Michael Ellis

Duff & Phelps Credit Rating Co. issues credit ratings on corporate bonds, preferred stocks, commercial paper, and CDs. The company is headquartered in Chicago, IL.

Founded in 1995, Cardinal Capital Management LLC is a registered investment advisor located in Greenwich, Connecticut. The firm provides advisory services on a discretionary basis to their clients, which include public and private institutions, corporations, public and private pension plans, investment companies, foundations and endowments, mutual funds and high net-worth individuals. Clients invest through separately managed accounts, in one of the mutual funds Cardinal sub-advises, or in one or both of the limited partnerships Cardinal manages.

Eaton Vance Management (EVM) is a SEC-registered mutual fund manager headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The firm was founded in 1979 when Eaton & Howard merged with Vance, Sanders & Co. Prior to March 2021, they were a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eaton Vance Corp. Their direct owner is Morgan Stanley Domestic Holdings, Inc., ultimately held by Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS). EVM offers advisory services in a variety of equity, income, mixed-asset and alternative strategies to institutional clients, mutual funds, other pooled investment vehicles, and retail separately managed accounts.

Victory Capital Management, Inc. (Investment Management) (Victory Capital-IM) is the investment management division of Victory Capital Management, Inc., a financial services company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. The firm was founded in 1894 and formerly known as Key Asset Management, Inc. They are an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Victory Capital Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: VCTR). Victory Capital-IM provides specialized investment strategies to institutions, intermediaries, retirement platforms and individual investors.

Scout Investments, Inc. (Scout) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. The firm is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Carillon Tower Advisers, Inc., itself a subsidiary of Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE: RJF). Founded in 2001, Scout provides discretionary investment management services to registered and unregistered investment companies, institutional accounts and individuals through separately managed accounts. They also provide model portfolios to financial intermediaries for use in unified managed accounts (UMA).

Compass Point Research & Trading LLC (Compass Point) is a registered broker-dealer and full-service investment banking firm headquartered in Washington, DC. The firm was founded by Scott Dreyer in 2007 and is owned by Sooner Holdings LLC. Compass Point provides investment banking, research, and sales and trading services to institutional investors. Their clients include investment advisors, mutual funds, hedge funds and other institutional accounts located in the US, Canada and Europe.

abrdn, Inc. is SEC-registered investment advisor and mutual fund manager headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1995, the firm was formerly known as Aberdeen Asset Management, Inc. and as Aberdeen Standard Investments, Inc. until it became abrdn, Inc. in 2022. They are a subsidiary of abrdn Holdings Ltd., ultimately held by abrdn Plc (LON: ABDN) in Great Britain. abrdn provides investment products and solutions to various clients across the world.

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. (Investment Management) (NTI-IM) is the asset management division of Northern Trust Investments, Inc., ultimately held by Northern Trust Corp. (NASDAQGS: NTRS), a multi-bank holding company established in 1889. The firm was founded in 1988 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. NTI-IM provides a wide range of discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory and sub-advisory services to individual and institutional clients.

Benchmark Communications provides marketing, advertising, and media solutions. It offers web site design, Internet marketing, promotion, business development, and public relations services to retail, travel, service, broadcasting, and manufacturing sectors in Canada and the United States. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Mississauga, Canada.

West Financial Services, Inc. (WFS) is a SEC-registered investment advisor and wealth management firm headquartered in McLean, Virginia. The firm was founded in 1982 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sandy Spring Bank, which is owned by Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: SASR). WFS provides investment advisory services to individuals, high net worth individuals, retirement and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporations and other business entities.

Société Générale SA (Broker) (Société Général CIB) is the brokerage division of Société Générale SA (EPA: GLE) in France. Headquartere din Paris, the firm was founded in 1864 and provides full spectrum of brokerage services specifically tailored for both retail and institutional investors. Société Général CIB also offers execution, clearing and prime services across the following asset classes: equities, FX, fixed income, commodities, and listed derivatives to almost 30 European brokers in more than 80 markets worldwide.

Guggenheim Partners Investment Management LLC (GPIM) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Santa Monica, California. The firm was founded by Mark Walter in 2005 and is a direct subsidiary of Guggenheim Partners Investment Management Holdings LLC, ultimately owned by Guggenheim Partners LLC. GPIM provides investment advisory and supervisory services to a variety of institutional clients through separately managed accounts (SMAs) and registered and unregistered pooled investment vehicles.

Guggenheim Funds Investment Advisors LLC (Guggenheim Funds) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm is a subsidiary of Guggenheim Funds Services LLC, ultimately owned by Guggenheim Capital LLC. Guggenheim Funds provides asset management and investment advisory services to insurance companies, corporate and public pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and foundations, wealth managers, and high-net-worth investors.

Guggenheim Energy & Income Fund is a closed-end investment fund. It is a non-diversified, non-traded management investment company. Its objectives are to provide high income and seek capital appreciation. The company was founded on April 28, 2015 and is headquartered in Chicago, IL.

Guggenheim Floating Rate & Income Fund is a newly-organized, diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund's objective is to provide a high level of current income while maximizing total return. It invests at least 80% of its assets in floating rate senior secured syndicated bank loans, floating rate revolving credit facilities and floating rate unsecured loans. The company offers opportunities for investors seeking an alternative to traditional fixed-income securities that may help hedge interest rate and inflation exposure. Guggenheim Floating Rate & Income Fund was founded on October 24, 2013 and is headquartered in Lisle, IL.

RiXtrema, Inc. is a financial technology company based in New York, NY that provides innovative tools for financial advisors using machine learning, artificial intelligence, and data science. The private company's mission is to help financial professionals grow their businesses and comply with fiduciary regulations. RiXtrema's products use fiduciary analytics, science-based mathematical risk assessment models, intuitive interfaces, fine-tuned searches for plans and sponsors, case studies for each product, web-based software, and multi-platform support. In November 2023, the company unveiled Remai, an advanced AI tool that speeds up financial and investment research 10x by providing a straightforward way to ask an investment research question and receive a near-instant answer with an explanation, data, and charts. Remai is not just for financial advisors, but also plan advisors, asset managers, and day traders.

Alphatrai, Inc. operates as an AI-based equity trading platform. The firm trades stocks and commodities using algorithms. The company is headquartered in San Diego, CA.