Delaware Global Listed Real Assets Fund
Alternative / specialty mutual fund
Nasdaq ticker symbols | |
Class A |
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Class C |
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Class R |
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Institutional Class |
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Class R6 |
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The US
Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these
securities or passed upon the adequacy of this Prospectus.
Any
representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Get
shareholder reports and prospectuses online instead of in the
mail.
Visit delawarefunds.com/edelivery.
Table of contents
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Frequent trading of Fund shares (market timing and disruptive trading) |
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Delaware Global Listed Real Assets Fund, a series of Delaware Pooled® Trust
Delaware Global Listed Real Assets Fund seeks total return, which is targeted to be in excess of inflation, through growth of capital and current income.
The
table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold,
and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage
commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected
in the tables and examples below.
Class |
A |
C |
R |
Inst. |
R6 |
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases as a percentage of offering price |
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Maximum contingent deferred sales charge (load) as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption price, whichever is lower |
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Class |
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C |
R |
Inst. |
R6 | |
Management fees |
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Distribution and service (12b-1) fees |
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Other expenses |
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Total annual fund operating expenses |
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Fee waivers and expense reimbursements |
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Total annual fund operating expenses after fee waivers and expense reimbursements |
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This 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 redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. In addition, the example shows expenses for Class C shares, assuming those shares were not redeemed at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and reflects the Manager’s expense waivers and reimbursements for the 1-year contractual period and the total operating expenses without waivers for years 2 through 10. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Class |
A |
(if
not |
C |
R |
Inst. |
R6 |
1 year |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
3 years |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
5 years |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
10 years |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
1
Fund summary
The
Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells
securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may
indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund
shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in
the annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s
performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover
rate was
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in listed real assets securities, which include the following categories:
•Real Estate Securities (such as real estate investment trusts (REITs), real estate operating companies (REOCs), mortgage-backed securities);
•Infrastructure Securities (including master limited partnerships (MLPs));
•Natural Resources Securities; and
•Inflation-Linked Securities (collectively, “Real Assets Securities”).
See the section of the Prospectus entitled “Our principal investment strategies” for a description of Real Estate Securities, Infrastructure Securities, Natural Resources Securities, and Inflation-Linked Securities.
The Fund will allocate strategy assets across multiple sleeves that will invest in liquid, listed real assets securities that are both tangible and intangible. Sleeves include global listed infrastructure which consists of listed infrastructure equity securities, global real estate which consists of listed real estate securities including REITs, global natural resources which consists of listed natural resource equity securities, global inflation-linked fixed income which consists of Treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS) and developed market inflation-linked fixed income securities, and real assets fixed income which consist of high yield and securitized fixed income securities.
The Fund invests in natural resources including precious metals, among other resources. In addition to derivatives, the Fund may gain exposure to precious metals through equity securities of precious metals companies as well as exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
The Fund may invest in commercial mortgage-backed securities, non-agency residential mortgages, and select asset-backed securities. Such securities and mortgages are anticipated to be investment grade.
Within the fixed income securities in which the Fund invests, the structured products will typically have an average credit rating of BBB- and an average duration of seven years. The Fund may also invest in high yield (junk) bonds. The corporate bond securities will typically be below investment grade with an average duration of approximately five years.
The Fund may employ leverage, such as by entering into reverse repurchase transactions, to attempt to take advantage of or increase the total return of attractive investment opportunities.
The Fund may invest in securities of foreign companies or governments or supranational entities to achieve its investment objectives.
The Fund will invest no more than 15% of the portfolio’s holdings in MLPs. The MLPs in which the Fund invests will not include general partnership interests.
Macquarie Investment Management Austria Kapitalanlage AG (MIMAK), the Fund's sub-advisor primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund, uses a dynamic asset-allocation framework to determine the proportion of the Fund’s assets that will be allocated to the various asset classes noted above, based on the market assessment and portfolio risk contribution for such asset classes. The framework is intended to reduce riskier assets in times of market volatility and provide additional downside protection. In connection with its dynamic asset-allocation framework, MIMAK will also manage a tactical / completion sleeve and such sleeve will typically vary from 0% to 20% of the Fund’s total assets and primarily hold derivatives and ETFs. If applicable, the derivatives and ETFs within the tactical / completion sleeve will also be counted towards the asset classes noted above.
The Fund may use a wide range of derivatives instruments, typically including forward foreign currency contracts, options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, and credit default swaps. The Fund will use derivatives for both hedging and non-hedging purposes; as a substitute for purchasing or selling securities; and to manage the Fund’s portfolio characteristics. For example, the Fund may invest in: futures and options to manage duration and for
2
defensive purposes, such as to protect gains or hedge against potential losses in the portfolio without actually selling a security, or to stay fully invested; forward foreign currency contracts to manage foreign currency exposure; and credit default swaps to hedge against a credit event, to gain exposure to certain securities or markets, or to enhance total return.
In addition, MIMAK and the Manager may seek investment advice and recommendations relating to fixed income securities from its affiliates: Macquarie Investment Management Europe Limited (MIMEL) and Macquarie Investment Management Global Limited (MIMGL). The Manager may also permit MIMGL to execute Fund equity security trades on behalf of the Manager. The Manager may also permit MIMEL and MIMGL to exercise investment discretion and perform trading for fixed income securities, as applicable, in certain markets where the Manager believes it will be beneficial to utilize MIMEL’s or MIMGL’s specialized market knowledge, and the Manager may also seek quantitative support from MIMGL. MIMEL and MIMGL are also responsible for managing real estate investment trust securities and other equity asset classes to which the portfolio managers may allocate assets from time to time.
The Fund’s 80% policy is nonfundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval. However, Fund shareholders would be given at least 60 days’ notice prior to any such change.
Market risk — The risk that all or a majority of the securities in a certain market — such as the stock or bond market — will decline in value because of factors such as adverse political or economic conditions, future expectations, investor confidence, or heavy institutional selling.
Real assets industries risk — The risk that the value of a fund’s shares will be affected by factors particular to Real Assets Securities and related industries or sectors (such as government regulation) and may fluctuate more widely than that of a fund that invests in a broad range of industries.
Real estate industry risk — This risk includes, among others: possible declines in the value of real estate; risks related to general and local economic conditions; possible lack of availability of mortgage funds; overbuilding; extended vacancies of properties; increases in competition, property taxes, and operating expenses; changes in zoning laws; costs resulting from the cleanup of, and liability to third parties resulting from, environmental problems; casualty for condemnation losses; uninsured damages from floods, earthquakes, or other natural disasters; limitations on and variations in rents; and changes in interest rates.
Commodity-related investments risk — The value of commodities investments will generally be affected by overall market movements and factors specific to a particular industry or commodity, which may include weather, embargoes, tariffs, and economic health, political, international regulatory and other developments. Exposure to the commodities markets may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The investment team does not plan to always implement exposure to commodities in the Fund, however they will consider holding commodity ETFs in market scenarios where inflation is running higher than normal and their asset allocation model signals for additional commodity exposure. In addition, the Fund may use futures and options on commodities for a variety of purposes such as hedging against adverse changes in the market prices of securities, as a substitute for purchasing or selling securities, to increase the Fund’s return as a non-hedging strategy that may be considered speculative and to manage the Fund’s portfolio characteristics.
Currency risk — The risk that fluctuations in exchange rates between the US dollar and foreign currencies and between various foreign currencies may cause the value of an investment to decline.
Forward foreign currency risk — The use of forward foreign currency contracts may substantially change a fund’s exposure to currency exchange rates and could result in losses to a fund if currencies do not perform as the Manager expects. The use of these investments as a hedging technique to reduce a fund’s exposure to currency risks may also reduce its ability to benefit from favorable changes in currency exchange rates.
Gold and other precious metals risk — Investments related to gold and other precious metals are considered speculative and are affected by a variety of worldwide economic, financial and political factors. The price of gold and other precious metals may fluctuate sharply over short periods of time due to changes in inflation or expectations regarding inflation in various countries, the availability of supplies of gold and other precious metals, changes in industrial and commercial demand, gold and other precious metals sales by governments, central banks or international agencies, investment speculation, monetary and other economic policies of various governments and government restrictions on private ownership of gold and other precious metals.
Infrastructure risk — Infrastructure companies may be subject to a variety of factors that may adversely affect their business or operations, including high interest costs in connection with capital construction programs, high leverage, costs associated with environmental and other regulations, the effects of economic slowdown, surplus capacity, increased competition from other providers of services, uncertainties concerning the availability of fuel at reasonable prices, the effects of energy conservation policies and other factors. Some of the specific risks that infrastructure companies may be particularly affected
3
Fund summary
by, or subject to, include the following: regulatory risk, technology risk, regional or geographic risk, natural disasters risk, through-put risk, project risk, strategic asset risk, operation risk, customer risk, interest rate risk, inflation risk and financing risk. Other factors that may affect the operations of infrastructure companies include difficulty in raising capital in adequate amounts on reasonable terms in periods of high inflation and unsettled capital markets, inexperience with and potential losses resulting from a developing deregulatory environment, increased susceptibility to terrorist acts or political actions, and general changes in market sentiment towards infrastructure assets. In addition, the change in presidential administration could significantly impact the regulation of United States financial markets and dramatically alter existing trade, tax, energy and infrastructure policies, among others. It is not possible to predict what, if any, changes will be made or their potential effect on the economy, securities markets, or financial stability of the United States, or on the energy, natural resources, infrastructure and other markets.
Derivatives risk — Derivatives contracts, such as futures, forward foreign currency contracts, options, and swaps, may involve additional expenses (such as the payment of premiums) and are subject to significant loss if a security, index, reference rate, or other asset or market factor to which a derivatives contract is associated, moves in the opposite direction from what the Manager anticipated. When used for hedging, the change in value of the derivatives instrument may also not correlate specifically with the currency, rate, or other risk being hedged, in which case a fund may not realize the intended benefits. Derivatives contracts are also subject to the risk that the counterparty may fail to perform its obligations under the contract due to, among other reasons, financial difficulties (such as a bankruptcy or reorganization).
Exchange-traded fund risk — The risks of investing in an ETF typically reflect the risks of the instruments in which the ETF invests. Because ETFs are investment companies, a fund will bear its proportionate share of the fees and expenses of an investment in an ETF. As a result, a fund's expenses may be higher and performance may be lower.
Interest rate risk — The risk that securities will decrease in value if interest rates rise. The risk is generally associated with bonds; however, because small- and medium-sized companies and companies in the real estate sector often borrow money to finance their operations, they may be adversely affected by rising interest rates. A fund may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates when interest rates are low or inflation rates are high or rising.
Foreign and emerging markets risk — The risk that international investing (particularly in emerging markets) may be adversely affected by political instability; changes in currency exchange rates; inefficient markets and higher transaction costs; foreign economic conditions; the imposition of economic or trade sanctions; or inadequate or different regulatory and accounting standards. The risk associated with international investing will be greater in emerging markets than in more developed foreign markets because, among other things, emerging markets may have less stable political and economic environments. In addition, there often is substantially less publicly available information about issuers and such information tends to be of a lesser quality. Economic markets and structures tend to be less mature and diverse and the securities markets may also be smaller, less liquid, and subject to greater price volatility.
Foreign government/supranational risk — The risk that a foreign government or government-related issuer may be unable to make timely payments on its external debt obligations.
Prepayment risk — The risk that the principal on a bond that is held by a fund will be prepaid prior to maturity at a time when interest rates are lower than what that bond was paying. A fund may then have to reinvest that money at a lower interest rate.
Liquidity risk — The possibility that investments cannot be readily sold within seven calendar days at approximately the price at which a fund has valued them.
Government and regulatory risk — The risk that governments or regulatory authorities may take actions that could adversely affect various sectors of the securities markets and affect fund performance.
IBOR risk — The risk that changes related to the use of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) or similar interbank offered rates (“IBORs,” such as the Euro Overnight Index Average (EONIA)) could have adverse impacts on financial instruments that reference LIBOR or a similar rate. While some instruments may contemplate a scenario where LIBOR or a similar rate is no longer available by providing for an alternative rate setting methodology, not all instruments have such fallback provisions and the effectiveness of replacement rates is uncertain. The abandonment of LIBOR and similar rates could affect the value and liquidity of instruments that reference such rates, especially those that do not have fallback provisions. The use of alternative reference rate products may impact investment strategy performance.
Company size risk — The risk that investments in small- and/or medium-sized companies may be more volatile than those of larger companies because of limited financial resources or dependence on narrow product lines.
Fixed income risk — The risk that bonds may decrease in value if interest rates increase; an issuer may not be able to make principal and interest payments when due; a bond may be prepaid prior to maturity; and, in the case of high yield bonds (“junk bonds”), such bonds may be subject to an increased risk of default, a more limited secondary market than investment grade bonds, and greater price volatility. Interest rate changes are influenced by
4
a number of factors, such as government policy, monetary policy, inflation expectations, and the supply and demand of bonds. Bonds and other fixed income securities with longer maturities or duration generally are more sensitive to interest rate changes. A fund may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates when interest rates are low or inflation rates are high or rising.
High yield (junk bond) risk — The risk that high yield securities, commonly known as “junk bonds,” are subject to reduced creditworthiness of issuers, increased risk of default, and a more limited and less liquid secondary market. High yield securities may also be subject to greater price volatility and risk of loss of income and principal than are higher-rated securities. High yield bonds are sometimes issued by municipalities that have less financial strength and therefore have less ability to make projected debt payments on the bonds.
Leveraging risk — The risk that certain fund transactions, such as reverse repurchase agreements, short sales, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivatives instruments, may give rise to leverage, causing a fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged, which may result in increased losses to the fund.
Natural resources risk — The market value of Natural Resources Securities may be affected by numerous factors, including events occurring in nature, inflationary pressures and international politics. Because the Fund invests significantly in Natural Resources Securities, there is the risk that the Fund will perform poorly during a downturn in the natural resource sector. For example, events occurring in nature (such as earthquakes or fires in prime natural resource areas) and political events (such as coups, military confrontations or acts of terrorism) can affect the overall supply of a natural resource and the value of companies involved in such natural resource.
MLP risk — The risk related to the Fund’s investment in MLPs. Energy infrastructure MLPs are subject to a variety of industry specific risk factors that may adversely affect their business or operations, including those due to commodity production, volumes, commodity prices, weather conditions, terrorist attacks, etc. They are also subject to significant federal, state and local government regulation. Investment in MLPs may also have tax consequences for shareholders. If the Fund retains its investment until its basis is reduced to zero, subsequent distributions will be taxable at ordinary income rates and shareholders may receive corrected 1099s.
Active trading risk — The risk that active management will increase the expenses of the Fund because of brokerage charges, spreads, or mark-up charges. Active trading could raise transaction costs, thereby lowering the Fund’s returns, and could generate taxes for shareholders on realized investment gains.
Active management and selection risk — The risk that the securities selected by a fund’s management will underperform the markets, the relevant indices, or the securities selected by other funds with similar investment objectives and investment strategies. The securities and sectors selected may vary from the securities and sectors included in the relevant index.
None of the entities noted in this document is an authorized deposit-taking institution for the purposes of the Banking Act 1959 (Commonwealth of Australia) and the obligations of these entities do not represent deposits or other liabilities of Macquarie Bank Limited ABN 46 008 583 542 (Macquarie Bank). Macquarie Bank does not guarantee or otherwise provide assurance in respect of the obligations of these entities. In addition, if this document relates to an investment (a) each investor is subject to investment risk including possible delays in repayment and loss of income and principal invested and (b) none of Macquarie Bank or any other Macquarie Group company guarantees any particular rate of return on or the performance of the investment, nor do they guarantee repayment of capital in respect of the investment.
Prior to the close of business on August 19, 2019, the Fund invested primarily in securities of companies principally engaged in the real estate industry. Since the close of business on August 19, 2019, the Fund has been repositioned to invest primarily in listed real assets securities (Repositioning). The historical returns prior to that time do not reflect the Repositioning.
5
Fund summary
Year |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
Year Total Return |
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During
the periods illustrated in this bar chart, Class A’s
1 year |
5 years |
10 years or lifetime | |
Class A return before taxes |
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Class A return after taxes on distributions |
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Class A return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares1 |
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Class C return before taxes |
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Class R return before taxes |
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Class
R6 return before taxes (lifetime: |
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Institutional Class return before taxes |
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Bloomberg
Global Inflation-Linked Total Return Index Value Hedged
USD |
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The
Global Listed Real Assets Blended Benchmark |
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S&P
Global Infrastructure Index (net) |
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FTSE EPRA
Nareit Developed Index (net) |
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S&P
Global Natural Resources Index (net) |
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Who manages the Fund?
Investment manager
Delaware Management Company, a series of Macquarie Investment Management Business Trust (a Delaware statutory trust)
Portfolio manager |
Title with Delaware Management Company |
Start date on the Fund |
Aaron D. Young |
Senior Vice President, Portfolio Manager |
May 2022 |
Sub-advisors
Macquarie Investment Management Austria Kapitalanlage AG (MIMAK) serves as sub-advisor for the Fund. MIMAK is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio and the MIMAK portfolio managers work together with the other portfolio manager to determine its asset allocation.
Portfolio managers |
Title with MIMAK |
Start date on the Fund |
Stefan Löwenthal, CFA |
Managing Director, Chief Investment Officer — Global Multi Asset Team |
August 2019 |
Jürgen Wurzer, CFA |
Senior Vice President, Deputy Head of Portfolio Management — Global Multi Asset Team |
August 2019 |
Macquarie Investment Management Europe Limited
Macquarie Investment Management Global Limited
Purchase and redemption of Fund shares
You may purchase or redeem shares of the Fund on any day that the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open for business (Business Day). Shares may be purchased or redeemed: through your financial intermediary; through the Fund’s website at delawarefunds.com/account-access; by calling 800 523-1918; by regular mail (c/o Delaware Funds by Macquarie®, P.O. Box 534437, Pittsburgh, PA 15253-4437); by overnight courier service (c/o Delaware Funds by Macquarie Service Center, Attention: 534437, 500 Ross Street, 154-0520, Pittsburgh, PA 15262); or by wire.
For Class A and Class C shares, the minimum initial investment is generally $1,000 and subsequent investments can be made for as little as $100. The minimum initial investment for IRAs, Uniform Gifts/Transfers to Minors Act accounts, direct deposit purchase plans, and automatic investment plans is $250 and through Coverdell Education Savings Accounts is $500, and subsequent investments in these accounts can be made for as little as $25. For Class R, Institutional Class, and Class R6 shares (except those shares purchased through an automatic investment plan), there is no minimum initial purchase requirement, but certain eligibility requirements must be met. The eligibility requirements are described in this Prospectus under “Choosing a share class” and on the Fund’s website. We may reduce or waive the minimums or eligibility requirements in certain cases.
Tax information
The Fund’s distributions generally are taxable to you as ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA, in which case your distributions may be taxed as ordinary income when withdrawn from the tax-advantaged account.
Payments to broker/dealers and other financial intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker/dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker/dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
7
For the purposes of “Our principal investment strategies” and “The securities in which the Fund typically invests” sections, a reference to the Manager may also include MIMAK with respect to its role as sub-advisor of the Fund. The Manager takes a disciplined approach to investing, combining investment strategies and risk-management techniques that it believes can help shareholders meet their goals.
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objectives by investing in listed real assets securities, which include the following categories:
Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in Real Assets Securities (80% policy). The Fund will invest at least 30% of its net assets in foreign securities, including emerging markets issuers. The Fund may purchase both equity and fixed income securities. The Fund may invest in securities of companies or issuers of any size market capitalization.
The Fund seeks to achieve its objectives by investing in a combination of underlying securities representing a variety of asset classes and investment styles. Macquarie Investment Management Austria Kapitalanlage AG (MIMAK), the Fund's sub-advisor that is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the portfolio, uses an active allocation approach when selecting investments for the Fund. The Fund has flexibility in the relative weightings given to each of these categories. In addition, the Fund may, in the future, invest in additional investment categories other than those listed herein, to the extent consistent with the Fund's investment objective.
For purposes of the 80% policy, Real Estate Securities are defined as any security tied to a company or issuer that (i) derives at least 50% of its revenues from the ownership, operation, development, construction, financing, management or sale of commercial, industrial or residential real estate and similar activities, or (ii) commits at least 50% of its assets to activities related to real estate. For purposes of selecting investments in Real Estate Securities, the Fund defines the real estate sector broadly, including but not limited to real estate investment trusts (“REITs”); real estate operating companies (“REOCs”); firms dependent on real estate holdings for revenues and profits, including lodging, leisure, timber, mining, and agriculture companies; and debt securities, including securitized obligations, which are predominantly supported by real estate assets. Real Estate Securities also include fixed income securities, which are issued by related companies, which may include mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”), residential MBS (“RMBS”), or commercial MBS (“CMBS”).
For purposes of the 80% policy, Infrastructure Securities are defined as any security tied to a company or issuer that (i) derives at least 50% of its revenue or profits, either directly or indirectly, from infrastructure assets, or (ii) commits at least 50% of its assets to activities related to infrastructure. For purposes of selecting investments in Infrastructure Securities, the Fund defines the infrastructure sector broadly, including but not limited to the physical structures, networks and systems of transportation, energy, water and sewage, and communication. Infrastructure Securities also include master limited partnerships (“MLPs”) and both investment grade and high yield fixed income securities, which are issued by related companies.
For purposes of the 80% policy, Natural Resources Securities are defined as any security tied to a company or issuer that (i) derives at least 50% of its revenues, profits or value, either directly or indirectly, from natural resources assets including, but not limited to: (a) timber and agriculture assets and securities; (b) commodities and commodity-linked assets and securities, including, but not limited to, precious metals, such as gold, silver and platinum, ferrous and nonferrous metals, such as iron, aluminum and copper, metals such as uranium and titanium, hydrocarbons such as coal, oil and natural gas, timberland, undeveloped real property and agricultural commodities; and (c) energy, including the exploration, production, processing and manufacturing of hydrocarbon-related and chemical-related products; or (ii) provides supporting services to such natural resources companies. Natural Resources Securities also include both investment grade and high yield fixed income securities, which are issued by related companies.
For purposes of the 80% policy, Inflation-Linked Securities are defined as securities designed to help protect investors from inflation. Inflation-linked securities include US and Global TIPS securities (generally sovereign debt with inflation-linked coupon step-ups). The sleeve seeks long-term capital growth by investing in inflation-linked debt securities of global bond markets. The sleeve will primarily invest in developed market inflation-linked debt securities. The sleeve may invest assets in derivatives instruments that have economic characteristics that are similar to inflation-protected bonds as well as derivatives instruments to manage duration. The sleeve's currency exposure will normally be hedged back to the US Dollar through use of derivatives.
The Fund may use a wide range of derivatives instruments, typically including forward foreign currency contracts, options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, and credit default swaps. The Fund will use derivatives for both hedging and non-hedging purposes; as a substitute for purchasing or selling securities; and to manage the Fund's portfolio characteristics. For example, the Fund may invest in: futures and options to manage duration and for
8
defensive purposes, such as to protect gains or hedge against potential losses in the portfolio without actually selling a security, or to stay fully invested; forward foreign currency contracts to manage foreign currency exposure; and credit default swaps to hedge against a credit event, to gain exposure to certain securities or markets, or to enhance total return.
From time to time, the Fund may invest in stapled securities to gain exposure to infrastructure companies in Australia. A stapled security is a type of financial instrument. It consists of two or more securities that are contractually bound to form a single salable unit; they cannot be bought or sold separately.
The Fund expects to make quarterly distributions at a level percentage rate regardless of its quarterly performance. All or a portion of such distributions may represent a return of capital. A return of capital is the portion of the distribution representing the return of your investment in the Fund. A return of capital is tax-free to the extent of a shareholder's basis in the Fund's shares and reduces the shareholder's basis to that extent.
In connection with its dynamic asset-allocation framework, MIMAK will also manage a tactical / completion sleeve and such sleeve will typically vary from 0% to 20% of the Fund's total assets and primarily hold derivatives and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). If applicable, the derivatives and ETFs within the tactical / completion sleeve will also be counted towards the asset classes noted above.
In addition, MIMAK and the Manager may seek investment advice and recommendations relating to fixed income securities from its affiliates: Macquarie Investment Management Europe Limited (MIMEL) and Macquarie Investment Management Global Limited (MIMGL). The Manager may also permit MIMGL to execute Fund equity security trades on behalf of the Manager. The Manager may also permit MIMEL and MIMGL to exercise investment discretion and perform trading for fixed income securities, as applicable, in certain markets where the Manager believes it will be beneficial to utilize MIMEL's or MIMGL's specialized market knowledge, and the Manager may also seek quantitative support from MIMGL. MIMEL and MIMGL are also responsible for managing real estate investment trust securities and other equity asset classes to which the portfolio managers may allocate assets from time to time.
The Fund's investment objectives are nonfundamental. This means that the Fund's Board of Trustees (Board) may change the objectives without obtaining shareholder approval. If the objectives or the 80% policy were changed, the Fund would notify shareholders at least 60 days before the change became effective.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) |
REITs are pooled investment vehicles that invest primarily in income-producing real estate or real estate-related loans or interests. REITs are generally classified as equity REITs, mortgage REITs, or a combination of equity and mortgage REITs. Equity REITs invest the majority of their assets directly in real property and derive income primarily from the collection of rents. Equity REITs can also realize capital gains by selling properties that have appreciated in value. Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive income from the collection of interest payments.
How the Fund uses them: The Fund may invest without limit in shares of REITs.
Real estate operating companies (REOCs) |
A REOC is a company that derives at least 50% of its gross revenues or net profits from: (1) ownership, development, construction, financing, management, or sale of commercial, industrial, or residential real estate; or (2) products or services related to the real estate industry, such as building supplies or mortgage servicing.
How the Fund uses them: The Fund may invest without limit in REOCs.
Foreign securities and American depositary receipts (ADRs) |
Foreign securities are securities of issuers which are classified by index providers, or by an investment manager applying internally consistent guidelines, as being assigned to countries outside the United States. ADRs are typically issued by a US bank and represent the bank's holdings of a stated number of shares of a foreign corporation. An ADR entitles the holder to all dividends and capital gains earned by the underlying foreign shares. ADRs are typically bought and sold on US securities exchanges in the same way as other US securities. Sponsored ADRs are issued jointly by the issuer of the underlying security and the depositary, and unsponsored ADRs are issued by the depositary without the participation of the issuer of the underlying security.
How the Fund uses them: From time to time, the Fund may invest in sponsored or unsponsored ADRs that are actively traded in the US.
The Fund will invest at least 30% of its net assets in securities of foreign issuers. Such foreign securities may be traded on a foreign exchange or they may be in the form of ADRs.
9
How we manage the Fund
Futures and options |
Futures contracts are agreements for the purchase or sale of a security or a group of securities at a specified price, on a specified date. Unlike purchasing an option, a futures contract must be executed unless it is sold before the settlement date.
Options represent a right to buy or sell a swap agreement, a futures contract, or a security or a group of securities at an agreed-upon price at a future date. The purchaser of an option may or may not choose to go through with the transaction. The seller of an option, however, must go through with the transaction if the purchaser exercises the option.
How the Fund uses them: If the Fund owns securities that have unrealized gains, the Manager may want to protect those gains when it anticipates adverse conditions. The Manager might use options or futures to seek to neutralize the effect of any anticipated price declines, without selling the security. For example, it might sell stock futures or stock index futures to sell the stock at a specific price on a specific date in the future. If prices then fell, the decline would be offset by the gain on the futures contract. On the other hand, if prices rose, the gains would be offset by the loss on the futures contract. Effectively, this strategy seeks to reduce the overall exposure and risk of the Fund without the need to actually sell underlying securities in the portfolio.
In addition, the Fund may use options or futures to gain exposure to a particular market segment without purchasing individual securities in that segment, particularly if the Fund had excess cash that it wanted to invest quickly. The Fund might also use call options if the Manager believes that doing so would help the Fund meet its investment objectives. To the extent that the Fund sells or “writes” put and call options, or enters into futures contracts, the Fund will designate assets sufficient to “cover” these obligations and mark them to market daily.
Use of these strategies can increase the operating costs of the Fund and can lead to loss of principal.
Certain options and futures may be considered illiquid. It is anticipated that the Fund's investments in futures and options may generate qualifying income under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. The Manager intends to manage the Fund so that it will qualify as a registered management company under the Internal Revenue Code.
Forward foreign currency contracts |
A fund may invest in securities of foreign issuers and may hold foreign currency. In addition, a fund may enter into contracts to purchase or sell foreign currencies at a future date (a “forward foreign currency” contract or “forward” contract). A forward contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract, agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract.
How the Fund uses them: Although the Manager values the Fund's assets daily in terms of US dollars, it does not intend to convert the Fund's holdings of foreign currencies into US dollars on a daily basis. The Fund is permitted to, however, from time to time, purchase or sell foreign currencies and/or engage in forward foreign currency contracts in order to facilitate or expedite settlement of portfolio transactions and to minimize currency fluctuations. The Fund may also enter into forward contracts to “lock in” the price of a security it has agreed to purchase or sell, in terms of US dollars or other currencies in which the transaction will be consummated.
Investment company securities |
Any investments in investment company securities, including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), will be limited by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) and would involve a payment of the pro rata portion of their expenses, including advisory fees, of such other investment companies. Under the current 1940 Act limitations, a fund generally may not: (i) own more than 3% of the voting stock of another investment company; (ii) invest more than 5% of a fund's total assets in the shares of any one investment company; or (iii) invest more than 10% of a fund's total assets in shares of other investment companies unless any rules, regulations or no-action or exemptive relief under the 1940 Act permit a fund's investments to exceed such limits. These percentage limitations also apply to a fund's investment in an unregistered investment company.
How the Fund uses them: The Fund may invest in investment companies to the extent that it helps achieve the investment objective(s).
Repurchase agreements |
A repurchase agreement is an agreement between a buyer of securities, such as a fund, and a seller of securities, in which the seller agrees to buy the securities back within a specified time at the same price the buyer paid for them, plus an amount equal to an agreed-upon interest rate. Repurchase agreements are often viewed as equivalent to cash.
How the Fund uses them: Typically, the Fund uses repurchase agreements as short-term investments for its cash position. In order to enter into these repurchase agreements, the Fund must have collateral of at least 102% of the repurchase price. The Fund will only enter into repurchase agreements in which the collateral is composed of US government securities. At the Manager's discretion, the Fund may invest overnight cash balances in short-term discount notes issued or guaranteed by the US government, its agencies or instrumentalities, or government-sponsored corporations.
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Restricted securities |
Restricted securities are privately placed securities whose resale is restricted under US securities laws.
How the Fund uses them: The Fund may invest in privately placed securities, including those that are eligible for resale only among certain institutional buyers without registration, which are commonly known as “Rule 144A Securities.” Restricted securities that are determined to be illiquid may not exceed the Fund's limit on investments in illiquid investments.
Illiquid investments |
Illiquid investments are any investment that a fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment.
How the Fund uses them: The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments.
Borrowing from banks |
The Fund may borrow money from banks as a temporary measure for extraordinary or emergency purposes or to facilitate redemptions. The Fund will be required to pay interest to the lending banks on the amount borrowed. As a result, borrowing money could result in the Fund being unable to meet its investment objective. The Fund will not borrow money in excess of one-third of the value of its total assets.
Lending securities |
The Fund may lend up to 25% of its assets to qualified broker/dealers or institutional investors for their use in securities transactions. Borrowers of the Fund's securities must provide collateral to the Fund and adjust the amount of collateral each day to reflect changes in the value of the loaned securities. These transactions, if any, may generate additional income for the Fund.
Purchasing securities on a when-issued or delayed-delivery basis |
The Fund may buy or sell securities on a when-issued or delayed-delivery basis (i.e., paying for securities before delivery or taking delivery at a later date).
Initial public offerings (IPOs) |
Under certain market conditions, the Fund may invest in companies at the times of their IPOs. Companies involved in IPOs generally have limited operating histories, and prospects for future profitability are uncertain. Prices of IPOs may also be unstable because of the absence of a prior public market, the small number of shares available for trading, and limited investor information. IPOs may be sold within 12 months of purchase. This may result in increased short-term capital gains, which will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income.
Temporary defensive positions |
In response to unfavorable market conditions, the Fund may make temporary investments in cash or cash equivalents or other high-quality, short-term instruments. These investments may not be consistent with the Fund's investment objectives. To the extent that the Fund holds such instruments, it may be unable to achieve its investment objectives.
Investing in any mutual fund involves risk, including the risk that you may receive little or no return on your investment, and the risk that you may lose part or all of the money you invest. Before you invest in the Fund, you should carefully evaluate the risks. Because of the nature of the Fund, you should consider your investment to be a long-term investment that typically provides the best results when held for a number of years. The information below describes the principal risks you assume when investing in the Fund. For purposes of the “The risks of investing in the Fund” section, a reference to the Manager may also include MIMAK with respect to its role as sub-advisor of the Fund. Please see the SAI for a further discussion of these risks and other risks not discussed here.
11
How we manage the Fund
Market risk |
Market risk is the risk that all or a majority of the securities in a certain market — such as the stock or bond market — will decline in value because of factors such as adverse political or economic conditions, future expectations, investor confidence, or heavy institutional selling.
How the Fund strives to manage it: The Manager maintains a long-term investment approach and focuses on securities that the Manager believes can appreciate over an extended period of time regardless of interim market fluctuations. Generally, the Manager does not try to predict overall market movements. Although the Fund may hold securities for any amount of time, the Manager generally does not trade for short-term purposes.
The Fund may hold a substantial portion of its assets in cash or cash equivalents as a temporary, defensive strategy.
Industry and security risks |
Industry risk is the risk that the value of securities in a particular industry (such as financial services or manufacturing) will decline because of changing expectations for the performance of that industry.
Security risk is the risk that the value of an individual stock or bond will decline because of changing expectations for the performance of the individual company issuing the stock or bond (due to situations that could range from decreased sales to events such as a pending merger or actual or threatened bankruptcy).
How the Fund strives to manage them: The Fund intends to hold a number of different individual securities, seeking to manage security risk. However, the Fund does concentrate in Real Assets Securities. As a consequence, the share price of the Fund may fluctuate in response to factors affecting that industry, and may fluctuate more widely than a fund that invests in a broader range of industries. The Fund may be more susceptible to any single economic, political, or regulatory occurrence affecting Real Assets Securities.
Real estate industry risk |
Real estate industry risk includes, among others: possible declines in the value of real estate; risks related to general and local economic conditions; possible lack of availability of mortgage funds; overbuilding; extended vacancies of properties; increases in competition, property taxes, and operating expenses; changes in zoning laws; costs resulting from the cleanup of, and liability to third parties resulting from, environmental problems; casualty for condemnation losses; uninsured damages from floods, earthquakes, or other natural disasters; limitations on and variations in rents; and changes in interest rates. REITs are subject to substantial cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers, self-liquidation, and the risk of failing to qualify for tax-free pass-through of income under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (Internal Revenue Code), or other similar statutes in non-US countries and/or to maintain exemptions from the 1940 Act.
How the Fund strives to manage it: Because the Fund invests significantly in companies in the real estate and real estate-related sectors, it is subject to the risks associated with the real estate industry. The Manager will strive to manage these risks through careful selection of individual securities.
Company size risk |
Company size risk is the risk that investments in small- and/or medium-sized companies typically exhibit higher volatility than investments in larger, more established companies. Company size risk also comes from lower liquidity typically associated with small company stocks, which means the price may be affected by poorly executed trades, even if the underlying business of the company is unchanged.
How the Fund strives to manage it: The Manager maintains a well-diversified portfolio, conducts in-depth analysis, and monitors the companies continually.
Commodity-related investments risk |
Commodity-related investments risk is the risk that the value of commodities investments will generally be affected by overall market movements and factors specific to a particular industry or commodity, which may include weather, embargoes, tariffs, and economic health, political, international regulatory and other developments. Exposure to the commodities markets may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities.
How the Fund strives to manage it: Because the Fund invests significantly in Natural Resources Securities, it is subject to commodity-related investments risk. The Manager will strive to manage this risk through careful selection of individual securities.
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Gold and other precious metals risk |
Investments related to gold and other precious metals are considered speculative and are affected by a variety of worldwide economic, financial and political factors. The price of gold and other precious metals may fluctuate sharply over short periods of time due to changes in inflation or expectations regarding inflation in various countries, the availability of supplies of gold and other precious metals, changes in industrial and commercial demand, gold and other precious metals sales by governments, central banks or international agencies, investment speculation, monetary and other economic policies of various governments and government restrictions on private ownership of gold and other precious metals.
How the Fund strives to manage it: The Manager will strive to manage this risk through careful selection of individual securities.
Infrastructure risk |
Infrastructure risk is the risk that infrastructure companies may be subject to a variety of factors that may adversely affect their business or operations, including high interest costs in connection with capital construction programs, high leverage, costs associated with environmental and other regulations, the effects of economic slowdown, surplus capacity, increased competition from other providers of services, uncertainties concerning the availability of fuel at reasonable prices, the effects of energy conservation policies and other factors. Some of the specific risks that infrastructure companies may be particularly affected by, or subject to, include the following: regulatory risk, technology risk, regional or geographic risk, natural disasters risk, through-put risk, project risk, strategic asset risk, operation risk, customer risk, interest rate risk, inflation risk and financing risk. Other factors that may affect the operations of infrastructure companies include difficulty in raising capital in adequate amounts on reasonable terms in periods of high inflation and unsettled capital markets, inexperience with and potential losses resulting from a developing deregulatory environment, increased susceptibility to terrorist acts or political actions, and general changes in market sentiment towards infrastructure assets. In addition, the change in presidential administration could significantly impact the regulation of United States financial markets and dramatically alter existing trade, tax, energy and infrastructure policies, among others. It is not possible to predict what, if any, changes will be made or their potential effect on the economy, securities markets, or financial stability of the United States, or on the energy, natural resources, infrastructure and other markets.
How the Fund strives to manage it: The Manager will strive to manage this risk through careful selection of individual securities.
High yield (junk bond) risk |
Investing in so-called “junk bonds” entails the risk of principal loss because they are rated below investment grade. As a result, junk bonds are subject to reduced creditworthiness of issuers; increased risk of default and a more limited and less liquid secondary market; and greater price volatility and risk of loss of income and principal than are higher rated securities. High yield bonds are sometimes issued by municipalities with less financial strength and therefore less ability to make projected debt payments on the bonds.
How the Fund strives to manage it: The Manager attempts to reduce the risk associated with investment in high yield debt securities through portfolio diversification, credit analysis, and attention to trends in the economy, industries, and financial markets.
Natural resources risk |
Natural resources risk is the risk that the market value of Natural Resources Securities may be affected by numerous factors, including events occurring in nature, inflationary pressures and international politics. Because the Fund invests significantly in Natural Resources Securities, there is the risk that the Fund will perform poorly during a downturn in the natural resource sector. For example, events occurring in nature (such as earthquakes or fires in prime natural resource areas) and political events (such as coups, military confrontations or acts of terrorism) can affect the overall supply of a natural resource and the value of companies involved in such natural resource.
How the Fund strives to manage it: Because the Fund invests significantly in Natural Resources Securities, it is subject to this risk. The Manager will strive to manage this risk through careful selection of individual securities.
Interest rate risk |
Interest rate risk is the risk that securities will decrease in value if interest rates rise. The risk is generally associated with bonds; however, because small-and medium-sized companies and companies in the real estate sector often borrow money to finance their operations, they may be adversely affected by rising interest rates. A fund may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates when interest rates are low or inflation rates are high or rising.
How the Fund strives to manage it: If the Fund invests in REITs or other companies that hold fixed-rate obligations, the Manager would expect the value of those investments to decrease if interest rates rise and increase if interest rates decline. However, lower interest rates also tend to increase the chances that a bond will be refinanced, which can hurt the returns of REITs or other companies that hold fixed-rate obligations. The Manager strives to manage this risk by monitoring interest rates and evaluating their potential impact on securities already in the portfolio or those the Manager is considering for purchase.
13
How we manage the Fund
Foreign risk |
Foreign risk is the risk that foreign securities (particularly in emerging markets) may be adversely affected by political instability, changes in currency exchange rates, inefficient markets and higher transaction costs, foreign economic or government conditions, the imposition of economic and/or trade sanctions, inadequate or different regulatory and accounting standards, and the possibility that significant events in foreign markets, including broad market moves, may affect the value of fund shares.
How the Fund strives to manage it: Holding both international and domestic securities in a well-allocated fund may actually help to reduce overall fund risk since these types of securities may experience different performance cycles.
The Manager attempts to reduce the risks presented by monitoring current economic and market conditions and trends, the political and regulatory environment, and the value of currencies in different countries in an effort to identify the most attractive countries and securities. Additionally, when currencies appear significantly overvalued compared to average real exchange rates, the Manager may hedge exposure to those currencies for defensive purposes.
The Fund will generally have significant exposure to this risk, since the Fund will invest at least 30% of its assets in foreign securities.
Currency risk |
Currency risk is the risk that the value of a fund's investments may be negatively affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates. Adverse changes in exchange rates may reduce or eliminate any gains produced by investments that are denominated in foreign currencies and may increase any losses.
How the Fund strives to manage it: The Fund, which has exposure to global and international investments, may be affected by changes in currency rates and exchange control regulations and may incur costs in connection with conversions between currencies. To hedge this currency risk associated with investments in non-US dollar denominated securities, it may invest in forward foreign currency contracts. These activities pose special risks that do not typically arise in connection with investments in US securities.
Derivatives risk |
Derivatives risk is the possibility that a fund may experience a significant loss if it employs a derivatives strategy (including a strategy involving equity-linked securities, futures, options, forward foreign currency contracts, or swaps such as interest rate swaps, index swaps, or credit default swaps) related to a security, index, reference rate, or other asset or market factor (collectively, a “reference instrument”) and that reference instrument moves in the opposite direction from what the Manager had anticipated. If a market or markets, or prices of particular classes of investments, move in an unexpected manner, a fund may not achieve the anticipated benefits of the transaction and it may realize losses. Derivatives also involve additional expenses, which could reduce any benefit or increase any loss to a fund from using the strategy. In addition, changes in government regulation of derivatives could affect the character, timing, and amount of a fund's taxable income or gains. A fund's transactions in derivatives may be subject to one or more special tax rules. These rules may: (i) affect whether gains and losses recognized by a fund are treated as ordinary or capital or as short-term or long-term, (ii) accelerate the recognition of income or gains to the fund, (iii) defer losses to the fund, and (iv) cause adjustments in the holding periods of the fund's securities. A fund's use of derivatives may be limited by the requirements for taxation of the fund as a regulated investment company.
Investing in derivatives may subject a fund to counterparty risk. Please refer to “Counterparty risk” for more information. Other risks include illiquidity, mispricing or improper valuation of the derivatives contract, and imperfect correlation between the value of the derivatives instrument and the underlying reference instrument so that the fund may not realize the intended benefits. In addition, since there can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for any derivatives instrument purchased or sold, a fund may be required to hold a derivatives instrument to maturity and take or make delivery of an underlying reference instrument that the Manager would have otherwise attempted to avoid, which could result in losses. When used for hedging, the change in value of the derivatives instrument may also not correlate specifically with the currency, rate, or other risk being hedged, in which case a fund may not realize the intended benefits.
How the Fund strives to manage it: The Fund will use derivatives for defensive purposes, such as to protect gains or hedge against potential losses in the portfolio without actually selling a security, to neutralize the impact of interest rate changes, to effect diversification, or to earn additional income.
The Manager has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” with respect to the Fund under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) and, therefore, is not subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool operator under the CEA.
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Leveraging risk |
Leveraging risk is the risk that certain fund transactions, such as reverse repurchase agreements, short sales, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivatives instruments, may give rise to leverage, causing a fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. While it is anticipated that leverage may increase profitability, it may also accentuate the consequences of adverse price movements, resulting in increased losses.
How the Fund strives to manage it: The Fund will, consistent with industry practice, designate and mark-to-market daily cash or other liquid assets having an aggregate market value at least equal to the exposure created by these transactions.
Counterparty risk |
Counterparty risk is the risk that if a fund enters into a derivatives contract (such as a futures, options, or swap contract) or a repurchase agreement, the counterparty to such a contract or agreement may fail to perform its obligations under the contract or agreement due to, among other reasons, financial difficulties (such as a bankruptcy or reorganization). As a result, a fund may experience significant delays in obtaining any recovery, may obtain only a limited recovery, or may obtain no recovery at all.
How the Fund strives to manage it: The Manager seeks to minimize this risk by considering the creditworthiness of all counterparties before the Fund enters into transactions with them. The Fund will hold collateral from counterparties consistent with applicable regulations.
Exchange-traded funds risk |
The risks of investing in securities of an ETF typically reflect the risks of the instruments in which the underlying ETF invests.
Because ETFs are listed on an exchange, ETFs may be subject to trading halts and may trade at a discount or premium to their NAV. In addition, ETFs are investment companies, and a fund will bear its proportionate share of the fees and expenses of an investment in an ETF. As a result, a fund's expenses may be higher and performance may be lower.
The in-kind redemption and purchase mechanism of ETFs used by market makers seeking to arbitrage away any differences in the market value as compared with net asset value generally keeps premium or discounts to a minimal level.
How the Fund strives to manage it: Under normal circumstances, the Fund's total investments in investment companies, including ETFs, will not exceed 10% of net assets in any one investment company and 20% in all positions in investment companies in the aggregate.
Liquidity risk |
Liquidity risk is the possibility that investments cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. Illiquid investments may trade at a discount from comparable, more liquid investments, and may be subject to wide fluctuations in market value. A fund also may not be able to dispose of illiquid investments at a favorable time or price during periods of infrequent trading of an illiquid investment.
How the Fund strives to manage it: The Fund limits its exposure to illiquid investments to no more than 15% of its net assets.
Government and regulatory risks |
Governments or regulatory authorities may take actions that could adversely affect various sectors of the securities markets and affect fund performance. Government involvement in the private sector may, in some cases, include government investment in, or ownership of, companies in certain commercial business sectors; wage and price controls; or imposition of trade barriers and other protectionist measures. For example, an economic or political crisis may lead to price controls, forced mergers of companies, expropriation, the creation of government monopolies, foreign exchange controls, the introduction of new currencies (and the redenomination of financial obligations into those currencies), or other measures that could be detrimental to the investments of a fund.
How the Fund strives to manage them: The Manager evaluates the economic and political climate in the relevant jurisdictions before selecting securities for the Fund. The Manager typically diversifies the Fund's assets among a number of different securities in a variety of sectors in order to minimize the impact to the Fund of any legislative or regulatory development affecting particular countries, issuers, or market sectors.
15
How we manage the Fund
IBOR risk |
The risk that changes related to the use of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) or similar interbank offered rates (“IBORs,” such as the Euro Overnight Index Average (EONIA)) could have adverse impacts on financial instruments that reference such rates. While some instruments may contemplate a scenario where LIBOR or a similar rate is no longer available by providing for an alternative rate setting methodology, not all instruments have such fallback provisions and the effectiveness of replacement rates is uncertain. The abandonment of LIBOR and similar rates could affect the value and liquidity of instruments that reference such rates, especially those that do not have fallback provisions. The use of alternative reference rate products may impact investment strategy performance.
How the Fund strives to manage it: Due to uncertainty regarding the future use of LIBOR or similar rates (such as the EONIA), the impact of the abandonment of such rates on the Fund or the financial instruments in which the Fund invests cannot yet be determined. However, the Fund tries to address such risk by monitoring the economic, political and regulatory climate in jurisdictions relevant to the Fund and the financial instruments in which the Fund invests in order to minimize any potential impact on the Fund. In addition, the Fund typically invests in a number of different securities in a variety of sectors in order to minimize the impact to the Fund of any legislative or regulatory development affecting particular countries, issuers, or market sectors.
Natural disaster and epidemic risk |
Natural disaster and epidemic risk is the risk that the value of a fund's investments may be negatively affected by natural disasters, epidemics, or similar events. Natural or environmental disasters, such as earthquakes, fires, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, and other severe weather-related phenomena generally, and widespread disease, including pandemics and epidemics, have been and can be highly disruptive to economies and markets, adversely impacting individual companies, sectors, industries, markets, currencies, interest and inflation rates, credit ratings, investor sentiment, and other factors affecting the value of a fund's investments. Given the increasing interdependence among global economies and markets, conditions in one country, market, or region are increasingly likely to adversely affect markets, issuers, and/or foreign exchange rates in other countries. These disruptions could prevent a fund from executing advantageous investment decisions in a timely manner and could negatively impact the fund's ability to achieve its investment objective.
How the Fund strives to manage it: The Fund maintains a long-term investment approach and focuses on securities that the portfolio managers believe can appreciate over an extended period of time regardless of interim market fluctuations. Generally, the portfolio managers do not try to predict overall market movements, but the portfolio managers do note trends in the economy, industries, and financial markets. Although the Fund may hold securities for any amount of time, it generally does not trade for short-term purposes.
A description of the Fund's policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of its portfolio securities is available in the SAI.
16
The Manager, located at 100 Independence, 610 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106-2354, is the Fund's investment manager. Together, the Manager and the other subsidiaries of Macquarie Management Holdings, Inc. (MMHI) manage, as of December 31, 2022, approximately $220.6 billion in assets, including mutual funds, separate accounts, and other investment vehicles. The Manager and its predecessors have been managing Delaware Funds since 1938. The Manager is a series of Macquarie Investment Management Business Trust (a Delaware statutory trust), which is a subsidiary of MMHI. MMHI is a wholly owned subsidiary of Macquarie Group Limited. The Manager makes investment decisions for the Fund, manages the Fund's business affairs, and provides daily administrative services. For its services to the Fund, the Manager was paid an aggregate fee, net of fee waivers (if applicable), of 0.68% of average daily net assets during the last fiscal year.
A discussion of the basis for the Board's approval of the Fund's investment advisory contract is available in the Fund's annual report to shareholders for the period ended October 31, 2022.
MIMAK, is located at Kaerntner Strasse 28, 1010 Vienna, Austria. MIMAK is the sub-advisor primarily responsible for the day-to day management of the Fund's portfolio and works together with Aaron D. Young, a portfolio manager employed by the Manager, to determine the Fund's asset allocation. MIMAK is an affiliate of the Manager and a part of Macquarie Asset Management (MAM). MAM is the marketing name for certain companies comprising the asset management division of Macquarie Group Limited. As of December 31, 2022, MAM managed more than $355.6 billion in assets for institutional and individual clients. Although MIMAK serves as a sub-advisor, the Manager has ultimate responsibility for all investment advisory services. The Manager has entered into a separate sub-advisory agreement with MIMAK and compensates MIMAK out of the investment advisory fees it receives from the Fund.
MIMGL, located at 50 Martin Place, Sydney, Australia, is an affiliate of the Manager and a part of MAM. MIMAK and the Manager may seek investment advice and recommendations from MIMGL and may also permit MIMGL to execute Fund security trades and exercise investment discretion for real estate equity securities and fixed income securities where MIMAK and the Manager believe it will be beneficial to utilize MIMGL's specialized market knowledge. MIMAK and the Manager may seek quantitative support from MIMGL and permit MIMGL to execute Fund security trades on their behalf.
MIMEL, located at 28 Ropemaker Street, London, England, is an affiliate of the Manager and a part of MAM. MIMAK and the Manager may seek investment advice and recommendations from MIMEL and may also permit MIMEL to execute Fund security trades and exercise investment discretion for real estate equity securities and fixed income securities where MIMAK and the Manager believe it will be beneficial to utilize MIMEL's specialized market knowledge.
A discussion of the basis for the Board's approval of the Fund's sub-advisory contracts with MIMAK, MIMGL and MIMEL is available in the Fund's annual report to shareholders for the period ended October 31, 2022.
Stefan Löwenthal and Jürgen Wurzer of MIMAK determine the asset allocation and, along with Aaron D. Young, have primary responsibility for making day-to-day investment decisions for the Fund.
Stefan
Löwenthal, CFA
Managing
Director, Chief Investment Officer — Global Multi Asset Team
Stefan
Löwenthal is the Chief
Investment Officer for
Macquarie Asset Management's Global Multi Asset team, a role he assumed in
February 2013. He heads the
global multi asset team, which is responsible for asset allocation and portfolio
construction, the management of multi asset funds and institutional accounts, as
well as the development of new investment strategies. In addition, Löwenthal
oversees all research, portfolio management, and thought leadership
activities of the team. He chairs the firm's Investment Policy Committee and is
a member of the Professional Series Multi Manager Committee and the
Private Infrastructure Fund Governance Committee. He joined
Macquarie in February 2008 as a portfolio manager on the global multi asset
team. He holds a
Master of Management Science from Vienna University of Economics and Business.
Löwenthal is a member of the CFA Society Austria and is a frequent
speaker at industry events and universities.
Jürgen
Wurzer, CFA Senior
Vice President, Deputy Head of Portfolio Management — Global Multi Asset
Team
Jürgen Wurzer
is the Deputy Head
of Portfolio Management for Macquarie
Asset Management's Global Multi Asset team, a role he assumed in April 2018.
He is
responsible for designing and managing multi asset strategies, overseeing
quantitative research and modelling, as well as analyzing global equity
markets. He
initially joined Macquarie in January 2007, focusing on multi asset solutions.
Prior to re-joining Macquarie in April 2018, he was part of the multi
asset
management team at Erste Asset Management from September 2016 to March 2018. He
graduated from University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt
with a master's degree. Wurzer is a lecturer for asset allocation, quantitative
finance, and portfolio and risk management at several educational institutions.
17
Who manages the Fund
Aaron
D. Young Senior Vice President, Portfolio Manager
Aaron D. Young
is a Portfolio Manager for Ivy Investments, now part of Macquarie Asset
Management’s Delaware Management Company. He joined Macquarie Asset Management
(MAM) as part of Delaware Funds that were involved in a transaction that closed
on April 30, 2021. He joined Ivy Investments in 2005 as a fixed income analyst
with an emphasis in credit research and derivative securities. He joined the
Asset Strategy team at Ivy Investments as an investment analyst in 2007. He had
served as an assistant portfolio manager for investment companies managed by Ivy
Investments (or its affiliates) since 2012 and has been a portfolio manager on
the multi-asset investment team since 2016. He earned a bachelor's degree in
philosophy from the University of Missouri and holds an MBA with an emphasis in
finance and strategy from the Olin School of Business at Washington
University.
The SAI provides additional information about each portfolio manager's compensation, other accounts managed by each portfolio manager, and the portfolio manager's ownership of Fund shares.
The Fund and the Manager have received an exemptive order from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to operate under a manager of managers structure that permits the Manager, with the approval of the Fund's Board, to appoint and replace both affiliated and unaffiliated sub-advisors, and to enter into and make material amendments to the related sub-advisory contracts on behalf of the Fund without shareholder approval (Manager of Managers Structure). Under the Manager of Managers Structure, the Manager has ultimate responsibility, subject to oversight by the Board, for overseeing the Fund's sub-advisors and recommending to the Board their hiring, termination, or replacement.
The Manager of Managers Structure enables the Fund to operate with greater efficiency and without incurring the expense and delays associated with obtaining shareholder approvals for matters relating to sub-advisors or sub-advisory agreements. The Manager of Managers Structure does not permit an increase in the overall management and advisory fees payable by the Fund without shareholder approval. Shareholders will be notified of the hiring of any new sub-advisor within 90 days of the hiring.
The Fund and the Manager also have an exemptive order from the SEC that allows the approval of a new sub-advisor to be taken at a Board of Trustees meeting held via any means of communication that allows the Trustees to hear each other simultaneously during the meeting. If a new unaffiliated sub-adviser is hired for the Fund, shareholders will receive information about the new sub-advisor within 90 days of the change.
Board of trustees: A mutual fund is governed by a board of trustees, which has oversight responsibility for the management of the fund's business affairs. Trustees establish procedures and oversee and review the performance of the fund's service providers.
Investment manager and sub-advisor: An investment manager is a company with overall responsibility for the management of a fund's assets. A sub-advisor is a company generally responsible for the day-to-day management of the fund's assets or some portion thereof. The sub-advisor is selected and supervised by the investment manager. The investment manager or the sub-advisor, as the case may be, is responsible for selecting portfolio investments consistent with the objective and policies stated in the mutual fund's prospectus. A written contract between a mutual fund and its investment manager specifies the services the investment manager performs and the fee the manager is entitled to receive.
Portfolio managers: Portfolio managers make investment decisions for individual portfolios.
Distributor: Most mutual funds continuously offer new shares to the public through distributors that are regulated as broker/dealers and are subject to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) rules governing mutual fund sales practices.
18
Service agent: Mutual fund companies employ service agents (sometimes called transfer agents) to maintain records of shareholder accounts, calculate and disburse dividends and capital gains, and prepare and mail shareholder statements and tax information, among other functions. Many service agents also provide administrative services to a fund and oversight of other fund service providers.
Custodian/Fund accountant: Mutual funds are legally required to protect their portfolio securities, and most funds place them with a qualified bank custodian that segregates fund securities from other bank assets. The fund accountant provides services such as calculating a fund's net asset value (NAV) and providing financial reporting information for the fund.
Financial intermediary: Financial professionals provide advice to their clients. They are associated with securities broker/dealers who have entered into selling and/or service arrangements with the distributor. Selling broker/dealers and financial professionals are compensated for their services generally through sales commissions, and through 12b-1 fees and/or service fees deducted from a fund's assets.
Shareholders: Mutual fund shareholders have specific voting rights on matters such as material changes in the terms of a fund's management contract and changes to fundamental investment policies.
19
You can choose from a number of share classes for the Fund. Because each share class has a different combination of sales charges, fees, and other features, you should consult your financial intermediary or your financial professional (hereinafter collectively referred to as the “financial intermediary”) to determine which share class best suits your investment goals and time frame. It is the responsibility of your financial intermediary to assist you in determining the most appropriate share class and to communicate such determination to us.
Information about existing sales charges and sales charge reductions and waivers is available in this Prospectus below and free of charge on the Delaware Funds website at delawarefunds.com. Additional information on sales charges can be found in the SAI, which is available upon request.
Please also see the “Broker-defined sales charge waiver policies” section in this Prospectus for information provided to the Fund by certain financial intermediaries on sales charge discounts and waivers that may be available to you through your financial intermediary. Shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a financial intermediary may also be eligible for sales charge discounts or waivers which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Prospectus or SAI. The availability of certain initial or deferred sales charge waivers and discounts may depend on the particular financial intermediary or type of account through which you purchase or hold Fund shares. It is the responsibility of the financial intermediary to implement any of its proprietary sales charge discounts or waivers listed in “Broker-defined sales charge waiver policies” or otherwise offered by the financial intermediary. Accordingly, you should consult with your financial intermediary to determine whether you qualify for any sales charge discounts or waivers.
Each share class may be eligible for purchase through programs sponsored by financial intermediaries that require the purchase of a specific class of shares.
Class A, Class C, and Class R shares have each adopted a separate 12b-1 plan that allows them to pay distribution fees for the sale and distribution of their shares. Because these fees are paid out of the Fund's assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges.
Class A |
Class A sales charges
The table below details your sales charges on purchases of Class A shares. The offering price for Class A shares includes the front-end sales charge. The offering price is determined by dividing the NAV per share by an amount equal to 1 minus the sales charge (expressed in decimals) applicable to the purchase, calculated to two decimal places using standard rounding criteria. The sales charge as a percentage of the net amount invested is the maximum percentage of the amount invested rounded to the nearest hundredth. The actual sales charge that you pay as a percentage of the offering price and as a percentage of the net amount invested will vary depending on the then-current NAV, the percentage rate of the sales charge, and rounding. The number of Fund shares you will be issued will equal the amount invested divided by the applicable offering price for those shares, calculated to three decimal places using standard rounding criteria. Sales charges do not apply to shares purchased through dividend reinvestment.
Amount of purchase |
Sales
charge as a % |
Sales
charge as a % | ||||
Less
than $50,000
|
5.75% |
6.54% |
||||
$50,000
but less than $100,000
|
4.75% |
5.41% |
||||
$100,000
but less than $250,000
|
3.75% |
4.31% |
||||
$250,000
but less than $500,000
|
2.50% |
3.00% |
||||
$500,000
but less than $1 million
|
2.00% |
2.44% |
||||
$1
million or more
|
none* |
none* |
20
* There is no front-end sales charge when you purchase $1 million or more of Class A shares. However, if Delaware Distributors, L.P. (Distributor) paid your financial intermediary a commission on your purchase of $1 million or more of Class A shares, you will have to pay a Limited CDSC of 1.00% if you redeem these shares within the first 18 months after your purchase, unless a specific waiver of the Limited CDSC applies. The Limited CDSC will be paid to the Distributor and will be assessed on an amount equal to the lesser of: (1) the NAV at the time the Class A shares being redeemed were purchased; or (2) the NAV of such Class A shares at the time of redemption. For purposes of this formula, the “NAV at the time of purchase” will be the NAV at purchase of the Class A shares even if those shares are later exchanged for shares of another Delaware Fund and, in the event of an exchange of Class A shares, the “NAV of such shares at the time of redemption” will be the NAV of the shares acquired in the exchange. In determining whether a Limited CDSC is payable, it will be assumed that shares not subject to the Limited CDSC are the first redeemed followed by other shares held for the longest period of time. See “Dealer compensation” below for a description of the dealer commission that is paid.
Class C |
Calculation
of contingent deferred sales charges — Class C
CDSCs
are charged as a percentage of the dollar amount subject to the CDSC. The charge
will be assessed on an amount equal to the lesser of the NAV at
the time the shares being redeemed were purchased or the NAV of those shares at
the time of redemption. No CDSC will be imposed on increases in NAV
above the initial purchase price, nor will a CDSC be assessed on redemptions of
shares acquired through reinvestment of dividends or capital gains distributions.
For purposes of this formula, the “NAV at the time of purchase” will be the NAV
at purchase of Class C shares of the Fund, even if those shares
are later exchanged for shares of another Delaware Fund. In the event of an
exchange of the shares, the “NAV of such shares at the time of redemption”
will be the NAV of the shares that were acquired in the
exchange.
Class R |
21
About your account
Institutional Class |
Class R6 |
22
approved by the Fund for such investment. These institutional investors and high net worth individuals must retain Class R6 shares directly in their names and will not be permitted to hold such shares through an omnibus account or other similar arrangements.
The Fund reserves the right to modify or waive the above policies at any time without prior notice to shareholders.
The financial intermediary who sells you shares of the Fund may be eligible to receive the following amounts as compensation for your investment in the Fund. These amounts are paid by the Distributor to the securities dealer with whom your financial advisor is associated. Institutional Class and Class R6 shares do not have a 12b-1 fee or sales charge so they are not included in the table below.
|
Class A1 |
Class C2 |
Class R3 | ||||||
Commission
(%)
|
— |
1.00% |
— |
||||||
Investment
less than $50,000
|
5.00% |
— |
— |
||||||
$50,000
but less than $100,000
|
4.00% |
— |
— |
||||||
$100,000
but less than $250,000
|
3.00% |
— |
— |
||||||
$250,000
but less than $500,000
|
2.00% |
— |
— |
||||||
$500,000
but less than $1 million
|
1.60% |
— |
— |
||||||
$1
million but less than $5 million
|
1.00% |
— |
— |
||||||
$5
million but less than $25 million
|
0.50% |
— |
— |
||||||
$25
million or more
|
0.25% |
— |
— |
||||||
12b-1
fee to dealer
|
0.25% |
1.00% |
0.50% |
1 On sales of Class A shares, the Distributor reallows to your securities dealer a portion of the front-end sales charge depending upon the amount you invested. Your securities dealer may be eligible to receive a 12b-1 fee of up to 0.25% from the date of purchase. On sales of Class A shares where there is no front-end sales charge, the Distributor may pay your securities dealer an upfront commission of up to 1.00%. The upfront commission includes an advance of the first year's 12b-1 fee of up to 0.25%. During the first 12 months, the Distributor will retain the 12b-1 fee to partially offset the upfront commission advanced at the time of purchase. Starting in the 13th month, your securities dealer may be eligible to receive the full 12b-1 fee applicable to Class A shares.
2 On sales of Class C shares, the Distributor may pay your securities dealer an upfront commission of 1.00%. The upfront commission includes an advance of the first year's 12b-1 service fee of up to 0.25%. During the first 12 months, the Distributor retains the full 1.00% 12b-1 fee to partially offset the upfront commission and the prepaid 0.25% service fee advanced at the time of purchase. Starting in the 13th month, your securities dealer may be eligible to receive the full 1.00% 12b-1 fee applicable to Class C shares. Alternatively, certain intermediaries may not be eligible to receive the upfront commission of 1.00%, but may receive the 12b-1 fee for sales of Class C shares from the date of purchase. After approximately eight years, Class C shares are eligible to automatically convert to Class A shares and dealers may then be eligible to receive the 12b-1 fee applicable to Class A shares.
3 On sales of Class R shares, the Distributor does not pay your securities dealer an upfront commission. Your securities dealer may be eligible to receive a 12b-1 fee of up to 0.50% from the date of purchase.
The Distributor and its affiliates may pay additional compensation at their own expense and not as an expense of the Fund to certain affiliated or unaffiliated brokers, dealers, or other financial intermediaries (Financial Intermediaries) in connection with the sale or retention of Fund shares and/or shareholder servicing, including providing the Fund with “shelf space” or a higher profile with the Financial Intermediaries' consultants, salespersons, and customers (distribution assistance). For example, the Distributor or its affiliates may pay additional compensation to Financial Intermediaries for various purposes, including, but not limited to, promoting the sale of Fund shares, maintaining share balances and/or for subaccounting, administrative, or shareholder processing services, marketing, educational support, data, and ticket charges. Such payments are in addition to any distribution fees, service fees, subaccounting fees, and/or transfer agency fees that may be payable by the Fund. The additional payments may be based on factors, including level of sales (based on gross or net sales or some specified minimum sales or some other similar criteria related to sales of the Fund and/or some or all other Delaware Funds), amount of assets invested by the Financial Intermediary's customers (which could include current or aged assets of the Fund and/or some or all other Delaware Funds), the Fund's advisory fees, some other agreed-upon amount, or other measures as determined from time to time by the Distributor. The level of payments made to a qualifying Financial Intermediary in any given year may vary. To the extent permitted by SEC and FINRA rules and other applicable laws and regulations, the Distributor may pay, or allow its affiliates to pay, other promotional incentives or payments to Financial Intermediaries.
Sub-transfer agent/recordkeeping payments may be made to third parties (including affiliates of the Manager) that provide sub-transfer agent, recordkeeping, and/or shareholder services with respect to certain shareholder accounts (including omnibus accounts), or to the shareholder account
23
About your account
directly to offset the costs of these services, in lieu of the transfer agent providing such services. For Class R6 shares, the Distributor and its affiliates will generally not pay additional compensation to Financial Intermediaries in connection with the sale or retention of Fund shares and/or shareholder servicing (including sub-transfer agent/recordkeeping payments).
If a mutual fund sponsor or distributor makes greater payments for distribution assistance to your Financial Intermediary with respect to distribution of shares of that particular mutual fund than sponsors or distributors of other mutual funds make to your Financial Intermediary with respect to the distribution of the shares of their mutual funds, your Financial Intermediary and its salespersons may have a financial incentive to favor sales of shares of the mutual fund making the higher payments over shares of other mutual funds or over other investment options. In addition, depending on the arrangements in place at any particular time, a Financial Intermediary may also have a financial incentive for recommending a particular share class over other share classes. You should consult with your Financial Intermediary and review carefully any disclosure provided by such Financial Intermediary as to compensation it receives in connection with investment products it recommends or sells to you. A significant purpose of these payments is to increase sales of the Fund's shares. The Manager or its affiliates may benefit from the Distributor's or its affiliates' payment of compensation to Financial Intermediaries through increased fees resulting from additional assets acquired through the sale of Fund shares through Financial Intermediaries. In certain instances, the payments could be significant and may cause a conflict of interest for your Financial Intermediary. Any such payments will not change the NAV or the price of the Fund's shares.
We offer a number of ways to reduce or eliminate the front-end sales charge on Class A shares, which may depend on the ability of your financial intermediary or the Fund's transfer agent to support the various ways. Please refer to the “Broker-defined sales charge waiver policies” in this Prospectus and to the SAI for detailed information and eligibility requirements. You can also get additional information from your financial intermediary. You or your financial intermediary must notify us at the time you purchase shares if you are eligible for any of these programs. You may also need to provide information to your financial intermediary or the Fund in order to qualify for a reduction in sales charges. Such information may include your Delaware Funds holdings in any other accounts, including retirement accounts, held indirectly or through an intermediary, and the names of qualifying family members and their holdings. If you participate in a direct deposit purchase plan or an automatic investment program for an account held directly with the Fund's transfer agent and also hold shares of Delaware Funds other than directly with us, generally those holdings will not be aggregated with the assets held with us for purposes of determining rights of accumulation in connection with direct deposit purchase plans and automatic investment program purchases. We reserve the right to determine whether any purchase is entitled, by virtue of the foregoing, to the reduced sales charge. Class R, Institutional Class, and Class R6 shares have no upfront sales charge or CDSC so they are not included in the table below.
Letter of intent and rights of accumulation
Through a letter of intent, you agree to invest a certain amount in Delaware Funds over a 13-month period to qualify for reduced front-end sales charges (as set forth in the SAI). Delaware Funds no longer accept retroactive letters of intent.
Upon your request, you can combine your holdings or purchases of Class A and all other classes of Delaware Funds, excluding any money market funds (unless you acquired those shares through an exchange from a fund that did carry a front-end sales charge, CDSC, or Limited CDSC), as well as the holdings and purchases of your spouse — or equivalent, if recognized under local law — and children under the age of 21 to qualify for reduced front-end sales charges. When submitting the letter of intent or requesting rights of accumulation, you must identify which holdings or purchases you are requesting to be combined to your dealer, the Distributor or BNY Mellon at the time of purchase. You can add the value of any share class that you already own to new share purchases in order to qualify for a reduced sales charge. Please note that depending on the financial intermediary holding your account, this policy may differ from those described in this Prospectus.
Class
A |
Class
C |
Available. |
Although the letter of intent does not apply to the purchase of Class C shares, you can combine your purchase of Class C shares with your purchase of Class A shares to fulfill your letter of intent. Although the rights of accumulation do not apply to the purchase of Class C shares, you can combine the value of your Class C shares with the value of your Class A shares to receive a reduced sales charge. |
Reinvestment of redeemed shares
Up to 90 days after you redeem shares, you can reinvest the proceeds without paying a sales charge. For purposes of this “right of reinvestment policy,” automatic transactions (including, for example, automatic purchases, withdrawals and payroll deductions) and ongoing retirement plan contributions are not eligible for investment without a sales charge. Investors should consult their financial intermediary for further information.
24
Class
A |
Class
C |
Available. |
Not available. |
SIMPLE IRA, SEP, SARSEP, 401(k), SIMPLE 401(k), Profit Sharing, Money Purchase, 403(b)(7), and 457 Retirement Plans
These investment plans may qualify for reduced sales charges by combining the purchases of all members of the group. Members of these groups may also qualify to purchase shares without a front-end sales charge and may qualify for a waiver of any CDSCs on Class A shares.
Class
A |
Class
C |
Available. |
Although the letter of intent does not apply to the purchase of Class C shares, you can combine your purchase of Class C shares with your purchase of Class A shares to fulfill your letter of intent. Although the rights of accumulation do not apply to the purchase of Class C shares, you can combine the value of your Class C shares with the value of your Class A shares to receive a reduced sales charge. |
Class A shares of the Fund may be purchased at NAV under the following circumstances, provided that you notify the Fund in advance that the trade qualifies for this privilege. Certain existing investors or programs sponsored by certain intermediaries that were eligible to purchase Class A shares of the Fund at NAV may continue to be eligible to purchase Class A shares at NAV. The Fund reserves the right to modify or terminate these arrangements at any time.
25
About your account
Certain sales charges may be based on historical cost. Therefore, you should maintain any records that substantiate these costs because the Fund, its transfer agent, and financial intermediaries may not maintain this information. Please note that you or your financial intermediary will have to notify us at the time of redemption that the trade qualifies for such waiver. Class R, Class R6, and Institutional Class shares do not have CDSCs so they are not included in the list below. Please also see the “Shareholder fees” table in the Fund summary and “Choosing a share class” for more information about applicable CDSCs. Your financial intermediary may offer waivers for certain account types or programs that may be different than what is noted below. See the “Broker-defined sales charge waiver policies” section or contact your financial intermediary for information on program availability.
CDSCs for Class A and Class C shares may be waived under the following circumstances, except as noted otherwise:
1 Qualified plans that are fully redeemed at the direction of the plan's fiduciary may be subject to any applicable CDSC or Limited CDSC, unless the redemption is due to the termination of the plan.
Certain existing investors or programs sponsored by certain intermediaries that were eligible for waivers of CDSCs may continue to be eligible for those waivers of CDSCs.
26
Through your financial intermediary |
Your financial intermediary (if applicable) can handle all the details of purchasing shares, including opening an account. Your financial intermediary may charge you a separate fee for this service.
Through the Delaware Funds by Macquarie® Service Center |
By mail
Complete an investment slip and mail it with your check, made payable to the fund and class of shares you wish to purchase, to Delaware Funds by Macquarie at P.O. Box 534437, Pittsburgh, PA 15253-4437 for investments by regular mail or Delaware Funds by Macquarie Service Center, Attention: 534437, 500 Ross Street, 154-0520, Pittsburgh, PA 15262 for investments by overnight courier service. If you are making an initial purchase by mail, you must include a completed investment application (or an appropriate retirement plan application if you are opening a retirement account) with your check. Purchase orders will not be accepted at any other address.
Please note that purchase orders submitted by mail will not be considered received until such purchase orders arrive at Delaware Funds by Macquarie Service Center, Attention: 534437, 500 Ross Street, 154-0520, Pittsburgh, PA 15262 and are determined to be in good order. For a purchase request to be in “good order,” you must provide the name of the Delaware Fund in which you are investing, your account registration/number (if you are an existing shareholder), and the total number of shares or dollar amount of the shares to be purchased, along with meeting any requirements set forth in applicable forms, this Prospectus, or the SAI. The Fund does not consider the US Postal Service or other independent delivery services to be its agent. Therefore, deposits in the mail or with such services or receipt at the Fund's post office box, of purchase orders, do not constitute receipt by the Fund or its agent. Please note that the Fund reserves the right to reject any purchase.
By wire
Ask your bank to wire the amount you want to invest to The Bank of New York Mellon, ABA #011001234, bank account #000073-6910. Include your account number, the name of the fund, registered account name, and class of shares in which you want to invest. If you are making an initial purchase by wire, you must first call the Delaware Funds by Macquarie Service Center at 800 523-1918 so we can assign you an account number.
By exchange
You may exchange all or part of your investment in one or more Delaware Funds for shares of other Delaware Funds. Please keep in mind, however, that under most circumstances you may exchange between like classes of shares only. To open an account by exchange, call the Delaware Funds by Macquarie Service Center at 800 523-1918.
Through automated shareholder services |
You may purchase or exchange shares through our automated telephone service (for Class A, Class C, and Class R shares only), or through our website, delawarefunds.com (for Class A and Class C shares only). For more information about how to sign up for these services, call our Delaware Funds by Macquarie Service Center at 800 523-1918.
The price you pay for shares will depend on when we receive your purchase order. If your order is received by an authorized agent or us before the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) (normally 4:00pm ET), you will pay that day's closing Fund share price, which is based on the Fund's NAV. If the NYSE has an unscheduled early close, we will continue to accept your order until that day's scheduled close of the NYSE and you will pay that day's closing Fund share price. If your order is received after the scheduled close of regular trading on the NYSE, you will pay the next Business Day's closing Fund share price. We reserve the right to reject any purchase order.
We determine the NAV per share for each class of a Delaware Fund at the close of regular trading on the NYSE on each Business Day (normally 4:00pm ET). The Fund does not calculate its NAV on days the NYSE is closed for trading. If the NYSE has an unscheduled early close, the Fund's closing share price would still be determined as of that day's regularly scheduled close of the NYSE. The NAV per share for each class of a fund is calculated by subtracting the liabilities of each class from its total assets and dividing the resulting number by the number of shares outstanding for that class. We generally price securities and other assets for which market quotations are readily available at their market value. The value of foreign securities may change on days when a shareholder will not be able to purchase or redeem fund shares because foreign markets are open at times and on days when US markets are not. We price fixed income securities on the basis of valuations provided to us by an independent pricing service that uses methods approved by the Board. For all other securities, we use methods approved by the Board that are designed to price securities at their fair market values.
27
About your account
When the Fund uses fair value pricing, it may take into account any factors it deems appropriate. The Fund may determine fair value based upon developments related to a specific security, current valuations of foreign stock indices (as reflected in US futures markets), and/or US sector or broad stock market indices. In determining whether market quotations are readily available or fair valuation will be used, various factors will be taken into consideration, such as market closures or suspension of trading in a security. The prices of securities used by the Fund to calculate its NAV may differ from quoted or published prices for the same securities. Fair value pricing may involve subjective judgments and it is possible that the fair value determined for a security could be materially different than the value that could be realized upon the sale of that security.
The Fund anticipates using fair value pricing for securities primarily traded on US exchanges only under very limited circumstances, such as the early closing of the exchange on which a security is traded or suspension of trading in the security. The Fund may use fair value pricing more frequently for securities traded primarily in non-US markets because, among other things, most foreign markets close well before the Fund values its securities, normally at 4:00pm ET or the close of the NYSE. The earlier close of these foreign markets gives rise to the possibility that significant events, including broad market moves, may have occurred in the interim. To account for this, the Fund may frequently value many foreign equity securities using fair value prices based on third-party vendor modeling tools to the extent available.
The Board has designated the Manager as the valuation designee, and delegated responsibility for valuing the Fund's assets to the Manager and its Pricing Committee, which operates under the policies and procedures approved by the Board and is subject to the Board's oversight. The Manager, as the valuation designee, is responsible for periodically assessing any material risks associated with the determination of the fair value of the Fund's investments; establishing and applying fair value methodologies; testing the appropriateness of fair value methodologies; and overseeing and evaluating third-party pricing vendors and services. The Manager has a Pricing Committee to assist with its designated responsibilities as valuation designee.
In addition to being an appropriate investment for your IRA, Roth IRA, and Coverdell Education Savings Account, the Fund may be suitable for group retirement plans. You may establish your IRA account even if you are already a participant in an employer-sponsored retirement plan. For more information on how the Fund can play an important role in your retirement planning or for details about group plans, please consult your financial intermediary, or call the Delaware Funds by Macquarie® Service Center at 800 523-1918.
To reduce fund expenses, we try to identify related shareholders in a household and send only one copy of a fund's financial reports and prospectus. This process, called “householding,” will continue indefinitely unless you instruct us otherwise. If you prefer not to have these documents householded, please call the Delaware Funds by Macquarie Service Center at 800 523-1918. At any time you may view current prospectuses and financial reports on our website.
Please note that your account may be required to transfer to the appropriate state if no activity occurs in the account within the time period specified by state law.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund typically meets redemption requests through its holdings of cash or cash equivalents, the sale of portfolio assets, and/or its ability to redeem in kind (when applicable). During stressed market conditions, the Fund may use lines of credit to meet redemption requests.
Availability of these services may be limited by your financial intermediary and by the way your account is registered with Delaware Funds.
When you send us a completed request in good order to redeem or exchange shares and the request is received by an authorized agent or us before the close of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00pm ET), you will receive the NAV next determined after we receive your request. If we receive your request after the close of regular trading on the NYSE, you will receive the NAV next determined on the next Business Day. If the NYSE has an unscheduled early close, we will continue to accept your order until that day's scheduled close of the NYSE and you will receive that day's closing Fund share price. We will deduct any applicable CDSCs. You may also have to pay taxes on the proceeds from your sale of shares. If you purchased your shares by check, those shares are subject to a 15-day hold to ensure your check has cleared. Redemption requests for shares still subject to the hold may be rejected with instructions to resubmit at the conclusion of the holding period.
28
If you are required to pay a CDSC when you redeem your shares, the amount subject to the fee will be based on the shares' NAV when you purchased them or their NAV when you redeem them, whichever is less. This arrangement ensures that you will not pay a CDSC on any increase in the value of your shares. You also will not pay the charge on any shares acquired by reinvesting dividends or capital gains. If you exchange shares of one fund for shares of another, you do not pay a CDSC at the time of the exchange. If you later redeem those shares, the purchase price for purposes of the CDSC formula will be the price you paid for the original shares, not the exchange price. The redemption price for purposes of this formula will be the NAV of the shares you are actually redeeming.
If you hold your shares in certificates, you must submit the certificates with your request to sell the shares. We recommend that you send your certificates by certified mail.
Redemption proceeds will be distributed promptly, but not later than seven days after receipt of a redemption request (except as noted above). For direct transactions, redemption proceeds are typically paid the next Business Day after receipt of the redemption request. Redemptions submitted by financial intermediaries typically settle between one and three Business Days after receipt, depending on the settlement cycle requested by the financial intermediary. Settlement could be extended as a result of various factors, including but not limited to redemption amount or other market conditions. Please see the SAI for additional information.
Through your financial intermediary |
Your financial intermediary (if applicable) can handle all the details of redeeming your shares (selling them back to the Fund). Your financial intermediary may charge you a separate fee for this service.
Through the Delaware Funds by Macquarie® Service Center |
By mail
You may redeem your shares by mail by writing to: Delaware Funds by Macquarie at P.O. Box 534437, Pittsburgh, PA 15253-4437 for redemption requests by regular mail or Delaware Funds by Macquarie Service Center, Attention: 534437, 500 Ross Street, 154-0520, Pittsburgh, PA 15262 for redemption requests by overnight courier service. Redemption requests will not be accepted at any other address. All owners of the account must sign the request. For redemptions of more than $100,000, you must include a medallion signature guarantee for each owner. Medallion signature guarantees are also required when redemption proceeds are going to an address other than the address of record on the account. Please contact the Delaware Funds by Macquarie Service Center at 800 523-1918 for more information about the medallion signature guarantee requirements.
Please note that redemption orders submitted by mail will not be considered received until such redemption orders arrive at Delaware Funds by Macquarie Service Center, Attention: 534437, 500 Ross Street, 154-0520, Pittsburgh, PA 15262 and are determined to be in good order. For a redemption request to be in “good order,” you must provide the name of the Delaware Fund whose shares you are redeeming, your account number, account registration, and the total number of shares or dollar amount of the transaction. Redemption requests must be signed by the record owner(s) exactly as the shares are registered, along with meeting any requirements set forth in applicable forms, this Prospectus, or the SAI. The Fund does not consider the US Postal Service or other independent delivery services to be its agent. Therefore, redemption requests placed in the mail or with such services or receipt at the Fund's post office box, of redemption requests, do not constitute receipt by the Fund or the transfer agent.
By telephone
You may redeem up to $100,000 of your shares by telephone. You may have the proceeds sent to you in the following ways:
Bank information must be on file before you request a wire or ACH redemption. Your bank may charge a fee for these services.
Through automated shareholder services |
You may redeem shares through our automated telephone service or through our website, delawarefunds.com. For more information about how to sign up for these services, call our Delaware Funds by Macquarie Service Center at 800 523-1918.
29
About your account
Redemptions-in-kind |
The Fund has reserved the right to pay for redemptions with portfolio securities under certain conditions. Subsequent sale by an investor receiving a distribution in kind could result in the payment of brokerage commissions and taxable gains (if such investment was held in a taxable account). Investors bear market risks until securities are sold for cash. See the SAI for more information on redemptions-in-kind.
For Class A and Class C shares, if you redeem shares and your account balance falls below the required account minimum of $1,000 ($250 for IRAs, Roth IRAs, Uniform Gifts to Minors Act and Uniform Transfers to Minors Act accounts, or accounts with automatic investment plans, and $500 for Coverdell Education Savings Accounts) for three or more consecutive months, you will have until the end of the current calendar quarter to raise the balance to the minimum.
For Class R, Institutional Class, and Class R6 shares, if you redeem shares and your account balance falls below $500, your shares may be redeemed after 60 days' written notice to you.
If your account is not at the minimum for low balance purposes by the required time, you may be charged a $9 fee for that quarter and each quarter after that until your account reaches the minimum balance, or it may be redeemed after 60 days' written notice to you. Any CDSC that would otherwise be applicable will not apply to such a redemption.
Certain accounts held in omnibus, advisory, or asset-allocation programs or programs offered by certain intermediaries may be opened below the minimum stated account balance and may maintain balances that are below the minimum stated account balance without incurring a service fee or being subject to involuntary redemption.
If the applicable account falls below the minimum due to market fluctuation, the Fund still reserves the right to liquidate the account.
To help make investing with us as easy as possible, and to help you build your investments, we offer the investor services described below. Information about the investor services we offer is available free of charge on the Delaware Funds website at delawarefunds.com, including hyperlinks to relevant information in fund offering documents. Availability of these services may be limited by the way your account is registered with Delaware Funds.
Online account access |
Online account access is a password-protected area of the Delaware Funds website that gives you access to your account information and allows you to perform transactions in a secure Internet environment.
Electronic delivery |
With Delaware Funds eDelivery, you can receive your fund documents electronically instead of via US mail. When you sign up for eDelivery, you can access your account statements, shareholder reports, and other fund materials online, in a secure Internet environment at any time.
Automatic investment plan |
The automatic investment plan allows you to make regular monthly or quarterly investments directly from your bank account.
Direct deposit |
With direct deposit, you can make additional investments through payroll deductions, recurring government or private payments such as Social Security, or direct transfers from your bank account.
Systematic exchange option |
With the systematic exchange option, you can arrange automatic monthly exchanges between your shares in one or more Delaware Funds. These exchanges are subject to the same rules as regular exchanges (see below) and require a minimum monthly exchange of $100 per fund.
30
Dividend reinvestment plan |
Through the dividend reinvestment plan, you can have your distributions reinvested in your account or the same share class in another Delaware Fund. The shares that you purchase through the dividend reinvestment plan are not subject to a front-end sales charge or to a CDSC. Under most circumstances, you may reinvest dividends only into like classes of shares.
Exchange of shares |
You may generally exchange all or part of your shares for shares of the same class of another Delaware Fund without paying a front-end sales charge or a CDSC at the time of the exchange. However, if you exchange shares from a fund that does not have a sales charge, you will pay any applicable sales charge on your new shares. You do not pay sales charges on shares that you acquired through the reinvestment of dividends. You may have to pay taxes on your exchange. When you exchange shares, you are purchasing shares in another fund, so you should be sure to get a copy of the fund's prospectus and read it carefully before buying shares through an exchange. We may refuse the purchase side of any exchange request if, in the Manager's judgment, a fund would be unable to invest effectively in accordance with its investment objective and policies or would otherwise potentially be adversely affected. Please note that depending on the financial intermediary holding your account, this policy may be unavailable or differ from those described in this Prospectus.
On demand service |
The on demand service allows you or your financial advisor to transfer money between your Fund account and your predesignated bank account by telephone request. There is a minimum transfer of $25 and a maximum transfer of $100,000. Macquarie Asset Management does not charge a fee for this service; however, your bank may assess one.
Direct deposit service |
Through the direct deposit service, you can have $25 or more in dividends and distributions deposited directly into your bank account. Macquarie Asset Management does not charge a fee for this service; however, your bank may assess one. This service is not available for retirement plans.
Systematic withdrawal plan |
You can arrange a regular monthly or quarterly payment from your account made to you or someone you designate. If the value of your account is $5,000 or more, you can make withdrawals of at least $25 monthly, or $75 quarterly. You may also have your withdrawals deposited directly to your bank account through the direct deposit service.
The applicable Limited CDSC for Class A shares and the CDSC for Class C shares redeemed via a systematic withdrawal plan will be waived if the annual amount withdrawn in each year is less than 12% of the account balance on the date that the plan is established. If the annual amount withdrawn in any year exceeds 12% of the account balance on the date that the systematic withdrawal plan is established, all redemptions under the plan will be subject to the applicable CDSC, including an assessment for previously redeemed amounts under the plan.
Right to discontinue offering shares and/or to merge or liquidate a share class |
To the extent authorized by law, the Fund reserves the right to discontinue offering shares at any time and/or to merge or liquidate a share class, such as in response to shareholder redemptions of substantially or all shares in a class. For any blocked accounts involving a liquidating fund, a shareholder's account may be moved into Delaware Investments Ultrashort Fund if no instruction is given upon receipt of a fund's pending liquidation.
The Fund discourages purchases by market timers and purchase orders (including the purchase side of exchange orders) by shareholders identified as market timers may be rejected. The Board has adopted policies and procedures designed to detect, deter, and prevent trading activity detrimental to the Fund and its shareholders, such as market timing and disruptive trading. The Fund will consider anyone who follows a pattern of market timing in any Delaware Fund or the Optimum Fund Trust to be a market timer and may consider anyone who has followed a similar pattern of market timing at an unaffiliated fund family to be a market timer.
Market timing of a fund occurs when investors make consecutive, rapid, short-term “round trips” — that is, purchases into a fund followed quickly by redemptions out of that fund. A short-term round trip is considered any redemption of fund shares within 20 Business Days of a purchase of that fund's shares. If you make a second such short-term round trip in a fund within 90 rolling calendar days of a previous short-term round trip in that fund, you may be considered a market timer. In determining whether market timing has occurred, the Fund considers short-term round trips to include rapid purchases and sales of Fund shares through the exchange privilege. The Fund reserves the right to consider other trading patterns to be market timing.
31
About your account
Your ability to use the Fund's exchange privilege may be limited if you are identified as a market timer. If you are identified as a market timer, the Fund will execute the redemption side of your exchange order but may refuse the purchase side of your exchange order. The Fund reserves the right to restrict or reject, without prior notice, any purchase order or exchange order for any reason, including any purchase order or exchange order accepted by any shareholder's financial intermediary or in any omnibus-type account. Transactions placed in violation of the Fund's market timing policy are not necessarily deemed accepted by the Fund and may be rejected by the Fund on the next Business Day following receipt by the Fund.
Redemptions will continue to be permitted in accordance with the Fund's then-current prospectus. A redemption of shares under these circumstances could be costly to a shareholder if, for example, the shares have declined in value, the shareholder recently paid a front-end sales charge, the shares are subject to a CDSC, or the sale results in adverse tax consequences. To avoid this risk, a shareholder should carefully monitor the purchases, sales, and exchanges of Fund shares and avoid frequent trading in Fund shares.
The Fund reserves the right to modify this policy at any time without notice, including modifications to the Fund's monitoring procedures and the procedures to close accounts to new purchases. Although the implementation of this policy involves certain judgments that are inherently subjective and may be selectively applied, the Fund seeks to make judgments and applications that are consistent with the interests of the Fund's shareholders. While the Fund will take actions designed to detect and prevent market timing, there can be no assurance that such trading activity will be completely eliminated. Moreover, the Fund's market timing policy does not require the Fund to take action in response to frequent trading activity. If the Fund elects not to take any action in response to frequent trading, such frequent trading activity could continue.
Risks of market timing
By realizing profits through short-term trading, shareholders who engage in rapid purchases and sales or exchanges of the Fund's shares dilute the value of shares held by long-term shareholders. Volatility resulting from excessive purchases and sales or exchanges of Fund shares, especially involving large dollar amounts, may disrupt efficient portfolio management. In particular, the Fund may have difficulty implementing its long-term investment strategies if it is forced to maintain a higher level of its assets in cash to accommodate significant short-term trading activity. Excessive purchases and sales or exchanges of the Fund's shares may also force the Fund to sell portfolio securities at inopportune times to raise cash to accommodate short-term trading activity. This could adversely affect the Fund's performance, if, for example, the Fund incurs increased brokerage costs and realization of taxable capital gains without attaining any investment advantage.
Any fund may be subject to disruptive trading activity. However, a fund that invests significantly in foreign securities may be particularly susceptible to short-term trading strategies. This is because foreign securities are typically traded on markets that close well before the time a fund calculates its NAV (normally 4:00pm Eastern time or the close of the NYSE). Developments that occur between the closing of the foreign market and a fund's NAV calculation may affect the value of these foreign securities. The time-zone differences among international stock markets can allow a shareholder engaging in a short-term trading strategy to exploit differences in fund share prices that are based on closing prices of foreign securities established some time before a fund calculates its own share price.
Any fund that invests in securities that are thinly traded, traded infrequently, or relatively illiquid has the risk that the securities prices used to calculate the fund's NAV may not accurately reflect current market values. A shareholder may seek to engage in short-term trading to take advantage of these pricing differences. Funds that may be adversely affected by such arbitrage include, in particular, funds that significantly invest in small-cap securities, technology, and other specific industry sector securities, and in certain fixed income securities, such as high yield bonds, asset-backed securities, or municipal bonds.
Transaction monitoring procedures
The Fund, through its transfer agent, maintains surveillance procedures designed to detect excessive or short-term trading in Fund shares. This monitoring process involves several factors, which include scrutinizing transactions in Fund shares for violations of the Fund's market timing policy or other patterns of short-term or excessive trading. For purposes of these transaction monitoring procedures, the Fund may consider trading activity by multiple accounts under common ownership, control, or influence to be trading by a single entity. Trading activity identified by these factors, or as a result of any other available information, will be evaluated to determine whether such activity might constitute market timing. These procedures may be modified from time to time to help improve the detection of excessive or short-term trading or to address other concerns. Such changes may be necessary or appropriate, for example, to deal with issues specific to certain retirement plans; plan exchange limits; US Department of Labor regulations; certain automated or pre-established exchange, asset-allocation, or dollar-cost-averaging programs; or omnibus account arrangements.
Omnibus account arrangements are common forms of holding shares of the Fund, particularly among certain broker/dealers and other financial intermediaries, including sponsors of retirement plans and variable insurance products. The Fund will attempt to have financial intermediaries apply the Fund's monitoring procedures to these omnibus accounts and to the individual participants in such accounts. However, the Fund's ability to detect frequent trading activities by investors that hold shares through financial intermediaries may be limited by the ability and/or willingness of such intermediaries to monitor for these activities. To the extent that a financial intermediary is not able or willing to monitor or enforce the Fund's frequent trading policy with respect to an omnibus account, the Fund's transfer agent may work with certain intermediaries (such as investment dealers holding shareholder accounts
32
in street name, retirement plan recordkeepers, insurance company separate accounts, and bank trust companies) to apply their own procedures, provided that the Fund's transfer agent believes the intermediary's procedures are reasonably designed to enforce the Fund's frequent trading policies. You should refer to disclosures provided by the intermediaries with which you have an account to determine the specific trading restrictions that apply to you. If the Fund's transfer agent identifies any activity that may constitute frequent trading, it reserves the right to contact the intermediary and request that the intermediary either provide information regarding an account owner's transactions or restrict the account owner's trading. There is no assurance that the information received by the Fund from a financial intermediary will be sufficient to effectively detect or deter excessive trading in omnibus accounts. If the Fund's transfer agent is not satisfied that the intermediary has taken appropriate action, the transfer agent may terminate the intermediary's ability to transact in Fund shares, or restrict individual trading activity as applicable.
Limitations on ability to detect and curtail market timing
Shareholders seeking to engage in market timing may employ a variety of strategies to avoid detection and, despite the efforts of the Fund and its agents to detect market timing in Fund shares, there is no guarantee that the Fund will be able to identify these shareholders or curtail their trading practices. In particular, the Fund may not be able to detect market timing attributable to a particular investor who effects purchase, redemption, and/or exchange activity in Fund shares through omnibus accounts. The difficulty of detecting market timing may be further compounded if these entities utilize multiple tiers or omnibus accounts.
Dividends and distributions
The Fund intends to qualify each year as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code. As a regulated investment company, the Fund generally pays no federal income tax on the income and gains it distributes to you. The Fund expects to declare and distribute all of its net investment income, if any, to shareholders as dividends quarterly. The Fund will distribute net realized capital gains, if any, at least annually. The Fund may distribute such income dividends and capital gains more frequently, if necessary, in order to reduce or eliminate federal excise or income taxes on the Fund. The amount of any distribution will vary, and there is no guarantee the Fund will pay either an income dividend or a capital gains distribution. We automatically reinvest all dividends and any capital gains, unless you direct us to do otherwise.
Annual statements
Each year, the Fund will send you an annual statement (Form 1099) of your account activity to assist you in completing your federal, state, and local tax returns. Distributions declared in December to shareholders of record in such month, but paid in January, are taxable as if they were paid in December. Prior to issuing your statement, the Fund makes every effort to reduce the number of corrected forms mailed to you. However, if the Fund finds it necessary to reclassify its distributions or adjust the cost basis of any covered shares (defined below) sold or exchanged after you receive your tax statement, the Fund will send you a corrected Form 1099.
Avoid “buying a dividend”
At the time you purchase your Fund shares, the Fund's NAV may reflect undistributed income, undistributed capital gains, or net unrealized appreciation in value of portfolio securities held by the Fund. For taxable investors, a subsequent distribution to you of such amounts, although constituting a return of your investment, would be taxable. Buying shares in the Fund just before it declares an income dividend or capital gains distribution is sometimes known as “buying a dividend.”
Tax considerations
Fund distributions. The Fund expects, based on its investment objective and strategies, that its distributions, if any, will be taxable as ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both. This is true whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares or receive them in cash.
For federal income tax purposes, Fund distributions of short-term capital gains are taxable to you as ordinary income. Fund distributions of long-term capital gains are taxable to you as long-term capital gains no matter how long you have owned your shares. Because the income of the Fund is primarily derived from investments in US REITs, generally none or only a small portion of the income dividends paid to you by the Fund is anticipated to be qualified dividend income eligible for taxation by individuals at long-term capital gain tax rates.
The use of derivatives by the Fund may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of ordinary income or short-term capital gain, distributions from which are taxable to individual shareholders at ordinary income tax rates rather than at the more favorable tax rates for long-term capital gain. Additionally, other rules applicable to derivative contracts may accelerate the recognition of income or gains to the Fund, defer losses to the Fund, and cause adjustments in the holding periods of the Fund's securities. These rules, therefore, could affect the amount, timing and/or character of distributions to shareholders.
33
About your account
The Fund may derive “excess inclusion income” from certain equity interests in mortgage pooling vehicles either directly or through an investment in a US REIT. Please see the SAI for a discussion of the risks and special tax consequences to shareholders in the event the Fund realizes excess inclusion income in excess of certain threshold amounts.
Under 2017 legislation commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, “qualified REIT dividends” (i.e., ordinary REIT dividends other than capital gain dividends and portions of REIT dividends designated as qualified dividend income) are treated as eligible for a 20% deduction by noncorporate taxpayers. The Fund may choose to pass through the special character of “qualified REIT dividends” to its shareholders, provided the shareholder meets certain holding period requirements with respect to their shares.
Sale or redemption of Fund shares. A sale or redemption of Fund shares is a taxable event and, accordingly, a capital gain or loss may be recognized. For tax purposes, an exchange of your Fund shares for shares of a different Delaware Fund is the same as a sale. The Fund is required to report to you and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) annually on Form 1099-B not only the gross proceeds of Fund shares you sell or redeem but also the cost basis of Fund shares you sell or redeem that were purchased or acquired on or after January 1, 2012 (“covered shares”). Cost basis will be calculated using the Fund's default method, unless you instruct the Fund to use a different calculation method. Shareholders should carefully review the cost basis information provided by the Fund and make any additional basis, holding period or other adjustments that are required when reporting these amounts on their federal income tax returns. If your account is held by your investment representative (financial intermediary or other broker), please contact that representative with respect to reporting of cost basis and available elections for your account. Tax-advantaged retirement accounts will not be affected. Additional information and updates regarding cost basis reporting and available shareholder elections will be on the Delaware Funds website at delawarefunds.com as the information becomes available.
Medicare tax. An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from the Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares) of US individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such person's “modified adjusted gross income” (in the case of an individual) or “adjusted gross income” (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds a threshold amount. This Medicare tax, if applicable, is reported by you on, and paid with, your federal income tax return.
Backup withholding. By law, if you do not provide the Fund with your proper taxpayer identification number and certain required certifications, you may be subject to backup withholding on any distributions of income, capital gains, or proceeds from the sale of your shares. The Fund also must withhold if the IRS instructs it to do so. When withholding is required, the amount will be 24% of any distributions or proceeds paid.
State and local taxes. Fund distributions and gains from the sale or exchange of your Fund shares generally are subject to state and local taxes.
Non-US investors. Non-US investors may be subject to US withholding tax at a 30% or lower treaty rate and US estate tax and are subject to special US tax certification requirements to avoid backup withholding and claim any treaty benefits. Exemptions from US withholding tax are provided for certain capital gain dividends paid by the Fund from net long-term capital gains, if any, interest-related dividends paid by the Fund from its qualified net interest income from US sources and short-term capital gain dividends, if such amounts are reported by the Fund. However, notwithstanding such exemptions from US withholding at the source, any such dividends and distributions of income and capital gains will be subject to backup withholding at a rate of 24% if you fail to properly certify that you are not a US person.
Other reporting and withholding requirements. Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), the Fund will be required to withhold a 30% tax on income dividends made by the Fund to certain foreign entities, referred to as foreign financial institutions or nonfinancial foreign entities, that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the US Department of the Treasury of US-owned foreign investment accounts. After December 31, 2018, FATCA withholding would have applied to certain capital gain distributions, return of capital distributions and the proceeds arising from the sale of Fund shares; however, based on proposed regulations issued by the IRS, which can be relied upon currently, such withholding is no longer required unless final regulations provide otherwise (which is not expected). The Fund may disclose the information that it receives from its shareholders to the IRS, non-US taxing authorities or other parties as necessary to comply with FATCA or similar laws. Withholding also may be required if a foreign entity that is a shareholder of the Fund fails to provide the Fund with appropriate certifications or other documentation concerning its status under FATCA.
This discussion of “Dividends, distributions, and taxes” is not intended or written to be used as tax advice. Because everyone's tax situation is unique, you should consult your tax professional about federal, state, local, or foreign tax consequences before making an investment in the Fund.
Investments by fund of funds and similar investment vehicles
The Fund may accept investments from funds of funds, as well as from similar investment vehicles, such as 529 Plans and asset allocation models. A “529 Plan” is a college savings program that operates under Section 529 of the Code. Asset allocation models include the Delaware Funds by Macquarie®
34
Premier Advisor Platform, which offers asset allocation models using a mix of Delaware Funds. From time to time, the Fund may experience large investments or redemptions due to allocations or rebalancings by these funds of funds and/or similar investment vehicles. While it is impossible to predict the overall impact of these transactions over time, there could be adverse effects on portfolio management. For example, the Fund may be required to sell securities or invest cash at times when it would not otherwise do so. These transactions could also have tax consequences if sales of securities result in gains, and could also increase transaction costs or portfolio turnover.
35
Delaware
Global Listed Real Assets Fund
The financial highlights tables are intended to help you understand the Fund's 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). The information has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the Fund's financial statements, is included in the Fund's annual report, which is available upon request by calling 800 523-1918.
|
Year ended |
||||||||||||||
Class A shares |
10/31/22 |
10/31/21 |
10/31/20 |
10/31/191 |
10/31/18 |
||||||||||
Net
asset value, beginning of period
|
$14.67 |
$11.43 |
$12.88 |
$10.87 |
$11.36 |
||||||||||
Income (loss) from investment operations: | |||||||||||||||
Net
investment income2
|
0.34 |
0.21 |
0.19 |
0.14 |
0.19 |
||||||||||
Net
realized and unrealized gain (loss)
|
(1.20 |
) |
3.24 |
(1.18 |
) |
2.07 |
(0.21 |
) | |||||||
Total
from investment operations
|
(0.86 |
) |
3.45 |
(0.99 |
) |
2.21 |
(0.02 |
) | |||||||
Less dividends and distributions from: | |||||||||||||||
Net
investment income
|
(0.49 |
) |
(0.21 |
) |
(0.14 |
) |
(0.20 |
) |
(0.16 |
) | |||||
Net
realized gain
|
(0.47 |
) |
— |
(0.32 |
) |
— |
(0.26 |
) | |||||||
Return
of capital
|
— |
— |
— |
— |
(0.05 |
) | |||||||||
Total
dividends and distributions
|
(0.96 |
) |
(0.21 |
) |
(0.46 |
) |
(0.20 |
) |
(0.47 |
) | |||||
Net
asset value, end of period
|
$12.85 |
$14.67 |
$11.43 |
$12.88 |
$10.87 |
||||||||||
Total
return3
|
(6.23% |
) |
30.28% |
(7.86% |
) |
20.55% |
(0.26% |
) | |||||||
Ratios and supplemental data: | |||||||||||||||
Net
assets, end of period (000 omitted)
|
$40,036 |
$45,151 |
$38,879 |
$51,133 |
$50,627 |
||||||||||
Ratio
of expenses to average net assets4
|
1.31% |
1.33% |
1.37% |
1.42% |
1.39% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of expenses to average net assets prior to fees waived4
|
1.38% |
1.39% |
1.57% |
1.58% |
1.41% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of net investment income to average net assets
|
2.48% |
1.53% |
1.62% |
1.21% |
1.76% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of net investment income to average net assets prior to fees
waived
|
2.41% |
1.47% |
1.42% |
1.05% |
1.74% |
||||||||||
Portfolio
turnover
|
65% |
60% |
84% |
125% |
120% |
1 |
Prior to the close of business on August 19, 2019, the Fund invested primarily in securities of companies principally engaged in the real estate industry. Since the close of business on August 19, 2019, the Fund has been repositioned to invest primarily in listed real assets securities (Repositioning). The historical returns prior to that time do not reflect the Repositioning. |
2 |
Calculated using average shares outstanding. |
3 |
Total return is based on the change in net asset value of a share during the period and assumes reinvestment of dividends and distributions at net asset value and does not reflect the impact of a sales charge.Total return during the period reflects waivers by the manager and/or distributor. Performance would have been lower had the waivers not been in effect. |
4 |
Expense ratios do not include expenses of any investment companies in which the Fund invests. |
36
Delaware
Global Listed Real Assets Fund
|
Year ended |
||||||||||||||
Class C shares |
10/31/22 |
10/31/21 |
10/31/20 |
10/31/191 |
10/31/18 |
||||||||||
Net
asset value, beginning of period
|
$14.63 |
$11.39 |
$12.85 |
$10.85 |
$11.31 |
||||||||||
Income (loss) from investment operations: | |||||||||||||||
Net
investment income2
|
0.24 |
0.10 |
0.10 |
0.05 |
0.11 |
||||||||||
Net
realized and unrealized gain (loss)
|
(1.21 |
) |
3.23 |
(1.17 |
) |
2.07 |
(0.21 |
) | |||||||
Total
from investment operations
|
(0.97 |
) |
3.33 |
(1.07 |
) |
2.12 |
(0.10 |
) | |||||||
Less dividends and distributions from: | |||||||||||||||
Net
investment income
|
(0.38 |
) |
(0.09 |
) |
(0.07 |
) |
(0.12 |
) |
(0.05 |
) | |||||
Net
realized gain
|
(0.47 |
) |
— |
(0.32 |
) |
— |
(0.26 |
) | |||||||
Return
of capital
|
— |
— |
— |
— |
(0.05 |
) | |||||||||
Total
dividends and distributions
|
(0.85 |
) |
(0.09 |
) |
(0.39 |
) |
(0.12 |
) |
(0.36 |
) | |||||
Net
asset value, end of period
|
$12.81 |
$14.63 |
$11.39 |
$12.85 |
$10.85 |
||||||||||
Total
return3
|
(6.95% |
) |
29.31% |
(8.55% |
) |
19.64% |
(0.99% |
) | |||||||
Ratios and supplemental data: | |||||||||||||||
Net
assets, end of period (000 omitted)
|
$1,334 |
$1,601 |
$2,302 |
$4,082 |
$4,810 |
||||||||||
Ratio
of expenses to average net assets4
|
2.06% |
2.08% |
2.12% |
2.17% |
2.14% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of expenses to average net assets prior to fees waived4
|
2.13% |
2.14% |
2.32% |
2.33% |
2.16% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of net investment income to
average net assets
|
1.73% |
0.78% |
0.87% |
0.46% |
1.01% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of net investment income to
average net assets prior to fees waived
|
1.66% |
0.72% |
0.67% |
0.30% |
0.99% |
||||||||||
Portfolio
turnover
|
65% |
60% |
84% |
125% |
120% |
1 |
Prior to the close of business on August 19, 2019, the Fund invested primarily in securities of companies principally engaged in the real estate industry. Since the close of business on August 19, 2019, the Fund has been repositioned to invest primarily in listed real assets securities (Repositioning). The historical returns prior to that time do not reflect the Repositioning. |
2 |
Calculated using average shares outstanding. |
3 |
Total return is based on the change in net asset value of a share during the period and assumes reinvestment of dividends and distributions at net asset value and does not reflect the impact of a sales charge.Total return during the period reflects waivers by the manager and/or distributor. Performance would have been lower had the waiver not been in effect. |
4 |
Expense ratios do not include expenses of any investment companies in which the Fund invests. |
37
Financial highlights
Delaware
Global Listed Real Assets Fund
|
Year ended |
||||||||||||||
Class R shares |
10/31/22 |
10/31/21 |
10/31/20 |
10/31/191 |
10/31/18 |
||||||||||
Net
asset value, beginning of period
|
$14.65 |
$11.41 |
$12.87 |
$10.86 |
$11.35 |
||||||||||
Income (loss) from investment operations: | |||||||||||||||
Net
investment income2
|
0.31 |
0.17 |
0.16 |
0.11 |
0.17 |
||||||||||
Net
realized and unrealized gain (loss)
|
(1.21 |
) |
3.24 |
(1.18 |
) |
2.07 |
(0.22 |
) | |||||||
Total
from investment operations
|
(0.90 |
) |
3.41 |
(1.02 |
) |
2.18 |
(0.05 |
) | |||||||
Less dividends and distributions from: | |||||||||||||||
Net
investment income
|
(0.45 |
) |
(0.17 |
) |
(0.12 |
) |
(0.17 |
) |
(0.13 |
) | |||||
Net
realized gain
|
(0.47 |
) |
— |
(0.32 |
) |
— |
(0.26 |
) | |||||||
Return
of capital
|
— |
— |
— |
— |
(0.05 |
) | |||||||||
Total
dividends and distributions
|
(0.92 |
) |
(0.17 |
) |
(0.44 |
) |
(0.17 |
) |
(0.44 |
) | |||||
Net
asset value, end of period
|
$12.83 |
$14.65 |
$11.41 |
$12.87 |
$10.86 |
||||||||||
Total
return3
|
(6.49% |
) |
30.02% |
(8.14% |
) |
20.30% |
(0.54% |
) | |||||||
Ratios and supplemental data: | |||||||||||||||
Net
assets, end of period (000 omitted)
|
$3,574 |
$4,046 |
$4,149 |
$4,966 |
$4,934 |
||||||||||
Ratio
of expenses to average net assets4
|
1.56% |
1.58% |
1.62% |
1.67% |
1.64% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of expenses to average net assets prior to fees waived4
|
1.63% |
1.64% |
1.82% |
1.83% |
1.66% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of net investment income to average net assets
|
2.23% |
1.28% |
1.37% |
0.96% |
1.51% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of net investment income to average net assets prior to fees
waived
|
2.16% |
1.22% |
1.17% |
0.80% |
1.49% |
||||||||||
Portfolio
turnover
|
65% |
60% |
84% |
125% |
120% |
1 |
Prior to the close of business on August 19, 2019, the Fund invested primarily in securities of companies principally engaged in the real estate industry. Since the close of business on August 19, 2019, the Fund has been repositioned to invest primarily in listed real assets securities (Repositioning). The historical returns prior to that time do not reflect the Repositioning. |
2 |
Calculated using average shares outstanding. |
3 |
Total return is based on the change in net asset value of a share during the period and assumes reinvestment of dividends and distributions at net asset value.Total return during the period reflects waivers by the manager and/or distributor. Performance would have been lower had the waivers not been in effect. |
4 |
Expense ratios do not include expenses of any investment companies in which the Fund invests. |
38
Delaware
Global Listed Real Assets Fund
|
Year ended |
||||||||||||||
Institutional Class shares |
10/31/22 |
10/31/21 |
10/31/20 |
10/31/191 |
10/31/18 |
||||||||||
Net
asset value, beginning of period
|
$14.75 |
$11.49 |
$12.94 |
$10.91 |
$11.41 |
||||||||||
Income (loss) from investment operations: | |||||||||||||||
Net
investment income2
|
0.38 |
0.25 |
0.22 |
0.17 |
0.22 |
||||||||||
Net
realized and unrealized gain (loss)
|
(1.22 |
) |
3.25 |
(1.19 |
) |
2.09 |
(0.22 |
) | |||||||
Total
from investment operations
|
(0.84 |
) |
3.50 |
(0.97 |
) |
2.26 |
— |
3 | |||||||
Less dividends and distributions from: | |||||||||||||||
Net
investment income
|
(0.52 |
) |
(0.24 |
) |
(0.16 |
) |
(0.23 |
) |
(0.19 |
) | |||||
Net
realized gain
|
(0.47 |
) |
— |
(0.32 |
) |
— |
(0.26 |
) | |||||||
Return
of capital
|
— |
— |
— |
— |
(0.05 |
) | |||||||||
Total
dividends and distributions
|
(0.99 |
) |
(0.24 |
) |
(0.48 |
) |
(0.23 |
) |
(0.50 |
) | |||||
Net
asset value, end of period
|
$12.92 |
$14.75 |
$11.49 |
$12.94 |
$10.91 |
||||||||||
Total
return4
|
(6.03% |
) |
30.62% |
(7.63% |
) |
20.94% |
(0.08% |
) | |||||||
Ratios and supplemental data: | |||||||||||||||
Net
assets, end of period (000 omitted)
|
$64,432 |
$66,426 |
$46,769 |
$12,621 |
$13,741 |
||||||||||
Ratio
of expenses to average net assets5
|
1.06% |
1.08% |
1.12% |
1.17% |
1.14% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of expenses to average net assets prior to fees waived5
|
1.13% |
1.14% |
1.32% |
1.33% |
1.16% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of net investment income to average net assets
|
2.73% |
1.78% |
1.87% |
1.46% |
2.01% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of net investment income to average net assets prior to fees
waived
|
2.66% |
1.72% |
1.67% |
1.30% |
1.99% |
||||||||||
Portfolio
turnover
|
65% |
60% |
84% |
125% |
120% |
1 |
Prior to the close of business on August 19, 2019, the Fund invested primarily in securities of companies principally engaged in the real estate industry. Since the close of business on August 19, 2019, the Fund has been repositioned to invest primarily in listed real assets securities (Repositioning). The historical returns prior to that time do not reflect the Repositioning. |
2 |
Calculated using average shares outstanding. |
3 |
Amount is less than $0.005 per share. |
4 |
Total return is based on the change in net asset value of a share during the period and assumes reinvestment of dividends and distributions at net asset value. Total return during the period reflects waivers by the manager and/or distributor. Performance would have been lower had the waivers not bee in in effect. |
5 |
Expense ratios do not include expenses of any investment companies in which the Fund invests. |
39
Financial highlights
Delaware
Global Listed Real Assets Fund
|
Year ended |
||||||||||||||
Class R6 shares |
10/31/22 |
10/31/21 |
10/31/20 |
10/31/191 |
10/31/18 |
||||||||||
Net
asset value, beginning of period
|
$14.72 |
$11.47 |
$12.91 |
$10.89 |
$11.41 |
||||||||||
Income (loss) from investment operations: | |||||||||||||||
Net
investment income2
|
0.40 |
0.26 |
0.23 |
0.18 |
0.24 |
||||||||||
Net
realized and unrealized gain (loss)
|
(1.22 |
) |
3.24 |
(1.18 |
) |
2.08 |
(0.23 |
) | |||||||
Total
from investment operations
|
(0.82 |
) |
3.50 |
(0.95 |
) |
2.26 |
0.01 |
||||||||
Less dividends and distributions from: | |||||||||||||||
Net
investment income
|
(0.54 |
) |
(0.25 |
) |
(0.17 |
) |
(0.24 |
) |
(0.22 |
) | |||||
Net
realized gain
|
(0.47 |
) |
— |
(0.32 |
) |
— |
(0.26 |
) | |||||||
Return
of capital
|
— |
— |
— |
— |
(0.05 |
) | |||||||||
Total
dividends and distributions
|
(1.01 |
) |
(0.25 |
) |
(0.49 |
) |
(0.24 |
) |
(0.53 |
) | |||||
Net
asset value, end of period
|
$12.89 |
$14.72 |
$11.47 |
$12.91 |
$10.89 |
||||||||||
Total
return3
|
(5.95% |
) |
30.71% |
(7.51% |
) |
21.00% |
0.09% |
||||||||
Ratios and supplemental data: | |||||||||||||||
Net
assets, end of period (000 omitted)
|
$5,559 |
$8,495 |
$6,599 |
$5,396 |
$4,876 |
||||||||||
Ratio
of expenses to average net assets4
|
0.97% |
1.00% |
1.02% |
1.07% |
1.01% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of expenses to average net assets prior to fees waived4
|
1.03% |
1.04% |
1.22% |
1.23% |
1.03% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of net investment income to average net assets
|
2.82% |
1.86% |
1.97% |
1.56% |
2.14% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of net investment income to average net assets prior to fees
waived
|
2.76% |
1.82% |
1.77% |
1.40% |
2.12% |
||||||||||
Portfolio
turnover
|
65% |
60% |
84% |
125% |
120% |
1 |
Prior to the close of business on August 19, 2019, the Fund invested primarily in securities of companies principally engaged in the real estate industry. Since the close of business on August 19, 2019, the Fund has been repositioned to invest primarily in listed real assets securities (Repositioning). The historical returns prior to that time do not reflect the Repositioning. |
2 |
Calculated using average shares outstanding. |
3 |
Total return is based on the change in net asset value of a share during the period and assumes reinvestment of dividends and distributions at net asset value.Total return during the period reflects waivers by the manager and/or distributor. Performance would have been lower had the waivers not been in effect. |
4 |
Expense ratios do not include expenses of any investment companies in which the Fund invests. |
40
How to read the financial highlights
Net
investment income (loss)
Net
investment income (loss) includes dividend and interest income earned from a
fund's investments; it is calculated after expenses have been
deducted.
Net
realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments
A
realized gain occurs when we sell an investment at a profit, while a realized
loss occurs when we sell an investment at a loss. When an investment
increases
or decreases in value but we do not sell it, we record an unrealized gain or
loss. The amount of realized gain per share, if any, that we pay to shareholders
would be listed under “Less dividends and distributions from: Net realized
gain.”
Net
asset value (NAV)
This
is the value of a mutual fund share, calculated by dividing the net assets by
the number of shares outstanding.
Total
return
This
represents the rate that an investor would have earned or lost on an investment
in a fund. In calculating this figure for the financial highlights table, we
include
applicable fee waivers, exclude front-end sales charges and contingent deferred
sales charges, and assume the shareholder has reinvested all dividends
and realized gains.
Net
assets
Net
assets represent the total value of all the assets in a fund's portfolio, less
any liabilities, that are attributable to that class of the
fund.
Ratio
of expenses to average net assets
The
expense ratio is the percentage of net assets that a fund pays annually for
operating expenses and management fees. These expenses include accounting
and administration expenses, services for shareholders, and similar
expenses.
Ratio
of net investment income (loss) to average net assets
We
determine this ratio by dividing net investment income (loss) by average net
assets.
Portfolio
turnover
This
figure tells you the amount of trading activity in a fund's portfolio. A
turnover rate of 100% would occur if, for example, a fund bought and sold all of
the securities
in its portfolio once in the course of a year or frequently traded a single
security. A high rate of portfolio turnover in any year may increase
brokerage
commissions paid and could generate taxes for shareholders on realized
investment gains.
41
Broker-defined sales charge waiver policies
From time to time, shareholders purchasing fund shares through a brokerage platform or account may be eligible for sales charge waivers (front-end sales load or CDSC) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Prospectus or the SAI. In all instances, it is the purchaser's responsibility to notify the Fund or the purchaser's financial intermediary at the time of purchase of any relationship or other facts qualifying the purchaser for sales charge waivers or discounts. For waivers and discounts not available through a particular intermediary, shareholders will have to purchase the Fund's shares directly from the Fund or through another intermediary to receive such waivers or discounts. Please see the section entitled About Your Account — Choosing a Share Class for more information on sales charges and waivers available for different classes.
CDSC waivers on Class C shares
Merrill Lynch:
Shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Merrill Lynch platform or account will be eligible only for the following sales charge waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and CDSC waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Prospectus or the SAI.
Front-end sales charge waivers for Class A shares available at Merrill Lynch
CDSC waivers on Class A and C shares available at Merrill Lynch
42
Front-end sales charge discounts available at Merrill Lynch: Breakpoints, rights of accumulation, and letters of intent
Morgan Stanley Wealth Management:
Shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Morgan Stanley Wealth Management transactional brokerage account will be eligible only for the following front-end sales charge waivers with respect to Class A shares, which may differ from and may be more limited than those disclosed elsewhere in this Prospectus or the SAI.
Front-end Sales Charge Waivers on Class A Shares available at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
Ameriprise Financial:
Class A Shares Front-End Sales Charge Waivers Available at Ameriprise Financial:
The following information applies to Class A shares purchases if you have an account with or otherwise purchase Fund shares through Ameriprise Financial:
Shareholders purchasing Fund shares through an Ameriprise Financial retail brokerage account are eligible for the following front-end sales charge waivers, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Prospectus or the SAI:
Raymond James & Associates, Inc., Raymond James Financial Services & Raymond James Affiliates (“Raymond James”):
Shareholders purchasing Fund shares through a Raymond James platform or account will be eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and CDSC waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Prospectus or the SAI.
43
Front-end sales load waivers on Class A shares available at Raymond James
CDSC waivers on Class A and C shares available at Raymond James
Front-end load discounts available at Raymond James: Breakpoints, and/or rights of accumulation
Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P. (“Edward Jones”):
Policies Regarding Transactions Through Edward Jones
The following information has been provided by Edward Jones:
The following information supersedes prior information with respect to transactions and positions held in fund shares through an Edward Jones system. Shareholders purchasing fund shares on the Edward Jones commission and fee-based platforms are eligible only for the following sales charge discounts (also referred to as “breakpoints”) and waivers, which can differ from discounts and waivers described elsewhere in this Prospectus or the SAI or through another broker-dealer. In all instances, it is the shareholder's responsibility to inform Edward Jones at the time of purchase of any relationship, holdings of the Delaware Funds, or other facts qualifying the purchaser for discounts or waivers. Edward Jones can ask for documentation of such circumstance. Shareholders should contact Edward Jones if they have questions regarding their eligibility for these discounts and waivers.
Breakpoints
Rights of Accumulation (“ROA”)
Letter of Intent (“LOI”)
44
Jones of such assets at the time of calculation. Purchases made before the LOI is received by Edward Jones are not adjusted under the LOI and will not reduce the sales charge previously paid. Sales charges will be adjusted if LOI is not met.
Sales Charge Waivers:
Sales charges are waived for the following shareholders and in the following situations:
Contingent Deferred Sales Charge (“CDSC”) Waivers:
If the shareholder purchases shares that are subject to a CDSC and those shares are redeemed before the CDSC is expired, the shareholder is responsible to pay the CDSC except in the following conditions:
Other Important Information Regarding Transactions Through Edward Jones
Minimum Purchase Amounts
Minimum Balances
Edward Jones has the right to redeem at its discretion fund holdings with a balance of $250 or less. The following are examples of accounts that are not included in this policy:
Exchanging Share Classes
Janney Montgomery Scott, LLC (“Janney”):
If you purchase fund shares through a Janney brokerage account, you will be eligible for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”), or back-end sales charge, waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Prospectus or the SAI.
45
Front-end sales charge* waivers on Class A shares available at Janney
CDSC waivers on Class A and C shares available at Janney
Front-end sales charge* discounts available at Janney: breakpoints, rights of accumulation, and/or letters of intent
*Also referred to as an “initial sales charge.”
Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. (“OPCO”)
Shareholders purchasing Fund shares through an OPCO platform or account are eligible only for the following load waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and contingent deferred, or back-end, sales charge waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Prospectus or the SAI.
Front-end Sales Load Waivers on Class A Shares available at OPCO
46
CDSC Waivers on A and C Shares available at OPCO
Front-end load Discounts Available at OPCO: Breakpoints, Rights of Accumulation & Letters of Intent
Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated (“Baird”):
Shareholders purchasing fund shares through a Baird platform or account will only be eligible for the following sales charge waivers (front-end sales charge waivers and CDSC waivers) and discounts, which may differ from those disclosed elsewhere in this Prospectus or the SAI.
Front-End Sales Charge Waivers on Class A Shares Available at Baird
CDSC Waivers on Class A and C Shares Available at Baird
Front-End Sales Charge Discounts Available at Baird: Breakpoints and/or Rights of Accumulations
47
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Additional information about the Fund's investments is available in its annual and semiannual shareholder reports. In the Fund's annual shareholder report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during the period covered by the report. You can find more information about the Fund in its current SAI, which is filed electronically with the SEC, and which is legally a part of this Prospectus (it is incorporated by reference). To receive a free copy of the SAI, or the annual or semiannual report, or if you have any questions about investing in the Fund, write to us at P.O. Box 534437, Pittsburgh, PA 15253-4437 by regular mail or at Delaware Funds by Macquarie Service Center, Attention: 534437, 500 Ross Street, 154-0520, Pittsburgh, PA 15262 by overnight courier service, or call toll-free 800 523-1918. The SAI and shareholder reports are available, free of charge, through the Fund's website at delawarefunds.com/literature. You may also obtain additional information about the Fund from your financial advisor.
You can find reports and other information about the Fund on the EDGAR database on the SEC website at sec.gov. You may obtain copies of this information, after paying a duplication fee, by emailing the SEC at [email protected].
Investment Company Act number: 811-06322
PR-095 2/23