e497
Filed pursuant to Rule 497(c)
File Nos. 33-11981 and
811-05009
COLORADO BONDSHARES
A TAX-EXEMPT FUND
PROSPECTUS
January 30, 2006
Colorado BondShares A Tax-Exempt Fund is a
diversified, open-end mutual fund that invests your money in
tax-exempt bonds and other tax-exempt securities, including
tax-exempt notes and tax-exempt municipal leases of the State of
Colorado, its political subdivisions, municipalities and public
authorities.
Neither the Securities and Exchange
Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or
disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this
prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal
offense.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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RISK/ RETURN SUMMARY
Investments, Risk and
Performance
Fund Investment Objectives/
Goals
Colorado BondShares A Tax-Exempt Fund (the
Fund) is a diversified, open-end mutual fund whose
primary goal is to maximize income that is exempt from both
federal and Colorado state income taxes while simultaneously
preserving capital. The Fund also seeks opportunities for
capital appreciation.
Principal Investment Strategies of the
Fund
We will invest in tax-exempt bonds and other tax-exempt
securities, including tax-exempt notes and tax-exempt municipal
leases of the State of Colorado, its political subdivisions,
municipalities and public authorities (Tax-Exempt
Obligations). The interest earned on these investments is
exempt from regular federal income taxes and from Colorado
personal income taxes. See WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF INCOME
TAX ON MY INVESTMENT?
Principal Risks of Investing in the
Fund
By investing in the Fund, you are subject to several investment
risks. The occurrence of any one of these risks, or a
combination of these risks, could adversely affect the
Funds net asset value, yield and/or total return. By
investing in the Fund, you are exposed to the following
principal risks:
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Your investment in the Fund is not insured or guaranteed by any
government agency. |
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You can lose money on your investment. |
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We are not limited in the amount of Fund assets that can be
invested in Tax-Exempt Obligations. A downturn in the municipal
debt market would negatively affect your investment. |
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We will invest up to 100% of our assets in not rated Tax-Exempt
Obligations. These not rated obligations generally have a higher
level of credit risk and market risk than rated obligations. |
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We can invest in lower rated Tax-Exempt Obligations. Securities
with lower ratings are generally more sensitive to changes in
economic and other conditions. These lower rated securities have
a higher risk of default which makes your investment high risk. |
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The market to buy and sell the Tax-Exempt Obligations may be
limited because these obligations may be not rated or lower
rated. |
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The tax-exempt status of some or all of the Tax-Exempt
Obligations may be modified or eliminated through legislative
action. |
The Fund is designed for investors subject to income taxation in
the higher tax brackets who can take advantage of the tax-exempt
nature of the Funds income. The Fund is not intended for
tax-exempt investors such as pension funds, charities or IRAs
who cannot take advantage of the tax benefits of the Fund.
2
Bar Chart and Table
The following bar chart and table show the risks of investing in
the Fund by showing changes in the Funds performance from
year to year and by showing how the Funds average annual
returns for the one-year, five-year and
10-year periods ended
December 31, 2005 compare with those of a broad measure of
market performance. The Funds past performance (before and
after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund
will perform in the future.
Total Return Performance at Net Asset
Value
The following bar chart shows the Funds annual total
returns* for each of the last 10 calendar years:
(CHART)
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1996
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8.04 |
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1997
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9.36 |
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1998
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6.42 |
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1999
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3.29 |
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2000
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7.75 |
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2001
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7.06 |
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2002
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6.05 |
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2003
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6.61 |
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2004
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5.43 |
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2005
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5.83 |
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* |
Past performance is not predictive of future performance. The
annual total returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that
a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption
of shares of the Fund, and do not include the imposition of the
sales charge and assumes reinvestment of all dividends and
distributions. If sales charges were reflected, the returns
would be less than those shown. |
The first quarter return for the quarter ended December 31,
2005 is 1.20%. Based on that return, the projected annualized
return for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2006 is
4.80%. However, no assurances can be provided that the return
realized in the quarter ended December 31, 2005 will be
maintained over the remainder of the fiscal year ending
September 30, 2006.
Total return at net asset value is the percentage change in the
value of a hypothetical investment that has occurred in the
indicated period of time. The data reflected in the graph
include the reinvestment of all dividends and distributions, but
do not include the imposition of the sales charge. If sales
charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those
shown. The Funds highest and lowest returns for a quarter
during the 10-year
period reflected on the graph and chart above were 2.80% in the
second quarter of 1997 and 0.43% in the first quarter of 2003,
respectively.
3
Average Annual Total Return
The following table summarizes the Funds average annual
total return (before taxes, after taxes on distributions and
after taxes on distributions and sales of shares of the Fund)
for the one-, five- and 10-calendar year periods ended
December 31, 2005 for the Lipper General Municipal Debt
Fund Index (Lipper Index) and the Lehman
Brothers Municipal Bond Index (Lehman Index):
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AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS (1) |
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(for the periods ended December 31, 2005) |
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1 Year | |
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5 Years | |
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10 Years | |
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Average Annual Total Return Before Taxes
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0.80 |
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5.16 |
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6.05 |
% |
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Average Annual Total Return After Taxes on Distributions(2)
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0.78 |
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5.15 |
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6.05 |
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Average Annual Total Return After Taxes on Distributions and
Sales of Fund Shares(2)
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2.29 |
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5.40 |
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6.12 |
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Lipper Index(3)
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3.70 |
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5.18 |
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5.08 |
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Lehman Index(4)
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3.51 |
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5.59 |
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5.71 |
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* |
Past performance (before and after taxes) is not indicative of
future performance. |
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(1) |
The average annual total return includes the imposition of the
sales charge and assumes reinvestment of all dividends and
distributions. |
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(2) |
The after-tax returns are calculated using the historical
highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not
reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax
returns depend on an investors 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 on distributions and
sales of shares of the Fund will be higher than other return
figures for the same period if a capital loss occurs upon
redemption and results in an assumed tax deduction for the
shareholder. |
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(3) |
The Lipper Index is a non-weighted index of the 30 largest funds
within the investment objective of the General Municipal Debt.
It reflects no deductions for fees, expenses or taxes. The
Lipper Index was included because it was the index utilized by
the Fund in the immediately preceding period. |
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(4) |
The Lehman Index represents an unmanaged group of securities
widely regarded by investors as representative of the bond
market. You cannot invest directly in this index. This index
does not have an investment advisor and does not pay any
commissions, expenses or taxes. If this index did pay
commissions, expenses or taxes, its returns would be lower. The
Fund selected the Lehman Index to compare the returns of the
Fund to an appropriate broad-based securities market index. You
should note, however, that there are some fundamental
differences between the portfolio of securities invested in by
the Fund and the securities represented by the Lehman Index.
Unlike the Fund which invests primarily in not-rated securities
on issues of any size, the Lehman Index only includes securities
with a rating of at least Baa by Moodys
Investor Services, Inc. from an issue size of no less than
$50,000,000. Some of these differences between the portfolio of
the Fund and the securities represented by the Lehman Index may
cause the performance of the Fund to differ from the performance
of the Lehman Index. |
4
FEE TABLE
We provide the following table to help you understand the fees
and expenses that you will pay if you invest in the Fund.
Shareholder fees will be paid directly by you when you purchase
shares of the Fund. Indirectly, you will also incur the annual
operating expenses of the Fund, which are fees that will be
deducted from the Fund assets. These costs and expenses are
described more fully in the WHAT DO SHARES COST?
section of the prospectus.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses for fiscal year ended
September 30, 2005
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Shareholder Fees (paid directly by you)
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Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a
percentage of offering price)
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4.75% |
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Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends
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None |
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Redemption Fee
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None |
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Exchange Fee
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None |
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Maximum Account Fee
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None |
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Annual Fund Operating Expenses (indirectly paid by you)
(as a percentage of average net assets)
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Management Fee(1)
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0.50% |
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Distribution (12b-1) Fees
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None |
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Other Expenses(2)
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0.08% |
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Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
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0.58% |
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(1) |
Management fees are described more fully in HOW IS THE
FUND MANAGED? |
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(2) |
The percentage figure above for Other Expenses is
based on total expenses that were incurred for the most recent
fiscal year. This percentage does not include the earnings
credits that the Fund receives on cash balances maintained with
the custodian. The earnings credits resulted in offsetting
custodian fees of $82,363 and reduced fees for services provided
by Standard & Poors Rating Services, a division
of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., of $15,376. |
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 that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the
time periods indicated and then redeemed all of your shares at
the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your
investment has a 5% return each year and that the Funds
operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs
may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs
would be:
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1 Year | |
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3 Years | |
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5 Years | |
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10 Years | |
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$ |
533 |
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$ |
656 |
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$ |
790 |
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$ |
1,181 |
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If you did not redeem your shares, you would pay the same
expenses described above, because the Fund does not charge a
redemption fee.
5
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES, PRINCIPAL
INVESTMENT STRATEGIES, AND RELATED RISKS
WHAT ARE THE INVESTMENT POLICIES OF THE
FUND?
The Fund has fundamental investment policies that cannot be
changed unless the change is approved by a vote of the security
holders. The Fund also has non-fundamental investment policies
that can be changed by the Board of Trustees of the Fund (the
Board), without a vote of the holders of the voting
securities of the Fund. The investment policies of the Fund are
carried out by the investment adviser of the Fund, Freedom Funds
Management Company (the Investment Adviser).
The Funds principal investment objective is to maximize
income that is exempt from both federal and Colorado income
taxes while simultaneously preserving capital. This principal
objective is a fundamental policy of the Fund that cannot be
changed without a shareholder vote.
The Fund will attempt to maximize income exempt from federal
income tax and Colorado personal income taxes by investing up to
100% of its assets in Tax-Exempt Obligations that are not rated.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest at least 65% of
the value of its total assets in tax-exempt bonds. The balance
of its total assets will be invested (subject to certain
permitted temporary, defensive or money market investments
described below) in other tax-exempt securities of the State of
Colorado, its political subdivisions, municipalities and public
authorities, the interest on which is exempt from regular
federal income taxes and from Colorado personal income taxes.
The Fund will primarily invest in Tax-Exempt Obligations that
are not rated on the date of investment. The Fund is not limited
in the percentage of not rated Obligations in which it can
invest. The Fund cannot invest more than 50% of its assets in
rated Tax-Exempt Obligations.
With respect to Tax-Exempt Obligations which are not rated by a
major rating agency, the Investment Adviser believes that the
Investment Advisers judgment, analysis and experience are
more important than they would be if such Tax-Exempt Obligations
were rated. The Investment Adviser will try to reduce the risk
associated with investing in not rated Tax-Exempt Obligations
by: (a) performing credit analysis; (b) reviewing the
current economic trends and developments in the geographic areas
affecting the Funds investments; and (c) actively
managing and diversifying the portfolio among municipal issuers.
Less than 35% of the value of the Funds total assets will
be invested in Tax-Exempt Obligations that are rated lower than
Baa by Moodys Investors Service, Inc.
(Moodys) or lower than BBB by
Standard & Poors Rating Services, a division of
the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (S&P), or, if
not rated, of equivalent quality as determined by the Investment
Adviser. However, this percentage limitation applies only at the
time of purchase and the Fund is not required to dispose of a
Tax-Exempt Obligation if downgraded by a rating service or, if
not rated, the Investment Adviser determines that a Tax-Exempt
Obligation no longer is of equivalent quality. See WHAT
ARE THE RISKS OF INVESTING IN LOWER RATED TAX-EXEMPT
OBLIGATIONS?
Generally, the Fund will not buy illiquid securities or
Tax-Exempt Obligations for which an active trading market does
not exist. Moreover, as a matter of fundamental policy, in no
event will the Fund acquire Tax-Exempt Obligations (including
not rated Tax-Exempt Obligations) or other illiquid assets for
which there is no active trading market if such Tax-Exempt
Obligations and illiquid assets, in the aggregate, would
comprise 10% or more of the net assets of the Fund. Included in
this 10% limitation are restricted or not readily marketable
securities and repurchase agreements maturing or terminable in
more than seven days. Although there may be no daily bid and
asked activity for certain not rated Tax-Exempt Obligations,
there is an active secondary market for them, and for this
reason the Funds Investment Adviser considers them to be
liquid.
Under normal market conditions, the Fund will attempt to invest
100% and as a matter of fundamental policy will, except for
temporary investments as described below, invest at least 80% of
the value of its net assets in Tax-Exempt Obligations, the
interest on which is exempt from regular federal income taxes
and from Colorado personal income tax and which is not subject
to the alternative minimum tax. Such securities trade primarily
in the over-the-counter
market. See
6
WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF INCOME TAX ON MY INVESTMENT?
The Fund may, on a temporary basis, invest up to 50% of the
value of its net assets in Tax-Exempt Obligations, the interest
on which is exempt from regular federal income tax, but not
Colorado personal income tax. Such Tax-Exempt Obligations would
include those which are set forth under WHAT ARE
TAX-EXEMPT OBLIGATIONS? and which would otherwise meet the
Funds objectives. This may be done if in the judgment of
the Investment Adviser sufficient Colorado Tax-Exempt
Obligations are not available for purchase, for temporary
defensive purposes or to meet the cash needs of the Fund.
The Fund also may invest up to 20% of the value of its net
assets in fixed-income securities, the interest on which is
subject to federal, state and local income tax. This may be done
(a) pending the investment or reinvestment in Tax-Exempt
Obligations, (b) in order to avoid the necessity of
liquidating portfolio investments to meet redemptions of shares
by investors, or (c) where market conditions due to rising
interest rates or other adverse factors warrant temporary
investing for defensive purposes. For purposes of this
paragraph, the term fixed-income securities shall
include only securities issued or guaranteed by the United
States Government (such as bills, notes and bonds), its
agencies, instrumentalities or authorities, and certificates of
deposit of domestic banks which have capital, surplus and
undivided profits of over $1 billion and which are members
of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The Fund may also
invest in other taxable securities if, and only if, such
investment is necessary to preserve the Funds lien in a
foreclosure or other similar proceeding. In addition to
short-term investing in fixed-income securities, it is a
fundamental policy of the Fund that it may invest up to 10% of
the value of its net assets in the shares of registered
investment companies which qualify as money market funds, the
distributions from which are exempt from federal income taxation.
The Fund may borrow money from banks for temporary purposes
only, and in an amount not to exceed 10% of the value of its
total assets. The Fund will not purchase portfolio securities if
it has outstanding borrowings in excess of 5% of the value of
its total assets.
The Fund may purchase, without limitation, securities on a
when-issued basis, in which case delivery and
payment normally take place within 45 days from the
commitment to purchase.
A separate account of the Fund consisting of cash or liquid
high-grade debt securities equal to the amount of the Tax-Exempt
Obligations purchased by the Fund on a when-issued
basis will be established with the Funds custodian and
marked to market daily, with additional cash or liquid
high-grade debt securities added when necessary.
The Fund may, from time to time, own zero coupon bonds or
pay-in-kind securities.
A zero coupon bond makes no periodic interest payments and the
entire obligation becomes due only upon maturity.
Pay-in-kind securities
make periodic payments in the form of additional securities (as
opposed to cash).
The price of zero coupon bonds and
pay-in-kind securities
are generally more sensitive to fluctuations in interest rates
than the price of conventional bonds. Additionally, federal tax
law requires that interest on zero coupon bonds and
paid-in-kind securities
be reported as income to the Fund even though the Fund received
no cash interest until the maturity or payment date of such
securities.
The Fund may also purchase floating rate and variable rate
securities and municipal leases, including participation
interests therein. For information about these Tax-Exempt
Obligations and their potential effect on your investment, see
WHAT ARE TAX-EXEMPT OBLIGATIONS?
WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF INVESTING IN NOT
RATED TAX-EXEMPT OBLIGATIONS?
The Fund will attempt to maximize income exempt from federal and
Colorado personal income taxes by investing up to 100% of its
assets in Tax-Exempt Obligations that are not rated. Obligations
which are not rated generally offer higher yields than
Tax-Exempt Obligations in the higher ratings categories, but
also are generally subject to higher risk. The following is a
list of the risks associated with investing in not rated
Tax-Exempt Obligations. Any one of these risks, or a combination
of these risks, could adversely affect the Funds net asset
value, yield and total return. The anticipated higher yield from
the not rated obligations
7
may not be sufficient to offset losses caused by the following:
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Credit risk is the possibility that a bond issuer will fail to
make timely payments of either interest or principal. |
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Market risk is the potential for changes in bond prices due to
changing market conditions or interest rates. |
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Income risk is the potential for a decline in income due to
falling interest rates. |
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Prepayment risk or call risk is the likelihood that, during
periods of falling interest rates, bonds will be prepaid or
called prior to maturity, requiring the proceeds to
be invested at a generally lower interest rate. |
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Liquidity risk is the reduced ability to sell or dispose of such
obligations if shareholders request redemption of their shares. |
WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF INVESTING IN
LOWER RATED TAX-EXEMPT OBLIGATIONS?
There are several risks associated with investing in not rated
obligations. Any one of these risks, or a combination of them,
could have an adverse affect on the Funds net asset value
and income. Tax-Exempt Obligations which are rated
Baa or higher by Moodys or BBB or
higher by S&P are considered investment grade
and are regarded as having a capacity to pay interest and repay
principal that varies from extremely strong to
adequate. The Investment Adviser has deemed many of
the issuers of not rated Tax-Exempt Obligations in which the
Fund invests to be comparable to issuers having such ratings.
The Tax-Exempt Obligations that are rated lower than
Baa by Moodys or lower than BBB by
S&P have speculative characteristics and changes in economic
conditions or other circumstances may lead to weakened capacity
to make principal and interest payments in comparison to higher
rated bonds. Tax-Exempt Obligations which are rated lower than
Baa by Moodys or lower than BBB by
S&P ordinarily provide higher yields but involve greater
risks because of reduced creditworthiness and increased risk of
default.
Lower-rated Tax-Exempt Obligations generally tend to reflect
short-term economic and market developments to a greater extent
than higher-rated Tax-Exempt Obligations which react primarily
to fluctuations in the general level of interest rates. In
addition, since there are fewer investors in lower-rated
Tax-Exempt Obligations, it may be harder to sell these
Tax-Exempt Obligations at the optimum time. As a result of these
factors, lower-rated Tax-Exempt Obligations tend to have more
price volatility and carry more risk to principal and income
than higher-rated Tax-Exempt Obligations.
An economic downturn may adversely affect the value of some
lower-rated Tax-Exempt Obligations. Such a downturn may
especially affect highly leveraged issuers or issuers in
cyclically sensitive industries, where deterioration in an
issuers cash flow may impair its ability to meet its
obligation to pay principal and interest to holders of
Tax-Exempt Obligations in a timely fashion. From time to time,
as a result of changing conditions, issuers of lower-rated
Tax-Exempt Obligations may seek or may be required to
restructure the terms and conditions of the securities they have
issued. As a result of these restructurings, holders of
lower-rated Tax-Exempt Obligations may receive less principal
and interest than they had anticipated at the time such
Tax-Exempt Obligations were purchased. In the event of a
restructuring, the Fund may bear additional legal or
administrative expenses in order to maximize recovery from an
issuer.
The secondary trading market for lower-rated Tax-Exempt
Obligations is generally less liquid than the secondary trading
market for higher-rated Tax-Exempt Obligations. On occasion,
therefore, it may become difficult to price or dispose of a
particular security in the Funds portfolio.
There is also an increased possibility of redemption earlier
than the stated maturity date. Many municipal debt obligations,
including many lower-rated Tax-Exempt Obligations, permit the
issuers to call the security and thereby redeem their
obligations earlier than the stated maturity dates. Issuers are
more likely to call Tax-Exempt Obligations during periods of
declining interest rates. In these cases, if the Fund owns a
Tax-Exempt Obligation which is called, the Fund will receive its
return of principal earlier than expected and would likely be
required to reinvest the proceeds at lower interest rates, thus
reducing income to the Fund.
8
WHAT ARE TAX-EXEMPT
OBLIGATIONS?
Tax-Exempt Obligations include tax-exempt bonds and other
tax-exempt securities (tax-exempt notes and tax-exempt municipal
leases) issued by or on behalf of states, territories, and
possessions of the United States and the District of Columbia,
and their political subdivisions, agencies, and
instrumentalities, the interest on which is exempt from regular
federal income taxes and, in certain instances, applicable state
or local income taxes. Such Tax-Exempt Obligations are traded
primarily in the
over-the-counter market.
Tax-Exempt Bonds
The Fund will invest, as a nonfundamental policy and under
normal circumstances, a minimum of 65% of the value of its total
assets in not rated tax-exempt bonds, as that term
is described in the following paragraphs.
A tax-exempt bond is a certificate of indebtedness, extending
over a period of more than one-year from the time it is issued,
evidencing the issuers promise to pay both principal and
interest in the future. The amounts of principal and interest,
as well as the time when these amounts are due, are specifically
described in the bond instrument.
Tax-exempt bonds are issued to obtain funds for various public
purposes, including the construction of a wide range of public
facilities such as airports, bridges, highways, housing,
hospitals, mass transportation, schools, streets, water and
sewer works and gas and electric utilities. Tax-exempt bonds
also may be issued in connection with the refunding of
outstanding obligations, obtaining funds to lend to other public
institutions and for general operating expenses. Private
activity bonds (PABs), which are considered
tax-exempt bonds if the interest paid thereon is exempt from
regular federal income taxes, are issued by or on behalf of
public authorities to obtain funds to provide privately operated
facilities for business and manufacturing, housing, sports,
pollution control, and for airport, mass transit, port and
parking facilities. Under the Tax Reform Act of 1986, interest
on most post 1986 PABs, while still exempt from the regular
income tax, constitutes an item of tax preference in determining
the alternative minimum tax. For a more complete discussion, see
WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF INCOME TAX ON MY INVESTMENT?
Two principal classifications of tax-exempt bonds are
general obligation bonds and revenue
bonds. General obligation bonds are secured by the
issuers pledge of its full faith, credit and taxing power
for the payment of principal and interest. Revenue bonds are
payable only from the revenues derived from a particular
facility or class of facilities or, in some cases, from the
proceeds of a special excise tax or other specific revenue
source. Although PABs are issued by municipal authorities, they
are generally secured by the revenues derived from payments of
the user. The payment of the principal and interest on PABs is
dependent solely on the ability of the user of the facilities or
assets financed by the bonds to meet its financial obligations
and the pledge, if any, of real and personal property so
financed as security for such payment. The Funds
Investment Adviser will seek to invest in those general
obligation and revenue bonds which will best achieve the
Funds principal and secondary investment objectives.
Other Tax-Exempt Securities
Although the Fund will invest, as described above, a minimum of
65% of its total assets in tax-exempt bonds, it will also
acquire other tax-exempt securities such as tax-exempt notes and
tax-exempt municipal leases, described in the following
paragraphs.
Tax-Exempt Notes
Tax-exempt notes generally are used to provide for short-term
capital needs and generally have maturities of one year or less.
Notes issued by the State of Colorado, its municipalities and
public authorities are exempt from regular federal income taxes
and from Colorado personal income taxes. Tax-exempt notes
include:
1. Project Notes. Project Notes are backed by an
agreement between a local issuing agency and the federal
Department of Housing and Urban Development, and are guaranteed
by the United States Government. These Notes provide financing
for a wide range of financial assistance programs for housing,
redevelopment, and related needs (such as low-income housing
programs and urban renewal programs). They are primarily
obligations of the local public housing agencies or the local
urban renewal agencies. Payment by the United States pursuant to
its full faith and credit obligation does not impair the
9
tax-exempt character of the income from the Project Notes.
2. Tax Anticipation Notes. Tax Anticipation Notes
are issued to finance working capital needs of municipalities.
Generally, they are issued in anticipation of various seasonal
tax revenue, such as income, sales, use and business taxes, and
are payable from these specific future taxes.
3. Revenue Anticipation Notes. Revenue Anticipation
Notes are issued in expectation of receipt of other kinds of
revenue, such as federal revenues available under the Federal
Revenue Sharing Programs.
4. Bond Anticipation Notes. Bond Anticipation Notes
are issued to provide interim financing until long-term
financing can be arranged. In most cases, the long-term bonds
then provide the money for the payment of the Notes.
5. Construction Loan Notes. Construction Loan Notes
are sold to provide construction financing. Permanent financing,
the proceeds of which are applied to the payment of Construction
Loan Notes, is sometimes provided by a commitment by the
Government National Mortgage Association to purchase the loan,
accompanied by a commitment by the Federal Housing
Administration to insure mortgage advances thereunder. In other
instances, permanent financing is provided by commitments of
banks to purchase the loan.
Tax-Exempt Municipal Leases
Tax-exempt municipal leases are most often issued for one to ten
years. They provide municipal authorities with funds to lease
various types of property and equipment. The property or
equipment serves as collateral for the owner of the lease.
Tax-exempt municipal leases are generally self-amortizing
through the term of the lease.
A municipal lease is subject to annual appropriation by its
issuing municipal authority each year. In other words, while the
lease may be for a term exceeding one year, the issuing
municipality will only commit to payments on the lease for a
one-year period. If the issuing municipality does not
appropriate sufficient funds for the following years lease
payments, the lease will go into default with the potential for
significant loss of principal and accrued interest to the
investor.
In the event of default, the owner of the lease has limited
recourse to recover unpaid principal and accrued interest from
the issuing municipality. This recourse is limited to possession
and the subsequent sale of the leased property. There is no
assurance that the proceeds from a sale will be sufficient to
pay the total amount of unpaid principal and accrued income due
on the lease. If the proceeds are not sufficient to pay the
unpaid principal and accrued income, an investor will realize a
capital loss.
The secondary trading market for tax-exempt municipal leases is
limited. As a result, investment in tax-exempt municipal leases
involves special investment risk considerations not associated
with general obligation or revenue municipal debt obligations.
When-Issued Securities
The Fund may purchase Tax-Exempt Obligations on a
when-issued basis, in which case delivery and
payment normally take place within 45 days after the date
of the commitment to purchase. The payment obligation and the
interest rate that will be received on the Tax-Exempt
Obligations are each fixed at the time the buyer enters into the
commitment. Although the Fund will only purchase Tax-Exempt
Obligations on a when-issued basis with the intention of
actually acquiring the Tax-Exempt Obligations, the Fund may sell
these Tax-Exempt Obligations before the settlement date if it is
deemed advisable.
A separate account of the Fund consisting of cash or liquid
high-grade debt securities equal to the amount of the
when-issued commitments will be established with the Funds
custodian, and marked to market daily, with additional cash or
liquid high-grade debt securities added when necessary. When the
time comes to pay for when-issued securities, the Fund will meet
its obligations from then available cash, sale of securities
held in the separate account, sale of other securities or,
although it would not normally expect to do so, from the sale of
the when-issued securities themselves (which may have a value
greater or less than the Funds payment obligations). Sale
of securities to meet such obligations carries with it a greater
potential for the realization of capital appreciation, which is
not exempt from federal income taxes.
Tax-exempt securities purchased on a when-issued basis and the
securities held in the Fund are subject to changes in market
value based upon the publics per-
10
ception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and changes, real
or anticipated, in the level of interest rates (which will
generally result in similar changes in value, i.e., both
experiencing appreciation when interest rates decline and
depreciation when interest rates rise). Therefore, to the extent
that the Fund remains substantially fully invested at the same
time that it has purchased securities on a when-issued basis,
there will be a greater possibility that the market value of the
Funds assets will vary. Purchasing a tax-exempt security
on a when-issued basis can involve a risk of loss if the value
of the Tax-Exempt Obligation or other security to be purchased
declines prior to the settlement date, which risk is in addition
to the risk of decline in the value of the Funds other
assets. For a further description of the risks associated with
when-issued securities, see WHAT ARE THE RISKS
OF INVESTING IN LOWER-RATED TAX-EXEMPT OBLIGATIONS?
Floating Rate and Variable Rate
Tax-Exempt Obligations
The Fund may purchase floating rate and variable rate Tax-Exempt
Obligations, including participation interests therein.
Investments in floating or variable rate Tax-Exempt Obligations
normally will involve PABs which provide that the rate of
interest is set as a specific percentage of a designated base
rate, such as rates on Treasury Bonds or Bills or the prime rate
at a major commercial bank, and that the Fund can demand payment
of the obligation on short notice, usually ten days, at par plus
accrued interest, which amount may be more or less than the
amount the Fund paid for the Tax-Exempt Obligations. Floating
rate Tax-Exempt Obligations have an interest rate which changes
whenever there is a change in the designated base interest rate
(generally every six months) while variable rate Tax-Exempt
Obligations provide for a specified periodic adjustment in the
interest rate. Frequently such Tax-Exempt Obligations are
secured by letters of credit or other credit support
arrangements provided by banks or other financial institutions.
The Fund may invest in participation interests purchased from
banks in variable rate Tax-Exempt Obligations (such as PABs)
owned by banks. Participations are frequently backed by an
irrevocable letter of credit or guarantee of a bank. An
irrevocable letter of credit is an unconditional promise by a
bank to allow the owner of a participation to draw down on the
letter of credit to meet any unpaid principal or interest
payments. While the letter of credit gives additional security
to an investor, it is backed only by the full faith and credit
of the issuing bank and as such is based on the financial
soundness of the bank. The letter of credit may lose its
effectiveness if the bank becomes insolvent, is closed or
restructured or is liquidated pursuant to an order from an
appropriate banking authority.
The Investment Adviser will monitor the pricing, quality and
liquidity of the variable rate demand Tax-Exempt Obligations
held by the Fund, including the PABs supported by bank letters
of credit or guarantees, on the basis of published financial
information, reports of rating agencies and other analytical
services to which the Investment Adviser may subscribe.
Participation interests will be purchased only if, in the
opinion of bond counsel for the original issuance of such
participation interests, interest income on such interests will
be tax-exempt when distributed as dividends to shareholders.
SPECIAL FACTORS AFFECTING ISSUERS OF
COLORADO TAX-EXEMPT OBLIGATIONS
Because of limitations contained in the state constitution, the
State of Colorado issues no general obligation bonds secured by
the full faith and credit of the state. Several agencies and
instrumentalities of state government, however, are authorized
by statute to issue bonds secured by revenues from specific
projects and activities. Additionally, the state is authorized
to issue short-term revenue anticipation notes.
There are approximately 2,779 total active units of local
government in Colorado. These include counties, home rule cities
and counties, statutory cities and towns, school districts,
water and sanitation districts, fire protection districts,
metropolitan districts, general improvement districts and
service districts. These governmental entities all have some
constitutional and/or statutory authority to collect taxes,
generate revenues and incur indebtedness.
A major revenue source for many of these governmental entities
is the ad valorem property tax levied at the local level.
Colorado entities levied a total of $4,838,584,604 and
$4,595,136,110 in tax revenue in tax years 2004 and 2003,
respectively. The 2004 assessed valuation of all real and
personal property subject to taxation in Colorado was
approximately
11
$64,630,916,000 which is up about 4.15% from 2003 levels.
According to the Colorado Legislative Staff Forecasts,
2005-2011, the Colorado Legislative Council predicts state
general fund revenues will increase by approximately 7.5% during
the 2004-2005 calendar year.
The major risks to a continued economic recovery in Colorado are
reduced federal expenditures, cessation of large public works
projects in the state, a drop in tourism caused by the lack of
any state-sponsored advertising, and reduced commercial and
residential real estate values. Any of these potential events
could adversely affect the Colorado economy and local
governmental revenues.
Additionally, on November 3, 1992, Colorado voters approved
an amendment to the Colorado Constitution which is commonly
referred to as the Taxpayers Bill of Rights (as amended
from time to time, TABOR). TABOR imposes various
limits and new requirements on spending by the State of Colorado
and all Colorado local governments (each of which is referred to
in this section as a Governmental Unit). Any of the
following, for example, now requires prior voter approval:
(i) any increase in a Governmental Units spending
from one year to the next in excess of the rate of inflation
plus a growth factor, as defined in TABOR;
(ii) any increase in the real property tax revenues of a
local Governmental Unit (not including the State) from one year
to the next in excess of inflation plus the appropriate
growth factor; (iii) any new tax, tax rate
increase, mill levy increase, valuation for assessment ratio
increase for a property class, extension of an expiring tax or a
tax policy change directly causing a net tax revenue gain; and
(iv) except for refinancing bonded indebtedness at a lower
interest rate or adding new employees to existing pension plans,
creation of any multiple-fiscal year direct or indirect debt or
other financial obligation whatsoever without adequate present
cash reserves pledged irrevocably and held for payments in all
future fiscal years. TABOR has thus reduced the financial
flexibility of all levels of Colorado government.
Moreover, local governments overly dependent on taxes from
residential property have experienced diminished revenues. On
January 15, 1985 a state constitutional amendment, referred
to as the Gallagher Amendment, was enacted. Gallagher requires
that the residential assessment ratio be adjusted from year to
year in order to maintain the commercial property ratio and
other classes at 29.0%. As a result, the Gallagher Amendment has
effectively lowered the residential assessment rate on
residential property from 21.0% (at inception in 1987) to the
current rate of 7.96%.
There can be no assurance that these, or other events, will not
negatively affect the market value of the securities in the Fund
or the ability of municipal entities to pay their debt
obligations in a timely manner. It is worth noting, however,
that the states electorate passed a referendum at the
general election in November 2005 which (i) will allow the
state to keep money that is collected above the TABOR spending
limit for a period of five years and to spend such money on
certain state projects, and (ii) will create, beginning in
2011, a new state spending cap equal to the greatest amount of
money collected in any fiscal year between 2006 and 2010,
adjusted for inflation and population growth in 2011 and
subsequent years.
The passage of TABOR in Colorado and the restrictions imposed by
federal law limiting the ability of local governments to finance
new projects and refinance outstanding debt have decreased the
supply of tax-exempt bonds within the state. The desirability of
Colorado bonds is directly tied to the relatively strong local
economy, which continues to out-perform other states in the
nation and the fact that the tax base is broadening in most
areas. New lower priced residences continue to be built at a
rapid pace although the pace may slow in the next few years. The
market for higher priced homes has been slow but appears to be
improving recently. Commercial properties are experiencing
higher vacancy rates in some areas and some projects have been
delayed as a result. Problems in the real estate economy
translate into slower property tax collections, lower sales and
use taxes, service charges and tap fees all of which are the
very revenue sources most often pledged to the payment of
municipal debt service. The State of Colorado is experiencing a
budget deficit which is the worst deficit in years and could
have an adverse effect on some state funded projects. However,
lower interest rates are allowing the stronger local governments
to refinance their outstanding debt, which makes them sounder
financially and better able to sustain operations in the years
ahead.
12
HOW IS THE FUND MANAGED?
Officers and Trustees
The Board of Trustees of the Fund supervises the activities of
the Fund, reviews the Funds service contracts and hires
the companies that run the
day-to-day operations
of the Fund, such as the administrator, custodian, investment
adviser, transfer agent and underwriter. The following tables
list the trustees and officers of the Fund, together with their
positions held with the Fund, the term of each office held and
the length of time served in each office and current principal
business occupation. Andrew B. Schaffer is an interested
person of the Fund as defined in the Investment Company
Act of 1940 (the 1940 Act) by virtue of his position
as both an officer and a trustee of the Fund as described in the
table below.
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TERM OF OFFICE AND |
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POSITIONS HELD |
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LENGTH OF TIME |
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NAME |
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WITH THE FUND |
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SERVED |
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CURRENT PRINCIPAL OCCUPATION |
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George N. Donnelly
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Chairman of the Board of Trustees |
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Trustee since inception of the Fund in 1987 |
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Mr. Donnelly is currently a Senior Regional Vice President for
Phoenix Life Insurance Company. |
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Bruce G. Ely
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Trustee |
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Trustee since July 2002 |
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Mr. Ely is currently the Regional Marketing Director for MBIA
Municipal Investors Service Corporation in Colorado. |
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James R. Madden
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Trustee |
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Trustee since September 2004 |
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Mr. Madden has owned Madden Enterprises, a real estate company
that owns and leases commercial buildings and real estate, for
the past thirty years. |
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Andrew B. Shaffer
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Trustee, President, Secretary and Treasurer |
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Trustee, Secretary and Treasurer since June 1995 President
since January 2003 |
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Mr. Shaffer is the manager of Shaffer Capital Management/LLC. |
Investment Adviser
Freedom Funds Management Company, the Investment Adviser of the
Fund, is located at 1200 Seventeenth Street, Suite 850,
Denver, Colorado 80202. The Investment Adviser was incorporated
on November 7, 1986 and has engaged in no other business,
profession, vocation or employment since its incorporation. The
Investment Adviser has served as the investment adviser to the
Fund since the Funds inception in 1987. As of
December 31, 2005 the Investment Adviser serves as adviser
of approximately $386.9 million in assets.
The Investment Adviser is responsible for administering the
Funds daily business affairs and managing the investment
of assets for the Fund. Pursuant to an advisory agreement
between the Fund and the Investment Adviser (the Advisory
Agreement), the Fund pays the Investment Adviser an annual
fee payable monthly of 0.50% of the Funds average daily
net assets, or an aggregate of 0.50% of the average net assets
of the Fund for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2005.
In return, the Investment Adviser will attempt to meet the
Funds investment objectives by providing portfolio
management and credit analysis services pursuant to the Advisory
Agreement and to this prospectus. Under the Advisory Agreement
and subject to the control of the Board, the Investment Adviser
will manage the investment of the assets of the Fund, including
the purchase and sale of portfolio securities consistent with
the Funds investment objectives and policies.
13
The Advisory Agreement was approved by the Board (including all
trustees who are not interested persons) and the shareholders of
the Fund in compliance with the 1940 Act. Unless sooner
terminated, the Advisory Agreement will continue in effect from
year to year with respect to the Fund, so long as its
continuance is approved at least annually (1) by a majority
of those members of the Board who are not interested persons of
the Advisory Agreement, and (2) by the Board or by vote of
a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund. The Advisory
Agreement is terminable at any time on 60 days
written notice without penalty by the Board, by vote of a
majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund, or by the
Adviser. The Advisory Agreement will terminate in the event of
its assignment, as defined under the 1940 Act. A discussion
regarding the basis for the Board approving the Advisory
Agreement is available in the Funds Statement of
Additional Information, annual or semi-annual reports to
shareholders, as applicable.
Portfolio Manager
Fred R. Kelly, Jr., is President, Secretary and Treasurer
of the Investment Adviser and is also the Funds portfolio
manager. Mr. Kelly has, since November 1990, been the
portfolio manager for the Fund and has been primarily
responsible for the
day-to-day management
of the Funds portfolio. From September 2, 1992 to
November 30, 1994, Mr. Kelly also served as Secretary
and Treasurer to the Fund. For ten years preceding his
appointment as portfolio manager, Mr. Kelly worked for the
investment banking firm of Hanifen, Imhoff Inc.
(Hanifen) and specialized in the area of tax-exempt
public finance serving as financial adviser and investment
banker for public entities primarily in the Rocky Mountain
region. More recently, Mr. Kelly has been actively involved
in the restructuring of financially troubled projects, has acted
as a financial consultant and has appeared as an expert witness
in the area of tax-exempt finance in Chapter 9 and
Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases. Prior to joining Hanifen,
Mr. Kelly was employed for six years by the
U.S. Treasury Department, Comptroller of the Currency, as a
Senior Field Examiner. Mr. Kelly is a past director of the
Colorado Municipal Bond Dealers Association and currently serves
as a director of First National Bancshares, Inc., Carbon County
Holding Company, Rawlins National Bank and Cowboy State Bank.
Mr. Kelly pursued his undergraduate study at the University
of Wyoming in Laramie, receiving his Bachelors degree in
Accounting with emphasis in Finance. Subsequently, he attended
Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he
completed his postgraduate work in banking.
The Statement of Additional Information provides additional
information about the portfolio managers compensation,
other accounts managed by the portfolio manager and ownership of
shares of the Fund.
Investment Strategy
The Fund is the only fund of its type which is specifically
designed to choose from among the not rated Tax-Exempt
Obligations in the State of Colorado and to select for
investment not rated Tax-Exempt Obligations which demonstrate
suitable repayment characteristics. It is managements
belief that if properly chosen, Tax-Exempt Obligations of this
type will, over the long-term, generate higher returns to
investors than rated Tax-Exempt Obligations even after taking
into account the incidence of actual defaults on not rated
Tax-Exempt Obligations.
Ideally, not rated Tax-Exempt Obligations in a growing economy
tend to improve over time as their credit history matures, their
tax base broadens, and they achieve additional diversity as well
as financial stability. This trend, if it develops, exerts an
upward bias on the price of a given entitys securities. It
should also be noted that such a trend may take a number of
years to develop and is subject to the potentially adverse
effect of economic cycles along the way.
Management believes that not rated Tax-Exempt Obligations do not
precisely follow the general market which has caused the
Funds net asset value to be more stable. While the not
rated market does follow the larger markets general
direction, it often tends to react more slowly and the amplitude
of the change tends to be less, all other factors being equal.
For example, the value of not rated Tax-Exempt Obligations did
not decline as much as rated Tax-Exempt Obligations when
interest rates rose quickly in 1994. Conversely, in 1995, when
interest rates fell precipitously, the value of not rated
Tax-Exempt Obligations went up, but at a slower pace. In 2005
the Funds performance exceeded that of many competing
funds both rated and non-rated. Short-term interest rates
generally increased sharply during the year. This had a positive
effect on the income received by the Fund
14
because of the large percentage of short-term bonds that the
Fund holds. Concurrently, long-term interest rates on non-rated
bonds declined. This likewise had a positive effect on the Fund
because longer term bonds held by the Fund appreciated in value.
Since total performance measures include both capital
appreciation and income earned, the Fund performed well.
During the last real estate recession in the 1980s, an
unprecedented number of issuers experienced trouble meeting debt
service payments, which exposed bondholders to credit
risk. As a result, many funds in competition with the Fund
have spent the last several years focusing on this element of
risk. These funds buy bonds with underlying investment grade
ratings and then further insure payment by buying municipal bond
insurance on the credit. This strategy provides an abundance of
protection with respect to meeting debt service payments, but it
provides no protection against fluctuations in interest rates.
In 1994 the market reminded investors about so-called
market risk when interest rates rose by over two
percentage points in a single year. The market risk resulting
from interest rate fluctuations occurred to some extent in the
third quarter of 2003. Management believes that market
risk is more often a concern than credit risk
because historically the interest rate cycle seems to repeat
roughly every five to seven years and severe credit crunches
typically occur less frequently. Generally, the net asset value
of a fund with longer maturities on its bonds has more exposure
to principal volatility during changes in interest rates. The
Fund attempts to further ensure against market swings by keeping
the average maturity of the portfolio relatively short compared
to competing products. In the not rated arena long-term yields
are not sufficiently higher than short-term yields to justify
making extremely long-term investments.
Attention is given occasionally to various income tax proposals
which are discussed from time to time in the Congress of the
United States. It is not possible at this juncture to determine
if or when any income tax proposals may be adopted or what
effect the final structure might have on tax-exempt securities.
Managements strategy is to attempt to mitigate the effect
of any such change by keeping the average maturity relatively
short in comparison to its peers and by purchasing new additions
to the portfolio at as near to the comparable rate on taxable
instruments as the market will permit. The weighted average
maturity of the Funds portfolio was 7.4 years as of
December 31, 2005.
To summarize, management continues to believe strongly in the
prospects of the Funds market niche. The Funds
emphasis will continue to be to maximize the distribution of
tax-exempt income and at the same time strive for as stable a
net asset value as possible.
HOW CAN I INVEST IN THE FUND?
Shares of the Fund are being continuously offered through
securities dealers who are members of the National Association
of Securities Dealers, Inc. (NASD) and who have a
dealer agreement with the underwriter, SMITH HAYES Financial
Services Corporation (SMITH HAYES or the
Underwriter). Broker-dealers may be classified as
statutory underwriters under Section 2(11) of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Shares of the Fund will be purchased at the offering price based
on the net asset value next determined following receipt of the
order by the Fund, plus the applicable sales charges. Any orders
received by the Fund from you directly or from your broker, as
the case may be, before 2:00 p.m. Denver, Colorado time
will receive that days share price, which is the net asset
value at the close of business of the New York Stock Exchange
(NYSE) that day. Orders received after
2:00 p.m. will be priced based on the net asset value at
the close of business of the NYSE the next day. The Fund is open
for business each day on which the NYSE is open.
You can open an account for $500 or more by delivering a check
made payable to Colorado BondShares A
Tax-Exempt Fund, and a completed General Authorization
Form, either to your broker or to the Fund at 1200 Seventeenth
Street, Suite 850, Denver, Colorado 80202. The Funds
telephone numbers, including toll-free numbers, are set forth on
the back cover of this prospectus.
You may make additional purchases at any time by delivering a
check either to your broker or to the Fund at the address stated
above. There is no minimum purchase amount required for these
subsequent investments.
Instructions for redemptions and other transactions in accounts
and requests for information about an account should go to the
above stated address.
15
Any share purchases will be made through the Fund from the
investment dealer designated by you. You may change your dealer
at any time upon written notice to the Investment Adviser,
provided that the new dealer has a dealer agreement with the
Underwriter.
Recent Federal anti-money laundering laws and regulations
require the Fund to obtain certain information about you in
order to open an account. You must provide the Fund with the
name, physical address, social security or other taxpayer
identification number, date of birth and phone number of all
owners of the account. A post office box cannot be used as the
physical address on the account. The Fund will use this
information to verify your identity using various methods. In
the event that your identity cannot be sufficiently verified,
the Fund may employ additional verification methods or refuse to
open your account. The information gathered also will be
verified when you change the principal physical address on your
account. Under certain circumstances, it may be appropriate for
the Fund to close or suspend further activity in an account. The
personal information gathered about you will be protected in
accordance with the Funds privacy policy described in the
section of the Prospectus entitled PRIVACY POLICY OF THE
FUND.
WHAT DO SHARES COST?
The price you pay for shares of the Fund is the public offering
price, which is the sum of the next determined net asset value
of the shares and a sales charge. The sales charge is a one time
charge paid at the time of purchase of shares, most of which
ordinarily goes to your broker-dealer to compensate for the
services provided by the broker-dealer to you. SMITH HAYES will
serve as a broker-dealer with respect to sales of shares of Fund.
SMITH HAYES may offer cash or non-cash incentives to dealers in
addition to sales charges in order to promote the sale of shares
of the Fund. Any such cash or non-cash incentives will be in
compliance with all applicable rules and regulations of the NASD.
HOW IS NET ASSET VALUE PER SHARE
DETERMINED?
The net asset value per share of the Fund is determined as of
the close of business of the NYSE for each day the NYSE is open.
Net asset value is determined by dividing the value of the net
assets of the Fund (total assets less liabilities) by the number
of shares outstanding. The value of total assets is primarily
the sum of the market values of the bonds, other investments and
cash in the portfolio.
The values of most of our portfolio securities are determined at
their market price using prices quoted on a daily basis by a
national independent pricing service approved by the Board.
However, the determination of market values for municipal bonds,
particularly not rated municipal bonds, can be a very subjective
process due to the infrequency at which individual bonds
actually trade and the limited amount of information that is
available with respect to many municipal issuers. Therefore, in
cases where a market price is not available from the pricing
service, or where the Fund determines that the market
price so determined is not reflective of the true
fair value or realizable value of these securities,
the portfolio securities are valued at fair value as
determined in good faith by the Board. In either event, the Fund
values the municipal bonds and other securities taking into
consideration yield, stability, risk, quality, coupon, maturity,
type of issue, quotes from municipal bond dealers, market
transactions and other relevant information. The Fund records
amortization of premiums and accretion of original discounts on
zero coupon bonds, using the effective yield method, in
accordance with federal income tax purposes. Short-term debt
securities having a remaining maturity of 60 days or less
are valued at amortized cost, which approximates market value.
In these cases, net asset value will reflect the affected
portfolio securities value as determined in the judgment
of the Board instead of being determined by the market. Using a
fair value pricing methodology to price the
portfolio securities may result in a value that is different
from a securitys most recent sale price and from the
prices used by other investment companies to calculate their net
asset values. There can be no assurance that the Funds
valuation of a portfolio security will be accurate, nor the
valuation will not differ from the amount that it realizes upon
the sale of such security.
In the future, the Board may direct the Fund to rely on other
methods or combination of methods in determining the market
values of its municipal bonds. These other methods may include
the use of a matrix system, the use of relative changes in a
municipal index or price changes of municipal future contracts or
16
some other method that the Board determines appropriate.
HOW ARE SALES CHARGES
DETERMINED?
Sales charges for the Funds shares are determined on the
basis of the amount of shares purchased, in accordance with the
following schedule:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
DEALER | |
|
|
|
|
% OF | |
|
DISCOUNT | |
|
|
|
|
NET | |
|
AS % OF | |
|
|
SALES | |
|
AMOUNT | |
|
OFFERING | |
AMOUNT OF PURCHASE |
|
CHARGE | |
|
INVESTED | |
|
PRICE | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Less than $100,000
|
|
|
4.75 |
% |
|
|
4.99 |
% |
|
|
4.35 |
% |
|
|
|
|
$100,000 up to $249,999
|
|
|
3.50 |
|
|
|
3.63 |
|
|
|
3.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
$250,000 up to $499,999
|
|
|
2.50 |
|
|
|
2.56 |
|
|
|
2.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
$500,000 up to $999,999
|
|
|
2.00 |
|
|
|
2.04 |
|
|
|
1.50 |
|
|
|
|
|
$1,000,000 up to $3,999,999
|
|
|
1.00 |
|
|
|
1.01 |
|
|
|
0.90 |
|
|
|
|
|
$4,000,000 or more
|
|
|
0.20 |
|
|
|
0.20 |
|
|
|
0.15 |
|
Reductions in Sales Charges
Volume discounts are provided if the total amount being invested
in shares of the Fund reaches the levels indicated in the above
sales charge schedule.
In order to obtain a volume discount, you may be required to
inform the Fund of other accounts in which you have holdings
eligible to be aggregated to qualify for volume discounts at the
time of purchase. You may be required to provide the Fund with
certain records including account statements in order to verify
your eligibility for volume discounts. Confirmation of the order
is subject to such verification.
Rights of accumulation allow the Funds shares to be
purchased at the rate applicable in the discount schedule after
adding the value of shares already owned by the investor to the
amount of the Fund shares being purchased.
A letter of intent allows you to purchase shares of the Fund
over a 13-month period
at reduced sales charges based on the total amount of dollars
that you state in the letter that you intend to purchase. While
the letter of intent is not a binding obligation on you, if you
do not purchase the full amount of shares within 13 months,
the fund will redeem shares from your account in an amount equal
to the higher initial sales charge you would have paid in the
absence of the letter of intent. For more information concerning
the terms of the letter of intent, see the General Authorization
Form.
Net asset value transfer privilege allows investors to purchase
shares of the Fund at net asset value (no load). The following
provisions must be met in order to qualify for the net asset
value transfer privilege: (a) proceeds for the purchase of
shares of the Fund must be from an unrelated mutual fund;
(b) a sales charge must have been paid on the unrelated
mutual fund shares; (c) the purchase of shares of the Fund
must take place within 60 days of the redemption; and
(d) a confirmation of the redemption from the unrelated
mutual fund must accompany the purchase of shares of the Fund.
For any such discounts, the purchaser or its broker-dealer must
provide the Fund with sufficient information to permit
verification that the purchase order qualifies for the discount
privilege. Confirmation of the order is subject to such
verification.
Reductions in sales charges apply to purchases by a single
person, including an individual, members of a family unit
comprising husband, wife and minor children purchasing
securities for their own account, or a trustee or other
fiduciary purchasing for a single fiduciary account or single
trust estate.
The Fund may sell shares at net asset value to present and
retired trustees, officers, directors, employees (and their
respective spouses and minor children) of the Fund, the
Investment Adviser, SMITH HAYES, Hanifen, Imhoff Holdings, Inc.
and its affiliates as constituted on November 17, 1994 and
other NASD registered representatives. Such sales also may be
made to employee benefit plans for such persons (and to any
investment advisory, custodial, trust or other fiduciary account
managed or advised by the Investment Adviser or any affiliate).
Additional information concerning reductions in sales charges is
available in the Statement of Additional Information.
For more information regarding sales charges and purchases of
shares please call the Fund at (303) 572-6990, or outside
of Denver, (800) 572-0069. The Fund makes available, free
of charge, such information in both the prospectus and the
Statement of Additional Information of the Fund. The Fund does
not have an internet website.
17
HOW CAN I SELL MY
SHARES?
The Fund will redeem shares at their next determined net asset
value based on the procedures described below.
Shares may be redeemed without charge at any time upon written
request to the Fund, containing the signature(s) of the
shareholder(s), which must be guaranteed by a member firm of a
principal stock exchange or a commercial bank or trust company.
Such member firm must be a participant in good standing in a
Securities Transfer Association-recognized signature guarantee
program. The Fund may request further documentation from
corporations, executors, administrators, trustees or custodians.
When the proceeds of a redemption are to be paid to someone
other than a shareholder, the shareholders signature(s)
must be guaranteed on the redemption request as described above.
A shareholder will receive the net asset value per share next
determined after receipt of the shareholders request in
good order.
Shares may also be redeemed by calling the Fund directly at
(303) 572-6990, or outside of Denver, (800) 572-0069.
To reduce the shareholders risk of attempted fraudulent
use of the telephone redemption procedure, proceeds will be
mailed as registered on the account or will be wired to the bank
account designated on the General Authorization Form.
Once you have redeemed your shares, a check for the proceeds
will be mailed to you within seven calendar days after your
redemption request is received in proper form. The Fund will not
mail redemption proceeds until checks received for the purchase
of shares have cleared, which may take up to 15 days. The
proceeds, of course, may be more or less than your cost.
Frequent purchases and redemptions of Fund shares by Fund
shareholders are referred to as market-timing or
short-term trading and may present risks for other
shareholders of the Fund, which may include, among other things,
dilution in the value of Fund shares held by long-term
shareholders, interference with the efficient management of the
Funds portfolio, increased brokerage and administrative
costs, incurring unwanted taxable gains, and forcing the Fund to
hold excess levels of cash.
The Funds investment objectives and policies do not lend
themselves to excessive trading in accounts. Therefore, the Fund
has not adopted specific policies regarding frequent purchases
and redemptions. Several of the Funds characteristics
including, but not limited to, sales charges incurred upon
purchase of shares of the Fund and the limitation to a one-time
only waiver of this sales charge for reinstatement of an
investment as described in the HOW CAN I REINSTATE MY
INVESTMENT section of the prospectus are believed to help
to discourage abusive practices with respect to
market-timing or short-term trading. In
addition, the Fund employs various internal filters that permit
the Fund to monitor trading practices with respect to shares of
the Fund. These practices are intended to provide protective
measures for all shareholders while maintaining flexibility in
managing their investment. Historically, the Fund has not
experienced any abnormal trading activity indicating market
timing or excessive trading.
With respect to trades that occur through financial
intermediaries, the Fund recognizes that occasionally trades can
be processed through omnibus accounts. Omnibus accounts
generally do not identify customers trading activity to
the Fund on an individual basis. This limits the extent to which
the Fund is able to monitor short-term trading. In the event
that such accounts may exist, the Fund must rely on the
financial intermediaries such as investment managers,
broker-dealers, transfer agents and third party administrators
to monitor frequent short-term trading within the Fund by the
financial intermediarys customers. There can be no
assurance that the Fund will be able to eliminate all
market-timing activities.
The Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase order for any
reason. Notwithstanding the above, the Fund may take any action
within the discretion of the Board or the Investment Adviser to
prevent market-timing or short-term
trading transactions in the Fund.
HOW CAN I REINSTATE MY
INVESTMENT?
If you redeem shares and then decide you should not have
redeemed them, you may, within 30 calendar days of the date of
redemption, use all or any part of the proceeds of the
redemption to reinstate, free of sales charge, all or any part
of your investment in shares of the Fund. Your investment will
be reinstated at the net asset value per share established at
the close of the NYSE on the day your request is ac-
18
cepted. You may use this privilege to reinstate an investment in
the Fund only once.
Exercise of the reinstatement privilege does not alter the
federal income tax status of any gain realized on a sale of Fund
shares, but to the extent that any shares are sold at a loss and
the proceeds are reinvested in shares of the Fund, some or all
of the loss will not be allowed as a deduction, depending upon
the percentage of the proceeds reinvested.
WHAT DISTRIBUTIONS WILL I
RECEIVE?
The Fund declares dividends of net investment income daily.
Dividends are paid to shareholders on the 15th day of each
month (Payable Date). If the 15th day of a
month falls on a weekend or holiday on which the NYSE is closed,
the dividend will be distributed on the next succeeding business
day. Payments vary in amount depending on income received from
portfolio securities, expenses of operation and the number of
days in the dividend period.
Shares will begin earning dividends on the day after which the
Fund receives payment and shares are issued. Shares or cash
continue to earn dividends through the date they are redeemed or
delivered subsequent to reinstatement.
You also may elect to have your dividends paid to another
person. If you desire to do so, please complete the Alternate
Party Payment option on the General Authorization Form. A
Medallion Signature Guarantee is required when you elect an
alternate party payee.
The Fund will generally distribute sufficient net income to
avoid the application of the 4% excise tax imposed pursuant to
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the
Code).
WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF INCOME TAX ON MY
INVESTMENT?
The discussion of U.S. Federal tax issues in this
Prospectus is not intended or written to be relied upon, and
cannot be relied upon, by any shareholder for the purposes of
avoiding penalties that may be imposed on such shareholder under
the Internal Revenue Code. Such discussion is written to support
the promotion or marketing of the Shares or matters addressed in
this prospectus and shareholders should seek advice based on
their particular circumstances from an independent tax
advisor.
Federal Income Taxes
The Fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated
investment company under Subchapter M of the Code,
and intends to take all other action required to ensure that no
federal income taxes will be payable by the Fund and that the
Fund may pay exempt-interest dividends to its
shareholders. In order to pay exempt-interest dividends, at
least 50% of the value of the Funds total assets must
consist of obligations exempt from regular federal income tax
pursuant to Section 103(a) of the Code. The federal income
tax consequences of a distribution by the Fund at the
shareholder level will be as follows:
Net interest income on obligations exempt from federal income
tax, when distributed to shareholders and designated by the Fund
as exempt-interest dividends, will be exempt from regular
federal income tax in the hands of the shareholders. Short-term
capital gains are taxable to shareholders as ordinary income,
whether received in cash or reinvested. Long-term capital gain
distributions to shareholders will be treated as taxable
long-term capital gain, whether received in shares of the Fund
or in cash, regardless of how long a shareholder has held
shares. It is not likely that the Fund will retain undistributed
capital gains; however, in such an event, a shareholder must
include in income, as long-term capital gain, the
shareholders share of undistributed long-term capital gain
designated by the Fund. Under such circumstances, the
shareholder may claim a refundable credit against the tax for
the shareholders proportionate share of any capital gain
tax paid by the Fund.
Generally, a 15% maximum long-term capital gains tax rate
applies to assets held for more than 12 months.
The amount of any market discount (generally the
amount by which the cost is less than the face amount of the
bond) is taxed as ordinary income. This means that most
capital appreciation on these bonds will now be
distributed to, and taxed to, the shareholders as ordinary
interest income (rather than as capital gains).
19
Under Section 55 of the Code, the alternative minimum tax
now applies to all taxpayers, including corporations, and
increases a taxpayers tax liability only to the extent it
exceeds the taxpayers regular income tax (less certain
credits) for the year. The alternative minimum tax is equal to
26% (or in some cases, 28%) in the case of individuals (20% for
corporations) of the excess of the taxpayers taxable
excess, which is the amount by which alternative minimum taxable
income exceeds the applicable exemption amount. The exemption is
$58,000 for spouses filing a joint return, $40,250 for a single
taxpayer, and $29,000 for a married taxpayer filing a separate
return, or $22,500 for a trust or estate. The exemption is
phased out at the rate of $0.25 for each dollar by which a
taxpayers alternative taxable income exceeds a
predetermined amount. Certain corporations the average annual
gross receipts of which are not, for every 3-taxable-year
period, greater than $5,000,000 for the first
3-year period and
greater than $7,500,000 for each period thereafter, will be
exempt from the alternative minimum tax.
Alternative minimum taxable income is a
taxpayers taxable income (i) determined with
specified adjustments for the alternative minimum tax and
(ii) increased by items of tax preference. The
types of income constituting items of tax preference
include otherwise allowable tax-exempt interest on private
activity bonds issued after August 7, 1986 (except bonds
issued by charities qualifying under Section 501(c)(3) of
the Code).
Under the Code, any loss on the sale or exchange of shares in
the Fund held by a shareholder for six months or less will be
disallowed to the extent the shareholder received
exempt-interest dividends with respect to those shares.
Distributions from the Funds non-exempt investment income
and from any net realized short-term gain will be taxable to
shareholders as ordinary income, whether received in cash or in
additional shares of the Fund. Under the Code, interest on
indebtedness incurred or continued to purchase or carry shares
of the Fund will not be deductible to the extent that the
Funds distributions are exempt from federal income tax.
Written notice concerning the federal income tax status of
distributions will be mailed within 60 days after the close
of the year to shareholders of the Fund annually in accordance
with applicable provisions of the Code.
Regulated investment companies will be subject to a
non-deductible excise tax equal to 4% of the excess of the
amount required to be distributed for the calendar year over the
distributed amount for the calendar year. The Fund intends to
avoid the imposition of this excise tax, and will therefore
distribute during each calendar year at least 98% of its
ordinary income for such calendar year and 98% of its capital
gain net income for the one-year period ending on
October 31 of each calendar year.
UNLESS A SHAREHOLDER INCLUDES HIS OR HER TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION
NUMBER (SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER FOR INDIVIDUALS) IN THE GENERAL
AUTHORIZATION FORM AND CERTIFIES THAT SUCH SHAREHOLDER IS NOT
SUBJECT TO BACKUP WITHHOLDING, THE FUND IS REQUIRED TO WITHHOLD
AND REMIT TO THE U.S. TREASURY 28% OF NON-EXEMPT
DISTRIBUTIONS AND OTHER REPORTABLE PAYMENTS TO THE SHAREHOLDER.
Persons who may be substantial users (or
related persons of substantial users) of facilities
financed by industrial development bonds should consult their
tax advisers before purchasing Fund shares.
The limitations on the deduction of miscellaneous itemized
deductions do not apply to publicly offered regulated investment
companies. The Investment Adviser intends to use its best
efforts to ensure that the Fund qualifies as a publicly offered
regulated investment company for the purposes of the foregoing
provision.
Colorado Income Taxes
Individuals, trusts, estates, and corporations who are holders
of shares of the Fund and who are subject to Colorado income tax
will not be subject to Colorado tax on distributions from the
Fund to the extent that such distributions qualify as either
(1) exempt-interest dividends of a regulated investment
company under Section 852(b)(5) of the Code, which are
derived from interest on tax-exempt obligations of the State of
Colorado or any of its political subdivisions; or
(2) distributions derived from interest on obligations of
the United
20
States or its possessions included in federal adjusted gross
income.
To the extent that distributions on shares of the Fund are
attributable to sources of income not described in the preceding
sentences, including capital gains, such distributions will not
be exempt from Colorado income tax.
As intangibles, shares in the Fund will be exempt from Colorado
property taxes.
Other State and Local Income
Taxes
Distributions from the Fund may be subject to income taxation in
other jurisdictions. Individuals, trusts, estates and
corporations who are holders of shares of the Fund and who are
subject to state and/or local income taxation outside of
Colorado should contact their personal income tax adviser
regarding the proper treatment of these amounts.
WHAT SERVICES ARE PROVIDED TO
SHAREHOLDERS?
For general information about Colorado BondShares A
Tax-Exempt Fund, call or write the Fund at 1200 Seventeenth
Street, Suite 850, Denver, Colorado 80202. The telephone
number is (303) 572-6990, or, outside of Denver,
(800) 572-0069. You may call on Monday through Friday
(except holidays) between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and
4:00 p.m. Denver, Colorado time and your calls will be
answered by our service representatives.
As a shareholder, you will receive annual and semi-annual
reports. In addition, you will receive statements confirming
transactions in your account and the current balance of shares
you own. For your convenience, all shares acquired in an account
will be credited as book credits.
GENERAL INFORMATION
The Investment Adviser is also the shareholder service agent
(Service Agent), and as such, maintains a record of
your ownership and will send you monthly statements of your
account. Shareholder inquiries should be directed to your
registered representative or the Service Agent or the Fund at
the telephone numbers or mailing addresses listed in the
prospectus.
DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO
HOLDINGS
A description of the Funds policies and procedures with
respect to disclosure of the Funds portfolio securities is
available in the Statement of Additional Information of the Fund.
21
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The financial highlights table is intended to help you
understand the Funds financial performance for the past
five years. Certain information reflects financial results for a
single Fund share. The total returns in the table represent the
rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an
investment in the Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends
and distributions). With respect to the fiscal year ended
September 30, 2005 and 2004, the information has been
audited by Anton Collins Mitchell LLP, the Funds current
registered independent public accounting firm. With respect to
the fiscal year ended September 30, 2003, 2002 and 2001,
the information has been audited by the Funds former
independent auditors. These reports, along with the Funds
financial statements, are included in the Statement of
Additional Information of the Fund, which is available upon
request.
Selected data for a share of beneficial interest outstanding for
the periods ended September 30 is as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Ended September 30, | |
|
|
| |
|
|
2005 | |
|
2004 | |
|
2003 | |
|
2002 | |
|
2001 | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Per Share Operating Data:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net asset value, beginning of period
|
|
$ |
9.35 |
|
|
$ |
9.27 |
|
|
$ |
9.33 |
|
|
$ |
9.39 |
|
|
$ |
9.35 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net investment income
|
|
|
0.48 |
|
|
|
0.47 |
|
|
|
0.60 |
|
|
|
0.59 |
|
|
|
0.68 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments
|
|
|
0.07 |
|
|
|
0.08 |
|
|
|
(0.06 |
) |
|
|
(0.06 |
) |
|
|
0.04 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Increase from investment operations
|
|
|
0.55 |
|
|
|
0.55 |
|
|
|
0.54 |
|
|
|
0.53 |
|
|
|
0.72 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dividends from net investment income
|
|
|
(0.48 |
) |
|
|
(0.47 |
) |
|
|
(0.60 |
) |
|
|
(0.59 |
) |
|
|
(0.68 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Capital gains and ordinary income
|
|
|
(0.01 |
) |
|
|
0.00 |
|
|
|
0.00 |
|
|
|
0.00 |
|
|
|
0.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net increase (decrease) in net asset value
|
|
|
0.06 |
|
|
|
0.08 |
|
|
|
(0.06 |
) |
|
|
(0.06 |
) |
|
|
0.04 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net asset value, end of period
|
|
$ |
9.41 |
|
|
$ |
9.35 |
|
|
$ |
9.27 |
|
|
$ |
9.33 |
|
|
$ |
9.39 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Return, at Net Asset Value(1)
|
|
|
6.14 |
% |
|
|
6.19 |
% |
|
|
5.96 |
% |
|
|
5.90 |
% |
|
|
7.79 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ratios/ Supplemental data:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net assets, end of period (000)s
|
|
$ |
368,429 |
|
|
$ |
312,651 |
|
|
$ |
267,207 |
|
|
$ |
201,051 |
|
|
$ |
138,520 |
|
|
|
|
|
Ratios to average net assets:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net investment income
|
|
|
5.10 |
% |
|
|
5.08 |
% |
|
|
6.46 |
% |
|
|
6.77 |
% |
|
|
7.14 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
Total expenses
|
|
|
0.58 |
% |
|
|
0.63 |
% |
|
|
0.65 |
% |
|
|
0.64 |
% |
|
|
0.66 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
Net expenses
|
|
|
0.55 |
% |
|
|
0.60 |
% |
|
|
0.61 |
% |
|
|
0.59 |
% |
|
|
0.60 |
% |
|
|
|
|
Portfolio turnover rate(2)
|
|
|
4.40 |
% |
|
|
2.57 |
% |
|
|
4.65 |
% |
|
|
6.03 |
% |
|
|
7.91 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
Assumes a hypothetical initial investment on the business day
before the first day of the fiscal period, with all dividends
reinvested in additional shares on the reinvestment date, and
redemption at the net asset value calculated on the last
business day of the fiscal period. Sales charges are not
reflected in the total returns. |
|
(2) |
The portfolio turnover rate is computed by dividing the lesser
of purchases or sales of portfolio securities for a period by
the monthly average of the market value of portfolio securities
owned during the period. Sales of securities include the
proceeds of securities which have been called, or for which
payment has been made through redemption or maturity. Securities
with a maturity date of one year or less at the time of
acquisition are excluded from the calculation. Cost of purchases
and proceeds from sales of investment securities (excluding
short-term securities) for the period September 30, 2005
were $44,848,062 and $9,526,916, respectively. |
22
PRIVACY POLICY OF THE FUND
What is the Funds Privacy
Policy?
If you invest in the Fund, you entrust us with your assets as
well as your personal and financial information. We feel that
this information is private and we hold ourselves to the highest
standards in its protection and use. We do not sell client
information to any third party about current or former clients,
including personal information or even the fact that someone is
a client of the Fund.
Your Personal Information
You typically provide personal information when you complete an
account application for the Fund or when you request a
transaction which involves the Fund. This information may
include your name and address, social security number or
taxpayer identification number, date of birth, ownership
documents and account numbers and identification of accounts at
other institutions.
Disclosure of Your Personal
Information
The Fund does not sell information about current or former
clients or their accounts to third parties. We do not share such
information, except when necessary to complete transactions that
you have requested and as follows:
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|
To complete certain transactions to account changes that you
direct, it may be necessary to provide identifying information
to companies, individuals, or groups which are not affiliated
with the Fund. For example, if you ask to transfer assets from
another financial institution to the Fund, we will need to
provide certain information about you to that company to
complete the transaction. |
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|
|
In certain instances, we may contract with nonaffiliated
companies to perform services for us. Where necessary, we will
disclose information we have about you to these third parties.
In all such cases, we provide the third party with only the
information necessary to carry out its assigned responsibilities
and only for that purpose. We require these third parties to
treat your private information with the same high degree of
confidentiality that we do. |
|
|
|
We will release information about you if you direct us to do so,
if we are compelled by law to do so, or in other legally limited
circumstances (for example, to protect your account from fraud). |
How We Protect Your Personal
Information
We restrict access to information about you to those employees
of the Fund who need to know the information to provide products
or services to you. We maintain strict physical, electronic and
procedural safeguards to protect your personal information.
What You Can Do
For your protection, we recommend that you do not provide your
account information to anyone. If you become aware of any
suspicious activity relating to your account, please contact us
immediately.
We Will Keep You Informed
As required by federal law, we will notify shareholders of our
privacy policy annually. We reserve the right to modify this
policy at any time, but if we do make changes to the policy, you
will be promptly notified.
23
COLORADO
BONDSHARES A TAX-EXEMPT FUND
General Authorization Form
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT PROCEDURES FOR
OPENING A NEW ACCOUNT. To help the government fight the funding
of terrorism and money laundering activities, Federal law
requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and
record information that identifies each person who opens an
account. What this means for you: When you open an account, we
will ask for your name, address, date of birth and other
information that will allow us to identify you. If you do not
provide us with this information, it may delay or prevent us
from opening an account and making your requested investment,
and if after your account is open we are unable to verify the
information you provide, we reserve the right to close your
account.
PLEASE NOTE: You must provide your
U.S. Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN); a TIN includes
SSN, ITIN and EIN. If you have never been issued a U.S. TIN
and are not a U.S. Citizen, in place of a
U.S. TIN please send us a copy of one of the following
items: a resident-alien ID card, a current passport, a current
foreign government-issued ID card, or other document evidencing
nationality or residence that bears a photograph. If any
document offered by a non-U.S. persons is unfamiliar and
cannot be authenticated by reasonable means, the account will
not be opened.
New accounts will not be
opened unless all required information is
provided.
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Account Number (for office use only)
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Individual, Joint or TOD Account
CHECK ONLY ONE
BOX
o
Individual Female
o
Individual Male
o
Transfer on Death (TOD) (Complete Transfer on Death Form)
o
Joint Tenants with Right of Survivorship
o
Joint Tenants in Common
(Account
will be registered Joint Tenants with Right of
Survivorship unless you indicate otherwise)
o
Attorney-in-Fact (you must send us, along with this form, a copy
of the notarized Power of Attorney)
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ooo-oo-oooo
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Owners Name (first, MI, last)
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Social Security #
(required)
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oo/oo/oooo
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oU.S. Citizen o
Resident Alien
|
Date of Birth
(required)
|
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Citizenship
(required
please check one)
|
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ooo-oo-oooo
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Joint Owners Name (first, MI, last)
|
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Social Security #
(required)
|
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oo/oo/oooo
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|
oU.S. Citizen o
Resident Alien
|
Date of Birth
(required)
|
|
Citizenship
(required
please check one)
|
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Permanent Address
(required) |
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ooo-ooo-oooo
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Street Address (a P.O. Box or Rural Route number
is not acceptable)
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Phone Number
(required)
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oo ooooo
-oooo
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City
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State Zip
Code
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Mailing Address
(if different from above)
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Accounts Mailing Address
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oo ooooo
-oooo
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City
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State Zip
Code
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o
Uniform Gifts/ Transfers to Minors Act (UGMA/UTMA)
Account
IMPORTANT: Every
person to be registered on the account must provide all of the
information requested.
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ooo-oo-oooo
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Custodians Name (first, MI, last)
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Social Security #
(required)
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oo/oo/oooo
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|
oU.S. Citizen o
Resident Alien
|
Date of Birth
(required)
|
|
Citizenship
(required
please check one)
|
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ooo-oo-oooo
|
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Minors Name (first, MI, last)
|
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Social Security #
(required)
|
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oo/oo/oooo
|
|
oU.S. Citizen o
Resident Alien
|
Date of Birth
(required)
|
|
Citizenship
(required
please check one)
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oo
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Minors State of Residence
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Permanent Address
(required) |
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ooo-ooo-oooo
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Street Address (a P.O. Box or Rural Route number
is not acceptable)
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Phone Number
(required)
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oo ooooo
-oooo
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City
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State Zip
Code
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Mailing Address
(if different from above) |
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Accounts Mailing Address
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oo ooooo
-oooo
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City
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State Zip
Code
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o
Trust Account
IMPORTANT: You
must send us, along with this form, a copy of the pages in your
trust agreement that show the name of the trust, the trust date
and a listing of all trustees and their signatures.
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ooo-oo-oooo
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Trustees Name (first, MI, last)
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Social Security #
(required)
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oo/oo/oooo
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oU.S. Citizen o
Resident Alien
|
Date of Birth
(required)
|
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Citizenship
(required
please check one)
|
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ooo-oo-oooo
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Co-Trustees Name (first, MI, last)
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Social Security #
(required)
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oo/oo/oooo
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|
oU.S. Citizen o
Resident Alien
|
Date of Birth
(required)
|
|
Citizenship
(required
please check one)
|
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oo/oo/oooo
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Name of Existing Trust
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Date of Trust Agreement
(required)
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oo-ooooooo
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Trusts Taxpayer Identification #
(required)
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Permanent Address
(required) |
|
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ooo-ooo-oooo
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Street Address (a P.O. Box or Rural Route number
is not acceptable)
|
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Phone Number
(required)
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|
oo ooooo
-oooo
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City
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State Zip
Code
|
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Mailing Address
(if different from above) |
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Accounts Mailing Address
|
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oo ooooo
-oooo
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City
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State Zip
Code
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o
Business or Organization Account
Important: You
must send us, along with this form, a copy of the pages of the
Articles of Incorporation, or state-issued charter or
Certificate of Good Standing. If completing for a Partnership,
you must send us a copy of the Partnership Agreement.
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oo-ooooooo
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Name of Business, Organization, Partnership, or
Other Entity
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Employer Identification #
(required)
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ooo-oo-oooo
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Name of Sole Proprietor or Name of Partner (if
applicable)
|
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Social Security #
(required)
|
|
oo/oo/oooo
|
|
oU.S. Citizen o
Resident Alien
|
Date of Birth
(required)
|
|
Citizenship
(required
please check one)
|
|
|
|
ooo-oo-oooo
|
|
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|
Name of Sole Proprietor or Name of Partner (if
applicable)
|
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Social Security #
(required)
|
|
oo/oo/oooo
|
|
oU.S. Citizen o
Resident Alien
|
Date of Birth
(required)
|
|
Citizenship
(required
please check one)
|
|
Permanent Address
(required) |
|
|
|
|
ooo-ooo-oooo
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|
Street Address (a P.O. Box or Rural Route number
is not acceptable)
|
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Phone Number
(required)
|
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|
oo ooooo
-oooo
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City
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State Zip
Code
|
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Mailing Address
(if different from above) |
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Accounts Mailing Address
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|
oo ooooo
-oooo
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City
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State Zip
Code
|
2. INVESTMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
A. Initial Investment
Important: All
purchase checks must be written in U.S. dollars and drawn
on a U.S. Bank. Colorado BondShares does not accept cash,
travelers checks or money orders. In addition, to protect
the funds from check fraud, Colorado BondShares will not accept
checks made payable to third parties, may periodically verify
account funds prior to purchase and may close an account due to
insufficient funds.
Enclosed is a check, payable to Colorado
BondShares A Tax-Exempt Fund
in the amount of
$ o,ooo,ooo.oo.
NO REDEMPTION OF SHARES PURCHASED BY CHECK
(UNLESS CERTIFIED) WILL BE
PERMITTED WITHIN 15 DAYS OF THE PURCHASE TO
YOUR ACCOUNT.
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MINIMUM INITIAL INVESTMENT: $500.00 |
NO MINIMUM ON SUBSEQUENT INVESTMENTS |
B. Dividends and Capital Gains
Distribution
Please select one of the following options for
your dividends and capital gains. All dividends and capital
gains will be reinvested in additional shares at Net Asset Value
if you do not make a selection. Check only one option for
each.
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Dividends:
|
|
o Reinvest
in Shares, or
|
|
o Pay in
Cash
|
Capital Gains:
|
|
o Reinvest
in Shares, or
|
|
o Pay in
Cash
|
If you choose to have any dividends and
capital gains paid in cash, please check one of the options
below. If you do not make a selection, we will send them to you,
by check, at your current address of record.
|
|
o |
Send dividends and capital gains to my bank
account (complete Bank Information, page 8)
|
o |
Send dividends and capital gains to an alternate
person and/or address (complete Alternate Party Payment,
page 8)
|
C. Signature and Tax Certification
(Signatures
required, Page 6 of this form)
By signing below I certify and agree that:
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|
ü |
Investments will be made in as many shares of the
Fund, including fractions to the third decimal place, as can be
purchased at the public offering price at the close of business
on the day payment is received. Shareholders will receive
dividends from investment income and any distributions from
long-term gain realized on the investment in shares or in cash
according to the option elected. Dividend and gain options may
be changed at any time by notifying Freedom Funds Management
Company in writing. Share certificates will not be issued.
|
|
ü |
If I am a U.S. citizen, a U.S. resident
alien, or a representative of a U.S. entity, under the
penalties of perjury, I certify that:
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|
|
(1) |
The number shown on this form is my correct
taxpayer identification number (s), and
|
|
(2) |
I am not subject to backup withholding because:
(a) I am exempt from backup withholding, or (b) I have
not been notified by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that I
am subject to backup withholding as a result of a failure to
report all interest or dividends, or (c) the IRS has
notified me that I am no longer subject to backup withholding.
|
|
|
Important: Cross out
item 2 if you have been notified by the IRS
that you are currently subject to backup withholding because you
have fail to report all interest or dividends on your tax return.
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(3) |
I am a U.S. person.
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|
The Internal Revenue Service does not require
your consent to any provision of this document other than the
certification required to avoid backup withholding.
|
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|
ü |
I have full authority and legal capacity to buy
and sell fund shares.
|
|
ü |
I have received and read the current prospectus
and agree to be bound by its terms.
|
|
ü |
I certify that I am a legal resident of the state
of
although I may occasionally use an out-of-state address.
|
|
ü |
I have read How are Sales Charges
Determined? in the prospectus and I am aware that the Fund
offers reduced sales charges (i.e., volume discounts, Rights of
Accumulation, Letter of Intent and Net Asset Value Transfer
Privilege).
|
|
ü |
I understand that mutual fund shares are not
deposits or obligations of, or guaranteed or endorsed by, any
bank, and are not federally insured by the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board, or any other
agency of the U.S. Government, and that an investment in
mutual fund shares involves risks, including the possible loss
of principal.
|
SIGNATURES
|
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Signature (Owner,
Trustee, Custodian, etc.)
|
|
Date |
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Signature (Joint
Owner, Co-Trustee, etc.)
|
|
Date |
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Signature (Joint
Owner, Co-Trustee, etc.)
|
|
Date |
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Signature (Joint
Owner, Co-Trustee, etc.)
|
|
Date |
D. Dealer/Agent Authorization
FOR SELECTED DEALERS OR AGENTS ONLY
Please establish the Account specified by the
investor and purchase through SMITH HAYES Financial Services
Corporation, general distributor, at the public offering price,
shares which you are authorized to purchase from us for the
investor. The investor is authorized to send any future payments
directly to you for investment. Confirm each transaction to the
investor and to us. We guarantee the genuineness of the
investors signature. We are a duly registered and licensed
dealer and have a sales agreement with Colorado
BondShares A Tax-Exempt Fund:
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Securities Dealer/Agent Firm
|
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Representatives Name (first, MI,
last)
|
X
|
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Authorized Signature, Securities Dealer
|
|
Branch Office Address (street address)
|
|
|
oo ooooo
-oooo
|
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City
|
|
State Zip
Code
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ooo-ooo-oooo
|
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Broker Dealer #
|
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Branch #
|
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Rep. Number
|
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Branch Office Telephone Number
|
ADDITIONAL SHAREHOLDER
OPTIONS
|
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#90-oooooooooo
|
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Account Registration
|
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Account Number (for office use only)
|
1. TELEPHONE
REDEMPTION PRIVILEGES (Signature required
Section 7)
I (we) hereby authorize the Fund to honor any
telephonic or telegraphic instructions from any of the
registered shareholders or the registered representative of my
(our) account for redemption without a Medallion Signature
Guarantee of any or all shares held in my (our) account.
Proceeds will be mailed as registered on the
account or, on redemptions of $1,000.00 or more, I (we) may
request that the proceeds be wired to the bank account
designated in Bank Information, Section 5.
The Fund shall not have any liability to me (us)
for acting upon such instruction, and I (we) will indemnify and
hold harmless the Fund from and against all losses, claims,
expenses and liabilities that may arise out of, or be in any way
connected with, a redemption of shares under this expedited
redemption procedure, whether or not properly authorized and
directed.
|
|
o |
Yes, we/I elect to have telephone redemption
privileges
|
|
o |
No, we/I decline to have telephone redemption
privileges (only written redemption requests will be accepted)
|
2. AUTOMATIC
INVESTMENT PLAN (Complete Bank Information,
Section 5, of this form)
Please process automatic investment transfers
directly from my bank account beginning the month of
______________________________,
200o.
Investment transfers are made on the 15th of
each month.
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|
|
Fund Account #
|
|
Fund Registration
|
|
Amount ($50 minimum)
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ ooo,ooo.oo.
|
|
|
|
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|
|
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|
|
$ ooo,ooo.oo.
|
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|
|
3. SCHEDULED
WITHDRAWAL PLAN (Complete Bank Information,
Section 5, of this form)
Please begin scheduled withdrawals from my fund
account number listed below beginning the month of
______________________________,
200o.
Withdrawals occur monthly.*
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|
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Fund Account #
|
|
Fund Registration
|
|
Amount ($50 minimum)
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ ooo,ooo.oo.
|
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|
$ ooo,ooo.oo.
|
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*Scheduled withdrawals are made on the
26th of the month (or the first following business
day). All payments will be sent to you via electronic
payment.
|
|
o |
Send payments to an alternate person and/or
address (Complete Alternate Party Payment, Section 4, or
Bank Information, Section 5 of this form)
|
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|
4. |
ALTERNATE PARTY PAYMENT
(Complete this information if you have
requested that certain distributions or payments be sent to
someone other than you and/or an address different than your
address of record. (A Medallion Signature Guarantee is required,
please see Section 7)* |
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Payees Name
|
|
|
|
Permanent Address
(required) |
|
|
|
|
ooo-ooo-oooo
|
|
|
|
Street Address (a P.O. Box or Rural Route number
is not acceptable)
|
|
Phone Number
(required)
|
|
|
|
oo ooooo
-oooo
|
|
|
|
City
|
|
State Zip
Code
|
|
|
5. |
BANK INFORMATION
(Complete this section if you selected any
option for transfers directly to or from your bank
account). |
PLEASE TAPE A PRE-PRINTED VOIDED CHECK HERE
The above options cannot be established without a
pre-printed voided check. For EFT transactions, the fund
requires signatures of bank account owners exactly as they
appear on bank records. If the registration at the bank differs
from that on the mutual fund, all parties must sign
Section 7.
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a. |
o
Letter of Intent
(Signature
required Section 7) |
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I intend to purchase additional shares of
Colorado BondShares over a 13-month period following my initial
purchase in order to be eligible for a sales charge discount on
my purchase of Class A shares.
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|
o $100,000 |
o $250,000 |
o $500,000 |
o $1,000,000 |
o $4,000,000+ |
Letter of Intent (LOI)
|
|
|
Freedom Funds Management Company will hold in
escrow shares equal to 5% of the minimum purchase amount
specified. Dividends and distributions on the escrowed shares
will be paid to you or credited to your Account according to
your dividend options. Upon completion of the specified minimum
purchase within the 13-month period, all shares held in escrow
will be deposited in your Account. You may include the total
value of the Fund shares owned valued at the public offering
price, as of the date of the LOI, toward the completion of the
LOI. If the total amount invested within the 13-month period
does not equal or exceed the specified minimum purchase, you
will be requested to pay the difference between the amount of
the sales charge actually paid and the amount of the sales
charge applicable to the total purchase made. We will notify you
in writing of your LOI expiration date and you may either
(1) remit payment for the additional sales charge
difference to Colorado BondShares, or (2) sufficient
escrowed shares will be redeemed from your account for payment
of the additional sales charge. Shares remaining in escrow after
this payment will be released to your Account. The standard
purchase amount may be increased at any time during the 13-month
period by filing a revised LOI Agreement for the same period,
provided that your Dealer furnishes evidence that an amount
representing the reduction in sales charge under the new
Agreement, which becomes applicable on purchases already made
under the original LOI Agreement, will be refunded to you and
that the required additional escrowed shares are being furnished
by you.
|
|
|
b. |
o
Rights of Accumulation/Cumulative
Discount |
|
|
|
I, my spouse or my minor children own shares in
other Colorado BondShares accounts. Please link the Tax
Identification Numbers or account numbers listed below for
Rights of Accumulation / Cumulative Discount privileges, so that
this and future purchases qualify for the discount in sales
charge described in the prospectus.
|
|
|
|
|
ooo-oo-oooo
|
|
ooo-oo-oooo
|
Social Security Number
|
|
Social Security Number
|
|
or Account Number
|
|
or Account Number
|
|
ooo-oo-oooo
|
|
ooo-oo-oooo
|
Social Security Number
|
|
Social Security Number
|
|
or Account Number
|
|
or Account Number
|
|
|
c. |
o
Net Asset Value Transfer
Privilege |
|
|
|
This purchase is being funded with shares
redeemed from another mutual fund(s) within the last
60 days on which a sales charge was paid. See How Are
Sales Charges Determined? in the prospectus.
|
|
|
|
If you are associated with an NASD member firm,
please provide us with your 7-digit CRD Number
ooooooo.
See How Are Sales Charges Determined? in the
prospectus.
|
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|
|
Signature (Owner,
Trustee, Custodian, etc.)
|
|
Date |
|
|
|
Signature (Joint
Owner, Co-Trustee, etc.)
|
|
Date |
|
|
|
Signature (Joint
Owner, Co-Trustee, etc.)
|
|
Date |
|
|
|
Signature (Joint
Owner, Co-Trustee, etc.)
|
|
Date |
* A MEDALLION SIGNATURE GUARANTEE IS REQUIRED IF YOU
HAVE
REQUESTED AN ALTERNATE PARTY PAYEE IN
SECTION 4.
This page intentionally left blank
TRANSFER ON DEATH (TOD)
REGISTRATION
|
|
|
|
|
#90-oooooooooo
|
|
|
|
Name of owner(s) (Multiple owners will be
registered as joint tenants with right of
survivorship)
|
|
Account Number (for office use only)
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ooo-oo-oooo
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Social Security (required)
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State of Residence
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I (we), the undersigned owner(s) of Colorado
BondShares hereby designate that all funds in this account shall
be distributed in equal shares (unless otherwise provided) to
each beneficiary designated below upon my death.
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Beneficiarys full legal name
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Relationship (required)
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Social Security Number (required)
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oo ooooo
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Beneficiarys Residential Address
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Beneficiarys full legal name
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oo ooooo
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Percentage |
Note: All stated percentages must add up
to 100%. If not, distributions shall be made
proportionally on the percentages
stated.
Distributions under this Transfer on Death (TOD)
Registration will not be effective until the death of the last
surviving owner. If this is a joint account, the surviving
account owner has the right to revoke or change this designation
prior to his/her death. No payment will be made to an individual
beneficiary who does not survive the owner(s) of the account. In
the case of two or more beneficiaries who are entitled to the
account, the percentage allocated to a surviving beneficiary
will be increased pro rata in the event a beneficiary dies
before the surviving owner. This Transfer on Death (TOD)
Registration shall be governed by the provisions of Colorado law
as applied to contracts entered into and fully performed in
Colorado.
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Signature
(Owner)
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Signature (Joint
Owner)
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Signature
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Signature
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MEDALLION SIGNATURE GUARANTEE IS REQUIRED IF YOU ARE
SUBMITTING
THIS FORM AFTER YOUR ACCOUNT HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED WITH THE
FUND.
Place for additional beneficiaries on
page 12.
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Beneficiarys full legal name
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Relationship (required)
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Social Security Number (required)
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oo ooooo
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Beneficiarys Residential Address
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City
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Code
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oo/oo/oooo
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Date of Birth (required)
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Percentage |
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Beneficiarys full legal name
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Social Security Number (required)
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oo ooooo
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Beneficiarys Residential Address
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Code
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oo/oo/oooo
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Date of Birth (required)
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Percentage |
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Beneficiarys full legal name
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oo ooooo
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Beneficiarys Residential Address
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Code
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oo/oo/oooo
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Date of Birth (required)
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Percentage |
MEDALLION SIGNATURE GUARANTEE IS REQUIRED IF YOU ARE
SUBMITTING
THIS FORM AFTER YOUR ACCOUNT HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED WITH THE
FUND.
Colorado
BondShares
A Tax-Exempt Fund
1200 Seventeenth Street,
Suite 850
Denver, Colorado 80202
(303) 572-6990
(800) 572-0069 (Outside
Denver)
This prospectus sets forth concisely the information concerning
the Fund that a prospective investor should know before
investing. Please review this prospectus carefully and retain it
for future reference.
Additional information about the Fund is included in the
Statement of Additional Information dated as of January 30,
2006, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. The Statement of Additional Information is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Additional
information about the Funds investments is available in
the Funds annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders.
In the Funds annual report, you will find a discussion of
the market conditions and investment strategies that affected
the Funds performance during its last fiscal year. For a
free copy of the Statement of Additional Information, the Funds
annual and semi-annual reports, to request other information
about the Fund, or to make shareholder inquiries, please call or
write the Fund at the telephone numbers or the address set forth
above. The Fund does not maintain an internet website.
Information about the Fund, including a Statement of Additional
Information, can be reviewed and copied at the Commissions
Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information
regarding the operation of the Public Reference Room may be
obtained by calling the Commission at 1-202-942-8090. Reports
and other information about the Fund are available on the
Commissions website at http://www.sec.gov, and copies of
this information may be obtained, upon payment of a duplicating
fee, by electronic request at the following email address:
publicinfo@sec.gov, or by writing the Public Reference Section
of the Commission, Washington, D.C. 20549-0102.
Investment Company File Number 811-05009
Colorado
BondShares
A Tax-Exempt Fund
1200 Seventeenth Street, Suite 850
Denver, Colorado 80202
(303) 572-6990
(800) 572-0069 (Outside of Denver)
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION
January 30, 2006
This Statement of Additional Information expands upon and
supplements the information contained in the current prospectus
of Colorado BondShares A Tax-Exempt Fund (the
Fund), dated January 30, 2006 (the
Prospectus). It should be read in conjunction with
the Prospectus, which may be obtained by writing or calling the
Fund at the address or telephone number listed above. This
Statement of Additional Information is not in itself a
Prospectus, and is incorporated by reference into the Prospectus
in its entirety. Portions of the Prospectus are incorporated by
reference into this Statement of Additional Information where
indicated.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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B-2 |
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B-17 |
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B-18 |
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B-1
WHAT IS COLORADO BONDSHARES
A
TAX-EXEMPT FUND?
Colorado BondShares A Tax-Exempt Fund (the
Fund) is a diversified, open-end management
investment company, or mutual fund, organized as a Massachusetts
business trust on February 13, 1987. The Fund is authorized
to issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest.
Each share has one vote.
WHAT ARE THE FUNDS INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVES, PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES, AND
RISKS?
The Funds investment objectives, investment strategies,
policies and risks that are discussed in the INVESTMENT
OBJECTIVES, PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES, AND RELATED
RISKS section of the Prospectus are incorporated by
reference into this Statement of Additional Information.
WHAT ARE THE FUNDS INVESTMENT
LIMITATIONS?
Under the Funds fundamental policies, which cannot be
changed unless either: (1) a majority of outstanding voting
securities vote in favor of the proposal, or (2) at a
security holder meeting in which at least half of the
outstanding voting securities are represented, two-thirds of the
outstanding voting securities at that meeting vote in favor of
the proposal, the Fund may not:
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Issue senior securities; |
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Invest more than 10% of the value of its total assets in the
aggregate in restricted or not readily marketable securities or
in repurchase agreements maturing or terminable in more than
seven days or in illiquid assets; |
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Invest less than 80% of the value of its net assets in
Tax-Exempt Obligations the interest on which is exempt from
regular federal income taxes and from Colorado personal income
tax and which is not subject to the alternative minimum tax; |
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Borrow money, except from banks for temporary purposes and in an
amount not to exceed 10% of the value of its total assets at the
time the borrowing is made; |
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Mortgage or pledge any of its assets, except to secure permitted
borrowings noted above; |
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Invest 25% or more of its total assets at market value in
issuers of any one industry (determined by reference to the
current Directory of Companies Filing Annual Reports with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, published by the Securities
and Exchange Commission), provided that, with respect to
Tax-Exempt Obligations issued by the State of Colorado, its
political subdivisions, municipalities and public authorities,
the identity of the issuer shall be determined with reference to
the applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986,
as amended, (the Code) and regulations promulgated
thereunder; |
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As to 75% of the value of its total assets, purchase securities
of any issuer if immediately thereafter more than 5% of its
total assets at market value would be invested in the securities
of any issuer; |
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Acquire securities in other investment companies, if the total
amount so invested would have an aggregate value in excess of
10% of the value of the total assets of the Fund; |
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Acquire more than 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of
any one investment company, or acquire securities in any one
investment company which securities have an aggregate value in
excess of 5% of the value of the total assets of the Fund; |
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Purchase or hold any real estate, except that the Fund may
invest in securities secured by real estate or interests therein
or issued by persons (other than real estate investment trusts)
which deal in real estate or interests therein; |
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Purchase or hold the securities of any issuer, if to its
knowledge, trustees or officers of the Fund individually owning
beneficially more than 0.5% of the securities of that issuer own
in the aggregate more than 5% of such securities; |
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Write or purchase put, call, straddle or spread options,
purchase securities on margin or sell short, or
underwrite the securities of other issuers; |
B-2
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Purchase or sell commodities or commodity contracts, including
commodity futures contracts; or |
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Make loans except to the extent that the purchase of notes,
bonds or other evidences of indebtedness or the entry into
repurchase agreements or deposits with banks may be considered
loans. The Fund has no present intention of entering into
repurchase agreements during the coming year. |
Under the Investment Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940
Act), a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting
securities of the Fund means the affirmative vote of the
lesser of (1) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of
the Fund or (2) 67% or more of the shares of the Fund
present at a shareholders meeting if more than 50% of the
outstanding shares of the Fund are represented at the meeting in
person or by proxy.
HOW IS THE FUND MANAGED?
The Fund is a Massachusetts business trust. The board of
trustees of the Fund (the Board) supervises the
activities of the Fund, reviews the Funds service
contracts and hires the companies that run the
day-to-day operations
of the Fund, such as the administrator, custodian, investment
adviser, transfer agent and underwriter.
Pursuant to the terms of an agreement between the Fund and
Freedom Funds Management Company, the investment adviser to the
Fund (Investment Adviser), the Investment Adviser
will manage investment of the Funds assets and administer
its business and other affairs. See WHO GIVES INVESTMENT
ADVICE TO THE FUND? and ADVISORY AGREEMENT AND
EXPENSES.
The Fund is not required to hold annual shareholder meetings.
However, special meetings may be called by the Board or upon the
written request of shareholders owning at least one-tenth of the
shares entitled to vote, for such purposes as electing or
removing trustees, changing fundamental investment policies, or
approving a new or amended advisory or management contract or
plan of distribution. Each shareholder receives one vote for
each share held. The Board has the power to create additional
series of Fund shares.
The Fund, the Investment Advisor and the Underwriter all adopted
codes of ethics under Rule 17j-1 promulgated under the 1940
Act. These codes of ethics permit personnel subject to the codes
to invest in securities, including securities that may be
purchased or held by the Fund.
Officers and Trustees of the
Fund
The following tables list the trustees and officers of the Fund,
together with their address, age, positions held with the Fund,
the term of each office held and the length of time served in
each office, principal business occupations during the past five
years and other directorships, if any, held by each trustee and
officer. Each trustee and officer has served in that capacity
for the Fund continuously since originally elected or appointed.
The Board supervises the business activities of the Fund. Each
trustee serves as a trustee until termination of the Fund unless
the Trustee dies, resigns, retires, or is removed.
Andrew B. Schaffer is an interested person of the
Fund as defined in the 1940 Act by virtue of his position as
both an officer and a trustee of the Fund as described in the
table below. None of the trustees nor the officers of the Fund
has any position with the Investment Adviser, the principal
underwriter of the Fund, the distribution agent of the Fund, the
service agent of the Fund or the custodian of the Fund, or any
affiliates thereof. There is no family relationship between any
officers and trustees of the Fund.
B-3
Non-Interested
Trustees
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Name, |
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Positions |
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Term of Office |
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Address |
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Held with |
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and Length of |
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Principal Occupations |
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Other Directorships | |
and age |
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the Fund |
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Time Served |
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During the Past 5 Years |
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Held by Director | |
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George N. Donnelly
1200 17th Street,
Ste. 850
Denver, CO 80202
Age: 59 |
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Chairman of the Board of Trustees |
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Trustee since inception of the Fund in 1987 |
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Mr. Donnelly is currently a Senior Regional Vice President for
Phoenix Life Insurance Company. He was formerly President of
Registered Rep/Financial Planner Exchange.com, a web based
service designed to match independent registered representatives
and financial planners with broker dealers. From May 1991 to
July 1999, Mr. Donnelly was a Principal for MKT Inc., a
marketing firm engaged in the sales of financial service
products. |
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None |
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Bruce G. Ely
1200 17th Street,
Ste. 850
Denver, CO 80202
Age: 55 |
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Trustee |
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Trustee since July 2002 |
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Mr. Ely is currently the Regional Marketing Director for MBIA
Municipal Investors Service Corporation in Colorado. He has been
involved with MBIAs Customized Asset Management (CMA)
product, and with the Colorado Local Government Liquid Asset
Trust (COLOTRUST) since its inception in 1985.
Mr. Ely was formerly a Senior Vice President with Hanifen,
Imhoff Inc. in their public finance area from 1985-1998. He
served on the board of directors of the Beaver Creek
Metropolitan District for nine years both as Treasurer and
Chairman. |
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None |
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James R. Madden
1200 17th Street,
Ste. 850
Denver, CO 80202
Age: 61 |
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Trustee |
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Trustee since September 2004 |
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Mr. Madden has owned Madden Enterprises, a real estate company
that owns and leases commercial buildings and real estate, for
the past thirty years. He is also a stockholder and director of
Community Bank in western Kansas. He has been a bank director
for over 25 years. |
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None |
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B-4
Interested Trustees
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Name, |
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Positions |
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Term of Office |
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Address |
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Held with |
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and Length of |
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Principal Occupations |
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Other Directorships | |
and Age |
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the Fund |
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Time Served |
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During the Past 5 Years |
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Held by Director | |
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Andrew B. Shaffer
1200 17th Street,
Ste. 850
Denver, CO 80202
Age: 58 |
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Trustee, President, Secretary and Treasurer |
|
Trustee, Secretary and Treasurer since June 1995 President since
January 2003 |
|
Mr. Shaffer is the manager of Shaffer Capital Management/LLC.
Prior to the formation of Shaffer Capital Management/LLC,
Mr. Shaffer was engaged as an attorney in private practice.
Mr. Shaffer has also been an attorney with the Internal
Revenue Service, an associate at the Denver law firm of Sherman
and Howard and a Shareholder/ Director at the Denver law firm of
Conover, McClearn & Heppenstall, P.C. He has been
a visiting lecturer and Associate Professor at the University of
Colorado Law School and has written numerous articles and
lectured extensively in the areas of business, tax and estate
planning. |
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None |
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The Board oversees the operations of the Fund, and is
responsible for the overall management and supervision of the
Funds affairs in accordance with the laws of the State of
Massachusetts, and directs the officers of the Fund to perform
or to cause to be performed the daily functions of the Fund. The
Board has no standing committees.
Share Ownership
The following tables set forth the dollar range of shares of the
Fund beneficially owned by each of the trustees of the Fund as
of December 31, 2005:
Non-Interested
Trustees
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Name |
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Dollar Range of Shares in the Fund |
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George N. Donnelly
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Over $100,000 |
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Bruce G. Ely
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Over $100,000 |
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James R. Madden
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Over $100,000 |
Interested Trustees
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Name |
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Dollar Range of Shares in the Fund |
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Andrew B. Shaffer
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Over $100,000 |
B-5
As of December 31, 2005, the officers and trustees of the
Fund as a group owned less than 1% of the outstanding shares of
the Fund, and none of the officers or trustees of the Fund or
members of their immediately family had any ownership interest
in the Adviser, the Underwriter or any person (other than the
Fund) directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or
under common control with the Investment Adviser or the
Underwriter.
Compensation
The Board met five times during the fiscal year ended
September 30, 2005. The following tables show the
compensation paid by the Fund to each of the trustees during
that year:
Non-Interested
Trustees
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Aggregate | |
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Pension or Retirement | |
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Compensation | |
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Benefits Accrued as Part | |
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Total Compensation from | |
Name of Person, Position(s) with the Fund |
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from Fund | |
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of Fund Expenses | |
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Fund Paid to Such Person | |
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George N. Donnelly (Trustee)
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$ |
800 |
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N/A |
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$ |
800 |
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Bruce G. Ely (Trustee)
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800 |
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N/A |
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800 |
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James R. Madden (Trustee)
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600 |
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N/A |
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600 |
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Interested Trustees
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Aggregate | |
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Pension or Retirement | |
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Compensation | |
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Benefits Accrued as Part | |
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Total Compensation from | |
Name of Person, Position(s) with the Fund |
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from Fund | |
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of Fund Expenses | |
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Fund Paid to Such Person | |
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Andrew B. Shaffer (Trustee, President, Secretary and Treasurer)
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$ |
800 |
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N/A |
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$ |
800 |
|
No officer or trustee of the Fund received remuneration from the
Fund in excess of $60,000 for services to the Fund during the
fiscal year ended September 30, 2005. The officers and
trustees of the Fund, as a group, received $3,000 in
compensation from the Fund for services to the Fund during the
2005 fiscal year.
Proxy Voting
The Fund invests exclusively in non-voting securities and
therefore is not required to include information regarding proxy
voting policies and procedures.
Principal Holders
No person of record owns and no person is known by the Fund to
beneficially own 5% or more of the Funds shares.
WHO GIVES INVESTMENT ADVICE TO THE
FUND?
The Investment Adviser to the Fund is a Delaware corporation
formed on November 7, 1986 and wholly owned by Carbon
County Holding Company, a Colorado corporation (Carbon
County). Carbon County is a single bank holding company
which owns 100% of Rawlins National Bank. The Investment Adviser
is located at 1200 Seventeenth Street, Suite 850, Denver,
Colorado 80202.
Fred R. Kelly Jr., President, Secretary and Treasurer of the
Investment Adviser and the Funds portfolio manager, owns
approximately 66% of the issued and outstanding capital stock of
Carbon County.
The Investment Adviser has registered with the Securities and
Exchange Commission as an Investment Adviser under the 1940 Act.
B-6
The Investment Advisers goal is to have a portfolio
turnover rate that is not in excess of 20% per year in
accordance with the investment objectives of the Fund. During
fiscal year 2005, the Funds portfolio turnover rate was
4.40%. The turnover rate is calculated by dividing the lesser of
purchases or sales of portfolio securities by the monthly
average of the market value of such securities owned during the
period. The portfolio turnover ratio was greater than the
previous year due to an increase in bond calls and puts.
Advisory Agreement and
Expenses
Under the advisory agreement approved by the Board and by a
majority of the shareholders (the Advisory
Agreement), by and between the Fund and the Investment
Adviser, subject to the control of the Board, the Investment
Adviser manages the assets of the Fund, including making
purchases and sales of portfolio securities consistent with the
Funds investment objectives and policies. The Investment
Adviser will attempt to meet the Funds investment
objectives by providing portfolio management and credit analysis
services pursuant to the Prospectus and the Advisory Agreement.
There is no assurance that the Investment Adviser can meet the
Funds investment objectives.
In addition, the Investment Adviser administers the Funds
daily business affairs such as providing accurate accounting
records, computing accrued income and expenses of the Fund,
computing the daily net asset value of the Fund, assuring proper
dividend disbursements, proper financial information to
investors, and notices of all shareholders meetings, and
providing sufficient office space, storage, telephone services,
and personnel to accomplish these responsibilities.
The Investment Adviser pays all of the compensation of trustees
of the Fund who are employees of the Investment Adviser and of
the officers and employees of the Fund. The Fund pays all of the
compensation of trustees who are not employees of the Investment
Adviser. The Advisory Agreement also provides that the
Investment Adviser will not be liable to the Fund for any error
of judgment or mistake of law, or for any loss arising out of
any investment, or for any act or omission in performing its
duties under the Advisory Agreement, except for willful
misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard
of its obligations and duties under the Advisory Agreement.
In exchange for its services, the Investment Adviser is entitled
to receive a management fee from the Fund, calculated daily and
payable monthly, equal to 0.50% of the average daily net assets
on an annual basis.
The Fund is responsible for paying all its expenses other than
those assumed by the Investment Adviser, including brokerage
commissions, if any, fees and expenses of independent attorneys
and auditors, taxes and governmental fees, including fees and
expenses of qualifying the Fund and its shares under federal and
state securities laws, and expenses of repurchase or redemption
of shares, expenses of printing and distributing reports,
notices and proxy materials to shareholders, expenses of
printing and filing reports and other documents with
governmental agencies, expenses of shareholders meetings,
expenses of corporate data processing and related services,
shareholder account services, fees and disbursements of
appraisers, transfer agents and custodians, expenses of
disbursing dividends and distributions, fees and expense of
trustees of the Fund not employed by the Investment Adviser or
its affiliates, insurance premiums and extraordinary expenses
such as litigation expenses.
The table below sets forth the advisory fees earned and the
advisory fees actually paid by the Fund during the last three
fiscal years of the Fund:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Advisory | |
|
Advisory | |
|
|
Fees Earned | |
|
Fees Paid | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
2003
|
|
$ |
1,191,444 |
|
|
$ |
1,191,444 |
|
|
|
|
|
2004
|
|
|
1,484,372 |
|
|
|
1,484,372 |
|
|
|
|
|
2005
|
|
|
1,695,499 |
|
|
|
1,695,499 |
|
The Advisory Agreement will continue in effect from year to year
if such continuance is approved in the manner required by 1940
Act (i.e., (1) by a vote of a majority of the Board or of
the outstanding voting securities of the Fund and (2) by a
vote of a majority of the trustees who are not parties to the
Advisory Agreement or interested persons of any such party), and
if the Investment Adviser shall not have notified the Fund at
least 60 days prior to the anniversary date of the previous
continuance that it does not desire such continuance. The
Advisory Agreement may be terminated by the Fund, without
penalty, on 60 days written notice to the Investment
Adviser and will terminate automatically in the event of its
assignment.
B-7
In approving the Advisory Agreement, the Board, including the
disinterested trustees, considered the reasonableness of the
advisory fee in light of the extent and quality of the advisory
services provided and any additional benefits received by the
Investment Adviser or its affiliates in connection with
providing services to the Fund, compared the fees charged by
Investment Adviser to those paid by similar funds or clients for
comparable services, and analyzed the expenses incurred by the
Investment Adviser with respect to the Fund. The Board also
considered the Funds performance relative to a selected
peer group and to other benchmarks, the expense ratio of the
Fund in comparison to other funds of comparable size, and other
factors. Specifically, the Board noted information received at
regular meetings throughout the year related to Fund performance
and Investment Adviser services, and benefits potentially
accruing to the Investment Adviser and its affiliates from
securities lending, administrative and brokerage relationships
with affiliates of the Investment Adviser, as well as research
services received by the Investment Adviser from brokers-dealers
who execute transactions on behalf of the Fund. After requesting
and reviewing such information as they deemed necessary, the
Board concluded that the continuation of the Advisory Agreement
was in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders.
The Investment Adviser also serves as the transfer agent,
shareholder servicing agent and dividend disbursing agent for
the Fund, pursuant to a Transfer Agency and Service Agreement
(the Service Agreement). The Investment
Advisers duties under the Service Agreement include
processing purchase and redemption transactions, establishing
and maintaining shareholder accounts and records, disbursing
dividends declared by the Fund and all other customary services
of a transfer agent, shareholder servicing agent and dividend
disbursing agent. As compensation for these services, the Fund
may pay the Investment Adviser at a rate intended to represent
the Investment Advisers cost of providing such services.
This fee would be in addition to the investment advisory fee
payable to the Investment Adviser under the Advisory Agreement.
Additional Information About the
Portfolio Manager
The Funds portfolio manager is Fred R. Kelly Jr.,
President, Secretary and Treasurer of the Investment Adviser.
The portfolio manager does not manage any accounts other than
the Fund. The following includes additional information about
the portfolio managers compensation and ownership of
shares of the Fund.
Compensation. The following is an explanation of the structure
of, and method used to determine, portfolio manager compensation
as of the end of the Funds most recently completed fiscal
year. Mr. Kelly is compensated by a fixed salary, yearly
bonus (not based on Fund performance or the value of assets held
in the Funds portfolio) and commissions on certain sales
of Fund Shares relating to accounts on which the
Underwriter is the broker-dealer. All compensation is paid in
cash. Salary and bonus is paid by the Investment Adviser, while
commissions are paid by the Underwriter. Mr. Kelly also
receives indirect compensation in the form of dividends as a
result of his ownership of approximately 66% of the capital
stock of Carbon County, the parent of the Investment Adviser.
Share Ownership. The following table sets forth the dollar range
of shares of the Fund beneficially owned by the portfolio
manager of the Fund as of December 31, 2005:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dollar Range of Shares |
Name |
|
in the Fund |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fred R. Kelly, Jr.
|
|
$ |
10,001-$50,000 |
|
Allocation of Portfolio Transactions
and Other Practices
The frequency of portfolio transactions the
Funds portfolio turnover rate will vary from
year to year depending on market conditions. The Investment
Advisers goal is that the Fund will not have a portfolio
turnover rate in excess of 20% per year; however, there can
be no assurances that the fund will be able to meet this
objective. During the fiscal year 2005 the Funds portfolio
turnover rate was 4.40%. The portfolio turnover ratio was
greater than the previous year due to an increase in bond calls
and puts.
The Investment Adviser will be authorized to allocate the
Funds securities transactions to the Under-
B-8
writer, the principal underwriter and the distributor of the
Funds shares and to other broker-dealers who help
distribute the Funds shares. The Investment Adviser will
allocate transactions to such broker-dealers only when it
reasonably believes that the commissions and transaction quality
is comparable to that available from other qualified
broker-dealers. This is consistent with the Rules of the
National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.
(NASD), and subject to seeking the most favorable
price and execution available and such other policies as the
Board may determine.
In connection with its duties to arrange for the purchase and
sale of portfolio securities, the Investment Adviser will select
such broker-dealers (Dealers) who will, in the
Investment Advisers judgment, implement the Funds
policy to achieve best execution, i.e., prompt, efficient and
reliable execution of orders at the most favorable net price.
The Investment Adviser will cause the Fund to deal directly with
the selling or purchasing principal or market maker without
incurring brokerage commissions unless the Investment Adviser
determines that better price or execution may be obtained by
paying such commissions; the Fund expects that most transactions
will be principal transactions at net prices and that the Fund
will incur little or no brokerage costs. The Fund understands
that purchases from underwriters include a commission or
concession paid by the issuer to the underwriter and that
principal transactions placed through Dealers include a spread
between the bid and asked prices.
When allocating transactions to Dealers, the Investment Adviser
is authorized to consider, in determining whether a particular
dealer will provide best execution, the dealers
reliability, integrity, financial condition and risk in
positioning the securities involved, as well as the difficulty
of the transaction in question, and thus need not pay the lowest
spread or commission available if the Investment Adviser
determines in good faith that the amount of commission is
reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and
research services provided by the dealer, viewed either in terms
of the particular transaction or the Investment Advisers
overall responsibilities as to the accounts as to which it
exercises investment discretion.
If, on the foregoing basis, the transaction in question could be
allocated to two or more Dealers, the Investment Adviser is
authorized in making such allocation, to consider,
(i) whether a dealer has provided research services, as
further discussed below; and (ii) whether a dealer has sold
Fund shares or the shares of any other investment company or
companies having the Investment Adviser as its investment
adviser or having the same sub-manager, administrator or
principal underwriter as the Fund. Such research may be in
written form or through direct contact with individuals and may
include quotations on portfolio securities and information on
particular issuers and industries, as well as on market,
economic or institutional activities. The Fund recognizes that
no dollar value can be placed on such research services or on
execution services, that such research services may or may not
be useful to the Fund and/or other accounts of the Investment
Adviser and that such research received by such other accounts
may or may not be useful to the Fund.
Under the 1940 Act, the Fund may not purchase portfolio
securities from any underwriting syndicate of which the
Underwriter, as principal, is a member except under certain
limited circumstances set forth in
Rule 10f-3 under
such Act. These conditions relate among other things, to the
terms of an issue of municipal securities purchased by the Fund,
the reasonableness of the dealer spread, the amount of municipal
securities which may be purchased from any one issuer, and the
amount of the Funds assets which may be invested in a
particular issue. The rule also requires that any purchase made
subject to its provisions be reviewed at least quarterly by the
Funds Board, including a majority of the Funds Board
who are not interested persons of the Fund as defined by the
1940 Act.
The Board will review quarterly the Investment Advisers
performance of its responsibilities in connection with the
placement of portfolio transactions on behalf of the Fund. Such
review is conducted for the purpose of determining if the
markups and commissions, if any, paid by the Fund are reasonable
in relation to the benefits received by the Fund taking into
account the competitive practices in the industry.
The aggregate amount of brokerage commissions paid by the Fund
during its three most recent fiscal years is set forth herein
under DISTRIBUTION OF SHARES.
B-9
SHAREHOLDER SERVICE AGENT
The Investment Adviser also serves as the Funds
shareholder service agent (Service Agent), and has
registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a
transfer agent. As Service Agent, the Investment Adviser
performs only those services described in the Service Agreement.
CUSTODIAN AND AUDITORS
Wells Fargo Institutional Trust, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., is the
portfolio securities custodian (the Custodian) for
the Fund. Their address is 1740 Broadway, Denver, Colorado
80274. The Custodian is responsible for safeguarding and
controlling the Funds cash and securities, handling the
receipt and delivery of securities and collecting interest and
dividends on the Funds investments.
Anton Collins Mitchell LLP is the independent registered public
accounting firm of the Fund. Anton Collins Mitchell LLP audited
the Funds financial statements for the fiscal year ended
September 30, 2005 and will audit the Funds financial
statements for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2006.
Their address is 303 E. 17th Ave.,
Suite 600, Denver, CO 80203.
WHAT KIND OF SHARES DOES THE FUND
OFFER?
The Fund has one class of shares, an unlimited number of which
may be issued by the Board, and the Board has the power to
create additional series of Fund shares. The Fund had 4,651
holders of record and 41,184,708 shares outstanding as of
December 31, 2005.
The Fund declares dividends of net investment income daily.
Dividends are paid to shareholders on the 15th day of each
month (Payable Date). If the 15th day of a
month falls on a weekend or holiday on which the New York Stock
Exchange (NYSE) is closed, the dividend will be
distributed on the next succeeding business day. Payments vary
in amount depending on income received from portfolio securities
and expenses of operation.
Shares will begin earning dividends on the day after which the
Fund receives payment and shares are issued. Shares or cash
continue to earn dividends through the date they are redeemed or
delivered subsequent to reinstatement.
Unless you elect by written notice to the Investment Adviser, at
least ten business days prior to the dividend Payable Date, your
dividends and gain distributions, if any, will be made in
additional shares at net asset value. If you desire to elect a
different option, you may choose to receive dividends in cash
and any gain distributions in shares or receive both dividends
and any gain distributions in cash. See Page 5 of the
General Authorization Form in the Prospectus.
The Fund will generally distribute sufficient net income to
avoid the application of the 4% excise tax imposed pursuant to
the Code.
Each share represents an equal proportionate beneficial interest
in the Fund. Shareholders are entitled to one vote for each full
share held. Fractional shares may be voted proportionately.
Voting rights are not cumulative.
When issued and outstanding, the shares are fully paid and
nonassessable by the Fund. Shares are fully redeemable as
described under the HOW CAN I SELL MY SHARES?
portion of the Prospectus. Shares of the Fund have no preemptive
or conversion rights, and are freely transferable. Upon
liquidation of the Fund, shareholders are entitled to share pro
rata in the net assets of the Fund available for distribution to
shareholders.
Rule 18f-2 under
the 1940 Act provides that any matter required to be submitted
by the provisions of the 1940 Act or applicable state law, or
otherwise, to the holders of the outstanding voting securities
of an investment company such as the Fund shall not be deemed to
have been effectively acted upon unless approved by the holders
of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of each class
affected by such matter.
Rule 18f-2 further
provides that a class shall be deemed to be affected by a matter
unless it is clear that the interests of each class in the
matter are substantially identical or that the matter does not
affect any interest of such class. However, the Rule exempts the
selection of independent public accountants, the approval of
principal distributing contracts and the election of trustees
from the separate voting requirements of the Rule.
B-10
PURCHASE OF SHARES
Shares of the Fund are being continuously offered through
securities dealers who are members of the National Association
of Securities Dealers, Inc. (NASD) and who have a
dealer agreement with the underwriter, SMITH HAYES Financial
Services Corporation (SMITH HAYES or the
Underwriter). Broker-dealers may be classified as
statutory underwriters under Section 2(11) of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Shares of the Fund will be purchased at the offering price based
on the net asset value next determined following receipt of the
order by the Fund, plus the applicable sales charges. Any orders
received by the Fund from you directly or from your broker, as
the case may be, before 2:00 p.m. Denver, Colorado time
will receive that days share price, which is the net asset
value at the close of business of the NYSE that day. Orders
received after 2:00 p.m. will be priced based on the net
asset value at the close of business of the NYSE the next day.
The Fund is open for business each day on which the NYSE is open.
You can open an account for $500 or more by delivering a check
made payable to Colorado BondShares A
Tax-Exempt Fund, and a completed General Authorization
Form, either to your broker or to the Fund at 1200 Seventeenth
Street, Suite 850, Denver, Colorado 80202. The Funds
telephone numbers, including toll-free numbers, are set forth on
the cover of this Statement of Additional Information.
You may make additional purchases at any time by delivering a
check either to your broker or to the Fund at the address stated
above. There is no minimum purchase amount required for these
subsequent investments.
Instructions for redemptions and other transactions in accounts
and requests for information about an account should go to the
above stated address.
Any share purchases will be made through the Fund from the
investment dealer designated by the shareholder. A shareholder
may change its dealer at any time upon written notice to the
Investment Adviser, provided that the new dealer has a dealer
agreement with the Underwriter.
Recent Federal anti-money laundering laws and regulations
require the Fund to obtain certain information about you in
order to open an account. You must provide the Fund with the
name, physical address, social security or other taxpayer
identification number, date of birth and phone number of all
owners of the account. A post office box cannot be used as the
physical address on the account. The Fund will use this
information to verify your identity using various methods. In
the event that your identity cannot be sufficiently verified,
the Fund may employ additional verification methods or refuse to
open your account. The information gathered also will be
verified when you change the principal physical address on your
account. Under certain circumstances, it may be appropriate for
the Fund to close or suspend further activity in an account. The
personal information gathered about you will be protected in
accordance with the Funds privacy policy described in the
section of the prospectus of the Fund entitled PRIVACY
POLICY OF THE FUND.
WHAT REDUCTIONS IN SALES CHARGES ARE
PROVIDED?
Volume discounts are provided if the total amount being invested
in shares of the Fund reaches the levels indicated in the sales
charge schedule in the HOW ARE SALES CHARGES
DETERMINED? section of the Prospectus.
In order to obtain a volume discount, you may be required to
inform the Fund of other accounts in which you have holdings
eligible to be aggregated to qualify for volume discounts at the
time of purchase. You may be required to provide the Fund with
certain records including account statements in order to verify
your eligibility for volume discounts. Confirmation of the order
is subject to such verification.
Rights of accumulation allow the Funds shares to be
purchased at the rate applicable in the discount schedule after
adding the value of shares already owned by the investor to the
amount of the Fund shares being purchased.
A letter of intent allows you to purchase shares of the Fund
over a 13-month period
at reduced sales charges based on the total amount of dollars
that you
B-11
state in the letter that you intend to purchase. While the
letter of intent is not a binding obligation on you, if you do
not purchase the full amount of shares within 13 months,
the fund will redeem shares from your account in an amount equal
to the higher initial sales charge you would have paid in the
absence of the letter of intent. For more information concerning
the terms of the letter of intent, see the General Authorization
Form.
The Fund has a net asset value transfer privilege, which allows
investors to purchase shares of the Fund at no load providing
the following conditions are met: (a) the proceeds used by
the investor to purchase shares of the Fund must be from the
redemption of an unrelated mutual fund; (b) the investor
must have paid a sales charge (load) on the shares of the
unrelated mutual fund; (c) the investor must purchase
shares of the Fund within 60 days of redeeming its shares
in the unrelated mutual fund; and (d) the investor must
include a confirmation of the redemption from the unrelated
mutual fund.
For any such discounts, the purchaser or the purchasers
broker-dealer must provide the Fund with sufficient information
to permit verification that the purchase order qualifies for the
discount privilege. Confirmation of the order is subject to such
verification.
WHO IS ENTITLED TO
REDUCTIONS?
Shares of the Fund may be sold at net asset value to
(i) present and retired trustees, officers, directors,
employees (and their respective spouses and minor children) of
the Fund, the Investment Adviser and its affiliates, the
Underwriter, Hanifen, Imhoff Holdings Inc. and its affiliates as
constituted on November 17, 1994 and other NASD registered
representatives; (ii) employee benefit plans for such
persons (and to any investment Advisory, custodial, trust or
other fiduciary account managed or advised by the Investment
Adviser or any affiliate); and (iii) shareholders of
unrelated mutual funds that charge a sales load to the extent
that the purchase price of Fund shares is funded by the proceeds
from the redemption (within 60 days prior to the purchase
of Fund shares) of shares of such unrelated mutual fund(s).
Shares may be issued without a sales charge in connection with
the acquisition of cash and securities owned by other investment
companies and personal holding companies.
Reductions in sales charges apply to purchases by a single
person, including an individual, members of a family unit
comprising husband, wife and minor children purchasing
securities for their own account, or a trustee or other
fiduciary purchasing for a single fiduciary account or single
trust estate.
REASONS FOR DIFFERENCES IN PUBLIC
OFFERING PRICE
As described in the Prospectus, there are a number of instances
in which the Funds shares are sold or issued on a basis
other than the maximum public offering price (net asset value
plus the highest sales charge). Some of these relate to lower or
eliminated sales charges for larger purchases, whether made at
one time or over a period of time as under a letter of intent or
right of accumulation. See the table of sales charges in the
WHAT DO SHARES COST? section of the Prospectus. The
reasons for these quantity discounts are, in general, that
(i) they are traditional and have long been permitted in
the industry and are therefore necessary to meet competition as
to sales of shares of other funds having such discounts, and
(ii) they are designed to avoid an unduly large dollar
amount of sales charges on substantial purchases in view of
reduced selling expenses. Quantity discounts are made available
to certain single persons for reasons of family unity and to
provide a benefit to tax-exempt plans and organizations.
The reasons for the eliminated sales charges to certain
individuals and groups are permitted because of (i) reduced
or eliminated selling expenses; (ii) encouragement of an
interest and an identification with the aims and policies of the
Fund; and (iii) the necessity to meet competition as to
sales of shares of other funds.
DISTRIBUTION OF SHARES
SMITH HAYES is also the general distributor of the shares of the
Fund pursuant to a distribution agreement approved by the Board
as of November 30, 1994 (the Distribution
Agreement). The Distribution Agreement will continue
automatically for successful annual periods ending on November
15 of each year, provided such continuance is specifically
approved at least annually (1) by the Board or by the vote
of a
B-12
majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund, and (2) by
the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not interested
persons of any party to the Distribution Agreement, cast in
person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such
approval. The Distribution Agreement is terminable at any time
on 60 days written notice without penalty by the
Board, by vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of the
Fund, or by SMITH HAYES. The Distribution Agreement will
terminate in the event of its assignment, as defined under the
1940 Act. SMITH HAYES is located at 200 Centre Terrace, 1225 L
Street, P.O. Box 83000 Lincoln, Nebraska 68501.
As general distributor of the Funds shares, SMITH HAYES
allows concessions to all dealers, up to 4.35% on purchases to
which the 4.75% sales charge applies. SMITH HAYES receives the
balance of such sales charges (0.40%) paid by investors. In its
sole discretion, SMITH HAYES may give up all or part of such
0.40% sales charge to dealers; however, this practice may be
discontinued at any time. For the fiscal years ended
September 30, 2005, 2004 and 2003 the total amount of sales
charges paid by investors was $1,788,091, $1,740,038 and
$2,104,416, respectively.
REDEMPTION OF SHARES
The procedures for redemption of Fund shares under ordinary
circumstances are set forth in the Prospectus.
In unusual circumstances, payment may be postponed, or the right
of redemption postponed for more than seven days, if the orderly
liquidation of portfolio securities is prevented by the closing
of, or restricted trading on, the NYSE during periods of
emergency or such other periods as ordered by the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
Payment may be made in securities, subject to the review of some
state securities commissions. If payment is made in securities,
a shareholder may incur brokerage expenses in converting these
securities into cash.
HOW IS NET ASSET VALUE PER SHARE
DETERMINED?
The public offering price of its shares is the next determined
net asset value of the shares plus a sales charge. The net asset
value per share of the Fund is determined as of the close of
business of the NYSE for each day the Exchange is open. Net
asset value is determined by dividing the value of the total
assets of the Fund, less liabilities (net assets), by the number
of shares outstanding. The value of total assets is primarily
the sum of the market values of the bonds, other investments and
cash in the portfolio.
The values of most of our portfolio securities are determined at
their market price using prices quoted on a daily basis by a
national independent pricing service approved by the Board.
However, the determination of market values for municipal bonds,
particularly not rated municipal bonds, can be a very subjective
process due to the infrequency at which individual bonds
actually trade and the limited amount of information that is
available with respect to many municipal issuers. Therefore, in
cases where a market price is not available from the pricing
service, or where the Fund determines that the market
price so determined is not reflective of the true
fair value or realizable value of these securities,
the portfolio securities are valued at fair value as
determined in good faith by the Board. In either event, the Fund
values the municipal bonds and other securities taking into
consideration yield, stability, risk, quality, coupon, maturity,
type of issue, quotes from municipal bond dealers, market
transactions and other relevant information. The Fund records
amortization of premiums and accretion of original discounts on
zero coupon bonds, using the effective yield method, in
accordance with federal income tax purposes. Short-term debt
securities having a remaining maturity of 60 days or less
are valued at amortized cost, which approximates market value.
In these cases, net asset value will reflect the affected
portfolio securities value as determined in the judgment
of the Board instead of being determined by the market. Using a
fair value pricing methodology to price the
portfolio securities may result in a value that is different
from a securitys most recent sale price and from the
prices used by other investment companies to calculate their net
asset values. There can be no assurance that the Funds
valuation of a portfolio security will be accurate, nor the
valuation will not differ from the amount that it realizes upon
the sale of such security.
The Board in the future may direct the Fund to rely on other
methods or combination of methods in determining the market
values of its municipal bonds.
B-13
These other methods may include the use of a matrix system, the
use of relative changes in a municipal index or price changes of
municipal future contracts or some other method that the Board
determines appropriate.
CALCULATION OF PERFORMANCE
DATA
The Fund may publish certain performance figures in
advertisements from time to time. These performance figures may
include yield, tax equivalent yield, total return and average
annual total return (before and after taxes and taxes on
redemption) figures.
Yield
Yield reflects the income per share deemed earned by the
Funds portfolio investments. Yield is determined by
dividing the net investment income per share deemed earned
during the preceding
30-day period by the
maximum offering price per share on the last day of the period
and annualizing the result according to the following formula:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
[( |
|
(a b) |
|
|
|
)6 |
|
|
|
] |
YIELD = 2
|
|
[( |
|
|
|
|
+1 |
) |
|
-1 |
|
] |
|
|
[( |
|
cd |
|
|
|
) |
|
|
|
] |
|
|
|
|
Where: a = |
interest earned during the period. |
|
|
b = |
expenses accrued for the period (net of reimbursements). |
|
|
c = |
the average daily number of shares outstanding during the period
that were entitled to receive dividends. |
|
|
d = |
the maximum offering price per share on the last day of the
period. |
To calculate interest earned (for the purpose of a
above) the Fund will:
(a) Compute the yield to
maturity of each obligation held by the Fund based on the market
value of the obligation at the close of business on the last
business day of each month, or with respect to obligations
purchased during the month, the purchase price.
(b) Divide the yield to
maturity by 360 and multiply the quotient by the market value of
the obligation (including actual accrued interest) to determine
the interest income on the obligation for each day of the
subsequent month that the obligation is in the portfolio.
The maturity of an obligation with a call provision is the next
call date on which the obligation reasonably may be expected to
be called or, if none, the maturity date.
In the case of an obligation issued without original issue
discount and having a current market discount, the coupon rate
of interest is used in lieu of the yield to maturity. In the
case of an obligation with original issue discount, if the
discount based on the current market value exceeds the
then-remaining portion of original issue discount (market
discount), the yield to maturity is the imputed rate based on
the original issue discount calculation. In the case of an
obligation with original issue discount, if the discount based
on the current market value is less than the then-remaining
portion of original issue discount (market premium), the yield
to maturity is based upon market value.
Tax Equivalent Yield
Tax equivalent yield shows the yield from a taxable investment
which would produce an after-tax yield equal to that of a fund
that invests in tax-exempt securities. It is computed by
dividing the tax-exempt portion of the Funds yield (as
calculated above) by one minus a stated income tax rate and
adding the quotient to the portion (if any) of the Funds
yield that is not tax-exempt.
B-14
Total Return
Total return is the percentage change in the value of a
hypothetical investment that has occurred in the indicated time
period, taking into account the imposition of the sales charge
and other fees and assuming the reinvestment of all dividends
and distributions. Cumulative total return reflects the
Funds performance over a stated period of time and is
computed as follows:
ERV-P = Total Return
|
|
|
|
Where: ERV = |
ending redeemable value of the hypothetical $1,000 payment made
at the beginning of the base period (reduced by the maximum
sales charge) assuming reinvestment of all dividends and
distributions. |
|
|
|
|
P = |
a hypothetical initial payment of $1,000. |
Average Annual Total Return
Average annual total return reflects the hypothetical annually
compounded return that would have produced the same cumulative
total return if the Funds performance had been constant
over the entire period, and is computed according to the
following formula:
P(1 +
T)n
= ERV
|
|
|
|
Where: P = |
a hypothetical initial payment of $1,000. |
|
|
T = |
average annual total return. |
|
|
n = |
number of years in the base period. |
|
|
|
|
ERV = |
ending redeemable value of the hypothetical $1,000 payment made
at the beginning of the base period (reduced by the maximum
sales charge) assuming reinvestment of all dividends and
distributions. |
All performance figures are based on historical results and are
not intended to indicate future performance.
Average Annual Total Return (After
Taxes on Distributions)
Average annual total return reflects the hypothetical annually
compounded return (after taxes on distributions) that would have
produced the same cumulative total return if the Funds
performance had been constant over the entire period, and is
computed according to the following formula:
P(1 + T)n =
ATVD
|
|
|
|
Where: P = |
a hypothetical initial payment of $1,000. |
|
|
|
|
T = |
average annual total return (after taxes on distributions). |
|
|
|
|
n = |
number of years in the base period. |
|
|
|
|
ATVD = |
ending redeemable value of the hypothetical $1,000 payment made
at the beginning of the base period (reduced by the maximum
sales charge) assuming reinvestment of all dividends and
distributions, after taxes on distributions but not after taxes
on redemption. |
All performance figures are based on historical results and are
not intended to indicate future performance.
Average Annual Total Return (After
Taxes on Distributions and Redemption)
Average annual total return reflects the hypothetical annually
compounded return (after taxes on distributions and redemption)
that would have produced the same cumulative total return if the
Funds performance had been constant over the entire
period, and is computed according to the following formula:
P(1 + T)n =
ATVDR
|
|
|
|
Where: P = |
a hypothetical initial payment of $1,000. |
|
|
T = |
average annual total return (after taxes on distributions and
redemption). |
|
|
n = |
number of years in the base period. |
|
|
|
|
ATVDR = |
ending redeemable value of the hypothetical $1,000 payment made
at the beginning of the base period (reduced by the maximum
sales charge) assuming reinvestment of all dividends and
distributions, after taxes on distributions and redemption. |
All performance figures are based on historical results and are
not intended to indicate future performance.
B-15
Taxable Versus Tax-Exempt Yields
Colorado Residents
The following table shows the rate of return an individual
investor would need to receive from a taxable investment to
equal various possible rates of return from the Fund. There can
be no assurance that the Fund will achieve any particular
tax-exempt yield.
|
|
|
|
|
Colorado |
|
Equivalent | |
BondShares Yield |
|
Taxable Yield* | |
|
|
| |
8.00%
|
|
|
12.91% |
|
|
|
|
|
7.75%
|
|
|
12.50% |
|
|
|
|
|
7.50%
|
|
|
12.10% |
|
|
|
|
|
7.25%
|
|
|
11.70% |
|
|
|
|
|
7.00%
|
|
|
11.29% |
|
|
|
|
|
6.75%
|
|
|
10.89% |
|
|
|
|
|
6.50%
|
|
|
10.49% |
|
|
|
|
|
6.25%
|
|
|
10.08% |
|
|
|
|
|
6.00%
|
|
|
9.68% |
|
|
|
|
|
5.75%
|
|
|
9.28% |
|
|
|
|
|
5.50%
|
|
|
8.87% |
|
|
|
|
|
5.25%
|
|
|
8.47% |
|
|
|
|
|
5.00%
|
|
|
8.07% |
|
|
|
|
|
4.75%
|
|
|
7.66% |
|
|
|
|
|
4.50%
|
|
|
7.26% |
|
|
|
* |
The equivalent taxable yield is based on an assumed 35.0%
marginal federal income tax rate and an assumed 4.63% marginal
Colorado income tax rate reduced by the deductibility of the
state tax on the federal return. The actual effective rates may
vary. |
GENERAL INFORMATION
The Fund was organized as an unincorporated business trust under
the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts pursuant to a
Declaration of Trust filed on February 13, 1987
(Declaration of Trust). The Fund is authorized to
issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest. Each
share has one vote.
Under Massachusetts law, shareholders could, under certain
circumstances, be held liable for the obligations of the Fund.
However, the Funds Declaration of Trust disclaims
shareholder liability for acts or obligations of the Fund and
requires that notice of such disclaimer be given in each
agreement, obligation or instrument entered into or executed by
the Fund or a trustee. The Declaration of Trust provides for
indemnification from the Funds property for all losses and
expenses of any shareholder held liable for the obligations of
the Fund. Thus, the risk of a shareholders incurring
financial loss on account of shareholder liability is limited to
circumstances in which the Fund itself would be unable to meet
its obligations, a possibility which management believes is
remote. Upon payment of any liability incurred by the Fund, the
shareholder paying such liability will be entitled to
reimbursement from the general assets of the Fund. The Board
intends to conduct the operations of the Fund in such a way so
as to avoid, as far as possible, ultimate liability of the
shareholders for liabilities of the Fund.
As described under HOW IS THE FUND MANAGED? in the
Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, the Fund
ordinarily will not hold shareholder meetings; however,
shareholders under certain circumstances may have the right to
call a meeting of shareholders for the purpose of voting to
remove trustees.
Reports to Shareholders. The Funds fiscal year ends on
September 30. The Fund distributes reports semiannually to
its shareholders. Financial statements regarding the Fund,
audited by the Funds independent registered public
accounting firm, are sent to shareholders annually.
Taxation of the Fund. As described under WHAT IS THE
EFFECT OF INCOME TAX ON MY INVESTMENT, the Fund
intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment
company under Subchapter M of the Code. Failure of
the Fund to so qualify would require the Fund to pay federal
income taxes.
Legal Counsel. The firm of Kutak Rock LLP in Denver, Colorado,
is legal counsel for the Fund.
B-16
Fund Prospectus. The Funds Prospectus will be
furnished without charge upon request. Such requests should be
made to the Fund at the mailing address or telephone numbers set
forth on the first page of this Statement of Additional
Information.
Registration Statement. This Statement of Additional Information
and the Prospectus do not contain all of the information set
forth in the Registration Statement the Fund has filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. The complete Registration
Statement may be obtained from the Securities and Exchange
Commission upon payment of the fee prescribed by the rules and
regulations of the Commission.
How to Contact the Fund. For general information about Colorado
BondShares A Tax-Exempt Fund, call or write the Fund
at 1200 Seventeenth Street, Suite 850, Denver, Colorado
80202. The telephone number is (303) 572-6990, or, outside
of Denver (800) 572-0069. You may call on Monday through
Friday (except holidays) between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and
4:00 p.m. Denver, Colorado time and your calls will be
answered by our service representatives. Inquiries, instructions
for purchases, redemptions and other transactions in accounts
and requests for information about an account should be directed
to the above address.
DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO
HOLDINGS
The Board has approved policies and procedures regarding
disclosure of portfolio holdings. The Fund and the Investment
Adviser may disclose information about the Funds portfolio
holdings if such disclosure is consistent with the best
interests of the Funds shareholders or is required by law.
Any conflicts of interests between the interests of the
shareholders of the Fund and its Investment Adviser or other
third-party service providers will be resolved in favor of the
shareholders. The Fund and the Investment Adviser may not
receive compensation or other consideration in connection with
the disclosure of information about the portfolio holdings of
the Fund. Except with respect to disclosure required by law,
information about the Funds portfolio holdings may be
divulged to third parties only when the Fund has a legitimate
business purpose for doing so and the Fund may ascertain the
purpose of the request and the Fund reserves the right to refuse
a request from a non-shareholder unless required by law. The
date of the information provided to the requesting person may
substantially precede the date of the request.
The Fund discloses its portfolio holdings in its annual reports
delivered to shareholders. Current shareholders, prospective
shareholders and intermediaries that distribute the Funds
shares (solely for the purpose of providing the information to
shareholders or prospective shareholders) are also provided
information regarding the Funds portfolio holdings upon
request. The Fund may also provide information on its portfolio
holdings on a monthly and quarterly basis to rating agencies and
other ranking agencies. The Funds third-party service
providers are provided with the Funds portfolio holdings
on a semi-annual basis to confirm proper pricing of the
Funds securities. Affiliated persons of the Fund are
provided information regarding the Funds portfolio
holdings only when needed by the affiliated person to discharge
their duties and when permitted by the Funds Code of
Ethics.
The Board receives periodic reports from the Investment Adviser
regarding disclosure of the Funds portfolio holdings to
third parties. Any requests for disclosure of the Funds
portfolio securities not described above must be approved by the
Board.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The financial statements required by Item 22 of this
registration statement are incorporated by reference from the
Registrants Annual Report on
Form N-CSR for the
year ended September 30, 2005 that was filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission on December 8, 2005.
B-17
APPENDIX A
KEY TO MOODYS LONG-TERM RATING
DEFINITIONS
The information on credit ratings below was taken from
Moodys website disclosure on both US Municipal and
Tax-Exempt Ratings and Long-Term Obligation
Ratings. The Fund makes no representations or warranties
as to the accuracy or completeness of such information.
|
|
Aaa |
Issuers or issues rated Aaa demonstrate the
strongest creditworthiness relative to other US municipal or
tax-exempt issuers or issues. Obligations rated Aaa
are judged to be of the highest quality, with minimal credit
risk. |
|
Aa |
Issuers or issues rated Aa demonstrate very strong
creditworthiness relative to other US municipal or tax-exempt
issuers or issues. Obligations rated Aa are judged
to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk. |
|
A |
Issuers or issues rated A present above-average
creditworthiness relative to other US municipal or tax-exempt
issuers or issues. Obligations rated A are
considered upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk. |
|
Baa |
Issuers or issues rated Baa represent average
creditworthiness relative to other US municipal or tax-exempt
issuers or issues. Obligations rated Baa are subject
to moderate credit risk. They are considered medium-grade and as
such may possess certain speculative characteristics. |
|
Ba |
Issuers or issues rated Ba demonstrate below-average
creditworthiness relative to other US municipal or tax-exempt
issuers or issues. Obligations rated Ba are judged
to have speculative elements and are subject to substantial
credit risk. |
|
B |
Issuers or issues rated B demonstrate weak
creditworthiness relative to other US municipal or tax-exempt
issuers or issues. Obligations rated B are
considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk. |
|
Caa |
Issuers or issues rated Caa demonstrate very weak
creditworthiness relative to other US municipal or tax-exempt
issuers or issues. Obligations rated Caa are judged
to be of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk. |
|
Ca |
Issuers or issues rated Ca demonstrate extremely
weak creditworthiness relative to other US municipal or
tax-exempt issuers or issues. Obligations rated Ca
are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default,
with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest. |
|
C |
Issuers or issues rated C demonstrate the weakest
creditworthiness relative to other US municipal or tax-exempt
issuers or issues. Obligations rated C are the
lowest rated class of bonds and are typically in default, with
little prospect for recovery of principal or interest. |
Moodys appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to
each generic rating category from Aa through
Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the issuer or
obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating
category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the
modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic
rating category.
KEY TO STANDARD & POORS
LONG-TERM ISSUE CREDIT RATINGS
The information on credit ratings below was taken from
Standard & Poors Rating Service, a division of
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. website disclosure on
Ratings Definitions. The Fund makes no
representations or warranties as to the accuracy or completeness
of such information.
|
|
AAA |
An obligation rated AAA has the highest rating
assigned by Standard & Poors. The obligors
capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is
extremely strong. |
B-18
|
|
AA |
An obligation rated AA differs from the
highest-rated obligations only in small degree. The
obligors capacity to meet its financial commitment on the
obligation is very strong. |
|
A |
An obligation rated A is somewhat more susceptible
to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic
conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However,
the obligors capacity to meet its financial commitment on
the obligation is still strong. |
|
BBB |
An obligation rated BBB exhibits adequate protection
parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing
circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of
the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. |
|
|
BB, B, CCC, CC, and C |
Obligations rated BB, B,
CCC, CC, and C are regarded
as having significant speculative characteristics.
BB indicates the least degree of speculation and
C the highest. While such obligations will likely
have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be
outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse
conditions. |
|
|
BB |
An obligation rated BB is less vulnerable to
nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces
major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business,
financial, or economic conditions, which could lead to the
obligors inadequate capacity to meet its financial
commitment on the obligation. |
|
B |
An obligation rated B is more vulnerable to
nonpayment than obligations rated BB, but the
obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial
commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or
economic conditions will likely impair the obligors
capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the
obligation. |
|
CCC |
An obligation rated CCC is currently vulnerable to
nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial,
and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial
commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business,
financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to
have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the
obligation. |
|
CC |
An obligation rated CC is currently highly
vulnerable to nonpayment. |
|
C |
The C rating may be used to cover a situation where
a bankruptcy petition has been filed or similar action has been
taken, but payments on this obligation are being continued. |
|
D |
An obligation rated D is in payment default. The
D rating category is used when payments on an
obligation are not made on the date due even if the applicable
grace period has not expired, unless Standard &
Poors believes that such payments will be made during such
grace period. The D rating also will be used upon
the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar
action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized. |
Plus (+) or minus (-) The ratings from AA to
CCC may be modified by the addition of a plus or
minus sign to show relative standing within the major rating
categories.
|
|
c |
The c subscript is used to provide additional
information to investors that the bank may terminate its
obligation to purchase tendered bonds if the long-term credit
rating of the issuer is below an investment-grade level and/or
the issuers bonds are deemed taxable. |
|
p |
The letter p indicates that the rating is
provisional. A provisional rating assumes the successful
completion of the project financed by the debt being rated and
indicates that payment of debt service requirements is largely
or entirely dependent upon the successful, timely completion of
the project. This rating, however, while addressing credit
quality subsequent to completion of the project, makes no
comment on the likelihood of or the risk of default upon failure
of such completion. The investor should exercise his own
judgment with respect to such likelihood and risk. |
B-19
|
|
* |
Continuance of the ratings is contingent upon
Standard & Poors receipt of an executed copy of
the escrow agreement or closing documentation confirming
investments and cash flows. |
|
r |
The r highlights derivative, hybrid, and certain
other obligations that Standard & Poors believes
may experience high volatility or high variability in expected
returns as a result of noncredit risks. Examples of such
obligations are securities with principal or interest return
indexed to equities, commodities, or currencies; certain swaps
and options; and interest-only and principal-only mortgage
securities. The absence of an r symbol should not be
taken as an indication that an obligation will exhibit no
volatility or variability in total return. |
|
N.R. |
Not rated. |
B-20