AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON FEBRUARY 12, 1998 REGISTRATION NO. 333-_____ CIK #910933 =============================================================================== SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549-1004 ---------------------- REGISTRATION STATEMENT ON FORM S-6 ---------------------- FOR REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 OF SECURITIES OF UNIT INVESTMENT TRUSTS REGISTERED ON FORM N-8B-2 A. EXACT NAME OF TRUST: RANSON UNIT INVESTMENT TRUSTS, SERIES 65 B. NAME OF DEPOSITOR: RANSON & ASSOCIATES, INC. C. COMPLETE ADDRESS OF DEPOSITOR'S PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES: RANSON & ASSOCIATES, INC. 250 North Rock Road, Suite 150 Wichita, Kansas 37206-2241 D. NAME AND COMPLETE ADDRESS OF AGENT FOR SERVICE: Copy to: ALEX R. MEITZNER MARK J. KNEEDY Ranson & Associates, Inc. c/o Chapman and Cutler 250 North Rock Road, Suite 150 111 West Monroe Street Wichita, Kansas 67206-2241 Chicago, Illinois 60603 E. TITLE OF SECURITIES BEING REGISTERED: Units of beneficial interest E. APPROXIMATE DATE OF PROPOSED SALE TO PUBLIC: As soon as practicable after the effective date of the Registration Statement. =============================================================================== The registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine. RANSON UNIT INVESTMENT TRUSTS, SERIES 65 ------------------------ CROSS-REFERENCE SHEET (FORM N-8B-2 ITEMS REQUIRED BY INSTRUCTIONS AS TO THE PROSPECTUS IN FORM S-6) Form N-8B-2 Form S-6 Item Number Heading in Prospectus ----------- --------------------- I. ORGANIZATION AND GENERAL INFORMATION 1. (a)Name of trust................... ) Prospectus front cover (b)Title of securities issued...... ) Essential Information 2. Name and address of each depositor. ) General Information--Administration of ) the Trusts 3. Name and address of trustee........ ) * 4. Name and address of principal underwriters...................... ) General Information-the Sponsor 5. State of organization of trust..... ) The Trust Funds 6. Execution and termination of trust ) The Trust Funds; General Information-- agreement......................... ) Administration of the Trusts 7. Changes of name.................... ) The Trust Funds 8. Fiscal year........................ ) * 9. Litigation......................... ) * II. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUST AND SECURITIES OF THE TRUST 10. (a)Registered or bearer securities. ) General Information--Unitholders (b)Cumulative or distributive securities........................ ) The Trust Funds (c)Redemption...................... ) General Information--Redemption (d)Conversion, transfer, etc....... ) General Information--Unitholders; ) General Information--Market for Units (e)Periodic payment plan........... ) * (f)Voting rights................... ) General Information--Unitholders ) General Information--Investment Supervision; -I- FORM N-8B-2 FORM S-6 ITEM NUMBER HEADING IN PROSPECTUS ----------- --------------------- (g)Notice of certificateholders.... ) General Information-- ) Administration of the Trusts; General ) Information--Unitholders (h)Consents required............... ) General Information--Unitholders; ) General Information--Administration of ) the Trusts (i)Other provisions................ ) The High Yield Series--Federal Tax ) Status 11. Type of securities comprising ) The Trust Funds; The High Yield Series-- units............................. ) Portfolio 12. Certain information regarding peri- odic payment certificates......... ) * 13. (a) Load, fees, expenses, etc...... ) General Information--Interest, ) Estimated Long-Term Return ) and Estimated Current Return; General ) Information--Expenses of the Trust (b)Certain information regarding periodic payment certifi- cates....................... ) * (c)Certain percentages........... ) Essential Information; Public Offering ) of Units (d)Certain other fees, etc. pay- able by holders............. ) General Information--Unitholders (e)Certain profits receivable by depositor, principal under- writers, trustee or affili- ) General Information--Expenses of the ated persons................ ) Trusts; Public Offering of Units (f)Ratio of annual charges to in- come........................ ) * 14. Issuance of trust's securities... ) The Trust Funds; ) General Information--Unitholders 15. Receipt and handling of payments ) * from purchasers................. 16. Acquisition and disposition of ) The Trust Funds; The High Yield underlying securities........... ) Series--Portfolio; General ) Information--Investment Supervision -II- FORM N-8B-2 FORM S-6 ITEM NUMBER HEADING IN PROSPECTUS ----------- --------------------- 17. Withdrawal or redemption......... ) Market for Units; ) General Information--Redemption; ) Public Offering of Units 18. (a)Receipt, custody and disposi- tion of income.............. ) General Information--Unitholders (b)Reinvestment of distributions. ) General Information--Distribution ) Reinvestment (c)Reserves or special funds..... ) General Information--Expenses of the ) Trusts (d)Schedule of distributions..... ) * 19. Records, accounts and reports.... ) General Information--Unitholders; ) General Information--Redemption; ) Administration of the Trusts 20. Certain miscellaneous provisions of trust agreement (a)Amendment..................... ) General Information--Administration of ) the Trusts (b)Termination................... ) * (c)and (d) Trustee, removal and ) General Information--Administration of successor................... ) the Trusts (e)and (f) Depositor, removal and ) General Information--Administration of successor................... ) the Trusts 21. Loans to security holders........ ) * 22. Limitations on liability......... ) General Information--Administration of ) the Trusts 23. Bonding arrangements............. ) * 24. Other material provisions of trust agreement................. ) * III. ORGANIZATION, PERSONNEL AND AFFILIATED PERSONS OF DEPOSITOR 25. Organization of depositor........ ) General Information--Administration of ) the Trusts 26. Fees received by depositor....... ) See Items 13(a) and 13(e) 27. Business of depositor............ ) General Information--Administration of ) the Trusts 28. Certain information as to offi- cials and affiliated persons of ) General Information--Administration of depositor....................... ) the Trusts -III- FORM N-8B-2 FORM S-6 ITEM NUMBER HEADING IN PROSPECTUS ----------- --------------------- 29. Voting securities of depos- ) General Information--Administration of the itor...................... ) Trusts 30. Persons controlling deposi- tor....................... ) * 31. Payment by depositor for certain services rendered to trust.................. ) * 32. Payment by depositor for certain other services rendered to trust......... ) * 33. Remuneration of employees of depositor for certain services rendered to trust..................... ) * 34. Remuneration of other per- sons for certain services rendered to trust......... ) * IV. DISTRIBUTION AND REDEMPTION 35. Distribution of trust's se- ) Public Offering of Units curities by states........ 36. Suspension of sales of trust's securities........ ) * 37. Revocation of authority to distribute................ ) * 38. (a)Method of distribution.. ) Public Offering of Units; (b)Underwriting agreements. ) General Information--Market for Units; (c)Selling agreements...... ) Public Offering of Units 39. (a)Organization of princi- ) General Information--Administration pal underwriters.......... ) of the Trusts (b)N.A.S.D. membership of principal underwriters.... ) * 40. Certain fees received by principal underwriters.... ) See Items 13(a) and 13(e) 41. (a)Business of principal ) General Information--Administration underwriters.............. ) of the Trusts (b)Branch offices of prin- cipal underwriters........ ) * (c)Salesmen of principal underwriters.............. ) * 42. Ownership of trust's secu- rities by certain persons. ) * 43. Certain brokerage commis- sions received by princi- pal underwriters.......... ) Public Offering of Units 44. (a)Method of valuation..... ) Public Offering of Units (b)Schedule as to offering price..................... ) * (c)Variation in offering ) Public Offering of Units price to certain persons.. 45. Suspension of redemption rights.................... ) General Information--Redemption -IV- FORM N-8B-2 FORM S-6 ITEM NUMBER HEADING IN PROSPECTUS ----------- --------------------- 46. (a)Redemption valuation.... ) General Information--Redemption; ) General Information--Market for Units; ) Public Offering of Units (b)Schedule as to redemp- tion price................ ) * 47. Maintenance of position in ) General Information--Market for Units; underlying securities..... ) Public Offering of Units; ) General Information--Redemption V. INFORMATION CONCERNING THE TRUSTEE OR CUSTODIAN 48. Organization and regulation ) General Information--Administration of trustee................ ) of the Trusts 49. Fees and expenses of trust- ) General Information--Expenses of the Trusts ee........................ 50. Trustee's lien............. ) * VI. INFORMATION CONCERNING INSURANCE OF HOLDERS OF SECURITIES 51. Insurance of holders of trust's ) Cover Page; General Information-- securities.................. ) Expenses of the Trusts VII. POLICY OF REGISTRANT 52. (a) Provisions of trust agreement with respect to selection or ) The Trust Funds; The High Yield elimination of underlying se- ) Series--Portfolio; General curities..................... ) Information--Investment Supervision (b) Transactions involving elimi- nation of underlying securi- ties......................... ) * (c) Policy regarding substitution or elimination of underlying ) General Information--Investment securities................... ) Supervision; (d) Fundamental policy not other- wise covered................. ) * -V- FORM N-8B-2 FORM S-6 ITEM NUMBER HEADING IN PROSPECTUS ----------- --------------------- 53. Tax status of Trust.............. ) Essential Information; The High ) Yield Series--Portfolio; The ) High Yield Series--Federal Tax Status VIII. FINANCIAL AND STATISTICAL INFORMATION 54. Trust's securities during last ten years....................... ) * 55. ) * 56. Certain information regarding pe- riodic payment certificates..... ) * 57. ) * 58. ) * 59. Financial statements (Instruction 1(c) to Form S-6)............... ) * - ------------------------- * Inapplicable, answer negative or not required. -VI- Preliminary Prospectus Dated February 12, 1998 RANSON UNIT INVESTMENT TRUSTS, SERIES 65 (A Unit Investment Trust) The attached final Prospectus for a prior Series of the Fund is hereby used as a preliminary Prospectus for the above stated Series. The narrative information and structure of the attached final Prospectus will be substantially the same as that of the final Prospectus for this Series. Information with respect to pricing, the number of Units, dates and summary information regarding the characteristics of securities to be deposited in this Series is not now available and will be different since each Series has a unique Portfolio. Accordingly the information contained herein with regard to the previous Series should be considered as being included for informational purposes only. A registration statement relating to the units of this Series will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission but has not yet become effective. Information contained herein is subject to completion or amendment. Such Units may not be sold nor may offer to buy be accepted prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective. This Prospectus shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the Units in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state. [Incorporated herein by reference is the final prospectus from Ranson Unit Investment Trusts, Series 54 (Registration No. 333-20717) as filed on February 4, 1997, which shall be used as a preliminary prospectus for the current Series of the Fund.] CONTENTS OF REGISTRATION STATEMENT This Registration Statement comprises the following papers and documents. The facing sheet The Cross-Reference sheets The Prospectus The Signatures The following exhibits. 1.1. Trust Agreement (to be filed by amendment). 1.1.1. Standard Terms and Conditions of Trust (to be filed by amendment). 2.1. Form of Certificate of Ownership (pages three and four of the Standard Terms and Conditions of Trust included as Exhibit 1.1.1) (to be filed by amendment). 3.1. Opinion of counsel to the Sponsor as to legality of the securities being registered including a consent to the use of its name under "Legal Opinions" in the Prospectus. 3.2. Opinion of counsel to the Sponsor as to the tax status of the securities being registered (to be filed by amendment). 4.1. Consent of Independent Evaluators (to be filed by amendment). 4.2. Consent of Independent Certified Public Accountants (to be filed by amendment). S-1 SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant, Ranson Unit Investment Trusts, Series 65, has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Wichita, and State of Kansas, on the 12th day of February, 1998. RANSON UNIT INVESTMENT TRUSTS, SERIES 65, Registrant By: RANSON & ASSOCIATES, INC., Depositor By: ALEX R. MEITZNER --------------------------------------- Alex R. Meitzner Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed below on February 12, 1998 by the following persons, who constitute a majority of the Board of Directors of Ranson & Associates, Inc. SIGNATURE TITLE - --------------------- -------------------- DOUGLAS K. ROGERS Executive Vice ) - --------------------- President and Director ) Douglas K. Rogers ALEX R. MEITZNER Chairman of the Board ) - --------------------- of Directors ) Alex R. Meitzner ROBIN K. PINKERTON President, Secretary, ) - --------------------- Treasurer and Director ) ALEX R. MEITZNER Robin K. Pinkerton ----------------------- Alex R. Meitzner - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ An executed copy of each of the related powers of attorney was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the Registration Statement on Form S-6 of The Kansas Tax-Exempt Trust, Series 51 (File No. 33- 46376) and Series 52 (File No. 33-47687) and the same are hereby incorporated herein by this reference. S-2