10/31/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/31/2025 13:16
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Preliminary Proxy Statement
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Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
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[X]
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Definitive Proxy Statement
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Definitive Additional Materials
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Soliciting Material Pursuant to Section 240.14a-11(c) or Section 240.14a-12
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No fee required.
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Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.
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(1)
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Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:
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(2)
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Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:
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(3)
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Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and state how it was determined):
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(4)
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Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:
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(5)
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Total fee paid:
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Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.
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Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by the registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing.
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(1)
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Amount Previously Paid:
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(2)
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Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
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(3)
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Filing Party:
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(4)
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Date Filed:
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(1)
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To elect Directors to the Fund's Board of Directors as follows:
(a) four Directors to be elected by the holders of the Fund's common stock and preferred stock, voting together as a single class, to serve until the Fund's next Annual Meeting of Stockholders in 2026 and until their successors have been duly elected and qualified; and
(b) two Directors to be elected by the holders of the Fund's preferred stock, voting as a separate class, to serve until the Fund's next Annual Meeting of Stockholders in 2026 and until their successors have been duly elected and qualified; and
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(2)
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To transact such other business as may properly come before the Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.
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By Order of the Board
of Directors,
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Phillip Goldstein
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Chairman of the Board
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1.
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Individual Accounts: Sign your name exactly as it appears in the registration on the proxy card.
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2.
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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.
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3.
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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:
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Corporate accounts
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Valid Signature
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(1) ABC Corp.
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ABC Corp.
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John Doe, Treasurer
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(2) ABC Corp.
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John Doe, Treasurer
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(3) ABC Corp. c/o John Doe, treasurer
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John Doe
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(4) ABC Corp. profit sharing plan
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John Doe, Trustee
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Partnership accounts
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(1) The XYZ partnership
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Jane B. Smith, Partner
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(2) Smith and Jones, limited partnership
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Jane B. Smith, General Partner
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Trust accounts
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(1) ABC trust account
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Jane B. Doe, Trustee
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(2) Jane B. Doe, trustee u/t/d 12/18/78
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Jane B. Doe
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Custodial or estate accounts
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(1) John B. Smith, Cust. f/b/o
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John B. Smith, Jr. UGMA/UTMA
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John B. Smith
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(2) Estate of John B. Smith
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John B. Smith, Jr., Executor
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Name, Address and
Birthyear *
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Position(s)
Held
with the
Fund
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Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served
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Principal Occupation
During the Past Five
Years
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Number of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Director**
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Other Directorships held
by
Director or Nominee for
Director
During the Past 5 Years
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INTERESTED DIRECTOR NOMINEES
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Andrew Dakos***
(1966)
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President as of
October 2009.
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1 year; Since 2009
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Partner of the Adviser since 2009; Partner of Ryan Heritage, LLP since 2019; Principal of the former general partner of several private investment partnerships in the Bulldog Investors group of private funds.
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3
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Trustee, High Income Securities Fund; Chairman, Total Return Securities Fund; Director, Brookfield DTLA Fund Office Trust Investor, Inc., Director, Tejon Ranch Co.; Director, BNY Mellon Municipal Income Inc. (until 2025); Trustee, Crossroads Liquidating Trust (until 2020).
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Phillip Goldstein***
(1945)
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Chairman and Secretary as of October 2009.
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1 year; Since 2009
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Partner of the Adviser since 2009; Partner of Ryan Heritage, LLP since 2019; Principal of the former general partner of several private investment partnerships in the Bulldog Investors group of private funds.
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3
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Chairman, The Mexico Equity and Income Fund, Inc.; Chairman, High Income Securities Fund; Director, Brookfield DTLA Fund Office Trust Investor, Inc.; Director, Total Return Securities Fund; Director, BNY Mellon Municipal Income Inc. (until 2025); Trustee, Crossroads Liquidating Trust (until 2020); Director, MVC Capital, Inc. (until 2020).
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INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR NOMINEES
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Name, Address and
Birthyear*
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Position(s)
Held
with the Fund
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Term of
Office and
Length of
Time Served
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Principal Occupation
During the Past Five
Years
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Number of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Director**
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Other Directorships held
by
Director or Nominee for
Director
During the Past 5 Years
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Gerald Hellerman****
(1937)
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Independent Director
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1 year; Since 2009
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Managing Director of Hellerman Associates (a financial and corporate consulting firm) since 1993 (which terminated activities as of December 31, 2013).
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3
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Director, The Mexico Equity and Income Fund, Inc.; Trustee, High Income Securities Fund; Director, Total Return Securities Fund; Trustee, Fiera Capital Series Trust (until 2023); Director, MVC Capital, Inc (until 2020); Trustee, Crossroads Liquidating Trust (until 2020).
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Ben H. Harris
(1968)
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Independent Director
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1 year; Since 2009
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Executive Chairman of Hormel Harris Investments, LLC; Principal of NBC Bancshares, LLC; Chief Executive Officer of Crossroads Capital, Inc.; Administrator of Crossroads Liquidating Trust.
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2
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Trustee, High Income Securities Fund
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Jaclyn ("Jax") Rothchild
(1978)
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--
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1 year; Since 2025
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Partner & Chief Operating Officer of Eleventh Street Partners, Inc, a financial and operational strategy consulting firm since 2008. Formerly the Vice President and Secretary of MVC Capital, Inc. (NYSE: MVC) from 2002 through 2020 and served as Vice President and Secretary of The Tokarz Group Advisers, LLC (TTGA), the Adviser to MVC Capital, Inc. from 2004-2023.
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1
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Board Member of privately held real estate holding company, (200 WEA). Formerly served on the Board of MVC Partners, LLC, a former portfolio company of MVC Capital, Inc.
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Marc Lunder (1963)
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Independent Director
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1 year; Since 2015
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Managing Member of Lunder Capital LLC
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1
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None
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OFFICERS
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Name, Address and Birthyear*
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Position(s) Held
with the Fund
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Term of Office and
Length of Time Served
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Principal Occupation
During the Past Five Years
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Andrew Dakos***
(see biography above)
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President as of
October 2009
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Rajeev Das***
(1968)
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Vice-President as of
October 2009
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1 year; Since 2009
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Principal of the Adviser and Ryan Heritage, LLP.
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Thomas Antonucci ***
(1968)
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Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer as of
January 2014
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1 year; Since 2014
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Director of Operations of the Adviser and Ryan Heritage, LLP.
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Phillip Goldstein***
(see biography above)
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Chairman and Secretary as of
October 2009
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--
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Stephanie Darling***
(1970)
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Chief Compliance Officer as of
April 2020
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1 year; Since 2020
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General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of Bulldog Investors, LLP; Chief Compliance Officer of Ryan Heritage, LLP, High Income Securities Fund, Total Return Securities Fund and Mexico Equity and Income Fund; Principal, the Law Office of Stephanie Darling; Editor-In-Chief, The Investment Lawyer.
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*
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The address for all Directors and officers is c/o Special Opportunities Fund, Inc., 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202.
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**
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The Fund Complex is comprised of the Fund, High Income Securities Fund and Total Return Securities Fund.
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***
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Messrs. Dakos, Goldstein, Das, and Antonucci and Ms. Darling are each considered an "interested person" of the Fund within the meaning of the 1940 Act because of their affiliation with Bulldog Investors, LLP, the Adviser, and their positions as officers of the Fund.
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****
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Mr. Hellerman was considered an "interested person" of the Fund within the meaning of the 1940 Act for the period prior to March 31, 2020 because he served as the Fund's Chief Compliance Officer. Mr. Hellerman is not affiliated with Bulldog Investors, LLP. Beginning April 1, 2020, Mr. Hellerman is no longer considered an "interested person" of the Fund.
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Andrew Dakos.
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Mr. Dakos has been the President and a Director of SPE since 2009. Mr. Dakos has over 20 years of investment management experience. He is currently: a principal of Bulldog Holdings, LLC, the owner of several entities formerly serving as general partner of certain private investment partnerships; a partner in Bulldog Investors, LLP, which serves as the investment adviser of the Fund, High Income Securities Fund, Total Return Securities Fund, and separately-managed accounts; and a partner in Ryan Heritage, LLP, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Mr. Dakos is also a director of two other closed-end funds, a real estate development company and one subsidiary of a large commercial real estate company.
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Phillip Goldstein.
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Mr. Goldstein has been the Chairman of the Board and the Secretary of SPE since 2009. Mr. Goldstein has over 30 years of investment management experience. He is currently: a principal of Bulldog Holdings, LLC, the owner of several entities formerly serving as general partner of certain private investment partnerships; a partner in Bulldog Investors, LLP, which serves as the investment adviser of the Fund, High Income Securities Fund, Total Return Securities Fund, and separately-managed accounts; and a partner in Ryan Heritage, LLP, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Mr. Goldstein is also a director of three other closed-end funds, and one subsidiary of a large commercial real estate company.
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Ben H. Harris.
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Mr. Harris has been a Director of SPE since 2009. He has extensive experience in the management of private and public entities, highly regulated entities and corporate restructurings. In addition to the Funds, Mr. Harris is currently a director of ten private companies and one other closed-end fund.
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Gerald Hellerman.
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Mr. Hellerman has been a Director of SPE since 2009 and served as its Chief Compliance Officer from January 2010 to March 2020. Mr. Hellerman has more than 40 years of financial experience, including serving as a Financial Analyst and Branch Chief at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Special Adviser to the U.S. Senate Antitrust and Monopoly Subcommittee and as Chief Financial Analyst at the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice for 17 years. He has served as a director of a number of public companies, including registered investment companies, and as a financial and corporate consultant during the period from 1993 to 2014.
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Marc Lunder
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Mr. Lunder has been a Director of the Fund since 2015. He has over 25 years of experience in the financial industry and as a private investor. Mr. Lunder is currently a private investor with experience evaluating public companies, private companies and investment funds.
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Jaclyn (Jax) Rothchild
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Ms. Rothchild has over 25 years of experience in investment management, with expertise in governance, operations, and investor relations for public investment companies, private funds, and investment advisers. She currently serves as Partner and Chief Operating Officer of Eleventh Street Partners, Inc., providing strategic and operational advisory services. Ms. Rothchild previously held officer-level roles at MVC Capital, Inc. (NYSE: MVC) and The Tokarz Group Advisers, LLC, where she oversaw corporate governance, investor communications, and the non-financial operations across affiliated funds.
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Name of Person/Position
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Aggregate
Compensation
From the Fund
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Pension or
Retirement Benefits
Accrued as Part of
Fund Expenses
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Estimated Annual
Benefits Upon
Retirement
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Total Compensation
from Fund
and Fund Complex* Paid
to Directors
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Independent Directors
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Marc Lunder
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$60,500
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None
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None
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$60,500(1)
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Ben H. Harris
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$60,500
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None
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None
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$108,000(2)
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Gerald Hellerman
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$60,500
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None
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None
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$168,000(3)
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Jaclyn (Jax) Rothchild**
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None
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None
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None
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None(1)
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Interested Directors
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Andrew Dakos
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None
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None
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None
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$120,750(3)
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Phillip Goldstein
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None
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None
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None
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$94, 750(3)
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*
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The Fund Complex is comprised of the Fund, High Income Securities Fund (as of November 8, 2024) and Total Return Securities Fund (as of March 31, 2025). Amount in parentheses is the number of funds in the Fund Complex overseen by the director. The funds in the Fund Complex have differing fiscal year ends; amount shown is aggregate amount paid to director during the year ended December 31, 2024.
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**
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Ms. Rothchild was elected as a Director by Board as of March 19, 2025, and therefore did not have any compensation during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024.
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Name
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Position
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Dollar Range of Equity
Securities in the Fund
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Aggregate Dollar Range
of Equity Securities in All Funds
Overseen by Director in Family of
Investment Companies*
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Ben H. Harris
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Independent Director
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Over $100,000
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Over $100,000(2)
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Gerald Hellerman
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Independent Director
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Over $100,000
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Over $100,000(3)
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Marc Lunder
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Independent Director
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Over $100,000
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Over $100,000(1)
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Jaclyn (Jax) Rothchild
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Independent Director
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$0
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$0(1)
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Andrew Dakos**
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Interested Director,
President
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Over $100,000
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Over $100,000(3)
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Phillip Goldstein**
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Interested Director,
Chairman and Secretary
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Over $100,000
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Over $100,000(3)
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Thomas Antonucci**
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Chief Financial Officer and
Treasurer
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$0
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N/A
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Rajeev Das**
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Vice President
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$10,001-$50,000
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N/A
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Stephanie Darling**
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Chief Compliance Officer
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$0
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N/A
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*
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The Family of Investment Companies is comprised of the Fund, High Income Securities Fund and Total Return Securities Fund. Amount in parentheses is number of funds overseen by director in the Family of Investment Companies.
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**
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Messrs. Dakos, Goldstein, Antonucci, and Das and Ms. Darling are each considered an "interested person" of the Fund within the meaning of the 1940 Act because of their affiliation with Bulldog Investors, LLP, the Adviser, and their positions as officers of the Fund.
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Aggregate Total
for
Fiscal Year
Ended
December 31,
2024
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Aggregate Total
for
Fiscal Year
Ended
December 31,
2023
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Audit Fees
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$39,000
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$39,000
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Audit-Related Fees
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$2,000
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$2,000
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Tax Fees
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$4,000
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$4,000
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All Other Fees
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$0
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$0
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December 31,
2024
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December 31,
2023
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Fund
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$6,000
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$6,000
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Adviser
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$0
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$0
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Respectfully submitted,
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Ben H. Harris
Gerald Hellerman
Marc Lunder
Jaclyn Rothchild, Chairperson
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Title of
Class
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Name and Address of
Beneficial Owner
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Amount and Nature of
Beneficial Ownership
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Percent of
Class*
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Common Stock
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Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC
71 S Wacker Dr Suite 1860
Chicago, IL 60606 |
1,439,321 **
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13.55%
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Preferred Stock
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Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC
71 S Wacker Dr Suite 1860
Chicago, IL 60606
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1,279,366***
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57.22%
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Preferred Stock
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CSS LLC/IL
175 West Jackson Blvd
Suite 440
Chicago, IL 60604
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285,886****
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12.79%
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*
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Percent of class is based on the number of shares of common and preferred stock of the Fund outstanding as of October 20, 2025.
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**
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As reported to the SEC on Schedule 13G filed on August 31, 2025.
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***
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As reported to the SEC on Schedule 13G filed on July 31, 2025.
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****
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As reported to the SEC on Schedule 13G filed on June 30, 2025.
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By Order of the Board of Directors,
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Phillip Goldstein
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Chairman of the Board
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