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Touchstone Funds Group Trust – ‘497’ on 8/6/19

On: Tuesday, 8/6/19, at 4:13pm ET · Effective: 8/6/19 · Accession #: 914243-19-107 · File #: 333-232307

  As Of               Filer                 Filing    For·On·As Docs:Size

 8/06/19  Touchstone Funds Group Trust      497         8/06/19    1:2.7M
          → Touchstone Ares Credit Opportunities Fund ⇒ Class A (TMARX) — Class C (TMACX) — Class Y (TMAYX) — Institutional Class (TARBX)

Definitive Material — Rule 497
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497 TST Credit Opps - Proxy-Prospectus-SAI FINAL Combined Document

Filed pursuant to Rule 497(b)

File No. 333-232307

TOUCHSTONE CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES FUND

a series of

TOUCHSTONE STRATEGIC TRUST

303 Broadway, Suite 1100

Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

(800) 543-0407

August 6, 2019

Dear Shareholder:

We have important information concerning your investment in the Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund (the “Target Fund”), a series of Touchstone Strategic Trust (the “Target Trust”). As a shareholder of the Target Fund, we wish to inform you that the Board of Trustees of the Target Trust has approved the reorganization, subject to shareholder approval, of the Target Fund into the Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund (the “Acquiring Fund,” and together with the Target Fund, the “Funds”), a series of Touchstone Funds Group Trust (the “Acquiring Trust”) (the “Reorganization”). The investment advisor to both Funds is Touchstone Advisors, Inc. (“Touchstone Advisors”). The Funds have the same investment goals and principal investment strategies and are both sub-advised by Ares Capital Management II LLC (“Ares”).

The Reorganization is intended to eliminate the offering of multiple funds with the same investment goal and principal investment strategies and has the potential to provide efficiencies and economies of scale for the combined Fund.

Pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization, the Target Fund will transfer all of its assets and liabilities to the Acquiring Fund. As a result of the Reorganization, you will receive shares of the Acquiring Fund that will have a total value as of the close of business on the closing date of the Reorganization equal to the total value of your shares in the Target Fund as of such time. The Target Fund will then cease operations and terminate. The Reorganization is expected to be completed on or about September 6, 2019.

The following table shows the share class of the Acquiring Fund that will be issued to each corresponding share class of the Target Fund.



Target Fund and Share Classes	Acquiring Fund and Share Classes
Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund, a series of the Target Trust	Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund, a series of the Acquiring Trust
Class A Class C Class Y Institutional Class	Class A Class C Class Y Institutional Class

The Board of Trustees of the Target Trust recommends that you vote FOR the Reorganization proposal.

We have enclosed a Proxy Statement/Prospectus that describes the Reorganization proposal in greater detail, as well as important information about the Acquiring Fund. Please contact Shareholder Services at (800) 543-0407 with any questions.

Sincerely,

Jill T. McGruder

President

Touchstone Strategic Trust

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

We recommend that you read the enclosed Proxy Statement/Prospectus. In addition to the detailed information in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus, the following questions and answers provide an overview of key features of the Reorganization.

Q. Why are we sending you the Proxy Statement/Prospectus?

A. On May 16, 2019, the Board of Trustees of the Target Trust (the “Board”) approved the Reorganization of the Target Fund into the Acquiring Fund, subject to the approval of the Target Fund’s shareholders. As a shareholder of the Target Fund, you are receiving the enclosed Proxy Statement/Prospectus in connection with a special shareholder meeting of the Target Trust with respect to the Target Fund. At the special meeting, shareholders of the Target Fund will be asked to vote on the approval of an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization providing for the reorganization of the Target Fund into the Acquiring Fund.

Q. Why has the Board recommended the Reorganization proposal?

A. Touchstone Advisors recommended, and the Board approved, the Reorganization in order to eliminate the offering of multiple funds with the same investment goal and principal investment strategies. The Board considered information provided by Touchstone Advisors regarding potential benefits of the Reorganization, including that (1) shareholders would be able to continue their investment in a Fund with the same investment goals and strategies, (2) the combined assets will provide the potential for economies of scale for shareholders of the combined Fund and will reduce redundancies within the Touchstone Funds’ product lineup, (3) both Funds have the same share classes and (4) the advisory fee schedules, sub-advisory fee schedules and expense caps for each Fund are identical.

Q. What will happen to my existing shares?

A. Immediately after the Reorganization, you will own shares of the Acquiring Fund that have a total value as of the close of business on the date of the Reorganization equal to the total value of your shares of the Target Fund as of such time (although the number of shares and the net asset value per share may be different).

Q. How do the fees and expenses of the Funds compare?

A. At the February 12, 2019 meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Acquiring Trust, the Board approved changes, which took effect May 11, 2019, with regard to the Acquiring Fund’s name, investment goal and principal investment strategies and risks in connection with its appointment of Ares Capital Management II LLC (“Ares”) as sub-advisor to the Acquiring Fund. In addition, the Board of Trustees of the Acquiring Trust approved an amendment to the Acquiring Fund’s investment management agreement to reduce the Fund’s advisory fee to an annual rate of 0.60%. The advisory fee rate of the Acquiring Fund is the same as the advisory fee rate of the Target Fund.

In addition, each Fund has entered into an expense limitation agreement with Touchstone Advisors, each Fund’s investment advisor. Touchstone Advisors has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its fees and reimburse certain Fund expenses in order to limit annual fund operating expenses for each Fund. At the February 12, 2019 meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Acquiring Trust, the Board approved an amendment, which took effect May 11, 2019, to the Acquiring Fund’s expense limitation agreement, to further reduce the Acquiring Fund’s expense levels. The expense limitation for each share class of the Acquiring Fund is the same as the expense limitation for the corresponding share class of the Target Fund. The expense limitation agreement for the Target Fund is effective through February 29, 2020. The expense limitation agreement for the Acquiring Fund is effective through May 30, 2020 and after the Reorganization, will be effective through September 29, 2020.

For Classes A and C shares, the Funds have the same 12b-1 fees and sales charges. Class Y and Institutional Class shares of each Fund are not subject to any 12b-1 fees or sales charges.

The section titled “Summary—Reorganization—How do the Funds’ fees and expenses compare?” of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus compares the fees and expenses of the Funds in detail and the section titled “The Funds’ Management—Expense Limitation Agreement” provides additional information regarding the expense limitation agreements.

Q. How do the Funds’ investment goals and principal investment strategies compare?

A. Following the Board of Trustees of the Acquiring Trust’s approval of changes to the Acquiring Fund’s investment goal and principal investment strategies, which took effect May 11, 2019, the Funds have the same investment goal and



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principal investment strategies. The investment goal of the Funds is to seek absolute total return, primarily from income and capital appreciation. Each Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (including the amount of borrowings for investment purposes) in U.S. and non-U.S. debt instruments. The section of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus titled “Summary—Reorganization—How do the Funds’ investment goals and principal investment strategies compare?” describes the investment goal and principal investment strategies of each Fund.

Q. Who will manage the Acquiring Fund after the Reorganization?

A. Touchstone Advisors serves as the investment advisor to both Funds. At the February 12, 2019 meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Acquiring Trust, the Board approved Ares as sub-advisor to the Acquiring Fund, which took effect May 11, 2019. Ares is the sub-advisor to both Funds and the portfolio managers for each Fund are Seth Brufsky, Jason Duko and Kapil Singh. For more information please see the sections of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus titled “Summary—Reorganization—Who will be the Advisor, Sub-Advisor, and Portfolio Managers of my Fund after the Reorganization?”, “The Funds’ Management—Investment Advisor” and “The Funds’ Management—Sub-Advisor and Portfolio Managers.”

Q. What are the primary federal income tax consequences of the Reorganization?

A. You are not expected to recognize any gain or loss for federal income tax purposes on the exchange of your shares of the Target Fund for shares of the Acquiring Fund. The Reorganization is intended to qualify as a tax-free reorganization for federal income tax purposes. The sections of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus titled “Summary—Reorganization—What will be the primary federal income tax consequences of the Reorganization?” and “Information About the Reorganization—Material Federal Income Tax Consequences” of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus provide additional information regarding the federal income tax consequences of the Reorganization.

Because the Funds’ investment goals and principal investment strategies are the same, no repositioning is expected solely as a result of the Reorganization. The Acquiring Fund may buy and sell portfolio securities in the ordinary course consistent with its investment strategies.

For more information, please see the sections of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus titled “Summary—Reorganization—What will be the primary federal income tax consequences of the Reorganization?”, “Summary—Reorganization—Will there be any repositioning costs?” and “Information About the Reorganization—Material Federal Income Tax Consequences.”

Q. Will I have to pay any sales load, commission, or other similar fee in connection with the Reorganization?

A. No, you will not pay any sales load, commission, or other similar fee in connection with the shares of the Acquiring Fund you will receive in the Reorganization, and any contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) holding period on your shares of the Target Fund will carry over to the shares of the Acquiring Fund that you receive in the Reorganization. However, following the Reorganization, additional purchases, exchanges and redemptions of shares of the Acquiring Fund will be subject to any applicable sales loads, commissions, and other similar fees.

Q. Who will pay the costs of the Reorganization?

A. Touchstone Advisors, and not the Funds, will bear 100% of the costs of the Reorganization, which are estimated to be approximately $90,000 or approximately 0.15% of the Target Fund’s net assets (as of May 31, 2019), whether or not the Reorganization is completed.

Q. What if I redeem my shares before the Reorganization takes place?

A. If you choose to redeem your shares before the Reorganization takes place, then the redemption will be treated as a normal sale of shares and, generally, will be a taxable transaction and may be subject to any applicable CDSC.

Q. What will happen if shareholders of the Target Fund do not approve the Reorganization or the transaction is not completed?

A. If the shareholders of the Target Fund do not approve the Reorganization or other closing conditions are not satisfied or waived, the Reorganization will not be completed, and the Board will consider other possible courses of action for the Target Fund, including continuing to operate the Fund as a stand-alone fund or merging the Fund into another Touchstone Fund.

Q. When will the Reorganization occur?



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A. The Reorganization is expected to be completed on or about September 6, 2019.

Q. Who should I contact for more information?

A. You can contact Shareholder Services at (800) 543-0407 for more information.



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TOUCHSTONE CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES FUND

a series of

TOUCHSTONE STRATEGIC TRUST

303 Broadway, Suite 1100

Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

(800) 543-0407

NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

TO BE HELD ON AUGUST 26, 2019

To the Shareholders:

Notice is hereby given that a special meeting of shareholders of Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund (the “Target Fund”), a series of Touchstone Strategic Trust (the “Target Trust”), will be held at the offices of the Target Trust, 303 Broadway, Suite 1100, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45202 on August 26, 2019 at 1:00 p.m., Eastern time, and any adjournment or postponement thereof (the “Special Meeting”). At the Special Meeting, shareholders of the Target Fund will be asked to consider the following proposal:

To approve an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization (the “Plan”) between the Target Fund, a series of the Target Trust, and the Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund (the “Acquiring Fund”), a series of Touchstone Funds Group Trust, providing for (i) the transfer of all the assets of the Target Fund to the Acquiring Fund in exchange solely for Class A, Class C, Class Y and Institutional Class shares of the Acquiring Fund and the assumption by the Acquiring Fund of all the liabilities of the Target Fund; and (ii) the liquidating distribution by class of the Acquiring Fund’s shares to the Target Fund’s shareholders in proportion to their holdings and termination of the Target Fund (the “Reorganization”).

The Board of Trustees of the Target Trust has fixed the close of business on June 28, 2019 as the record date for determination of shareholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the Special Meeting.

Please complete, sign, date and return your proxy card in the postage paid return envelope or otherwise vote promptly regardless of the number of shares owned.

Shareholders who do not expect to attend the Special Meeting are requested to complete, sign, date and return the enclosed proxy card in the enclosed envelope, which needs no postage if mailed in the United States. Shareholders may also vote by telephone or via the Internet. Instructions for the proper execution of the proxy card are set forth immediately following this notice or, with respect to telephone or internet voting, on the proxy card. It is important that you vote promptly.



	Jill T. McGruder
	President
	Touchstone Strategic Trust

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SIGNING PROXY CARDS

The following general rules for signing proxy cards may be of assistance to you and avoid the time and expense to the Target Trust in validating your vote if you fail to sign your proxy card properly.

1. Individual Accounts: Sign your name exactly as it appears in the registration on the proxy card.

2. Joint Accounts: Either party may sign, but the name of the party signing should conform exactly to the name shown in the registration on the proxy card.

3. All Other Accounts: The capacity of the individual signing the proxy card should be indicated unless it is reflected in the form of registration. For example:



Registration		Valid Signature
Corporate Accounts
(1) ABC Corp.		ABC Corp.
(2) ABC Corp		John Doe, Treasurer
(3) ABC Corp. c/o John Doe, Treasurer		John Doe
(4) ABC Corp. Profit Sharing Plan		John Doe, Trustee
Trust Accounts
(1) ABC Trust		Jane B. Doe, Trustee
(2) Jane B. Doe, Trustee u/t/d 12/28/78		Jane B. Doe
Custodial or Estate Accounts
(1) John B. Smith, Cust. f/b/o John B. Smith, Jr. UGMA		John B. Smith
(2) Estate of John B. Smith		John B. Smith, Jr., Executor

Every shareholder’s vote is important!

Please complete, sign, date and return your proxy card today!

Your proxy vote is important!

PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS

AUGUST 6, 2019

TOUCHSTONE CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES FUND

a series of

TOUCHSTONE STRATEGIC TRUST

303 Broadway, Suite 1100

Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

(800) 543-0407

TOUCHSTONE CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES II FUND

a series of

TOUCHSTONE FUNDS GROUP TRUST

303 Broadway, Suite 1100

Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

(800) 543-0407

This Proxy Statement/Prospectus is being furnished to shareholders of the Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund (the “Target Fund”), a series of Touchstone Strategic Trust (the “Target Trust”). The Board of Trustees of the Target Trust has called a special meeting of shareholders of the Target Fund to be held at the offices of the Target Trust, 303 Broadway, Suite 1100, Cincinnati, Ohio 42502, on August 26, 2019 at 1:00 p.m., Eastern time, and any adjournment or postponement thereof (the “Special Meeting”). This Proxy Statement/Prospectus and the enclosed proxy are first being sent to shareholders of the Target Fund on or about August 9, 2019.

Shareholders of record of the Target Fund as of the close of business on June 28, 2019 (the “Record Date”) are entitled to vote at the Special Meeting and any adjournments or postponements thereof. At the Special Meeting, shareholders of the Target Fund will be asked to consider a proposal to approve an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization (the “Plan”) between the Target Fund, a series of the Target Trust, and the Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund (the “Acquiring Fund”), a series of Touchstone Funds Group Trust (the “Acquiring Trust”), providing for (i) the transfer of all the assets of the Target Fund to the Acquiring Fund in exchange solely for Class A, Class C, Class Y, and Institutional Class shares of the Acquiring Fund and the assumption by the Acquiring Fund of all the liabilities of the Target Fund; and (ii) the liquidating distribution by class of the Acquiring Fund’s shares to the Target Fund’s shareholders in proportion to their holdings and termination of the Target Fund (the “Reorganization”).

The Board of Trustees of each of the Target Trust and the Acquiring Trust (each a “Trust,” and together the “Trusts”) is comprised of the same individual board members. The Board of Trustees of the Target Trust (the “Board”) has approved the proposed Reorganization. In the Reorganization, you will receive shares of the Acquiring Fund in an amount equal in value to the shares of the Target Fund that you hold in each case measured as of the close of business on the date of the Reorganization (although the number of shares and the net asset value per share may be different). As a shareholder of the Target Fund, you are being asked to vote to approve the Plan pursuant to which these transactions will be accomplished. The Reorganization is expected to be completed on or about September 6, 2019.

The Board has approved the proposed Reorganization and recommends that shareholders of the Target Fund vote in favor of the proposal to approve the Plan.

Each of the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund is a series of a registered open-end investment company (mutual fund). The Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund are sometimes referred to in this Proxy Statement/Prospectus individually as a “Fund” and collectively as the “Funds.”

This Proxy Statement/Prospectus, which you should read carefully and retain for future reference, concisely presents the information that you should know about the Funds and the Reorganization for purposes of voting on the proposal. This document also serves as a prospectus for the offering and issuance of shares of the Acquiring Fund to be issued in the Reorganization. A Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) dated August 6, 2019 relating to this Proxy Statement/Prospectus and the Reorganization has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and is

incorporated by reference into this Proxy Statement/Prospectus (meaning it is legally a part of this Proxy Statement/Prospectus).

Additional information concerning the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund is contained in the documents described below, all of which have been filed with the SEC.



Information About the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund:		How to Obtain this Information:
Prospectuses 1. Prospectus relating to the Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund dated October 30, 2018, as supplemented through the date of this Proxy Statement/Prospectus (File Nos. 002-80859 and 811-03651). 2. Prospectus relating to the Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund dated May 14, 2019, as supplemented through the date of this Proxy Statement/Prospectus (File Nos. 033-70958 and 811-08104). Statements of Additional Information 1. SAI relating to the Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund dated October 30, 2018, as supplemented through the date of this Proxy Statement/Prospectus (File Nos. 002-80859 and 811-03651). 2. SAI relating to the Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund dated May 14, 2019, as supplemented through the date of this Proxy Statement/Prospectus (File Nos. 033-70958 and 811-08104). Annual Reports 1. Annual Report relating to the Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018 (File No. 811-03651). 2. Annual Report relating to Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund (formerly known as the Touchstone Arbitrage Fund) for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 (File No. 811-08104). Semi-Annual Report 1. Semi-Annual Report relating to the Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund for the six months ended December 31, 2018 (File No. 811-03651). 2. Semi-Annual Report relating to the Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund (formerly known as the Touchstone Arbitrage Fund) for the six months ended March 31, 2019 (File No. 811-08104).		Copies are available upon request and without charge if you: • Write to Touchstone Strategic Trust or Touchstone Funds Group Trust, P.O. Box 9878, Providence, Rhode Island 02940; or • Call (800) 543-0407 toll-free; or • Download a copy from TouchstoneInvestments.com/Resources

You can also obtain copies of any of the above-referenced documents without charge on the EDGAR database on the SEC’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov. Copies are available for a fee by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov.

This Proxy Statement/Prospectus sets forth the information shareholders of the Target Fund should know before voting on the Reorganization (in effect, investing in shares of the Acquiring Fund) and constitutes an offering of shares of beneficial interest, $0.01 par value per share, of the Acquiring Fund. Please read this Proxy Statement/Prospectus carefully and retain it for future reference.

THE SEC HAS NOT DETERMINED THAT THE INFORMATION IN THIS PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS IS ACCURATE OR ADEQUATE, NOR HAS IT APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THESE SECURITIES. ANYONE WHO TELLS YOU OTHERWISE IS COMMITTING A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.

An investment in the Acquiring Fund:


•	is not a deposit of, or guaranteed by, any bank


•	is not insured by the FDIC, the Federal Reserve Board or any other government agency


•	is not endorsed by any bank or government agency


•	involves investment risk, including possible loss of your original investment

TABLE OF CONTENTS



	Page
SUMMARY	1
Background	1
Reorganization	1
Principal Risks	13
INFORMATION ABOUT THE REORGANIZATION	15
Reasons for the Reorganization	15
Agreement and Plan of Reorganization	16
Description of the Securities to be Issued	17
Material Federal Income Tax Consequences	17
Pro Forma Capitalization	19
THE FUNDS’ MANAGEMENT	20
Investment Advisor	20
Sub-Advisor and Portfolio Managers	21
Advisory and Sub-Advisory Agreement Approval	22
Expense Limitation Agreement	22
Other Service Providers	23
CHOOSING A CLASS OF SHARES	23
Class A Shares	23
Class C Shares	24
Class Y Shares	24
Institutional Class Shares	24
Buying and Selling Fund Shares	24
Exchange Privileges of the Funds	25
Distribution Policy	26
DISTRIBUTION AND SHAREHOLDER SERVICING ARRANGEMENTS	26
INFORMATION ON SHAREHOLDERS’ RIGHTS	27
VOTING INFORMATION CONCERNING THE SPECIAL MEETING	31
LEGAL MATTERS	32
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION	32
OTHER BUSINESS	32
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS	33
EXHIBIT A: FORM OF AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF REORGANIZATION	A-1
EXHIBIT B: FUNDAMENTAL INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS	B-1
EXHIBIT C: CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF SECURITIES	C-1

SUMMARY

This section summarizes the primary features of the Reorganization. It may not contain all of the information that is important to you. To understand the Reorganization, you should read this entire Proxy Statement/Prospectus and the exhibits. This summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the additional information contained elsewhere in this Proxy Statement/Prospectus, the SAI, and the Plan, a form of which is attached to this Proxy Statement/Prospectus as Exhibit A.

Background

The inception date of the Target Fund is August 31, 2015. As of May 31, 2019, the Target Fund had net assets of $58.6 million. The inception date of the Acquiring Fund is September 30, 2013. As of May 31, 2019, the Acquiring Fund had net assets of $64.4 million.

At the February 12, 2019 meeting of Board of Trustees of the Acquiring Trust, the Board approved changes, which took effect May 11, 2019, to the Acquiring Fund’s name, investment goal and principal investment strategies and risks, in connection with the Board’s approval of Ares Capital Management II LLC (“Ares”) as sub-advisor to the Acquiring Fund.

Reorganization

What are the reasons for the Reorganization?

The Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund are managed by the same sub-advisor and have the same investment goals and principal investment strategies. The Reorganization is designed to eliminate the offering of multiple funds with the same investment goal and principal investment strategies and has the potential to provide efficiencies and economies of scale for the combined Fund.

At the May 16, 2019 meeting, the Board of Trustees of each Trust, including those trustees who are not “interested persons,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) (the “Independent Trustees”), determined that the Reorganization was in the best interests of its respective Fund and that the interests of existing shareholders of each Fund will not be diluted as a result of the Reorganization. The Board approved the Reorganization and recommended that shareholders of the Target Fund approve the Reorganization at the Special Meeting. The Board of Trustees of each Trust considered the following factors, among others: the investment goals, principal investment strategies, sub-advisor and portfolio managers of the Funds; the historical investment performance record of the Funds; the advice and recommendation of Touchstone Advisors, including its opinion that the Reorganization would be in the best interests of the Funds and that the combined Fund would have a greater opportunity to achieve economies of scale than either Fund operating individually; and the investment advisory fee and other fees paid by the Funds, the expense ratios of the Funds and the contractual limitations on the Funds’ expenses. For more information, please see the section titled “Information About the Reorganization—Reasons for the Reorganization.”

What are the key features of the Reorganization?

The Plan sets forth the key features of the Reorganization. The Plan provides for the following:


•	the transfer of all the assets of the Target Fund to the Acquiring Fund in exchange solely for Class A, Class C, Class Y and Institutional Class shares of the Acquiring Fund and the assumption by the Acquiring Fund of all the liabilities of the Target Fund;


•	the distribution by class of the Acquiring Fund’s shares to the Target Fund shareholders of the corresponding class, in proportion to their holdings, in complete liquidation and termination of the Target Fund; and


•	the receipt of an opinion of counsel that the Reorganization qualifies as a tax-free reorganization for federal income tax purposes.

The Reorganization is expected to be completed on or about September 6, 2019.

After the Reorganization, what shares of the Acquiring Fund will I own?



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Each Fund is a series of a registered open-end management investment company (i.e., a mutual fund). In the Reorganization, you will receive the same class of shares in the Acquiring Fund as you currently own in the Target Fund. The Acquiring Fund shares you receive will have the same total value as your shares of the Target Fund, in each case measured as of the close of business on the date of the Reorganization.

How do the Funds’ fees and expenses compare?

Comparative Fee Tables. The following tables allow you to compare the various fees and expenses that you may pay for buying and holding shares of each Fund. Pro forma expenses project anticipated expenses of the Acquiring Fund following the Reorganization. Actual expenses may be greater or less than those shown. The shareholder transaction expenses presented below show the maximum sales charge (load) on purchases of Fund shares as a percentage of offering price. The Target Fund shareholders will not pay any front-end sales charge on any shares of the Acquiring Fund received as part of the Reorganization. However, the holding period related to any contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) applicable to shares of the Target Fund will carry over to shares of the Acquiring Fund received as part of the Reorganization.

You may qualify for sales charge discounts for Class A shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $25,000 in the Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional, in the section titled “Choosing a Class of Shares—Class A Shares” below, and in each Fund’s prospectus in the section titled Appendix A–Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts and on page 90 of the Target Fund’s SAI (dated October 30, 2018) and page 52 of the Acquiring Fund’s SAI (dated May 14, 2019) in the section titled “Choosing a Class of Shares.” If you purchase Class Y shares through a broker acting solely as an agent on behalf of its customers, that broker may charge you a commission. Such commissions, if any, are not charged by the Fund and are not reflected in the fee table or expense example below.

Expense ratios reflect annual fund operating expenses for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 for the Target Fund and March 31, 2019 for the Acquiring Fund. Pro forma numbers are estimated as if the Reorganization had been completed as of March 31, 2019 and do not include the estimated costs of the Reorganization, which will be borne by Touchstone Advisors and not the Funds, whether or not the Reorganization is completed.



	Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund Class A		Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund Class A		Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund after Reorganization (pro forma) Class A
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	5.00%		5.00%		5.00%
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or the amount redeemed, whichever is less)	None		None		None
Wire Redemption Fee*	Up to $15		Up to $15		Up to $15
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
Management Fees	0.60%	⁽¹⁾	0.60%	⁽²⁾	0.60%
Distribution and/or Shareholder Service (12b-1) Fees	0.25%		0.25%		0.25%
Other Expenses
Dividend and Interest Expenses on Securities Sold Short	0.09%		0.23%		0.09%	⁽³⁾
Liquidity Provider Expenses	0.00%		0.01%		0.00%	⁽³⁾
Other Operating Expenses	6.13%		0.77%		0.84%	⁽³⁾
Total Other Expenses	6.22%		1.01%		0.93%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (AFFE)	0.01%		0.01%		0.01%	⁽³⁾
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	7.08%	⁽⁴⁾	1.87%	⁽⁵⁾	1.79%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement	(5.90)%	⁽⁶⁾	(0.54)%	⁽⁷⁾	(0.61)%	⁽⁷⁾
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver or Expense Reimbursement	1.18%	^(4)(6)(8)	1.33%	^(5)(7)(9)	1.18%	⁽⁷⁾



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	Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund Class C		Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund Class C		Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund after Reorganization (pro forma) Class C
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	None		None		None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or the amount redeemed, whichever is less)	1.00%		1.00%		1.00%
Wire Redemption Fee*	Up to $15		Up to $15		Up to $15
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
Management Fees	0.60%	⁽¹⁾	0.60%	⁽²⁾	0.60%
Distribution and/or Shareholder Service (12b-1) Fees	1.00%		1.00%		1.00%
Other Expenses
Dividend and Interest Expenses on Securities Sold Short	0.09%		0.23%		0.09%	⁽³⁾
Liquidity Provider Expenses	0.00%		0.01%		0.00%	⁽³⁾
Other Operating Expenses	18.63%		0.68%		0.75%	⁽³⁾
Total Other Expenses	18.72%		0.92%		0.84%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (AFFE)	0.01%		0.01%		0.01%	⁽³⁾
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	20.33%	⁽⁴⁾	2.53%	⁽⁵⁾	2.45%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement	(18.40)%	⁽⁶⁾	(0.45)%	⁽⁷⁾	(0.52)%	⁽⁷⁾
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver or Expense Reimbursement	1.93%	^(4)(6)(8)	2.08%	^(5)(7)(9)	1.93%	⁽⁷⁾



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	Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund Class Y		Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund Class Y		Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund after Reorganization (pro forma) Class Y
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	None		None		None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or the amount redeemed, whichever is less)	None		None		None
Wire Redemption Fee*	Up to $15		Up to $15		Up to $15
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
Management Fees	0.60%	⁽¹⁾	0.60%	⁽²⁾	0.60%
Distribution and/or Shareholder Service (12b-1) Fees	None		None		None
Other Expenses
Dividend and Interest Expenses on Securities Sold Short	0.09%		0.23%		0.09%	⁽³⁾
Liquidity Provider Expenses	0.00%		0.01%		0.00%	⁽³⁾
Other Operating Expenses	2.38%		0.34%		0.35%	⁽³⁾
Total Other Expenses	2.47%		0.58%		0.44%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (AFFE)	0.01%		0.01%		0.01%	⁽³⁾
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	3.08%	⁽⁴⁾	1.19%	⁽⁵⁾	1.05%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement	(2.15)%	⁽⁶⁾	(0.11)%	⁽⁷⁾	(0.12)%	⁽⁷⁾
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver or Expense Reimbursement	0.93%	^(4)(6)(8)	1.08%	^(5)(7)(9)	0.93%	⁽⁷⁾



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	Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund Institutional Class		Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund Institutional Class		Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund after Reorganization (pro forma) Institutional Class
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	None		None		None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or the amount redeemed, whichever is less)	None		None		None
Wire Redemption Fee*	Up to $15		Up to $15		Up to $15
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
Management Fees	0.60%	⁽¹⁾	0.60%	⁽²⁾	0.60%
Distribution and/or Shareholder Service (12b-1) Fees	None		None		None
Other Expenses
Dividend and Interest Expenses on Securities Sold Short	0.09%		0.23%		0.09%	⁽³⁾
Liquidity Provider Expenses	0.00%		0.01%		0.00%	⁽³⁾
Other Operating Expenses	0.42%		0.29%		0.26%	⁽³⁾
Total Other Expenses	0.51%		0.53%		0.35%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (AFFE)	0.01%		0.01%		0.01%	⁽³⁾
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	1.12%	⁽⁴⁾	1.14%	⁽⁵⁾	0.96%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement	(0.29)%	⁽⁶⁾	(0.16)%	⁽⁷⁾	(0.13)%	⁽⁷⁾
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver or Expense Reimbursement	0.83%	^(4)(6)(8)	0.98%	^(5)(7)(9)	0.83%	⁽⁷⁾

*The wire redemption fee is capped at $15. In addition, the wire redemption fee may not exceed two percent (2%) of the amount being redeemed.

(1) Management Fees have been restated to reflect contractual changes to the Target Fund's Investment Advisory Agreement effective March 1, 2019.

(2) Management Fees have been restated to reflect contractual changes to the Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund's Investment Advisory Agreement effective May 11, 2019.

(3) Dividend and Interest Expenses on Securities Sold Short, Liquidity Provider Expenses, Other Operating Expenses, and Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are estimated based on fees and expenses incurred by other similar funds within the Touchstone fund complex during the most recent fiscal year.

(4) Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses have been restated to reflect Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and contractual changes to the Investment Advisory Agreement and changes in other expenses for the 12 month period ended December 31, 2018 and will differ from the ratio of expenses to average net assets that is included in the Target Fund's annual report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018.

(5) Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses have been restated to reflect Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and a contractual change in the Acquiring Fund's Investment Advisory Agreement effective May 11, 2019 and changes in other expenses for the 12 month period ended March 31, 2019 and will differ from the ratio of expenses to average net assets that is included in the Acquiring Fund's annual report for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.

(6) Touchstone Advisors and the Target Trust have entered into a contractual expense limitation agreement whereby Touchstone Advisors will waive a portion of its fees or reimburse certain Target Fund expenses (excluding dividend and interest expenses relating to short sales; interest; taxes; brokerage commissions and other transaction costs; portfolio transaction and investment related expenses, including expenses associated with the Target Fund's liquidity providers; other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles; the cost of “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses,” if any; and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of business) in order to limit annual Target Fund operating expenses to 1.08%, 1.83%, 0.83%, and 0.73% of average daily net assets for Classes A, C, Y and Institutional Class shares, respectively. This contractual expense limitation is effective through February 29, 2020, but can be terminated by a vote of the Board if it deems the termination to be beneficial to the Target Fund’s shareholders. The terms of the contractual expense limitation agreement provide that Touchstone Advisors is entitled to recoup, subject to approval by the Board, such amounts waived or reimbursed for a period of up to three years from the date on which Touchstone Advisors reduced its compensation or assumed expenses for the Target Fund. The Target Fund will make repayments to the Advisor only if such repayment does not cause the annual Target Fund operating expenses (after the repayment is taken into account) to exceed both (1) the expense cap in place when such amounts were waived and (2) the Target Fund's current expense limitation. Target Fund fees waived and expenses reimbursed by Touchstone Advisors prior to the closing of the Reorganization may not be recouped by Touchstone Advisors following the closing of the Reorganization.

(7) Touchstone Advisors and the Acquiring Trust have entered into a contractual expense limitation agreement whereby Touchstone Advisors will waive a portion of its fees or reimburse certain Acquiring Fund expenses (excluding dividend and interest expenses relating to short



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sales; interest; taxes; brokerage commissions and other transaction costs; portfolio transaction and investment related expenses, including expenses associated with the Acquiring Fund's liquidity providers; other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles; the cost of “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses,” if any; and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of business) in order to limit annual Acquiring Fund operating expenses to 1.08%, 1.83%, 0.83%, and 0.73% of average daily net assets for Classes A, C, Y and Institutional Class shares, respectively. This contractual expense limitation is effective through May 30, 2020, but can be terminated by a vote of the Board of Trustees of the Acquiring Trust if it deems the termination to be beneficial to the Acquiring Fund’s shareholders. The contractual expense limitation for the Acquiring Fund after the Reorganization will be effective through September 29, 2020. The terms of the contractual expense limitation agreement provide that Touchstone Advisors is entitled to recoup, subject to approval by the Board, such amounts waived or reimbursed for a period of up to three years from the date on which the Advisor reduced its compensation or assumed expenses for the Acquiring Fund. The Acquiring Fund will make repayments to the Advisor only if such repayment does not cause the annual Acquiring Fund operating expenses (after the repayment is taken into account) to exceed both (1) the expense cap in place when such amounts were waived or reimbursed and (2) the Acquiring Fund’s current expense limitation

(8) Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement will differ from the ratio of net expenses to average net assets that is shown the annual report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018 due to a contractual change in the Target Fund's expense limitation agreement that took effect March 1, 2019.

(9) Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement will differ from the ratio of net expenses to average net assets shown in the annual report for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 due to a contractual change in the Acquiring Fund's expense limitation agreement that took effect May 11, 2019.

Expense Example. The example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in each Fund and the Acquiring Fund (pro forma), assuming the Reorganization takes place. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 for the time periods indicated and redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the operating expenses remain as shown above and that the contractual expense limitation agreement for the Acquiring Fund after the Reorganization (pro forma) is in place for the first year. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:



	Assuming Redemption
Classes	1 Year		3 Years		5 Years		10 Years
Class A
Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund	$	614	$	1,982	$	3,293	$	6,340
Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund	$	629	$	1,009	$	1,413	$	2,539
Acquiring Fund after Reorganization (Pro Forma Combined)	$	614	$	979	$	1,367	$	2,452
Class C
Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund	$	296	$	3,769	$	6,330	$	9,994
Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund	$	311	$	745	$	1,305	$	2,832
Acquiring Fund after Reorganization (Pro Forma Combined)	$	296	$	714	$	1,259	$	2,747
Class Y
Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund	$	95	$	748	$	1,427	$	3,241
Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund	$	110	$	367	$	644	$	1,433
Acquiring Fund after Reorganization (Pro Forma Combined)	$	95	$	322	$	568	$	1,272
Institutional Class
Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund	$	85	$	327	$	589	$	1,337
Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund	$	100	$	346	$	612	$	1,372
Acquiring Fund after Reorganization (Pro Forma Combined)	$	85	$	293	$	518	$	1,166



	Assuming No Redemption
Class	1 Year		3 Years		5 Years		10 Years
Class C
Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund	$	196	$	3,769	$	6,330	$	9,994
Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund	$	211	$	745	$	1,305	$	2,832
Acquiring Fund after Reorganization (Pro Forma Combined)	$	196	$	714	$	1,259	$	2,747

Portfolio Turnover. Each Fund pays transaction costs, such as brokerage commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes



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when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Expense Example, affect the Funds’ performance. As of its most recent fiscal year end, the portfolio turnover rates for the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund were 70% and 254%, respectively. On May 11, 2019, the Acquiring Fund changed its name, principal investment strategies, and sub-advisor. Consequently, portfolio turnover for the Acquiring Fund is attributable to the previous sub-advisor and investment strategy.

How do the Funds’ performance records compare?

The bar charts and performance tables below illustrate some indication of the risks and volatility of an investment in the Funds by showing changes in the Funds’ performance from calendar year to calendar year and by showing how each Fund’s average annual total returns for one year, five years (as applicable) and since inception compare with the ICE BofA Merrill Lynch 3-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index. The bar charts do not reflect any sales charges, which would reduce your return. The performance tables reflect any applicable sales charges. The Funds’ past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate how the Funds will perform in the future. Updated performance is available at no cost by visiting TouchstoneInvestments.com or by calling (800) 543-0407.

Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund—Class A Shares Total Return as of December 31



Best Quarter: Third Quarter 2016 3.83%		Worst Quarter: Fourth Quarter 2018 (4.33)%

The Target Fund’s calendar year-to-date total return for Class A shares as of March 31, 2019 was 6.94%

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Your after-tax returns may differ from those shown and depend on your tax situation. The after-tax returns do not apply to shares held in an IRA, 401(k), or other tax-advantaged account. After-tax returns are only shown for Class A shares and after-tax returns for other classes will vary.



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Average Annual Total Returns

For the periods ended December 31, 2018



	Target Fund
	1 Year		Since Inception (August 31, 2015)
Class A
Return Before Taxes	(8.24)	%	1.84	%
Return After Taxes on Distributions	(10.57)	%	(1.57)	%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares	(4.75)	%	1.70	%
Class C
Return Before Taxes	(4.14)	%	3.03	%
Class Y
Return Before Taxes	(2.31)	%	3.92	%
Institutional Class
Return Before Taxes	(2.32)	%	4.02	%
ICE BofA Merrill Lynch 3-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	1.87	%	0.93	%

Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund—Class A Shares Total Return as of December 31



Best Quarter: Fourth Quarter 2015 2.33%		Worst Quarter: Fourth Quarter 2018 (2.24)%

The Acquiring Fund’s calendar year-to-date total return for Class A shares as of March 31, 2019 was 3.76%.



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Average Annual Total Returns

For the periods ended December 31, 2018



	Acquiring Fund
	1 Year		5 Years		Since Inception (September 30, 2013)
Class A
Return Before Taxes	(8.39)	%	(0.51)	%	(0.44)	%
Return After Taxes on Distributions	(8.93)	%	(1.30)	%	(1.19)	%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares	(4.90)	%	(0.67)	%	(0.60)	%
Class C
Return Before Taxes	(4.55)	%	(0.08)	%	(0.03)	%
Class Y
Return Before Taxes	(2.47)	%	1.00	%	1.01	%
Institutional Class
Return Before Taxes	(2.37)	%	1.08	%	1.10	%
ICE BofA Merrill Lynch 3-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index (reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes)	1.87	%	0.63	%	0.60	%

On May 11, 2019, the Acquiring Fund changed its name, principal investment strategies, and sub-advisor. Consequently, prior period performance would have been different if the Acquiring Fund had not been managed by the prior sub-advisor using such sub-advisor’s arbitrage strategy.

Tax Information

Each Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains except when shares are held through a tax-advantaged account, such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA. Withdrawals from a tax-advantaged account, however, may be taxable.

Financial Intermediary Compensation

If you purchase shares in a Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

Will I be able to purchase, redeem, and exchange shares the same way?

Yes, after the Reorganization you will be able to purchase, redeem, and exchange shares of the Acquiring Fund the same way that you purchase, redeem, and exchange shares of the Target Fund. For more information, see the sections titled “Choosing a Class of Shares—Buying and Selling Fund Shares” and “Choosing a Class of Shares—Exchange Privileges of the Funds.”

Will I be able to receive distributions the same way?

Like the Target Fund, the Acquiring Fund intends to distribute to its shareholders substantially all of its net investment income and capital gains. Each Fund declares and pays any net investment income dividends quarterly. After the Reorganization, the Acquiring Fund expects to declare and pay any net investment income dividends quarterly. Each Fund makes distributions of capital gains, if any, at least annually. After the Reorganization, any income and capital gains will be reinvested in the class of shares of the Acquiring Fund you receive in the Reorganization or, if you have so elected, distributed in cash. Each Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains except when shares are held through a tax-advantaged account, such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA. Withdrawals from a tax-advantaged account, however, may be taxable. For more information, see the section titled “Choosing a Class of Shares—Distribution Policy.”

Who will be the Advisor, Sub-Advisor and Portfolio Managers of my Fund after the Reorganization?

For each Fund, Touchstone Advisors serves as the investment advisor. Following the Board of Trustees of the Acquiring Trust’s approval of Ares as sub-advisor to the Acquiring Fund, which took effect May 11, 2019, Ares serves as sub-advisor to each Fund, with Seth Brufsky, Jason Duko and Kapil Singh serving as portfolio managers. After the Reorganization,



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Touchstone Advisors will continue to serve as investment advisor to the Acquiring Fund, with Ares and Messrs. Brufsky, Duko and Singh continuing in their capacity as sub-advisor and portfolio managers, respectively.

Seth Brufsky, Partner, Co-Head of Global Liquid Credit. Mr. Brufsky is a Partner in the Ares Credit Group, Co‐Head of Global Liquid Credit, Portfolio Manager and a member of the Management Committee of Ares Management. Mr. Brufsky also serves as a Director, President, Chief Executive Officer and Portfolio Manager of the Ares Dynamic Credit Allocation Fund, Inc. (NYSE:ARDC). Additionally, he serves as a member of the Ares Credit Group’s U.S. Liquid Credit Investment Committee and the Ares Dynamic Credit Allocation Fund Investment Committee. Prior to joining Ares in 1998, Mr. Brufsky was a member of the Corporate Strategy and Research Group of Merrill Lynch & Co., where he focused on analyzing and marketing non-investment grade securities and was acknowledged by Institutional Investor as a member of the top-ranked credit analyst team during each year of his tenure. Previously, Mr. Brufsky was a member of the Institutional Sales and Trading Group of the Global Fixed Income Division at Union Bank of Switzerland. Mr. Brufsky serves on the Board of Directors of the Luminescence Foundation, a charitable giving organization. Mr. Brufsky holds a B.S. from Cornell University in Applied Economics and Business Management and an M.B.A., with honors, from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business in Finance, where he was awarded the Glassick Scholarship for academic achievement.

Jason Duko, Partner and Portfolio Manager of U.S. Liquid Credit in the Ares Credit Group. Mr. Duko is a Partner and Portfolio Manager of U.S. Liquid Credit in the Ares Credit Group, where he is primarily responsible for managing Ares’ U.S. bank loan credit strategies. Mr. Duko also serves as a Vice President of Ares Dynamic Credit Allocation Fund, Inc. Additionally, he serves as a member of the Ares Credit Group’s U.S. Liquid Credit Investment Committee. Prior to joining Ares in 2018, Mr. Duko was a Portfolio Manager at PIMCO, where he managed bank loan assets across a broad range of investment strategies and was responsible for secondary loan trading across all sectors. Previously, Mr. Duko was an Associate Portfolio Manager at Lord Abbett & Co. LLC., where he focused on its leveraged loan business, portfolio management, trading decisions and marketing. He also held positions at Nomura Corporate Research and Asset Management and ING Pilgrim Research. Mr. Duko holds a B.S. from Arizona State University in Finance, where he was a Barrett Honors College Graduate.

Kapil Singh, Partner and Portfolio Manager of U.S. Liquid Credit in the Ares Credit Group. Mr. Singh is a Partner and Portfolio Manager of U.S. Liquid Credit in the Ares Credit Group, where he is primarily responsible for managing Ares’ U.S. high yield credit strategies. Additionally, he serves as a member of the Ares Credit Group’s U.S. Liquid Credit Investment Committee and the Liquid Credit Allocation Committee. Prior to joining Ares in 2018, Mr. Singh was a Portfolio Manager in the Global Developed Credit Group at DoubleLine Capital, where he managed high yield bonds across strategies and portfolios in a variety of investment vehicles. Previously, Mr. Singh was a Senior Analyst at the Post Advisory Group, where he managed high yield bonds and leveraged loans within the energy sector. In addition, Mr. Singh was Co-Portfolio Manager and Senior Credit Analyst at Four Corners Capital, a subsidiary of Macquarie Funds Group. He also held positions at Bradford & Marzec, PPM America and Heller Financial. Mr. Singh holds a B.S. from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign College of Business in Finance and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management in Strategy and Finance. Additionally, Mr. Singh is a CFA® charterholder.

For additional information regarding Touchstone Advisors, the sub-advisor, and the portfolio managers, please see the section titled “The Funds’ Management—Investment Advisor” and “The Funds’ Management—Sub-Advisor and Portfolio Managers.”

What will be the primary federal income tax consequences of the Reorganization?

The Reorganization is expected to qualify as a tax-free reorganization for federal income tax purposes. If the Reorganization so qualifies, then generally no gain or loss will be recognized for federal income tax purposes by the Funds or their respective shareholders as a direct result of the Reorganization. As a condition to the closing of the Reorganization, the Funds will each receive an opinion from the law firm of Vedder Price P.C. that the Reorganization qualifies as a tax-free reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). The opinion, however, is not binding on the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) or any court and thus does not preclude the IRS or a court from taking a contrary position. See “Information About the Reorganization—Material Federal Income Tax Consequences” for more information on the material federal income tax consequences of the Reorganization.

Will there be any repositioning costs?

How do the Funds’ investment goals and principal investment strategies compare?



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At the February 12, 2019 meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Acquiring Trust, the Board approved changes to the Acquiring Fund’s name, investment goal and principal investment strategies and risks, which took effect May 11, 2019, in connection with the Board’s approval of Ares as sub-advisor to the Acquiring Fund. As a result, the Funds have the same investment goals and principal investment strategies and risk factors, which are presented below. Each Fund also has substantially similar investment limitations, which are set forth in Exhibit B.

Investment Goals and Principal Investment Strategies



	Target Fund	Acquiring Fund
Investment Goal	The Fund seeks absolute total return, primarily from income and capital appreciation.	The Fund seeks absolute total return, primarily from income and capital appreciation.

Principal Investment Strategy	The Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (including the amount of borrowings for investment purposes) in U.S. and non-U.S. debt instruments. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment goal by investing in a wide array of debt securities or other debt instruments. The Fund may invest in debt instruments of any credit quality or rating and may invest without limit in loans, bonds and other debt instruments that are rated below investment grade by one or more nationally recognized statistical ratings organizations (“NRSRO”) ( i.e. , rated Ba or lower by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) or BB or lower by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (“S&P”)) or, if unrated, deemed by the Fund’s sub-advisor, Ares, to be of comparable quality. These investments may include distressed or defaulted debt instruments. Securities rated below investment grade are sometimes referred to as “high yield” or “junk” bonds. In managing the Fund’s portfolio, Ares seeks to take advantage of opportunities presented from time to time in credit markets by systematically allocating and reallocating the Fund’s assets among core investments and opportunistic investments as credit market conditions change.	The Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (including the amount of borrowings for investment purposes) in U.S. and non-U.S. debt instruments. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment goal by investing in a wide array of debt securities or other debt instruments. The Fund may invest in debt instruments of any credit quality or rating and may invest without limit in loans, bonds and other debt instruments that are rated below investment grade by one or more nationally recognized statistical ratings organizations (“NRSRO”) (i.e., rated Ba or lower by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) or BB or lower by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (“S&P”)) or, if unrated, deemed by the Fund’s sub-advisor, Ares, to be of comparable quality. These investments may include distressed or defaulted debt instruments. Securities rated below investment grade are sometimes referred to as “high yield” or “junk” bonds. In managing the Fund’s portfolio, Ares seeks to take advantage of opportunities presented from time to time in credit markets by systematically allocating and reallocating the Fund’s assets among core investments and opportunistic investments as credit market conditions change.



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Principal Investment Strategy (cont.)	The Fund’s core investments include the following: • Opportunistic Liquid Credit—The Fund seeks to generate current income with attractive relative value by investing in senior secured and unsecured debt of U.S. and non-U.S. companies. • Structured Credit—The Fund seeks to generate current income and capital appreciation by investing in debt and equity securities of collateralized loan obligations in the U.S. and globally. • Special Situations—The Fund seeks capital appreciation by investing in distressed U.S. and non-U.S. corporate loans and bonds that trade at significant discounts to par value. • Hedges—The Fund engages in short selling, futures contracts, total return and interest rate swaps, pairs trades and options transactions in an attempt to achieve downside protection and reduce portfolio volatility. The Fund’s hedging strategies may include, among other things, entering into synthetic credit index short positions, single security short selling, pairs trades, futures contracts, total return and interest rate swaps, and certain options transactions.	The Fund’s core investments include the following: • Opportunistic Liquid Credit—The Fund seeks to generate current income with attractive relative value by investing in senior secured and unsecured debt of U.S. and non-U.S. companies. • Structured Credit—The Fund seeks to generate current income and capital appreciation by investing in debt and equity securities of collateralized loan obligations in the U.S. and globally. • Special Situations—The Fund seeks capital appreciation by investing in distressed U.S. and non-U.S. corporate loans and bonds that trade at significant discounts to par value. • Hedges—The Fund engages in short selling, futures contracts, total return and interest rate swaps, pairs trades and options transactions in an attempt to achieve downside protection and reduce portfolio volatility. The Fund’s hedging strategies may include, among other things, entering into synthetic credit index short positions, single security short selling, pairs trades, futures contracts, total return and interest rate swaps, and certain options transactions.

Rule 144A Securities	The Fund may also invest in securities that may be offered and sold to only qualified institutional buyers under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act.	The Fund may also invest in securities that may be offered and sold to only qualified institutional buyers under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act.

Distressed Securities	In addition, the Fund may make opportunistic investments from time to time in stressed and distressed securities, including debtor-in-possession loans (sometimes referred to as “DIP” loans), exit financings, rescue financings, and post-bankruptcy equity securities, as well as preferred stock, convertible debt, and other securitized vehicles.	In addition, the Fund may make opportunistic investments from time to time in stressed and distressed securities, including debtor-in-possession loans (sometimes referred to as “DIP” loans), exit financings, rescue financings, and post-bankruptcy equity securities, as well as preferred stock, convertible debt, and other securitized vehicles. DIP loans are a special kind of financing meant for companies that are financially distressed and in bankruptcy. Such loans typically have priority over existing debt, equity and other claims.

Corporate Loans	The corporate loans (commonly referred to as “bank loans”) in which the Fund invests are typically senior in payment priority and secured by a lien on the borrower’s assets. These corporate loans may include second lien loans, mezzanine loans and, to a limited extent, DIP loans. The capacity of a company to borrow and the quality of the credit underlying a corporate loan are typically determined based upon one or more of the projected cash flows of the borrower, the enterprise value of the borrower or the asset value of the collateral supporting any liens.	The corporate loans (commonly referred to as “bank loans”) in which the Fund invests are typically senior in payment priority and secured by a lien on the borrower’s assets. These corporate loans may include second lien loans, mezzanine loans and, to a limited extent, DIP loans. The capacity of a company to borrow and the quality of the credit underlying a corporate loan are typically determined based upon one or more of the projected cash flows of the borrower, the enterprise value of the borrower or the asset value of the collateral supporting any liens.



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Corporate Debt Securities	The corporate debt securities, including high yield bonds, and other similar debt instruments in which the Fund invests are typically unsecured and may be subordinated in payment priority to other debt of the borrower. The terms governing these debt instruments may include features that can result in principal appreciation under certain circumstances. The capacity of a company to issue debt securities or other similar debt instruments and the quality of the credit underlying a company’s debt securities or other similar debt instruments are typically determined based upon the projected cash flows of the borrower, the enterprise value of the borrower or both.	The corporate debt securities, including high yield bonds, and other similar debt instruments in which the Fund invests are typically unsecured and may be subordinated in payment priority to other debt of the borrower. The terms governing these debt instruments may include features that can result in principal appreciation under certain circumstances. The capacity of a company to issue debt securities or other similar debt instruments and the quality of the credit underlying a company’s debt securities or other similar debt instruments are typically determined based upon the projected cash flows of the borrower, the enterprise value of the borrower or both.

Principal Risks

Each Fund’s share price will fluctuate. You could lose money on your investment in the Fund and the Fund could also return less than other investments. Investments in the Fund are not bank guaranteed, are not deposits, and are not insured by the FDIC or any other federal government agency. As with any mutual fund, there is no guarantee that a Fund will achieve its investment goal. The principal risks of investing in the Funds are the same, as their investment goals and principal investment strategies are the same. The principal risks of the Funds are set forth below and such risks apply to both Funds.

Collateralized Loan Obligations Risk: Typically, collateralized loan obligations are privately offered and sold, and thus are not registered under the securities laws. As a result, the Fund may in certain circumstances characterize its investments in collateralized loan obligations as illiquid. Collateralized loan obligations are subject to the typical risks associated with debt instruments (i.e., interest rate risk and credit risk). Additional risks of collateralized loan obligations include the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will be insufficient to make interest or other payments, the potential for a decline in the quality of the collateral, and the possibility that the Fund may invest in a subordinate tranche of a collateralized loan obligation.

Convertible Securities Risk: Convertible securities are subject to the risks of both debt securities and equity securities. The values of convertible securities tend to decline as interest rates rise and, due to the conversion feature, tend to vary with fluctuations in the market value of the underlying security.

Counterparty Risk: A counterparty (the other party to a transaction or an agreement) to a transaction with the Fund may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise honor its obligations.

Derivatives Risk: The use of derivatives may expose the Fund to additional risks that it would not be subject to if it invested directly in the securities underlying those derivatives. Risks associated with derivatives may include the risk that the derivative does not correlate well with the security, index, or currency to which it relates, the risk that the Fund will be unable to sell or close out the derivative due to an illiquid market, the risk that the counterparty may be unwilling or unable to meet its obligations, and the risk that the derivative could expose the Fund to the risk of magnified losses resulting from leverage. These additional risks could cause the Fund to experience losses to which it would otherwise not be subject.

• Leverage Risk: Leverage occurs when the Fund uses borrowings, derivatives (such as futures or options), or similar instruments or techniques to gain exposure to investments in an amount that exceeds the Fund's initial investment. The use of leverage magnifies changes in the Fund's net asset value and thus may result in increased portfolio volatility and increased risk of loss. Leverage can create an interest expense that may lower the Fund’s overall returns. There can be no guarantee that a leveraging strategy will be successful.

• Futures Contracts Risk: The risks associated with the Fund’s futures positions include liquidity and counterparty risks associated with derivative instruments.

• Options Risk: Options trading is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The value of options can be highly



	13

volatile, and their use can result in loss if the sub-advisor is incorrect in its expectation of price fluctuations. Options, whether exchange traded or over-the-counter, may also be illiquid.

• Swap Agreement Risk: Swap agreements (“swaps”), including total return swaps, are individually negotiated and structured to include exposure to a variety of different types of investments or market factors. Swaps may increase or decrease the overall volatility of the investments of the Fund and its share price. The performance of swaps may be affected by a change in the specific interest rate, currency, or other factors that determine the amounts of payments due to and from the Fund. A swap can be a form of leverage, which can magnify the Fund’s gains or losses. Total return swaps may be used to obtain exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or investing directly in such market. Upon entering into a total return swap, the Fund is required to deposit initial margin but the parties do not exchange the notional amount. As a result, total return swaps may effectively add leverage to the Fund’s portfolio because the Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap.

Equity Securities Risk: The Fund is subject to the risk that stock prices will fall over short or extended periods of time. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by these companies may decline in response to such developments, which could result in a decline in the value of the Fund’s shares.

• Preferred Stock Risk: In the event an issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of bonds take precedence over the claims of those who own preferred and common stock. If interest rates rise, the fixed dividend on preferred stocks may be less attractive, causing the price of preferred stocks to decline.

Fixed-Income Risk: The market value of the Fund’s fixed-income securities responds to economic developments, particularly interest rate changes, as well as to perceptions about the creditworthiness of individual issuers, including governments. Generally, the Fund’s fixed-income securities will decrease in value if interest rates rise and increase in value if interest rates fall. Normally, the longer the maturity or duration of the fixed-income securities the Fund owns, the more sensitive the value of the Fund’s shares will be to changes in interest rates.

• Corporate Loan Risk: The corporate loans, commonly referred to as bank loans, in which the Fund invests may be rated below investment grade. As a result, such corporate loans will be considered speculative with respect to the borrowers’ ability to make payments of interest and principal and will otherwise generally bear risks similar to those associated with non-investment grade securities. There is a high risk that the Fund could suffer a loss from investments in lower rated corporate loans as a result of a default by the borrower.

• Credit Risk: The fixed-income securities in the Fund’s portfolio are subject to the possibility that a deterioration, whether sudden or gradual, in the financial condition of an issuer, or a deterioration in general economic conditions, could cause an issuer to fail to make timely payments of principal or interest, when due. This may cause the issuer’s securities to decline in value.

• Interest Rate Risk: In general, when interest rates rise, the prices of debt securities fall, and when interest rates fall, the prices of debt securities rise. The price volatility of a debt security also depends on its maturity. Longer-term securities are generally more volatile, so the longer the average maturity or duration of these securities, the greater their price risk.

• Non-Investment-Grade Debt Securities Risk: Non-investment-grade debt securities are sometimes referred to as “junk bonds” and are considered speculative with respect to their issuers’ ability to make payments of interest and principal. There is a high risk that the Fund could suffer a loss from investments in non-investment-grade debt securities caused by the default of an issuer of such securities. Non-investment-grade debt securities may also be less liquid than investment-grade debt securities.

• Distressed Securities Risk: Distressed securities are speculative and involve significant risks in addition to the risks generally applicable to non-investment grade debt securities. Distressed securities bear a substantial risk of default, and may be in default at the time of investment. The Fund will generally not receive interest payments on distressed securities, and there is a significant risk that principal will not be repaid, in full or at all. Distressed securities will likely be illiquid and may be subject to restrictions on resale. In addition, the federal income tax consequences to a holder of distressed securities are not certain.



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Foreign Securities Risk: Investing in foreign securities poses additional risks since political and economic events unique in a country or region will affect those markets and their issuers, while such events may not necessarily affect the U.S. economy or issuers located in the United States. In addition, investments in foreign securities are generally denominated in foreign currency. As a result, changes in the value of those currencies compared to the U.S. dollar may affect (positively or negatively) the value of the Fund's investments. There are also risks associated with foreign accounting standards, government regulation, market information, imposition of foreign withholding and other taxes and clearance and settlement procedures. Foreign markets may be less liquid and more volatile than U.S. markets and offer less protection to investors.

Fund-of-Funds Risk: Certain Touchstone funds-of-funds may invest in the Fund. As investors purchase and redeem shares of the funds-of-funds, and as the assets of the funds-of-funds are allocated and reallocated among underlying funds, including the Fund, the Fund may experience large inflows or outflows of cash from time to time. As a result, the Fund may be required to sell securities or invest cash at times when it otherwise would not do so, realize additional capital gains or incur increased transaction costs, all of which could adversely affect the Fund’s performance. This activity could also have adverse effects on the Fund’s expense ratio, which will generally fall as the Fund’s assets increase and rise as the Fund’s assets decrease.

Liquidity Risk: Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. This can reduce the Fund’s returns because the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices, or at all.

Management Risk: In managing the Fund’s portfolio, the Advisor engages one or more sub-advisors to make investment decisions for a portion of or the entire portfolio. There is a risk that the Advisor may be unable to identify and retain sub-advisors who achieve superior investment returns relative to other similar sub-advisors.

Non-Diversification Risk: The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it may invest a greater percentage of its assets than a diversified mutual fund in the securities of a limited number of issuers. The use of a non-diversified investment strategy may increase the volatility of the Fund’s investment performance, as the Fund may be more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory event.

Pay-In-Kind Bonds Risk: Pay-in-kind bonds, a type of mezzanine financing, are securities that, at the issuer’s option, pay interest in either cash or additional securities for a specified period. Pay-in-kind bonds, like zero coupon bonds, are designed to give an issuer flexibility in managing cash flow. Pay-in-kind bonds are expected to reflect the market value of the underlying debt plus an amount representing accrued interest since the last payment. Pay-in-kind bonds are usually less volatile than zero coupon bonds, but more volatile than cash pay securities. Additionally, current federal income tax law requires the holder of certain pay-in-kind bonds and zero coupon bonds to accrue income with respect to these securities prior to the receipt of the corresponding cash payments. Because the Fund must distribute substantially all its net investment income (including such accrued income) to qualify as a regulated investment company and avoid federal income and excise taxes, it may have to dispose of other investments under disadvantageous circumstances to generate cash, or may be required to borrow, to satisfy these distribution requirements.

Rule 144A Securities Risk: Rule 144A securities are restricted securities that may be purchased only by qualified institutional buyers in reliance on an exemption from federal registration requirements. Investing in Rule 144A securities may reduce the liquidity of the Fund's portfolio if an adequate institutional trading market for these securities does not exist. Prices of Rule 144A securities often reflect a discount, which may be significant, from the market price of comparable exchange-listed securities for which a liquid trading market exists.

Short Sales Risk: In a short sale, the Fund sells a security or other financial instrument, such as a futures contract, that it does not own. To complete the transaction, the Fund must borrow the security to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund is then obligated to replace the borrowed security by purchasing the security at the market price at the time of replacement. If the price of the security sold short rises between the time the Fund sells the security short and the time the Fund replaces the security sold short, the Fund will realize a loss on the transaction.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE REORGANIZATION

Reasons for the Reorganization

The Reorganization is intended to eliminate the offering of multiple funds with the same investment goal and principal investment strategies. The Reorganization has the potential to provide efficiencies and economies of scale for the combined Fund. At a meeting held on May 16, 2019, the Board of Trustees of each Trust, including the Independent Trustees, determined that the Reorganization was in the best interests of its respective Fund and that the interests of existing shareholders of each



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Fund will not be diluted as a result of the Reorganization. The Board approved the Reorganization and recommended that shareholders of the Target Fund approve the Reorganization at the Special Meeting.

In evaluating the Reorganization, the Board of Trustees of each Trust requested and reviewed, with the assistance of independent legal counsel, materials furnished by Touchstone Advisors, the investment advisor to the Funds. These materials included information regarding the operations and financial conditions of the Funds and the principal terms and conditions of the Reorganization, including that the Reorganization is expected to qualify as a tax-free reorganization for federal income tax purposes. The Board of Trustees of each Trust considered the following factors, among others:

•the investment goals, principal investment strategies, sub-advisor and portfolio managers of the Funds;

•the historical investment performance record of the Funds;

•the advice and recommendation of Touchstone Advisors, including its opinion that the Reorganization would be in the best interests of the Funds and that the combined Fund would have a greater opportunity to achieve economies of scale than either Fund operating individually;

•the investment advisory fee and other fees paid by the Funds, the expense ratios of the Funds and the contractual limitations on the Funds’ expenses;

•the anticipated benefits to the Funds, including operating efficiencies, that may be achieved from the Reorganization;

•that the expenses of the Reorganization would not be borne by the Funds’ shareholders;

•the terms and conditions of the Reorganization, including the Acquiring Fund’s assumption of all the liabilities of the Target Fund;

•the Reorganization is intended to be a tax-free reorganization for federal income tax purposes; and

•alternatives available to shareholders of the Target Fund, including the ability to redeem their shares.

During their assessment, the Board of Trustees of each Trust met with independent legal counsel regarding the legal issues involved. After consideration of the factors noted above, together with other factors and information considered to be relevant, and recognizing that there can be no assurance that any potential operating efficiencies or other benefits will in fact be realized, the Board of Trustees of each Trust concluded that the Reorganization would be in the best interests of its respective Fund and the interests of existing shareholders of its Fund would not be diluted as a result of the Reorganization.

Agreement and Plan of Reorganization

A form of the Plan is set forth in Exhibit A. The Plan provides that all the assets of the Target Fund will be transferred to the Acquiring Fund solely in exchange for shares of the Acquiring Fund and the assumption by the Acquiring Fund of all the liabilities of the Target Fund on or about September 6, 2019 or such other date as may be agreed upon by the parties (the “Closing Date”). The class or classes of the Acquiring Fund shares that you will receive in connection with the Reorganization will be the same as the class or classes of the Target Fund shares that you own immediately prior to the closing of the Reorganization.

Prior to the close of business on the Closing Date, the Target Fund will endeavor to discharge all of its known liabilities and obligations. In addition, prior to the close of business on the Closing Date, for tax reasons, the Target Fund will distribute to its shareholders all of the Target Fund’s investment company taxable income for all taxable periods ending on or before the Closing Date, all of the Target Fund’s net tax-exempt income for all taxable periods ending on or before the Closing Date, and all of its net capital gains realized in all taxable periods ending on or before the Closing Date (after reduction for any available capital loss carryforwards and excluding any net capital gain on which the Target Fund paid federal income tax).

The Bank of New York Mellon, the sub-administrator for the Funds, will compute the value of the Target Fund’s portfolio of securities. The method of valuation employed will be consistent with the valuation procedures described in the Target Trust’s declaration of trust and the Target Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information or such other valuation procedures as shall be mutually agreed upon by the Funds.



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Immediately after the closing, the Target Fund will distribute pro rata by class to its shareholders of record as of the time of such distribution the full and fractional shares of the Acquiring Fund received by the Target Fund. The liquidation and distribution will be accomplished by the establishment of accounts in the names of the Target Fund’s shareholders on the Acquiring Fund’s share records of its transfer agent. Each account will receive the respective pro rata number of full and fractional shares of the appropriate class of the Acquiring Fund due a Target Fund shareholder. All issued and outstanding shares of the Target Fund will be cancelled. After these distributions and the winding up of its affairs, the Target Fund will be terminated.

The Reorganization is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions set forth in the Plan. The Plan may be terminated (1) by the mutual agreement of the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund; or (2) at or prior to the closing by either party (a) because of a breach by the other of any representation, warranty, or agreement contained in the Plan to be performed at or prior to the closing, if not cured within 30 days, or (b) because a condition in the Plan expressed to be precedent to the obligations of the terminating party has not been met and it reasonably appears that it will not or cannot be met.

Whether or not the Reorganization is consummated, Touchstone Advisors will pay the expenses incurred by the Funds in connection with the Reorganization.

Description of the Securities to be Issued

Shareholders of the Target Fund as of the closing will receive full and fractional shares of the Acquiring Fund in accordance with the terms of the Plan. The shares of the Acquiring Fund to be issued in connection with the Reorganization will be duly and validly issued and outstanding, fully paid and non-assessable by the Acquiring Fund. Shares of the Acquiring Fund to be issued in the Reorganization will have no preemptive or conversion rights and no share certificates will be issued.

Material Federal Income Tax Consequences

The following discussion summarizes the material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the Reorganization that are applicable to you as a Target Fund shareholder. It is based on the Code, applicable U.S. Treasury regulations, judicial authority, and administrative rulings and practice, all as of the date of this Proxy Statement/Prospectus and all of which are subject to change, including changes with retroactive effect. The discussion below does not address any state, local, or foreign tax consequences of the Reorganization. Your tax treatment may vary depending upon your particular situation. You also may be subject to special rules not discussed below if you are a certain kind of Target Fund shareholder, including, but not limited to: an insurance company; a tax-exempt organization; a financial institution or broker-dealer; a person who is neither a citizen nor resident of the United States or an entity that is not organized under the laws of the United States or a political subdivision thereof; a holder of Target Fund shares as part of a hedge, straddle, conversion or other integrated transaction; a person with “applicable financial statements” within the meaning of Section 451(b) of the Code; a person who does not hold Target Fund shares as a capital asset at the time of the Reorganization; or an entity taxable as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

The Reorganization is intended to qualify for federal income tax purposes as a tax-free reorganization under Section 368(a) of the Code. As a non-waivable condition to the closing of the Reorganization, the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund will receive an opinion from the law firm of Vedder Price P.C. substantially to the effect that, on the basis of the existing provisions of the Code, U.S. Treasury regulations issued thereunder, current administrative rules, pronouncements and court decisions, and certain representations, qualifications, and assumptions with respect to the Reorganization, for federal income tax purposes:

(i) The transfer by the Target Fund of all its assets to the Acquiring Fund solely in exchange for Acquiring Fund shares and the assumption by the Acquiring Fund of all the liabilities of the Target Fund, immediately followed by the pro rata, by class, distribution of all the Acquiring Fund shares so received by the Target Fund to the Target Fund’s shareholders of record in complete liquidation of the Target Fund and the termination of the Target Fund promptly thereafter, will constitute a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a)(1) of the Code, and the Acquiring Fund and the Target Fund will each be “a party to a reorganization,” within the meaning of Section 368(b) of the Code, with respect to the Reorganization.

(ii) No gain or loss will be recognized by the Acquiring Fund upon the receipt of all the assets of the Target Fund solely in exchange for Acquiring Fund shares and the assumption by the Acquiring Fund of all the liabilities of the Target Fund.

(iii) No gain or loss will be recognized by the Target Fund upon the transfer of all its assets to the Acquiring Fund solely in exchange for Acquiring Fund shares and the assumption by the Acquiring Fund of all the liabilities of the Target



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Fund or upon the distribution (whether actual or constructive) of the Acquiring Fund shares so received to the Target Fund’s shareholders solely in exchange for such shareholders’ shares of the Target Fund in complete liquidation of the Target Fund.

(iv) No gain or loss will be recognized by the Target Fund’s shareholders upon the exchange, pursuant to the Plan, of all their shares of the Target Fund solely for Acquiring Fund shares.

(v) The aggregate basis of the Acquiring Fund shares received by each Target Fund shareholder pursuant to the Plan will be the same as the aggregate basis of the Target Fund shares exchanged therefor by such shareholder.

(vi) The holding period of the Acquiring Fund shares received by each Target Fund shareholder in the Reorganization will include the period during which the shares of the Target Fund exchanged therefor were held by such shareholder, provided such Target Fund shares were held as capital assets at the effective time of the Reorganization.

(vii) The basis of the assets of the Target Fund received by the Acquiring Fund will be the same as the basis of such assets in the hands of the Target Fund immediately before the effective time of the Reorganization.

(viii) The holding period of the assets of the Target Fund received by the Acquiring Fund will include the period during which such assets were held by the Target Fund.

No opinion will be expressed as to (1) the effect of the Reorganization on the Target Fund, the Acquiring Fund or any Target Fund shareholder with respect to any asset (including without limitation any stock held in a passive foreign investment company as defined in Section 1297(a) of the Code) as to which any unrealized gain or loss is required to be recognized under federal income tax principles (i) at the end of a taxable year or on the termination thereof, or (ii) upon the transfer of such asset regardless of whether such transfer would otherwise be a non-taxable transaction under the Code or (2) any other federal tax issues (except those set forth above) and any state, local or foreign tax issues of any kind.

No private ruling will be sought from the IRS with respect to the federal income tax consequences of the Reorganization. Opinions of counsel are not binding upon the IRS or the courts, are not guarantees of the tax results, and do not preclude the IRS from adopting or taking a contrary position, which may be sustained by a court. If the Reorganization is consummated but the IRS or the courts determine that the Reorganization does not qualify as a tax-free reorganization under the Code and, thus, is taxable, the Target Fund would recognize gain or loss on the transfer of its assets to the Acquiring Fund and each shareholder of the Target Fund would recognize a taxable gain or loss equal to the difference between its tax basis in its Target Fund shares and the fair market value of the shares of the Acquiring Fund it receives.

Prior to the Reorganization, the Target Fund will declare and pay a distribution to its shareholders, which together with all previous distributions, will have the effect of distributing to its shareholders all of the Target Fund’s investment company taxable income (computed without regard to the deduction for dividends paid), net tax exempt income and realized net capital gain (after reduction for available capital loss carryforwards and excluding certain capital gain on which the Target Fund paid tax), if any, for all periods through the Closing Date. Such distributions will be taxable to shareholders for federal income tax purposes and may include net capital gain from the sale of portfolio assets as discussed below. Even if reinvested in additional shares of the Target Fund, which would be exchanged for shares of the Acquiring Fund in the Reorganization, such distributions will be taxable for federal income tax purposes.

If portfolio assets of the Target Fund are sold prior to the Reorganization, the tax impact of such sales will depend on the holding periods of such assets and the difference between the price at which such portfolio assets are sold and the Target Fund’s basis in such assets. Any capital gains recognized in these sales on a net basis (after taking into account any available capital loss carryforwards) will be distributed to the Target Fund’s shareholders as capital gains (to the extent of net long-term capital gain over any net short-term capital loss) or ordinary dividends (to the extent of net short-term capital gain over any net long-term capital loss) during or with respect to the year of sale, and such distributions will be taxable to shareholders.

The Reorganization will cause the tax year of the Target Fund to close. After the Reorganization, the Acquiring Fund’s ability to use the Target Fund’s or the Acquiring Fund’s realized and unrealized pre-Reorganization capital losses, if any, may be limited under certain federal income tax rules applicable to reorganizations of this type. Therefore, in certain circumstances, shareholders may pay federal income tax sooner, or may pay more federal income taxes, than they would have had the Reorganization not occurred. The effect of these potential limitations will depend on a number of factors, including the amount of the losses, the amount of gains to be offset, the exact timing of the Reorganization and the amount of unrealized capital gains in the Funds at the time of the Reorganization.



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As of June 30, 2018, for federal income tax purposes, the Target Fund had no capital loss carryforwards. As of December 31, 2018, for federal income tax purposes, the Target Fund had net unrealized losses of $2,683,871. As of September 30, 2018, the Acquiring Fund had unused capital loss carryforwards of $3,425,484 available for federal income tax purposes to be applied against future capital gains, which carryforwards are not subject to expiration.

In addition, shareholders of the Target Fund will receive a proportionate share of any taxable income and gains realized by the Acquiring Fund and not distributed to its shareholders prior to the Reorganization when such income and gains are eventually distributed by the Acquiring Fund. Furthermore, any gain the Acquiring Fund realizes after the Reorganization, including any built-in gain in the portfolio investments of the Target Fund or the Acquiring Fund that was unrealized at the time of the Reorganization, may result in taxable distributions to shareholders holding shares of the Acquiring Fund (including former shareholders of the Target Fund who hold shares of the Acquiring Fund following the Reorganization). As a result, shareholders of the Target Fund may receive a greater amount of taxable distributions than they would have had the Reorganization not occurred.

Tracking Your Basis and Holding Period; State and Local Taxes. After the Reorganization, you will continue to be responsible for tracking the adjusted tax basis and holding period of your shares for federal income tax purposes. However, mutual funds must report cost basis information to you and the IRS when a shareholder sells or exchanges shares acquired on or after January 1, 2012 that are not in a retirement account (“covered shares”). Cost basis reporting by a mutual fund is not required if the shares were acquired in a reorganization and the basis of the acquired shares is determined from the basis of shares that were not covered shares.

This discussion does not address any state, local or foreign tax issues and is limited to material federal income tax issues. You are urged and advised to consult your own tax advisors as to the federal, state, local, foreign, and other tax consequences of the Reorganization in light of your individual circumstances, including the applicability and effect of possible changes in any applicable tax laws.

Pro Forma Capitalization

The following table sets forth the net assets, number of shares outstanding, and net asset value (“NAV”) per share, assuming the Reorganization occurred as of March 31, 2019. This information is generally referred to as the “capitalization” of a Fund. The term “pro forma capitalization” means the expected capitalization of the Acquiring Fund as March 31, 2019 after giving effect to the Reorganization and assuming the Reorganization occurred as of March 31, 2019. These numbers may differ as of the closing date of the Reorganization.



	Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund		Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund		Pro Forma Adjustments		Pro Forma Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund after Reorganization
Net Assets (all classes)⁽¹⁾	$	57,955,039	$	55,176,340			$	113,131,379
Class A
Net assets	$	122,495	$	3,513,934			$	3,636,429
Shares outstanding	12,503		363,625		178	⁽²⁾	376,306
Net asset value per share	$	9.80	$	9.66			$	9.66
Class C
Net assets	$	93,700	$	2,831,048			$	2,924,748
Shares outstanding	9,538		300,280		398	⁽²⁾	310,216
Net asset value per share	$	9.82	$	9.43			$	9.43
Class Y
Net assets	$	9,889,546	$	37,184,441			$	47,073,987
Shares outstanding	1,009,728		3,807,193		2,508	⁽²⁾	4,819,429
Net asset value per share	$	9.79	$	9.77			$	9.77
Institutional Class
Net assets	$	47,849,298	$	11,646,917			$	59,496,215
Shares outstanding	4,885,281		1,186,194		(12,644)	⁽²⁾	6,058,831
Net asset value per share	$	9.79	$	9.82			$	9.82



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(1) Touchstone Advisors, and not the Funds, will bear 100% of the Reorganization expenses, which are estimated to be approximately $90,000, whether or not the Reorganization is completed.

(2) Pro forma shares outstanding have been adjusted for the accumulated change in the number of the Acquiring Fund’s shareholder accounts based on the relative value of each Fund’s net asset value per share as of March 31, 2019.

THE FUNDS’ MANAGEMENT

The Funds have the same investment advisor.

Investment Advisor

Touchstone Advisors, Inc.

303 Broadway, Suite 1100, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

Touchstone Advisors has been a SEC-registered investment advisor since 1994. As of May 31, 2019, it had approximately $17.1 billion in assets under management.

Touchstone Advisors is responsible for selecting each Fund’s sub-advisor(s), subject to approval by the Fund’s Board of Trustees. Touchstone Advisors selects a sub-advisor that has shown good investment performance in its areas of expertise. Touchstone Advisors considers various factors in evaluating a sub-advisor, including:


•	level of knowledge and skill;


•	performance as compared to its peers or benchmark;


•	consistency of performance over 5 years or more;


•	level of compliance with investment rules and strategies;


•	employees;


•	facilities and financial strength; and


•	quality of service.

Touchstone Advisors will also continually monitor each sub-advisor’s performance through various analyses and through in-person, telephone, and written consultations with a sub-advisor. Touchstone Advisors discusses its expectations for performance with each sub-advisor and provides evaluations and recommendations to the Board of Trustees, including whether or not a sub-advisor’s contract should be renewed, modified, or terminated.

The SEC has granted an exemptive order that permits each Trust or Touchstone Advisors, under certain conditions, to select or change unaffiliated sub-advisors, enter into new sub-advisory agreements or amend existing sub-advisory agreements without first obtaining shareholder approval. A Fund must still obtain shareholder approval of any sub-advisory agreement with a sub-advisor affiliated with the Trust of which it is a series or Touchstone Advisors other than by reason of serving as a sub-advisor to one or more Funds. Shareholders of a Fund will be notified of any material changes in the Fund’s sub-advisory arrangements. After the Reorganization, Touchstone Advisors and each Trust will continue to rely on this exemptive order.

Two or more sub-advisors may manage a Fund, with each managing a portion of the Fund’s assets. If a Fund has more than one sub-advisor, Touchstone Advisors allocates how much of a Fund’s assets are managed by each sub-advisor. Touchstone Advisors may change these allocations from time to time, often based upon the results of its evaluations of the sub-advisors.

Touchstone Advisors is also responsible for running all of the operations of the Funds, except those that are subcontracted to a sub-advisor, custodian, transfer agent, sub-administrative agent, or other parties. For its services, Touchstone Advisors is entitled to receive an investment advisory fee from each Fund at an annualized rate based on the average daily net assets of the Fund as set forth below.


•	Effective March 1, 2019, the Target Fund pays an advisory fee at an annualized rate of 0.60%. Prior to March 1, 2019, the Target Fund paid an advisory fee rate at an annual rate of 1.10%.



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•

In connection with the appointment of Ares as sub-advisor to the Acquiring Fund, the Board of Trustees of the Acquiring Trust approved an amendment to the Acquiring Fund’s investment management agreement. Effective May 11, 2019, the Acquiring Fund pays an advisory fee at an annual rate of 0.60%. Prior to May 11, 2019, the Acquiring Fund paid an advisory fee at an annual rate of 1.05% on the first $500 million of assets; 1.00% on the next $500 million of assets; and 0.95% on assets over $1 billion.

The annual fee rate below is the fee paid to Touchstone Advisors by each Fund for the Fund’s most recent fiscal year end and is net of any advisory fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements, which are discussed in more detail below. Touchstone Advisors, and not the Funds, pays sub-advisory fees to each sub-advisor from its advisory fee.


•	Target Fund: 1.03%


•	Acquiring Fund: 1.04%

Sub-Advisor and Portfolio Managers

Ares Capital Management II, LLC, located at 2000 Avenue of the Stars, 12th Floor, Los Angeles, California 90067, serves as sub-advisor to the Funds. Ares was appointed sub-advisor to the Acquiring Fund, effective May 11, 2019, in connection with the Board of Trustees of the Acquiring Trust’s approval of changes to the Acquiring Fund’s name, investment goal and principal investment strategies and risks. Ares is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ares Management LLC, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ares Management Corporation, a publicly traded, leading global alternative asset manager. As sub-advisor, Ares will make investment decisions for the Acquiring Fund and will also ensure compliance with the Acquiring Fund’s investment policies and guidelines. Founded in 1997, Ares is comprised of three distinct but complementary investment groups: Credit, Private Equity, and Real Estate. The firm has over 1,000 employees across 19 principal and originating offices. The Ares Credit Group is a leading manager of credit strategies across the non-investment grade credit universe, with approximately $101.1 billion of assets under management (“AUM”) and 165 funds as of March 31, 2019. As of March 31, 2019, Ares Management Corporation and its affiliates (including Ares) had approximately $137 billion in assets under management. As of March 31, 2019, assets under management amounts include capital available to vehicles managed or co-managed by Ares and its affiliates, including funds managed by Ivy Hill Asset Management, L.P., a wholly owned portfolio company of Ares and a registered investment adviser.

The following individuals will be jointly and primarily responsible for the management of the Funds’ portfolios.



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the Global Developed Credit Group at DoubleLine Capital, where he managed high yield bonds across strategies and portfolios in a variety of investment vehicles. Previously, Mr. Singh was a Senior Analyst at the Post Advisory Group, where he managed high yield bonds and leveraged loans within the energy sector. In addition, Mr. Singh was Co-Portfolio Manager and Senior Credit Analyst at Four Corners Capital, a subsidiary of Macquarie Funds Group. He also held positions at Bradford & Marzec, PPM America and Heller Financial. Mr. Singh holds a B.S. from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign College of Business in Finance and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management in Strategy and Finance. Additionally, Mr. Singh is a CFA® charterholder.

Advisory and Sub-Advisory Agreement Approval

A discussion of the basis for the Board’s approval of the advisory agreement between the Target Trust, on behalf of the Target Fund, and Touchstone Advisors, and the basis for the Board’s approval of the sub-advisory agreement between Touchstone Advisors and Ares, with respect to the Target Fund, is included in the Fund’s December 31, 2018 Semi-Annual Report. A discussion of the basis for the Board of Trustees of the Acquiring Trust’s approval of the advisory agreement between the Acquiring Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, and Touchstone Advisors, and the basis for the Board’s approval of the sub-advisory agreement between Touchstone Advisors and Ares, with respect to the Acquiring Fund, is included in the Fund’s March 31, 2019 Semi-Annual Report.

Expense Limitation Agreement

Touchstone Advisors has contractually agreed to waive fees and reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to ensure that each Fund’s total annual operating expenses (excluding dividend and interest expenses relating to short sales, interest, taxes, brokerage commissions and other transaction costs; portfolio transaction and investment related expenses, including expenses associated with the Fund’s liquidity provider; other expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, the cost of “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses,” if any, and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of business (“Excluded Expenses”)) do not exceed the contractual expense limits set forth in the table below. The Funds bear the costs of Excluded Expenses. The contractual expense limits set forth below have been adjusted for each class of each Fund to include the effect of Rule 12b-1 fees, shareholder servicing fees, and other anticipated class specific expenses, if applicable. Fee waivers and expense reimbursements are calculated and applied monthly, based on each Fund’s average net assets during such month. The terms of Touchstone Advisors’ expense limitation agreement provide that Touchstone Advisors is entitled to recoup, subject to approval by a Fund’s Board of Trustees, such amounts waived or reimbursed for a period of up to three years from the date on which Touchstone Advisors reduced its compensation or reimbursed expenses for the Fund. A Fund will make repayments to Touchstone Advisors only to the extent that such repayment does not cause the annual Fund operating expenses (after the repayment is taken into account) to exceed both (1) the expense cap in place when such amounts were waived or reimbursed and (2) the Fund’s current expense limitation. Fees waived and expenses reimbursed by Touchstone Advisors with respect to the Target Fund prior to the closing of the Reorganization may not be recouped by Touchstone Advisors following the closing of the Reorganization.



Fund	Expense Limit		Effective Through
Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund
Class A	1.08	%	February 29, 2020
Class C	1.83	%	February 29, 2020
Class Y	0.83	%	February 29, 2020
Institutional Class	0.73	%	February 29, 2020
Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund⁽¹⁾
Class A	1.08	%	May 30, 2020
Class C	1.83	%	May 30, 2020
Class Y	0.83	%	May 30, 2020
Institutional Class	0.73	%	May 30, 2020

⁽¹⁾ The expense limit for each class of the Acquiring Fund will be effective through September 29, 2020 following the Reorganization.

At the February 12, 2019 meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Acquiring Trust, the Board approved an amendment to the Acquiring Fund’s expense limitation agreement, to further reduce the Acquiring Fund’s expense levels. Prior to May 11, 2019, Touchstone Advisors had contractually agreed to waived fees and reimburse expenses to the extent necessary to ensure the



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Acquiring Fund’s total annual operating expenses did not exceed 1.68%, 2.43%, 1.43% and 1.28% for Class A, Class C, Class Y and Institutional Class shares, respectively.

Other Service Providers

The Funds have the same service providers. Upon completion of the Reorganization, the Acquiring Fund will continue to engage its existing service providers, as set forth in the chart below.



		Service Providers
Principal Underwriter		Touchstone Securities, Inc.
Administrator		Touchstone Advisors, Inc.
Sub-Administrative Agent		The Bank of New York Mellon
Transfer Agent		BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc.
Custodian		Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm		Ernst & Young LLP

CHOOSING A CLASS OF SHARES

Share Class Offerings. The Acquiring Fund is offering the following classes of shares pursuant to this Proxy Statement/Prospectus and the SAI: Class A, Class C, Class Y and Institutional Class. Each class of shares has different sales charges and distribution fees. You will not pay any sales load, commission, or other similar fee in connection with the shares you will receive in the Reorganization. However, additional purchases, exchanges and redemptions of shares of the Acquiring Fund will be subject to any sales loads, commissions, and other similar fees applicable to the Acquiring Fund. For additional information regarding sales charges, sales charge reductions and waivers, and distribution fees applicable to the Acquiring Fund shares not offered in this Proxy Statement/Prospectus and the SAI, see the sections titled “Choosing a Class of Shares” and “Investing with Touchstone” in the Acquiring Fund’s prospectus.

Class A Shares

The offering price of Class A shares of each Fund is equal to its NAV plus a front-end sales charge that you pay when you buy your shares. The front-end sales charge is generally deducted from the amount of your investment. Class A shares are subject to a Rule 12b-1 distribution fee of up to 0.25% of the Fund’s average daily net assets allocable to Class A shares.

Class A Sales Charge. The following table shows the amount of front-end sales charge you will pay on purchases of Class A shares for the Funds. The amount of front-end sales charge is shown as a percentage of (1) offering price and (2) the net amount invested after the charge has been subtracted. Note that the front-end sales charge gets lower as your investment amount gets larger.

You will not pay any front-end sales charge in connection with the shares you will receive in the Reorganization.



Amount of Your Investment	Sales Charge as % of Offering Price		Sales Charge as % of Net Amount Invested		Dealer Reallowance as % of Offering Price
Under $25,000	5.00	%	5.26	%	4.50	%
$25,000 but less than $50,000	4.50	%	4.71	%	4.25	%
$50,000 but less than $100,000	4.00	%	4.17	%	3.75	%
$100,000 but less than $250,000	3.00	%	3.09	%	2.75	%
$250,000 but less than $1 million	2.00	%	2.04	%	1.75	%
$1 million or more	0.00	%	0.00	%	None*

*Touchstone Securities (as defined below) may pay a finder’s fee of up to 1.00% on qualifying assets to dealers who initiate purchases of Class A shares of $1,000,000 or more, and subsequent purchases further increasing the size of a purchaser's account value. However, if shares are redeemed prior to 12 months after the date of purchase they may be subject to a CDSC of up to 1.00%.

Waiver of Class A Sales Charge. Purchases in the amount of $1 million or more of Class A shares are not subject to a front-end sales charge and are sold at NAV. For these purchases, Touchstone Securities, Inc. (“Touchstone Securities”) may pay your



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financial intermediary a distribution-related commission associated with such sale of up to 1.00%. In the event that Touchstone Securities paid such a commission to your financial intermediary, a CDSC of up to 1.00% may be charged on redemptions made within one year of your purchase. The CDSC will be assessed on the lesser of your shares’ NAV at the time of redemption or the time of purchase. Redemptions of such Class A shares of the Funds held for at least one year will not be subject to the CDSC. Any CDSC applicable to your shares of the Target Fund will not be incurred as a result of your shares being exchanged for shares of the Acquiring Fund pursuant to the Reorganization, and the holding period applicable to your Target Fund shares for purposes of the CDSC will carry over to the shares of the Acquiring Fund that you receive in the Reorganization.

Class C Shares

Class C shares are sold at NAV, without an initial sales charge so that the full amount of your purchase payment may be immediately invested in the Funds. Class C shares are subject to a CDSC of 1.00% on redemptions of Class C shares made within one year of their purchase. The CDSC will be assessed on the lesser of your shares’ NAV at the time of redemption or the time of purchase. A CDSC will not be imposed upon redemptions of Class C shares held for at least one year. Any CDSC applicable to your shares of the Target Fund will not be incurred as a result of your shares being exchanged for shares of the Acquiring Fund pursuant to the Reorganization, and the holding period applicable to your Target Fund shares for purposes of the CDSC will carry over to the shares of the Acquiring Fund that you receive in the Reorganization. Class C shares are subject to an annual Rule 12b-1 fee of up to 1.00% of a Fund’s average daily net assets allocable to Class C shares. Touchstone Securities intends to pay a commission of 1.00% of the purchase amount to your broker at the time you purchase Class C shares.

Effective January 1, 2019 (the “Effective Date”), Class C shares of a Fund will automatically convert into Class A shares of the same Fund after they have been held for 10 years. The conversion will not be considered a taxable event for federal income tax purposes. These automatic conversions will be executed without any sales charge (including CDSCs), redemption or transaction fee, or other charge. After such a conversion takes place, the shares will be subject to all features, rights and expenses of Class A shares. If you hold Class C shares through certain financial intermediaries, such as an omnibus account or group retirement recordkeeping platform, your intermediary may not be able to track the amount of time you held your Class C shares purchased before January 1, 2019. In that case, Class C shares held prior to January 1, 2019 would convert to Class A shares 10 years after the Effective Date of this policy.

Class Y Shares

Class Y shares of the Funds are sold at NAV without an initial sales charge so that the full amount of your purchase payment may be immediately invested in the Funds. Class Y shares are not subject to a Rule 12b-1 fee or CDSC. In addition, Class Y shares may be purchased through certain mutual fund programs sponsored by qualified intermediaries, such as broker-dealers and investment advisors. In each case, the intermediary has entered into an agreement with Touchstone Securities to include the

Funds in their program where the intermediary provides investors participating in their program with additional services, including advisory, asset allocation, recordkeeping or other services. You should ask your financial institution if it offers and you are eligible to participate in such a mutual fund program and whether participation in the program is consistent with your

investment goals. The intermediaries sponsoring or participating in these mutual fund programs may also offer their clients other classes of shares of the funds and investors may receive different levels of services or pay different fees depending upon the class of shares included in the program. Investors should carefully consider any separate transaction fee or other fees charged by these programs in connection with investing in each available share class before selecting a share class.

Institutional Class Shares

Institutional Class shares are sold at NAV, without an initial sales charge so that the full amount of your purchase payment may be immediately invested in the Funds. Institutional Class shares are not subject to a Rule 12b-1 fee or CDSC, but are subject to higher initial investment requirements than other classes of shares of a Fund.

Buying and Selling Fund Shares

Each Fund has the same minimum investment requirements, which are set forth in the chart below.



	Classes A, C, and Y
Minimum Investment Requirements	Initial Investment		Additional Investment
Regular Account	$	2,500	$	50



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Retirement Account or Custodial Account under the Uniform Gifts/Transfers to Minors Act	$	1,000	$	50
Investments through the Automatic Investment Plan	$	100	$	50



	Institutional Class
Minimum Investment Requirements	Initial Investment		Additional Investment
Regular Account	$	500,000	$	50

You may buy and sell shares in the Fund on a day when the New York Stock Exchange is open for trading. Existing Class A, Class C and Institutional Class shareholders may purchase shares directly through Touchstone Funds via the transfer agent, BNY Mellon or through their financial intermediary. Class Y shares are available only through financial intermediaries who have appropriate selling agreements in place with Touchstone Securities. Shares may be purchased or sold by writing to Touchstone Securities at P.O. Box 9878, Providence, Rhode Island 02940, calling 1.800.543.0407, or visiting the Touchstone Funds’ website: TouchstoneInvestments.com. You may only sell shares over the telephone or via the Internet if the value of the shares sold is less than or equal to $100,000. Shares held in IRA accounts and qualified retirement plans cannot be sold via the Internet. If your shares are held by a processing organization or financial intermediary you will need to follow its purchase and redemption procedures.

Touchstone Securities will forward the proceeds of your sale to you (or to your financial intermediary) within 7 days (normally

within 3 business days) after receipt of a proper redemption request. Under normal conditions, each Fund typically expects to meet redemption requests through the use of the Fund’s holdings of cash or cash equivalents, lines of credit, an interfund loan (as discussed in each Fund’s SAI) or by selling other Fund assets. Under unusual circumstances, such as a market emergency, when its Board of Trustees deems it appropriate, a Fund may make payment for shares redeemed by tendering portfolio securities of the Fund taken at current value in order to meet the redemption request. Shareholders may incur transaction and brokerage costs when they sell these portfolio securities. Until such time as the shareholder sells the securities they receive in-kind, the securities are subject to market risk. Redemptions in kind are taxable for federal income tax purposes in the same manner as redemptions for cash. The Funds may also use redemptions in-kind for certain Fund shares held by ReFlow Fund, LLC, a liquidity program designed to provide an alternative liquidity sources for mutual funds experiencing net redemptions of their shares. For more information about buying and selling shares, see the section “Investing with Touchstone” in each Fund’s prospectus or call (800) 543-0407.

Exchange Privileges of the Funds

Each Fund has the same exchange privileges. The Funds are subject to the exchange privileges listed below.

Class A shares may be exchanged into Class A shares of any other fund managed by Touchstone Advisors (a “Touchstone Fund”) at NAV, although Touchstone Funds that are closed to new investors may not accept exchanges.

Class C shares may be exchanged into Class C shares of any other Touchstone Fund, although Touchstone Funds that are closed to new investors may not accept exchanges.

Class Y shares of the Funds are exchangeable for Class Y shares of any other Touchstone Fund as long as investment minimums and proper selling agreement requirements are met. Class Y shares may be available through financial intermediaries that have appropriate selling agreements with Touchstone Securities, or through “processing organizations” (e.g., mutual fund supermarkets) that purchase shares for their customers. Touchstone Funds that are closed to new investors may not accept exchanges.

Institutional Class shares of the Funds are exchangeable for Institutional Class shares of any other Touchstone Fund as long as investment minimums and proper selling agreement requirements are met, although Touchstone Funds that are closed to new investors may not accept exchanges.

Class A, C, and Y shareholders who are eligible to invest in Institutional Class shares are eligible to exchange their Class A shares, Class C shares, and Class Y shares for Institutional Class shares of the same Fund, if offered in their state, and to the extent that such an exchange can be accommodated by their financial intermediary.

You do not have to pay any exchange fee for your exchange, but if you exchange from a fund with a lower load schedule to a fund with a higher load schedule you may be charged the load differential.



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Shares otherwise subject to a CDSC will not be charged a CDSC in an exchange. However, when you redeem the shares acquired through the exchange, the shares you redeem may be subject to a CDSC, depending on when you originally purchased the exchanged shares. For purposes of computing the CDSC, the length of time you have owned your shares will be measured from the date of original purchase and will not be affected by any exchange.

You should carefully review the disclosure provided in each Fund’s prospectus relating to the exchanged-for shares before making an exchange of your Fund shares. Touchstone Funds that are closed to new investors may not accept exchanges.

You may realize a taxable gain if you exchange shares of a Fund for shares of another fund.

Distribution Policy

Each Fund intends to distribute to its shareholders substantially all of its net income and net capital gains. Dividends, if any, are declared and paid quarterly by each Fund. After the Reorganization, the Acquiring Fund expects to declare and pay dividends of net investment income, if any, quarterly. Each Fund makes distributions of net capital gains, if any, at least annually. If you own shares on a Fund’s distribution record date, you will be entitled to receive the distribution.

After the Reorganization, shareholders of the Target Fund who currently have their dividends or distributions reinvested will have dividends or distributions received from the Acquiring Fund reinvested in the same class of shares of the Acquiring Fund as they owned in the Target Fund. Shareholders of the Target Fund who have elected to receive dividends or distributions in cash will receive dividends or distributions from the Acquiring Fund in cash after the Reorganization, although they may, after the Reorganization, elect to have both dividends and distributions reinvested in additional shares of the Acquiring Fund.

The Funds have each qualified and intend to remain qualified (for the Target Fund, through the Closing Date) to be treated as a regulated investment company under the Code. To remain qualified as a regulated investment company, a Fund must, among other things, distribute at least 90% of its net taxable and tax-exempt income and diversify its holdings as required by the Code. While so qualified, so long as a Fund distributes all of its investment company taxable income (determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid) and net tax-exempt income and any realized net capital gains to its shareholders of record, it is expected that the Fund will not be required to pay any federal income taxes.

DISTRIBUTION AND SHAREHOLDER SERVICING ARRANGEMENTS

Rule 12b-1 Distribution Plans. Each Fund has adopted distribution plans, with respect to its Class A and Class C shares, under Rule 12b-1 of the 1940 Act. The plans allow each Fund to pay distribution and other fees for the sale and distribution of its shares and for services provided to shareholders. Under the Class A plan, the Funds pay an annual fee of up to 0.25% of average daily net assets that are attributable to Class A shares. Under the Class C plan, the Funds pay an annual fee of up to 1.00% of average daily net assets that are attributable to Class C shares (of which up to 0.75% is a distribution fee and up to 0.25% is a shareholder servicing fee). Because these fees are paid out of a Fund’s assets on an ongoing basis, they will increase the cost of your investment and over time may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges. Class Y shares and Institutional Class shares are not subject to a fee pursuant to a Rule 12b-1 plan. For more information on these plans, please see the section titled “Rule 12b-1 Distribution Plans” in each Fund’s prospectus.

Additional Compensation to Financial Intermediaries. Touchstone Securities, the Trusts’ principal underwriter, at its own expense (from a designated percentage of its income) currently provides additional compensation to certain dealers. Touchstone Securities pursues a focused distribution strategy with a limited number of dealers who have sold shares of the Funds or other Touchstone Funds. Touchstone Securities reviews and makes changes to the focused distribution strategy on a periodic basis. These payments are generally based on a pro rata share of a dealer’s sales. Touchstone Securities may also provide compensation in connection with conferences, sales, or training programs for employees, seminars for the public, advertising, and other dealer-sponsored programs.

Touchstone Advisors, at its own expense, may also provide additional compensation to certain affiliated and unaffiliated dealers, financial intermediaries or service providers for certain services including distribution, administrative, sub-accounting, sub-transfer agency or shareholder servicing activities. These additional cash payments to a financial intermediary are payments over and above sales commissions or reallowances, distribution fees or servicing fees (including networking, administration, and sub-transfer agency fees). These additional cash payments also may be made as an expense reimbursement in cases where the financial intermediary bears certain costs in connection with providing shareholder services to Fund shareholders. Touchstone Advisors may also reimburse Touchstone Securities for making these payments.



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Touchstone Advisors and its affiliates may also pay cash compensation in the form of finders’ fees or referral fees that vary depending on the dollar amount of shares sold. The amount and value of additional cash payments vary for each financial intermediary. The additional cash payment arrangement between a particular financial intermediary and Touchstone Advisors or its affiliates may provide for increased rates of compensation as the dollar value of each Fund’s shares or particular class of shares sold or invested through such financial intermediary increases. The availability of these additional cash payments, the varying fee structure within a particular additional cash payment arrangement and the basis for and manner in which a financial intermediary compensates its sales representatives may create a financial incentive for a particular financial intermediary and its sales representatives to recommend a Fund’s shares over the shares of other mutual funds based, at least in part, on the level of compensation paid. You should consult with your financial intermediary and review carefully any disclosure by the financial firm as to compensation received by your financial intermediary. Although each Fund may use financial firms that sell the Fund’s shares to effect portfolio transactions for the Fund, the Fund and Touchstone Advisors will not consider the sale of the Fund’s shares as a factor when choosing financial firms to effect those transactions. For more information on payment arrangements, please see the section titled “Distribution and Shareholder Servicing Arrangements—The Distributor” in each Fund’s SAI.

INFORMATION ON SHAREHOLDERS’ RIGHTS

The following is a summary of certain important provisions of the governing instruments and governing laws applicable to each Trust, but is not a complete description. Further information about a Trust’s governance structure is contained in the applicable Fund’s SAI and the Trust’s governing documents, which are on file with the SEC.

Organization and Governing Law. The Funds are open-end, management investment companies. The Target Fund is a series of Touchstone Strategic Trust, a Massachusetts business trust. The Acquiring Fund is a series of Touchstone Funds Group Trust, a Delaware statutory trust. A Fund organized as a series of a Massachusetts business trust is governed by the trust’s declaration of trust and by-laws or similar instruments. The power and authority to manage the Fund and its affairs reside with the trustees, and shareholder rights are generally limited to those provided to the shareholders in the declaration of trust or similar instrument, rather than by statute. A Fund organized as a series of a Delaware statutory trust is governed by Delaware law and the trust’s declaration of trust and by-laws or similar instruments. The Funds are also governed by applicable federal law. Each Fund and its business and affairs are managed under the supervision of its Board of Trustees (for purposes of the table below, each a “Board” or the “Trustees”). The primary differences between the Trusts relate to the form of organization, the right to call shareholder meetings, and the votes required for approval of reorganizations and liquidations, as further detailed below.



	Touchstone Strategic Trust	Touchstone Funds Group Trust
Form of Organization:	Massachusetts business trust	Delaware statutory trust
Preemptive Rights:	None	None
Conversion Rights:	Subject to compliance with the requirements of the 1940 Act, the Trustees shall have the authority to provide that holders of shares of any series shall have the right to convert said shares into shares of one or more other series of shares in accordance with such requirements and procedures as may be established by the Trustees.	Shareholders shall have the right to exchange shares for shares of one or more other series of shares in accordance with such requirements and procedures as may be established by the Trustees.
Shareholder Meetings:	The Fund is not required to hold annual shareholder meetings under its declaration of trust and by-laws.	The Fund is not required to hold annual shareholder meetings under its declaration of trust and by-laws.



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	Touchstone Strategic Trust	Touchstone Funds Group Trust
Right to Call Shareholder Meetings:	A meeting of the shareholders may be called by the Trustees from time to time for the purpose of taking action upon any matter requiring the vote or authority of the shareholders or upon any matter deemed by the Trustees to be necessary or desirable. A special meeting of shareholders shall be called by the Trustees for the purpose of voting on the removal of any Trustee of the Trust when requested to do so in writing by shareholders holding not less than 10% of the shares outstanding. If the Trustees fail to call or give notice of any meeting of shareholders for a period of 30 days after written application by shareholders holding at least 25% of the shares outstanding requesting a meeting be called for any other purpose requiring action by the shareholders then holding at least 25% of the shares outstanding may call and give notice of such meeting.	Meetings of the shareholders may be called by the Trustees for the purpose of electing Trustees and for such other purposes as may be prescribed by law, by the declaration of trust or by the by-laws. Meetings of shareholders may be called by the Trustees from time to time for the purpose of taking action upon any other matter deemed by the Trustees to be necessary or desirable. A meeting of shareholders for the purpose of electing or removing Trustees may be called by the Trustees upon their own vote or upon the demand of shareholders owning 10% or more of the shares of the Trust in the aggregate. A meeting of the shareholders may be called at any time by the Board or by the Chair of the Board or by the President.
Notice of Meetings:	Written notice of any meeting of shareholders shall be given or caused to be given by the Trustees by mailing such notice at least seven days before such meeting, postage prepaid, stating the time, place and purpose of the meeting, to each shareholder at the shareholder’s address as it appears on the records of the Trust.	Written notice of any meeting of shareholders shall be given or caused to be given by the Trustees by mailing such notice at least seven days, but not more than 75 days, before such meeting, postage prepaid, stating the time and place of the meeting, to each shareholder at the shareholder’s address as it appears on the records of the Trust. The notice shall specify the place, date and hour of the meeting, and the general nature of the business to be transacted.
Record Date for Meetings:	The Trustees may close the transfer books for such period not exceeding 30 days, as the Trustees may determine; or without closing the transfer books the Trustees may fix a date and time not more than 60 days prior to the date of any shareholders meeting.	The Trustees may fix a time, which shall not be more than ninety days, nor less than seven days, before the date of any meeting of shareholders, as the record date for determining the shareholder of such series or class having the right to notice of and to vote at such meeting and any adjournment thereof.
Quorum for Meetings and Adjournments:	A majority of the shares entitled to vote shall be a quorum for the transaction of business at a shareholders’ meeting, but any lesser number shall be sufficient for adjournments.	Except when a larger quorum is required by applicable law, by the by-laws or by the declaration of trust, 40% of the shares entitled to vote shall constitute a quorum at a shareholders’ meeting. Any meeting of shareholders may be adjourned by a majority of the votes properly cast upon the question of adjourning a meeting, whether or not a quorum is present.
Shareholder Votes Required for Approval of Matters at Meetings:	A majority of the shares voted, at a meeting of which a quorum is present, shall decide any questions, except when a different vote is required or permitted by any provision of the 1940 Act or other applicable law or by the declaration of trust or the by-laws.	When a quorum is present at any meeting, a majority of the shares voted shall decide any questions, except when a larger vote is required by any provision of the declaration of trust or the by-laws or by applicable law.
Vote Required for Election of Trustees:	A plurality of the shares voted, at a meeting at which a quorum is present, shall elect a Trustee, except when a different vote is required or permitted by any provision of the 1940 Act or other applicable law or by the declaration of trust or the by-laws.	When a quorum is present at any meeting, a plurality shall elect a Trustee, except when a larger vote is required by any provision of the declaration of trust or the by-laws or by applicable law.



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	Touchstone Strategic Trust	Touchstone Funds Group Trust
Votes Required for Approval of Reorganization:	Except as provided by the 1940 Act, a majority of the Trustees present at a meeting of Trustees (a quorum, consisting of at least a majority of Trustees) may consent to or participate in any plan for the reorganization, consolidation or merger of any series. A majority of shareholders shall have the power to vote with respect to any termination or reorganization of the Trust or any series; provided however, that for a Fund created on or after November 17, 2011, the termination or reorganization of a series may be authorized by vote of a majority of the Trustees without shareholder approval, unless shareholder approval is required by the 1940 Act, then such reorganization must be approved at a meeting called for the purpose by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of outstanding voting shares of that series, as defined in the 1940 Act.⁽²⁾	The Trustees may cause the Trust, its series, or its shares to be merged into, consolidated with, converted into, or exchanged with beneficial interests in another trust or company, as authorized by the vote of a majority of the outstanding shares so affected. Notwithstanding the above, any series created on or after August 14, 1998 may (1) consolidate or merge with one or more other trusts, partnerships, associations or corporations, including any series or class thereof, or (2) transfer a substantial portion of its assets to one or more other trusts, partnerships, associations or corporations, including any series or class thereof, without the approval of shareholders of such series if the transaction is authorized by vote of a majority of the trustees.
Votes Required for Liquidation of a Fund:	The liquidation of any series may be authorized by vote of a majority of the Trustees then in office subject to the approval of a majority of the outstanding voting shares of that series, as defined in the 1940 Act⁽²⁾; provided however, that for a Fund created on or after November 17, 2011, the liquidation may be authorized by vote of a majority of the Trustees without shareholder approval.	Any series may be terminated at any time by a vote of a majority of the shares of that series or by the Trustees by written notice to the shareholders of the series.
Removal of Trustees:	Any Trustee may be removed with or without cause (i) by written instrument signed by at least two-thirds of the Trustees, (ii) by a vote of shareholders holding not less than two-thirds of the shares outstanding cast in person or by proxy at a meeting called for that purpose or (iii) by a declaration in writing signed by shareholders holding not less than two-thirds of the shares outstanding.	Any Trustee may be removed at any meeting of shareholders by a vote of two-thirds of the outstanding shares of the Trust.
Personal Liability of Trustees, Officers and Shareholders:	A Trustee or officer shall be liable for his own willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of the office of Trustee or such officer. A Trustee shall not be liable for errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law. Subject to the foregoing, the Trustees shall not be responsible or liable in any event for any neglect or wrongdoing of any officer, agent, employee, consultant, adviser, administrator, distributor or principal underwriter, custodian or transfer, dividend disbursing, shareholder servicing or accounting agent of the Trust, nor shall any Trustee be responsible for the act or omission of any other Trustee. All persons extending credit to, contracting with or having any claim against the Trust shall look only to the assets of the Trust for payment under such credit, contract or claim; and neither the shareholders nor the Trustees, nor any of the Trust’s officers, employees or agents, whether past, present or future, shall be personally liable therefor.	The Trustees shall not be responsible or liable in any event for any neglect or wrongdoing of any officer, agent, employee, investment advisor or principal underwriter of the Trust, nor shall any trustee be responsible for the act or omission of any other Trustee. Trustees shall not be liable for errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law. Trustees may take advice of counsel or other experts with respect to the operation of the Trust and shall be under no liability for any act or omission in accordance with such advice or for failing to follow such advice. Neither the Trust, Trustees or officers, employees or agents shall have the power to bind personally any shareholder or call upon any shareholder for the payment other than such as the shareholder may at any time personally agree to pay. Every note, bond, contract, instrument, certificate or undertaking and every other act or thing whatsoever issued, executed or done by or on behalf of the Trust or the Trustees shall be conclusively deemed to have been issued, executed or done only in or with respect to their capacity as a Trustee and such Trustee shall not be personally liable thereon.



	29



	Touchstone Strategic Trust	Touchstone Funds Group Trust
Indemnification of Trustees:	The Trust shall indemnify each of its Trustees and officers against all liabilities and expenses incurred by any Trustee in connection with the defense or disposition of any action, suit or other proceeding, before any court or legislative body, in which such person is made a party or otherwise or is threatened to be made a party by reason of being or having held such position with the Trust, except with respect to any matter arising from his or her own willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of such person’s office.⁽¹⁾	The Trust out of its assets shall indemnify and hold harmless each and every Trustee from and against any and all claims and demands whatsoever arising out of or related to their duties as trustees, except with respect to liability to the Trust or any shareholder to which the Trustee would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office.
Rights of Inspection:	The records of the Trust shall be open to inspection by shareholders to the same extent as is permitted stockholders of a Massachusetts business corporation under the Massachusetts Business Corporation Law.	The declaration of trust and each amendment shall be kept at the office of the Trust where it may be inspected by any shareholder. The by-laws, as amended from time to time, shall be open to inspection by the shareholders at all reasonable times during office hours. Minutes and accounting books and records shall be open to inspection upon the written demand by any shareholders at any reasonable time during usual business hours of the Trust for a purpose reasonably related to the holder’s interests as a shareholder.
Number of Authorized Shares; Par Value:	Unlimited; no par value per share.	Unlimited; $0.01 par value per share.
Number of Votes:	Each shareholder is entitled to one vote for each whole share that they hold and a fractional vote for each fractional share that they hold. There shall be no cumulative voting in the election of Trustees.	Each whole share shall be entitled to one vote as to any matter on which it is entitled to vote and each fractional share shall be entitled to a proportionate fractional vote. There shall be no cumulative voting in the election of Trustees.
Amendment of Governing Instruments:	The declaration of trust may be amended by an instrument in writing signed by a majority of the Trustees, when authorized to do so by a vote of a majority of shareholders, except for certain amendments, such as the designation of series or classes, the change in name of the Trust or a series, or to supply any omission or cure an ambiguity, which shall not require authorization by a shareholder vote. No amendment shall repeal the limitations on personal liability of any shareholder or Trustee or repeal the prohibition of assessment upon the shareholders without the express consent of each shareholder or trustee involved. The by-laws may be amended or repealed by a majority of the Trustees at a meeting or by writings signed by such majority.	The declaration of trust may be restated and/or amended at any time by an instrument in writing signed by a majority of the then Trustees and, if required, by approval of such amendment by a majority of shareholders. The by-laws may be amended or repealed by the affirmative vote or written consent or a majority of shareholders or by the Trustees.

⁽¹⁾Such rights to indemnification are not exclusive and do not affect any other rights the trustee or officer may have, by contract or otherwise by law, including under any liability insurance policy. There is no statutory exclusion under Massachusetts law from liabilities for shareholders of a Massachusetts business trust. Therefore, under certain circumstances, shareholders of a Massachusetts business trust may be deemed liable for the obligations of the trust.

⁽²⁾Under the 1940 Act, the vote of a majority of outstanding voting shares means the vote, at an annual or special meeting of shareholders of the fund, of the lesser of (i) 67% or more of the voting securities of the fund present at such meeting, if the holders of shares representing more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the fund are present or represented by proxy; or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the fund.

Shares. When issued and paid for in accordance with their respective prospectuses, shares of both Funds are fully paid and non-assessable, having no preemptive or subscription rights and are freely transferable. Each share of a Fund represents an equal interest in such Fund, although the fees and expenses relating to each class may vary. Shares of each Fund are entitled to receive their pro rata share of distributions of income and capital gains, if any, made with respect to that Fund as are declared by the Trust’s Board of Trustees, although such distributions may vary in amount among the classes of a Fund to reflect class-specific expenses. Such distributions may be in cash, or in additional Fund shares. In any liquidation of a Fund, each



	30

shareholder is entitled to receive his or her pro rata share of the net assets of the Fund, after satisfaction of all outstanding liabilities and expenses of the Fund.

Series and Classes. The declaration of trust of each Trust gives broad authority to the Trustees to establish series and classes in addition to those currently established and to determine the rights and preferences of the shares of the shares of the series and classes.

Submission of Shareholder Proposals. The declaration of trust and by-laws of each Trust do not contain provisions requiring that a shareholder provide notice to the applicable Fund in advance of a shareholder meeting to enable the shareholder to present a proposal at such meeting, although federal securities laws, which apply to each Fund, require that certain conditions be met to present any proposals at shareholder meetings.

VOTING INFORMATION CONCERNING THE SPECIAL MEETING

Solicitation of Proxies. The purpose of the Special Meeting is set forth in the accompanying Notice. Proxies are being solicited by the Board on behalf of the Target Fund. The proxies will be voted at the Special Meeting of shareholders of the Target Fund. The cost of the solicitation, including the printing and mailing of proxy materials, will be borne by Touchstone Advisors regardless of whether the Plan is approved by shareholders or the Reorganization is completed.

The Target Fund has engaged the services of AST Fund Solutions, LLC (“AST” or “Solicitor”) to assist in the solicitation of proxies for the Special Meeting. Solicitor’s fees and the cost of printing and mailing proxy materials are expected to be approximately $6,850. Proxies are expected to be solicited principally by mail, but the Target Fund or Solicitor may also solicit proxies by telephone, through the Internet or otherwise. Any telephonic solicitations will follow procedures reasonably designed to ensure accuracy and prevent fraud, including requiring identifying shareholder information, recording the shareholder’s instructions, and confirming to the shareholders after the fact. Shareholders who communicate proxies by telephone or by other electronic means have the same power and authority to issue, revoke, or otherwise change their voting instructions as shareholders submitting proxies in written form. Touchstone Advisors may reimburse custodians, nominees, and fiduciaries for the reasonable costs incurred by them in connection with forwarding solicitation materials to the beneficial owners of shares held of record by such persons. Although AST representatives are permitted to answer questions about the voting process and may read any recommendation set forth in this Proxy Statement/Prospectus, they are not permitted to recommend to shareholders how to vote. Proxies may also be solicited by officers, employees and agents of Touchstone Advisors or their affiliates. Such solicitations may be by telephone, through the Internet or otherwise.

Required Vote. The Target Fund’s shareholders as of the Record Date will have the option to vote “FOR” or “AGAINST” the proposed Plan providing for the Reorganization, or may “ABSTAIN” from voting. Any person conferring a proxy has the power to revoke it any time prior to its exercise by executing a superseding proxy or by submitting a written notice of revocation to the Secretary of the Target Trust. In addition, although mere attendance at the Special Meeting will not revoke a proxy, a shareholder present at the Special Meeting may withdraw his or her proxy and vote in person. Target Fund shares represented by a properly executed proxy will be voted in accordance with the instructions on the proxy, or, if no instructions are provided, the shares will be voted “FOR” the approval of the Reorganization. Approval of the Reorganization requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of outstanding voting shares of the Target Fund, as defined in the 1940 Act, each share of the Target Fund entitled to one vote (fractional shares entitled to proportionate shares of one vote). Under the 1940 Act, approval of the Reorganization by a vote of a majority of outstanding voting shares requires the affirmative vote of the lesser of (i) 67% or more of the voting securities of the Target Fund entitled to vote on the Reorganization proposal that are present in person or by proxy at the Special Meeting if holders of shares representing more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund are present or represented by proxy at the Special Meeting or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the Target Fund entitled to vote on the Reorganization proposal. A vote to “ABSTAIN” will have the same effect as a vote “AGAINST” the proposal.

Quorum. In order to hold the Special Meeting, a quorum of shareholders of the Target Fund must be present. Holders of a majority of the total number of shares entitled to vote, present in person or by proxy, shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of voting on the Reorganization proposal and for the purpose of transacting any other business that may come before the Special Meeting.

For purposes of determining a quorum for transacting business at the Special Meeting, abstentions and broker “non-votes” (that is, proxies from brokers or nominees indicating that such persons have not received instructions from the beneficial owner or other persons entitled to vote shares on a particular matter with respect to which the brokers or nominees do not have discretionary power) will be treated as shares that are present but which have not been voted. For this reason, abstentions and broker non-votes will have the effect of a “no” vote for purposes of obtaining the requisite approval of the Reorganization.



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If the necessary quorum to transact business or the vote required to approve the Reorganization proposal is not obtained at the Special Meeting, the persons named as proxies in the proxy card may propose one or more adjournments of the Special Meeting, in accordance with applicable law, to permit the further solicitation of proxies. Although a majority of the shares entitled to vote is a quorum for the transaction of business at a shareholders’ meeting, any lesser number is sufficient for adjournments.

Shareholder Information. Exhibit C to this Proxy Statement/Prospectus lists the name, address, and percent ownership of each person who, as of the Record Date, to the knowledge of each Fund, owned 5% or more of the outstanding shares of a class of the respective Fund. Exhibit C also lists those shareholders that would have owned 5% or more of the outstanding shares of a class of the combined Fund had the Reorganization taken place on the Record Date.

Other Business. The Board knows of no other business that will be presented for consideration at the Special Meeting. Should other business properly be brought before the Special Meeting, proxies will be voted in accordance with the best judgment of the persons named as proxies. By completing the proxy, you are also authorizing the persons named on the proxy to vote in their discretion on any other matter that properly comes before the Special Meeting.

LEGAL MATTERS

Certain legal matters in connection with the issuance of the Acquiring Fund’s shares will be passed upon by Vedder Price P.C., located at 222 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois 60601.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Trusts are subject to the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the 1940 Act, and in accordance therewith files reports and other information including proxy materials, information statements and charter documents with the SEC. Reports and other information about the Funds are available on the EDGAR database of the SEC’s internet site at http://www.sec.gov. You may obtain copies of these reports and other information, after paying a duplicating fee, by sending an e-mail request to: publicinfo@sec.gov.

Shareholders Sharing the Same Address. If two or more shareholders share the same address, only one copy of this Proxy Statement/Prospectus is being delivered to that address, unless the Target Trust has received contrary instructions from one or more of the shareholders at that shared address. Upon written or oral request, the Target Trust will deliver promptly a separate copy of this Proxy Statement/Prospectus to a shareholder at a shared address. Please call (800) 543-0407 or forward a written request to the Target Trust, P.O. Box 9878, Providence, Rhode Island 02940 if you would like to (1) receive a separate copy of this Proxy Statement/Prospectus; (2) receive your annual reports or information statements separately in the future; or (3) request delivery of a single copy of annual reports or information statements if you are currently receiving multiple copies at a shared address.

OTHER BUSINESS

The Board does not intend to present any other business at the Special Meeting. If, however, any other matters are properly brought before the Special Meeting, the persons named in the accompanying proxy card will vote thereon in accordance with their judgment.

THE BOARD RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF THE AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF REORGANIZATION FOR THE TARGET FUND AND ANY PROPERLY EXECUTED BUT UNMARKED PROXY CARDS WILL BE VOTED IN FAVOR OF APPROVAL OF THE AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF REORGANIZATION.



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FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

The financial highlights tables are intended to help you understand each Fund’s financial performance for the past five years or since commencement of operations, as applicable. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. The financial highlights for the Target Fund for the period ended June 30, 2016 and the years ended June 30, 2017, and 2018, were audited by Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the Target Fund’s financial statements and related notes, is included in the Target Fund’s June 30, 2018 annual report. The financial highlights for the Acquiring Fund for the period ended September 30, 2014 and the years ended September 30 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018, were audited by Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the Acquiring Fund’s financial statements and related notes, is included in the Acquiring Fund’s September 30, 2018 annual report. You can obtain the Funds’ annual and semi-annual reports at no charge by calling (800) 543-0407 or by downloading a copy from the Touchstone Investments website at: TouchstoneInvestments.com/Resources. The Annual Reports have been incorporated by reference in this Proxy Statement/Prospectus and the SAI.



	33

Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund — Class A

Selected Data for a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period



	Six Months Ended December 31, 2018 (Unaudited)				Year Ended June 30, 2018			Year Ended June 30, 2017			Period Ended June 30, 2016^(A)
Net asset value at beginning of period	$	9.96			$	10.41		$	10.05		$	10.00
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment income	0.26				0.49			0.45			0.22
Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments	(0.55		)		(0.13		)	0.45			0.07
Total from investment operations	(0.29		)		0.36			0.90			0.29
Distributions from:
Net investment income	(0.29		)		(0.53		)	(0.47		)	(0.23		)
Realized capital gains	(0.11		)		(0.28		)	(0.07		)	(0.01		)
Total distributions	(0.40		)		(0.81		)	(0.54		)	(0.24		)
Net asset value at end of period	$	9.27			$	9.96		$	10.41		$	10.05
Total return^(B)	(2.99		)%	^(C)	3.50		%	9.08		%	2.95		%	^(C)
Ratios and supplemental data:
Net assets at end of period (000's)	$	109			$	153		$	45		$	43
Ratio to average net assets:
Net expenses (including dividend and interest expense on securities sold short)^(D)	1.79		%	^(E)	1.76		%	1.87		%	1.73		%	^(E)
Gross expenses (including dividend and interest expense on securities sold short)^(F)	7.08		%	^(E)	10.00		%	16.01		%	38.32		%	^(E)
Net investment income	5.63		%	^(E)	5.00		%	4.44		%	3.53		%	^(E)
Portfolio turnover rate	37		%	^(C)	70		%	84		%	91		%	^(C)


(A)	Represents the period from commencement of operations (September 1, 2015) through June 30, 2016.


(B)	Total returns shown exclude the effect of applicable sales loads and fees. If these charges were included, the returns would be lower.


(C)	Not annualized.


(D)	The ratio of net expenses to average net assets excluding dividend and interest expense on securities sold short for Class A was 1.69%, 1.69%, 1.69% and 1.69% for the six months ended December 31, 2018, years ended June 30, 2018, June 30, 2017 and for the period ended June 30, 2016, respectively.


(E)	Annualized.


(F)	The ratio of gross expenses to average net assets excluding dividend and interest expense on securities sold short for Class A was 6.98%,9.93%, 15.83% and 38.28% for the six months ended December 31, 2018, years ended June 30, 2018, June 30, 2017 and for the period ended June 30, 2016, respectively.



	34

Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund — Class C

Selected Data for a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period



	Six Months Ended December 31, 2018 (Unaudited)				Year Ended June 30, 2018			Year Ended June 30, 2017			Period Ended June 30, 2016^(A)
Net asset value at beginning of period	$	10.00			$	10.44		$	10.08		$	10.00
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment income	0.20				0.44			0.34			0.17
Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments	(0.52		)		(0.15		)	0.48			0.08
Total from investment operations	(0.32		)		0.29			0.82			0.25
Distributions from:
Net investment income	(0.27		)		(0.45		)	(0.39		)	(0.16		)
Realized capital gains	(0.11		)		(0.28		)	(0.07		)	(0.01		)
Total distributions	(0.38		)		(0.73		)	(0.46		)	(0.17		)
Net asset value at end of period	$	9.30			$	10.00		$	10.44		$	10.08
Total return^(B)	(3.20		)%	^(C)	2.69		%	8.31		%	2.59		%	^(C)
Ratios and supplemental data:
Net assets at end of period (000's)	$	91			$	22		$	22		$	6
Ratio to average net assets:
Net expenses (including dividend and interest expense on securities sold short)^(D)	2.54		%	^(E)	2.51		%	2.62		%	2.48		%	^(E)
Gross expenses (including dividend and interest expense on securities sold short)^(F)	14.09		%	^(E)	34.60		%	73.30		%	276.34		%	^(E)
Net investment income	4.88		%	^(E)	4.25		%	3.69		%	2.79		%	^(E)
Portfolio turnover rate	37		%	^(C)	70		%	84		%	91		%	^(C)


(A)	Represents the period from commencement of operations (September 1, 2015) through June 30, 2016.


(B)	Total returns shown exclude the effect of applicable sales loads and fees. If these charges were included, the returns would be lower.


(C)	Not annualized.


(D)	The ratio of net expenses to average net assets excluding dividend and interest expense on securities sold short for Class C was 2.44%, 2.44%, 2.44% and 2.44% for the six months ended December 31, 2018, years ended June 30, 2018, June 30, 2017 and for the period ended June 30, 2016, respectively.


(E)	Annualized.


(F)	The ratio of gross expenses to average net assets excluding dividend and interest expense on securities sold short for Class C was 13.99% 34.53%, 73.12% and 276.30% for the six months ended December 31, 2018, years ended June 30, 2018, June 30, 2017 and for the period ended June 30, 2016, respectively.



	35

Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund — Class Y

Selected Data for a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period



	Six Months Ended December 31, 2018 (Unaudited)				Year Ended June 30, 2018			Year Ended June 30, 2017			Period Ended June 30, 2016^(A)
Net asset value at beginning of period	$	9.96			$	10.41		$	10.04		$	10.00
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment income	0.32				0.50			0.39			0.31
Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments	(0.59		)		(0.12		)	0.54			(0.02		)
Total from investment operations	(0.27		)		0.38			0.93			0.29
Distributions from:
Net investment income	(0.31		)		(0.55		)	(0.49		)	(0.24		)
Realized capital gains	(0.11		)		(0.28		)	(0.07		)	(0.01		)
Total distributions	(0.42		)		(0.83		)	(0.56		)	(0.25		)
Net asset value at end of period	$	9.27			$	9.96		$	10.41		$	10.04
Total return	(2.77		)%	^(B)	3.73		%	9.39		%	3.04		%	^(B)
Ratios and supplemental data:
Net assets at end of period (000's)	$	968			$	444		$	315		$	3
Ratio to average net assets:
Net expenses (including dividend and interest expense on securities sold short)^(C)	1.54		%	^(D)	1.51		%	1.62		%	1.48		%	^(D)
Gross expenses (including dividend and interest expense on securities sold short)^(E)	3.06		%	^(D)	4.29		%	8.25		%	355.77		%	^(D)
Net investment income	5.88		%	^(D)	5.25		%	4.69		%	3.79		%	^(D)
Portfolio turnover rate	37		%	^(B)	70		%	84		%	91		%	^(B)


(A)	Represents the period from commencement of operations (September 1, 2015) through June 30, 2016.


(B)	Not annualized.


(C)	The ratio of net expenses to average net assets excluding dividend and interest expense on securities sold short for Class Y was 1.44%, 1.44%, 1.44% and 1.44% for the six months ended December 31, 2018, years ended June 30, 2018, June 30, 2017 and for the period ended June 30, 2016, respectively.


(D)	Annualized.


(E)	The ratio of gross expenses to average net assets excluding dividend and interest expense on securities sold short for Class Y was 2.96%, 4.22%, 8.07% and 355.73% for the six months ended December 31, 2018, years ended June 30, 2018, June 30, 2017 and for the period ended June 30, 2016, respectively.



	36

Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund — Institutional Class

Selected Data for a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period



	Six Months Ended December 31, 2018 (Unaudited)				Year Ended June 30, 2018			Year Ended June 30, 2017			Period Ended June 30, 2016^(A)
Net asset value at beginning of period	$	9.96			$	10.41		$	10.05		$	10.00
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment income	0.30				0.55			0.50			0.28
Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments	(0.57		)		(0.16		)	0.43			0.03
Total from investment operations	(0.27		)		0.39			0.93			0.31
Distributions from:
Net investment income	(0.31		)		(0.56		)	(0.50		)	(0.25		)
Realized capital gains	(0.11		)		(0.28		)	(0.07		)	(0.01		)
Total distributions	(0.42		)		(0.84		)	(0.57		)	(0.26		)
Net asset value at end of period	$	9.27			$	9.96		$	10.41		$	10.05
Total return	(2.82		)%	^(B)	3.85		%	9.47		%	3.22		%	^(B)
Ratios and supplemental data:
Net assets at end of period (000's)	$	46,540			$	51,715		$	53,150		$	54,411
Ratio to average net assets:
Net expenses (including dividend and interest expense on securities sold short)^(C)	1.44		%	^(D)	1.41		%	1.52		%	1.38		%	^(D)
Gross expenses (including dividend and interest expense on securities sold short)^(E)	1.63		%	^(D)	1.59		%	1.69		%	1.65		%	^(D)
Net investment income	5.98		%	^(D)	5.35		%	4.79		%	3.88		%	^(D)
Portfolio turnover rate	37		%	^(B)	70		%	84		%	91		%	^(B)


(A)	Represents the period from commencement of operations (September 1, 2015) through June 30, 2016.


(B)	Not annualized.


(C)	The ratio of net expenses to average net assets excluding dividend and interest expense on securities sold short for Institutional Class was 1.34%, 1.34%, 1.34% and 1.34% for the six months ended December 31, 2018, years ended June 30, 2018, June 30, 2017 and for the period ended June 30, 2016, respectively.


(D)	Annualized.


(E)	The ratio of gross expenses to average net assets excluding dividend and interest expense on securities sold short for Institutional Class was 1.53%, 1.52%, 1.51% and 1.61% for the six months ended December 31, 2018, years ended June 30, 2018, June 30, 2017 and for the period ended June 30, 2016, respectively.



	37



Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund—Class A
Selected Data for a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period
	Six Months Ended March 31, 2019	Year Ended September 30,
	(Unaudited)	2018				2017				2016			2015			2014^(A)
Net asset value at beginning of period	$9.68	$	10.24		$	10.31		$	9.93			$	9.87		$		10.00
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment loss^(B)	(0.05)		(0.01)			(0.12)			(0.11)				(0.08)				(0.10)
Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments	0.18		(0.11)			0.34			0.66				0.16				(0.03)
Total from investment operations	0.13		(0.12)			0.22			0.55				0.08				(0.13)
Distributions from:
Net investment income	(0.15)		—			—			(0.02)				—				—
Realized capital gains	—		(0.44)			(0.29)			(0.15)				(0.02)				—
Total distributions	(0.15)		(0.44)			(0.29)			(0.17)				(0.02)				—
Net asset value at end of period	$9.66	$	9.68		$	10.24		$	10.31			$	9.93		$		9.87
Total return^(C)	1.44%^(D)		(1.18	)%		2.20	%		5.61		%		0.77	%			(1.30	)%
Ratios and supplemental data:
Net assets at end of period (000's)	$3,514	$	3,844		$	8,186		$	10,003			$	20,672		$		22,725
Ratio to average net assets:
Net expenses (including dividend and interest expense on securities sold short and liquidity provider expenses)^(E)	1.88%^(F)		1.92	%		2.70	%		2.80		%		2.42	%			2.51	%
Gross expenses (including dividend and interest expense on securities sold short and liquidity provider expenses)^(G)	2.33%^(F)		2.25	%		2.91	%		3.03		%		2.44	%			2.51	%
Net investment loss	(1.14)%^(F)		(0.08	)%		(1.20	)%		(1.06		)%		(0.83	)%			(1.01	)%
Portfolio turnover rate	66%^(D)		254	%		358	%		451		%		276	%			293	%



(A)	Represents the period from commencement of operations (October 1, 2013) through September 30, 2014.
(B)	The net investment loss per share was based on average shares outstanding for the period.
(C)	Total returns shown exclude the effect of applicable sales loads and fees. If these charges were included, the returns would be lower.
(D)	Not annualized.
(E)	The ratio of net expenses to average net assets excluding dividend and interest expense on securities sold short and liquidity provider expenses was 1.68%, 1.68%, 1.68%, 1.68%, 1.68% and 1.67% for the six months ended March 31, 2019 and years ended September 30, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
(F)	Annualized.
(G)	The ratio of gross expenses to average net assets excluding dividend and interest expense on securities sold short and liquidity provider expenses was 2.13%, 2.01%, 1.89%, 1.91%, 1.70% and 1.67% for the six months ended March 31, 2019 and years ended September 30, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.



	38



Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund—Class C
Selected Data for a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period
	Six Months Ended March 31, 2019	Year Ended September 30,
	(Unaudited)	2018				2017				2016			2015			2014^(A)
Net asset value at beginning of period	$9.32	$	9.95		$	10.11		$	9.80			$	9.82		$		10.00
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment loss^(B)	(0.09)		(0.08)			(0.19)			(0.18)				(0.15)				(0.17)
Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments	0.20		(0.11)			0.32			0.65				0.15				(0.01)
Total from investment operations	0.11		(0.19)			0.13			0.47				—				(0.18)
Distributions from:
Net investment income	—	^(C)	—			—			(0.01)				—				—
Realized capital gains	—		(0.44)			(0.29)			(0.15)				(0.02)				—
Total distributions	—		(0.44)			(0.29)			(0.16)				(0.02)				—
Net asset value at end of period	$9.43	$	9.32		$	9.95		$	10.11			$	9.80		$		9.82
Total return^(D)	1.19%^(E)		(1.95	)%		1.33	%		4.81		%		(0.05	)%			(1.80	)%
Ratios and supplemental data:
Net assets at end of period (000's)	$2,831	$	4,822		$	8,762		$	7,930			$	8,694		$		11,113
Ratio to average net assets:
Net expenses (including dividend and interest expense on securities sold short and liquidity provider expenses)^(F)	2.63%^(G)		2.67	%		3.45	%		3.55		%		3.14	%			3.27	%
Gross expenses (including dividend and interest expense on securities sold short and liquidity provider expenses)^(H)	3.02%^(G)		2.85	%		3.60	%		3.62		%		3.14	%			3.29	%
Net investment loss	(1.89)%^(G)		(0.83	)%		(1.95	)%		(1.81		)%		(1.55	)%			(1.77	)%
Portfolio turnover rate	66%^(E)		254	%		358	%		451		%		276	%			293	%



(A)	Represents the period from commencement of operations (October 1, 2013) through September 30, 2014.
(B)	The net investment loss per share was based on average shares outstanding for the period.
(C)	Less than $0.005 per share.
(D)	Total returns shown exclude the effect of applicable sales loads and fees. If these charges were included, the returns would be lower.
(E)	Not annualized.
(F)	The ratio of net expenses to average net assets excluding dividend and interest expense on securities sold short and liquidity provider expenses was 2.43%, 2.43%, 2.43%, 2.43%, 2.40% and 2.43% for the six months ended March 31, 2019 and years ended September 30, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
(G)	Annualized.
(H)	The ratio of gross expenses to average net assets excluding dividend and interest expense on securities sold short and liquidity provider expenses was 2.82%, 2.61%, 2.58%, 2.50%, 2.40% and 2.45% for the six months ended March 31, 2019 and years ended September 30, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.



	39



Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund—Class Y
Selected Data for a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period
	Six Months Ended March 31, 2019	Year Ended September 30,
	(Unaudited)	2018				2017				2016			2015			2014^(A)
Net asset value at beginning of period	$9.82	$	10.35		$	10.40		$	9.99			$	9.91		$		10.00
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment income (loss)^(B)	(0.04)		0.02			(0.09)			(0.08)				(0.05)				(0.07)
Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments	0.20		(0.11)			0.33			0.67				0.15				(0.02)
Total from investment operations	0.16		(0.09)			0.24			0.59				0.10				(0.09)
Distributions from:
Net investment income	(0.21)		—			—			(0.03)				—				—
Realized capital gains	—		(0.44)			(0.29)			(0.15)				(0.02)				—
Total distributions	(0.21)		(0.44)			(0.29)			(0.18)				(0.02)				—
Net asset value at end of period	$9.77	$	9.82		$	10.35		$	10.40			$	9.99		$		9.91
Total return	1.67%^(C)		(0.87	)%		2.38	%		6.00		%		0.97	%			(0.90	)%
Ratios and supplemental data:
Net assets at end of period (000's)	$37,184	$	164,946		$	179,124		$	121,794			$	87,427		$		117,589
Ratio to average net assets:
Net expenses (including dividend and interest expense on securities sold short and liquidity provider expenses)^(D)	1.62%^(E)		1.60	%		2.39	%		2.51		%		2.10	%			2.19	%
Gross expenses (including dividend and interest expense on securities sold short and liquidity provider expenses)^(F)	1.62%^(E)		1.60	%		2.39	%		2.51		%		2.10	%			2.19	%
Net investment income (loss)	(0.88)%^(E)		0.24	%		(0.89	)%		(0.77		)%		(0.51	)%			(0.69	)%
Portfolio turnover rate	66%^(C)		254	%		358	%		451		%		276	%			293	%



(A)	Represents the period from commencement of operations (October 1, 2013) through September 30, 2014.
(B)	The net investment income (loss) per share was based on average shares outstanding for the period.
(C)	Not annualized.
(D)	The ratio of net expenses to average net assets excluding dividend and interest expense on securities sold short and liquidity provider expenses was 1.42%, 1.36%, 1.37%, 1.39%, 1.36% and 1.35% for the six months ended March 31, 2019 and years ended September 30, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
(E)	Annualized.
(F)	The ratio of gross expenses to average net assets excluding dividend and interest expense on securities sold short and liquidity provider expenses was 1.42%, 1.36%, 1.37%, 1.39%, 1.36% and 1.35% for the six months ended March 31, 2019 and years ended September 30, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.



	40



Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund—Institutional Class
Selected Data for a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period
	Six Months Ended March 31, 2019	Year Ended September 30,
	(Unaudited)	2018				2017				2016			2015			2014^(A)
Net asset value at beginning of period	$9.87	$	10.40		$	10.43		$	10.01			$	9.92		$		10.00
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment income (loss)^(B)	(0.04)		0.03			(0.08)			(0.07)				(0.04)				(0.06)
Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments	0.20		(0.12)			0.34			0.68				0.15				(0.02)
Total from investment operations	0.16		(0.09)			0.26			0.61				0.11				(0.08)
Distributions from:
Net investment income	(0.21)		—			—			(0.04)				—				—
Realized capital gains	—		(0.44)			(0.29)			(0.15)				(0.02)				—
Total distributions	(0.21)		(0.44)			(0.29)			(0.19)				(0.02)				—
Net asset value at end of period	$9.82	$	9.87		$	10.40		$	10.43			$	10.01		$		9.92
Total return	1.76%^(C)		(0.87	)%		2.57	%		6.12		%		1.06	%			(0.80	)%
Ratios and supplemental data:
Net assets at end of period (000's)	$11,647	$	33,886		$	45,259		$	13,782			$	8,735		$		47,763
Ratio to average net assets:
Net expenses (including dividend and interest expense on securities sold short and liquidity provider expenses)^(D)	1.48%^(E)		1.52	%		2.30	%		2.40		%		2.02	%			2.12	%
Gross expenses (including dividend and interest expense on securities sold short and liquidity provider expenses)^(F)	1.60%^(E)		1.55	%		2.35	%		2.48		%		2.03	%			2.12	%
Net investment income (loss)	(0.74)%^(E)		0.32	%		(0.80	)%		(0.66		)%		(0.43	)%			(0.62	)%
Portfolio turnover rate	66%^(C)		254	%		358	%		451		%		276	%			293	%



(A)	Represents the period from commencement of operations (October 1, 2013) through September 30, 2014.
(B)	The net investment income (loss) per share was based on average shares outstanding for the period.
(C)	Not annualized.
(D)	The ratio of net expenses to average net assets excluding dividend and interest expense on securities sold short and liquidity provider expenses was 1.28%, 1.28%, 1.28%, 1.28%, 1.28% and 1.28% for the six months ended March 31, 2019 and years ended September 30, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
(E)	Annualized.
(F)	The ratio of gross expenses to average net assets excluding dividend and interest expense on securities sold short and liquidity provider expenses was 1.40%, 1.31%, 1.33%, 1.36%, 1.29% and 1.28% for the six months ended March 31, 2019 and years ended September 30, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.



	41

EXHIBIT A: FORM OF AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF REORGANIZATION

THIS AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF REORGANIZATION (the “Agreement”) is made as of [•], 2019, among Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund (the “Acquiring Fund”), a series of Touchstone Funds Group Trust (the “Acquiring Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust; Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund (the “Target Fund,” and collectively with the Acquiring Fund, the “Funds” and each, a “Fund”), a series of Touchstone Strategic Trust (the “Target Trust” and collectively with the Acquiring Trust, the “Trusts”), a Massachusetts business trust; and Touchstone Advisors, Inc. (for purposes of Section 9.1 only of this Agreement). The Acquiring Trust and the Target Trust each has its principal place of business at 303 Broadway, Suite 1100, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.

WHEREAS, the reorganization will consist of (i) the transfer of all the assets of the Target Fund to the Acquiring Fund in exchange solely for voting shares of beneficial interest, par value $0.01 per share, of the classes of shares of the Acquiring Fund set forth on Exhibit A (the “Acquiring Fund Shares”) and the assumption by the Acquiring Fund of all the liabilities of the Target Fund; and (ii) the pro rata distribution by class of the Acquiring Fund Shares to the shareholders of the corresponding class of the Target Fund in complete liquidation and termination of the Target Fund, all upon the terms and conditions in this Agreement (the “Reorganization”);

WHEREAS, the parties intend that this Agreement be a plan of reorganization and that the Reorganization shall qualify as a reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder;

WHEREAS, the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund are each a separate investment series of an open end registered management investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and the Target Fund owns securities that generally are assets of the type and character in which the Acquiring Fund is permitted to invest;

WHEREAS, the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund are authorized to issue their shares of beneficial interest;

WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees of the Acquiring Trust, including a majority of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Acquiring Trust, as defined in the 1940 Act, has determined that the Reorganization will be in the best interests of the Acquiring Fund and its shareholders and that the interests of the existing shareholders of the Acquiring Fund will not be diluted in value as a result of the Reorganization;

WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees of the Target Trust, including a majority of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Target Trust, as defined in the 1940 Act, has determined that the Reorganization will be in the best interests of the Target Fund and its shareholders and that the interests of the shareholders of the Target Fund will not be diluted in value as a result of the Reorganization;

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and of the covenants and agreements in this Agreement, the parties hereto covenant and agree as follows:

ARTICLE I

TRANSFER OF ASSETS OF THE TARGET FUND IN EXCHANGE FOR

ACQUIRING FUND SHARES AND ASSUMPTION OF TARGET FUND

LIABILITIES AND LIQUIDATION OF THE TARGET FUND

1.1 THE EXCHANGE. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement and on the basis of the representations and warranties contained herein, the Target Trust, on behalf of the Target Fund, agrees to transfer all of the Target Fund’s assets to the Acquiring Fund as set forth in Section 1.2, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and claims whatsoever. The Acquiring Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, agrees in exchange for the Target Fund’s assets (i) to deliver to the Target Fund the number of Acquiring Fund Shares, including fractional Acquiring Fund Shares, computed in the manner and as of the time and date set forth in Sections 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4; and (ii) to assume all of the liabilities of the Target Fund, as set forth in Section 1.3. Such transactions shall take place at the Closing provided for in Section 3.1.

1.2 ASSETS TO BE ACQUIRED. The assets of the Target Fund to be acquired by the Acquiring Fund shall consist of all property owned by the Target Fund, including, without limitation, all cash, securities, commodities, interests in futures and other financial instruments, claims (whether absolute or contingent, known or unknown), receivables (including dividends or interest receivables) and any deferred or prepaid expenses shown as an asset on the books of the Target Fund as of the Closing (as defined below).

The Target Trust, on behalf of the Target Fund, has provided the Acquiring Fund with its most recent audited financial statements, which contain a list of all of the Target Fund’s assets as of the date thereof. The Target Trust, with respect to the Target Fund, reserves the right to buy and sell any securities or other assets in accordance with its investment objective and policies.



	A-1

1.3 LIABILITIES TO BE ASSUMED. The Target Trust will endeavor to discharge all of the Target Fund’s known liabilities and obligations prior to the Valuation Time (as defined below). The Acquiring Fund shall assume all of the Target Fund’s liabilities and obligations of any kind whatsoever, whether absolute, accrued, contingent or otherwise in existence as of the Closing.

1.4 LIQUIDATION AND DISTRIBUTION. Immediately after the Closing, the Target Fund will completely liquidate and distribute pro rata to the Target Fund’s shareholders of record of each class, determined as of the time of such distribution (the “Target Fund Shareholders”), the Acquiring Fund Shares of the corresponding class (as set forth on Exhibit A) received by the Target Fund pursuant to Section 1.1; and promptly thereafter the Target Fund will proceed to terminate in accordance with applicable laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as set forth in Section 1.7 below. Such liquidation and distribution will be accomplished by the transfer of the Acquiring Fund Shares then credited to the account of the Target Fund on the books of the Acquiring Fund to open accounts on the share records of the Acquiring Fund in the names of the Target Fund Shareholders and representing the respective pro rata number of the Acquiring Fund Shares, by class, due such shareholders. All issued and outstanding shares of the Target Fund will simultaneously be canceled on the books of the Target Fund and will be null and void. The Acquiring Fund shall not issue certificates representing the Acquiring Fund Shares in connection with such exchange; Acquiring Fund Shares distributed to Target Fund Shareholders will be reflected on the books of the Acquiring Fund as uncertificated shares.

1.5 TRANSFER TAXES. Any transfer taxes payable upon issuance of the Acquiring Fund Shares in a name other than the registered holder of the Target Fund shares on the books of the Target Fund as of the Closing shall, as a condition of such issuance and transfer, be paid by the person to whom such Acquiring Fund Shares are to be issued and transferred.

1.6 REPORTING RESPONSIBILITY. Any reporting responsibility of the Target Fund is and shall remain the responsibility of the Target Fund up to and including the Closing Date and such later date on which the Target Fund is terminated.

1.7 TERMINATION. The Target Trust shall take all necessary and appropriate steps under applicable law to terminate the Target Fund promptly following the Closing and the making of all distributions pursuant to Section 1.4.

1.8 WAIVER OF INVESTMENT MINIMUMS AND SALES LOADS. In connection with the Reorganization, any minimum investment amounts or sales loads applicable to investments in the Acquiring Fund will be waived with respect to the Target Fund Shareholders’ receipt of Acquiring Fund Shares in the Reorganization.

ARTICLE II

VALUATION

2.1 VALUATION OF ASSETS. The value of the Target Fund’s assets to be acquired by the Acquiring Fund and the amount of the Target Fund’s liabilities to be assumed by the Acquiring Fund shall be computed as of the close of business on the New York Stock Exchange on the Closing Date (the “Valuation Time”), using the valuation procedures of the Funds approved by the Board of Trustees of the Trusts for regular use in determining net asset value (“Valuation Procedures”) and, to the extent not inconsistent with the Valuation Procedures, the procedures described in the Target Fund’s then current prospectus and statement of additional information or such other valuation procedures as shall be mutually agreed upon by the parties.

2.2 VALUATION OF SHARES. The net asset value per share of each class of the Acquiring Fund Shares shall be the net asset value per share of such class of such Fund computed as of the Valuation Time, using the Valuation Procedures and, to the extent not inconsistent with the Valuation Procedures, the procedures described in the Acquiring Fund’s then current prospectus and statement of additional information or such other valuation procedures as shall be mutually agreed upon by the parties.

2.3 SHARES TO BE ISSUED. The number of full and fractional Acquiring Fund Shares to be issued in exchange for the Target Fund’s net assets shall be determined with respect to each class by dividing (a) the net assets attributable to such class of the Target Fund, determined in accordance with Section 2.1, by (b) the net asset value per share of the corresponding class of the Acquiring Fund, determined in accordance with Section 2.2. Holders of each class of shares of the Target Fund will receive full and fractional shares of the corresponding class of the Acquiring Fund, as set forth on Exhibit A to this Agreement.

2.4 DETERMINATION OF VALUE. All computations of value shall be made by BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc., the Acquiring Fund’s and the Target Fund’s accounting agent, in accordance with its regular practice in pricing the shares and assets of the Acquiring Fund and the Target Fund.

ARTICLE III

CLOSING AND CLOSING DATE

3.1 CLOSING DATE. Subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions precedent set forth in Articles VI, VII and VIII, the closing of the Reorganization (the “Closing”) shall take place on or about [•] or such other date as the parties may agree to in writing (the “Closing Date”). All acts taking place at the Closing shall be deemed to take place simultaneously as of 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the Closing Date unless otherwise provided (the “Effective Time”). The Closing shall be held as of



	A-2

5:00 p.m. Eastern Time at the offices of the Acquiring Trust and the Target Trust, or at such other time or place as the parties hereto may agree.

3.2 EFFECT OF SUSPENSION IN TRADING. In the event that on the day on which the Valuation Time occurs (a) the New York Stock Exchange or another primary trading market for portfolio securities of the Acquiring Fund or the Target Fund shall be closed to trading or trading thereon shall be restricted; or (b) trading or the reporting of trading on said exchange or elsewhere shall be disrupted so that an accurate determination of the value of the net assets of the Acquiring Fund or the Target Fund is impracticable, the Closing Date shall be postponed until the first business day after the day when trading shall have been fully resumed and reporting shall have been restored, or until such other date as the parties hereto may agree.

3.3 DELIVERY OF ASSETS. Delivery of the Target Fund’s assets will be made as of the Closing by delivery to Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., the Acquiring Fund’s and the Target Fund’s custodian (the “Custodian”), for the account of the Acquiring Fund, in accordance with the customary practices of the Custodian, with all securities not in bearer or book-entry form duly endorsed, or accompanied by duly executed separate assignments or stock powers, in proper form for transfer, with signatures guaranteed, and with all necessary stock transfer stamps, sufficient to transfer good and marketable title thereto (including all accrued interest and dividends and rights pertaining thereto) to the Custodian for the account of the Acquiring Fund free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, rights, restrictions and claims. All cash delivered will be in the form of immediately available funds payable to the order of the Custodian for the account of the Acquiring Fund. If the Target Trust, on behalf of the Target Fund, is unable to make delivery to the Custodian pursuant to this Section 3.3 of any assets for the reason that any of such assets have not yet been delivered to the Target Fund by the Target Fund’s broker, dealer or other counterparty, then, in lieu of such delivery, the Target Trust, on behalf of the Target Fund, will deliver with respect to said assets executed copies of an agreement of assignment and due bills executed on behalf of said broker, dealer or other counterparty, together with such other documents as may be required by the Acquiring Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, or the Custodian, including broker confirmation slips.

3.4 TRANSFER AGENT CERTIFICATES. The Target Fund shall cause its transfer agent to deliver as of the Closing a certificate of an authorized officer stating that its records contain the names and addresses of the Target Fund Shareholders and the number, class and percentage ownership of outstanding shares owned by each such shareholder at the Closing. The Acquiring Fund shall issue and deliver, or cause its transfer agent, to issue and deliver, to the Secretary of the Target Trust a confirmation evidencing the Acquiring Fund Shares to be credited as of the Closing or provide evidence satisfactory to the Target Fund that such Acquiring Fund Shares have been credited to the Target Fund’s account on the books of the Acquiring Fund. At the Closing, each Fund shall deliver to the other such bills of sale, checks, assignments, share certificates, if any, receipts and other documents as such other Fund or its counsel may reasonably request.

3.5 CUSTODIAN CERTIFICATES. The Target Fund shall cause the Custodian for the Target Fund to deliver to the Acquiring Fund at the Closing a certificate of an authorized officer stating that (a) the Target Fund’s portfolio securities, cash, and any other assets on the books and records of the Custodian have been transferred to the account of the Acquiring Fund as of the Closing; and (b) all necessary taxes have been paid, or provision for payment shall have been made, in conjunction with the delivery of portfolio securities by the Target Fund. The Acquiring Fund shall cause the Custodian for the Acquiring Fund to deliver to the Target Fund at the Closing a certificate of an authorized officer acknowledging that the Acquiring Fund has received, for the account of the Acquiring Fund, the portfolio securities, cash and any other assets of the Target Fund on the books and records of the Custodian as of the Closing.

ARTICLE IV

REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

4.1 REPRESENTATIONS OF THE TARGET FUND. The Target Trust, on behalf of the Target Fund, represents and warrants to the Acquiring Fund as follows:

(a) The Target Fund is a separate investment series of the Target Trust, a business trust duly organized, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of Massachusetts.

(b) The Target Fund is a separate investment series of the Target Trust, which is registered as an investment company classified as a management company of the open end type, and its registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) as an investment company under the 1940 Act, is in full force and effect.

(c) The current prospectus and statement of additional information of the Target Fund conform in all material respects to the applicable requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), and the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission and do not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated or necessary to make the statements, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

(d) The Target Fund is not, and the execution, delivery, and performance of this Agreement will not result, in violation of any provision of the Target Trust’s Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust, as amended, or the Target Trust’s



	A-3

Amended and Restated By Laws, or any material agreement, indenture, instrument, contract, lease, or other undertaking to which the Target Fund is a party or by which it is bound.

(e) The Target Fund has no material contracts or other commitments (other than this Agreement) that will be terminated with liability to it on or prior to the Closing, except for liabilities, if any, to be discharged as provided in Section 1.3.

(f) Except as otherwise disclosed in writing to and accepted by the Acquiring Fund, no litigation, administrative proceeding, or investigation of or before any court or governmental body is presently pending or to its knowledge threatened against the Target Fund or any of its properties or assets, which, if adversely determined, would materially and adversely affect its financial condition, the conduct of its business, or the ability of the Target Fund to carry out the Reorganization. The Target Fund knows of no facts that might form the basis for the institution of such proceedings and is not a party to or subject to the provisions of any order, decree, or judgment of any court or governmental body that materially and adversely affects its business or its ability to consummate the Reorganization or the transactions contemplated herein.

(g) The audited financial statements of the Target Fund dated June 30, 2018, and for the fiscal year then ended, are in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles consistently applied, and such statements (copies of which have been furnished to the Acquiring Fund) fairly reflect the financial condition of the Target Fund as of such date, and there are no known contingent liabilities of the Target Fund as of such date not disclosed therein.

(h) The unaduited semi-annual financial statements of the Target Fund as of December 31, 2018 and for the period then ended are in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles consistently applied, and such statements (copies of which have been furnished to the Acquiring Fund) fairly reflect the financial condition of the Target Fund as of such date, and there are no known contingent liabilities of the Target Fund as of such date not disclosed therein.

(i) Since the date of the financial statements referred to in subsection (h) above, there has not been any material adverse change in the Target Fund’s financial condition, assets, liabilities, or business other than changes occurring in the ordinary course of business, or any incurrence by the Target Fund of indebtedness maturing more than one year from the date such indebtedness was incurred, except as otherwise disclosed to and accepted by the Acquiring Fund. For the purposes of this subsection (i), a decline in the net asset value of the Target Fund shall not constitute a material adverse change.

(j) All federal, state, local and other tax returns and reports of the Target Fund required by law to be filed by it (taking into account permitted extensions for filing) have been timely filed and are complete and correct in all material respects. All federal, state, local and other taxes of the Target Fund required to be paid (whether or not shown as due on any such return or report) have been paid, or provision shall have been made for the payment thereof and any such unpaid taxes as of the date of the financial statements referred to in subsection (h) above are properly reflected on such financial statements. To the Target Fund’s knowledge, no tax authority is currently auditing or preparing to audit the Target Fund, and no assessment or deficiency for taxes, interest, additions to tax or penalties has been asserted against the Target Fund.

(k) For each taxable year of its operations (including the taxable year ending on the Closing Date), the Target Fund has been or will be treated as a separate corporation for federal income tax purposes pursuant to Section 851(g) of the Code, has met or will meet the requirements of Subchapter M of the Code for qualification as a regulated investment company and has elected to be treated as such, has been and will be eligible to compute and has computed and will compute its federal income tax under Section 852 of the Code, and will have distributed on or prior to the Closing Date all its investment company taxable income (determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid), the excess of its interest income excludable from gross income under Section 103(a) of the Code over its deductions disallowed under Sections 265 and 171(a)(2) of the Code, and its net capital gain (after reduction for any available capital loss carryover as of the Closing Date and excluding any net capital gain on which the Target Fund paid tax under Section 852(b)(3)(A) of the Code) (as such terms are defined in the Code), in each case that has accrued or will accrue on or prior to the Closing Date. The Target Fund has not taken any action or caused any action to be taken or caused any action to fail to be taken which action or failure could cause the Target Fund to fail to qualify as a regulated investment company. As of the time of the Closing, the Target Fund will have no current or accumulated earnings and profits accumulated in any taxable year to which the provisions of Part I of Subchapter M of the Code did not apply to it.

(l) The Target Fund is not under the jurisdiction of a court in a “Title 11 or similar case” within the meaning of Section 368(a)(3)(A) of the Code.

(m) All issued and outstanding shares of the Target Fund are, and at the Closing will be, duly and validly issued and outstanding, fully paid and non assessable by the Target Fund. All of the issued and outstanding shares of the Target Fund will, at the time of the Closing, be held by the persons and in the amounts set forth in the records of the transfer agent as provided in Section 3.4. The Target Fund does not have outstanding any options, warrants, or other rights to subscribe for or purchase any Target Fund shares, nor is there outstanding any security convertible into any Target Fund shares.

(n) At the Closing, the Target Fund will have good and marketable title to the Target Fund’s assets to be transferred to the Acquiring Fund pursuant to Section 1.1 and full right, power, and authority to sell, assign, transfer, and deliver



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such assets hereunder, and, upon delivery and payment for such assets, the Acquiring Fund will acquire good and marketable title, subject to no restrictions on the full transfer, including such restrictions as might arise under the 1933 Act, other than as disclosed to the Acquiring Fund and accepted by the Acquiring Fund.

(o) The execution, delivery, and performance of this Agreement have been duly authorized by all necessary action on the part of the Target Trust’s Board of Trustees, on behalf of the Target Fund, and upon execution shall constitute a valid and legally binding obligation of the Target Fund, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject as to enforcement, to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, and other laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles.

(p) The information furnished by the Target Fund for use in no action letters, applications for orders, registration statements, proxy materials, and other documents that may be necessary in connection with the Reorganization is accurate and complete in all material respects and complies in all material respects with applicable federal securities and other laws and regulations.

(q) The Target Fund has provided the Acquiring Fund with information reasonably necessary for the preparation of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus, all of which was included in a Registration Statement on Form N-14 of the Acquiring Fund (the “Registration Statement”), in compliance with the 1933 Act, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "1934 Act"), and the 1940 Act in connection with the Reorganization. The Proxy Statement/Prospectus included in the Registration Statement (only insofar as it relates to the Target Fund) does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated or necessary to make the statements, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading.

(r) No consent, approval, authorization, or order of any court or governmental authority is required for the consummation by the Target Fund of the transactions contemplated herein, except such as have been obtained under the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act, and the 1940 Act and such as may be required by state securities laws.

4.2 REPRESENTATIONS OF THE ACQUIRING FUND. The Acquiring Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, represents and warrants to the Target Fund as follows:

(a) The Acquiring Fund is a separate investment series of the Acquiring Trust, a statutory trust duly organized, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of Delaware.

(b) The Acquiring Fund is a separate investment series of the Acquiring Trust, which is registered as an investment company classified as a management company of the open end type, and its registration with the Commission as an investment company under the 1940 Act is in full force and effect.

(c) The current prospectus and statement of additional information, as of the date of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus, of the Acquiring Fund conform in all material respects to the applicable requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission and do not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated or necessary to make the statements, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

(d) The Acquiring Fund is not, and the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement will not result, in violation of the Acquiring Trust’s Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust or the Acquiring Trust’s By Laws, as amended and restated, or any material agreement, indenture, instrument, contract, lease, or other undertaking to which the Acquiring Fund is a party or by which it is bound.

(e) Except as otherwise disclosed in writing to the Target Fund and accepted by the Target Fund, no litigation, administrative proceeding or investigation of or before any court or governmental body is presently pending or to its knowledge threatened against the Acquiring Fund or any of its properties or assets, which, if adversely determined, would materially and adversely affect its financial condition and the conduct of its business or the ability of the Acquiring Fund to carry out the Reorganization. The Acquiring Fund knows of no facts that might form the basis for the institution of such proceedings and is not a party to or subject to the provisions of any order, decree, or judgment of any court or governmental body that materially and adversely affects its business or its ability to consummate the Reorganization or the transactions contemplated herein.

(f) The audited financial statements of the Acquiring Fund dated September 30, 2018, and for the fiscal year then ended, are in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles consistently applied, and such statements (copies of which have been furnished to the Target Fund) fairly reflect the financial condition of the Acquiring Fund as of such date, and there are no known contingent liabilities of the Acquiring Fund as of such date not disclosed therein.

(g) The unaudited semi-annual financial statements of the Acquiring Fund as of March 31, 2019 and for the period then ended are in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles consistently applied, and such statements (copies of which have been furnished to the Target Fund) fairly reflect the financial condition of the Acquiring Fund as of such date, and there are no known contingent liabilities of the Acquiring Fund as of such date not disclosed therein.



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(h) Since the date of the financial statements referred to in subsection (g) above, there has not been any material adverse change in the Acquiring Fund’s financial condition, assets, liabilities, or business other than changes occurring in the ordinary course of business, or any incurrence by the Acquiring Fund of indebtedness maturing more than one year from the date such indebtedness was incurred, except as otherwise disclosed to and accepted by the Target Fund. For the purposes of this subsection (h), a decline in the net asset value of the Acquiring Fund shall not constitute a material adverse change.

(i) All federal, state, local and other tax returns and reports of the Acquiring Fund required by law to be filed by it (taking into account permitted extensions for filing) have been timely filed and are complete and correct in all material respects. All federal, state, local and other taxes of the Acquiring Fund required to be paid (whether or not shown as due on any such return or report) have been paid or provision shall have been made for the payment thereof and any such unpaid taxes as of the date of the financial statements referred to in subsection (g) above are properly reflected on such financial statements. To the Acquiring Fund’s knowledge, no tax authority is currently auditing or preparing to audit the Acquiring Fund, and no assessment or deficiency for taxes, interest, additions to tax or penalties has been asserted against the Acquiring Fund.

(j) For each taxable year of its operation, the Acquiring Fund has been treated as a separate corporation for federal income tax purposes pursuant to Section 851(g) of the Code, has met the requirements of Subchapter M of the Code for qualification as a regulated investment company and has elected to be treated as such, and has been eligible to compute and has computed its federal income tax under Section 852 of the Code. In addition, the Acquiring Fund will satisfy each of the foregoing with respect to its taxable year that includes the Closing Date. The Acquiring Fund has not taken any action, caused any action or to be taken or caused any action to fail to be taken which action or failure could cause the Acquiring Fund to fail to qualify as a regulated investment company. As of the time of the Closing, the Acquiring Fund will have no current or accumulated earnings and profits accumulated in any taxable year to which the provisions of Part I of Subchapter M of the Code did not apply to it.

(k) The Acquiring Fund is not under the jurisdiction of a court in a “Title 11 or similar case” within the meaning of Section 368(a)(3)(A) of the Code.

(l) All issued and outstanding Acquiring Fund Shares are, and at the Closing will be, duly and validly issued and outstanding, fully paid and non assessable by the Acquiring Fund. The Acquiring Fund does not have outstanding any options, warrants, or other rights to subscribe for or purchase any Acquiring Fund shares, nor is there outstanding any security convertible into any Acquiring Fund shares.

(m) The execution, delivery, and performance of this Agreement have been duly authorized by all necessary action on the part of the Acquiring Trust’s Board of Trustees, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, and upon execution shall constitute a valid and legally binding obligation of the Acquiring Fund enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject as to enforcement, to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, and other laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles.

(n) The Acquiring Fund Shares to be issued and delivered to the Target Fund, for the account of the Target Fund Shareholders, pursuant to the terms of this Agreement will, at the Closing, have been duly authorized and, when so issued and delivered, will be duly and validly issued Acquiring Fund Shares, and will be fully paid and non assessable by the Acquiring Fund.

(o) The information furnished by the Acquiring Fund for use in no action letters, applications for orders, registration statements, proxy materials, and other documents that may be necessary in connection with the Reorganization is accurate and complete in all material respects and complies in all material respects with applicable federal securities and other laws and regulations.

(p) The Proxy Statement/Prospectus included in the Registration Statement (only insofar as it relates to the Acquiring Fund) does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated or necessary to make the statements, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading.

(q) The Acquiring Fund agrees to use all reasonable efforts to obtain the approvals and authorizations required by the 1933 Act, the 1940 Act, and such of the state Blue Sky or securities laws as it may deem appropriate in order to continue its operations after the Closing Date.

(r) No consent, approval, authorization, or order of any court or governmental authority is required for the consummation by the Acquiring Fund of the transactions contemplated herein, except such as have been obtained under the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act, and the 1940 Act and such as may be required by state securities laws.

ARTICLE V

COVENANTS OF THE ACQUIRING FUND AND THE TARGET FUND



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5.1 OPERATION IN ORDINARY COURSE. The Acquiring Fund and the Target Fund each will operate its business in the ordinary course between the date of this Agreement and the Closing, it being understood that such ordinary course of business will include purchases and redemptions of shares, customary dividends and distributions, and any other distributions necessary or desirable to avoid federal income or excise taxes.

5.2 SHAREHOLDER MEETING. The Target Fund will call a meeting of the Target Fund shareholders to consider and act upon this Agreement and to take all other action necessary to obtain approval of the transactions contemplated herein.

5.3 INVESTMENT REPRESENTATION. The Target Fund covenants that the Acquiring Fund Shares to be issued are not being acquired for the purpose of making any distribution other than in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

5.4 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. The Target Fund will assist the Acquiring Fund in obtaining such information as the Acquiring Fund reasonably requests concerning the beneficial ownership of the Target Fund shares.

5.5 FURTHER ACTION. Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, the Acquiring Fund and the Target Fund will each take, or cause to be taken, all action, and do or cause to be done, all things reasonably necessary, proper or advisable to consummate and make effective the Reorganization, including any actions required to be taken after the Closing.

5.6 TAX STATUS OF REORGANIZATION. It is the intention of the parties hereto that the transaction contemplated by this Agreement with respect to the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund will qualify as a reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, none of the Target Trust, the Acquiring Trust, the Target Fund, or the Acquiring Fund shall take any action or cause any action to be taken (including without limitation the filing of any tax return) that is inconsistent with such treatment or results in the failure of the transaction to qualify as a reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code. At or prior to the Closing, the parties to this Agreement will take such reasonable action, or cause such action to be taken, as is reasonably necessary to enable Vedder Price P.C. to render the tax opinion contemplated in this Agreement.

ARTICLE VI

CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO OBLIGATIONS OF THE TARGET FUND

The obligations of the Target Fund to consummate the Reorganization shall be subject, at its election, to the performance by the Acquiring Fund of all the obligations to be performed by it at or before the Closing, and, in addition, the following further condition:

6.1 All representations and warranties of the Acquiring Fund contained in this Agreement shall be true and correct as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing with the same force and effect as if made at and as of the Closing. The Acquiring Fund shall have delivered to the Target Fund at the Closing a certificate executed in its name by the Acquiring Trust’s President or Vice President, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Target Fund and dated as of the Closing Date, to such effect and as to such other matters as the Target Fund shall reasonably request.

ARTICLE VII

CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO OBLIGATIONS OF THE ACQUIRING FUND

The obligations of the Acquiring Fund to complete the Reorganization shall be subject, at its election, to the performance by the Target Fund of all the obligations to be performed by it at or before the Closing and, in addition, the following conditions:

7.1 All representations and warranties of the Target Fund contained in this Agreement shall be true and correct as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing with the same force and effect as if made at and as of the Closing. The Target Fund shall have delivered to the Acquiring Fund at the Closing a certificate executed in its name by the Target Trust’s President or Vice President, in form and substance satisfactory to the Acquiring Fund and dated as of the Closing Date, to such effect and as to such other matters as the Acquiring Fund shall reasonably request.

7.2 The Target Fund shall have delivered to the Acquiring Fund a statement of the Target Fund’s assets and liabilities, together with a list of the Target Fund’s portfolio securities showing the tax basis of such securities by lot and the holding periods of such securities, as of the Closing, certified by the Treasurer or Assistant Treasurer of the Target Trust.

ARTICLE VIII

FURTHER CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO OBLIGATIONS OF THE

ACQUIRING FUND AND THE TARGET FUND



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If any of the conditions set forth below have not been satisfied at or before the Closing with respect to the Target Fund or the Acquiring Fund, the other Fund shall, at its option, not be required to consummate the Reorganization:

8.1 This Agreement and the transactions contemplated herein shall have been approved by the requisite vote of the holders of the outstanding shares of the Target Fund in accordance with the provisions of the Target Trust’s Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust, as amended, and the 1940 Act. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, neither the Target Fund nor the Acquiring Fund may waive the condition set forth in this Section 8.1.

8.2 On the Closing Date, the Commission shall not have issued an unfavorable report under Section 25(b) of the 1940 Act, or instituted any proceeding seeking to enjoin the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement under Section 25(c) of the 1940 Act, and no action, suit, or other proceeding shall be threatened or pending before any court or governmental agency in which it is sought to restrain or prohibit, or obtain damages or other relief in connection with, this Agreement or the Reorganization.

8.3 All required consents of other parties and all other consents, orders, and permits of federal, state, and local regulatory authorities (including those of the Commission and of state Blue Sky securities authorities, including any necessary “no action” positions of and exemptive orders from such federal and state authorities) to permit consummation of the Reorganization shall have been obtained, except where failure to obtain any such consent, order, or permit would not involve a risk of a material adverse effect on the assets or properties of the Acquiring Fund or the Target Fund, provided that either party may for itself waive any of such conditions.

8.4 The Registration Statement shall have become effective under the 1933 Act, and no stop orders suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued and, to the best knowledge of the parties, no investigation or proceeding for that purpose shall have been instituted or be pending, threatened, or contemplated under the 1933 Act.

8.5 Prior to the Valuation Time, the Target Trust, with respect to the Target Fund, shall have declared and paid a dividend or dividends which, together with all previous such dividends, shall have the effect of distributing to the Target Fund’s shareholders at least all of the Target Fund’s investment company taxable income (within the meaning of Section 852(b)(2) of the Code) for all taxable years or periods ending on or before the Closing Date (computed without regard to any deduction for dividends paid), the excess of the Target Fund’s interest income excludable from gross income under Section 103(a) of the Code over its disallowed deductions under Sections 265 and 171(a)(2) of the Code for all taxable years or periods ending on or before the Closing Date, and all of the Target Fund’s net capital gain (as defined in Section 1222(11) of the Code) realized in all taxable years or periods ending on or before the Closing Date (after reduction for any available capital loss carryforward and excluding any net capital gain on which the Target Fund paid tax under Section 852(b)(3)(A) of the Code).

8.6 Each of the Acquiring Fund and the Target Fund shall have received an opinion of Vedder Price P.C. substantially to the effect that, for federal income tax purposes:

(a) The transfer by the Target Fund of all its assets to the Acquiring Fund solely in exchange for Acquiring Fund Shares and the assumption by the Acquiring Fund of all the liabilities of the Target Fund, immediately followed by the pro rata, by class, distribution of all the Acquiring Fund Shares so received by the Target Fund to the Target Fund Shareholders of record in complete liquidation of the Target Fund and the termination of the Target Fund promptly thereafter, will constitute a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a)(1) of the Code, and the Acquiring Fund and the Target Fund will each be “a party to a reorganization,” within the meaning of Section 368(b) of the Code, with respect to the Reorganization.

(b) No gain or loss will be recognized by the Acquiring Fund upon the receipt of all the assets of the Target Fund solely in exchange for Acquiring Fund Shares and the assumption by the Acquiring Fund of all the liabilities of the Target Fund.

(c) No gain or loss will be recognized by the Target Fund upon the transfer of all its assets to the Acquiring Fund solely in exchange for Acquiring Fund Shares and the assumption by the Acquiring Fund of all the liabilities of the Target Fund or upon the distribution (whether actual or constructive) of the Acquiring Fund Shares so received to the Target Fund Shareholders solely in exchange for such shareholders’ shares of the Target Fund in complete liquidation of the Target Fund.

(d) No gain or loss will be recognized by the Target Fund Shareholders upon the exchange, pursuant to this Agreement, of all their shares of the Target Fund solely for Acquiring Fund Shares.

(e) The aggregate basis of the Acquiring Fund Shares received by each Target Fund Shareholder pursuant to this Agreement will be the same as the aggregate basis of the Target Fund shares exchanged therefor by such shareholder.

(f) The holding period of the Acquiring Fund Shares received by each Target Fund Shareholder in the Reorganization will include the period during which the shares of the Target Fund exchanged therefor were held by such shareholder, provided that such Target Fund shares were held as capital assets at the effective time of the Reorganization.



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(g) The basis of the assets of the Target Fund received by the Acquiring Fund will be the same as the basis of such assets in the hands of the Target Fund immediately before the Effective Time of the Reorganization.

(h) The holding period of the assets of the Target Fund received by the Acquiring Fund will include the period during which such assets were held by the Target Fund.

No opinion will be expressed as to (1) the effect of the Reorganization on the Acquiring Fund, the Target Fund, or any Target Fund Shareholder with respect to any asset (including without limitation any stock held in a passive foreign investment company as defined in Section 1297(a) of the Code) as to which any unrealized gain or loss is required to be recognized for federal income tax purposes (i) at the end of a taxable year or upon the termination thereof, or (ii) upon the transfer of such asset regardless of whether such transfer would otherwise be a non-taxable transaction under the Code, or (2) any other federal tax issues (except those set forth above) and all state, local or foreign tax issues of any kind.

Such opinion shall be based on customary assumptions, limitations, and such representations as Vedder Price P.C. may reasonably request. The Target Fund and Acquiring Fund will cooperate to make and certify the accuracy of such representations. Such opinion may contain such assumptions and limitations as shall be in the opinion of such counsel appropriate to render the opinions expressed. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, neither the Acquiring Fund nor the Target Fund may waive the conditions set forth in this Section 8.6.

ARTICLE IX

EXPENSES

9.1 Except as otherwise provided, all expenses of the Reorganization, whether incurred before or after the date of this Agreement, will be borne by Touchstone Advisors, Inc., the investment advisor to the Funds, or an affiliate thereof (not including the Target Trust, the Acquiring Trust or the Funds) whether or not the Reorganization is completed. Such expenses include, without limitation, (a) expenses incurred in connection with the entering into and the carrying out of the provisions of this Agreement; (b) expenses associated with the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement under the 1933 Act covering the Acquiring Fund Shares to be issued pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement; (c) registration or qualification fees and expenses of preparing and filing such forms as are necessary under applicable state securities laws to qualify the Acquiring Fund Shares to be issued in each state in which the Target Fund shareholders are residents as of the date of the mailing of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus to such shareholders; (d) postage; (e) printing; (f) accounting fees; (g) legal fees; and (h) shareholder solicitation costs.

9.2 Notwithstanding the foregoing, expenses will in any event be paid by the party directly incurring such expenses if and to the extent that the payment by another party of such expenses would result in the disqualification of the Target Fund or the Acquiring Fund, as the case may be, as a regulated investment company within the meaning of Section 851 of the Code.

ARTICLE X

ENTIRE AGREEMENT; SURVIVAL OF WARRANTIES

10.1 The Acquiring Fund and the Target Fund agree that neither party has made any representation, warranty, or covenant not set forth in this Agreement and that this Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the Funds.

10.2 The representations, warranties, and covenants contained in this Agreement or in any document delivered pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement shall not survive the consummation of the Reorganization, except for such covenants which, by their terms, are required to be performed following the Closing.

ARTICLE XI

TERMINATION

11.1 This Agreement may be terminated by the mutual agreement of the Acquiring Fund and the Target Fund. In addition, the Acquiring Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, or the Target Trust, on behalf of the Target Fund, may at its option terminate this Agreement at or prior to the Closing because:

(a) of a breach by any party of any representation, warranty, or agreement contained in this Agreement to be performed at or prior to the Closing, if not cured within thirty (30) days; or

(b) a condition in this Agreement expressed to be precedent to the obligations of the terminating party has not been met and it reasonably appears that it will not or cannot be met.

11.2 In the event of any such termination, in the absence of willful default, there shall be no liability for damages on the part of the Acquiring Trust, Acquiring Fund, Target Trust or Target Fund, or their Trustees or officers, to the other party.



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ARTICLE XII

AMENDMENTS

12.1 This Agreement may be amended, modified, or supplemented in such manner as may be mutually agreed upon in writing by the authorized officers of the Acquiring Trust and Target Trust.

ARTICLE XIII

HEADINGS; COUNTERPARTS; GOVERNING LAW; ASSIGNMENT;

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

13.1 The Article and section headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.

13.2 This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original.

13.3 This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to the conflicts of laws provisions of that state; provided that, in the case of any conflict between those laws and the federal securities laws, the latter shall govern.

13.4 This Agreement shall bind and inure to the benefit of the Funds and their respective successors and assigns, but no assignment, transfer, or any rights or obligations of this Agreement shall be made by any Fund without the written consent of the other Fund. Nothing in this Agreement expressed or implied is intended or shall be construed to confer upon or give any person, firm, or corporation, other than the parties and their respective successors and permitted assigns, any rights or remedies under or by reason of this Agreement.

13.5 With respect to the Target Trust and the Target Fund, the names used in this Agreement refer respectively to the Target Trust and the Target Fund and, as the case may be, the Trustees, as trustees but not individually or personally, acting under the Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust, as amended, which is filed with the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and also on file at the principal office of the Target Trust. The obligations of the Target Trust entered into in the name or on behalf of any of the Trustees, representatives, or agents of the Target Trust, are made not individually, but in such capacities, and are not binding upon any of the Trustees, shareholders, or representatives of the Target Trust personally, but bind only the property of the Target Fund, and all persons dealing with the Target Fund must look solely to property belonging to the Target Fund for the enforcement of any claims against the Target Fund.

13.6 The Acquiring Trust is a Delaware statutory trust organized in series of which the Acquiring Fund constitutes one such series, and the Acquiring Trust is executing this Agreement with respect to the Acquiring Fund only. Pursuant to the Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust of the Acquiring Trust and Section 3804(a) of the Delaware Statutory Trust Act, there is a limitation on liabilities of each series such that (a) the debts, liabilities, obligations and expenses incurred, contracted for or otherwise existing with respect to the Acquiring Fund are enforceable against the assets of the Acquiring Fund only, and not against the assets of the Acquiring Trust generally or the assets of any other series thereof and (b) none of the debts, liabilities, obligations and expenses incurred, contracted for or otherwise existing with respect to the Acquiring Trust generally or any other series thereof are enforceable against the assets of the Acquiring Fund.

[SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS]



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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have duly executed this Agreement, all as of the date first written above.



	TOUCHSTONE STRATEGIC TRUST, on behalf of Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund By: Name: Title:
	TOUCHSTONE FUNDS GROUP TRUST, on behalf of Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund By: Name: Title:
	For purposes of Section 9.1 only: TOUCHSTONE ADVISORS, INC. By: Name: Title:
	By: Name: Title:



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EXHIBIT A



Share Classes to be Issued
Target Fund Share Class	Corresponding Acquiring Fund Share Class
A	A
C	C
Y	Y
Institutional	Institutional



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EXHIBIT B: FUNDAMENTAL INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS

A fundamental investment limitation cannot be changed with respect to a Fund without the consent of the holders of a majority of that Fund’s outstanding shares. The term “majority of the outstanding shares” means the vote of (i) 67% or more of a Fund’s shares present at a meeting, if more than 50% of the outstanding shares of a Fund are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of a Fund’s outstanding shares, whichever is less. Each Fund has substantially similar fundamental investment limitations, which are set forth below. Each Fund is non-diversified.



	Acquiring Fund	Target Fund	Differences

Borrowing Money/Senior Securities	The Fund may not engage in borrowing except as permitted by the 1940 Act, any rule, regulation, or order under the 1940 Act or any SEC staff interpretation of the 1940 Act. The Fund may not issue senior securities except as permitted by the 1940 Act, any rule, regulation, or order under the 1940 Act or any SEC staff interpretation of the 1940 Act.	The Fund may not borrow money or issue senior securities, except as permitted by the 1940 Act Laws, Interpretations and Exemptions.	Although the Funds’ investment restrictions are worded differently, there are no substantive differences between the two.

Underwriting	The Fund may not underwrite securities issued by other persons, except to the extent that, in connection with the sale or disposition of portfolio securities, a Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter under certain federal securities laws or in connection with investments in other investment companies.	The Fund may not underwrite the securities of other issuers. This restriction does not prevent the Fund from engaging in transactions involving the acquisition, disposition or resale of its portfolio securities, regardless of whether the Fund may be considered to be an underwriter under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.	Although the Funds’ investment restrictions are worded differently, there are no substantive differences between the two.

Concentration of Investments	The Fund may not purchase the securities of an issuer (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the United States government, its agencies or its instrumentalities) if, as a result, more than 25% of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in the securities of companies in the same industry or group of industries.	The Fund will not make investments that will result in the concentration (as that term may be defined or interpreted by the 1940 Act, Laws, Interpretations and Exemptions) of its investments in the securities of issuers primarily engaged in the same industry. This restriction does not limit the Fund’s investments in (i) obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, (ii) tax-exempt obligations issued by governments or political subdivisions of governments or (iii) repurchase agreements collateralized by such obligations.	The Target Fund’s concentration policy does not apply to tax-exempt obligations issued by governments or political subdivisions of governments or repurchase agreements collateralized by such obligations. In addition, the Acquiring Fund’s concentration policy applies to companies in the same industry or group of industries.



	B-1



Real Estate	The Fund may not purchase or sell real estate except that a Fund may (1) hold and sell real estate acquired as a result of the Fund’s ownership of securities or other instruments (2) purchase or sell securities or other instruments backed by real estate or interests in real estate and (3) purchase or sell securities of entities or investment vehicles, including real estate investment trusts that invest, deal or otherwise engage in transactions in real estate or interests in real estate.	The Fund may not purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments. This restriction does not prevent the Fund from investing in issuers that invest, deal or otherwise engage in transactions in real estate or interests therein, or investing in securities that are secured by real estate or interests therein.	Although the Funds’ investment restrictions are worded differently, there are no substantive differences between the two.

Commodities	The Fund may not purchase or sell physical commodities except that the Fund may (1) hold and sell physical commodities acquired as a result of the Fund’s ownership of securities or other instruments, (2) purchase or sell securities or other instruments backed by physical commodities, (3) purchase or sell options, and (4) purchase or sell futures contracts.	The Fund may not purchase or sell physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments. This restriction does not prevent the Fund from engaging in transactions involving futures contracts and options thereon or investing in securities that are secured by physical commodities.	Although the Funds’ investment restrictions are worded differently, there are no substantive differences between the two.

Loans	The Fund may not make loans to other persons except that a Fund may (1) engage in repurchase agreements, (2) lend portfolio securities, (3) purchase debt securities, (4) purchase commercial paper, and (5) enter into any other lending arrangement permitted by the 1940 Act, any rule, regulation, or order under the 1940 Act or any SEC staff interpretation of the 1940 Act.	The Fund may not make personal loans or loans of its assets to persons who control or are under common control with the Fund, except to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act Laws, Interpretations and Exemptions. This restriction does not prevent the Fund from, among other things, purchasing debt obligations, entering repurchase agreements, lending portfolio securities or investing in loans, including assignments and participation interests.	Although the Funds’ investment restrictions are worded differently, there are no substantive differences between the two.

Several of these investment limitations include the defined term “1940 Act Laws, Interpretations and Exemptions.” This term means the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, as such statutes, rules and regulations are amended from time to time or are interpreted from time to time by the staff of the SEC, and any exemptive order or similar relief granted to a Fund.

With respect to each Fund, the following descriptions of certain provisions of the 1940 Act may assist investors in understanding the above policies and restrictions:

1. Borrowing. The 1940 Act allows a fund to borrow from any bank (including pledging, mortgaging or hypothecating assets) in an amount up to 33 1/3% of its total assets (not including temporary borrowings not in excess of 5% of its total assets).

2. Senior Securities. Senior securities may include any obligation or instrument issued by a fund evidencing indebtedness. The 1940 Act generally prohibits funds from issuing senior securities, although it does not treat certain transactions as senior securities, such as certain borrowings, short sales, reverse repurchase agreements, firm commitment agreements and standby commitments, with appropriate earmarking or segregation of assets to cover such obligation.

3. Underwriting. Under the 1940 Act, underwriting securities involves a fund purchasing securities directly from an issuer for the purpose of selling (distributing) them or participating in any such activity either directly or indirectly. Under the



	B-2

1940 Act, a diversified fund may not make any commitment as underwriter, if immediately thereafter the amount of its outstanding underwriting commitments, plus the value of its investments in securities of issuers (other than investment companies) of which it owns more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities, exceeds 25% of the value of its total assets.

4. Lending. Under the 1940 Act, a fund may only make loans if expressly permitted by its investment policies. The Fund’s current investment policy on lending is as follows: the Fund may not make loans if, as a result, more than 33 1/3% of its total assets would be lent to other parties, except that the Fund may: (i) purchase or hold debt instruments in accordance with its investment objective and policies; (ii) enter into repurchase agreements that are collateralized fully; and (iii) engage in securities lending as described in its SAI.



	B-3

EXHIBIT C: CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF SECURITIES

The shareholders of the Target Fund at the close of business on the Record Date will be entitled to be present and vote at the Special Meeting with respect to shares of the Target Fund owned as of the Record Date. As of the Record Date, the total number of shares of each of the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund outstanding and, in the case of the Target Fund, entitled to vote was as follows:



Fund	Number of Shares
Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund
Class A	22,521.867
Class C	12,737.647
Class Y	1,142,734.660
Institutional Class	4,775,830.238
Total	5,953,824.412

Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund
Class A	750,778.000
Class C	515,483.779
Class Y	4,411,912.113
Institutional Class	115,265.206
Total	5,793,439.098

As of the Record Date, the Officers and Trustees of the Trusts owned less than 1% of any class of the Target Fund or the Acquiring Fund.

For each Fund, the following tables set forth the percentage of ownership of each person who, as of the Record Date, owns of record, or is known by the Fund to own of record or beneficially, 5% or more of the indicated class of shares of the Fund. The tables also set forth the estimated percentage of shares of each class of the Acquiring Fund that would have been owned by such parties assuming the Reorganization had occurred on the Record Date. A shareholder who owns beneficially 25% or more of the outstanding securities of a Fund is presumed to “control” the Fund as defined in the 1940 Act and may be able to determine the outcome of a shareholder meeting. Such control may affect the voting rights of other shareholders.



Fund	Name and Address	Class of Shares	Number of Shares	Percentage of Ownership of Class of Fund before the Reorganization	Percentage of Ownership of Acquiring Fund after the Reorganization (pro forma)
Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund	CHARLES SCHWAB & CO INC 101 MONTGOMERY ST SAN FRANCISCO CA 94104	Class A	9,593.190	42.60%	3.99%
	UBS WM USA FBO SPEC CDY A/C EXL BEN CUSTOMERS OF UBSFSI 1000 HARBOR BLVD WEEHAWKEN, NJ 07086	Class A	5,165.278	22.93%	16.19%
	PERSHING LLC 1 PERSHING PLAZA JERSEY CITY NJ 07399	Class A	1,838.289	8.16%	5.12%
	LPL FINANCIAL 4707 EXECUTIVE DRIVE SAN DIEGO CA 92121-3091	Class A	1,153.568	5.12%	5.39%
	UBS WM USA FBO SPEC CDY A/C EXL BEN CUSTOMERS OF UBSFSI 1000 HARBOR BLVD WEEHAWKEN, NJ 07086	Class C	9,141.101	71.76%	13.74%



	C-1



Fund	Name and Address	Class of Shares	Number of Shares	Percentage of Ownership of Class of Fund before the Reorganization		Percentage of Ownership of Acquiring Fund after the Reorganization (pro forma)
	PERSHING LLC 1 PERSHING PLAZA JERSEY CITY NJ 07399	Class C	3,139.252	24.65%		4.49%
	LPL FINANCIAL 4707 EXECUTIVE DRIVE SAN DIEGO CA 92121-3091	Class Y	120,691.204	10.56%		7.27%
	UBS WM USA FBO SPEC CDY A/C EXL BEN CUSTOMERS OF UBSFSI 1000 HARBOR BLVD WEEHAWKEN, NJ 07086	Class Y	101,673.01	8.90%		17.18%
	WESTERN & SOUTHERN LIFE AND INSURANCE COMPANY** 400 BROADWAY MS 80 CINCINNATI OH 45202	Insti-tutional Class	3,155,682.135	66.08%	*	64.51%
	TOUCHSTONE DYNAMIC DIVERSIFIED INCOME FUND** 303 BROADWAY ST STE 1100 CINCINNATI OH 45202-4220	Insti-tutional Class	1,280,903.708	26.82%		26.18%
	TOUCHSTONE DYNAMIC GLOBAL ALLOCATION FUND** 303 BROADWAY ST STE 1100 CINCINNATI OH 45202-4220	Insti-tutional Class	338,928.822	7.10%		6.92%
Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund	MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY LLC FOR THE EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF ITS CUSTOMERS 1 NEW YORK PLAZA FL 12 NEW YORK NY 10004-1901	Class A	363,170.119	48.37%		46.94%
	UBS WM USA FBO SPEC CDY A/C EXL BEN CUSTOMERS OF UBSFSI 1000 HARBOR BLVD WEEHAWKEN, NJ 07086	Class A	119,984.773	15.98%		16.19%
	LPL FINANCIAL 4707 EXECUTIVE DRIVE SAN DIEGO CA 92121-3091	Class A	40,577.029	5.40%		5.39%
	PERSHING LLC 1 PERSHING PLAZA JERSEY CITY NJ 07399	Class A	37,714.629	5.02%		5.12%
	MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY LLC FOR THE EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF ITS CUSTOMERS 1 NEW YORK PLAZA FL 12 NEW YORK NY 10004-1901	Class C	175,759.165	34.10%		33.23%
	CHARLES SCHWAB & CO INC SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FBO CUSTOMERS ATTN MUTUAL FUNDS 211 MAIN STREET SAN FRANCISCO CA 94105	Class C	146,911.08	28.50%		27.78%
	RAYMOND JAMES OMNIBUS FOR MUTUAL FUNDS HOUSE ACCT FIRM ATTN COURTNEY WALLER 880 CARILLON PARKWAY ST PETERSBURG FL 33716	Class C	63,660.839	12.35%		12.03%



	C-2



Fund	Name and Address	Class of Shares	Number of Shares	Percentage of Ownership of Class of Fund before the Reorganization	Percentage of Ownership of Acquiring Fund after the Reorganization (pro forma)
	UBS WM USA FBO SPEC CDY A/C EXL BEN CUSTOMERS OF UBSFSI 1000 HARBOR BLVD WEEHAWKEN, NJ 07086	Class C	63,134.706	12.25%	13.74%
	MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY LLC FOR THE EXCLUSIVE BENEFIT OF ITS CUSTOMERS 1 NEW YORK PLAZA FL 12 NEW YORK NY 10004-1901	Class Y	1,239,594.459	28.10%	22.29%
	NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES CORP (FBO) OUR CUSTOMERS ATTN MUTUAL FUNDS DEPARTMENT 4TH FL 499 WASHINGTON BLVD JERSEY CITY NJ 07310-2010	Class Y	1,134,171.595	25.71%	35.92%
	UBS WM USA FBO SPEC CDY A/C EXL BEN CUSTOMERS OF UBSFSI 1000 HARBOR BLVD WEEHAWKEN, NJ 07086	Class Y	853,431.432	19.34%	17.18%
	CHARLES SCHWAB & CO INC SPECIAL CUSTODY ACCT FBO CUSTOMERS ATTN MUTUAL FUNDS 211 MAIN STREET SAN FRANCISCO CA 94105	Class Y	378,985.301	8.59%	6.85%
	LPL FINANCIAL 4707 EXECUTIVE DRIVE SAN DIEGO CA 92121-3091	Class Y	283,343.954	6.42%	7.27%
	PERSHING LLC 1 PERSHING PLAZA JERSEY CITY NJ 07399	Insti-tutional Class	33,862.517	29.38%	0.69%
	OPPENHEIMER & CO INC. FBO JOAN BLUM FELDMAN ADMIN TRUST STANLEY B SCHNEIDER TTEE C/O GURSEY SCHNEIDER LLP 1888 CENTURY PARK E. #900	Insti-tutional Class	21,282.433	18.46%	0.43%
	NATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES CORP (FBO) OUR CUSTOMERS ATTN MUTUAL FUNDS DEPARTMENT 4TH FL 499 WASHINGTON BLVD JERSEY CITY NJ 07310-2010	Insti-tutional Class	18,206.408	15.80%	0.37%
	WELLS FARGO CLEARING SERVICES 2801 MARKET STREET SAINT LOUIS, MO 63103	Insti-tutional Class	6,834.563	5.93%	0.14%
	OPPENHEIMER & CO INC. FBO CYNTHIA ALLEN TTEE OF THE RONALD ALLEN FAMILY TRUST CRESCENT PARK WEST #417 PLAYA VISTA CA 90094	Insti-tutional Class	6,369.96	5.53%	0.13%

*May be deemed to control a Fund because it owned beneficially more than 25% of the outstanding shares of a Fund as of the Record Date. As a result, those persons or organizations could have the ability to influence the outcome of a vote of the Fund’s shareholders.

**As set forth in the table above, affiliates of Touchstone Advisors own shares of the Target Fund. It is expected that these shares will be present at the Special Meeting and voted in favor of the Reorganization proposal.

TSF-2521-1908



	C-3



	PROXY CARD SIGN, DATE AND VOTE ON THE REVERSE SIDE
YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT NO MATTER HOW MANY SHARES YOU OWN. PLEASE CAST YOUR PROXY VOTE TODAY!
	PROXY VOTING OPTIONS
	1. MAIL your signed and voted proxy back in the postage paid envelope provided
	2. ONLINE at proxyonline.com using your proxy control number found below
	3. By PHONE when you call toll free (888) 227-9349 to reach an automated touchtone voting line
	4. By PHONE with a live operator when you call toll-free (866) 853-1834 Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern time
	CONTROL NUMBER

TOUCHSTONE CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES FUND

PROXY FOR A SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON AUGUST 26, 2019

The undersigned shareholder of the Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund hereby appoints Terrie Wiedenheft and Timothy Stearns, and each of them, the proxies of the undersigned, with full power of substitution, to vote, as indicated herein, all of the shares of Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund standing in the name of the undersigned at the close of business on June 28, 2019 at a Special Meeting of Shareholders to be held at the office of the Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund, 303 Broadway, Suite 1100, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 on August 26, 2019 at 1:00 p.m., Eastern time, and at any and all adjournments and postponements thereof, with all of the powers the undersigned would possess if then and there personally present and especially (but without limiting the general authorization and power hereby given) to vote as indicated on the proposal, as more fully described in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus for the meeting.

This proxy is solicited on behalf of the Board of Trustees, and may be revoked prior to its exercise by filing with the Secretary of the Company an instrument revoking this proxy or a duly executed proxy bearing a later date, or by appearing in person and voting at the Special Meeting.

Do you have questions? If you have any questions about how to vote your proxy or about the meeting in general, please call toll free (866) 853-1834. Representatives are available to assist you Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern Time.

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Special Meeting: The Notice of the Special Meeting and Proxy Statement/Prospectus are available at https://www.proxyonline.com/docs/TouchstoneCredit2019.pdf.

TOUCHSTONE CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES FUND

PROXY CARD

YOUR SIGNATURE IS REQUIRED FOR YOUR VOTE TO BE COUNTED.

Please sign exactly as your name(s) appear(s) hereon. When signing as attorney, executor, administrator, or other fiduciary, please give full title as such. Joint owners should each sign personally. All holders must sign. If a corporation or partnership, please sign in full corporate or partnership name by authorized officer.

SIGNATURE (AND TITLE IF APPLICABLE) DATE

SIGNATURE (JOINT OWNERS) DATE

This proxy, when properly executed, will be voted in the manner directed herein by the Shareholder. If no specification is made, the shares represented by this proxy will be voted “FOR” any Proposal that lacks an instruction. Your proxy is important to assure a quorum at the Meeting, whether or not you plan to attend the Meeting in person. Voting now will not affect your right to attend the Meeting and vote in person; you may revoke this proxy at any time.

To vote, mark circle per proposal in blue or black ink. Example: ●




1.	To approve an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization of the Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund, a series of the Touchstone Strategic Trust, into the Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund, a series of the Touchstone Funds Group Trust.	FOR ○	AGAINST ○	ABSTAIN ○

THANK YOU FOR VOTING

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

August 6, 2019

Touchstone Funds Group Trust

303 Broadway, Suite 1100

Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

(800) 543-0407

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”), which is not a prospectus, supplements and should be read in conjunction with the Proxy Statement/Prospectus dated August 6, 2019, relating specifically to the proposal providing for (i) the transfer of all the assets of the Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund, a series of Touchstone Strategic Trust, to the Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund, a series of Touchstone Funds Group Trust, in exchange solely for Class A, Class C, Class Y, and Institutional Class shares of the Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund and the assumption by the Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund of all the liabilities of the Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund; and (ii) the liquidating distribution by class of the Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund’s shares to the Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund’s shareholders in proportion to their holdings and termination of the Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund. Each transfer is to occur pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization, which is discussed in more detail in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus.

A copy of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus may be obtained without charge by calling or writing to Touchstone Funds Group Trust at the telephone number or address set forth above or by visiting the Touchstone website at TouchstoneInvestments.com/Resources.

Table of Contents



A. General Information	1
B. Incorporation by Reference	1
C. Pro Forma Financial Information (Unaudited)	1

EXHIBIT A: Statement of Additional Information for the Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund	A-1

A. General Information

This SAI relates to the proposal providing for (i) the transfer of all the assets of the Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund to the Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund in exchange solely for Class A, Class C, Class Y, and Institutional Class shares of the Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund and the assumption by the Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund of all the liabilities of the Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund; and (ii) the liquidating distribution by class of the Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund’s shares to the Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund’s shareholders in proportion to their holdings and termination of the Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund (the “Reorganization”).

Further information is included in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus and in the documents listed below, which are incorporated by reference into this SAI. Copies of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus and the documents listed below may be obtained upon request, and without charge, by writing to Touchstone at P.O. Box 9878, Providence, Rhode Island 02940, by calling (800) 543-0407 toll-free, or by visiting TouchstoneInvestments.com/Resources. In addition, the currently effective SAI relating to the Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund is included as Exhibit A to this SAI.

B. Incorporation by Reference

This SAI incorporates by reference the following documents (which means that they are legally considered to be a part of this SAI):


(1)	Annual Report relating to the Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018 (previously filed on EDGAR, File No. 002-80859, Accession No. 0001144204-18-046667).


(2)	Annual Report relating to Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund (formerly known as the Touchstone Arbitrage Fund) for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 (previously filed on EDGAR, File No. 033-70958, Accession No. 0001144204-18-062595).


(3)	Semi-Annual Report relating to the Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund for the six months ended December 31, 2018 (previously filed on EDGAR, File No. 002-80859, Accession No. 0001144204-19-011574).


(4)	Semi-Annual Report relating to the Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund (formerly known as the Touchstone Arbitrage Fund) for the six months ended March 31, 2019 (previously filed on EDGAR, File No. 033-70958, Accession No. 0001144204-19-029285).

C. Pro Forma Financial Information (Unaudited)

The unaudited pro forma financial information set forth below is for informational purposes only and does not purport to be indicative of the financial condition that actually would have resulted if the Reorganization had been consummated. These pro forma numbers have been estimated in good faith based on information regarding the Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund (the “Target Fund”) and the Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund (the “Acquiring Fund”) as of March 31, 2019. The Acquiring Fund’s and Target Fund’s information was prepared using the financial information as of and for the twelve month period ended March 31, 2019. The unaudited pro forma financial information should be read in conjunction with the historical financial statements of the Target Fund and Acquiring Fund, which are available in their annual and semi-annual shareholder reports.

Narrative Description of the Pro Forma Effects of the Reorganization

Note 1—Reorganization

The unaudited pro forma information has been prepared to give effect to the proposed reorganization of the Target Fund into the Acquiring Fund pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization (the “Plan”) as if the Reorganization occurred as of the beginning of the 12-month period ended March 31, 2019.



Target Fund		Acquiring Fund
Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund, a series of Touchstone Strategic Trust		Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund, a series of Touchstone Funds Group Trust



	1

Note 2—Basis of Pro Forma

The Reorganization will be accounted for as a tax-free reorganization for federal income tax purposes; therefore, no gain or loss will be recognized by the Target Fund or its shareholders as a direct result of the Reorganization. The Target Fund is a series of Touchstone Strategic Trust and the Acquiring Fund is a series of Touchstone Funds Group Trust; each Trust is a registered open-end management investment company. The Reorganization would be accomplished by the transfer of the assets and the liabilities of the Target Fund to the Acquiring Fund in exchange for shares of the Acquiring Fund, pro-rata distribution of such shares of the corresponding class to the shareholders of the Target Fund, and liquidation and termination of the Target Fund.

The table below shows the number of shares of each class of the Acquiring Fund that the Target Fund shareholders would have received had the Reorganization occurred on March 31, 2019.



Target Fund Share Class	Acquiring Fund Shares Issued	Acquiring Fund Share Class
Class A	12,681	Class A
Class C	9,936	Class C
Class Y	1,012,236	Class Y
Institutional Class	4,872,637	Institutional Class

In accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, for financial reporting purposes, the historical cost basis of the investments received from the Target Fund will be carried forward to align with ongoing reporting of the realized and unrealized gains and losses of the Acquiring Fund with amounts distributable to shareholders for tax purposes. The table below sets forth the net assets of each Fund and the pro forma net assets of the combined Fund as of March 31, 2019.



Fund	Net Assets		As-of Date
Touchstone Credit Opportunities Fund (Target Fund)	$	57,955,039	March 31, 2019
Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund (Acquiring Fund)	$	55,176,340	March 31, 2019
Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund (Pro Forma Fund)	$	113,131,379	March 31, 2019

Note 3—Pro Forma Expense Adjustments

The table below reflects adjustments to annual expenses made to the Pro Forma Fund financial information as if the Reorganization had been in effect on the first day of the twelve-month period ended March 31, 2019 using the fees and expenses information shown in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus. The pro forma information has been derived from the books and records used in calculating daily net asset values of the Target Fund and the Acquiring Fund and has been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, which require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect this information. Percentages presented below represent the increase (decrease) in expenses divided by the Pro Forma Fund average net assets. Actual results could differ from those estimates. No other significant pro forma effects are expected to result from the Reorganization.



	Fee and Expense Increase (Decrease)
Net Expense Category	Dollar Amount		Percentage
Professional fees⁽¹⁾	$	(35,069)	(0.0148)	%
Registration fees⁽¹⁾	$	(16,354)	(0.0069)	%
Trustee Fees and Expenses⁽¹⁾	$	(6,203)	(0.0026)	%
Other Expenses⁽¹⁾	$	(47,777)	(0.0202)	%
Liquidity Provider Expense⁽²⁾	$	(24,803)	(0.0104)	%
Dividend and Interest Expense on Securities Sold Short⁽²⁾	$	(263,887)	(0.1111)	%
Reimbursement⁽³⁾	$	105,403	0.0444	%
Total Pro Forma Net Expense Adjustment	$	(288,690)	(0.1216)	%

⁽¹⁾ Reflects the anticipated reduction of certain duplicative expenses eliminated as a result of the Reorganization.



	2

⁽²⁾ Reflects the anticipated decrease of certain expenses as a result of the Reorganization and changes to the Fund’s investment goal and principal investment strategies in connection with the appointment of Ares Capital Management II LLC as sub-advisor to the Fund, which took place May 11, 2019.

⁽³⁾ Reflects the decrease in expense reimbursement payments the investment adviser would have made to the combined Fund if the Reorganization had occurred on the first day of the twelve-month period ended March 31, 2019.

No significant accounting policies will change as a result of the Reorganization, specifically policies regarding security valuation or compliance with Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. No significant changes to any existing contracts of the Acquiring Fund are expected as a result of the Reorganization.

Note 4—Reorganization Costs

Touchstone Advisors, Inc. estimates that expenses for the Reorganization will be approximately $90,000. These costs represent management’s estimate of professional services fees, printing costs and mailing charges related to the Reorganization.

Touchstone Advisors, Inc., and not the Target Fund or the Acquiring Fund, will pay the costs of the Reorganization whether or not the Reorganization is completed.

Note 5—Accounting Survivor

The Target Fund will be the accounting survivor and the performance survivor. The surviving fund will have the portfolio managers, portfolio composition, investment goal, expense structure and investment policies and limitations of the Acquiring Fund.

Note 6—Capital Loss Carryforwards

As of June 30, 2018, the Target Fund had no unused capital loss carryforwards available for federal income tax purposes. As of September 30, 2018, the Acquiring Fund had unused capital loss carryforwards of $3,425,484 available for federal income tax purposes to be applied against future capital gains, which are not subject to expiration.



	3

Exhibit A

TOUCHSTONE FUNDS GROUP TRUST

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

May 14, 2019



	Class A	Class C	Class Y	Institutional Class
Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund	TMARX	TMACX	TMAYX	TARBX

This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus and relates only to the above-referenced fund (the “Fund”). It is intended to provide additional information regarding the activities and operations of Touchstone Funds Group Trust (the “Trust”) and should be read in conjunction with the Fund’s prospectus dated May 14, 2019, as may be amended. The Fund’s audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, including the notes thereto and the report of Ernst & Young LLP thereon, included in the annual report to shareholders (the “Annual Report”), are hereby incorporated into this SAI by reference. A copy of the Trust's prospectus and Annual Report may be obtained without charge by writing to the Trust at P.O. Box 9878, Providence, Rhode Island 02940, by calling 1.800.543.0407, or by downloading a copy at TouchstoneInvestments.com/Resources.

TABLE OF CONTENTS



	PAGE
THE TRUST	3
PERMITTED INVESTMENTS AND RISK FACTORS	4
INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS	26
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS	28
THE ADVISOR	35
THE SUB-ADVISOR AND PORTFOLIO MANAGERS	37
THE ADMINISTRATOR	39
TOUCHSTONE SECURITIES	40
DISTRIBUTION PLANS AND SHAREHOLDER SERVICE ARRANGEMENTS	41
BROKERAGE TRANSACTIONS	42
PROXY VOTING	44
CODE OF ETHICS	44
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER	44
DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS	44
DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE	45
DESCRIPTION OF SHARES	46
CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL SECURITY HOLDERS	48
CHOOSING A CLASS OF SHARES	50
OTHER PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION INFORMATION	52
DISTRIBUTIONS	54
FEDERAL INCOME TAXES	55
CUSTODIAN	64
LEGAL COUNSEL	64
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM	64
TRANSFER AND SUB-ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT	64
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS	65
APPENDIX A-DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES RATINGS	66
APPENDIX B-PROXY VOTING POLICIES	72

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THE TRUST

Touchstone Funds Group Trust (the “Trust”), an open-end management investment company, was organized as a Delaware statutory trust under an Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated October 25, 1993, as amended ("the Declaration of Trust”). Prior to November 20, 2006, the name of the Trust was Constellation Funds. Effective November 20, 2006, the Trust’s name changed to Touchstone Funds Group Trust. The Declaration of Trust permits the Trust to offer separate series of units of beneficial interest (the “shares”) and separate classes of shares. The Fund is a separate mutual fund and each share of the Fund represents an equal proportionate interest in the Fund. This SAI relates to the following series of the Trust: Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund (formerly, the Touchstone Arbitrage Fund) (the "Fund"). The Fund is non-diversified.

Touchstone Advisors, Inc. (the “Advisor”) is the investment advisor and administrator for the Fund. The Advisor has selected one or more sub-advisor(s) to manage, on a daily basis, the assets of the Fund. The Advisor has sub-contracted certain of the Trust complex's administrative and accounting services to The Bank of New York Mellon and the Trust complex's Transfer Agent services to BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. (collectively referred to herein as “BNY Mellon”). Touchstone Securities, Inc. (“Touchstone Securities” or the “Distributor”) is the principal distributor of the Fund’s shares. The Distributor is an affiliate of the Advisor.

The Fund offers four separate classes of shares: Classes A, C, Y, and Institutional Class.

The shares of a Fund represent an interest in the same assets of that Fund. The shares have the same rights and are identical in all material respects except that: (i) each class of shares may bear different (or no) distribution fees; (ii) each class of shares may be subject to different (or no) sales charges; (iii) certain other class specific expenses will be borne solely by the class to which such expenses are attributable, including transfer agent fees attributable to a specific class of shares, printing and postage expenses related to preparing and distributing materials to current shareholders of a specific class, registration fees incurred by a specific class of shares, the expenses of administrative personnel and services required to support the shareholders of a specific class, litigation or other legal expenses relating to a class of shares, Trustees’ fees or expenses incurred as a result of issues relating to a specific class of shares and accounting fees and expenses relating to a specific class of shares; (iv) each class has exclusive voting rights with respect to matters relating to its own distribution arrangements; and (v) certain classes offer different features and services to shareholders and may have different investment minimums. The Board of Trustees (the “Board”) may classify and reclassify the shares of a Fund into additional classes of shares at a future date.

History of the Fund

The inception date of the Fund is September 30, 2013. On May 11, 2019, the Fund changed its name from the Touchstone Arbitrage Fund to the Touchstone Credit Opportunities II Fund and changed its investment goal, principal investment strategies and investment sub-advisor.

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PERMITTED INVESTMENTS AND RISK FACTORS

The Fund’s principal investment strategies and principal risks are described in the Fund’s prospectus. The following supplements the information contained in the prospectus concerning the Fund’s principal investment strategies and principal risks. In addition, although not principal strategies of the Fund, the Fund may invest in other types of securities and engage in other investment practices as described in the prospectus or in this SAI. Unless otherwise indicated, the Fund is permitted to invest in each of the investments listed below, or engage in each of the investment techniques listed below consistent with the Fund’s investment goals, investment limitations, policies and strategies. In addition to the fundamental and non-fundamental investment limitations set forth under the section of this SAI entitled "Investment Limitations," the investment limitations below are considered to be non-fundamental policies, which may be changed at any time by a vote of the Trust’s Board. In addition, any stated percentage limitations are measured at the time of the purchase of a security.

ADRs, ADSs, EDRs, CDRs, and GDRs. American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”) are U.S. dollar-denominated receipts typically issued by domestic banks or trust companies that represent the deposit with those entities of securities of a foreign issuer. They are publicly traded on exchanges or over-the-counter in the United States. European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”), which are sometimes referred to as Continental Depositary Receipts (“CDRs”), and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) may also be purchased by the Fund. EDRs, CDRs and GDRs are generally issued by foreign banks and evidence ownership of either foreign or domestic securities. Certain institutions issuing ADRs, ADSs, EDRs or GDRs may not be sponsored by the issuer of the underlying foreign securities. A non-sponsored depositary may not provide the same shareholder information that a sponsored depositary is required to provide under its contractual arrangements with the issuer of the underlying foreign securities. Holders of an unsponsored depositary receipt generally bear all the costs of the unsponsored facility. The depositary of an unsponsored facility frequently is under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the issuer of the deposited security or to pass through to the holders of the receipts voting rights with respect to the deposited securities.

Asset-Backed Securities (“ABS”). ABS are secured by assets such as company receivables, truck and auto loans, leases and credit card receivables. Such securities are generally issued as pass-through certificates, which represent undivided fractional ownership interests in the underlying pools of assets. Such securities also may be debt instruments, which are also known as collateralized obligations and are generally issued as the debt of a special purpose entity, such as a trust, organized solely for the purpose of owning such assets and issuing such debt. Covered bonds are a type of asset backed security that is created from public sector loans or mortgage loans where the security is backed by a separate group of loans. Covered bonds typically carry a 2 to 10 year maturity rate and enjoy relatively high credit ratings, depending on the quality of the pool of loans backing the bond.

The credit quality of an asset-backed security transaction depends on the performance of the underlying assets. ABS can be structured with various forms of credit enhancement to address the possibility that some borrowers could miss payments or even default on their loans. Some ABS are subject to interest-rate risk and prepayment risk. A change in interest rates can affect the pace of payments on the underlying loans, which in turn, affects total return on the securities. ABS also carry credit or default risk. If many borrowers on the underlying loans default, losses could exceed the credit enhancement level and result in losses to investors in an ABS transaction. Finally, ABS have structure risk due to a unique characteristic known as early amortization, or early payout, risk. Built into the structure of most ABS are triggers for early payout, designed to protect investors from losses. These triggers are unique to each transaction and can include: a big rise in defaults on the underlying loans, a sharp drop in the credit enhancement level, or even the bankruptcy of the originator. Once early amortization begins, all incoming loan payments (after expenses are paid) are used to pay investors as quickly as possible based upon a predetermined priority of payment.

Bear Funds. The Fund may invest in bear funds. Bear funds are designed to allow investors to speculate on anticipated decreases in the S&P 500^® Index or another securities market index or to hedge an existing portfolio of securities or mutual fund shares. Due to the nature of bear funds, investors could experience substantial losses during sustained periods of rising equity prices. This is the opposite result expected of investing in a traditional equity mutual fund in a generally rising stock market. Bear funds employ certain investment techniques, including engaging in short sales and in certain transactions in stock index futures contracts, options on stock index futures contracts, and options on securities and stock indexes. Using these techniques, bear funds will generally incur a loss if the price of the underlying security or index increases between the date of the employment of the technique and the date on which the fund terminates the position. Bear funds will generally realize a gain if the underlying security or index declines in price between those dates. The amount of any gain or loss on an investment technique may be affected by any premium or amounts in lieu of dividends or interest that the Fund pays or receives as a result of the transaction.

Borrowing. Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the net asset value (“NAV”) of a Fund’s shares and in the return on the Fund’s portfolio. Although the principal of any borrowing will be fixed, a Fund’s assets may change in value during the time the borrowing is outstanding. The Fund may be required to liquidate portfolio securities at a time when it would be disadvantageous to do so in order to make payments with respect to any borrowing. The Fund may be required to earmark or segregate liquid assets in an

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amount sufficient to meet their obligations in connection with such borrowings. In an interest rate arbitrage transaction, a Fund borrows money at one interest rate and lends the proceeds at another, higher interest rate. These transactions involve a number of risks; including the risk that the borrower will fail or otherwise become insolvent or that there will be a significant change in prevailing interest rates. The Fund has adopted fundamental limitations and non-fundamental limitations which restrict circumstances in which and degree to which the Fund can engage in borrowing. See the section entitled “Investment Limitations,” below.

Business Development Companies (“BDCs”). BDCs are a type of closed-end fund regulated under the 1940 Act. BDCs are publicly-traded mezzanine/private equity funds that typically invest in and lend to small and medium-sized private companies that may not have access to public equity markets for capital raising. BDCs are unique in that at least 70% of their investments must be made to private U.S. businesses and BDCs are required to make available significant managerial assistance to their portfolio companies. BDCs are not taxed on income distributed to shareholders provided they comply with the applicable requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). BDCs have expenses associated with their operations. Accordingly, the Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any management and other expenses, and of any performance based fees, charged by the BDCs in which it invests.

Investments in BDCs are subject to various risks, including management’s ability to meet the BDC’s investment objective, and to manage the BDC’s portfolio when the underlying securities are redeemed or sold, during periods of market turmoil and as investors’ perceptions regarding a BDC or its underlying investments change. BDC shares are not redeemable at the option of the BDC shareholder and, as with shares of other closed-end funds; they may trade in the secondary market at a discount to their NAV.

Canadian Income Trusts. A Canadian Income Trust is a qualified income trust as designated by the Canada Revenue Agency that operates as a profit-seeking corporation. This type of income trust, which pays out all earnings to unit holders before paying taxes, is usually traded publicly on a securities exchange. Canadian income trusts enjoy special Canadian corporate tax privileges.

Commodity Futures Trading Commission Regulation. The Fund and the Advisor claimed exclusion or exemption from registering with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”). The Fund complies with Rule 4.5 under the Commodity Exchange Act (the “CEA”), which allows a mutual fund to be conditionally excluded from the definition of the term “commodity pool.” Similarly, so long as the Fund satisfies this conditional exclusion, the Advisor intends to comply with Rule 4.5, which allows the Advisor to be conditionally excluded from the definition of “commodity pool operator” (“CPO”), and Rule 4.14(a)(5), which provides a conditional exemption from registering as a “commodity trading advisor.” The Advisor, on behalf of the Fund and itself, has filed a claim with the CFTC claiming the CPO exemption. Therefore, neither the Fund nor the Advisor expect to become subject to registration under the CEA.

Common Stocks. Common stocks are securities that represent units of ownership in a company. Common stocks usually carry voting rights and earn dividends. Unlike preferred stocks, which are described below, dividends on common stocks are not fixed but are declared at the discretion of the board of directors of the issuing company.

Convertible Securities. Convertible securities are corporate securities that are exchangeable for a set number of another security at a pre-stated price. Convertible securities typically have characteristics of both fixed income and equity securities. Because of the conversion feature, the market value of a convertible security tends to move with the market value of the underlying stock. The value of a convertible security is also affected by prevailing interest rates, the credit quality of the issuer and any call provisions.

A synthetic convertible security is a combination investment in which a Fund purchases both (i) high-grade cash equivalents or a high grade debt obligation of an issuer or U.S. government securities and (ii) call options or warrants on the common stock of the same or different issuer with some or all of the anticipated interest income from the associated debt obligation that is earned over the holding period of the option or warrant.

While providing a fixed income stream (generally higher in yield than the income derivable from common stock but lower than that afforded by a similar non-convertible security), a convertible security also affords a shareholder the opportunity, through its conversion feature, to participate in the capital appreciation attendant upon a market price advance in the convertible security’s underlying common stock. A synthetic convertible position has similar investment characteristics, but may differ with respect to credit quality, time to maturity, trading characteristics and other factors. Because a Fund will create synthetic convertible positions only out of high grade fixed income securities, the credit rating associated with a Fund’s synthetic convertible investments is generally expected to be higher than that of the average convertible security, many of which are rated below high grade. However, because the options used to create synthetic convertible positions will generally have expirations between one month and three years of the time of purchase, the maturity of these positions will generally be shorter than average for convertible securities. Since the option component of a convertible security or synthetic convertible position is a wasting asset (in the sense of losing “time value” as maturity approaches), a synthetic convertible position may lose such value more rapidly than a convertible security of

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longer maturity; however, the gain in option value due to appreciation of the underlying stock may exceed such time value loss. The market price of the option component generally reflects these differences in maturities, and the Advisor and applicable sub-advisor take such differences into account when evaluating such positions. When a synthetic convertible position “matures” because of the expiration of the associated option, a Fund may extend the maturity by investing in a new option with longer maturity on the common stock of the same or different issuer. If a Fund does not so extend the maturity of a position, it may continue to hold the associated fixed income security.

Cyber Security Risk. The Fund and its service providers may be subject to operational and information security risks resulting from cyber security breaches. Cyber security breaches may result from deliberate cyber attacks, although unintentional events may have effects similar to those caused by cyber attacks. Cyber attacks may include the stealing or corrupting of data maintained online or digitally, denial-of-service attacks on Fund websites, the unauthorized release of confidential information or other operational disruption. Successful cyber attacks against, or security breaches of, a Fund or the Advisor, a sub-advisor, the Fund’s distributor, custodians, the transfer agent, selling agents and/or other third party service providers may adversely impact the Fund or its shareholders. Similar types of cyber security risks are also present for issuers of securities or other instruments in which the Fund invests, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers, and may cause the Fund’s investment therein to lose value.

Equity-Linked Notes ("ELNs"). A Fund may purchase ELNs. The principal or coupon payment on an ELN is linked to the performance of an underlying security or index. ELNs may be used, among other things, to provide a Fund with exposure to international markets while providing a mechanism to reduce foreign tax or regulatory restrictions imposed on foreign investors. The risks associated with purchasing ELNs include the creditworthiness of the issuer and the risk of counterparty default. Further, a Fund’s ability to dispose of an ELN will depend on the availability of liquid markets in the instruments. The purchase and sale of an ELN is also subject to the risks regarding adverse market movements, possible intervention by governmental authorities, and the effects of other political and economic events.

Equity-Linked Warrants. Equity-linked warrants provide a way for investors to access markets where entry is difficult and time consuming due to regulation. Typically, a broker issues warrants to an investor and then purchases shares in the local market and issues a call warrant hedged on the underlying holding. If the investor exercises his call and closes his position, the shares are sold and the warrant is redeemed with the proceeds.

Each warrant represents one share of the underlying stock. Therefore, the price, performance and liquidity of the warrant are all directly linked to the underlying stock. The warrants can be redeemed for 100% of the value of the underlying stock (less transaction costs). Being American style warrants, they can be exercised at any time. The warrants are U.S. dollar denominated and priced daily on several international stock exchanges.

Eurobonds. A Eurobond is a bond denominated in U.S. dollars or another currency and sold to investors outside of the country whose currency is used. Eurobonds may be issued by government or corporate issuers, and are typically underwritten by banks and brokerage firms from numerous countries. While Eurobonds typically pay principal and interest in Eurodollars (U.S. dollars held in banks outside of the United States), they may pay principal and interest in other currencies.

Exchange-Traded Funds (“ETFs”). An ETF is a fund that holds a portfolio of common stocks and is often designed to track the performance of a particular securities index or sector of an index, like the S&P 500^® Index or NASDAQ, or a portfolio of bonds that may be designed to track a bond index. Because they may be traded like stocks on a securities exchange (e.g., the New York Stock Exchange; the NYSE MKT or the NASDAQ Stock Market), ETFs may be purchased and sold throughout the trading day based on their market price. Each share of an ETF represents an undivided ownership interest in the portfolio held by an ETF. ETFs that track indices or sectors of indices hold either:


•	shares of all of the companies (or, for a fixed-income ETF, bonds) that are represented by a particular index in the same proportion that is represented in the index itself; or


•	shares of a sampling of the companies (or, for a fixed-income ETF, bonds) that are represented by a particular index in a proportion meant to track the performance of the entire index.

ETFs are generally registered as investment companies and issue large blocks of shares (typically 50,000) called “creation units” in exchange for a specified portfolio of the ETF’s underlying securities, plus a cash payment generally equal to accumulated dividends of the securities (net of expenses) up to the time of deposit. Creation units are redeemed in kind for a portfolio of the underlying securities (based on the ETF’s NAV), together with a cash payment generally equal to accumulated dividends as of the date of redemption. As investment companies, ETFs incur fees and expenses such as trustee fees, operating expenses, licensing fees, registration fees, and marketing expenses, each of which will be reflected in the NAV of ETFs. Accordingly, ETF shareholders pay their proportionate share of these expenses.

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Foreign Currency Risk. While a Fund’s net assets are valued in U.S. dollars, the securities of foreign companies are frequently denominated in foreign currencies. Thus, a change in the value of a foreign currency against the U.S. dollar will result in a corresponding change in value of securities denominated in that currency. Some of the factors that may impair the investments denominated in a foreign currency are: (1) it may be expensive to convert foreign currencies into U.S. dollars and vice versa; (2) complex political and economic factors may significantly affect the values of various currencies, including U.S. dollars, and their exchange rates; (3) government intervention may increase risks involved in purchasing or selling foreign currency options, forward contracts and futures contracts, since exchange rates may not be free to fluctuate in response to other market forces; (4) there may be no systematic reporting of last sale information for foreign currencies or regulatory requirement that quotations available through dealers or other market sources be firm or revised on a timely basis; (5) available quotation information is generally representative of very large round-lot transactions in the inter-bank market and thus may not reflect exchange rates for smaller odd-lot transactions (less than $1 million) where rates may be less favorable; and (6) the inter-bank market in foreign currencies is a global, around-the-clock market. To the extent that a market is closed while the markets for the underlying currencies remain open, certain markets may not always reflect significant price and rate movements.

Forward Foreign Currency Contracts. A Fund may enter into forward foreign currency contracts to manage foreign currency exposure and as a hedge against possible variations in foreign exchange rates. A Fund may enter into forward foreign currency contracts to hedge a specific security transaction or to hedge a portfolio position. These contracts may be bought or sold to protect a Fund, to some degree, against possible losses resulting from an adverse change in the relationship between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. A Fund also may invest in foreign currency futures and in options on currencies. A forward contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency amount at a future date, agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. A Fund may enter into a contract to sell, for a fixed amount of U.S. dollars or other appropriate currency, the amount of foreign currency approximating the value of some or all of a Fund’s securities denominated in such foreign currency.

By entering into forward foreign currency contracts, a Fund will seek to protect the value of its investment securities against a decline in the value of a currency. However, these forward foreign currency contracts will not eliminate fluctuations in the underlying prices of the securities. Rather, they simply establish a rate of exchange which one can obtain at some future point in time. Although such contracts tend to minimize the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currency, they also tend to limit any potential gain which might result should the value of such currency increase. At the maturity of a forward contract, a Fund may either sell a portfolio security and make delivery of the foreign currency, or it may retain the security and terminate its contractual obligation to deliver the foreign currency by purchasing an “offsetting” contract with the same currency trader, obligating it to purchase, on the same maturity date, the same amount of the foreign currency. A Fund may realize a gain or loss from currency transactions.

When entering into a contract for the purchase or sale of a security in a foreign currency, a Fund may enter into a forward foreign currency contract for the amount of the purchase or sale price to protect against variations, between the date the security is purchased or sold and the date on which payment is made or received, in the value of the foreign currency relative to the U.S. dollar or other foreign currency.

Also, when a Fund’s portfolio manager anticipates that a particular foreign currency may decline substantially relative to the U.S. dollar or other leading currencies, in order to reduce risk, a Fund may enter into a forward contract to sell, for a fixed amount, the amount of foreign currency approximating the value of its securities denominated in such foreign currency. With respect to any such forward foreign currency contract, it will not generally be possible to match precisely the amount covered by that contract and the value of the securities involved due to changes in the values of such securities resulting from market movements between the date the forward contract is entered into and the date it matures. In addition, while forward foreign currency contracts may offer protection from losses resulting from declines in value of a particular foreign currency, they also limit potential gains which might result from increases in the value of such currency. A Fund will also incur costs in connection with forward foreign currency contracts and conversions of foreign currencies into U.S. dollars. A Fund will place assets in a segregated account or otherwise earmark assets as cover to assure that its obligations under forward foreign currency contracts are covered.

Foreign Securities. A Fund may invest in securities of foreign issuers and in sponsored and unsponsored ADRs and other depositary receipts. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers may subject the Fund to investment risks that differ in some respects from those related to investments in securities of U.S. issuers. Such risks include future adverse political and economic developments, possible imposition of withholding taxes on income, possible seizure, nationalization or expropriation of foreign deposits, possible establishment of exchange controls or taxation at the source or greater fluctuation in value due to changes in exchange rates. Foreign issuers of securities often engage in business practices different from those of domestic issuers of similar securities, and there may be less information publicly available about foreign issuers. In addition, foreign issuers are, generally speaking, subject

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to less government supervision and regulation than are those in the United States. Investments in securities of foreign issuers are frequently denominated in foreign currencies and the value of a Fund’s assets measured in U.S. dollars may be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in currency rates and in exchange control regulations, and the Fund may incur costs in connection with conversions between various currencies.

In addition, there are risks relating to ongoing concerns regarding the economies of certain European countries and their sovereign debt, as well as the potential for one or more countries to leave the European Union. In June 2016, the United Kingdom held a referendum resulting in a vote in favor of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union. These circumstances and potential future developments could have a negative effect on the United Kingdom’s and other European countries’ economies and may result in greater volatility in global financial and currency markets.

Foreign Market Risk. A Fund may be subject to the risk that, because there are generally fewer investors on foreign exchanges and a smaller number of shares traded each day, it may be difficult for a Fund to buy and sell securities on those exchanges. In addition, prices of foreign securities may fluctuate more than prices of securities traded in the United States. Investments in foreign markets may also be adversely affected by governmental actions such as the imposition of punitive taxes. In addition, the governments of certain countries may prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign investing in their capital markets or in certain industries. Any of these actions could severely affect security prices, impair a Fund’s ability to purchase or sell foreign securities or transfer a Fund’s assets or income back into the United States or otherwise adversely affect a Fund’s operations. Other potential foreign market risks include exchange controls, difficulties in pricing securities, defaults on foreign government securities, difficulties in enforcing favorable legal judgments in foreign courts and political and social conditions, such as diplomatic relations, confiscatory taxation, expropriation, limitation on the removal of funds or assets or imposition of (or change in) exchange control regulations. Legal remedies available to investors in certain foreign countries may be less extensive than those available to investors in the United States or other foreign countries. In addition, changes in government administrations or economic or monetary policies in the United States or abroad could result in appreciation or depreciation of portfolio securities and could favorably or adversely affect a Fund’s operations.

Public Availability of Information. In general, less information is publicly available with respect to foreign issuers than is available with respect to U.S. companies. Most foreign companies are also not subject to the uniform accounting and financial reporting requirements applicable to issuers in the United States. While the volume of transactions effected on foreign stock exchanges has increased in recent years, it remains appreciably below that of the New York Stock Exchange. Accordingly, a Fund’s foreign investments may be less liquid and their prices may be more volatile than comparable investments in securities in U.S. companies. In addition, there is generally less government supervision and regulation of securities exchanges, brokers and issuers in foreign countries than in the United States.

Settlement Risk. Settlement and clearance procedures in certain foreign markets differ significantly from those in the United States. Foreign settlement procedures and trade regulations also may involve certain risks (such as delays in payment for or delivery of securities) not typically generated by the settlement of U.S. investments. Communications between the United States and certain non-U.S. countries may be unreliable, increasing the risk of delayed settlements or losses of security certificates in markets that still rely on physical settlement. Settlements in certain foreign countries at times have not kept pace with the number of securities transactions; these problems may make it difficult for a Fund to carry out transactions. If a Fund cannot settle or is delayed in settling a purchase of securities, it may miss attractive investment opportunities and certain of its assets may be uninvested with no return earned thereon for some period. If a Fund cannot settle or is delayed in settling a sale of securities, it may lose money if the value of the security then declines or, if it has contracted to sell the security to another party; a Fund could be liable to that party for any losses incurred. Dividends or interest on, or proceeds from the sale of, foreign securities may be subject to foreign taxes on income from sources in such countries.

Governmental Supervision and Regulation/Accounting Standards. Many foreign governments supervise and regulate stock exchanges, brokers and the sale of securities less than does the United States. Some countries may not have laws to protect investors comparable to the U.S. securities laws. For example, some foreign countries may have no laws or rules against insider trading. Insider trading occurs when a person buys or sells a company’s securities based on nonpublic information about that company. In addition, the U.S. government has from time to time in the past imposed restrictions, through penalties and otherwise, on foreign investments by U.S. investors. Accounting standards in other countries are not necessarily the same as in the United States. If the accounting standards in another country do not require as much detail as U.S. accounting standards, it may be harder for a Fund to completely and accurately determine a company’s financial condition. Also, brokerage commissions and other costs of buying or selling securities often are higher in foreign countries than they are in the United States. This reduces the amount a Fund can earn on its investments.

Emerging Market Securities. Emerging market countries are generally countries that are included in the Morgan Stanley Capital International (“MSCI”) Emerging Markets Index, or otherwise excluded from the MSCI World Index. As of March 31, 2018, the

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countries in the MSCI World Index included: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The country composition of the MSCI Emerging Markets Index and the MSCI World Index can change over time. Frontier market countries, which are those emerging market countries that have the smallest, least mature economies and least developed capital markets, are generally countries that are included in the MSCI Frontier Markets Index.

Investments in the securities of issuers domiciled in countries with emerging capital markets involve certain additional risks that do not generally apply to investments in securities of issuers in more developed capital markets, such as (i) low or non-existent trading volume, resulting in a lack of liquidity and increased volatility in prices for such securities, as compared to securities of comparable issuers in more developed capital markets; (ii) uncertain national policies and social, political and economic instability, increasing the potential for expropriation of assets, confiscatory taxation, high rates of inflation or unfavorable diplomatic developments; (iii) possible fluctuations in exchange rates, differing legal systems and the existence or possible imposition of exchange controls, custodial restrictions or other foreign or U.S. governmental laws or restrictions applicable to such investments; (iv) national policies that may limit a Fund’s investment opportunities such as restrictions on investment in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to national interests; and (v) the lack or relatively early development of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property. In addition to withholding taxes on investment income, some countries with emerging markets may impose capital gains taxes on foreign investors.

Political and economic structures in emerging market countries may be undergoing significant evolution and rapid development, and these countries may lack the social, political and economic stability characteristic of more developed countries. In such a dynamic environment, there can be no assurance that any or all of these capital markets will continue to present viable investment opportunities for a Fund. Some of these countries may have in the past failed to recognize private property rights and have at times nationalized or expropriated the assets of private companies. There is no assurance that such expropriations will not reoccur. In such an event, it is possible that a Fund could lose the entire value of its investments in the affected market. As a result, the risks described above, including the risks of nationalization or expropriation of assets, may be heightened. In addition, unanticipated political or social developments may affect the value of investments in these countries and the availability to a Fund of additional investments. The small size and inexperience of the securities markets in certain of these countries and the limited volume of trading in securities in these countries may make investments in the countries illiquid and more volatile than investments in Japan or most Western European countries.

Also, there may be less publicly available information about issuers in emerging markets than would be available about issuers in more developed capital markets, and such issuers may not be subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements comparable to those to which U.S. companies are subject. In certain countries with emerging capital markets, reporting standards vary widely. As a result, traditional investment measurements used in the United States, such as price/earnings ratios, may not be applicable. Emerging market securities may be substantially less liquid and more volatile than those of mature markets, and company shares may be held by a limited number of persons. This may adversely affect the timing and pricing of a Fund’s acquisition or disposal of securities.

Practices in relation to settlement of securities transactions in emerging markets involve higher risks than those in developed markets, in part because a Fund will need to use brokers and counterparties that are less well capitalized, and custody and registration of assets in some countries may be unreliable. The possibility of fraud, negligence, undue influence being exerted by the issuer or refusal to recognize ownership exists in some emerging markets, and, along with other factors, could result in ownership registration being completely lost. A Fund would absorb any loss resulting from such registration problems and may have no successful claim for compensation.

Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts. Futures contracts provide for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified amount of a specific security at a specified future time and at a specified price. An option on a futures contract gives the purchaser the right, in exchange for a premium, to assume a position in a futures contract at a specified exercise price during the term of the option. A Fund may use futures contracts and related options for bona fide hedging purposes, to offset changes in the value of securities held or expected to be acquired or be disposed of, to minimize fluctuations in foreign currencies, or to gain exposure to a particular market or instrument. Some strategies reduce a Fund’s exposure to price fluctuations, while others tend to increase its exposure. A Fund will minimize the risk that it will be unable to close out a futures contract by only entering into futures contracts which are traded on national futures exchanges. In addition, a Fund will only sell covered futures contracts and options on futures contracts.

Stock and bond index futures are futures contracts for various stock and bond indices that are traded on registered securities exchanges. Stock and bond index futures contracts obligate the seller to deliver (and the purchaser to take) an amount of cash

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equal to a specific dollar amount times the difference between the value of a specific stock or bond index at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the agreement is made.

Stock and bond index futures contracts are bilateral agreements pursuant to which two parties agree to take or make delivery of an amount of cash equal to a specified dollar amount times the difference between the stock or bond index value at the close of trading of the contract and the price at which the futures contract is originally struck. No physical delivery of the stocks or bonds comprising the index is made; generally contracts are closed out prior to the expiration date of the contracts.

No price is paid upon entering into futures contracts. Instead, a Fund would be required to deposit an amount of cash or U.S. Treasury securities known as “initial margin.” Subsequent payments, called “variation margin,” to and from the broker, would be made on a daily basis as the value of the futures position varies (a process known as “marking to market”). The margin is in the nature of a performance bond or good-faith deposit on a futures contract.

There are risks associated with these activities, including the following: (1) the success of a hedging strategy may depend on an ability to predict movements in the prices of individual securities, fluctuations in markets and movements in interest rates; (2) there may be an imperfect or no correlation between the changes in market value of the securities held by a Fund and the prices of futures and options on futures; (3) there may not be a liquid secondary market for a futures contract or option; (4) trading restrictions or limitations may be imposed by an exchange; and (5) government regulations may restrict trading in futures contracts and futures options.

A Fund may buy and sell futures contracts and related options to manage its exposure to changing interest rates and securities prices. Some strategies reduce a Fund’s exposure to price fluctuations, while others tend to increase its market exposure. Futures and options on futures can be volatile instruments and involve certain risks that could negatively impact a Fund’s return. When a Fund purchases or sells a futures contract, or sells an option thereon, a Fund is required to “cover” its position in order to limit the risk associated with the use of leverage and other related risks. To cover its position, a Fund may maintain with its custodian bank (and marked-to-market on a daily basis), a segregated account consisting of cash or liquid securities that, when added to any amounts deposited with a futures commission merchant as margin, are equal to the market value of the futures contract or otherwise “cover” its position in a manner consistent with the 1940 Act or the rules and SEC interpretations thereunder. If a Fund continues to engage in the described investment techniques and properly covers its investment in the manner described above, the segregated account or other form of coverage will function as a practical limit on the amount of leverage which a Fund may undertake and on the potential increase in the speculative character of a Fund's outstanding investments. Additionally, such coverage will generally assure the availability of adequate funds to meet the obligations of a Fund arising from such investment activities.

Guaranteed Investment Contracts. A Fund may make investments in obligations issued by highly rated U.S. insurance companies, such as guaranteed investment contracts and similar funding agreements (collectively “GICs”). A GIC is a general obligation of the issuing insurance company and not a separate account. Under these contracts, a Fund makes cash contributions to a deposit fund of the insurance company’s general account. The insurance company then credits to the Fund on a monthly basis guaranteed interest that is based on an index. The GICs provide that this guaranteed interest will not be less than a certain minimum rate. GIC investments that do not provide for payment within seven days after notice are subject to the Fund’s policy regarding investments in illiquid securities.

Illiquid Securities. Subject to the limitations in the 1940 Act, the Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities. Illiquid securities are securities that cannot be disposed of within seven business days at approximately the price at which they are being carried on a Fund’s books.

Illiquid securities include demand instruments with demand notice periods exceeding seven days, securities for which there is no active secondary market, and repurchase agreements with maturities of over seven days in length. A Fund may invest in securities that are neither listed on a stock exchange nor traded over-the-counter, including privately placed securities. Investing in such unlisted securities, including investments in new and early stage companies, may involve a high degree of business and financial risk that can result in substantial losses. As a result of the absence of a public trading market for these securities, they may be less liquid than publicly traded securities. Because these types of securities are thinly traded, if at all, and market prices for these types of securities are generally not readily available, a Fund typically determines the price for these types of securities in good faith in accordance with policies and procedures adopted by the Board. Although these securities may be resold in privately negotiated transactions, the prices realized from these sales could be less than those originally paid by a Fund, or less than what may be considered the fair value of such securities. Further, companies whose securities are not publicly traded may not be subject to the disclosure and other investor protection requirements which might be applicable if their securities were publicly traded. If such securities are required to be registered under the securities laws of one or more jurisdictions before being resold, a Fund may be required to bear the expenses of registration.

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In addition, the Advisor or sub-advisor believe that carefully selected investments in joint ventures, cooperatives, partnerships, private placements, unlisted securities and other similar situations (collectively, “special situations”) could enhance a Fund's capital appreciation potential. To the extent these investments are deemed illiquid, a Fund's investment in them will be consistent with their applicable restriction on investment in illiquid securities. Investments in special situations and certain other instruments may be liquid, as determined by a Fund's Advisor or sub-advisors based on criteria approved by the Board.

Inflation-Protected Debt Securities. A Fund may invest in inflation-protected debt securities or inflation-indexed bonds. Inflation-protected debt securities or inflation-indexed bonds include securities of varying maturities issued by the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities, such as U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (“TIPS”), as well as securities issued by other entities such as corporations, municipalities, foreign governments and foreign issuers. Typically, such securities are structured as fixed income securities whose value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. The following two structures are common: (i) the U.S. Treasury and some other issuers issue inflation-indexed bonds that accrue inflation into the principal value of the security and (ii) other issuers may pay out the Consumer Price Index (“CPI”) accruals as part of a semi-annual coupon. Other types of inflation-indexed bonds exist which use an inflation index other than the CPI.

Inflation-indexed bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury, such as TIPS, have maturities of approximately five, ten or thirty years, although it is possible that securities with other maturities will be issued in the future. Typically, TIPS pay interest on a semi-annual basis equal to a fixed percentage of the inflation-adjusted principal amount. For example, if a Fund purchased an inflation-indexed bond with a par value of $1,000 and a 3% real rate of return coupon (payable 1.5% semi-annually), and the rate of inflation over the first six months was 1%, the mid-year par value of the bond would be $1,010 and the first semi-annual interest payment would be $15.15 ($1,010 times 1.5%). If inflation during the second half of the year resulted in the whole year’s inflation equaling 3%, the end-of-year par value of the bond would be $1,030 and the second semi-annual interest payment would be $15.45 ($1,030 times 1.5%).

If the periodic adjustment rate measuring inflation falls, the principal value of inflation-indexed bonds will be adjusted downward, and consequently the interest payable on these securities (calculated with respect to a smaller principal amount) will be reduced. Repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity (as adjusted for inflation) is guaranteed in the case of TIPS, even during a period of deflation, although the inflation-adjusted principal received could be less than the inflation-adjusted principal that had accrued to the bond at the time of purchase. However, the current market value of the bonds is not guaranteed and will fluctuate. A Fund may invest in other inflation-related bonds which may or may not provide a similar guarantee. If a guarantee of principal is not provided, the adjusted principal value of the bond repaid at maturity may be less than the original principal amount.

The value of inflation-indexed bonds is expected to change in response to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates in turn are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. Therefore, if the rate of inflation rises at a faster rate than nominal interest rates, real interest rates might decline, leading to an increase in value of inflation-indexed bonds. In contrast, if nominal interest rates increase at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates might rise, leading to a decrease in value of inflation-indexed bonds.

While inflation-indexed bonds are expected to be protected from long-term inflationary trends, short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in value. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation (for example, due to changes in currency exchange rates), investors in these securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the bond’s inflation measure.

The periodic adjustment of U.S. inflation-indexed bonds is tied to the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (“CPI-U”), which is calculated monthly by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The CPI-U is a measurement of changes in the cost of living, made up of components such as housing, food, transportation and energy.

Inflation-indexed bonds issued by a foreign government are generally adjusted to reflect a comparable inflation index calculated by that government. There can be no assurance that the CPI-U or a foreign inflation index will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services. Moreover, there can be no assurance that the rate of inflation in a foreign country will be correlated to the rate of inflation in the United States. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation (for example, due to changes in currency exchange rates), investors in these securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the bond’s inflation measure. Any increase in the principal amount of an inflation-indexed bond will be considered taxable ordinary income for federal income tax purposes, even though the holder does not receive its principal until maturity. See “Federal Income Taxes” for more information.

Initial Public Offerings (“IPOs”). Due to the typically small size of the IPO allocation available to the Fund and the nature and market capitalization of the companies involved in IPOs, the sub-advisors will often purchase IPO shares that would qualify as a permissible investment for a Fund but will, instead, decide to allocate those IPO purchases to other funds they advise. Any such

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allocation will be done in a fair and equitable manner according to a specific and consistent process. Because IPO shares frequently are volatile in price, a Fund may hold IPO shares for a very short period of time. This may increase the turnover of a Fund’s portfolio and may lead to increased expenses to a Fund, such as commissions and transaction costs. By selling shares of an IPO, a Fund may realize taxable capital gains that it will subsequently distribute to shareholders.

Most IPOs involve a high degree of risk not normally associated with offerings of more seasoned companies. Companies involved in IPOs generally have limited operating histories, and their prospects for future profitability are uncertain. These companies often are engaged in new and evolving businesses and are particularly vulnerable to competition and to changes in technology, markets and economic conditions. They may be dependent on certain key managers and third-parties, need more personnel and other resources to manage growth and require significant additional capital. They may also be dependent on limited product lines and uncertain property rights and need regulatory approvals. Investors in IPOs can be affected by substantial dilution in the value of their shares, by sales of additional shares and by concentration of control in existing management and principal shareholders. Stock prices of IPOs can also be highly unstable, due to the absence of a prior public market, the small number of shares available for trading and limited investor information.

Interests in Publicly Traded Limited Partnerships. Interests in publicly traded limited partnerships (limited partnership interests or units) represent equity interests in the assets and earnings of the partnership’s trade or business. Unlike common stock in a corporation, limited partnership interests have limited or no voting rights. However, many of the risks of investing in common stocks are still applicable to investments in limited partnership interests. In addition, limited partnership interests are subject to risks not present in common stock. For example, income generated from limited partnerships deemed not to be “publicly traded” may not be considered “qualifying income” for purposes of the regulated investment company requirements under the Code, and may trigger adverse tax consequences (please refer to the “Taxes” section of this SAI for a discussion of relevant tax risks). Also, since publicly traded limited partnerships are a less common form of organizational structure than corporations, the limited partnership units may be less liquid than publicly traded common stock. Also, because of the difference in organizational structure, the fair value of limited partnership units in a Fund’s portfolio may be based either upon the current market price of such units, or if there is no current market price, upon the pro rata value of the underlying assets of the partnership. Limited partnership units also have the risk that the limited partnership might, under certain circumstances, be treated as a general partnership giving rise to broader liability exposure to the limited partners for activities of the partnership. Further, the general partners of a limited partnership may be able to significantly change the business or asset structure of a limited partnership without the limited partners having any ability to disapprove any such changes. In certain limited partnerships, limited partners may also be required to return distributions previously made in the event that excess distributions have been made by the partnership, or in the event that the general partners, or their affiliates, are entitled to indemnification.

Leveraging. Leveraging a Fund through borrowing or other means (e.g., certain uses of derivatives) creates an opportunity for increased net income, but, at the same time, creates special risk considerations. For example, leveraging may exaggerate changes in the NAV of a Fund’s shares and in the yield on a Fund’s portfolio. Although the principal amount of such borrowings will be fixed, a Fund’s assets may change in value during the time the borrowing is outstanding. Leveraging creates interest expenses for a Fund which could exceed the income from the assets retained. To the extent the income derived from securities purchased with borrowed funds exceeds the interest that a Fund will have to pay, a Fund’s net income will be greater than if leveraging were not used. Conversely, if the income from the assets retained with borrowed funds is not sufficient to cover the cost of leveraging, the net income of a Fund will be less than if leveraging were not used, and therefore the amount available for distribution to shareholders as dividends will be reduced. Because the SEC staff believes that, among other transactions, reverse repurchase agreements and dollar roll transactions are collateralized borrowings, the SEC staff believes that they create leverage. The requirement that such transactions be fully collateralized by assets segregated by a Funds’ custodian or otherwise subject to “covering” techniques imposes a practical limit on the leverage these transactions create.

Market Disruption Risk. During periods of extreme market volatility, prices of securities held by a Fund may be negatively impacted due to imbalances between market participants seeking to sell the same or similar securities and market participants willing or able to buy such securities. As a result, the market prices of securities held by a Fund could go down, at times without regard to the financial condition of or specific events impacting the issuer of the security.

Federal, state, and other governments, their regulatory agencies, or self-regulatory organizations may take actions that affect the regulation of the instruments in which the Fund invests, or the issuers of such instruments, in ways that are unforeseeable. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the Fund themselves are regulated. Such legislation or regulation could limit or preclude the Fund's ability to achieve its investment goals.

Governments or their agencies may also acquire distressed assets from financial institutions and acquire ownership interests in those institutions. The implications of government ownership and disposition of these assets are unclear, and such a program may have positive or negative effects on the liquidity, valuation and performance of a Fund's portfolio holdings. Furthermore, volatile

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financial markets can expose the Fund to greater market and liquidity risk and potential difficulty in valuing portfolio instruments held by a Fund. The Fund has established procedures to assess the liquidity of portfolio holdings and to value instruments for which market prices may not be readily available. The Advisor and sub-advisor will monitor developments and seek to manage the Fund in a manner consistent with achieving the Fund's investment goals, but there can be no assurance that they will be successful in doing so.

Micro-Cap Securities. The Fund may invest in companies whose total market capitalization at the time of investment is generally between $30 million and $500 million, referred to as micro-cap companies. Micro-cap companies may not be well-known to the investing public, may not have significant institutional ownership and may have cyclical, static or only moderate growth prospects. Micro-cap companies may have greater risk and volatility than large companies and may lack the management depth of larger, mature issuers. Micro-cap companies may have relatively small revenues and limited product lines, markets, or financial resources, and their securities may trade less frequently and in more limited volume than those of larger, more mature companies. In addition, micro-cap companies may be developing or marketing new products or services for which markets are not yet established and may never become established. As a result, the prices of their securities may fluctuate more than those of larger issuers.

Money Market Instruments. Money market securities are high-quality, dollar-denominated, short-term debt instruments. They include: (i) bankers’ acceptances, certificates of deposits, notes and time deposits of highly-rated U.S. banks and U.S. branches of foreign banks; (ii) U.S. Treasury obligations and obligations issued or guaranteed by the agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. government; (iii) high-quality commercial paper issued by U.S. and foreign corporations; (iv) debt obligations with a maturity of one year or less issued by corporations with outstanding high-quality commercial paper ratings; and (v) repurchase agreements involving any of the foregoing obligations entered into with highly-rated banks and broker-dealers.

Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities.

Asset-Backed Securities: Asset-backed securities ("ABS") are secured by non-mortgage assets such as company receivables, truck and auto loans, leases and credit card receivables. Such securities are generally issued as pass-through certificates, which represent undivided fractional ownership interests in the underlying pools of assets. Such securities also may be debt instruments, which are also known as collateralized obligations and are generally issued as the debt of a special purpose entity, such as a trust, organized solely for the purpose of owning such assets and issuing such debt. Covered bonds are a type of asset backed security that is created from public sector loans or mortgage loans where the security is backed by a separate group of loans. Covered bonds typically carry a 2 to 10 year maturity rate and enjoy relatively high credit ratings, depending on the quality of the pool of loans backing the bond.

The credit quality of an ABS transaction depends on the performance of the underlying assets. ABS can be structured with various forms of credit enhancement to address the possibility that some borrowers could miss payments or even default on their loans. Some ABS are subject to interest-rate risk and prepayment risk. A change in interest rates can affect the pace of payments on the underlying loans, which in turn, affects total return on the securities. ABS also carry credit or default risk. If many borrowers on the underlying loans default, losses could exceed the credit enhancement level and result in losses to investors in an ABS transaction. Finally, ABS have structure risk due to a unique characteristic known as early amortization, or early payout, risk. Built into the structure of most ABS are triggers for early payout, designed to protect investors from losses. These triggers are unique to each transaction and can include: a big rise in defaults on the underlying loans, a sharp drop in the credit enhancement level, or even the bankruptcy of the originator. Once early amortization begins, all incoming loan payments (after expenses are paid) are used to pay investors as quickly as possible based upon a predetermined priority of payment.

Mortgage Pass-Through Securities: Interests in pools of mortgage-related securities differ from other forms of debt securities, which normally provide for periodic payment of interest in fixed amounts with principal payments at maturity or specified call dates. Instead, these securities provide a monthly payment which consists of both interest and principal payments. In effect, these payments are a “pass-through” of the monthly payments made by the individual borrowers on their residential or commercial mortgage loans, net of any fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of such securities. Additional payments are caused by repayments of principal resulting from the sale of the underlying property, refinancing or foreclosure, net of fees or costs which may be incurred. Some mortgage-related securities (such as securities issued by Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA) (“Ginnie Mae”)) are described as “modified pass-through.” These securities entitle the holder to receive all interest and principal payments owed on the mortgage pool, net of certain fees, at the scheduled payment dates regardless of whether or not the mortgagor actually makes the payment.

The rate of pre-payments on underlying mortgages will affect the price and volatility of a mortgage-related security, and may have the effect of shortening or extending the effective duration of the security relative to what was anticipated at the time of purchase. To the extent that unanticipated rates of pre-payment on underlying mortgages increase the effective duration of a mortgage-related security, the volatility of such security can be expected to increase. The residential mortgage market in the United States has

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experienced difficulties in recent years that may adversely affect the performance and market value of certain of a Fund’s mortgage-related investments. Delinquencies and losses on residential mortgage loans (especially subprime and second-lien mortgage loans) generally have increased and may continue to increase, and a decline in or flattening of housing values (as has been experienced and may continue to be experienced in many housing markets) may exacerbate such delinquencies and losses. Borrowers with adjustable rate mortgage loans are more sensitive to changes in interest rates, which affect their monthly mortgage payments, and may be unable to secure replacement mortgages at comparably low interest rates. Also, a number of residential mortgage loan originators have experienced serious financial difficulties or bankruptcy. Consequently, reduced investor demand for mortgage loans and mortgage-related securities and increased investor yield requirements have caused limited liquidity in the secondary market for mortgage-related securities, which can adversely affect the market value of mortgage-related securities. It is possible that such limited liquidity in such secondary markets could continue or worsen.

Government Pass-Through Securities: Government pass-through securities are securities that are issued or guaranteed by a U.S. government agency representing an interest in a pool of mortgage loans. The primary issuers or guarantors of these mortgage-backed securities are Ginnie Mae, Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) (“Fannie Mae”), and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC) (“Freddie Mac”). Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guarantee timely distributions of interest to certificate holders. Ginnie Mae and Fannie Mae also guarantee timely distributions of scheduled principal. Freddie Mac generally guarantees only the ultimate collection of principal of the underlying mortgage loan. Certain federal agencies, such as Ginnie Mae, have been established as instrumentalities of the United States government to supervise and finance certain types of activities. Issues of these agencies, while not direct obligations of the United States government, are either backed by the full faith and credit of the United States (e.g., Ginnie Mae securities) or supported by the issuing agencies’ right to borrow from the U.S. Treasury. The issues of other agencies are supported by the credit of the instrumentality (e.g., Fannie Mae securities). Government and private guarantees do not extend to the securities’ value, which is likely to vary inversely with fluctuations in interest rates.

There are a number of important differences among the agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. government that issue mortgage-backed securities and among the securities that they issue. Mortgage-related securities issued by Ginnie Mae include GNMA Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates (also known as “Ginnie Mae Pass-Throughs”) which are guaranteed as to the timely payment of principal and interest by Ginnie Mae and such guarantee is backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. Ginnie Mae Pass-Throughs are created by an “issuer,” which is a Federal Housing Administration (“FHA”) approved mortgagee that also meets criteria imposed by Ginnie Mae. The issuer assembles a pool of FHA, Farmers’ Home Administration or Veterans’ Administration (“VA”) insured or guaranteed mortgages which are homogeneous as to interest rate, maturity and type of dwelling. Upon application by the issuer, and after approval by Ginnie Mae of the pool, Ginnie Mae provides its commitment to guarantee timely payment of principal and interest on the Ginnie Mae Pass-Throughs backed by the mortgages included in the pool. The Ginnie Mae Pass-Throughs, endorsed by Ginnie Mae, then are sold by the issuer through securities dealers. Ginnie Mae Pass-Throughs bear a stated “coupon rate” which represents the effective FHA-VA mortgage rate at the time of issuance, less fees from Ginnie Mae and the issuer. Ginnie Mae is authorized under the National Housing Act to guarantee timely payment of principal and interest on Ginnie Mae Pass-Throughs. This guarantee is backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. Ginnie Mae may borrow Treasury funds to the extent needed to make payments under its guarantee. When mortgages in the pool underlying a Ginnie Mae Pass-Through are prepaid by mortgagors or by result of foreclosure, such principal payments are passed through to the certificate holders. Accordingly, the life of the Ginnie Mae Pass-Through is likely to be substantially shorter than the stated maturity of the mortgages in the underlying pool. Because of such variation in prepayment rates, it is not possible to predict the life of a particular Ginnie Mae Pass-Through. Payments to holders of Ginnie Mae Pass-Throughs consist of the monthly distributions of interest and principal less the fees of Ginnie Mae and the issuer. The actual yield to be earned by a holder of a Ginnie Mae Pass-Through is calculated by dividing interest payments by the purchase price paid for the Ginnie Mae Pass-Through (which may be at a premium or a discount from the face value of the certificate). Monthly distributions of interest, as contrasted to semi-annual distributions which are common for other fixed interest investments, have the effect of compounding and thereby raising the effective annual yield earned on Ginnie Mae Pass-Throughs.

Mortgage-related securities issued by Fannie Mae include Fannie Mae Guaranteed Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates (also known as “Fannie Mae Pass-Throughs”) that are solely the obligations of Fannie Mae and are not backed by or entitled to the full faith and credit of the United States. Fannie Mae Pass-Throughs are guaranteed as to timely payment of the principal and interest by Fannie Mae.

Mortgage-related securities issued by Freddie Mac include FHLMC Mortgage Participation Certificates (also known as “Freddie Mac PCs”). Freddie Mac PCs are not guaranteed by the United States or by any Federal Home Loan Banks and do not constitute a debt or obligation of the United States or of any Federal Home Loan Bank. Freddie Mac PCs entitle the holder to timely payment of interest, which is guaranteed by Freddie Mac. Freddie Mac guarantees either ultimate collection or timely payment of all principal payments on the underlying mortgage loans. When Freddie Mac does not guarantee timely payment of principal, Freddie Mac may remit the amount due on account of its guarantee of ultimate payment of principal at any time after default on an underlying mortgage, but in no event later than one year after it becomes payable.

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Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduits (“REMICs”). REMICs are private entities formed for the purpose of holding a fixed pool of mortgages secured by interests in real property. For Freddie Mac REMIC certificates, Freddie Mac guarantees the timely payment of interest, and also guarantees the payment of principal as payments are required to be made on the underlying mortgage participation certificates. Fannie Mae REMIC certificates are issued and guaranteed as to timely distribution of principal and interest by Fannie Mae.

Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (“CMOs”). A CMO is a debt obligation of a legal entity that is collateralized by mortgages and divided into classes. Similar to a bond, interest and prepaid principal is paid, in most cases, on a monthly basis. CMOs may be collateralized by whole mortgage loans or private mortgage bonds, but are more typically collateralized by portfolios of mortgage pass-through securities guaranteed by GNMA, Freddie Mac, or Fannie Mae, and their income streams.

CMOs are structured into multiple classes, often referred to as “tranches,” with each class bearing a different stated maturity and entitled to a different schedule for payments of principal and interest, including pre-payments. Actual maturity and average life will depend upon the pre-payment experience of the collateral. In the case of certain CMOs (known as “sequential pay” CMOs), payments of principal received from the pool of underlying mortgages, including pre-payments, are applied to the classes of CMOs in the order of their respective final distribution dates. Thus, no payment of principal will be made on any class of sequential pay CMOs until all other classes having an earlier final distribution date have been paid in full.

Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities (“CMBS”). CMBS include securities that reflect an interest in, and are secured by, mortgage loans on commercial real property. The market for CMBS developed more recently and in terms of total outstanding principal amount of issues is relatively small compared to the market for residential single-family mortgage-backed securities. Many of the risks of investing in CMBS reflect the risks of investing in the real estate securing the underlying mortgage loans. These risks reflect the effects of local and other economic conditions on real estate markets, the ability of tenants to make loan payments, and the ability of a property to attract and retain tenants. CMBS may be less liquid and exhibit greater price volatility than other types of mortgage- or asset-backed securities.

Mortgage Dollar Rolls. Mortgage “dollar rolls” are transactions in which mortgage-backed securities are sold for delivery in the current month and the seller simultaneously contracts to repurchase substantially similar securities on a specified future date. The difference between the sale price and the purchase price (plus any interest earned on the cash proceeds of the sale) is netted against the interest income foregone on the securities sold to arrive at an implied borrowing rate. Alternatively, the sale and purchase transactions can be executed at the same price, with a Fund being paid a fee as consideration for entering into the commitment to purchase. Mortgage dollar rolls may be renewed prior to cash settlement and initially may involve only a firm commitment agreement by a Fund to buy a security. If the broker-dealer to whom a Fund sells the security becomes insolvent, the Fund’s right to repurchase the security may be restricted. Other risks involved in entering into mortgage dollar rolls include the risk that the value of the security may change adversely over the term of the mortgage dollar roll and that the security a Fund is required to repurchase may be worth less than the security that the Fund originally held. A Fund will place U.S. government or other liquid securities in a segregated account in an amount sufficient to cover its repurchase obligation or otherwise “cover” its position in a manner consistent with the 1940 Act or the rules and SEC interpretations thereunder.

Stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities (“SMBS”). SMBS are derivative multi-class mortgage securities. SMBS may be issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. Government, or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks and special purpose entities of the foregoing. SMBS are usually structured with two classes that receive different proportions of the interest and principal distributions on a pool of mortgage assets. A common type of SMBS will have one class receiving some of the interest and most of the principal from the mortgage assets, while the other class will receive most of the interest and the remainder of the principal.

In the most extreme case, one class will receive all of the interest (the interest-only or “IO” class), while the other class will receive the entire principal (the principal-only or “PO” class). The yield to maturity on an IO class is extremely sensitive to the rate of principal payments (including pre-payments) on the related underlying mortgage assets, and a rapid rate of principal payments may have a material adverse effect on a Fund’s yield to maturity from these securities. If the assets underlying the interest-only securities experience greater than anticipated prepayments of principal, a Fund may fail to recoup fully its initial investment in these securities. Conversely, principal-only securities tend to increase in value if prepayments are greater than anticipated and decline if prepayments are slower than anticipated. The secondary market for SMBS may be more volatile and less liquid than that for other mortgage-backed securities, potentially limiting a Fund’s ability to buy or sell these securities at any particular time.

Collateralized Loan Obligations (“CLOs”). A CLO is a type of asset-backed security that is an obligation of a trust typically collateralized by pools of loans, which may include domestic and foreign senior secured and unsecured loans and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade, or equivalent unrated loans. The cash flows from the trust are split into two or more portions, called tranches, which vary in risk and yield. The riskier portion is the residual, or “equity,”

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tranche, which bears some or all of the risk of default by the loans in the trust, and therefore protects the other more senior tranches from default in all but the most severe circumstances. Since it is partially protected from defaults, a senior tranche of a CLO trust typically has higher ratings and lower yields than its underlying securities, and can be rated investment grade. Despite the protection provided by the equity tranche, senior CLO tranches can experience substantial losses due to actual defaults, increased sensitivity to defaults due to collateral default, the total loss of the equity tranche due to losses in the collateral, market anticipation of defaults, fraud by the trust, and the illiquidity of CLO securities.

The risks of an investment in a CLO largely depend on the type of underlying collateral securities and the tranche in which the Fund invests. Typically, CLOs are privately offered and sold, and thus are not registered under the securities laws. As a result, the Fund may characterize its investments in CLOs as illiquid, unless an active dealer market for a particular CLO allows the CLO to be purchased and sold in Rule 144A transactions. CLOs are subject to the typical risks associated with debt instruments (i.e., interest rate risk and credit risk). Additional risks of CLOs include (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will be insufficient to make interest or other payments, (ii) a decline in the quality of the collateral, and (iii) the possibility that the Fund may invest in a subordinate tranche of a CLO. In addition, due to the complex nature of a CLO, an investment in a CLO may not perform as expected. An investment in a CLO also is subject to the risk that the issuer and the investors may interpret the terms of the instrument differently, giving rise to disputes.

Obligations of Supranational Entities. Obligations of supranational entities are obligations of entities established through the joint participation of several governments, such as the Asian Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, International Bank of Reconstruction and Development (World Bank), African Development Bank, European Economic Community, European Investment Bank and the Nordic Investment Bank.

Options. A put option gives the purchaser of the option the right to sell, and the writer of the option the obligation to buy, the underlying security at any time during the option period. A call option gives the purchaser of the option the right to buy, and the writer of the option the obligation to sell, the underlying security at any time during the option period. The premium paid to the writer is the consideration for undertaking the obligations under the option contract. The initial purchase (sale) of an option contract is an “opening transaction.” In order to close out an option position, a Fund may enter into a “closing transaction,” which is simply the sale (purchase) of an option contract on the same security with the same exercise price and expiration date as the option contract originally opened. If a Fund is unable to effect a closing purchase transaction with respect to an option it has written, it will not be able to sell the underlying security until the option expires or a Fund delivers the security upon exercise.

A Fund may purchase put and call options to protect against a decline in the market value of the securities in its portfolio or to anticipate an increase in the market value of securities that a Fund may seek to purchase in the future. A Fund will pay a premium when purchasing put and call options. If price movements in the underlying securities are such that exercise of the options would not be profitable for a Fund, loss of the premium paid may be offset by an increase in the value of a Fund’s securities or by a decrease in the cost of acquisition of securities by a Fund.

A Fund may write both covered call and put options. A Fund may write covered call options as a means of increasing the yield on its portfolio and as a means of providing limited protection against decreases in its market value. When a Fund sells an option, if the underlying securities do not increase or decrease to a price level that would make the exercise of the option profitable to the holder thereof, the option generally will expire without being exercised and a Fund will realize as profit the premium received for such option. When a call option written by a Fund is exercised, a Fund will be required to sell the underlying securities to the option holder at the strike price, and will not participate in any increase in the price of such securities above the strike price. When a put option written by a Fund is exercised, a Fund will be required to purchase the underlying securities at the strike price, which may be in excess of the market value of such securities.

A Fund may purchase and write options on an exchange or over-the-counter. Over-the-counter options (“OTC options”) differ from exchange-traded options in several respects. They are transacted directly with dealers and not with a clearing corporation, and therefore entail the risk of non-performance by the dealer. OTC options are available for a greater variety of securities and for a wider range of expiration dates and exercise prices than are available for exchange-traded options. Because OTC options are not traded on an exchange, pricing is done normally by reference to information from a market maker. It is the position of the staff of the SEC that OTC options are generally illiquid.

A Fund may purchase and write put and call options on foreign currencies (traded on U.S. and foreign exchanges or over-the-counter markets) to manage its exposure to exchange rates. Call options on foreign currencies written by a Fund will be “covered,” which means that a Fund will own an equal amount of the underlying foreign currency. With respect to put options on foreign currency written by a Fund, a Fund will establish a segregated account with its custodian consisting of cash or liquid, high grade debt securities in an amount equal to the amount a Fund would be required to pay upon exercise of the put, earmark assets as cover or otherwise “cover” its position in a manner consistent with the 1940 Act or the rules and SEC interpretations.

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Buyers and sellers of foreign currency options are subject to the same risks that apply to options generally. There are certain additional risks associated with foreign currency options. The markets in foreign currency options are relatively new, and a Fund’s ability to establish and close out positions on such options is subject to the maintenance of a liquid secondary market. There can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for a particular option at any specific time. In addition, options on foreign currencies are affected by all of those factors that influence foreign exchange rates and investments generally.

The value of a foreign currency option depends upon the value of the underlying currency relative to the U.S. dollar. As a result, the price of the option position may vary with changes in the value of either or both currencies and may have no relationship to the investment merits of a foreign security. Because foreign currency transactions occurring in the interbank market involve substantially larger amounts than those that may be involved in the use of foreign currency options, investors may be disadvantaged by having to deal in an odd lot market (generally consisting of transactions of less than $1 million) for the underlying foreign currencies at prices that are less favorable than for round lots.

There is no systematic reporting of last sale information for foreign currencies or any regulatory requirement that quotations available through dealers or other market sources be firm or revised on a timely basis. Available quotation information is generally representative of very large transactions in the interbank market and thus may not reflect relatively smaller transactions (i.e., less than $1 million) where rates may be less favorable. The interbank market in foreign currencies is a global, around-the-clock market. To the extent that the U.S. option markets are closed while the markets for the underlying currencies remain open, significant price and rate movements may take place in the underlying markets that cannot be reflected in the options markets until they reopen.

A Fund may purchase and write put and call options on indices and enter into related closing transactions. Put and call options on indices are similar to options on securities except that options on an index give the holder the right to receive, upon exercise of the option, an amount of cash if the closing level of the underlying index is greater than (or less than, in the case of puts) the exercise price of the option. This amount of cash is equal to the difference between the closing price of the index and the exercise price of the option, expressed in dollars multiplied by a specified number. Thus, unlike options on individual securities, all settlements are in cash, and gain or loss depends on price movements in the particular market represented by the index generally, rather than the price movements in individual securities. A Fund may choose to terminate an option position by entering into a closing transaction. The ability of a Fund to enter into closing transactions depends upon the existence of a liquid secondary market for such transactions.

All options written on indices must be covered. When a Fund writes an option on an index, it will establish a segregated account containing cash or liquid securities with its custodian in an amount at least equal to the market value of the option and will maintain the account while the option is open or will otherwise cover the transaction.

A Fund will not engage in transactions involving interest rate futures contracts for speculation but only as a hedge against changes in the market values of debt securities held or intended to be purchased by a Fund and where the transactions are appropriate to reduce a Fund’s interest rate risks. There can be no assurance that hedging transactions will be successful. A Fund also could be exposed to risks if it cannot close out its futures or options positions because of any illiquid secondary market.

Futures and options have effective durations that, in general, are closely related to the effective duration of the securities that underlie them. Holding purchased futures or call option positions (backed by segregated cash or other liquid securities) will lengthen the duration of a Fund’s portfolio.

Risks associated with options transactions include: (1) the success of a hedging strategy may depend on an ability to predict movements in the prices of individual securities, fluctuations in markets and movements in interest rates; (2) there may be an imperfect correlation between the movement in prices of options and the securities underlying them; (3) there may not be a liquid secondary market for options; and (4) while a Fund will receive a premium when it writes covered call options, it may not participate fully in a rise in the market value of the underlying security.

Caps, Collars and Floors. Caps and floors have an effect similar to buying or writing options. In a typical cap or floor agreement, one party agrees to make payments only under specified circumstances, usually in return for payment of a fee by the other party. For example, the buyer of an interest rate cap obtains the right to receive payments to the extent that a specified interest rate exceeds an agreed-upon level. The seller of an interest rate floor is obligated to make payments to the extent that a specified interest rate falls below an agreed-upon level. An interest rate collar combines elements of buying a cap and selling a floor.

Inverse Floaters. A Fund may invest in inverse floaters. Inverse floaters are derivative securities whose interest rates vary inversely to changes in short-term interest rates and whose values fluctuate inversely to changes in long-term interest rates. The value of certain inverse floaters will fluctuate substantially more in response to a given change in long-term rates than would a traditional

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debt security. These securities have investment characteristics similar to leverage, in that interest rate changes have a magnified effect on the value of inverse floaters.

Ordinary Shares. Ordinary shares are shares of foreign issuers that are traded abroad and on a United States exchange. Ordinary shares may be purchased with and sold for U.S. dollars. Investing in foreign companies may involve risks not typically associated with investing in United States companies. See “Securities of Foreign Issuers.”

Other Investment Companies. Such investments are subject to limitations prescribed by the 1940 Act, the rules thereunder and applicable SEC staff interpretations thereof, or applicable exemptive relief granted by the SEC. The 1940 Act limitations currently provide, in part, that a Fund may not purchase shares of an investment company if (a) such a purchase would cause a Fund to own in the aggregate more than 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of the investment company or (b) such a purchase would cause a Fund to have more than 5% of its total assets invested in the investment company or (c) more than 10% of a Fund's total assets would be invested in the aggregate in all investment companies. These investment companies typically incur fees that are separate from those fees incurred directly by a Fund. A Fund's purchase of such investment company securities results in the layering of expenses, such that shareholders would indirectly bear a proportionate share of the operating expenses of such investment companies, including advisory fees, in addition to paying Fund expenses.

Participation Interests. A Fund may invest in participation interests in fixed income securities. A participation interest provides the certificate holder with a specified interest in an issue of fixed income securities.

Some participation interests give the holders differing interests in the underlying securities, depending upon the type or class of certificate purchased. For example, coupon strip certificates give the holder the right to receive a specific portion of interest payments on the underlying securities; principal strip certificates give the holder the right to receive principal payments and the portion of interest not payable to coupon strip certificate holders. Holders of certificates of participation in interest payments may be entitled to receive a fixed rate of interest, a variable rate that is periodically reset to reflect the current market rate or an auction rate that is periodically reset at auction. Asset-backed residuals represent interests in any excess cash flow remaining after required payments of principal and interest have been made.

More complex participation interests involve special risk considerations. Since these instruments have only recently been developed, there can be no assurance that any market will develop or be maintained for the instruments. Generally, the fixed income securities that are deposited in trust for the holders of these interests are the sole source of payments on the interests; holders cannot look to the sponsor or trustee of the trust or to the issuers of the securities held in trust or to any of their affiliates for payment.

Participation interests purchased at a discount may experience price volatility. Certain types of interests are sensitive to fluctuations in market interest rates and to prepayments on the underlying securities. A rapid rate of prepayment can result in the failure to recover the holder’s initial investment.

The extent to which the yield to maturity of a participation interest is sensitive to prepayments depends, in part, upon whether the interest was purchased at a discount or premium, and if so, the size of that discount or premium. Generally, if a participation interest is purchased at a premium and principal distributions occur at a rate faster than that anticipated at the time of purchase, the holder’s actual yield to maturity will be lower than that assumed at the time of purchase. Conversely, if a participation interest is purchased at a discount and principal distributions occur at a rate faster than that assumed at the time of purchase, the investor’s actual yield to maturity will be higher than that assumed at the time of purchase.

Participation interests in pools of fixed income securities backed by certain types of debt obligations involve special risk considerations. The issuers of securities backed by automobile and truck receivables typically file financing statements evidencing security interests in the receivables, and the servicers of those obligations take and retain custody of the obligations. If the servicers, in contravention of their duty to the holders of the securities backed by the receivables, were to sell the obligations, the third-party purchasers could acquire an interest superior to the interest of the security holders. Also, most states require that a security interest in a vehicle must be noted on the certificate of title and the certificate of title may not be amended to reflect the assignment of the lender’s security interest. Therefore, the recovery of the collateral in some cases may not be available to support payments on the securities. Securities backed by credit card receivables are generally unsecured, and both federal and state consumer protection laws may allow set-offs against certain amounts owed.

Preferred Stock. Preferred stock has a preference over common stock in liquidation (and generally for dividend receipt as well) but is subordinated to the liabilities of the issuer in all respects. As a general rule, the market value of preferred stock with a fixed dividend rate and no conversion element varies inversely with interest rates and perceived credit risk, while the market price of convertible preferred stock generally also reflects some element of conversion value. Because preferred stock is junior to debt

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securities and other obligations of the issuer, deterioration in the credit quality of the issuer will cause greater changes in the value of a preferred stock than in a more senior debt security with similar stated yield characteristics. Unlike interest payments on debt securities, preferred stock dividends generally are payable only if declared by the issuer’s board of directors. Preferred stock also may be subject to optional or mandatory redemption provisions.

Over-The-Counter Stocks. A Fund may invest in over-the-counter stocks. In contrast to securities exchanges, the over-the-counter market is not a centralized facility that limits trading activity to securities of companies which initially satisfy certain defined standards. Generally, the volume of trading in an unlisted or over-the-counter common stock is less than the volume of trading in a listed stock. This means that the depth of market liquidity of some stocks in which the Fund invests may not be as great as that of other securities and, if a Funds were to dispose of such a stock, they might have to offer the shares at a discount from recent prices, or sell the shares in small lots over an extended period of time.

Privatization. Privatizations are foreign government programs for selling all or part of the interests in government owned or controlled enterprises. The ability of a U.S. entity to participate in privatizations in certain foreign countries may be limited by local law, or the terms on which a Fund may be permitted to participate may be less advantageous than those applicable for local investors. There can be no assurance that foreign governments will continue to sell their interests in companies currently owned or controlled by them or that privatization programs will be successful.

Receipts. Receipts are sold as zero coupon securities, which mean that they are sold at a substantial discount and redeemed at face value at their maturity date without interim cash payments of interest or principal. This discount is accreted over the life of the security, and such accretion will constitute the income earned on a security for both accounting and federal income tax purposes. Because of these features, such securities may be subject to greater interest rate volatility than interest paying investments.

Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”). The Fund may invest in REITs, which pool investors’ money for investment in income producing commercial real estate or real estate related loans or interests.

A REIT is not subject to federal income tax on income distributed to its shareholders or unitholders if it complies with regulatory requirements relating to its organization, ownership, assets and income, and with a regulatory requirement that it distribute to its shareholders or unitholders at least 90% of its taxable income for each taxable year. Generally, REITs can be classified as Equity REITs, Mortgage REITs and Hybrid REITs. Equity REITs invest the majority of their assets directly in real property and derive their income primarily from rents and capital gains from appreciation realized through property sales. Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive their income primarily from interest payments. Hybrid REITs combine the characteristics of both Equity and Mortgage REITs. A shareholder in a Fund should realize that by investing in REITs indirectly through a Fund, he or she will bear not only his or her proportionate share of the expenses of a Fund, but also indirectly, similar expenses of underlying REITs.

A Fund may be subject to certain risks associated with the direct investments of the REITs. REITs may be affected by changes in their underlying properties and by defaults by borrowers or tenants. Mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of the credit extended. Furthermore, REITs are dependent on specialized management skills. Some REITs may have limited diversification and may be subject to risks inherent in financing a limited number of properties. REITs depend generally on their ability to generate cash flow to make distributions to shareholders or unitholders, and may be subject to defaults by borrowers and to self-liquidations. In addition, the performance of a REIT may be affected by its failure to qualify for tax-free pass-through of income under the Code or its failure to maintain exemption from registration under the 1940 Act.

ReFlow Liquidity Program. The Fund may participate in the ReFlow liquidity program, which is designed to provide an alternative liquidity source for mutual funds experiencing redemptions of their shares. In order to pay cash to shareholders who redeem their shares on a given day, a mutual fund typically must hold cash in its portfolio, liquidate portfolio securities, or borrow money, all of which impose certain costs on the fund. ReFlow Fund, LLC ("ReFlow") provides participating mutual funds with another source of cash by standing ready to purchase shares from a fund up to the amount of the fund’s net redemptions on a given day. ReFlow then generally redeems those shares when the fund experiences net sales. In return for this service, the Fund will pay a fee to ReFlow at a rate determined by a daily auction with other participating mutual funds. The costs to the Fund for participating in ReFlow are expected to be influenced by and comparable to the cost of other sources of liquidity, such as the Fund’s short-term lending arrangements or the costs of selling portfolio securities to meet redemptions. In accordance with federal securities laws, ReFlow is prohibited from acquiring more than 3% of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. There is no assurance that ReFlow will have sufficient funds available to meet the Fund's liquidity needs on a particular day. Investments in the Fund by ReFlow in connection with the ReFlow liquidity program are not subject to the market timing limitations described in the Fund's prospectus.

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Repurchase Agreements. Repurchase agreements are transactions by which a Fund purchases a security and simultaneously commits to resell that security to the seller at an agreed upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the term of the agreement. In the event of a bankruptcy or other default of the seller of a repurchase agreement, a Fund could experience both delays in liquidating the underlying security and losses. To minimize these possibilities, the Fund intends to enter into repurchase agreements only with its custodian, with banks having assets in excess of $10 billion and with broker-dealers who are recognized as primary dealers in U.S. government obligations by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Collateral for repurchase agreements is held in safekeeping in the customer-only account of a Fund’s custodian at the Federal Reserve Bank. A Fund will not enter into a repurchase agreement not terminable within seven days if, as a result thereof, more than 15% of the value of its net assets would be invested in such securities and other illiquid securities.

Although the securities subject to a repurchase agreement might bear maturities exceeding one year, settlement for the repurchase would never be more than one year after a Fund’s acquisition of the securities and normally would be within a shorter period of time. The resale price will be in excess of the purchase price, reflecting an agreed upon market rate effective for the period of time a Fund’s money will be invested in the securities, and will not be related to the coupon rate of the purchased security. At the time a Fund enters into a repurchase agreement, the value of the underlying security, including accrued interest, will equal or exceed the value of the repurchase agreement, and in the case of a repurchase agreement exceeding one day, the seller will agree that the value of the underlying security, including accrued interest, will at all times equal or exceed the value of the repurchase agreement. The collateral securing the seller’s obligation must consist of cash or securities that are issued or guaranteed by the United States government or its agencies. The collateral will be held by the custodian or in the Federal Reserve Book Entry System.

For purposes of the 1940 Act, a repurchase agreement is deemed to be a loan from a Fund to the seller subject to the repurchase agreement and is therefore subject to that Fund’s investment restriction applicable to loans. It is not clear whether a court would consider the securities purchased by a Fund subject to a repurchase agreement as being owned by that Fund or as being collateral for a loan by a Fund to the seller. In the event of the commencement of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings with respect to the seller of the securities before repurchase of the security under a repurchase agreement, a Fund may encounter delays and incur costs before being able to sell the security. Delays may involve loss of interest or decline in price of the security. If a court characterized the transaction as a loan and a Fund has not perfected a security interest in the security, that Fund may be required to return the security to the seller’s estate and be treated as an unsecured creditor of the seller. As an unsecured creditor, a Fund would be at risk of losing some or all of the principal and income involved in the transaction. As with any unsecured debt obligation purchased for a Fund, the sub-advisor seeks to minimize the risk of loss through repurchase agreements by analyzing the creditworthiness of the obligor, in this case, the seller. Apart from the risk of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, there is also the risk that the seller may fail to repurchase the security, in which case a Fund may incur a loss if the proceeds to that Fund of the sale of the security to a third party are less than the repurchase price. However, if the market value of the securities subject to the repurchase agreement becomes less than the repurchase price (including interest), a Fund involved will direct the seller of the security to deliver additional securities so that the market value of all securities subject to the repurchase agreement will equal or exceed the repurchase price. It is possible that a Fund will be unsuccessful in seeking to enforce the seller’s contractual obligation to deliver additional securities.

Reverse Repurchase Agreement, Dollar Roll, and Reverse Dollar Roll Transactions. A reverse repurchase agreement involves a sale by a Fund of securities that it holds to a bank, broker-dealer or other financial institution concurrently with an agreement by a Fund to repurchase the same securities at an agreed-upon price and date. Reverse repurchase agreements are considered borrowing by a Fund and are subject to a Fund’s limitations on borrowing. A dollar roll transaction involves a sale by a Fund of an eligible security to a financial institution concurrently with an agreement by a Fund to repurchase a similar eligible security from the institution at a later date at an agreed-upon price. A reverse dollar roll transaction involves a purchase by a Fund of an eligible security from a financial institution concurrently with an agreement by a Fund to resell a similar security to the institution at a later date at an agreed-upon price. TheFund will fully collateralize its reverse repurchase agreements, dollar roll and reverse dollar roll transactions in an amount at least equal to a Fund’s obligations under the reverse repurchase agreement, dollar roll or reverse dollar roll transaction by segregating cash or other liquid securities, earmarking cash or other liquid securities or otherwise “covering” its position in a manner consistent with the 1940 Act or the rules and SEC interpretations.

Royalty Trusts. Royalty trusts are structured similarly to REITs. A royalty trust generally acquires an interest in natural resource companies or chemical companies and distributes the income it receives to the investors of the royalty trust. A sustained decline in demand for crude oil, natural gas and refined petroleum products could adversely affect income and royalty trust revenues and cash flows. Factors that could lead to a decrease in market demand include a recession or other adverse economic conditions, an increase in the market price of the underlying commodity, higher taxes or other regulatory actions that increase costs, or a shift in consumer demand for such products. A rising interest rate environment could adversely impact the performance of royalty trusts. Rising interest rates could limit the capital appreciation of royalty trusts because of the increased availability of alternative investments at more competitive yields.

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Rule 144A Securities. Rule 144A securities are securities exempt from registration on resale pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“1933 Act”). Rule 144A securities are traded in the institutional market pursuant to this registration exemption, and, as a result, may not be as liquid as exchange-traded securities since they may only be resold to certain qualified institutional investors. Due to the relatively limited size of this institutional market, these securities may affect the liquidity of Rule 144A securities to the extent that qualified institutional buyers become, for a time, uninterested in purchasing such securities. Nevertheless, Rule 144A securities may be treated as liquid securities pursuant to procedures adopted by the Trust’s Board.

Sector Focus. If a Fund’s portfolio is overweighted in a certain sectors or related sectors, any negative development affecting that sector will have a greater impact on a Fund than a fund that is not overweighted in that sector.

Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. Because companies in the consumer discretionary sector manufacture products and provide discretionary services directly to the consumer, the success of these companies is tied closely to the performance of the overall domestic and international economy, interest rates, competition and consumer confidence. Success depends heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending. Changes in demographics and consumer tastes also can affect the demand for, and success of, consumer discretionary products in the marketplace.

Consumer Staples Sector Risk. The consumer staples sector may be affected by the permissibility of using various food additives and production methods, fads, marketing campaigns and other factors affecting consumer demand. In particular, tobacco companies may be adversely affected by new laws, regulations and litigation. The consumer staples sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors.

Energy Sector Risk. The profitability of companies in the energy sector is related to worldwide energy prices, exploration, and production spending. Such companies also are subject to risks of changes in exchange rates, government regulation, world events, depletion of resources and economic conditions, as well as market, economic and political risks of the countries where energy companies are located or do business. Oil and gas exploration and production can be significantly affected by natural disasters. Oil exploration and production companies may be adversely affected by changes in exchange rates, interest rates, government regulation, world events, and economic conditions. Oil exploration and production companies may be at risk for environmental damage claims.

Financial Sector Risk. The financial services industries are subject to extensive government regulation, can be subject to relatively rapid change due to increasingly blurred distinctions between service segments, and can be significantly affected by availability and cost of capital funds, changes in interest rates, the rate of corporate and consumer debt defaults, and price competition. Numerous financial services companies have experienced substantial declines in the valuations of their assets, taken action to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity securities), or even ceased operations. These actions have caused the securities of many financial services companies to experience a dramatic decline in value. Issuers that have exposure to the real estate, mortgage and credit markets have been particularly affected by the foregoing events and the general market turmoil, and it is uncertain whether or for how long these conditions will continue.

Healthcare Sector Risk. The profitability of companies in the healthcare sector may be affected by extensive government regulation, restrictions on government reimbursement for medical expenses, rising costs of medical products and services, pricing pressure, an increased emphasis on outpatient services, limited number of products, industry innovation, changes in technologies and other market developments. Many healthcare companies are heavily dependent on patent protection. The expiration of patents may adversely affect the profitability of these companies. Many healthcare companies are subject to extensive litigation based on product liability and similar claims. Healthcare companies are subject to competitive forces that may make it difficult to raise prices and, in fact, may result in price discounting. Many new products in the healthcare sector may be subject to regulatory approvals. The process of obtaining such approvals may be long and costly.

Industrials Sector Risk. The stock prices of companies in the industrials sector are affected by supply and demand both for their specific product or service and for industrials sector products in general. The products of manufacturing companies may face product obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulation, world events and economic conditions may affect the performance of companies in the industrials sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be at risk for environmental damage and product liability claims.

Materials Sector Risk. Companies in the materials sector could be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rates, import controls and increased competition. Production of industrial materials often exceeds demand as a result of overbuilding or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns. Companies in the materials sector are at risk for environmental damage and product liability claims. Companies in the materials sector may be adversely affected by depletion of resources, technical progress, labor relations, and government regulations.

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Technology Sector Risk. Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Like other technology companies, information technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of information technology companies may face product obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Companies in the information technology sector are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect the profitability of these companies. Finally, while all companies may be susceptible to network security breaches, certain companies in the information technology sector may be particular targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or consumer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses. These risks are heightened for information technology companies in foreign markets.

Telecommunications Services Sector Risk. The telecommunications sector is subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory approvals, or the enactment of new regulatory requirements may negatively affect the business of telecommunications companies. Government actions around the world, specifically in the area of pre-marketing clearance of products and prices, can be arbitrary and unpredictable. The domestic telecommunications market is characterized by increasing competition and regulation by various state and federal regulatory authorities. Companies in the telecommunications sector may encounter distressed cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital to meet increasing competition, particularly in formulating new products and services using new technology. Technological innovations may make the products and services of certain telecommunications companies obsolete.

Securities Lending. In order to generate additional income, the Fund may lend its securities pursuant to agreements requiring that the loan be continuously secured by collateral consisting of: (1) cash in U.S. dollars; (2) securities issued or fully guaranteed by the United States government or issued and unconditionally guaranteed by any agencies thereof; or (3) irrevocable performance letters of credit issued by banks approved by the Fund. All collateral must equal at least 100% of the market value of the loaned securities. The Fund continues to receive interest on the loaned securities while simultaneously earning interest on the investment of cash collateral. Collateral is marked to market daily. There may be risks of delay in recovery of the securities or even loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially or become insolvent. In addition, cash collateral invested by the lending Fund is subject to investment risk and the Fund may experience losses with respect to its collateral investments. The SEC currently requires that the following conditions must be met whenever the Fund’s portfolio securities are loaned: (1) the Fund must receive at least 100% cash collateral from the borrower; (2) the borrower must increase such collateral whenever the market value of the securities rises above the level of such collateral; (3) the Fund must be able to terminate the loan at any time; (4) the Fund must receive reasonable interest on the loan, as well as any dividends, interest or other distributions on the loaned securities, and any increase in market value; (5) the Fund may pay only reasonable custodian fees approved by the Board in connection with the loan; (6) while voting rights on the loaned securities may pass to the borrower, the Fund must have the ability to terminate the loan and regain the right to vote the securities if a material event adversely affecting the investment occurs, and (7) the Fund may not loan its portfolio securities so that the value of the loaned securities is more than one-third of its total asset value, including collateral received from such loans.

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. serves as the securities lending agent to the Fund responsible for the implementation and administration of the Fund's securities lending program including facilitating the lending of the Fund's available securities to approved borrowers and negotiating the terms and conditions of each loan with a borrower.

The dollar amounts of income and fees and compensation paid to all service providers related to the Fund that participated in securities lending activities during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 were as follows:



Income from Cash Collateral Reinvestment		Premium Income		Compensation		Agency Fee		Admin Fee		Rebate Paid to Borrower		Indemnifica-tion Fee		Other Fee		Fees paid for Cash Collateral Management		Aggregate Fees		Net Income		Average on Loan Value
$	50,178	$	54,459	$	104,637	$	12,223	$	0	$	23,153	$	0	$	0	$	5,594	$	40,970	$	63,667	$	3,739,985

Senior Securities. Senior securities may include any obligation or instrument issued by a fund evidencing indebtedness. The 1940 Act generally prohibits funds from issuing senior securities, although it does not treat certain transactions as senior securities, such as certain borrowings, short sales, reverse repurchase agreements, firm commitment agreements and standby commitments, with appropriate earmarking or segregation of assets to cover such obligation.

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Short Sales. In a short sale, a Fund sells a security, which it does not own, in anticipation of a decline in the market value of the security. To complete the sale, the Fund must borrow the security (generally from the broker through which the short sale is made) in order to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund must replace the security borrowed by purchasing it at the market price at the time of replacement. The Fund is said to have a “short position” in the securities sold until it delivers them to the broker. The period during which the Fund has a short position can range from one day to more than a year. Until the Fund replaces the security, the proceeds of the short sale are retained by the broker, and the Fund must pay to the broker a negotiated portion of any dividends or interest, which accrue during the period of the loan. A short sale is “against the box” if at all times during which the short position is open, a Fund owns at least an equal amount of the securities or securities convertible into, or exchangeable without further consideration for, securities of the same issue as the securities that are sold short. A short sale against the box is a taxable transaction to the Fund with respect to the securities that are sold short. The lending of securities is considered a form of leverage that is included in a lending Fund’s investment limitation related to borrowings. See “Investment Limitations” below.

In the view of the SEC, a short sale involves the creation of a “senior security” as such term is defined in the 1940 Act, unless the sale is “against the box” and the securities sold short are placed in a segregated account (not with the broker), or unless the Fund’s obligation to deliver the securities sold short is otherwise “covered,” whether by placing assets in a segregated account or otherwise earmarking assets as cover in an amount equal to the difference between the market value of the securities sold short at the time of the short sale and any such collateral required to be deposited with a broker in connection with the sale (not including the proceeds from the short sale), which difference is adjusted daily for changes in the value of the securities sold short, or otherwise. To the extent a Fund engages in short sales, it will comply with these requirements.

Sovereign Debt. Investment in sovereign debt can involve a high degree of risk. The governmental entity that controls the repayment of sovereign debt may not be able or willing to repay the principal or interest when due in accordance with the terms of such debt. A governmental entity’s willingness or ability to repay principal and interest due in a timely manner may be affected by, among other factors, its cash flow situation, the extent of its foreign reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the governmental entity’s policy towards the International Monetary Fund and the political constraints to which a governmental entity may be subject. Governmental entities may also be dependent on expected disbursements from foreign governments, multilateral agencies and others abroad to reduce principal and interest arrearages on their debt. The commitment on the part of these governments, agencies and others to make such disbursements may be conditioned on the implementation of economic reforms or economic performance and the timely service of such debtor’s obligations. Failure to implement such reforms, achieve such levels of economic performance or repay principal or interest when due may result in the cancellation of such third parties’ commitments to lend funds to the governmental entity, which may further impair such debtor’s ability or willingness to timely service its debts. Consequently, governmental entities may default on their sovereign debt.

Holders of sovereign debt may be requested to participate in the rescheduling of such debt and to extend further loans to governmental entities. In the event of a default by a governmental entity, there may be few or no effective legal remedies for collecting on such debt.

Step Coupon Bonds (“STEPS”). A Fund may invest in STEPS, which pay interest at a series of different rates (including 0%) in accordance with a stated schedule for a series of periods. In addition to the risks associated with the credit rating of the issuers, these securities may be subject to more volatility risk than fixed rate debt securities.

Structured Notes. A Fund may invest in structured notes, including “total rate of return swaps,” with rates of return determined by reference to the total rate of return on one or more loans referenced in such notes. The rate of return on the structured note may be determined by applying a multiplier to the rate of total return on the referenced loan or loans. Application of a multiplier is comparable to the use of leverage, which magnifies the risk of loss, because a relatively small decline in the value of a referenced note could result in a relatively large loss in value.

Swap Agreements. A swap is a financial instrument that typically involves the exchange of cash flows between two parties on specified dates (settlement dates), where the cash flows are based on agreed-upon prices, rates, indices, etc. The nominal amount on which the cash flows are calculated is called the notional amount. Swaps are individually negotiated and structured to include exposure to a variety of different types of investments or market factors, such as interest rates, foreign currency rates, mortgage securities, corporate borrowing rates, security prices, indexes or inflation rates.

Swap agreements may increase or decrease the overall volatility of the investments of a Fund and its share price. The performance of swap agreements may be affected by a change in the specific interest rate, currency, or other factors that determine the amounts of payments due to and from a Fund. If a swap agreement calls for payments by a Fund, a Fund must be prepared to make such payments when due. In addition, if the counter-party’s creditworthiness declines, the value of a swap agreement would be likely to decline, potentially resulting in losses.

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Generally, swap agreements have a fixed maturity date that will be agreed upon by the parties. The agreement can be terminated before the maturity date only under limited circumstances, such as default by one of the parties or insolvency, among others, and can be transferred by a party only with the prior written consent of the other party. A Fund may be able to eliminate its exposure under a swap agreement either by assignment or by other disposition, or by entering into an offsetting swap agreement with the same party or a similarly creditworthy party. If the counter-party is unable to meet its obligations under the contract, declares bankruptcy, defaults or becomes insolvent, a Fund may not be able to recover the money it expected to receive under the contract.

A swap agreement can be a form of leverage, which can magnify a Fund’s gains or losses. If a Fund enters into a swap agreement on a net basis, it will segregate assets with a daily value at least equal to the excess, if any, of a Fund’s accrued obligations under the swap agreement over the accrued amount a Fund is entitled to receive under the agreement. If a Fund enters into a swap agreement on other than a net basis, it will segregate assets with a value equal to the full amount of a Fund’s accrued obligations under the agreement.

Equity Swaps. In a typical equity swap, one party agrees to pay another party the return on a stock, stock index or basket of stocks in return for a specified interest rate. By entering into an equity index swap, for example, the index receiver can gain exposure to stocks making up the index of securities without actually purchasing those stocks. Equity index swaps involve not only the risk associated with investment in the securities represented in the index, but also the risk that the performance of such securities, including dividends, will not exceed the return on the interest rate that a Fund will be committed to pay.

Interest Rate Swaps. Interest rate swaps are financial instruments that involve the exchange of one type of interest rate for another type of interest rate cash flow on specified dates in the future. Some of the different types of interest rate swaps are “fixed-for floating-rate swaps,” “termed basis swaps” and “index amortizing swaps.” Fixed-for floating-rate swaps involve the exchange of fixed interest rate cash flows for floating-rate cash flows. Termed basis swaps entail cash flows to both parties based on floating interest rates, where the interest rate indices are different. Index amortizing swaps are typically fixed-for floating swaps where the notional amount changes if certain conditions are met.

Like a traditional investment in a debt security, a Fund could lose money by investing in an interest rate swap if interest rates change adversely. For example, if a Fund enters into a swap where it agrees to exchange a floating-rate of interest for a fixed rate of interest, a Fund may have to pay more money than it receives. Similarly, if a Fund enters into a swap where it agrees to exchange a fixed rate of interest for a floating-rate of interest, a Fund may receive less money than it has agreed to pay.

Currency Swaps. A currency swap is an agreement between two parties in which one party agrees to make interest rate payments in one currency and the other promises to make interest rate payments in another currency. A Fund may enter into a currency swap when it has one currency and desires a different currency. Typically the interest rates that determine the currency swap payments are fixed, although occasionally one or both parties may pay a floating-rate of interest. Unlike an interest rate swap, however, the principal amounts are exchanged at the beginning of the contract and returned at the end of the contract. Changes in foreign exchange rates and changes in interest rates, as described above, may negatively affect currency swaps.

Credit Default Swaps (“CDSs”). A CDS is an agreement between a Fund and a counterparty that enables the Fund to buy or sell protection against a credit event related to a referenced debt obligation. One party, acting as a “protection buyer,” makes periodic payments to the other party, a “protection seller,” in exchange for a promise by the protection seller to make a payment to the protection buyer if a negative credit event (such as a delinquent payment or default) occurs with respect to a referenced bond or group of bonds. Acting as a protection seller allows a Fund to create an investment exposure similar to owning a bond. Acting as a protection buyer allows a Fund potentially to reduce its credit exposure to a bond it owns or to take a “short” position in a bond it does not own.

As the protection buyer in a CDS, a Fund may pay a premium (by means of periodic payments) in return for the right to deliver specified bonds or loans to the protection seller and receive the par (or other agreed-upon) value upon default or similar events by the issuer of the underlying reference obligation. If no default occurs, the protection seller would keep the stream of payments and would have no further obligations to the Fund. As the protection buyer, the Fund bears the risk that the investment might expire worthless or that the protection seller may fail to satisfy its payment obligations to the Fund in the event of a default or similar event. In addition, when the Fund is a protection buyer, the Fund’s investment would only generate income in the event of an actual default or similar event by the issuer of the underlying reference obligation.

A Fund may also use credit default swaps for investment purposes by selling a CDS, in which case, the Fund, as the protection seller, would be required to pay the par (or other agreed-upon) value of a referenced debt obligation to the protection buyer in the event of a default or similar event by the third-party issuer of the underlying reference obligation. In return for its obligation, the Fund would receive from the protection buyer a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract. If no credit event

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occurs, the Fund would keep the stream of payments and would have no payment obligations. As the protection seller in a CDS, the Fund effectively adds economic leverage to its portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, the Fund is subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. Consistent with SEC staff guidance, if the Fund sells a CDS it will segregate assets equal to the full notional amount of the swap in order to cover its obligations under the instrument.

In addition to the risks applicable to derivatives generally, CDSs involve special risks because they may be difficult to value, are highly susceptible to liquidity and credit risk, and generally pay a return to the party that has paid the premium only in the event of an actual default by the issuer of the underlying obligation (as opposed to a credit downgrade or other indication of financial difficulty).

Options on Swap Agreements (“swaptions”). A Fund also may enter into swaptions. A swaption is a contract that gives a counterparty the right (but not the obligation) to enter into a new swap agreement or to shorten, extend, cancel or otherwise modify an existing swap agreement, at some designated future time on specified terms. A Fund may write (sell) and purchase put and call swaptions. Depending on the terms of the particular swaption, a Fund will generally incur a greater degree of risk when it writes a swaption than it will incur when it purchases a swaption. When a Fund purchases a swaption, it risks losing only the amount of the premium it has paid should it decide to let the option expire unexercised. However, when a Fund writes a swaption, upon exercise of the option by the buyer of the option, the Fund will become obligated according to the terms of the underlying swap agreement.

Whether a Fund’s use of swap agreements or swaptions will be successful in furthering its investment goals will depend on the sub-advisors’ ability to predict correctly whether certain types of investments are likely to produce greater returns than other investments. Moreover, a Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty.

Total Return Swaps. Total return swaps are contracts in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to the other party based change in market value of the assets underlying the contract in exchange for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate or the total return from other underlying assets. The return of the assets underlying the contract includes both the income generated by the asset and the change in market value of the asset. The asset underlying the contract may include a specified security, basket of securities or securities indices.

Total return swaps may be used to obtain exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or investing directly in such market. Upon entering into a total return swap, the Fund is required to deposit initial margin but the parties do not exchange the notional amount. As a result, total return swaps may effectively add leverage to the Fund’s portfolio because the Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. The net amount of the excess, if any, of the Fund’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to each total return swap will be accrued on a daily basis, and an amount of liquid assets having an aggregate NAV at least equal to the accrued excess will be segregated by the Fund.

Total return swaps are subject to the same risks noted above under "Swap Agreements."

Other Types of Financial Instruments. If other types of financial instruments, including other types of options, futures contracts, or futures options are traded in the future, the Fund may also use those instruments, provided that such instruments are consistent with the Fund’s investment goals.

Technology Securities. The value of technology securities may fluctuate dramatically and technology securities may be subject to greater than average financial and market risk. Investments in the high technology sector include the risk that certain products may be subject to competitive pressures and aggressive pricing and may become obsolete and the risk that new products will not meet expectations or even reach the market.

Temporary Defensive Investments. The Fund may, for temporary defensive purposes, invest up to 100% of its total assets in money market instruments (including U.S. government securities, bank obligations, commercial paper rated in the highest rating category by an NRSRO and repurchase agreements involving the foregoing securities), shares of money market investment companies (to the extent permitted by applicable law and subject to certain restrictions) and cash. When a Fund invests in defensive investments, it may not achieve its investment goal.

Time Deposits. Time deposits are non-negotiable receipts issued by a bank in exchange for the deposit of funds. Like a certificate of deposit, it earns a specified rate of interest over a definite period of time; however, it cannot be traded in the secondary market. Time deposits with a withdrawal penalty are considered to be illiquid securities.

Trust Preferred Securities. Trust preferred securities are issued by a special purpose trust subsidiary backed by subordinated debt of the corporate parent. Trust preferred securities currently permit the issuing entity to treat the interest payments as a tax-

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deductible cost. These securities, which have no voting rights, have a final stated maturity date and a fixed schedule for periodic payments. In addition, these securities have provisions which afford preference over common and preferred stock upon liquidation, although the securities are subordinated to other, more senior debt securities of the same issuer. The issuers of these securities have the right to defer interest payments for a period of up to five years, although interest continues to accrue cumulatively. The deferral of payments may not exceed the stated maturity date of the securities themselves. The non-payment of deferred interest at the end of the permissible period will be treated as an event of default. At the present time, the Internal Revenue Service treats trust preferred securities as debt.

Variable- and Floating-Rate Instruments. Certain obligations may carry variable or floating rates of interest, and may involve a conditional or unconditional demand feature. Such instruments bear interest at rates which are not fixed, but which vary with changes in specified market rates or indices. The interest rates on these securities may be reset daily, weekly, quarterly or some other reset period, and may have a floor or ceiling on interest rate changes. There is a risk that the current interest rate on such obligations may not accurately reflect existing market interest rates. A demand instrument with a demand notice exceeding seven days may be considered illiquid if there is no secondary market for such security.

Warrants and Rights. Warrants are instruments giving holders the right, but not the obligation, to buy equity or fixed income securities of a company at a given price during a specified period. Rights are similar to warrants but normally have a short life span to expiration. The purchase of warrants or rights involves the risk that a Fund could lose the purchase value of a warrant or right if the right to subscribe to additional shares is not exercised prior to the warrants’ and rights’ expiration. Also, the purchase of warrants and/or rights involves the risk that the effective price paid for the warrants and/or rights added to the subscription price of the related security may exceed the value of the subscribed security’s market price such as when there is no movement in the level of the underlying security. Buying a warrant does not make a Fund a shareholder of the underlying stock. The warrant holder has no voting or dividend rights with respect to the underlying stock. A warrant does not carry any right to assets of the issuer, and for this reason investment in warrants may be more speculative than other equity-based investments.

When-Issued, Delayed Delivery Securities, and Forward Commitment Transactions. A Fund may purchase securities on a when-issued or delayed-delivery basis, in which case delivery of the securities occurs beyond the normal settlement period; payment for or delivery of the securities would be made prior to the reciprocal delivery or payment by the other party to the transaction. When-issued or delayed delivery securities are subject to market fluctuations due to changes in market interest rates and it is possible that the market value at the time of settlement could be higher or lower than the purchase price if the general level of interest rates has changed. Although a Fund generally purchases securities on a when-issued or forward commitment basis with the intention of actually acquiring the securities for its investment portfolio, a Fund may dispose of a when-issued security or forward commitment prior to settlement if it deems appropriate.

Yankee Obligations. Yankee obligations (“Yankees”) are U.S. dollar-denominated instruments of foreign issuers who either register with the SEC or issue securities under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act. These consist of debt securities (including preferred or preference stock of non-governmental issuers), certificates of deposit, fixed time deposits and bankers’ acceptances issued by foreign banks, and debt obligations of foreign governments or their subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities, international agencies and supranational entities. Some securities issued by foreign governments or their subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the foreign government. Yankee obligations, as obligations of foreign issuers, are subject to the same types of risks discussed above in “Securities of Foreign Issuers.” The Yankee obligations selected for the Fund will adhere to the same credit quality standards as those utilized for the selection of domestic debt obligations.

Zero Coupon Securities. A Fund may invest in zero coupon bonds of governmental or private issuers that generally pay no interest to their holders prior to maturity. Since zero coupon bonds do not make regular interest payments, they allow an issuer to avoid the need to generate cash to meet current interest payments and may involve greater credit risks than bonds paying interest currently. The Code requires that a Fund accrue interest income on zero coupon bonds for each taxable year, even though no cash has been paid on the bonds, and generally requires a Fund to distribute such income (net of deductible expenses, if any) to avoid being subject to federal income tax and to continue to maintain its status as a regulated investment company under the Code. Because no cash is generally received at the time of accrual, a Fund may be required to sell investments (even if such sales are not advantageous) to obtain sufficient cash to satisfy the distribution requirements applicable to a Fund under the Code. See “Taxes,” for more information.

INVESTMENT LIMITATIONS

Fundamental Investment Limitations

Below are the Fund’s fundamental investment limitations (or policies), which it cannot change without the consent of the holders of a majority of that Fund’s outstanding shares. The term “majority of the outstanding shares” means the vote of (i) 67% or more

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of a Fund’s shares present at a meeting, if more than 50% of the outstanding shares of that Fund are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of a Fund’s outstanding shares, whichever is less.

For the illiquid securities and bank borrowing fundamental policies, which contain percentage limits, the Fund must meet these percentage limits at all times, regardless of whether a portfolio transaction is occurring or the changes are caused by market conditions or other circumstances beyond the Fund’s control. For all other fundamental policies with a percentage limit (collectively, the “Other Policies”), a Fund must apply each policy to each proposed portfolio transaction. For example, both the initial purchase of a security and each subsequent addition to that position must satisfy the Other Policies. However, if the Fund satisfies the Other Policies at the time of a transaction, then later changes in percentages resulting from market conditions or other circumstances beyond the Fund’s control will not violate those policies; but the Fund would not be able to make subsequent additions to that position and other similar positions until the Other Policies are satisfied.

Several of these fundamental investment limitations include the defined term “1940 Act Laws, Interpretations and Exemptions.” This term means the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, as such statutes, rules and regulations are amended from time to time or are interpreted from time to time by the staff of the SEC and any exemptive order or similar relief applicable to the Fund.

1. Borrowing Money. The Fund may not engage in borrowing except as permitted by the 1940 Act, any rule, regulation, or order under the 1940 Act or any SEC staff interpretation of the 1940 Act.

2. Underwriting. The Fund may not underwrite securities issued by other persons, except to the extent that, in connection with the sale or disposition of portfolio securities, a Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter under certain federal securities laws or in connection with investments in other investment companies.

3. Loans. The Fund may not make loans to other persons except that a Fund may (1) engage in repurchase agreements, (2) lend portfolio securities, (3) purchase debt securities, (4) purchase commercial paper, and (5) enter into any other lending arrangement permitted by the 1940 Act, any rule, regulation, or order under the 1940 Act or any SEC staff interpretation of the 1940 Act.

4. Real Estate. The Fund may not purchase or sell real estate except that a Fund may (1) hold and sell real estate acquired as a result of the Fund’s ownership of securities or other instruments (2) purchase or sell securities or other instruments backed by real estate or interests in real estate and (3) purchase or sell securities of entities or investment vehicles, including real estate investment trusts that invest, deal or otherwise engage in transactions in real estate or interests in real estate.

5. Commodities. The Fund may not purchase or sell physical commodities except that a Fund may (1) hold and sell physical commodities acquired as a result of the Fund’s ownership of securities or other instruments, (2) purchase or sell securities or other instruments backed by physical commodities, (3) purchase or sell options, and (4) purchase or sell futures contracts.

6. Concentration of Investments . The Fund may not purchase the securities of an issuer (other than securities issued or guaranteed by the United States government, its agencies or its instrumentalities) if, as a result, more than 25% of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in the securities of companies in the same industry or group of industries.

7. Senior Securities. The Fund may not issue senior securities except as permitted by the 1940 Act, any rule, regulation, or order under the 1940 Act or any SEC staff interpretation of the 1940 Act.

Non-Fundamental Investment Limitations. The Fund also has adopted certain non-fundamental investment limitations. A non-fundamental investment limitation may be amended by the Board without a vote of shareholders upon 60 days' notice to shareholders. The non-fundamental investment limitation listed below is in addition to other non-fundamental investment limitations disclosed elsewhere in this SAI and in the prospectus.

For the illiquid securities policy, which contains percentage limits, the Fund must meet these percentage limits at all times, regardless of whether a portfolio transaction is occurring or the changes are caused by market conditions or other circumstances beyond the Fund’s control. For all other non-fundamental policies with a percentage limit (collectively, the “Other Policies”), a Fund must apply each policy to each proposed portfolio transaction. For example, both the initial purchase of a security and each subsequent addition to that position must satisfy the Other Policies. However, if a Fund satisfies the Other Policies at the time of a transaction, then later changes in percentages resulting from market conditions or other circumstances beyond the Fund’s control will not violate those policies; but the Fund would not be able to make subsequent additions to that position and other similar positions until the Other Policies are satisfied.

The following non-fundamental limitation applies to the Fund:

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1.	The Fund will not invest in any illiquid investment if, immediately after such acquisition, the Fund would have invested more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments that are assets.

The following descriptions of certain provisions of the 1940 Act may assist investors in understanding the above policies and restrictions.

Diversification. Under the 1940 Act, a diversified investment management company may not, with respect to 75% of its total assets, (i) purchase securities of any issuer (except securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agents or instrumentalities, cash item or, in certain circumstances, securities of other investment companies) if, as a result, more than 5% of its total assets would be invested in the securities of such issuer; or (ii) acquire more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any one issuer.


2.	Borrowing. The 1940 Act allows a fund to borrow from any bank (including pledging, mortgaging or hypothecating assets) in an amount up to 33¹/₃% of its total assets (not including temporary borrowings not in excess of 5% of its total assets).

Underwriting. Under the 1940 Act, underwriting securities involves a fund purchasing securities directly from an issuer for the purpose of selling (distributing) them or participating in any such activity either directly or indirectly. Under the 1940 Act, a diversified fund may not make any commitment as underwriter, if immediately thereafter the amount of its outstanding underwriting commitments, plus the value of its investments in securities of issuers (other than investment companies) of which it owns more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities, exceeds 25% of the value of its total assets.

Lending. Under the 1940 Act, a Fund may only make loans if expressly permitted by its investment policies. The Fund’s current investment policy on lending is as follows: the Fund may not make loans if, as a result, more than 33¹/₃% of its total assets would be lent to other parties, except that the Fund may: (i) purchase or hold debt instruments in accordance with its investment objective and policies; (ii) enter into repurchase agreements that are collateralized fully; and (iii) engage in securities lending as described in its SAI.

The Fund will determine compliance with the fundamental and non-fundamental investment restriction percentages above (with the exception of the restriction relating to borrowing) and other investment restrictions in this SAI immediately after and as a result of its acquisition of such security or other asset. Accordingly, the Fund will not consider changes in values, net assets, or other circumstances when determining whether the investment complies with its investment restrictions.

TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

The following is a list of the Trustees and executive officers of the Trust, the length of time served, principal occupations for the past 5 years, and, for the Trustees only, number of funds overseen in the Touchstone Fund Complex and other directorships held. All funds managed by the Advisor, the "Touchstone Funds", are part of the “Touchstone Fund Complex.” The Touchstone Fund Complex consists of the Trust, Touchstone Strategic Trust, Touchstone Institutional Funds Trust and Touchstone Variable Series Trust. The Trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust, as defined in the 1940 Act, are referred to as “Independent Trustees.”

Interested Trustees⁽¹⁾:

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Name Address Year of Birth	Position Held with Trust	Term of Office And Length of Time Served	Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years	Number of Funds Overseen in the Touchstone Fund Complex⁽²⁾	Other Directorships Held During Past 5 Years ⁽³⁾
Jill T. McGruder Touchstone Advisors, Inc. 303 Broadway Suite 1100 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 Year of Birth: 1955	Trustee and President	Until retirement at age 75 or until she resigns or is removed Trustee since 1999	President and CEO of IFS Financial Services, Inc. (a holding company).	44	IFS Financial Services, Inc. (a holding company) from 1999 to the present; Integrity and National Integrity Life Insurance Co. from 2005 to the present; Touchstone Securities (the Trust’s distributor) from 1999 to the present; Touchstone Advisors, Inc. (the Trust’s investment advisor and administrator) from 1999 to the present; W&S Brokerage Services (a brokerage company) from 1999 to the present; W&S Financial Group Distributors (a distribution company) from 1999 to the present; Cincinnati Analysts, Inc. from 2012 to the present; Columbus Life Insurance Co. from 2016 to the present; The Lafayette Life Insurance Co. from 2016 to the present; Taft Museum of Art from 2007 to the present; YWCA of Greater Cincinnati from 2012 to the present; and LL Global, Inc. from 2016 to the present.

Independent Trustees:

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Name Address Year of Birth	Position Held with Trust	Term of Office And Length of Time Served	Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years	Number of Funds Overseen in the Touchstone Fund Complex⁽²⁾	Other Directorships Held During Past 5 Years ⁽³⁾
Phillip R. Cox c/o Touchstone Advisors, Inc. 303 Broadway Suite 1100 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 Year of Birth: 1947	Trustee	Until retirement at age 75 or until he resigns or is removed Trustee since 1999	President and Chief Executive Officer of Cox Financial Corp. (a financial services company) from 1971 to the present.	44	Director of Cincinnati Bell (a communications company) from 1994 to the present; Bethesda Inc. (a hospital) from 2005 to the present; Timken Co. (a manufacturing company) from 2004 to 2014; TimkenSteel from 2014 to the present; Diebold, Inc. (a technology solutions company) from 2004 to the present; and Ohio Business Alliance for Higher Education and the Economy from 2005 to the present.
William C. Gale c/o Touchstone Advisors, Inc. 303 Broadway Suite 1100 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 Year of Birth: 1952	Trustee	Until retirement at age 75 or until he resigns or is removed Trustee since 2013	Retired; formerly Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (from 2003 to January 2015) of Cintas Corporation (a business services company).	44	None.
Susan J. Hickenlooper c/o Touchstone Advisors, Inc. 303 Broadway Suite 1100 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 Year of Birth: 1946	Trustee	Until retirement at age 75 or until she resigns or is removed Trustee since 2009	Retired; formerly Financial Analyst for Impact 100 (charitable organization) from November 2012 to 2013.	44	Trustee of Diocese of Southern Ohio from 2014 to the present; and Trustee of Cincinnati Parks Foundation from 2000 to 2016.

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Name Address Year of Birth	Position Held with Trust	Term of Office And Length of Time Served	Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years	Number of Funds Overseen in the Touchstone Fund Complex⁽²⁾	Other Directorships Held During Past 5 Years ⁽³⁾
Kevin A. Robie c/o Touchstone Advisors, Inc. 303 Broadway Suite 1100 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 Year of Birth: 1956	Trustee	Until retirement at age 75 or until he resigns or is removed Trustee since 2013	Vice President of Portfolio Management at Soin International LLC (a private multinational holding company) from 2004 to the present.	44	SaverSystems, Inc. from 2015 to the present; Director of Buckeye EcoCare, Inc. (a lawn care company) from 2013 to the present; Trustee of Dayton Region New Market Fund, LLC (a private fund) from 2010 to the present; and Trustee of the Entrepreneurs Center, Inc. (a small business incubator) from 2006 to the present.
Edward J. VonderBrink c/o Touchstone Advisors, Inc. 303 Broadway Suite 1100 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 Year of Birth: 1944	Trustee	Until retirement at age 75 or until he resigns or is removed Trustee since 2013	Consultant, VonderBrink Consulting LLC from 2000 to the present.	44	Director of Streamline Health Solutions, Inc. (healthcare IT) from 2006 to 2015; Mercy Health from 2013 to the present; Mercy Health Foundation (healthcare nonprofit) from 2008 to the present; Al Neyer Inc. (a construction company) from 2013 to the present; and BASCO Shower Door from 2010 to the present.

⁽¹⁾ Ms. McGruder, as a director of the Advisor and the Distributor, and an officer of affiliates of the Advisor and the Distributor, is an “interested person” of the Trust within the meaning of Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act.

⁽²⁾ As of May 14, 2019, the Touchstone Fund Complex consists of13 series of the Trust, 1 series of Touchstone Institutional Funds Trust, 20 series of Touchstone Strategic Trust and 10 variable annuity series of Touchstone Variable Series Trust.

⁽³⁾ Each Trustee is also a Trustee of Touchstone Strategic Trust, Touchstone Institutional Funds Trust, and Touchstone Variable Series Trust.

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Principal Officers:



Name Address Year of Birth	Position Held with Trust⁽¹⁾	Term of Office and Length of Time Served	Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years
Jill T. McGruder Touchstone Advisors, Inc. 303 Broadway Suite 1100 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 Year of Birth: 1955	President and Trustee	Until resignation, removal or disqualification President since 2006.	See biography above.
Steven M. Graziano Touchstone Advisors, Inc. 303 Broadway Suite 1100 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 Year of Birth: 1954	Vice President	Until resignation, removal or disqualification Vice President since 2009	President of Touchstone Advisors, Inc.
Timothy D. Paulin Touchstone Advisors, Inc. 303 Broadway Suite 1100 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 Year of Birth: 1963	Vice President	Until resignation, removal or disqualification Vice President since 2010	Senior Vice President of Investment Research and Product Management of Touchstone Advisors, Inc.
Timothy S. Stearns Touchstone Advisors, Inc. 303 Broadway Suite 1100 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 Year of Birth: 1963	Chief Compliance Officer	Until resignation, removal or disqualification Chief Compliance Officer since 2013	Chief Compliance Officer of Touchstone Advisors, Inc.
Terrie A. Wiedenheft Touchstone Advisors, Inc. 303 Broadway Suite 1100 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 Year of Birth: 1962	Controller and Treasurer	Until resignation, removal or disqualification Controller and Treasurer since 2006	Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Operations Officer of IFS Financial Services, Inc. (a holding company).
Meredyth A. Whitford Western & Southern Financial Group 400 Broadway Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 Year of Birth: 1981	Secretary	Until resignation, removal or disqualification Secretary since 2018	Counsel - Securities/Mutual Funds of Western & Southern Financial Group (2015 to present); Associate at Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP (law firm) (2014 to 2015); Associate at Bingham McCutchen LLP (law firm) (2008 to 2014).

⁽¹⁾Each officer also holds the same office with Touchstone Strategic Trust, Touchstone Institutional Funds Trust and Touchstone Variable Series Trust.

Additional Information about the Trustees

The Board believes that each Trustee’s experience, qualifications, attributes, or skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Trustees lead to the conclusion that the Trustees possess the requisite experience, qualifications, attributes, and skills to serve on the Board. The Board believes that the Trustees’ ability to review critically, evaluate, question, and discuss information provided to them; to interact effectively with the Advisor, sub-advisors, other service providers, counsel and independent auditors; and to exercise effective business judgment in the performance of their duties, support this conclusion. The Board has also considered the contributions that each Trustee can make to the Board and the Fund.

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In addition, the following specific experience, qualifications, attributes and skills apply as to each Trustee: Ms. McGruder has experience as a chief executive officer of a financial services company and director of various other businesses, as well as executive and leadership roles within the Advisor; Mr. Cox has experience as a chief executive officer of a financial services company and as a director of companies from varied industries; Mr. Gale has experience as a chief financial officer, an internal auditor of various global companies, and has accounting experience as a manager at a major accounting firm; Ms. Hickenlooper has executive and board experience at various businesses, foundations and charitable organizations; Mr. Robie has portfolio management experience at a private multinational holding company; and Mr. VonderBrink has experience as a consultant and director of other corporations. In its periodic self-assessment of its effectiveness, the Board considers the complementary individual skills and experience of the individual Trustees primarily in the broader context of the Board’s overall composition so that the Board, as a body, possesses the appropriate (and appropriately diverse) skills and experience to oversee the business of the Fund. References to the qualifications, attributes and skills of Trustees are pursuant to requirements of the SEC, do not constitute holding out the Board or any Trustee as having any special expertise or experience, and shall not impose any greater responsibility on any Trustee or on the Board by reason thereof.

Board Structure

The Board is composed of five Independent Trustees and one Interested Trustee, Jill T. McGruder, who is Chairperson of the Board. The Independent Trustees have appointed Phillip R. Cox to serve as the Lead Independent Trustee. Ms. McGruder oversees the day-to-day business affairs of the Trust and communicates with Mr. Cox regularly on various Trust issues, as appropriate. Mr. Cox, among other things, chairs meetings of the Independent Trustees, serves as a spokesperson for the Independent Trustees, and serves as a liaison between the Independent Trustees and the Trust’s management between Board meetings. Except for any duties specified, the designation of Lead Independent Trustee does not impose on such Independent Trustee any duties, obligations, or liability that is greater than the duties, obligations, or liability imposed on such person as a member of the Board, generally. The Independent Trustees are advised at these meetings, as well as at other times, by separate, independent legal counsel.

The Board holds four regular meetings each year to consider and address matters involving the Trust and its Funds. The Board also may hold special meetings to address matters arising between regular meetings. The Independent Trustees also regularly meet outside the presence of management and are advised by independent legal counsel. These meetings may take place in-person or by telephone.

The Board has established a committee structure that includes an Audit Committee and a Governance Committee (discussed in more detail below). The Board conducts much of its work through these Committees. Each Committee is comprised entirely of Independent Trustees, which ensures that the Fund has effective and independent governance and oversight.

The Board reviews its structure regularly and believes that its leadership structure, including having a super-majority of Independent Trustees, coupled with an Interested Chairperson and a Lead Independent Trustee, is appropriate and in the best interests of the Trust because it allows the Board to exercise informed and independent judgment over matters under its purview, and it allocates areas of responsibility among committees and the full Board in a manner that enhances effective oversight. The Board believes that having an Interested Chairperson is appropriate and in the best interests of the Trust given: (1) the extensive oversight provided by the Trust’s Advisor over the affiliated and unaffiliated sub-advisors that conduct the day-to-day management of the Touchstone Funds; (2) the extent to which the work of the Board is conducted through the standing Committees; (3) the extent to which the Independent Trustees meet regularly, together with independent legal counsel, in the absence of the Interested Chairperson; and (4) the Interested Chairperson’s additional roles as a director of the Advisor and the Distributor and senior executive of IFS Financial Services, Inc., the Advisor’s parent company, and of other affiliates of the Advisor, which enhance the Board’s understanding of the operations of the Advisor and the role of the Trust and the Advisor within Western & Southern Financial Group, Inc. The Board also believes that the role of the Lead Independent Trustee within the leadership structure is integral to promoting independent oversight of the Touchstone Funds' operations and meaningful representation of the shareholders’ interests. In addition, the Board believes its leadership structure facilitates the orderly and efficient flow of information to the Independent Trustees from the Trust’s management.

Board Oversight of Risk

Consistent with its responsibilities for oversight of the Trust and the Touchstone Funds, the Board, among other things, oversees risk management of each Fund’s investment program and business affairs directly and through the committee structure that it has established. Risks to the Funds include, among others, investment risk, credit risk, liquidity risk, valuation risk and operational risk, as well as the overall business risk relating to the Touchstone Funds. The Board has adopted, and periodically reviews, policies and procedures designed to address these risks. Under the overall oversight of the Board, the Advisor, sub-advisors, and other key service providers to the Funds, including the administrator, the distributor, the transfer agent, the custodian, and the independent

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auditors, have also implemented a variety of processes, procedures and controls to address these risks. Different processes, procedures and controls are employed with respect to different types of risks. These processes include those that are embedded in the conduct of regular business by the Board and in the responsibilities of officers of the Trust and other service providers.

The Board requires senior officers of the Trust, including the Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”), to report to the Board on a variety of matters at regular and special meetings of the Board, including matters relating to risk management. The Board and the Audit Committee receive regular reports from the Trust’s independent auditors on internal control and financial reporting matters. On at least a quarterly basis, the Board meets with the Trust’s CCO, including meetings in executive sessions, to discuss issues related to portfolio compliance and, on at least an annual basis, receives a report from the CCO regarding the effectiveness of the Trust’s compliance program. In addition, the Board also receives reports from the Advisor on the investments and securities trading of the Funds, including their investment performance and asset weightings compared to appropriate benchmarks, as well as reports regarding the valuation of those investments. The Board also receives reports from the Trust’s primary service providers on a periodic or regular basis, including the sub-advisors to the Funds.

Standing Committees of the Board

The Board is responsible for overseeing the operations of the Trust in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act and other applicable laws and the Trust’s Declaration of Trust. The Board has established the following Committees to assist in its oversight functions. Each Committee is composed entirely of Independent Trustees.

Audit Committee. All of the Independent Trustees are members of the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee is responsible for overseeing the Trust’s accounting and financial reporting policies, practices and internal controls. Mr. Gale is the Chair of the Audit Committee. During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, the Audit Committee held four meetings.

Governance Committee. All of the Independent Trustees are members of the Governance Committee. The Governance Committee is responsible for overseeing the Trust’s compliance program and compliance issues, procedures for valuing securities and responding to any pricing issues. Ms. Hickenlooper is the Chair of the Governance Committee. The Governance Committee held four meetings during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.

In addition, the Governance Committee is responsible for recommending candidates to serve on the Board. The Governance Committee will consider shareholder recommendations for nomination to the Board only in the event that there is a vacancy on the Board. Shareholders who wish to submit recommendations for nominations to the Board to fill the vacancy must submit their recommendations in writing to Ms. Susan J. Hickenlooper, Chair of the Governance Committee, c/o Touchstone Funds, 303 Broadway, Suite 1100, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Shareholders should include appropriate information on the background and qualifications of any person recommended to the Governance Committee (e.g., a resume), as well as the candidate’s contact information and a written consent from the candidate to serve if nominated and elected. Shareholder recommendations for nominations to the Board will be accepted on an ongoing basis and such recommendations will be kept on file for consideration in the event of a future vacancy on the Board.

Trustee Ownership in the Touchstone Fund Complex

The following table reflects the Trustees’ beneficial ownership in the Funds (i.e., dollar range of securities in the Fund) and the Touchstone Fund Complex as of December 31, 2018.

Interested Trustee

Independent Trustees

Fund

Jill T.

McGruder

Phillip R.

Cox

William C.

Gale

Susan J.

Hickenlooper

Kevin A.

Robie

Edward J.

VonderBrink

Credit Opportunities II Fund

None

Aggregate Dollar Range of Securities in the Touchstone Fund Complex⁽¹⁾

Over $100,000

None

Over $100,000

None

Over $100,000

⁽¹⁾ As of May 14, 2019, the Touchstone Fund Complex consists of 13 series of the Trust, 1 series of Touchstone Institutional Funds Trust, 20 series of Touchstone Strategic Trust and 10 variable annuity series of Touchstone Variable Series Trust.

Trustee Compensation

The following table shows the compensation paid to the Trustees by the Trust and the aggregate compensation paid by the Touchstone Fund Complex during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.

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Name	Compensation from the Trust		Aggregate Compensation from the Touchstone Fund Complex⁽¹⁾
Interested Trustee
Jill T. McGruder	$	0	$	0
Independent Trustees⁽²⁾
Phillip R. Cox	$	41,607	$	152,500
William C. Gale	$	38,268	$	140,500
Susan J. Hickenlooper	$	38,268	$	140,500
Kevin A. Robie	$	34,929	$	128,500
Edward J. VonderBrink	$	34,929	$	128,500

⁽¹⁾As of May 14, 2019, the Touchstone Fund Complex consists of 13 series of the Trust, 1 series of Touchstone Institutional Funds Trust, 20 series of Touchstone Strategic Trust and 10 variable annuity series of Touchstone Variable Series Trust.

⁽²⁾ The Independent Trustees are eligible to participate in the Touchstone Trustee Deferred Compensation Plan, which allows them to defer payment of a specific amount of their Trustee compensation, subject to a minimum quarterly reduction of $1,000. The total amount of deferred compensation accrued by the Independent Trustees from the Touchstone Fund Complex during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 was $128,500.

The following table shows the Trustee quarterly compensation schedule:



	Retainer		Governance Committee Meeting Attendance Fees		Audit Committee Meeting Attendance Fees		Board Meeting Attendance Fees
Compensation	$	18,000	$	4,500	$	4,500	$	5,000

Lead Independent Trustee Fees	$	6,000

Committee Chair Fees	$	1,000	$	2,000	$	2,000

Telephonic Meeting Attendance Fee = $1,500

Independent Trustee compensation and Trustee and officer expenses are typically divided equally among the series comprising the Touchstone Fund Complex.

THE ADVISOR

Touchstone Advisors, Inc. (previously defined as the “Advisor” or “Touchstone Advisors”), is the Fund’s investment advisor under the terms of an advisory agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”) dated February 17, 2006. Under the Advisory Agreement, the Advisor reviews, supervises, and administers the Fund’s investment program, subject to the oversight of, and policies established by, the Board of the Trust (the “Trustees”). The Advisor determines the appropriate allocation of assets to the Fund’s sub-advisor. The Advisory Agreement provides that the Advisor shall not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss arising out of any investment or for any act or omission in carrying out its duties, but shall not be protected against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence on its part in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard of its obligations or duties.

The continuance of the Advisory Agreement as to the Fund after the first two years must be specifically approved at least annually (i) by the vote of the Board or by a vote of the shareholders of the Fund, and, in either case, (ii) by the vote of a majority of the Board who are not parties to the Advisory Agreement or “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of any party thereto, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The Advisory Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment, and is terminable at any time without penalty by the Board or, with respect to a Fund, by a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund, on sixty days’ written notice, without the payment of any penalty, by the Board, by a vote of a majority of a Fund’s outstanding voting securities, or by the Advisor.

The Advisor is a wholly-own

Touchstone Funds Group Trust – ‘497’ on 8/6/19

On: Tuesday, 8/6/19, at 4:13pm ET · Effective: 8/6/19 · Accession #: 914243-19-107 · File #: 333-232307

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