Nationwide Small Cap Index

Objective And Strategy

Objective
To match the performance of the Russell 2000 Index as closely as possible before the deduction of Fund expenses.

Strategy
The Fund employs a "passive" management approach, investing in a Portfolio of securities whose performance seeks to match the performance of the Russell 2000 before the deduction of Fund expenses. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of companies included in the Russell 2000 and in derivative instruments linked to the Russell 2000.

Principal Risks

* This portfolio invests (or may invest) in securities of companies with micro-, small-, or mid-capitalization. Any investment in micro-, small-, or mid-capitalization companies involves greater risk than that customarily associated with investments in larger, more established companies because of the greater business risks of smaller size, limited markets and financial resources, narrower product lines, and frequent lack of management depth. As such, micro- or small-cap companies may be more subject to erratic and abrupt market movements than securities of larger, more established companies.

* This portfolio can leverage or use leveraged instruments or derivatives. Portfolios that use leverage, that is, borrow money, are subject to the risk that the cost of borrowing money to leverage will exceed the returns for the securities purchased or that the securities purchased may actually go down in value. Thus, the portfolio's net asset value can decrease more quickly than if the portfolio had not borrowed. Portfolios that use leveraged instruments or derivatives such as futures, options and swap agreements, may expose the portfolio to additional risks that it would not be subject to if it invested directly in the securities underlying those derivatives. The more a portfolio invests in leveraged instruments, the more the leverage will magnify any gains or losses on those investments.

* This Fund does not use defensive strategies or attempt to reduce its exposure to poorly performing stocks. Therefore, if the index performs poorly, the Fund, because it is correlated to the index, will perform poorly. Correlation between the Fund's performance and that of the index may also be negatively affected by the Fund's expenses, changes in the composition of the index, and the timing of purchase and redemption of Fund shares.

* The performance numbers shown do not reflect the deduction of any transaction fees. If deducted, the performance shown would be lower.