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White Paper | Convexity: Slowly… Then All of a Sudden

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Categories: Whitepaper
Author: Jose Ordonez

Address: Suite 150, 3803 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square, PA 19073 | Phone: +1.215.882.9983

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IMPORTANT RISK INFORMATION
Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risk, charges, and expenses of the funds. This and other important information is in the indicated fund’s prospectus, which may be obtained by calling (215) 882-9983 or by visiting https://funds.alphaarchitect.com/documents/. The prospectus should be read carefully before investing. 

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS
An investment in the Funds involves risks, including possible loss of principal. Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) trade like stocks, are subject to investment risk, fluctuate in market value and may trade at prices above or below the ETFs’ net asset value (NAV), and are not individually redeemable directly with the ETFs. Brokerage commissions and ETF expenses will reduce returns. ETFs are subject to specific risks, depending on the nature of the underlying strategy of the Funds, which should be considered carefully when making investment decisions. For a complete description of the Funds’ principal investment risks, please refer to the prospectus.

Management Risk. The Funds are actively managed and may not meet its investment objective based on the SubAdviser’s success or failure to implement investment strategies for the Funds.
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(s). The Fund(s) 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(s).
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund(s)’s investment strategy may from time-to-time result in higher turnover rates. This may increase brokerage commission costs, which could negatively impact performance. Rapid portfolio turnover also exposes shareholders to a higher current realization of short-term capital gains, distributions of which would generally be taxed to you as ordinary income and thus cause you to pay higher taxes.

Risks common to QVAL, QMOM, IVAL, IMOM, AAVM, AAUS, AAUA, AAGW, AAEQ, and AAUB
Quantitative Security Selection Risk. Data for some companies may be less available and/or less current than data for companies in other markets. The Sub-Adviser uses quantitative models, and its processes could be adversely affected if erroneous or outdated data is utilized. In addition, securities selected using a quantitative model could perform differently from the financial markets as a whole as a result of the characteristics used in the analysis, the weight placed on each characteristic and changes in the characteristic’s historical trends.
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. Larger, more established companies may be slow to respond to challenges and may grow more slowly than smaller companies.
Small- and Mid-Capitalization Company Risk. Investing in securities of small- and 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 small- and 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.

Risks common to AAUS, AAUA, AAGW, AAEQ, and AAUB
Annual Reevaluation Risk. The Fund’s investment universe will be reevaluated annually by the Sub-Adviser. As a result, the Fund’s exposure to one or more securities may be affected by significant price movements promptly following the annual re-evaluation. Such lags between re-evaluations may result in significant performance swings relative to the broader equity markets.
Buying or Purchasing Options Risk. Options are instruments whose value is derived from that of other assets, rates, or indexes. Since many factors influence the value of an option, including the price of the underlying asset, the exercise price, the time to expiration, the interest rate, and the dividend rate of the underlying asset, the buyer’s success in implementing an option buying strategy may depend on an ability to predict movements in the prices of individual assets, fluctuations in markets, and movements in interest rates. There is no assurance that a liquid market will exist when the buyer seeks to close out any option position.
Investment Strategy Risk. There is no guarantee that the Fund will be able to successfully minimize the taxable income generated by an investment in Fund Shares.
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 Shares and greater risk of loss.
Sector Risk. If the Fund’s portfolio is overweighted in a certain sector, any negative economic, financial, market, business, or other developments affecting that sector will have a greater impact on the Fund than on a fund that is not overweighted in that sector. A certain sector may underperform other sectors or the market as a whole. Economic or market factors, regulation or deregulation, and technological or other developments may negatively impact all companies in a particular sector. This may increase the risk of loss associated with an investment in the Fund and increase the volatility of the Fund’s net asset value per share.

Risk specific to AAUA

MLP Risk. Investment in MLPs or ETFs that invest in MLPs involves risks that differ from investments in common stock, including risks related to limited control and limited rights to vote on matters affecting the MLP, risks related to potential conflicts of interest between the MLP and the MLP’s general partner, cash flow risks, dilution risks and risks related to the general partner’s right to require unit-holders to sell their common units at an undesirable time or price. Certain MLP securities may trade in lower volumes due to their smaller capitalizations. Accordingly, those MLPs may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements and may lack sufficient market liquidity to enable the Fund to effect sales at an advantageous time or without a substantial drop in price. MLPs are generally considered interest-rate sensitive investments. During periods of interest rate volatility, these investments may not provide attractive returns.

Risks common to QVAL and IVAL

Value Style Investing Risk. A value stock may not increase in price if other investors fail to recognize the company’s value and bid up the price, or the markets favor faster-growing companies. Cyclical stocks in which the Fund may invest tend to lose value more quickly in periods of anticipated economic downturns than non-cyclical stocks. Companies that may be considered out of favor, particularly companies emerging from bankruptcy, may tend to lose value more quickly in periods of anticipated economic downturns, may have difficulty retaining customers and suppliers and, during economic downturns, may have difficulty paying their debt obligations or finding additional financing.

Risks common to IVAL, IMOM, and AAVM
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.

Risks common to QMOM and IMOM
Momentum Style Risk. Investing in or having exposure to securities with the highest relative momentum entails investing in securities that have had above-average recent returns. These securities may be more volatile than a broad cross- section of securities. Returns on securities that have previously exhibited momentum may be less than returns on other styles of investing or the overall stock market. Momentum can turn quickly and cause significant variation from other types of investments, and stocks that previously exhibited high momentum may not experience continued highest relative momentum. In addition, there may be periods when the momentum style is out of favor, and during which the investment performance of the Fund using a momentum strategy may suffer.

Risks common to AAVM and HIDE
Fund of Funds Risk. Investment performance will largely depend on the investment performance of the selected underlying funds. An investment in the Fund(s) is subject to the risks associated with the underlying funds that then-currently comprise the Fund’s portfolio. At times, certain of the segments of the market represented by the Fund’s underlying funds may be out of favor and underperform other segments. The Fund will indirectly pay a proportional share of the expenses of the underlying funds in which it invests (including operating expenses and management fees), which are identified in the fee schedule above as “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses.”

Risks common to CAOS, Cboe:BOXX, BOXA, AAUS, AAUA, AAGW, AAEQ, and AAUB
Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk is the risk that a counterparty to a financial instrument held by the Fund or by a special purpose or structured vehicle invested in by the Fund may become insolvent or otherwise fail to perform its obligations, and the Fund may obtain no or limited recovery of its investment, and any recovery may be significantly delayed. Exchange listed options, including FLEX Options, are issued and guaranteed for settlement by the Options Clearing Corporation (“OCC”). The Fund’s investments are at risk that the OCC will be unable or unwilling to perform its obligations under the option contract terms. In the unlikely event that the OCC becomes insolvent or is otherwise unable to meet its settlement obligations, the Fund could suffer significant losses.

Risks common to CAOS, Cboe:BOXX, and BOXA
Selling or Writing Options. Writing option contracts can result in losses that exceed the seller’s initial investment and may lead to additional turnover and higher tax liability. The risk involved in writing a call option is that there could be an increase in the market value of the underlying or reference asset. Valuation Risk. Some portfolio holdings, potentially a large portion of the Fund’s investment portfolio, may be valued on the basis of factors other than market quotations. This may occur more often in times of market turmoil or reduced liquidity. Unlike most other ETFs, the Fund expects to effect a substantial portion of its creations for cash, rather than in-kind securities. The use of cash creations may also cause the Fund’s shares to trade in the market at greater bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV. As a practical matter, only institutions and large investors, such as market makers or other large broker dealers, create or redeem shares directly through the Fund. Most investors will buy and sell shares of the Fund on an exchange through a broker-dealer. During market conditions in which short-term interest rates are at low levels, the Fund’s yield can be very low, and the Fund may have a negative yield (i.e., it may lose money on an operating basis). During these conditions, it is possible that the Fund will generate an insufficient amount of income to pay its expenses. The Fund’s investment strategy is expected to result in a higher portfolio turnover rate (100% or more). This will increase the Fund’s brokerage commission costs, which could negatively impact the performance of the Fund. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors have no track record or history on which to base their investment decision. There can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size.
Box Spread Risk. A Box Spread is a synthetic bond created by combining different options trades that have offsetting spreads (e.g., purchases and sales on the same underlying instrument, such as an index or an ETF, but with different strike prices). Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk is the risk that a counterparty to a financial instrument held by the Fund may become insolvent or otherwise fail to perform its obligations, and the Fund may obtain no or limited recovery of its investment, and any recovery may be significantly delayed. Equity Securities Risk. Investments in securities whose performance is linked to that of equity securities, such as SPX Options, may fluctuate in value in response to many factors, including the activities of the individual issuers included in the Index, general market and economic conditions, interest rates, and specific industry changes. Such price fluctuations subject the Fund to potential losses.
Limited Number of Authorized Participants, Market Makers and Liquidity Providers. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants (“APs”). Cash Creation Unit Risk. Unlike most other ETFs, the Fund expects to effect a substantial portion of its creations for cash, rather than in-kind securities. The use of cash creations may also cause the Fund’s shares to trade in the market at greater bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV.
FLEX Options Risk. FLEX Options are exchange-traded options contracts with uniquely customizable terms like exercise price, style, and expiration date. Due to their customization and potentially unique terms, FLEX Options may be less liquid than other securities, such as standard exchange listed options.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are instruments, such as futures contracts, whose value is derived from that of other assets, rates, or indices. The use of derivatives for non-hedging purposes may be considered to carry more risk than other types of investments.

Risks specific to HIDE
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified, meaning that it is permitted to invest a larger percentage of its assets in fewer issuers than diversified funds.
Commodity Risk. Investing in physical commodities is speculative and can be extremely volatile. Market prices of commodities may fluctuate rapidly based on numerous factors, including: changes in supply and demand relationships (whether actual, perceived, anticipated, unanticipated or unrealized); weather; agriculture; trade; domestic and foreign political and economic events and policies; diseases; pestilence; technological developments; currency exchange rate fluctuations; and monetary and other governmental policies, action and inaction. When the Fund obtains exposure to commodities through its investments in other underlying funds, it will be indirectly exposed to the foregoing risks.
Real Estate Investment Risk. Companies in the real estate sector include companies that invest in real estate, such as real estate investment trusts (REITs) and real estate management and development companies. Companies that invest in real estate are subject to the risks of owning real estate directly as well as to risks that relate specifically to the way that such companies operate, including management risk (such companies are dependent upon the management skills of a few key individuals and may have limited financial resources). Adverse economic, business or political developments affecting real estate could have a major effect on the value of an underlying fund’s investments. Investing in real estate is subject to such risks as decreases in real estate values, overbuilding, increased competition and other risks related to local or general economic conditions, increases in operating costs and property taxes, changes in zoning laws, casualty or condemnation losses, possible environmental liabilities, regulatory limitations on rent, possible lack of availability of mortgage financing, market saturation, fluctuations in rental income and the value of underlying properties and extended vacancies of properties. Certain real estate securities have a relatively small market capitalization, which may tend to increase the volatility of the market price of these securities. Real estate securities have limited diversification and are, therefore, subject to risks inherent in operating and financing a limited number of projects. Real estate securities are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency and defaults by borrowers or tenants. The Fund’s investments in REITs are subject to additional risks, such as poor performance by the manager of the REIT or failure by the REIT to qualify for tax-free pass through of income under the Code.
Fixed Income Risk. The market value of fixed income securities will change in response to interest rate changes and other factors, such as changes in the effective maturities and credit ratings of fixed income investments. During periods of falling interest rates, the values of outstanding fixed income securities and related financial instruments generally rise. Conversely, during periods of rising interest rates, the values of such securities and related financial instruments generally decline. Fixed income investments are also subject to credit risk.
Risk of U.S. Treasury Bills. Direct obligations of the U.S. Treasury have historically involved little risk of loss of principal if held to maturity. However, due to fluctuations in interest rates, the market value of such securities may vary.

351 Exchange Risks
Section 351 of the US Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) permits the transfer of ownership in a basket of securities with unrealized capital gains to a newly-formed ETF without recognizing those gains at the time of transfer, assuming certain conditions are met. IRC section 368(a)(2)(F) requires registered investment companies (RICs) to satisfy diversification requirements of at least 50% of assets in positions representing no more than 5% per issuer and 10% of an issuer’s voting securities, and no more than 25% of assets in any one issuer (or controlled group or Qualified Publicly Traded Partnership (QPTP)). The rules surrounding a §351 exchange involving securities are complex. It is highly recommended to consult with a tax advisor or tax attorney to ensure compliance with IRS regulations and avoid unintended tax consequences. The information presented herein should not be construed or relied upon as tax, legal, or financial advice.
New Fund Risk. The Fund(s) are a recently organized investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors have no track record or history on which to base their investment decision. There can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size.
In-Kind Contribution Risk. At its launch, the Fund(s) expect to acquire a material amount of assets through one or more in-kind contributions that are intended to qualify as tax-deferred transactions governed by Section 351 of the Internal Revenue Code. If one or more of the in-kind contributions were to fail to qualify for tax-deferred treatment, then the Fund(s) would not take a carryover tax basis in the applicable contributed assets and would not benefit from a tacked holding period in those assets. This could cause the Fund(s) to incorrectly calculate and report to shareholders the amount of gain or loss recognized and/or the character of gain or loss (e.g., as long-term or short-term) on the subsequent disposition of such assets.

Tax-related matters
Tax disclaimer. Neither Alpha Architect nor its affiliates provide tax advice.
IRS Circular 230 disclosure. To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that any tax advice contained in this communication was not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding tax-related penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any matters addressed herein. You should seek advice based on your particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor. The information contained in this communication is not meant to substitute for a thorough estate planning and is not meant to be legal and/or estate advice. It is intended to provide you with a preliminary outline of your goals. Please consult your legal counsel for additional information.
Estate Planning Notice. The information included in this communication is not intended as a substitute for comprehensive estate planning and does not constitute legal or estate advice. It serves only as a preliminary outline of how tax-free conversions operate. For detailed guidance, we recommend consulting your legal counsel.

Definitions
Basis Points (bps). A basis point is a standardized unit used to quote percentages. One basis point equals 0.01% (one one-hundredth of one percent). Therefore, 100 basis points = 1%. Basis points help express small movements or differences with precision. For example, a change from 4.25% to 4.50% is an increase of 25 basis points.

Shares of the Funds are not FDIC Insured, may lose value, and have no bank guarantee.

The Funds are distributed by PINE Distributors LLC. The Funds’ investment adviser is Empowered Funds, LLC, which is doing business as ETF Architect. Alpha Architect, LLC serves as the Sub-adviser to the Funds. PINE Distributors LLC is not affiliated with ETF Architect or Alpha Architect, LLC.

ETFAC-5033016-12/25; ETFAC-5047689-12/25; ETFAC-5044558-12/25; ETFAC-5300690-3/26; ETFAC-5292675-3/26