Core Plus Bond Strategy

Definition of Firm: Penn Mutual Asset Management, LLC  (“PMAM” or "The Firm") is a registered investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in accordance with the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.

Change in Management: Effective June 2014, the co-portfolio managers for this strategy were replaced. The investment philosophy and process for the strategy remained consistent.

Important Performance Disclosure: PMAM claims compliance with the Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS®) and has prepared and presented this report in compliance with the GIPS standards. PMAM has been independently verified for the periods January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2023. A copy of the verification report is available upon request. A firm that claims compliance with the GIPS standards must establish policies and procedures for complying with all the applicable requirements of the GIPS standards.  Verification provides assurance on whether the firm's policies and procedures related to composite and pooled fund maintenance, as well as the calculation, presentation, and distribution of performance, have been designed in compliance with the GIPS standards and have been implemented on a firm-wide basis.  Verification does not provide assurance on the accuracy of any specific performance report. Registration with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission by the investment adviser does not imply any level of skill or training. GIPS® is a registered trademark of CFA Institute.  CFA Institute does not endorse or promote this organization, nor does it warrant the accuracy or quality of the content contained herein.

Methodology: Total returns are presented in U.S. dollars both gross and net of investment advisory fees, are inclusive of commissions and transaction costs, and assume reinvestment of any dividends, interest income, capital gains, or other earnings. Periods greater than one year are shown as average annual total returns. Gross composite returns do not reflect the reduction of investment advisory, administrative or custodial fees but do include trading expenses. Net composite returns are reduced by the actual investment management fee and any administrative, custodial, or other fees and expenses incurred. “Dispersion of Portfolio Returns” presented for each annual period is calculated using the asset-weighted standard deviation of the annual returns of all portfolios that were included in the composite for the entire year. If during a particular year the composite does not contain more than 5 accounts for the entire year, then "N/A" will be displayed. "Composite 3-Yr St Dev" and "Benchmark 3-Yr St Dev" are rolling 3-year standard deviation calculations, which measure the variability of the monthly performance returns for the composite and benchmark index return over the preceding 36-month period on an annualized basis. If the composite has not been in existence for at least 3 years as of a particular year-end, then “N/A” will be displayed. Performance data is shown rounded to the nearest hundredth.

A list of composite descriptions, a list of limited distribution pooled fund descriptions, and a list of broad distribution pooled funds are available upon request. Policies for valuing investments, calculating performance, and preparing GIPS Reports are available upon request. Past performance is not indicative of future results and no investment is guaranteed for return of principal and/or return on investments.  All information provided and used in calculations is believed to be correct, but accuracy cannot be guaranteed. 

Composite Description: The Core Plus Bond Composite seeks to maximize total return over long-term consistent with preservation of capital. Under normal circumstances, the strategy invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in marketable investment grade debt securities, which are those securities rated BBB- or higher by S&P, Baa3 or higher by Moody’s, or the equivalent by any other nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”), or, if unrated, determined by the Adviser to be of comparably quality. The remaining assets are generally invested in other securities, including high yield securities (“junk bonds”) rated below investment grade by a NRSRO, or, if unrated, determined by the Adviser to be below investment grade, preferred and convertible securities, closed-end funds, exchange traded funds, money market securities or equities. While most assets will typically be invested in U.S. dollar-denominated bonds, the strategy may also invest in debt securities of foreign issuers, securities that are economically tied to emerging markets, and securities denominated in foreign currencies. The strategy may invest in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts, swap agreements, mortgage dollar rolls or forward commitments in keeping with the strategy’s objective.

Benchmark Description: The benchmark for this composite is the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index provides a measure of the performance of the U.S. investment grades bonds market. This includes investment grade U.S. Government bonds, investment grade corporate bonds, mortgage pass‐through securities and asset‐backed securities that are publicly offered for sale in the United States. The securities in the index must have at least one year remaining to maturity. In addition, the securities must be denominated in U.S. dollars and must be fixed rate, nonconvertible and taxable. Further information is available upon request. Benchmark return information is provided for comparative and referential purposes only. Benchmark information is provided by third party sources, and is considered to be accurate.

Inception and Composite Creation Date: The inception date is January 1, 2012 and the composite creation date is January 1, 2017.

Fee Schedule: The investment advisory fee applicable to a portfolio depends on a variety of factors, including but not limited to portfolio size, the level of committed assets, service levels, the use of a performance fee or minimum fee arrangement, and other factors. The current maximum scheduled investment advisory fee for this strategy is 46 basis points.