MDFIX
Matisse Discounted Bond CEF Strategy
Starboard Investment Trust
Fund of funds
Expense ratio1
2.42%
Net assets2
$53.01M
Holdings2
28
Category
US Equity
2025 return3
8.06%

Investment objective & strategy

As of July 29, 2025 · prospectus

Objective. The Matisse Discounted Bond CEF Strategy (the Fund) seeks total return with an emphasis on providing current income.

Strategy. The Fund is a fund of funds that seeks to achieve its investment objective principally through investments in unaffiliated closed-end funds that are registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act). The closed-end funds in the Funds portfolio invest primarily in bonds, trade at substantial discounts relative to their underlying net asset values (NAVs) and pay regular periodic cash distributions. The Advisor believes this approach is capable of generating high total return and attractive income relative to many other fixed income investments. As a matter of investment policy, the Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowing for investment purposes, in discounted closed-end funds that primarily invest … The Fund is a fund of funds that seeks to achieve its investment objective principally through investments in unaffiliated closed-end funds that are registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act). The closed-end funds in the Funds portfolio invest primarily in bonds, trade at substantial discounts relative to their underlying net asset values (NAVs) and pay regular periodic cash distributions. The Advisor believes this approach is capable of generating high total return and attractive income relative to many other fixed income investments. As a matter of investment policy, the Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowing for investment purposes, in discounted closed-end funds that primarily invest in bonds. For purposes of this policy, a closed-end fund is considered discounted when, in the Advisor's determination, the closed-end funds market value is less than the value of its underlying portfolio, and a closed-end fund is considered to invest primarily in bonds when, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowing for investment purposes, are invested in bonds. This policy may be changed without shareholder approval upon 60-days' prior notice to shareholders. Grounded in academic research, the Advisor firmly believes the closed-end fund market is highly inefficient. It is the Advisors conviction that closed-end fund discounts display strong (and highly predictable) mean reverting tendencies (the discounts fluctuate around a long-term average discount), and it employs an investment strategy that seeks to take advantage of this concept as it relates to the bond markets specifically. In evaluating bond closed-end funds for the portfolio, the Advisor utilizes a proprietary research process that attempts to forecast whether the market discount on a bond closed-end fund will increase or decrease in the future. The process is highly quantitative and model inputs include information about the bond closed-end funds discount (absolute, relative, quintile, patterns, and volatility), yield, distribution history, management team, expenses, underlying portfolio investments, balance sheets, liquidity, activist involvement, and historical pricing. The Advisor then builds a portfolio of bond closed-end funds that, in its opinion, are the most attractively discounted and most likely to see their discounts close (narrow) in the future. An analysis based on the same process determines when a bond closed-end fund should be sold. The Advisor determines to sell a closed-end fund when, in its opinion, it becomes less attractively discounted and less likely to see its discount close (narrow) in the future. The Advisors investment strategy seeks to capture total return potential from the following sources: 1. NAV Movement and Base Income (Traditional) investors can benefit when the underlying portfolio of a closed-end fund appreciates in value, and any cash distributions paid out add to total return. 2. Closed-End Fund Discount Movement (Enhanced) unique to closed-end funds, investors benefit when a closed-end funds discount closes relative to its net asset value, creating capital appreciation potential. 3. Excess Income Due to Discount (Enhanced) regardless of discount level, closed-end funds pay out distributions at-NAV, so discounts amplify the income level you receive. The Advisor intends to construct a diversified portfolio that generates regular income. Under normal market conditions, the Fund's portfolio will hold Shares of approximately 30 to 90 closed-end funds, along with cash, cash equivalents, and other types of securities in which the Fund may make limited investments. Each closed-end fund will hold primarily bonds. The bonds held by the closed-end funds may be below investment grade (also known as junk bonds) but will typically be rated B or higher by Standard & Poors Rating Services or the equivalent by Moodys Investor Service, Inc., or Fitch, Inc. and may be of any maturity or duration. There is no limit to the amount of the Funds assets that may be invested in below investment grade bonds through its investments in closed-end funds. While the Advisor generally expects a majority of the Funds assets to be invested in investment grade bonds (rated BBB or higher by Standard & Poors Rating Services or the equivalent by Moodys Investor Service, Inc., or Fitch, Inc.), when discounts are attractive, up to two-thirds of the portfolio may be invested in below-investment grade bonds through its investments in closed-end funds. In addition, the closed-end funds will invest in loans, preferred securities, convertible securities, foreign income securities, and derivative instruments for both investment and hedging purposes, and will utilize leverage to acquire their underlying portfolio investments. The Fund's direct investments will be exclusively in US-traded and US-registered securities; however, the closed-end funds will own foreign-registered and foreign-traded securities. Under normal circumstances, the Fund may hold up to 20% of its net assets in cash or cash equivalents. Cash equivalents, which can include money market funds, are instruments or investments of such high liquidity and safety that they are considered almost as safe as cash. Based upon the Advisor's view of available investment opportunities, as well as for cash management purposes, the Fund's portfolio will include cash and cash equivalents that provide a temporary pool of liquidity for future investments, redemptions, and other Fund expenses. The Fund actively trades its portfolio investments, which may lead to higher transaction costs that may affect the Funds performance. To take advantage of opportunities to invest, the Fund may borrow money for investment purposes (leverage). Any borrowing by the Fund will be subject to the limitations set forth in Act, and relevant interpretive positions of the staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC), which presently allows the Fund to borrow (including pledging, mortgaging, or hypothecating assets) in an amount up to one-third of its total assets, which include assets purchased with borrowed money.

Top holdings

As of March 31, 2026 · N-PORT
SecurityTickerValue% of fund
MONEYMKT FIGXX $16.74M 31.57%
PIMCO CA MU INC PCQ $5.05M 9.52%
PIMCO-NY MUN II PNI $4.24M 7.99%
FS Credit Opportunities Corporation USD Class FSCO $2.09M 3.94%
CLOSED-E $2.03M 3.82%
FS Specialty Lending Fund FSSL $2.00M 3.78%
Western Asset Inflation-Linked Opportunities & Income Fund WIW $1.95M 3.67%
Invesco Senior Income Trust VVR $1.93M 3.64%
Nuveen Floating Rate Income Fund COM JFR $1.88M 3.55%
Blackstone Long-Short Credit Income Fund BGX $1.85M 3.50%
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Allocation by sector

As of March 31, 2026 · N-PORT
View portfolio breakdown →

Portfolio moves

Dec 31, 2025 → Mar 31, 2026
Opened
7
Exited
3
Increased
3
Decreased
4
Unchanged
14

How many positions this fund opened, exited, grew, trimmed, or left unchanged between its two most recent N-PORT snapshots — net changes between point-in-time reports, not a trade log.

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Advisers

As of March 31, 2025 · N-CEN
FirmRole
Deschutes Portfolio Strategy, LLC d/b/a Matisse Capital Adviser

Footnotes

  1. Expense ratio as of July 29, 2025, from the fund's prospectus.
  2. Net assets and holdings count as of March 31, 2026, from the fund's N-PORT filing.
  3. Total return for calendar year 2025, before tax and after fund expenses. Computed by compounding the twelve monthly total returns the fund reported in its SEC N-PORT filings for 2025 (the latest prospectus does not yet chart this year).

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