CORRESP
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April 28, 2010
Ms. Laura E. Hatch
United States Securities and Exchange Commission
Division of Investment Management
100 F Street, N.E.
Washington, DC 20549
Re: Gabelli Investor Funds, Inc. (the "Fund")
Post-Effective Amendment No. 23 to the Registration Statement
on Form N-1A (33-54016)
Dear. Ms. Hatch:
This letter responds to your comments communicated by telephone on
April 7, 2010, with respect to the Post-Effective Amendment No. 23 to the
Registration Statement on Form N-1A (the "Registration Statement") of the Fund
that was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on
February 26, 2010 (accession number 0000950123-10-017798).
In addition, in connection with this filing, the Fund hereby states the
following:
1. The Fund acknowledges that in connection with the comments
made by the Staff of the SEC, the Staff has not passed on the
accuracy or adequacy of the disclosure made herein, and the
Fund and its management are solely responsible for the content
of such disclosure;
2. The Fund acknowledges that the Staff's comments, and changes
in disclosure in response to the Staff's comments, do not
foreclose the SEC or other regulatory body from the
opportunity to seek enforcement or take other action with
respect to the disclosure made herein; and
3. The Fund represents that neither it nor its management will
assert the Staff's comments or changes in disclosure in
response to the Staff's comments as a defense in any action or
proceeding by the SEC or any person.
The Fund's responses to your comments are reflected below. For
comments that applied to both the Class AAA Shares prospectus and the
Advisor Class Shares prospectus, we have only addressed the comments
once. We have restated the substance of your comments for your ease of
reference.
COMMENT #1-COVER PAGE: You requested that the Fund pare down the
information in the top left hand corner to remove duplicative
references.
RESPONSE #1: The Fund has deleted the following parenthetical
language that appears at the end of the disclosure in the top
left hand corner: "(Net Asset Value per share may be obtained
daily by calling 800-GABELLI after 7:00 p.m.)."
COMMENT #2-COVER PAGE: You requested that the Fund add the required
legend disclosure if the Fund intends to utilize a summary prospectus.
RESPONSE #2: The Fund will not be utilizing a summary
prospectus at this time and therefore the legend has not been added.
COMMENT #3-PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES: In the first paragraph, you
made reference to the Fund's investing in convertible securities. If
the Fund does not hold a significant portion of its portfolio in
convertible securities, you requested that the Fund move this
disclosure to "Information About the Fund's Investment Objective,
Investment Strategies, and Related Risks" and to include disclosure
regarding the quality and risks of investing in convertible securities.
RESPONSE #3: The Fund does not invest a significant portion of
its portfolio in convertible securities. Consequently we have
deleted the clause pertaining to convertible securities in the
first paragraph under "Principal Investment Strategies." The
Fund also added the following under "Investing in the Fund
involves the following risks:":
o CONVERTIBLE SECURITIES AND CREDIT RISK. The characteristics
of convertible securities make them appropriate investments
for investors who seek a high level of total return with the
addition of credit risk. These characteristics include the
potential for capital appreciation if the value of the
underlying common stock increases, the relatively high yield
received from dividend or interest payments as compared to
common stock dividends, and decreased risks of decline in
value, relative to the underlying common stock due to their
fixed income nature. As a result of the conversion feature,
however, the interest rate or dividend preference on a
convertible security is generally less than would be the case
if the securities were not convertible. During periods of
rising interest rates, the potential for capital gain on a
convertible security might be less than that of a common stock
equivalent if the yield on the convertible security is at a
level that causes it to sell at a discount. Any common stock
or other equity security received by conversion will not be
included in the calculation of the percentage of total assets
invested in convertible securities.
COMMENT #4-PRINCIPAL RISKS: You requested that if the paragraph
entitled "Lower Rated Securities" under the "Principal Risks" section
refers to an investment strategy of the Fund, that the Fund also
include this disclosure in the "Principal Investment Strategies"
section.
RESPONSE #4: The Fund has added the following sentence after
the last sentence of the first paragraph under the "Principal
Investment Strategies" section of the prospectus:
The Fund may invest up to 25% of its assets in lower credit
quality fixed income securities that are rated below
investment grade in order to seek higher income and capital
appreciation.
COMMENT #5-PRINCIPAL RISKS: You requested that if the paragraph
entitled "Short Sales" under the "Principal Risks" section refers to an
investment strategy of the Fund, that the Fund also include this
disclosure in the "Principal Investment Strategies" section.
RESPONSE #5: The Fund has added the following sentence after
the newly inserted sentence referenced above: "The Fund may
also enter into short sales as a hedge against various
positions."
COMMENT #6-PERFORMANCE TABLE: You requested that the Fund delete the
second sentence in the paragraph that discusses after-tax returns
regarding "Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares"
if it is not applicable for the Fund.
RESPONSE #6: If this disclosure is not applicable for the
Fund, the Fund will remove it as appropriate.
COMMENT #7-STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: You requested that the
Fund include the new corporate governance and board member disclosure.
RESPONSE #7: The Fund will include such disclosure.
Should you have any questions regarding the foregoing, please do not
hesitate to contact Helen A. Robichaud at PNC Global Investment
Servicing, Inc., the Fund's Sub-Administrator, at 617-338-4595.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Bruce N. Alpert
-------------------
Bruce N. Alpert
Gabelli Funds, LLC
cc: Helen A. Robichaud Arlene Lonergan
PNC Global Investment PNC Global Investment
Servicing, Inc. Servicing, Inc.
Peter D. Goldstein Richard Prins
Gabelli Funds, LLC Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Leslie Lowenbraun
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP