Debt Securities”). Generally, these Municipal Debt Securities are issued by or on behalf of the State of Minnesota and its political subdivisions, agencies, authorities and instrumentalities, and by other qualified issuers located in Minnesota. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in debt securities that pay interest subject to taxation, including the federal alternative minimum tax (“AMT”).
The Fund can invest in all types of Municipal Debt Securities, including municipal lease obligations (and certificates of participation in such obligations), insured municipal bonds, municipal general obligation bonds, municipal revenue bonds, municipal notes, municipal cash equivalents, private activity bonds, and pre-refunded and escrowed to maturity bonds. In addition, Municipal Debt Securities include securities issued by custodial receipt trusts, which are investment vehicles the underlying assets of which are municipal bonds. Municipal Debt Securities 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. The Fund may invest in Municipal Debt Securities of any duration and any maturity and does not seek to maintain a particular dollar-weighted average maturity. The Fund may purchase and sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis. The Fund may invest in other investment companies, including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), to obtain exposure to certain Municipal Debt Securities, or for liquidity or other reasons. The Fund may invest in zero coupon bonds, which are issued at substantial discounts from their value at maturity and pay no cash income to their holders until they mature.
Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest at least 75% of its net assets in securities that are, at the time of investment, rated investment grade (i.e., rated Baa3/BBB- or above) by at least one nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”), but may invest up to 25% of its net assets at the time of investment in non-investment-grade securities, which are not in default (i.e., rated within B3/B- to Ba1/BB+, sometimes called “junk bonds”), as well as unrated securities. The Fund is not permitted to invest in securities that are rated below B3/B- or equivalent NRSRO ratings, or securities deemed either in default or near default by the Fund’s investment adviser, Mairs & Power, Inc. (the
“Adviser”). The Fund will consider pre-refunded or escrowed-to maturity bonds using U.S. Treasury securities or U.S. government agency securities, regardless of rating, to be investment grade securities.
The Fund does not seek to replicate any index and is actively managed. The Adviser employs primarily a buy and hold strategy seeking income rather than capital returns. The Adviser conducts fundamental analysis on the issue prior to purchasing debt securities. The Adviser may choose to sell securities for a variety of reasons, such as deteriorating credit or to secure gains, limit losses, extend or shorten duration, or redeploy assets into more promising opportunities.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. The principal risks are presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks and comparing them with those of other funds. As with any investment, there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its investment objective. The following additional risks could affect the value of your investment. You should understand these risks before investing. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund’s Prospectus titled “Fund Details — Principal Risks.” The principal risks of investing in the Fund are:
•Active Management Risk. Active management by the Adviser in selecting and maintaining a portfolio of securities that will achieve the Fund’s investment objective could cause the Fund to underperform compared to other funds having similar investment objectives.
•AMT Risk. Certain bonds owned by the Fund may generate income that is subject to the federal AMT. The interest on these “private activity” bonds could become subject to the federal AMT if you are a taxpayer that meets the AMT criteria. If you are subject to the federal AMT, you will be required to add any income attributable to these bonds (as reported by the Fund annually) to other so-called “tax preference items” to determine possible liability for the federal AMT.
•Below Investment Grade Bonds Risk. The Fund’s investments in below investment grade bonds are subject to a greater risk of loss of