The Fund primarily invests in a diversified portfolio of income-producing (dividend-paying) equity securities of U.S. and foreign companies. The Fund invests principally in common stocks, but its equity investments may also include real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), and other investment companies (including mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”)). The Fund may, from time to time, write covered call options on the equity positions it holds to generate additional income from premiums earned on such options. The Fund’s equity investments may also include indirect exposure to foreign securities through American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and master limited partnerships (“MLPs”), although MLP investments will at no time exceed 20% of the Fund’s net assets (measured at the time of purchase).

The Adviser combines quantitative and fundamental analysis with risk management in identifying investment opportunities and constructing the Fund’s portfolio. The Fund may invest in equity securities issued by companies of different capitalization ranges, but will typically focus on larger companies. In selecting securities, the Adviser first uses proprietary quantitative models to identify and rank stocks based on several characteristics, including quality (of financial condition and creation of shareholder value), relative value (based on fundamental metrics and analyst estimates) and income-generation potential (measured in terms of dividend, earnings, yield and payout ratio). The Adviser then determines the most attractive of the higher ranked securities based on their current and future prospects for income generation as well as long-term price appreciation. The Adviser considers a number of factors in this process, including history of dividend payment and growth, current dividend policy, and relevant corporate events.

Finally, in constructing the Fund’s portfolio, the Adviser manages risk by diversifying across holdings and S&P economic sectors (“Sectors”), seeking to limit the potential adverse impact from any one stock or Sector. The Fund will generally hold equal-weighted positions and be diversified across Sectors and generally no more than 20% of the Fund’s net assets (measured at the time of investment) will be exposed to any one Sector. Notwithstanding this limitation, the Fund may indirectly exceed this 20% Sector exposure limit by virtue of investments in MLPs and other investment companies that may be more heavily concentrated in a particular Sector. 

The Adviser monitors the Fund’s holdings and may consider selling a security when valuation becomes excessive, there is deterioration in the issuer’s relative attractiveness, financial position or fundamental prospects, or the Adviser believes there are more attractive investment opportunities elsewhere.