SCHEDULE
14A INFORMATION
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section
14(a)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
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by the Registrant
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Additional Materials
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Soliciting
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American Independence Funds Trust
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American
Independence Funds Trust
American
Independence Boyd Watterson Short-Term Enhanced Bond Fund
(formerly known as the American
Independence Strategic Income Fund)
230 Park Avenue,
Suite 534
New York, NY
10169
(866) 410-2006
www.americanindependence.com
April
8, 2014
Dear
Shareholder:
On behalf of the Board of Trustees of
American Independence Funds Trust (the “Trust”), I cordially invite you to
attend a Special Meeting of Shareholders (the “Meeting”) of the American Independence
Boyd Watterson Short-Term Enhanced Bond Fund, a series of the Trust (the
“Fund”), to be held at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern time) on April 25, 2014 at the
Trust’s offices located at 230 Park Avenue, Suite 534, New York, NY 10169. The
purpose of the Meeting is to ask shareholders to consider the following
proposals:
·
Approval
of a New Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between American Independence
Financial Services, LLC and Boyd Watterson Asset Management, LLC on behalf of
the American Independence Boyd Watterson Short-Term Enhanced Bond Fund; and
·
Approval
of any other matters as may properly come before the Meeting and any
adjournment or postponement thereof.
INCLUDED WITH THIS LETTER ARE A NOTICE
OF SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS, A PROXY STATEMENT AND A PROXY CARD.
Regardless of the number of shares you
own, it is important that your shares are represented and voted. If you cannot
personally attend the Special Shareholders’ Meeting, we would appreciate your
promptly voting, signing and returning the enclosed proxy card in the
postage-paid envelope provided.
We thank you for your time and for your
investment in American Independence Funds Trust.
Sincerely,
Eric M. Rubin
President
American Independence Funds Trust
American Independence Funds Trust
American
Independence Boyd Watterson Short-Term Enhanced Bond Fund
(formerly known as the American
Independence Strategic Income Fund)
NOTICE
OF SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
Dear
Shareholder:
Notice is hereby given that a Special
Meeting of Shareholders (the “Meeting”) of the American Independence Funds
Trust (the “Trust”), a Delaware business trust, will be held at the Trust’s
offices, located at 230 Park Avenue, Suite 534, New York, NY 10169, on April
25, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern time) for the following purposes:
Proposals
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1.
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To approve a New Investment
Sub-Advisory Agreement between American Independence Financial Services, LLC
and Boyd Watterson Asset Management, LLC.
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2.
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To consider and
act upon any matters incidental to the foregoing and to transact such other
business as may properly come before the Meeting and any adjournment or
postponement thereof.
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After careful consideration, the Board
of Trustees of the Trust, including all of the Independent Trustees,
unanimously approved each of the proposals listed above and recommended that
shareholders vote “FOR” the proposal. The matter referred to above in Proposal
1 is discussed in detail in the proxy statement attached to this Notice. The
Board of Trustees has fixed the close of business on March 31, 2014 as the
record date for determining shareholders entitled to notice of and to vote at
the Meeting. Each share of the Fund is entitled to one vote with respect to the
proposals, with fractional votes for fractional shares.
Eric M. Rubin
President
American Independence Funds Trust
Regardless of whether you plan to attend
the Meeting,
PLEASE COMPLETE, SIGN, DATE AND PROMPTLY RETURN THE ENCLOSED
PROXY CARD(S) IN THE ENVELOPE PROVIDED SO THAT YOU WILL BE REPRESENTED AT THE
MEETING.
If you have submitted a proxy card and are present at the Meeting,
you may change the vote specified in the proxy at that time. However,
attendance in person at the Meeting, by itself, will not revoke a previously
tendered proxy.
American
Independence Funds Trust
American
Independence Boyd Watterson Short-Term Enhanced Bond Fund
(formerly known as the American
Independence Strategic Income Fund)
PROXY STATEMENT
FOR A SPECIAL
MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
TO BE HELD ON APRIL
25, 2014
INTRODUCTION
This proxy statement is solicited by the
Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of American Independence Funds Trust (the
“Trust”) with respect to the American Independence Boyd Watterson Short-Term
Enhanced Bond Fund, a series of the Trust (the “Fund”), for voting at the
Special Meeting of Shareholders of the Fund to be held at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern
time) on April 25, 2014 at the Trust’s offices at 230 Park Avenue, Suite 534,
New York, NY 10169, and at any and all adjournments thereof (the “Meeting”),
for the purposes set forth in the accompanying Notice of Special Meeting of
Shareholders.
The Trust will furnish, without charge,
a copy of the Fund’s most recent annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders
upon request, which may be made either by writing to the American Independence
Funds Trust at the address above or by calling toll-free (866) 410-2006. The
annual and semi-annual reports will be mailed to you by first-class mail within
three business days of your request.
SOLICITATION OF PROXIES
The Board is soliciting votes from
shareholders of the Trust with respect to the proposal discussed below. The
solicitation of votes is made by the mailing of this Proxy Statement and the
accompanying proxy card on or about April 10, 2014. In addition to solicitation
by mail, certain officers and representatives of the Trustees, officers and
employees of the Trust’s investment adviser or their affiliates or a
professional solicitation organization, may solicit proxies by telephone,
facsimile or personally, at no extra cost to shareholders. (See “
Shareholder
Meeting Costs and Voting Procedures
” under “
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
ABOUT THE FUND.
”)
The appointed proxies will vote in their
discretion on any other business as may properly come before the Meeting or any
adjournments or postponements thereof. Additional matters would only include
matters that were not anticipated as of the date of this Proxy Statement.
Each share of the Fund is entitled to
one vote on the proposal and on each other matter that it is entitled to vote
upon at the Meeting. The Trust knows of no other business to be voted upon at
the Meeting other than the proposal set forth in the accompanying Notice of
Special Meeting of Shareholders and described in this Proxy Statement.
Each valid proxy that the Trust receives
will be voted in accordance with your instructions and as the persons named in
the proxy determine on such other business as may come before the Meeting. If
no instructions are given on an executed proxy that has been returned to us, then
that proxy will be voted “FOR” the proposal. Shareholders who execute proxies may
revoke them at any time before they are voted, either by writing to the Trust,
or by voting in person at the Meeting.
The presence in person or by proxy of
the holders of record of one-third of the outstanding shares of the Fund shall
constitute a quorum at the Meeting for the Fund, permitting action to be taken.
In the event that sufficient votes are not received by the date of the Meeting,
a person named as proxy may propose one or more adjournments of the Meeting for
a reasonable period or periods of time to permit further solicitation of
proxies. The persons named as proxies will vote in favor of such adjournment
those proxies that they are entitled to vote in favor of the proposals and will
vote against any such adjournment those proxies required to be voted against
the proposals.
The proposals
require the affirmative vote of a “majority of the outstanding voting
securities” of the Fund. The term “majority of the outstanding voting
securities” of the Fund as defined by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as
amended (the “1940 Act”), means: the affirmative vote of the lesser of (i) 67%
or more of the voting securities of the Fund present at the meeting if more
than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund are present in person or by
proxy or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund.
The Board has fixed the close of
business on March 31, 2014, as the record date (the “Record Date”) for
determining holders of the Fund shares entitled to notice of and to vote at the
Meeting. See “
Ownership of Shares
” under “
ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND
” for record date shares for the Fund.
OVERVIEW OF PROPOSAL
At
a Board meeting held on September 20, 2013 (the “Board Meeting”), the Board of
Trustees of the American Independence Funds Trust (the “Trust’s Board”),
including a majority of the Independent Trustees, unanimously approved the
proposal with respect to the American Independence Boyd Watterson Short-Term Enhanced
Bond Fund (the “Fund”) to approve an investment sub-advisory agreement between
American Independence Financial Services, LLC (“American Independence”) and
Boyd Watterson Asset Management, LLC (“Boyd Watterson”), subject to the
approval of the Fund’s shareholders.
At that same Board Meeting, the Trust’s
Board approved (i) an interim investment sub-advisory agreement between
American Independence and Boyd Watterson on behalf of the Fund (the “Interim
Agreement”); (ii) a change in the name of the Fund; (iii) a change in the
Fund’s benchmark; and (iv) a change to the Fund’s investment strategies. More
information about the changes to the investment strategies can be found below.
Effective November 15, 2013, Boyd
Watterson took over the day to day management of the Fund under the Interim
Agreement, the Fund changed its name to the American Independence Boyd
Watterson Short-Term Enhanced Bond Fund, and the Fund’s benchmark changed to the
Barclays Government/Credit 1-3 Year Index.
The proposal requires the approval of
Fund shareholders and is detailed below.
_____________________
PROPOSAL 1 – Approval of a new
Sub-Advisory Agreement between American Independence Financial Services, LLC
and Boyd Watterson Asset Management, LLC on behalf of the Boyd Watterson
Short-Term Enhanced Bond Fund.
Shareholders of the Fund are being asked to approve a proposed Investment
Sub-Advisory Agreement with Boyd Watterson (the “New Sub-Advisory Agreement”).
At a Board meeting held on September 20, 2013, the Board, including a majority
of the Independent Trustees (as defined below), unanimously approved the New
Sub-Advisory Agreement between American Independence and Boyd Watterson with
respect to the Fund, subject to the approval of the Fund’s shareholders.
Under American Independence’s
supervision, Boyd Watterson will be responsible for making the specific
decisions about buying, selling and holding securities; selecting and
negotiating with brokers and brokerage firms; and maintaining accurate records
for the Fund.
The Board is recommending the
approval of the New Sub-Advisory Agreement for the Fund.
Background
At
the Board Meeting, American Independence proposed that Boyd Watterson be
appointed as sub-advisor to the Fund, along with other changes, as discussed
above in “Overview of Proposal”, designed to make the Fund more attractive to a
broader audience and to achieve critical mass and potential economies of
scale.
In
2011, American Independence became concerned about the uncompetitive
performance track record of the Fund and recommended the retention of HighMark
Capital Management, Inc. (“HighMark”), a subsidiary of Union Bank of California. HighMark
was managing a very similar product under its own fund group and had produced
very competitive results. In the past year, however, HighMark’s parent
repositioned its asset management business selling its fund business to another
firm and became a sub-adviser to the funds. Due to these changes at
HighMark, American Independence became concerned about the retention of the
current portfolio team. Simultaneously, American Independence was advised
that a significant shareholder in the Fund would be redeeming approximately $45
million of the Fund’s assets in order to seek better yield for its clients,
which was the catalyst for a broader analysis of the Fund and the space it
occupies in the competitive market.
American
Independence believes that the modification of the Fund to seek a broader
mandate will satisfy investors’ desire for a more yield focused product, and
also fill a growing space in the fixed income market. Given that
Boyd Watterson manages another fund in the Trust, American Independence is
familiar with Boyd Watterson’s credit capabilities and ability to use credit
and spread product effectively. To achieve the possibility of critical
mass for the Fund, American Independence, with consideration of Boyd
Watterson’s strategy recommendations, proposed the following changes to the
Fund:
-
Rename the Fund to the Boyd Watterson
Short-Term Enhanced Bond Fund
-
Focus on Corporate Credit (as opposed to
current multi-sector)
-
Reposition the portfolio to approximately 45%
BBB-rated bonds (at the time of the Board Meeting, the fund held approximately
25% in BBB-rated bonds)
-
Allocation of 25% to High Yield securities (at
the time of the Board Meeting, the previous maximum percentage in high
yield securities was 15%)
-
Target a 2% net yield (at the time of the Board
Meeting was approximately 1.21%)
-
Sector allocation of 92% Corporate (at the time
of the Board Meeting was approximately 57%)
-
Allow for the use of leveraged loans,
convertibles, CLOs, CDOs, and ETFs
-
Eliminate the limits on dollar denominated
international bonds (including emerging market debt)
-
Revised fee and expense arrangements
Based
on the above discussion, American Independence recommended Boyd Watterson to
the Board and Boyd Watterson presented to the Board their philosophy and
performance. After careful consideration, the Board approved the termination
of the current Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between American Independence
and HighMark (the “Current Sub-Advisory Agreement”) and approved an Interim
Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement to retain Boyd Watterson to manage the Fund’s
portfolio based on a review of Boyd Watterson’s experience, personnel and
performance in the management of similar mandates. American Independence
provided notice to HighMark of such termination, which was effective as of the
close of business on November 14, 2013.
Since
November 15, 2013, Boyd Watterson has served as the Sub-Advisor to the Fund’s
portfolio in accordance with an interim sub-advisory agreement. Under American
Independence’s supervision, Boyd Watterson is responsible for making the
specific decisions about buying, selling and holding securities; selecting and
negotiating with brokers and brokerage firms; and maintaining accurate records
for the Fund.
Sub-Advisory Agreement with HighMark
HighMark
previously served as the Fund’s investment sub-adviser pursuant to the Current
Sub-Advisory Agreement, which was most recently approved by the Board on June 13,
2013, and by shareholders of the Fund on December 27, 2011.
On
September 20, 2013, the Board approved the termination of the Current
Sub-Advisory Agreement and American Independence provided notice to HighMark of
such termination, which was effective as of November 14, 2013.
Terms of the New Sub-Advisory Agreement
It is proposed
that the Adviser and Boyd Watterson, on behalf of the Fund, enter into the New
Sub-Advisory Agreement, to become effective upon the date of shareholder
approval. Under Section 15(a) of the 1940 Act, the New Sub-Advisory Agreement
requires the approval of (i) the Board, including a majority of the Trustees
who are not “interested persons” of any party to the New Sub-Advisory
Agreement, and (ii) the shareholders of the Fund. Based upon the considerations
described below under “
Approval of New Sub-Advisory Agreement by the
Board of Trustees,”
the Board, including all of the Independent
Trustees, approved the New Sub-Advisory Agreement on September 20, 2013.
The terms of the New Sub-Advisory
Agreement are substantially the same as the terms of the Current Sub-Advisory
Agreement, which was last approved by the Board, including a majority of the Independent
Trustees, at a meeting held on June 13, 2013. Boyd Watterson will be entitled
to 0.20% of net assets per
annum, less any fee waivers and reimbursements, the same rate as provided for in
the Current Sub-Advisory Agreement. A copy of the form of the New
Sub-Advisory Agreement is attached as
Appendix A
to this Proxy
Statement.
Under
the New Sub-Advisory Agreement, pursuant to the oversight and supervision of American
Independence and the direction and control of the Board, Boyd Watterson will
perform certain of the day-to-day operations of the Fund which include the
following services at the request of American Independence: (i) managing the
investment and reinvestment of the Fund’s assets in accordance with the
investment policies of the Fund; (ii) arranging for the purchase and sale of
securities and other assets for the Fund; (iii) providing investment research
and credit analysis concerning the Fund’s assets; (iv) placing orders for
purchases and sales of the Fund’s assets; (v) maintaining the books and records
as are required to support Fund investment operations; and (vi) monitoring on a
daily basis the investment activities and portfolio holdings relating to the
Fund. At the request of American Independence, Boyd Watterson will also,
subject to the oversight and supervision of American Independence and the
direction and control of the Board, consult with American Independence as to
the overall management of the Fund’s assets and the investment policies and
practices of the Fund. The nature of the services to be performed by Boyd
Watterson pursuant to the New Sub-Advisory Agreement is expected to be
substantially similar to the services performed by HighMark under the Current
Sub-Advisory Agreement.
The New Sub-Advisory Agreement may be terminated without penalty
at any time by the Trust with respect to the Fund (either by the Board or by a
majority vote of the Fund’s outstanding shares), or by American Independence on
60-days’ written notice to Boyd Watterson, and it will automatically terminate
in the event of its assignment as defined in the 1940 Act.
Advisory and Sub-Advisory Fee
The
investment advisory fee rate will not change. Under the current Advisory
Agreement between American Independence and the Fund, the Fund pays American
Independence an investment advisory fee at an annual rate equal to 0.40% of the
average daily value of the Fund’s net assets. American Independence will pay
the investment sub-advisory fee out of the advisory fee received from the Fund
in an amount of 0.20% of the Fund’s average daily net assets less any fees
waived and/or reimbursed.
Approval
of New Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement by the Board of Trustees
At a meeting held September 20, 2013,
the Board, including all of the Independent Trustees, unanimously approved the
New Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement.
In determining whether or not it was
appropriate to approve the New Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement and to
recommend their approval to the shareholders, the Board, including the Trustees
who are not interested persons of American Independence, considered various
materials and representations provided by American Independence and Boyd Watterson,
and the Board was advised by independent legal counsel with respect to these
matters. In reaching their decision, the Board carefully considered information
that they had received throughout the year as part of their regular oversight
of the Trust and information from American Independence that was provided in
connection with the 2013 Contract Renewal Meeting in addition to the
information provided at the September 20, 2013 meeting.
Information considered by the Trustees
included, among other things, the following: (1) representation that the same
persons responsible for management of the Core Plus Fund
under a Sub-Advisory Agreement for that Fund are currently expected to manage
the Fund under the New Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement; (2) that the total
compensation to be paid by the Fund under the New Investment Sub-Advisory
Agreement reflects a fair compensation with respect to the type of Fund and the
qualifications of the Boyd Watterson management team; (3) American
Independence’s and Boyd Watterson’s representation that each will keep any
existing expense limitation agreement in effect; and (4) the commitment of
American Independence and Boyd Watterson that there will not be any diminution
in the nature, quality and extent of services provided to the Fund or its
shareholders.
Further, at the September 20, 2013
Meeting, the Board reached its determinations with respect to the New
Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement, based on the following factors: (1) the
quality of Boyd Watterson’s investment advisory and other services; (2) Boyd
Watterson’s investment management personnel; (3) Boyd Watterson’s operations
and financial condition; (4) Boyd Watterson’s brokerage practices (including
any soft dollar arrangements and any benefits Boyd Watterson would receive from
its relationship with the Fund); (5) the level of the fees that Boyd Watterson charges
compared with the fees charged to comparable mutual funds or accounts; (6) the
Fund’s overall fees and operating expenses compared with similar mutual funds;
(7) whether American Independence and Boyd Watterson had waived or reimbursed
any fees; (8) the level of Boyd Watterson’s profitability including the
anticipated impact to its profitability under its relationship with the Fund;
(9) Boyd Watterson’s compliance systems; (10) Boyd Watterson’s policies on
compliance procedures for personal securities transactions; and (11) Boyd
Watterson’s reputation, expertise and resources in the financial markets.
The Trustees discussed the extent to
which economies of scale were projected by American Independence and Boyd
Watterson to be realized as the Fund’s assets, or the assets of the Trust
overall, grew. The Trustees discussed the plans of American Independence and Boyd
Watterson and their affiliates for marketing and distributing the shares of the
various series of the Trust. The Trustees reviewed information about the
potential effect of asset growth on Fund expenses, and the difficulty of
forecasting its effect on the profitability of American Independence and Boyd
Watterson. It was noted that, to the extent the Fund’s gross expenses currently
were higher than its net expenses, the reduction of the Fund’s gross expenses through
the achievement of economies of scale might benefit American Independence and Boyd
Watterson by reducing the expenses American Independence and Boyd Watterson
must reimburse to the Fund, rather than directly benefiting the Fund by
reducing their net expenses.
In reaching their conclusion with
respect to the approval of the New Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement, the Board
members did not identify any one single factor as being controlling; rather,
the Board took note of a combination of factors that influenced their decision
making process. The Board did, however, identify that management’s demonstrated
commitment to the continued enhancement of investment performance, the
commitment of American Independence and Boyd Watterson to the successful operation
of the Fund, and the level of expenses of the Fund, as well as the continued
use of expense limitation agreements in order to reduce the overall operating
expenses of the Fund, as being important elements of its consideration. The
Board also considered the effectiveness of the compliance programs of the Fund,
American Independence and Boyd Watterson in accordance with applicable
requirements relating to mutual funds and their investment advisers.
The Board also determined that the New
Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement is in the best interests of the Fund and its
shareholders. Accordingly, after consideration of the above factors, and such
other factors and information it considered relevant, the Board unanimously
approved the Interim Sub-Advisory Agreement, approved the New Sub-Advisory
Agreement, and voted to recommend approval by the Fund’s shareholders with
respect to the New Sub-Advisory Agreement.
If shareholders approve the New
Sub-Advisory Agreement, it will remain in effect for up to two years from the
date it takes effect, and, unless earlier terminated, will continue for maximum
terms of one year thereafter, provided that each such continuance is approved
annually with respect to the Fund (i) by the Trust’s Board or by a vote of a
majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, and, in either case,
(ii) by a majority of the Independent Trustees.
How does Proposal 1 affect shareholders
of the Fund
?
As discussed above, the Fund will be
making the following changes: (i) the name of the Fund has changed to the American
Independence Boyd Watterson Short-Term Enhanced Bond Fund; (ii) a change to the
Fund’s benchmark to
the Barclays Government/Credit 1-3
Year Index; and (iii) certain changes to the Fund’s investment strategies and
risks as further discussed blow.
Changes to
Fund’s principal investment strategies and risks
:
Principal
Strategies
.
The
Fund’s principal investment strategies are amended to reflect the following:
Under
normal market conditions, the Fund intends to invest at least 80% of its net
assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in fixed income securities and
maintain an average dollar weighted duration between 1 and 3 years. The Fund
may invest more than 25% of its total assets in the Banking and Finance
industry. For purposes of this limitation, the Banking and Finance industry is
deemed to include securities of issuers engaged in banking or finance businesses,
including issuers of asset- and mortgage-backed securities. The Fund intends to
limit its net assets in certain investments as follows:
Ø
No more than 25%
in high-yield securities (commonly referred to as “junk bonds”);
Ø
No more than 20%
in non-U.S. dollar denominated securities of foreign entities;
Ø
No more than 10%
in the following:
o
Exchange Traded
Funds;
o
Collateralized
Debt Obligations, including Collateralized Loan Obligations and Collateralized
Bond Obligations; and
Ø
No more than 5%
in the following:
o
Convertible
securities;
o
Preferred
securities.
In addition to the above, added to the main types of
securities the Fund may hold
,
are
collateralized
debt obligations (“CDOs”), including collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”)
and collateralized bond obligations (“CBOs”); and convertible securities,
including preferred stock. The may also invest in other investment companies,
including exchange traded funds (“ETFs”).
Principal Risks
. Due to the above
strategy changes, the Fund will be exposed to the following risks:
Convertible Securities Risk
. The value of convertible
securities tends to decline as interest rates rise and, because of the
conversion feature, tends to vary with fluctuations in the market value of the underlying
securities.
Collateralized Debt Obligation
(“CDOs”) Risks.
CDOs are types of asset-backed securities. The risks of an investment in a CDO
depend largely on the type of the collateral securities and the class of the
CDO in which the Fund invests. Normally, CLOs, CBOs and other CDOs are
privately offered and sold, and thus, are not registered under the securities
laws. As a result, investments in CDOs may be characterized by the Fund as
illiquid securities; however, an active dealer market may exist for CDOs
allowing a CDO to qualify for Rule 144A transactions. In addition to the normal
risks associated with fixed income securities discussed elsewhere in the Prospectus
(e.g., interest rate risk and default risk), CDOs carry additional risks
including, but are not limited to: (i) the possibility that distributions
from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other
payments; (ii) the quality of the collateral may decline in value or
default; (iii) the Fund may invest in CDOs that are subordinate to other
classes; and (iv) the complex structure of the security may not be fully
understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the issuer
or unexpected investment results. Holders of CLOs bear risks of the underlying
investments, index or reference obligation and are subject to counterparty
risk.
Counterparty Risk
. The risk that a counterparty to
a financial instrument entered into by the Fund or held by special purpose or
structured vehicle becomes bankrupt or otherwise fails to perform its
obligations due to financial difficulties. The Fund may experience significant
delays in obtaining any recovery in a bankruptcy or other reorganization
proceeding. The Fund may obtain only limited recovery or may obtain no recovery
in such circumstances. The Fund will typically enter into financial instrument
transactions with counterparties whose credit rating is investment grade, or,
if unrated, determined to be of comparable quality by the investment manager.
Change
in the Fund’s Benchmark
:
Effective
November 15, 2013, the Fund’s benchmark changed to the Barclays
Government/Credit 1-3 Year Index. The Government Index includes treasuries
(i.e., public obligations of the U.S. Treasury that have remaining maturities
of more than one year) and agencies (i.e., publicly issued debt of U.S.
Government agencies, quasi-federal corporations, and corporate or foreign debt
guaranteed by the U.S. Government). The Credit Index includes publicly issued
U.S. corporate and foreign debentures and secured notes that meet specified
maturity, liquidity, and quality requirements. Prior to November 15, 2013, the
Fund’s benchmark was the Barclays Capital 1-3 Year Aggregate Bond Index. The
benchmark changed to match the investment objective and investment strategies
of the new Sub-Adviser.
Information
About Boyd Watterson
Boyd Watterson offers a variety of fixed
income, equity and customized products to institutions, individuals and sponsor
programs. Boyd Watterson also serves as sub-adviser to another fund in the
Trust, the Boyd Watterson Core Plus Fund. Boyd Watterson is headquartered at
1801 E. 9th St., Suite 1400, Cleveland, Ohio 44114. Boyd Watterson managed
more than $5.483 billion in assets as of December 31, 2013, and is a wholly
owned subsidiary of Titanium Asset Management Corporation, located at 777 E.
Wisconsin Ave., Suite 2350, Milwaukee, WI 53202.
The Boyd Watterson investment team of David
Dirk, Gregory Cobb, Justin Waggoner, Brian Convery and G. David Hollins is jointly
and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Their
biographical information is set forth below.
David M. Dirk, CFA
. Mr. Dirk is Executive Vice
President / Director of Portfolio Management and Trading
with responsibility for directing all Portfolio Management and
Trading activity at Boyd Watterson. This includes the evaluation,
implementation, and execution of all strategies across Boyd Watterson's suite
of fixed income products. Mr. Dirk is also co-portfolio manager of Boyd
Watterson Core Plus Fund. Mr. Dirk joined Duff & Phelps, predecessor to
Boyd Watterson Asset Management, in 1996 and has more than 15 years of
experience in the investment industry. He holds a CFA Charter from CFA
Institute, an MBA from Case Western Reserve University, and a BA from
Baldwin-Wallace College. He is also a member of the CFA Society of Cleveland
and CFA Institute.
Gregory H. Cobb
. Mr. Cobb is Executive Vice
President / Lead Strategist
– Fixed Income
with responsibility for directing the development of broad-market investment
strategies at Boyd Watterson. Mr. Cobb is also co-portfolio manager of Boyd
Watterson Core Plus Fund. Prior to the integration in 2010 of Sovereign
Advisors into Boyd Watterson, He served as Sovereign’s CIO and Director of
Portfolio Management. Previously, he held the position of Senior Portfolio
Manager at Trade Street Investment Associates and Trusco Capital Management.
Mr. Cobb has more than 25 years of investment experience and holds a BA from
the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he pursued doctoral
studies in economics and finance. He is a member of the CFA Institute, a
member and former board member of the CFA Society of North Carolina, a member
of the World Affairs Council of Charlotte, and currently serves on the board of
the NABE Charlotte Economics Club.
Justin C. Waggoner
. Mr. Waggoner is a Portfolio
Manager, focusing on Boyd Watterson’s suite of taxable short/intermediate fixed
income portfolios. Mr. Waggoner joined Duff & Phelps, predecessor to Boyd
Watterson Asset Management, in 1999 and has more than a decade of experience in
the investment industry. He holds an MBA from Case Western Reserve University
and a BS from Ohio State University.
Brian A. Convery, CFA
. Mr. Convery is a Portfolio
Manager focusing on Boyd Watterson's high yield portfolios and credit
research. Mr. Convery is also a member of the Real Estate Investment
Committee. He joined Boyd Watterson Asset Management in 2011. Prior to
joining the firm, Mr. Convery was a Senior Investment Analyst with Key Private
Bank in Cleveland and a Partner at WR Huff Asset Management. Mr. Convery has
more than a decade of investment experience. He holds a CFA Charter from CFA
Institute, an MBA from Georgetown University, and a BA from the University of
Dayton. Mr. Convery is a member of the CFA Society of Cleveland and CFA
Institute.
G. David Hollins, CFA
. Mr. Hollins is
Director of Credit Research at Boyd Watterson. Prior to joining the firm in
2008, he served as Senior Securities Analyst at Bank of America (TradeStreet
Investment Associates), Investment Officer at Unum (Provident Investment
Management), and Director of Research at BlackHawk Capital Management. Mr.
Hollins has 25 years of experience working in the investment industry. He
holds a CFA Charter from CFA Institute, an MBA from East Tennessee State
University, and a BS from the University of Tennessee. Mr. Hollins is a member
of the CFA Society of North Carolina, CFA Institute, and the Charlotte
Economics Club.
Additional
Information Regarding Boyd Watterson
Information regarding the name(s),
address(es) and principal occupation(s) of the principal executive officer(s)
and partner(s) of Boyd Watterson is set forth in below. For further information
regarding Boyd Watterson, please see www.boydwatterson.com.
Name*
|
Title
or Status
|
Clyde
E. Bartter
|
Chairman,
Emeritus
|
Timothy
M. Hyland
|
Senior
Executive Vice President
|
Michael
E. Bee
|
Senior
Executive Vice President
|
Brian
L. Gevry
|
CEO
/ Chief Investment Officer
|
James
R. Shirak
|
Executive
Vice President
|
James
A. Waler
|
Executive
Vice President/Chief Operations Officer
|
John
L. Walsh
|
Chief
Compliance Officer
|
Titanium
Asset Management Corp.
|
Member
|
Robert
E. Kelly
|
Vice
Chairman
|
*The address for all of
the above is 1801 East 9
th
Street, Suite 1400, Cleveland, OH 33113, except for Titanium
Asset Management Corp. and Robert E. Kelly, both residing at 777 E. Wisconsin
Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53202.
Other Funds Advised by
Boyd Watterson
. As of the Record Date, Boyd Watterson is sub-advisor to the
American Independence Boyd Watterson Core Plus Fund, which does not have a
similar investment objective as the Fund. Boyd Watterson does not manage any
other investment companies with similar investment objective as the Fund.
Relationships with the Fund
. No officer or
Trustee of the Fund is an officer, employee, director, general partner or
shareholder of Boyd Watterson or has any material direct or indirect interest
in Boyd Watterson or any other person controlling, controlled by or under
common control with Boyd Watterson.
During the fiscal year ended October 31,
2013, the Fund paid no commissions to brokers affiliated with Boyd Watterson.
Expenses
Related to Proposal 1
All mailing, proxy solicitation and
tabulation expenses associated with the Proposal will be borne by both the
Adviser and Boyd Watterson and its affiliates.
Vote
Required for Proposal 1
Shareholders of the Fund who own shares
at the close of business on the Record Date will be entitled to notice of, and
vote at, the Special Meeting. Each whole share is entitled to one vote, and
each fractional share is entitled to a proportionate fractional vote.
Approval of Proposal 1 requires the vote
of a “majority of the outstanding voting securities” entitled to vote on the
proposal, as defined in the 1940 Act, which means either (i) the vote of 67% or
more of the voting securities entitled to vote on the proposal that are present
at the Meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares are
present or represented by proxy, or (ii) the vote of more than 50% of the
outstanding voting securities entitled to vote on the proposal, whichever is
less.
THE BOARD
UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT SHAREHOLDERS VOTE FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE PROPOSED
NEW INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISORY AGREEMENT.
_____________________
ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND
As of the Record Date, to the knowledge of the Trust’s management,
the officers and Trustees of the Trust owned, collectively, less than 1% of the
shares of the Fund. To the knowledge of the Trust’s management, at the close of
business on the Record Date, the only persons owning beneficially more than
five percent of the outstanding shares of the Fund were those listed in
Appendix
B
.
Each share of the Fund is entitled to one vote. Shareholders of the
Fund at the close of business on the Record Date will be entitled to be present
and give voting instructions for the Fund at the Meeting with respect to their
shares owned as of the Record Date. For the Fund, as of the Record Date, the
total number of shares outstanding and entitled to vote and the total net
assets represented by those shares was as follows:
Fund
|
Total Number of Shares
|
Total Net Assets
|
Boyd Watterson Short-Term Enhanced Bond Fund
|
2,149,673
|
$21,730,314
|
Shareholder
Meeting Costs and Voting Procedures
Costs.
The cost of preparing, printing
and mailing the enclosed proxy, accompanying notice and proxy statement and all
other costs in connection with solicitation of proxies related to the required
approvals will be paid by American Independence, including any additional
solicitation made by letter or telephone. Such costs are expected to range from
$4,000 to $7,000.
Voting Information.
In addition to
solicitation by mail, certain officers and representatives of the Trust,
officers and employees of American Independence and certain financial services
firms and their representatives, who will receive no extra compensation for
their services, may solicit proxies by telephone or personally.
Approval of Proposal 1 requires an
affirmative vote of the lesser of (i) 67% or more of the shares of each Fund
present at the Meeting if more than 50% of the outstanding shares of that Fund
are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding
shares of that Fund.
Adjournment.
In
the event that a quorum to transact business or the vote required to approve
the Proposal is not obtained at the Meeting, the persons named as proxies may propose
one or more adjournments of the Meeting in accordance with applicable law to
permit further solicitation of proxies. In the absence of a quorum, the persons
named as proxies will vote all shares represented by proxy and entitled to vote
in favor of such adjournment. If a quorum is present but insufficient votes
have been received to approve the Proposal, the persons named as proxies will
vote in favor of such adjournment with respect to the Proposal those proxies
which they are entitled to vote in favor of the Proposal and will vote against
any such adjournment with respect to the Proposal those proxies required to be
voted against the Proposal, provided that broker non-votes will be disregarded
for this purpose.
Effect of Abstentions
and Broker Non-Votes
.
In tallying shareholder votes,
abstentions (i.e., shares for which a proxy is presented, but which abstains
from voting on one or more matters) and “broker non-votes” (i.e., shares held
by brokers or nominees for which proxies are presented but as to which (i)
instructions have not been received from the beneficial owners or persons
entitled to vote and (ii) the broker does not have discretionary voting power
on a particular matter) will be counted for purposes of determining whether a
quorum, or majority of voting shares, is present for the conduct of business at
the Meeting. Under applicable law, abstentions and broker non-votes do not
constitute votes “for” or
“against” any proposal and
will be disregarded in determining votes cast for purposes of determining
whether a proposal has received a majority of the outstanding voting
shares.
Trust’s
Distributor
Matrix Capital Group, Inc., which is located at 242 East 72
nd
Street, New York, NY 10021,
serves
as the Distributor for the Fund pursuant to a Distribution Agreement with the
Trust.
Fund
Administration
American
Independence Financial Services, LLC, located at 230 Park Avenue, Suite 534, New York, NY 10169, serves as the administrator to the Trust and provides day-to-day
administrative services pursuant to an Administration Agreement. American
Independence also provides the Trust with office space, facilities and business
equipment and generally administers the Trust’s business affairs and provides
the services of executive and clerical personnel for administering the affairs
of the Trust.
American
Independence has contracted with UMB Fund Services, Inc. to provide certain
sub-administrative services to the Funds pursuant to a Sub-Administration
Services Agreement.
Affiliated Broker
During the Funds’ most recent fiscal year, none of the Funds paid commissions on portfolio brokerage transactions to brokers who may be deemed to be affiliated persons of the Trust, American Independence or Boyd Watterson, or affiliated persons of such persons.
Shareholder Communications and
Proposals
Any
shareholder proposal intended to be presented at any future meeting of
shareholders must be received by the Trust at its principal offices a
reasonable time before the solicitation of proxies for such meeting in order
for such proposal to be considered for inclusion in the proxy statement and
form or forms of proxy relating to such meeting.
April 8, 2014
By
Order of the Board of Trustees
|
/s/
Theresa Donovan
|
Theresa
Donovan
|
Secretary
American
Independence Funds Trust
|
APPENDIX
A
[Form of]
INVESTMENT SUB-ADVISORY AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made this
__________________, 2014 by and between American Independence Financial
Services, LLC (the "Adviser"), and Boyd Watterson Asset Management,
LLC
(the “Sub-Adviser");
WHEREAS, the
American Independence Funds Trust (the "Trust"), a Delaware business
trust, is an open-end, diversified management investment company registered
under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended ("1940 Act"),
consisting of several Funds of shares, each having its own investment policies;
and
WHEREAS, the Trust
has retained American Independence Financial Services, LLC ("AIFS")
to provide the Trust with business and asset management services for the
Strategic Income Fund (the "Fund"), subject to the control of the
Trust's Board of Trustees;
WHEREAS, the Trust
has retained the Adviser to provide the Trust with business and asset
management services for the Fund;
WHEREAS, the
Trust’s agreement with the Adviser permits the Adviser to delegate to other
parties certain of its asset management responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the
Adviser desires to retain the Sub-Adviser to render investment management
services to the Fund, and the Sub-Adviser is willing to render such services;
NOW THEREFORE, in
consideration of mutual covenants herein contained, the parties hereto agree as
follows:
1. Duties of
Sub-Adviser. The Adviser employs the Sub-Adviser to manage the investment and
reinvestment of the Fund’s assets and, with respect to such assets, to
continuously review, supervise, and administer the investment program of the
Fund, to determine in the Sub-Adviser's discretion the securities to be
purchased or sold, to provide the Adviser and the Trust with records concerning
the Sub-Adviser's activities which the Trust is required to maintain, and to
render regular reports to the Adviser and to the Trust's officers and Trustees
concerning the Sub-Adviser's discharge of the foregoing responsibilities. The
Sub-Adviser shall discharge the foregoing responsibilities subject to the
Adviser's oversight and the control of the officers and the Trustees of the
Trust and in compliance with such policies as the Trustees may from time to
time establish, and in compliance with the objectives, policies, and
limitations for the Fund set forth in the Trust's current registration
statement as amended from time to time, and applicable laws and regulations.
The Sub-Adviser accepts such employment and agrees to render the services for
the compensation specified herein and to provide at its own expense the office
space, furnishings and equipment and the personnel required by it to perform
the services on the terms and for the compensation provided herein. The
Sub-Adviser will instruct the Trust's Custodian(s) to hold and/or transfer the
Fund’s assets in accordance with Proper Instructions received from the Sub-Adviser.
(For this purpose, the term "Proper Instructions" shall have the
meaning(s) specified in the applicable agreement(s) between the Trust and its
custodians.) The Sub-Adviser will not be responsible for Trust expenses except
as specified in this Agreement.
2. Fund
Transactions. The Sub-Adviser is authorized to select the brokers or dealers
(including, to the extent permitted by law and applicable Trust guidelines, the
Sub-Adviser or any of its affiliates) that will execute the purchases and sales
of securities for the Funds and is directed to use its best efforts to obtain
the best net results with respect to brokers' commissions and discounts as
described in the Trust's current registration statement as amended from time to
time. In selecting brokers or dealers, the Sub-Adviser may give consideration
to factors other than price, including, but not limited to, research services
and market information. Any such services or information which the Sub-Adviser
receives in connection with activities for the Trust may also be used for the
benefit of other clients and customers of the Sub-Adviser or any of its
affiliates. The Sub-Adviser will promptly communicate to the Adviser and to the
officers and the Trustees of the Trust such information relating to each Fund’s
transactions as they may reasonably request.
3.
Compensation of the Sub-Adviser. For the services to be rendered by the
Sub-Adviser as provided in Sections 1 and 2 of this Agreement, the Adviser
shall pay to the Sub-Adviser compensation at the rate specified in Schedule A
attached hereto and made a part of this Agreement. Such compensation shall be
paid to the Sub-Adviser quarterly in arrears, and shall be calculated by
applying the annual percentage rate(s) as specified in the attached Schedule A
to the average month-end assets of the Fund during the relevant quarter. Solely
for the purpose of calculating the applicable annual percentage rates specified
in the attached Schedule(s), there shall be included such other assets as are
specified in said Schedule(s).
4. Other Services.
At the request of the Trust or the Adviser, the Sub-Adviser in its discretion
may make available to the Trust office facilities, equipment, personnel, and
other services. Such office facilities, equipment, personnel and services shall
be provided for or rendered by the Sub-Adviser and billed to the Trust or the
Adviser at a price to be agreed upon by the Sub-Adviser and the Trust or the
Adviser.
5. Reports. The
Adviser (on behalf of the Trust) and the Sub-Adviser agree to furnish to each
other, if applicable, current prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to
shareholders, certified copies of their financial statements, and such other
information with regard to their affairs as each may reasonably request.
6. Status of Sub-Adviser.
The services of the Sub-Adviser to the Trust are not to be deemed exclusive,
and the Sub-Adviser and its directors, officers, employees and affiliates shall
be free to render similar services to others so long as its services to the
Trust are not impaired thereby. The Sub-Adviser shall be deemed to be an
independent contractor and shall, unless otherwise expressly provided or
authorized, have no authority to act for or represent the Adviser or the Trust
in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent to the Adviser or the Trust.
7. Certain Records.
Any records required to be maintained and preserved pursuant to the provisions
of Rule 31a-1 and Rule 31a-2 promulgated under the 1940 Act which are prepared
or maintained by the Sub-Adviser on behalf of the Adviser or the Trust are the
property of the Adviser or the Trust and will be surrendered promptly to the
Adviser or Trust on request.
8. Liability of
Sub-Adviser. No provision of this Agreement shall be deemed to protect the
Sub-Adviser against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders to which it
might otherwise be subject by reason of any willful misfeasance, bad faith, or
gross negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of
its obligations under this Agreement.
9. Permissible
Interests. To the extent permitted by law, Trustees, agents, and shareholders
of the Trust are or may be interested in the Sub-Adviser (or any successor
thereof) as directors, partners, officers, or shareholders, or otherwise;
directors, partners, officers, agents, and shareholders of the Sub-Adviser are
or may be interested in the Trust as Trustees, shareholders or otherwise; and
the Sub-Adviser (or any successor thereof) is or may be interested in the Trust
as a shareholder or otherwise; provided that all such interests shall be fully
disclosed between the parties on an ongoing basis and in the Trust's
registration statement as required by law.
10. Duration and
Termination. This Agreement, unless sooner terminated as provided herein, shall
continue for two years after its initial approval and thereafter for periods of
one year for so long as such continuance thereafter is specifically approved at
least annually (a) by the vote of a majority of those Trustees of the Trust who
are not parties to this Agreement or interested persons of any such party, cast
in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval, and
(b) by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding
voting securities of the Fund; provided, however, that if the shareholders of
the Fund fails to approve the Agreement as provided herein, the Sub-Adviser may
continue to serve hereunder in the manner and to the extent permitted by the
1940 Act and rules thereunder. The foregoing requirement that continuance of
this Agreement be "specifically approved at least annually" shall be
construed in a manner consistent with the 1940 Act and the rules and
regulations thereunder. This Agreement may be terminated at any time, without
the payment of any penalty, by the Adviser, by vote of a majority of the
Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting
securities of the Fund on not less than 30 days' nor more than 60 days' written
notice to the Sub-Adviser, or by the Sub-Adviser at any time without the
payment of any penalty, on 60 days' written notice to the Adviser and the
Trust. This Agreement will automatically and immediately terminate in the event
of its assignment. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing,
addressed and
delivered, or mailed postpaid, to the
other party at the primary office of such party, unless such party has
previously designated another address.
As used in this
Section 10, the terms "assignment," "interested persons,"
and a "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" shall
have the respective meanings set forth in the 1940 Act and the rules and
regulations thereunder, subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the
Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
11. Severability.
If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid by a court
decision, statute, rule or otherwise, the remainder of this Agreement shall not
be affected thereby.
A copy of the
Declaration of Trust of the Trust is on file with the Secretary of the State of
Delaware, and notice is hereby given that this instrument is not binding upon
any of the Trustees, officers, or shareholders of the Trust individually.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF,
the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the day and
year first written above.
Boyd Watterson
Asset Management, LLC American Independence Financial.
Services,
LLC
By:_______________________
By:_______________________
Timothy
Hyland Eric Rubin
Title:____________________
Title:____________________
President
Schedule A
to the
Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement
between
American Independence Financial
Services, LLC
and
Boyd Watterson Asset Management,
LLC
For the
American Independence Boyd
Watterson Short-Term Enhanced Bond Fund
American
Independence Financial Services, LLC shall pay compensation to Boyd Watterson
Asset Management pursuant to section 3 of the Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement
between said parties in accordance with the following annual percentage rates:
A
pro rata portion of the advisory fee, payable by the Fund, at a rate of 0.20%
(net of fees and waivers)
of the
monthly average net assets of the Fund
DATED:
_________________, 2014
APPENDIX B
BENEFICIAL OWNERS OF TRUST SHARES
As of the Record Date, the table below provides information
on the persons owning, or beneficially owning, as of record 5% or more of the
Fund.
Fund
|
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner
|
Shares Outstanding
|
Percent of Class
|
BOYD WATTERSON SHORT-TERM ENHANCED BOND FUND – INSTITUTIONAL
CLASS
|
MITRA
& CO FBO NJ
11270
W PARK PL STE 400
MILWAUKEE
WI 53224-3638
|
802,806
|
37.35%
|
|
|
|
VALLEE
& CO FBO NJ
11270
W PARK PL STE 400
MILWAUKEE
WI 53224-3638
|
440,211
|
20.48%
|
|
|
|
|
MARIL
& CO FBO NJ
11270
W PARK PL STE 400
MILWAUKEE
WI 53224-3638
|
354,364
|
16.49%
|
|
|
|
|
|
NFS
LLC FEBO
MARSHALL
& ILSLEY TRUST CO
11270
W PARK PL; SUITE 400
MILWAUKEE
WI 53224
|
239,487
|
11.14%
|
|
|
|
|
BOYD WATTERSON SHORT-TERM ENHANCED BOND FUND – CLASS A
|
PERSHING LLC
P O BOX 2052
JERSEY CITY NJ 07303-2052
|
232,963
|
10.83%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PROXY
CARD
AMERICAN
INDEPENDENCE FUNDS TRUST
American
Independence Boyd Watterson Short-Term Enhanced Bond Fund
230
Park Avenue, Suite 534
New
York, NY 10169
(866)
410-2006
www.aifunds.com
SPECIAL
MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
April
25, 2014
The
undersigned hereby appoints Eric M. Rubin, Theresa Donovan and Susan Silva, as
his or her attorney and proxy with full power of substitution to vote and act
with respect to all shares of the separate investment series listed above (the
“Fund”) of the American Independence Funds Trust (the “Trust”) as held by the
undersigned at the Special Meeting of Shareholders of the Fund to be held at
10:00 a.m., Eastern Time, on April 25, 2014, at 230 Park Avenue, Suite 534, New
York, NY 10169, and at any adjournment thereof (the “Meeting”), and instructs
each of them to vote as indicated on the matters referred to in the Proxy
Statement for the Meeting, receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, with
discretionary power to vote upon such other business as may properly come
before the Meeting.
The
shares represented by this proxy will be voted as instructed on the reverse
side. Unless instructions to the contrary are given on the reverse or if this
proxy is executed but no instruction is given, this proxy shall be deemed to
grant authority to vote “FOR” the proposal, with discretionary power to vote
upon such other business as may properly come before the Meeting or any
adjournment. The proxies intend to vote with management on any such other
business properly brought before the Meeting. The undersigned hereby
acknowledges receipt of the accompanying Notice of Special Meeting and Proxy
Statement.
NOTE: YOUR PROXY CARD IS NOT
VALID UNLESS IT IS SIGNED
THIS
PROXY IS SOLICITED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE TRUST. The Board of
Trustees recommends that you vote
FOR
ALL PROPOSALS.
YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT. PLEASE VOTE BY FILLING IN
THE APPROPRIATE BOX BELOW.
Proposal 1
:
|
FOR
|
AGAINST
|
ABSTAIN
|
To approve the
New Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between American Independence Financial
Services, LLC and Boyd
Watterson Asset Management, LLC on behalf of the Fund.
|
[ ]
|
[ ]
|
[ ]
|
Proposal 2
:
|
FOR
|
AGAINST
|
ABSTAIN
|
To approve any
other matters as may properly come before the Meeting and any adjournment or
postponement thereof.
|
[ ]
|
[ ]
|
[ ]
|
This
proxy will be voted as specified. IF NO SPECIFICATION IS MADE, THIS PROXY
WILL BE VOTED
FOR
ALL PROPOSALS.
Receipt
of the Notice of Special Meeting and Proxy Statement is hereby acknowledged.
Dated
_____________________
_____________________________________
Name
of Shareholder(s) — Please print or type
_____________________________________
Signature(s)
of Shareholder(s)
_____________________________________
Signature(s)
of Shareholder(s)
NOTE:
Please sign exactly as your name or names appear. When signing as attorney,
executor, administrator, trustee or guardian, please give your full title as
such. If a corporation or partnership, please sign in full corporate or
partnership name by an authorized officer.
PLEASE
VOTE, SIGN AND DATE THIS PROXY AND RETURN IT IN THE ENCLOSED POSTAGE-PAID
ENVELOPE.
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