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Duration is a measure of the price sensitivity of a debt security or a portfolio of debt securities to relative changes in interest rates. Generally, the higher a debt security’s duration, the greater its price sensitivity to a change in interest rates. For instance, a duration of three years means that a security’s or portfolio’s price would be expected to decrease by approximately 3% with a 1% increase in interest rates (assuming a parallel shift in yield curve). In contrast to duration, maturity measures only the time until final payment is due. Investors should be aware that effective duration is not an exact measurement and may not predict a particular security’s sensitivity to changes in interest rates. |
Prior to May 1, 2026, the Fund had a different investment objective and pursued different investment strategies. As such, for a period of time following this date the Fund may
not be invested consistent with its investment strategies or investment approach while the Fund
realigns its portfolio in a manner consistent with the investment objective and strategies set forth above and elsewhere in this Prospectus. While the portfolio is being repositioned, the Fund also may have a
shorter average duration than after the repositioning is complete (including potentially less
than 3 years).
Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at
least 50% of its total assets in municipal securities, the income from which is exempt from
federal income tax. The Fund also may invest in taxable instruments.
Municipal securities are securities issued by or on behalf of states,
territories and possessions of the United States, including the District of Columbia, and their respective authorities, political subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities and other groups with the authority to act for the
municipalities, the interest on which, if any, is exempt from federal income tax but may be
subject to the federal alternative minimum tax for individuals. Municipal securities may have fixed, variable or floating interest rates and may include, but are not limited to, variable rate demand obligations, short-term municipal
notes, municipal bonds (including revenue bonds), municipal whole loans, tax exempt commercial
paper, zero-coupon securities, private activity and industrial development bonds, municipal lease obligations, tax anticipation notes, participations in
pools of municipal securities, municipal mortgage-backed and
asset-backed securities (including collateralized mortgage obligations), auction rate securities,
callable bonds, securitized products, and restricted securities. The Fund may also invest in
money market instruments. The portion of the Fund not invested in municipal securities may
include investments in bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various
U.S. and non-U.S. public-or private-sector entities, including emerging market securities, and investments in investment companies, including open-end, closed-end and exchange-traded funds.
Municipal securities may also include instruments evidencing direct ownership of interest payments or principal payments, or both, on municipal securities, such as tender
option bonds and participation interests in all or part of specific holdings of municipal
obligations, provided that the applicable issuer receives assurances from legal counsel that the interest payable
on the securities is exempt from federal
income tax. Additionally, municipal securities include all other instruments that directly or
indirectly provide economic exposure to income which is derived from municipalities.
While the Fund intends to generate tax-exempt income through its municipal securities investments, it may
generate taxable income and gains through investments in non-tax exempt securities and through
sales of both tax-exempt and non-tax exempt securities. Also, although interest on municipal securities is exempt from federal income tax, interest on certain bonds may be subject to the federal alternative
minimum tax for individuals.
The Fund also may invest in taxable securities, including but not limited to corporate bonds, asset-backed and mortgage-related securities, privately-issued (Rule 144A)
securities, loan assignments and participations, U.S. government and agency securities and
similar instruments issued by various public- or private-sector entities in the United States and its territories and possessions, including U.S. Treasuries, securities issued by investment companies, including open-end,
closed-end and exchange-traded funds, and other pooled investment vehicles, which may include
private funds.
Most of the Fund’s investments will be
investment grade at the time of investment, although up to 20% of the Fund’s total assets
may be invested in below investment grade securities as described below. The Fund’s investment grade investments will at the time of investment: (i) carry a short-term rating of P-2, A-2 or F2 or higher by any of Moody’s
Investors Service Inc. (“Moody’s”), Standard & Poor’s Corporation (“S&P”) and Fitch Ratings (“Fitch”), respectively, or the equivalent by another nationally recognized statistical
rating organization (“NRSRO”); (ii) carry a long-term rating of Baa3, BBB– or BBB– or higher by any of Moody’s, S&P and Fitch, respectively, or the equivalent by another NRSRO; or (iii) if such
investments are unrated, deemed by a Sub-Adviser (as defined below) to be of comparable quality
at the time of purchase. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in securities that are
rated below investment grade (commonly known as “high yield securities” or “junk bonds”), or are unrated securities that a Sub-Adviser determines are of comparable quality. Below investment grade
securities generally offer a higher yield than investment grade securities, but involve a high
degree of risk. A security’s quality is determined at the time of purchase and securities that are rated investment grade or the unrated equivalent may be downgraded or decline in credit quality such that subsequently they
would be deemed to be below investment grade.
The Fund has flexibility to invest in derivatives and may use such instruments to manage duration, sector and yield curve exposure, credit quality, credit and spread
volatility and/or as substitutes for securities and other instruments in which the Fund can
invest. Derivatives are instruments which have a value based on another instrument, exchange rate or index. The Fund may use futures, options, swaps, and forward contracts, as well as repurchase agreements and reverse
repurchase
agreements, in connection with its principal strategies in certain market
conditions in order to hedge various investments, for risk management purposes and/or to increase income or gain to the Fund.
The Fund will likely engage in active and frequent trading. The frequency with which the Fund buys and sells
securities will vary from year to year, depending on market conditions.