the near future, and in derivatives and other instruments that have economic characteristics similar to such
securities.
The Fund can invest in issuers in all capitalization ranges. Currently, the
Fund’s stock investments are focused on large-cap issuers, but that emphasis can change over time.
While the Fund mainly invests in common stocks of U.S. companies, it may also invest in other securities, including foreign securities, fixed-income instruments, convertible securities, preferred stocks, and derivatives such as covered
call options.
In selecting investments for the Fund, the Fund uses a
“bottom up” approach that focuses on the fundamental prospects of individual companies and
issuers. The Fund mainly seeks companies that are believed to possess durable advantages relative to competitors within its industry, as well as whose managers generally prioritize dividend growth relative to other uses of corporate cash flow.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
As with any mutual fund investment, loss of money is a risk of investing. An investment in the Fund is
not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency. The risks associated with an investment in the Fund can increase during times of significant market volatility. The principal risks of investing in the Fund
are:
Market Risk. The market values of the Fund’s investments, and therefore the value of the Fund’s shares, will go up and
down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Market risk may affect a single issuer, industry or section of
the economy, or it may affect the market as a whole. The value of the Fund’s investments may go up or down due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to the particular issuer, such as real or perceived adverse economic
conditions, changes in the general outlook for revenues or corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, regional or global instability, natural or environmental disasters, widespread disease or other public health
issues, war, acts of terrorism or adverse investor sentiment generally. During a general downturn in the
financial markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value. When markets perform well, there can be no
assurance that specific investments held by the Fund will rise in value.
Investing in Stocks Risk. The value of the Fund’s portfolio may be affected by changes in the stock markets. Stock markets may experience significant short-term volatility and may fall or
rise sharply at times. Adverse events in any part of the equity or fixed-income markets may have unexpected
negative effects on other market segments. Different stock markets may behave differently from each other and U.S. stock markets may move in the opposite direction from one or more foreign stock markets.
The prices of individual stocks generally do not all move in the same direction at the same time.
However, individual stock prices tend to go up and down more dramatically than those of certain other types of investments, such as bonds. A variety of factors can negatively affect the price of a particular company’s stock.
These factors may include, but are not limited to: poor earnings reports, a loss of customers, litigation against the company, general unfavorable performance of the company’s sector or industry, or changes in government regulations
affecting the company or its industry. To the extent that securities of a particular type are emphasized (for
example foreign stocks, stocks of small- or mid-cap companies, growth or value stocks, or stocks of
companies in a particular industry), fund share values may fluctuate more in response to events affecting the market for those types of securities.
Sector Focus Risk. The Fund may from time to time have a significant amount of its assets invested in one market sector or group of related industries. In this event, the Fund’s
performance will depend to a greater extent on the overall condition of the sector or group of industries and there is increased risk that the Fund will lose significant value if conditions adversely affect that sector or group of
industries.
Dividend Risk. As a group, securities that pay high dividends may fall out of favor with investors and underperform companies that do
not pay
high dividends. Companies that
pay dividends are not required to continue paying them. Therefore, there is the possibility that such companies could reduce or eliminate the payment of dividends in the future or an anticipated acceleration of dividends may not occur.
Depending on market conditions, dividend paying that meet the Fund’s investment criteria may not be widely available for purchase by the Fund, which may increase the volatility of the Fund’s returns and limit its ability
to produce current income while remaining fully diversified. High-dividend stocks may not experience high
earnings growth or capital appreciation. The Fund’s performance during a broad market advance could
suffer because dividend paying stocks may not experience the same capital appreciation as non-dividend paying stocks.
Small- and Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Investing in securities of small- and mid-capitalization companies involves greater risk than customarily is associated with investing in larger, more established companies. Stocks of small- and mid-capitalization
companies tend to be more vulnerable to changing market conditions, may have little or no operating history
or track record of success, and may have more limited product lines and markets, less experienced management and fewer financial resources than larger companies. These companies’ securities may be more volatile and less liquid than
those of more established companies. They may be more sensitive to changes in a company’s earnings
expectations and may experience more abrupt and erratic price movements. Smaller companies’
securities often trade in lower volumes and in many instances, are traded over-the-counter or on a regional securities exchange, where the frequency and volume of trading is substantially less than is typical for securities of larger companies
traded on national securities exchanges. Therefore, the securities of smaller companies may be subject to
wider price fluctuations and it might be harder for the Fund to dispose of its holdings at an acceptable price when it wants to sell them. Since small- and mid-cap companies typically reinvest a high proportion of their earnings in their business, they may not pay
dividends for some time, particularly if they are newer companies. It may take a substantial period of time to realize a gain on an investment in a small- or mid-cap company, if any gain is realized at all.
Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund's foreign investments may be adversely affected by political and social instability, changes in economic or
taxation policies, difficulty in enforcing obligations, decreased liquidity or increased volatility.
Foreign investments also involve the risk of the possible seizure, nationalization or expropriation of the issuer or foreign deposits (in which the Fund could lose its entire investments in a certain market) and the possible adoption of foreign governmental
restrictions such as exchange controls. Foreign companies generally may be subject to less stringent
regulations than U.S. companies, including financial reporting requirements and auditing and accounting
controls, and may therefore be more susceptible to fraud or corruption. There may be less public information
available about foreign companies than U.S. companies, making it difficult to evaluate those foreign
companies. Unless the Fund has hedged its foreign currency exposure, foreign securities risk also involves the risk of negative foreign currency rate fluctuations, which may cause the value of securities denominated in such foreign
currency (or other instruments through which the Fund has exposure to foreign currencies) to decline in
value. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. Currency hedging
strategies, if used, are not always successful.
Changing Fixed Income Market Conditions Risk. The current low interest rate environment was created in part by the Federal Reserve Board (FRB) and certain foreign central banks keeping the
federal funds and equivalent foreign rates near historical lows. Increases in the federal funds and
equivalent foreign rates may expose fixed income markets to heightened volatility and reduced liquidity for
certain fixed income investments, particularly those with longer maturities. In addition, decreases in fixed
income dealer market-making capacity may also potentially lead to heightened volatility and reduced
liquidity in the fixed income markets. As a result, the value of the Fund’s investments and share price may decline.