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| Summary Prospectus |
February 28, 2023 |
Madison Conservative Allocation Fund |
Share Class/Ticker: Class A - MCNAX l Class C - MCOCX |
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Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund's prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund's prospectus, Statement of Additional Information (SAI) and other information about the Fund online at www.madisonfunds.com/ProspectusReports. You can also obtain this information at no cost by calling (800) 877-6089 or by sending an email request to madisonlitrequests@madisonadv.com. The current prospectus and SAI dated February 28, 2023, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus. |
Investment Objective
The Madison Conservative Allocation Fund seeks income, capital appreciation and relative stability of value.
Fees and Expenses
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below. You may qualify for Class A sales charge discounts if you and your immediate family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $25,000 in Madison Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional, in the “Sales Charges and Fees” section on page 65 of the prospectus, in the “More About Purchasing and Selling Shares” section on page 46 of the Funds' statement of additional information ("SAI") and in the sales charge waiver appendix to this prospectus.
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Shareholder Fees: (fees paid directly from your investment) | Class A | Class C |
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price) | 5.75% | None |
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of amount redeemed) | None | 1.00%¹ |
Redemption Fee Within 30 days of Purchase (as a percentage of amount redeemed) | None | None |
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Annual Fund Operating Expenses: (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | Class A | Class C |
Management Fees | 0.20% | 0.20% |
Distribution and/or Service (Rule 12b-1) Fees | 0.25% | 1.00% |
Other Expenses | 0.26% | 0.26% |
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses2 | 0.26% | 0.26% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses3 | 0.97% | 1.72% |
1 The CDSC is eliminated after 12 months following purchase.
2 Fees and expenses incurred indirectly by the Fund as a result of investment in shares of one more underlying funds.
3 Total annual fund operating expenses for the period ended October 31, 2022 do not match the financial statements because the financial statements do not include acquired fund fees and expenses.
Example:
The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then either redeem or not redeem your shares at the end of the period. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
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| Redemption | No Redemption |
| A | C | | A | C |
1 Year | $668 | $275 | | $668 | $175 |
3 Years | 866 | 542 | | 866 | 542 |
5 Years | 1,080 | 933 | | 1,080 | 933 |
10 Years | 1,696 | 2,030 | | 1,696 | 2,030 |
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in total annual fund operating expenses or in the expense examples above, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 84% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund invests primarily in shares of other registered investment companies (the “underlying funds”). The Fund will be diversified among a number of asset classes and its allocation among underlying funds will be based on an asset allocation model developed by Madison Asset Management, LLC (“Madison”), the Fund’s investment adviser. Under normal circumstances, the fund’s total net assets will be allocated among various asset classes and underlying funds, including those whose shares trade on a stock exchange (exchange traded funds or “ETFs”), with target
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allocations over time of approximately 35% equity investments and 65% fixed income investments. Underlying funds in which the Fund invests may include funds advised by Madison and/or its affiliates, including other Madison Funds (the “affiliated underlying funds”). Generally, Madison will not invest more than 75% of the Fund’s net assets, at the time of purchase, in affiliated underlying funds. Although actual allocations may vary, as of October 31, 2022, the Fund’s portfolio allocation as a percentage of net assets was: | | | | | | | | |
- | Alternative Funds: | 2.0 | % |
- | Bond Funds: | 64.9 | % |
- | Foreign Stock Funds: | 2.0 | % |
- | Short-Term Investments: | 25.1 | % |
- | Stock Funds: | 25.7 | % |
- | Net Other Assets and Liabilities: | -19.7 | % |
With regard to investments in debt securities, Madison’s bias is toward securities with intermediate and short-term maturities. As of December 31, 2022, the weighted average duration of the fund’s debt portfolio was 6.40 years.
Madison may employ multiple analytical approaches to determine the appropriate asset allocation for the Fund, including:
•Macroeconomic analysis. This approach analyzes high frequency economic and market data across the global markets in an effort to identify attractive investment opportunities in countries, regions and/or asset classes.
•Fundamental analysis. This approach reviews fundamental asset class valuation data to determine the absolute and relative attractiveness of existing and potential investment opportunities.
•Correlation analysis. This approach considers the degree to which returns in different asset classes do or do not move together, and the Fund’s aim to achieve a favorable overall risk and return profile.
•Scenario analysis. This approach analyzes historical and expected return data to model how individual asset classes and combinations of asset classes would affect the Fund under different economic and market conditions.
In addition, Madison has a flexible mandate that permits the Fund, at the sole discretion of Madison, to materially reduce equity risk exposures when and if conditions are deemed to warrant such an action.
The Fund’s investment strategy reflects Madison’s general “Participate and Protect®” investment philosophy. Madison’s expectation is that investors in the Fund will participate in market appreciation during bull markets and experience something less than full participation during bear markets compared with investors in portfolios holding more speculative and volatile securities; therefore, this investment philosophy is intended to represent a conservative investment strategy. There is no assurance that Madison’s expectations regarding this investment strategy will be realized.
Although the Fund expects to pursue its investment objective utilizing its principal investment strategies regardless of market conditions, the Fund may invest up to 100% in money market instruments. To the extent the Fund engages in this temporary defensive position, the fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective may be diminished.
Principal Risks
The Fund is a fund of funds, meaning that it invests primarily in the shares of underlying funds, including ETFs. Thus, the Fund’s investment performance and its ability to achieve its investment goal are directly related to the performance of the underlying funds in which it invests. Each underlying fund’s performance, in turn, depends on the particular securities in which that underlying fund invests and the expenses of that underlying fund. Accordingly, the Fund is subject to the risks of the underlying funds in direct proportion to the allocation of its assets among the underlying funds.
The specific risks of owning the Fund are set forth below. You could lose money as a result of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency, entity or person. The Fund’s share price and total return will fluctuate. You should consider your own investment goals, time horizon and risk tolerance before investing in the Fund.
Asset Allocation Risk. The Fund is subject to asset allocation risk, which is the risk that the selection of the underlying funds and the allocation of the Fund’s assets among the various asset classes and market segments will cause the Fund to underperform other funds with a similar investment objective.
Interest Rate Risk. The Fund, through the underlying funds, is subject to interest rate risk, which is the risk that the value of your investment will fluctuate with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in interest rates causes a decline in the market value of income-bearing securities. When interest rates rise, bond prices fall; generally, the longer a bond’s maturity, the more sensitive it is to this risk.
Credit and Prepayment/Extension Risk. The Fund, through the underlying funds, is also subject to credit risk, which is the risk that issuers of debt securities may be unable to meet their interest or principal payment obligations when due. There is also prepayment/extension risk, which is the chance that a rise/fall in interest rates will reduce/extend the life of a mortgage-backed security by increasing/decreasing mortgage prepayments, typically reducing the underlying fund’s return.
Non-Investment Grade Security Risk. The Fund, through the underlying funds, may invest in non-investment grade securities (i.e., “junk” bonds). Issuers of non-investment grade securities are typically in weak financial health and their ability to pay interest and principal is uncertain. Compared to issuers of investment-grade bonds, they are more likely to encounter financial difficulties and to be materially affected by these difficulties when they do encounter them. “Junk” bond markets may react strongly to adverse news about an issuer or the economy, or to the perception or expectation of adverse news.
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Equity Risk. The Fund, through the underlying funds, is subject to equity risk. Equity risk is the risk that securities held by the Fund will fluctuate in value due to general market or economic conditions, perceptions regarding the industries in which the issuers of securities held by the Fund participate, and the circumstances and performance of companies whose securities the Fund holds. In addition, while broad market measures of common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, common stocks have also experienced significantly more volatility in those returns.
ETF Risks. The main risks of investing in ETFs are the same as investing in a portfolio of equity securities comprising the index on which the ETF is based, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in it being more volatile than the securities comprising the index. Additionally, the market prices of ETFs will fluctuate in accordance with both changes in the market value of their underlying portfolio securities and due to supply and demand for the instruments on the exchanges on which they are traded (which may result in their trading at a discount or premium to their net asset values). Index-based ETF investments may not replicate exactly the performance of their specific index because of transaction costs and because of the temporary unavailability of certain component securities of the index.
Foreign Security Risk. Investments of underlying funds that invest in foreign securities involve risks relating to currency fluctuations and to political, social and economic developments abroad, as well as risks resulting from differences between the regulations to which U.S. and foreign issuers and markets are subject. These risks may be greater in emerging markets. The investment markets of emerging countries are generally more volatile than markets of developed countries with more mature economies.
Market Risk. While the majority of the Fund’s assets will typically be invested in underlying funds that invest primarily in debt securities, to the extent that the Fund invests in underlying funds that invest in equities, the Fund is subject to market risk, which is the risk that the value of an investment may fluctuate in response to stock market movements.
Performance
The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s investment results have varied from year to year. The table shows the Fund’s average annual total returns for various periods compared to a broad market index, as well as a custom index that reflects the Fund’s asset allocation targets. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of its future performance. Updated performance information current to the most recent month end is available at no cost by visiting www.madisonfunds.com or by calling 1-800-877-6089.
Calendar Year Total Returns for Class A Shares
(Returns do not reflect sales charges and would be lower if they did.)
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| Highest/Lowest quarter end results during this period were: |
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| Highest: | 2Q 2020 | 7.42% |
| Lowest: | 2Q 2022 | -7.84% |
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Average Annual Total Returns
For Periods Ended December 31, 2022
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| 1 Year | 5 Years | 10 Years |
Class A Shares – Return Before Taxes | -18.72% | -0.08% | 2.51% |
Return After Taxes on Distributions | -19.12% | -1.46% | 1.17% |
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | -10.99% | -0.27% | 1.66% |
Class C Shares – Return before Taxes | -15.33% | 0.35% | 2.35% |
ICE BofA U.S. Corporate, Government & Mortgage Index (reflects no deduction for sales charges, account fees, expenses or taxes) | -13.31% | 0.00% | 1.06% |
Conservative Allocation Fund Custom Index (reflects no deduction for sales charges, account fees, expenses or taxes) | -14.59% | 2.56% | 4.22% |
The Conservative Allocation Fund Custom Index consists of 65% Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, 24.5% Russell 3000® Index and 10.5% MSCI ACWI ex-USA Index.
After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns are shown only for Class A shares and will vary for other share classes. Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares may be higher than other returns for the same period due to the tax benefit of realizing a capital loss on the sale of Fund shares.
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Portfolio Management
The investment adviser to the Fund is Madison Asset Management, LLC. David Hottmann, CFA and CPA (Vice President, Portfolio Manager), Patrick Ryan, CFA (Head of Multi-Asset Solutions, Portfolio Manager) and Stuart Dybdahl, CFA and CAIA (Vice President, Portfolio Manager/Analyst) co-manage the Fund. Mr. Hottmann has served in this capacity since September 2009, Mr. Ryan has served in this capacity since January 2008 and Mr. Dybdahl has served in this capacity since February 2023.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The minimum investment amount to establish an account in Class A and Class C shares is normally $1,000 for non-retirement accounts and $500 for individual retirement and education savings accounts, and the minimum to add to an account is $50. For an account established with an automatic investment plan the minimum is $50 per month to establish or add to an account.
The Fund will waive the minimum investment requirements for certain employee benefit plans and for certain financial intermediaries that submit orders on behalf of their customers, although the intermediaries may impose their own minimum investment requirements. The Fund may also reduce or waive the minimum investment requirements under certain circumstances and on a case-by-case basis if deemed to be in the best interest of the Fund.
You may generally purchase, exchange or redeem shares of the Fund on any day the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open for business by written request (Madison Funds, P.O. Box 219083, Kansas City, MO 64121-9083), by telephone (1-800-877-6089), by contacting your financial professional, by wire (purchases only) or, with respect to purchases and exchanges, online at www.madisonfunds.com. Requests must be received in good order by the Fund or its transfer agent prior to the close of regular trading of the NYSE in order to receive that day's net asset value. Investors wishing to purchase or redeem shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary should contact the broker-dealer or financial intermediary to learn how to place an order.
Tax Information
Dividends and capital gains distributions you receive from the Fund are subject to federal income taxes and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are tax-exempt or your account is tax-exempt or tax-deferred (in which case, such distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal). Distributions from the Fund may be taxed as ordinary income or long-term capital gains.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or trust company), the Fund and the Fund’s distributor or its affiliates may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your individual financial adviser to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your individual financial adviser or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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