not included in the Newsletter, including Underlying Funds not available to the general public but only to institutional investors.
It should be noted that, even though the Advisor’s upgrading process ranks Underlying Funds primarily on the basis of performance, past performance is no guarantee of future performance.
Sector Rotation Strategy – This strategy involves the Advisor selecting from a universe of Underlying Funds it has compiled using proprietary methods. Generally, the Underlying Funds with a strong focus on a particular sector are chosen. This universe is specifically designed by the Advisor to balance exposure to a wide variety of market sectors and industries. This universe includes leveraged, non-leveraged and inverse Underlying Funds. The Advisor ranks these Underlying Funds based on their recent performance across multiple short-term performance periods, then uses an upgrading approach to invest in the top performing market sector or sectors. Once a particular sector or sectors is identified, the Advisor purchases one or more Underlying Funds to gain the desired exposure to that particular sector. In the Sector Rotation Strategy portion of the Multi-Strategy Fund’s portfolio, exposure may be to as few as one or two sectors at any given time, and as few as one Underlying Fund may be utilized to achieve this exposure.
The Multi-Strategy Fund indirectly will bear its proportionate share of all management fees and other expenses of the Underlying Funds in which it invests. Therefore, the Multi-Strategy Fund will incur higher expenses than other mutual funds that invest directly in securities. Actual expenses are expected to vary with changes in the allocation of the Multi-Strategy Fund’s assets among the various Underlying Funds in which it invests.
Period | SMILX Return | Category Return Low | Category Return High | Rank in Category (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|
YTD | 16.5% | -3.5% | 23.5% | 16.72% |
1 Yr | 15.3% | 1.0% | 23.9% | 29.27% |
3 Yr | -2.7%* | -7.4% | 10.0% | 99.28% |
5 Yr | 3.2%* | 1.1% | 12.4% | 96.91% |
10 Yr | 1.8%* | 0.9% | 11.3% | 99.06% |
* Annualized
Period | SMILX Return | Category Return Low | Category Return High | Rank in Category (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 5.7% | -6.9% | 29.3% | 82.87% |
2022 | -12.2% | -37.4% | -8.2% | 2.15% |
2021 | -7.8% | -9.8% | 25.4% | 99.27% |
2020 | 17.0% | -21.0% | 25.4% | 2.70% |
2019 | 12.3% | -8.3% | 27.9% | 71.43% |
Period | SMILX Return | Category Return Low | Category Return High | Rank in Category (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|
YTD | 16.5% | -3.5% | 23.5% | 16.72% |
1 Yr | 15.3% | 1.0% | 23.9% | 29.27% |
3 Yr | -2.7%* | -7.4% | 10.0% | 99.28% |
5 Yr | 3.2%* | 1.1% | 12.4% | 96.91% |
10 Yr | 1.8%* | 0.9% | 11.3% | 99.06% |
* Annualized
Period | SMILX Return | Category Return Low | Category Return High | Rank in Category (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 7.0% | -0.9% | 33.0% | 96.15% |
2022 | -11.8% | -36.0% | -0.9% | 21.15% |
2021 | -7.8% | -7.8% | 33.9% | 100.00% |
2020 | 17.3% | -16.2% | 25.4% | 11.97% |
2019 | 16.8% | 7.3% | 34.8% | 94.05% |
SMILX | Category Low | Category High | SMILX % Rank | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Net Assets | 53.1 M | 1.43 M | 120 B | 92.33% |
Number of Holdings | 36 | 4 | 2696 | 43.21% |
Net Assets in Top 10 | 36.8 M | 1.28 M | 27.7 B | 91.99% |
Weighting of Top 10 | 70.72% | 19.7% | 118.4% | 57.14% |
Weighting | Return Low | Return High | SMILX % Rank | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stocks | 97.73% | 0.00% | 100.10% | 51.92% |
Cash | 2.27% | 0.00% | 100.00% | 34.84% |
Preferred Stocks | 0.00% | 0.00% | 16.57% | 87.11% |
Other | 0.00% | -0.25% | 26.93% | 77.35% |
Convertible Bonds | 0.00% | 0.00% | 26.48% | 99.30% |
Bonds | 0.00% | 0.00% | 102.71% | 88.15% |
Weighting | Return Low | Return High | SMILX % Rank | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Real Estate | 33.86% | 0.00% | 33.86% | 0.35% |
Energy | 29.22% | 0.00% | 29.22% | 0.35% |
Financial Services | 6.96% | 0.28% | 52.80% | 97.19% |
Healthcare | 5.56% | 0.00% | 36.30% | 98.25% |
Basic Materials | 5.37% | 0.00% | 11.49% | 21.05% |
Industrials | 4.30% | 1.16% | 32.55% | 97.89% |
Consumer Defense | 4.14% | 0.00% | 14.86% | 90.18% |
Technology | 3.31% | 3.31% | 52.93% | 100.00% |
Communication Services | 2.65% | 0.00% | 26.62% | 96.14% |
Consumer Cyclical | 2.60% | 0.00% | 16.01% | 97.19% |
Utilities | 2.04% | 0.00% | 31.67% | 83.51% |
Weighting | Return Low | Return High | SMILX % Rank | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US | 97.73% | 0.00% | 100.10% | 51.92% |
Non US | 0.00% | 0.00% | 21.17% | 87.80% |
SMILX Fees (% of AUM) | Category Return Low | Category Return High | Rank in Category (%) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Expense Ratio | 1.52% | 0.04% | 4.67% | 17.07% |
Management Fee | 0.90% | 0.00% | 1.25% | 94.08% |
12b-1 Fee | 0.00% | 0.00% | 1.00% | 11.98% |
Administrative Fee | N/A | 0.01% | 0.25% | 5.11% |
SMILX Fees (% of AUM) | Category Return Low | Category Return High | Rank in Category (%) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Front Load | N/A | 2.00% | 5.75% | N/A |
Deferred Load | N/A | 1.00% | 5.00% | N/A |
SMILX Fees (% of AUM) | Category Return Low | Category Return High | Rank in Category (%) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Max Redemption Fee | N/A | 0.00% | 2.00% | 33.77% |
Turnover provides investors a proxy for the trading fees incurred by mutual fund managers who frequently adjust position allocations. Higher turnover means higher trading fees.
SMILX Fees (% of AUM) | Category Return Low | Category Return High | Rank in Category (%) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Turnover | 231.35% | 4.00% | 236.00% | 99.26% |
SMILX | Category Low | Category High | SMILX % Rank | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dividend Yield | 0.73% | 0.00% | 10.22% | 87.11% |
SMILX | Category Low | Category High | Category Mod | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dividend Distribution Frequency | Annual | Annual | Quarterly | Annual |
SMILX | Category Low | Category High | SMILX % Rank | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Net Income Ratio | 0.35% | -1.12% | 6.07% | 87.05% |
SMILX | Category Low | Category High | Capital Mode | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Capital Gain Distribution Frequency | Annually | Annually | Semi-Monthly | Annually |
Date | Amount | Type |
---|---|---|
Dec 29, 2023 | $0.080 | OrdinaryDividend |
Dec 30, 2022 | $0.033 | OrdinaryDividend |
Dec 30, 2020 | $0.037 | OrdinaryDividend |
Dec 30, 2019 | $0.043 | OrdinaryDividend |
Dec 31, 2018 | $0.239 | CapitalGainLongTerm |
Dec 31, 2018 | $0.065 | OrdinaryDividend |
Dec 28, 2017 | $0.119 | OrdinaryDividend |
Dec 29, 2016 | $0.082 | OrdinaryDividend |
Dec 30, 2015 | $0.200 | CapitalGainLongTerm |
Dec 30, 2015 | $0.099 | OrdinaryDividend |
Dec 30, 2014 | $0.020 | CapitalGainShortTerm |
Dec 30, 2014 | $1.323 | CapitalGainLongTerm |
Dec 30, 2014 | $0.091 | OrdinaryDividend |
Dec 27, 2013 | $0.057 | OrdinaryDividend |
Dec 27, 2013 | $0.693 | CapitalGainShortTerm |
Dec 27, 2013 | $0.458 | CapitalGainLongTerm |
Start Date
Tenure
Tenure Rank
Apr 29, 2015
7.09
7.1%
Mark Biller has served as senior portfolio manager of the entire family of SMI Funds since their creation in 2005. He played a key role in the design and creation of the Sector Rotation, Dynamic Allocation, and Bond Upgrading strategies followed by the various SMI Funds. As senior portfolio manager, Mr. Biller has ultimate decision-making authority regarding all portfolio decisions and trading practices of the Sound Mind Investing Funds. His duties involve researching and selecting the underlying funds in which the Funds invest, upgrading the Funds’ investments in underlying funds and determining the overall allocation among style categories. In addition to his duties at the Advisor, Mr. Biller has been the Executive Editor of the Sound Mind Investing newsletter and online business for over 15 years. Mr. Biller’s writings on a broad range of financial and investment topics have been featured in a variety of national print and electronic media, and he has also appeared as a financial commentator for various national and local radio programs. The Sound Mind Investing newsletter was first published in 1990 and currently has many thousands of subscribers. Since it was first published over 30 years ago, the newsletter has provided recommendations to tens of thousands of subscribers using a variety of investment strategies, including the Stock Upgrading, Dynamic Asset Allocation, Bond Upgrading and Sector Rotation strategies that are used by the Funds. Mr. Biller earned his B.S. in Finance from Oral Roberts University.
Start Date
Tenure
Tenure Rank
Apr 29, 2015
7.09
7.1%
Eric Collier, CFA, is a Portfolio Manager responsible for researching and selecting each Fund’s investments, determining overall allocation among style categories, and trading, subject to the ultimate decision-making authority of the Senior Portfolio Manager. Mr. Collier has been a portfolio manager of the Smi Advisory Services, LLC. In addition to his duties at SMI, Mr. Collier is a co-founder of Omnium Investment Company, LLC. At Omnium, he conducts analytical and quantitative research, and risk management. Prior to co-founding Omnium, Mr. Collier worked at Oxford Group, Ltd, a fee-only financial services firm. At Oxford Group, Mr. Collier provided investment advice to several high net-worth individuals concentrating on investment and financial planning strategies. Prior to that Mr. Collier was an Investment Analyst and Registered Investment Adviser Representative for Webb Financial Advisers, an investment advisery firm, from 1997 to 2000, where he was responsible for due diligence and manager selection. Mr. Collier graduated from Indiana University with a B.S. in Finance in 1998. He also studied at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands through the International Business Program at Indiana University. He has received the Chartered Financial Analyst (“CFA”) designation, and he is a member of the CFA Institute (formerly the Association for Investment Management and Research (“AIMR”)) and a member of the Investment Management Association of Indianapolis.
Start Date
Tenure
Tenure Rank
Apr 29, 2015
7.09
7.1%
Mr. Ayers is a Co-Portfolio Manager responsible for researching and selecting each Fund’s investments, determining overall allocation among style categories, implementing the SMI Managed Volatility Fund’s hedging strategy, and trading, subject to the ultimate decision-making authority of the Senior Portfolio Manager. In addition to his duties at the advisor, Mr. Ayers is a co-founder of Omnium Investment Company, LLC. At Omnium, he also conducts analytical and quantitative research, and risk management. Mr. Ayers helped develop the advisor’s risk management procedures and a proprietary daily risk management reporting system. Prior to co-founding Omnium, Mr. Ayers was an Investment Analyst at Oxford Group, Ltd., where he was responsible for performing manager searches and due diligence on various mutual fund portfolio managers specializing in large capitalized growth and value securities, small capitalized growth and value securities, international capitalized securities, and fixed income securities. Prior to that Mr. Ayers was a Senior Investment Representative for Charles Schwab, where he assisted high net-worth clients with developing and trading complex option strategies, hedging concentrated portfolios, constructing diversified investment portfolios, risk management, and making individual stock and mutual fund recommendations. Mr. Ayers graduated from Indiana University with a B.S. in Finance in 1996, and he is a CFA charter holder.
Category Low | Category High | Category Average | Category Mode |
---|---|---|---|
0.08 | 38.44 | 7.41 | 2.41 |
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