Taggart says investors can find the devil is in merger details

Mike Taggart, founder of Taggart Fund Intelligence, joins the NAVigator to discuss current trends in closed-end fund mergers, and while he says that most deals benefit shareholders and management alike, he raises concerns about those times when consolidations and investment-mandate changes aren't great for a fund's owners. Taggart cites two affiliated funds that have been going through transitions, NexPoint Strategic Opportunities and Highland Income, as examples, noting that the former has been in the process of converting to a REIT for year, while Highland Income is currently proposing to morph into a diversified holding company, a move that has drawn scrutiny from activist investors; Taggart says the cases highlight the importance of shareholders reading their fund's documents, to learn the benefits and downsides before approving a fund's change.