Delaware Floating Rate Fund
Fixed income 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 Floating Rate Fund, a series of Delaware Group® Income Funds
Delaware Floating Rate Fund seeks high current income and, secondarily, long-term total return.
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(3) |
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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
In addition, the Manager may seek investment advice and recommendations from its affiliates: Macquarie Investment Management Austria Kapitalanlage AG (MIMAK), Macquarie Investment Management Europe Limited (MIMEL), and Macquarie Investment Management Global Limited (MIMGL) (together, the “Affiliated Sub-Advisors”). The Manager may also permit these Affiliated Sub-Advisors to execute Fund security trades on behalf of the Manager and exercise investment discretion for securities in certain markets where the Manager believes it will be beneficial to utilize an Affiliated Sub-Advisor's specialized market knowledge.
The Fund's investments may be variable- and floating-rate debt securities that generally pay interest at rates that adjust whenever a specified interest rate changes and/or reset on predetermined dates (such as the last day of a month or calendar quarter). Derivatives instruments may be utilized to effectively convert the fixed-rate interest payments from a group of certain Fund portfolio securities into floating-rate interest payments. The average portfolio duration (that is, the sensitivity to general changes in interest rates) of this Fund will generally not exceed one year.
Up to 100% of the Fund’s total assets may be allocated to below-investment-grade securities within the Fund. Investments in emerging markets will, in the aggregate, be limited to no more than 15% of the Fund’s total assets. The Manager will limit non-US-dollar-denominated securities to no more than 50% of net assets, but total non-US-dollar currency exposure will be limited, in the aggregate, to no more than 25% of net assets. The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its total assets in a wide range of derivatives instruments, including forward foreign currency contracts, options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, and swaps, for both hedging and nonhedging purposes. In addition, the Fund may hold a portion of its assets in cash or cash equivalents.
The 80% policy is nonfundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval. 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.
Credit risk — The risk that an issuer of a debt security, including a governmental issuer or an entity that insures a bond, may be unable to make interest payments and/or repay principal in a timely manner.
Loans and other indebtedness risk — The risk that a fund will not receive payment of principal, interest, and other amounts due in connection with these investments and will depend primarily on the financial condition of the borrower and the lending institution. A fund’s ability to sell its loans or to realize their full value upon sale may also be impaired due to the lack of an active trading market, irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads, contractual restrictions, and extended trade settlement periods. In addition, certain loans in which a fund invests may not be considered securities. A fund therefore may not be able to rely upon the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws with respect to these investments.
Interest rate risk — The risk that the prices of bonds and other fixed income securities will increase as interest rates fall and decrease as interest rates rise. Interest rate changes are influenced by 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.
2
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.
Adjustable rate securities risk — During periods of rising interest rates, because changes in interest rates on adjustable rate securities may lag behind changes in market rates, the value of such securities may decline until their interest rates reset to market rates. During periods of declining interest rates, because the interest rates on adjustable rate securities generally reset downward, their market value is unlikely to rise to the same extent as the value of comparable fixed rate securities.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 portfolio 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).
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.
Valuation risk — The risk that a less liquid secondary market may make it more difficult for a fund to obtain precise valuations of certain securities in its portfolio.
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.
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.
3
Fund summary
Effective January 31, 2017, the Fund was repositioned as a bank loan fund and changed its broad-based securities market index to the S&P/LSTA Leveraged Loan Index (which was subsequently renamed the Morningstar LSTA US Leveraged Loan Index effective August 29, 2022). The returns prior to January 31, 2017 do not reflect these changes and accordingly, the performance shown in the bar chart and average annual total return table prior to that date may not be indicative of future returns.
Year |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
Year total Return |
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As of
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 shares |
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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: |
n/a |
n/a |
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Institutional Class return before taxes |
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Morningstar
LSTA US Leveraged Loan Index2
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2 Effective August 29, 2022, the
S&P/LSTA Leveraged Loan Index was renamed as the Morningstar LSTA US
Leveraged Loan Index.
4
Who manages the Fund?
Investment manager
Delaware Management Company, a series of Macquarie Investment Management Business Trust (a Delaware statutory trust)
Portfolio managers |
Title with Delaware Management Company |
Start date on the Fund |
Adam H. Brown, CFA |
Managing Director, Senior Portfolio Manager |
November 2011 |
John P. McCarthy, CFA |
Managing Director, Senior Portfolio Manager |
January 2017 |
Sub-advisors
Macquarie Investment Management Austria Kapitalanlage AG
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 9876, Providence, RI 02940-8076); by overnight courier service (c/o Delaware Funds by Macquarie Service Center, 4400 Computer Drive, Westborough, MA 01581-1722); 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, R6, and Institutional Class 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 primarily are taxable to you as ordinary income, 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 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.
5
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 Manager analyzes economic and market conditions, seeking to identify the securities or market sectors that it thinks are the best investments for the Fund. Securities in which the Fund may invest include, but are not limited to, the following:
The instruments listed in the preceding paragraph may be variable- and floating-rate debt securities that generally pay interest at rates that adjust whenever a specified interest rate changes and/or reset on predetermined dates (such as the last day of a month or calendar quarter). The average portfolio duration of this Fund will generally not exceed one year.
Before selecting securities for the Fund, the Manager carefully evaluates and monitors each individual security, including its income potential and the size of the bond issuance. The size of the issuance helps the Manager evaluate how easily it may be able to buy and sell the security. The Manager also does a thorough credit analysis of the issuer to determine whether that company or entity has the financial ability to meet the security's payments. The Manager maintains a well-diversified portfolio of investments that represents many different asset classes, sectors, industries, and global markets. Through diversification the Manager can help to reduce the impact that any individual security might have on the portfolio should the issuer have difficulty making payments.
In addition, the Manager may seek investment advice and recommendations from its Affiliated Sub-Advisors. The Manager may also permit these Affiliated Sub-Advisors to execute Fund security trades on behalf of the Manager and exercise investment discretion for securities in certain markets where the Manager believes it will be beneficial to utilize an Affiliated Sub-Advisor's specialized market knowledge.
The Fund may invest in loan participations. These types of investments are also commonly known as bank loans. Bank loans are an interest in a loan or other direct indebtedness, such as an assignment, that entitles the acquiror of such interest to payments of interest, principal, and/or other amounts due under the structure of the loan or other direct indebtedness. In addition to being structured as secured or unsecured loans, such investments could be structured as novations or assignments, or represent trade or other claims owed by a company to a supplier. Some of the Fund's investments in bank loans may also include a “LIBOR floor” or an “IBOR floor.” Bank loans with such floors generally ensure investors a minimum level of coupon payment, but the coupon rates for these types of securities may not adjust upward as quickly when rates rise since the coupon rate only adjusts when interest rates go higher than the applied floor.
The investment grade corporate debt obligations in which the Fund may invest include, but are not limited to, bonds, notes (which may be convertible or nonconvertible), units consisting of bonds with stock or warrants to buy stock attached, debentures and convertible debentures, and commercial paper of US companies. The Fund may also invest up to 100% of its total assets in below-investment-grade securities. The Fund may invest in both rated and unrated bonds. The rated bonds that the Fund may purchase in the high yield sector will generally be rated lower than BBB- by Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC (S&P), Baa3 by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. (Moody's), or similarly rated by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO). Unrated bonds may be more speculative in nature than rated bonds.
The Fund may also invest in foreign securities, including up to 15% of its total assets in securities of issuers located in emerging markets. These fixed income securities may include foreign government securities and debt obligations of foreign companies.
6
The Fund may invest in securities issued in any currency and may hold non-US currencies. Securities of issuers within a given country may be denominated in the currency of another country or in multinational currency units, such as the euro. The Manager will limit non-US-dollar-denominated securities to no more than 50% of net assets. The Fund's total non-US-dollar currency exposure will be limited, in the aggregate, to no more than 25% of net assets. The Fund may, from time to time, purchase or sell foreign currencies and/or engage in forward foreign currency transactions in order to facilitate or expedite settlement of Fund transactions and to minimize the impact of currency value fluctuations on the portfolio.
The Fund may also invest in mortgage-backed securities issued or guaranteed by the US government, its agencies or instrumentalities, or by government-sponsored corporations. Other mortgage-backed securities in which the Fund may invest are issued by certain private, nongovernment entities. The Fund may also invest in securities that are backed by assets such as receivables on home equity and credit card loans, automobile, mobile home, recreational vehicle and other loans, wholesale dealer floor plans, and leases.
The Fund may invest in debt obligations issued or guaranteed by the US government, its agencies or instrumentalities. The US government securities in which the Fund may invest include a variety of securities which are issued or guaranteed as to the payment of principal and interest by the US government, and by various agencies or instrumentalities which have been established or are sponsored by the US government. The Fund may also invest in municipal debt obligations that are issued by state and local governments to raise funds for various public purposes such as hospitals, schools, and general capital expenses.
The Fund may also invest up to 20% of its total assets in a wide range of derivatives instruments, including forward foreign currency contracts, options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, and swaps. Derivatives instruments may be utilized for a variety of purposes, including to effectively convert the fixed-rate interest payments from a group of certain Fund portfolio securities into floating-rate interest payments.
The Fund's investment objective and 80% policy are nonfundamental. This means that the Fund's Board of Trustees (Board) may change the objective without obtaining shareholder approval. If the objective were changed, the Fund would notify shareholders at least 60 days before the change became effective.
Fixed income securities offer the potential for greater income payments than stocks, and also may provide capital appreciation. Please see the Fund's SAI for additional information about certain of the securities described below as well as other securities in which the Fund may invest.
US government securities |
US government securities are direct US obligations that include bills, notes, and bonds, as well as other debt securities, issued by the US Treasury, and securities of US government agencies or instrumentalities. US Treasury securities are backed by the “full faith and credit” of the United States. Securities issued or guaranteed by federal agencies and US government-sponsored instrumentalities may or may not be backed by the “full faith and credit” of the US. In the case of securities not backed by the “full faith and credit” of the US, investors in such securities look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment.
How the Fund uses them: The Fund may invest in US government securities for temporary purposes or otherwise, as is consistent with the Fund's investment objective and policies.
Mortgage-backed securities (MBS) |
MBS are fixed income securities that represent pools of mortgages, with investors receiving principal and interest payments as the underlying mortgage loans are paid back. Many are issued and guaranteed against default by the US government or its agencies or instrumentalities, such as Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and Ginnie Mae. Others are issued by private financial institutions, with some fully collateralized by certificates issued or guaranteed by the US government or its agencies or instrumentalities.
How the Fund uses them: The Fund may invest in MBS issued or guaranteed by the US government, its agencies or instrumentalities or by government-sponsored corporations.
The Fund may also invest in mortgage-backed securities that are secured by the underlying collateral of the private issuer or by certificates issued or guaranteed by the US government or its agencies or instrumentalities. Such mortgage-backed securities are not government securities and are not directly guaranteed by the US government in any way. These include CMOs, REMICs, and CMBS.
7
How we manage the Fund
Asset-backed securities (ABS) |
ABS are bonds or notes backed by accounts receivable, including home equity, automobile, or credit loans.
How the Fund uses them: The fixed income securities in which the Fund may invest include ABS.
Corporate bonds |
Corporate bonds are bonds, notes, or debentures issued by corporations and other business organizations.
How the Fund uses them: The Fund may invest in bonds rated in one of the four highest rating categories by an NRSRO (for example, rated BBB- or higher by S&P or Baa3 or higher by Moody's), and the Fund may invest in high yield corporate bonds as described below.
High yield corporate bonds (junk bonds) |
High yield corporate bonds are debt obligations issued by a corporation and rated below investment grade (lower than BBB- by S&P and lower than Baa3 by Moody's, or similarly rated by another NRSRO). High yield bonds, also known as “junk bonds,” are issued by corporations that have lower credit quality and may have difficulty repaying principal and interest.
How the Fund uses them: The Fund may invest up to 100% of its total assets in below-investment-grade securities.
The Manager carefully evaluates and monitors an individual company's financial situation, its management, the prospects for its industry, and the technical factors related to its bond offering. The Manager's goal is to identify those companies that it believes will be able to repay their debt obligations in spite of poor ratings. The Manager may invest in unrated bonds if it believes their credit quality is comparable to the rated bonds in which the Fund is permitted to invest. Unrated bonds may be more speculative in nature than rated bonds.
Collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs) and real estate mortgage investment conduits (REMICs) |
CMOs are privately issued mortgage-backed bonds whose underlying value is the mortgages that are collected into different pools according to their maturity. They are issued by US government agencies and private issuers. REMICs are privately issued mortgage-backed bonds whose underlying value is a fixed pool of mortgages secured by an interest in real property. Like CMOs, REMICs offer different pools according to the underlying mortgages' maturities.
How the Fund uses them: The Fund may invest in CMOs and REMICs. Certain CMOs and REMICs may have variable or floating interest rates and others may be stripped. Stripped mortgage securities are generally considered illiquid and to such extent, together with any other illiquid investments, will not exceed 15% of the Fund's net assets, which is the Fund's limit on investments in illiquid investments. In addition, subject to certain quality and collateral limitations, the Fund may invest in CMOs and REMICs issued by private entities that are not collateralized by securities issued or guaranteed by the US government, its agencies, or instrumentalities, so called “nonagency” mortgage-backed securities.
Short-term debt instruments |
These instruments include: (1) time deposits, certificates of deposit, and banker's acceptances issued by US banks; (2) time deposits and certificates of deposit issued by foreign banks; (3) commercial paper with the highest quality rating; (4) short-term debt obligations with the highest quality rating; (5) US government securities; and (6) repurchase agreements collateralized by those instruments.
How the Fund uses them: The Fund may invest in these instruments either as a means of achieving its investment objective or, more commonly, as temporary defensive investments or pending investments in the Fund's principal investment securities. When investing all or a significant portion of the Fund's assets in these instruments, the Fund may not be able to achieve its investment objective.
Foreign securities |
Foreign securities are securities of issuers which are classified by index providers, or by the investment manager applying internally consistent guidelines, as being assigned to countries outside the United States. Investments in foreign securities include investments in American depositary receipts (ADRs), European depositary receipts (EDRs), and global depositary receipts (GDRs). ADRs are receipts issued by a depositary (usually a US bank) and EDRs and GDRs are receipts issued by a depositary outside of the US (usually a non-US bank or trust company or a foreign branch of a US bank). Depositary receipts represent an ownership interest in an underlying security that is held by the depositary. Generally, the underlying security represented by an ADR is issued by a foreign issuer and the underlying security represented by an EDR or GDR may be issued by a foreign or US issuer. Sponsored depositary receipts are issued jointly by the issuer of the underlying security and the depositary, and unsponsored depositary receipts are issued by the depositary without the participation of the issuer of the underlying security. Generally, the holder of the depositary receipt is entitled to all payments of interest, dividends, or capital gains that are made on the underlying security.
8
How the Fund uses them: The Fund may invest up to 50% of its total assets in securities of foreign companies or governments. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in securities of issuers located in emerging markets. The Fund may invest in sponsored and unsponsored ADRs. The Fund will typically invest in ADRs that are actively traded in the United States.
In conjunction with the Fund's investments in foreign securities, it may also invest in sponsored and unsponsored EDRs and GDRs.
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 Fund transactions and to minimize currency value fluctuations. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in derivatives instruments. The Manager will limit non-US-dollar-denominated securities to no more than 50% of net assets. The Fund's total non-US-dollar currency exposure will be limited, in the aggregate, to no more than 25% of net assets.
Bank loans and other indebtedness |
A bank loan represents an interest in a loan or other direct indebtedness, such as an assignment, that entitles the acquiror of such interest to payments of interest, principal, and/or other amounts due under the structure of the loan or other direct indebtedness. In addition to being structured as secured or unsecured loans, such investments could be structured as novations or assignments or represent trade or other claims owed by a company to a supplier.
How the Fund uses them: The Fund may invest without restriction in bank loans that meet the credit standards established by the portfolio managers. The portfolio managers perform their own independent credit analysis on each borrower and on the collateral securing each loan. The portfolio managers consider the nature of the industry in which the borrower operates, the nature of the borrower's assets, and the general quality and creditworthiness of the borrower. The Fund may invest in bank loans in order to enhance total return, to effect diversification, or to earn additional income. The Fund will not use bank loans for reasons inconsistent with the Fund's investment objective.
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.
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 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.
Certain futures and options may be considered illiquid.
How the Fund uses them: At times when the Manager anticipates adverse conditions, it may want to protect gains on swap agreements or securities without actually selling them. The Manager might use options or futures to seek to neutralize the effect of any price declines, without selling a swap agreement or security, or as a hedge against changes in interest rates. The Manager may also sell an option contract (often referred to as “writing” an option) to earn additional income for the Fund. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in derivatives instruments.
9
How we manage the Fund
Use of these strategies can increase the operating costs of the Fund and can lead to loss of principal.
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.
Interest rate swap, index swap, and credit default swap agreements |
In an interest rate swap, a fund receives payments from another party based on a variable or floating interest rate, in return for making payments based on a fixed interest rate. An interest rate swap can also work in reverse with a fund receiving payments based on a fixed interest rate and making payments based on a variable or floating interest rate.
In an index swap, a fund receives gains or incurs losses based on the total return of a specified index, in exchange for making interest payments to another party. An index swap can also work in reverse with a fund receiving interest payments from another party in exchange for movements in the total return of a specified index.
In a credit default swap, a fund may transfer the financial risk of a credit event occurring (a bond default, bankruptcy, or restructuring, for example) on a particular security or basket of securities to another party by paying that party a periodic premium; likewise, a fund may assume the financial risk of a credit event occurring on a particular security or basket of securities in exchange for receiving premium payments from another party.
Interest rate swaps, index swaps, and credit default swaps may be considered illiquid.
How the Fund uses them: The Fund may use interest rate swaps to adjust its sensitivity to interest rates or to hedge against changes in interest rates. Index swaps may be used to gain exposure to markets that the Fund invests in, such as the corporate bond market. The Fund may also use index swaps as a substitute for futures or options contracts if such contracts are not directly available to the Fund on favorable terms. The Fund may enter into credit default swaps in order to hedge against a credit event, to enhance total return, or to gain exposure to certain securities or markets. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in derivatives instruments.
At times when the Manager anticipates adverse conditions, the Manager may want to protect gains on securities without actually selling them. The Manager might use swaps to seek to neutralize the effect of any price declines without selling a bond or bonds. Use of these strategies can increase the operating costs of the Fund and can lead to loss of principal.
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Time deposits |
Time deposits are nonnegotiable deposits maintained in a banking institution for a specified period of time at a stated interest rate.
How the Fund uses them: The Fund will not purchase time deposits maturing in more than seven calendar days, and time deposits maturing from two Business Days (as defined above) through seven calendar days will not exceed 15% of the Fund's total assets.
Zero coupon and payment-in-kind (PIK) bonds |
Zero coupon bonds are debt obligations that do not entitle the holder to any periodic payments of interest prior to maturity or a specified date when the securities begin paying current interest, and therefore are issued and traded at a discount from their face amounts or par values. PIK bonds pay interest through the issuance to holders of additional securities.
How the Fund uses them: The Fund may purchase fixed income securities, including zero coupon bonds and PIK bonds consistent with its investment objective.
Tax-exempt obligations |
Tax-exempt obligations are commonly known as municipal bonds. These are debt obligations issued by or for a state, territory, or possession, its agencies or instrumentalities, municipalities, or other political subdivisions. The interest on these debt obligations can generally be excluded from federal income tax as well as personal income taxes in the state, territory, or possession where the bond is issued. Determination of a bond's tax-exempt status is based on the opinion of the bond issuer's legal counsel.
How the Fund uses them: The Fund may invest in tax-exempt debt obligations rated in the top four quality grades by S&P or another NRSRO, or in unrated tax-exempt obligations if, in the Manager's opinion, they are equivalent in quality to the top four quality grades. These bonds may include general obligation bonds and revenue bonds.
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.
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).
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 objective. To the extent that the Fund holds such instruments, it may be unable to achieve its investment objective.
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. Please see the SAI for a further discussion of these risks and other risks not discussed here.
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.
Index swaps are subject to the same market risks as the investment market or sector that the index represents. Depending on the actual movements of the index and how well the portfolio manager forecasts those movements, a fund could experience a higher or lower return than anticipated.
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How we manage the Fund
How the Fund strives to manage it: The Manager maintains a long-term investment approach and focuses on securities that it believes can continue to provide returns over an extended time frame regardless of interim market fluctuations. Generally, the Manager does not try to predict overall market movements.
In evaluating the use of an index swap for the Fund, the Manager carefully considers how market changes could affect the swap and how that compares to investing directly in the market the swap is intended to represent. When selecting counterparties with whom the Manager would make interest rate or index swap agreements for the Fund, the Manager does careful credit analysis on the counterparty before engaging in the transaction.
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 Manager limits the amount of the Fund's assets invested in any one industry and in any individual security or issuer. The Manager also follows a rigorous selection process when choosing securities for the portfolio.
Interest rate risk |
Interest rate risk is the risk that the prices of bonds and other fixed income securities will increase as interest rates fall and decrease as interest rates rise. Interest rate changes are influenced by 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.
Swaps may be particularly sensitive to interest rate changes. Depending on the actual movements of interest rates and how well the portfolio manager anticipates them, a fund could experience a higher or lower return than anticipated. For example, if a fund holds interest rate swaps and is required to make payments based on variable interest rates, it will have to make interest payments if interest rates rise, which will not necessarily be offset by the fixed-rate payments it is entitled to receive under the swap agreement.
How the Fund strives to manage it: The Fund is subject to various interest rate risks depending upon its investment objectives and policies. The Manager cannot eliminate this risk, but tries to address it by monitoring economic conditions, especially interest rate trends and their potential impact on the Fund. The Manager does not try to increase returns on the Fund's investments in debt securities by predicting and aggressively capitalizing on interest rate movements.
By investing in swaps, the Fund is subject to additional interest rate risk.
Credit risk |
Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of a debt security, including a governmental issuer or an entity that insures the bond, may be unable to make interest payments and/or repay principal in a timely manner. Changes in an issuer's financial strength or in a security's credit rating may affect a security's value, which would impact fund performance.
Investing in so-called “junk” or “high yield” bonds entails the risk of principal loss because they are rated below investment grade, which may be greater than the risk involved in investment grade bonds. High yield bonds are sometimes issued by companies whose earnings at the time the bond is issued are less than the projected debt payments on the bonds. A protracted economic downturn may severely disrupt the market for high yield bonds, adversely affect the value of outstanding bonds, and adversely affect the ability of high yield issuers to repay principal and interest. Investment by a fund in defaulted securities poses additional risk of loss should nonpayment of principal and interest continue in respect of such securities. Even if such securities are held to maturity, recovery by a fund of its initial investment and any anticipated income or appreciation may be uncertain. A fund also may incur additional expenses in seeking recovery on defaulted securities. Defaulted securities may be considered illiquid.
How the Fund strives to manage it: The Manager carefully evaluates and monitors the financial situation of each entity whose bonds are held in the portfolio. The Manager also tends to hold a relatively large number of different bonds to minimize the risk should any individual issuer be unable to pay its interest or repay principal. The Fund may invest up to 100% of its net assets in fixed income securities rated below investment grade.
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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.
Adjustable rate securities risk |
The value of any collateral securing an adjustable rate security may decline, be insufficient to meet the obligations of the borrower, or be difficult or costly to liquidate. In the event of a default, it may be difficult to collect on any collateral, it would not be possible to collect on any collateral for an uncollateralized loan, and the value of an adjustable rate security can decline significantly. Access to collateral may also be limited by bankruptcy or other insolvency laws. If an adjustable rate security is acquired through an assignment, the acquirer may not be able to unilaterally enforce all rights and remedies under the loan and with regard to the associated collateral.
Although senior loans may be senior to equity and other debt securities in the borrower's capital structure, the loans may be subordinated to other obligations of the borrower or its subsidiaries. Difficulty in selling an adjustable rate loan can result in a loss. Loans trade in an over-the-counter market, and confirmation and settlement may take significantly longer than 7 days to complete. Extended trade settlement periods may present a risk regarding the Fund's ability to timely honor redemptions. Due to the lack of a regular trading market for loans, loans are subject to irregular trading activity and wide bid/ask spreads and may be difficult to value.
High yield adjustable rate loans, like high-yield debt securities, or junk bonds, usually are more credit sensitive, although the value of these instruments may be affected by interest rate swings in the overall fixed income market. Generally, there is less readily available, reliable public information about the loans. Therefore, the Fund may be required to rely on its own evaluation and judgment of a borrower's credit quality in addition to any available independent sources to value loans. Adjustable rate loans may not be considered “securities” for certain purposes of the federal securities laws and purchasers therefore may not be entitled to rely on the anti-fraud protections of the federal securities laws.
How the Fund strives to manage it: This risk may not be completely eliminated, but the Manager will attempt to reduce this risk through portfolio diversification, credit analysis, and attention to trends in the economy, industries, and financial markets. Should the Manager determine that any of these securities are illiquid, they would be subject to the Fund's restriction on illiquid investments.
Prepayment risk |
Prepayment risk is the risk that homeowners will prepay mortgages during periods of low interest rates, forcing a fund to reinvest its money at interest rates that might be lower than those on the prepaid mortgage. Prepayment risk may also affect other types of debt securities, but generally to a lesser extent than mortgage securities.
How the Fund strives to manage it: The Fund may invest in MBS, CMOs, and REMICs. The Manager takes into consideration the likelihood of prepayment when it selects mortgages. The Manager may look for mortgage securities that have characteristics that make them less likely to be prepaid, such as low outstanding loan balances, or below-market interest rates.
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.
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How we manage the Fund
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.
There is generally no established retail secondary market for high yield securities. As a result, the secondary market for high yield securities is more limited and less liquid than other secondary securities markets. The high yield secondary market is particularly susceptible to liquidity problems when institutional investors, such as mutual funds, and certain other financial institutions, temporarily stop buying bonds for regulatory, financial, or other reasons.
Adverse publicity and investor perceptions may also disrupt the secondary market for high yield securities.
How the Fund strives to manage it: The Fund limits its exposure to illiquid investments to no more than 15% of its net assets.
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.
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 portfolio 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.
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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 a 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 Fund will limit its investments in derivatives instruments to up to 20% of its total assets.
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.
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.
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: The Manager attempts to reduce the risks presented by such investments by conducting worldwide fundamental research, including country visits. In addition, the Manager monitors 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 Fund may hedge exposure to those currencies for defensive purposes. The Fund may frequently value many foreign equity securities using fair value prices based on third-party vendor modeling tools, to the extent available, to account for significant market events that may occur after the close of a foreign market but before the Fund's shares are priced.
Emerging markets risk |
Emerging markets risk is the possibility that the risks 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, in many emerging markets there is substantially less publicly available information about issuers and the information that is available tends to be of a lesser quality. Economic markets and structures tend to be less mature and diverse and the securities markets, which are subject to less government regulation or supervision, may also be smaller, less liquid, and subject to greater price volatility.
How the Fund strives to manage it: The Fund may invest up to 15% its assets in securities of issuers located in emerging markets. The Funds cannot eliminate this risk but the Manager will attempt to reduce this risk through portfolio diversification, credit analysis, and attention to trends in the economy, industries and financial markets, and other relevant factors.
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How we manage the Fund
Foreign government securities risk |
Foreign government securities risk relates to the ability of a foreign government or government-related issuer to make timely principal and interest payments on its external debt obligations. This ability to make payments will be strongly influenced by the issuer's balance of payments, including export performance, its access to international credits and investments, fluctuations in interest rates, and the extent of its foreign reserves.
How the Fund strives to manage it: The Fund attempts to reduce the risks associated with investing in foreign governments by limiting the portion of its assets that may be invested in such securities. The Fund will not invest more than 50% of its total assets in foreign securities and not more than 15% in securities of issuers located in emerging markets.
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.
Loans and other indebtedness risk |
Loans and other indebtedness risk is the risk that a fund will not receive payment of principal, interest, and other amounts due in connection with these investments and will depend primarily on the financial condition of the borrower. Loans that are fully secured offer a fund more protection than unsecured loans in the event of nonpayment of scheduled interest or principal, although there is no assurance that the liquidation of collateral from a secured loan would satisfy the corporate borrower's obligation, or that the collateral can be liquidated. Some loans or claims may be in default at the time of purchase. Certain of the loans and the other indebtedness acquired by a fund may involve revolving credit facilities or other standby financing commitments that obligate a fund to pay additional cash on a certain date or on demand. These commitments may require a fund to increase its investment in a company at a time when that fund might not otherwise decide to do so (including at a time when the company's financial condition makes it unlikely that such amounts will be repaid).
As a fund may be required to rely upon another lending institution to collect and pass on to the fund amounts payable with respect to the loan and to enforce the fund's rights under the loan and other indebtedness, an insolvency, bankruptcy, or reorganization of the lending institution may delay or prevent the fund from receiving such amounts. The highly leveraged nature of many such loans and other indebtedness may make them especially vulnerable to adverse changes in economic or market conditions. Investments in such loans and other indebtedness may involve additional risk to the fund.
A fund's ability to sell its loans or to realize their full value upon sale may also be impaired due to the lack of an active trading market, irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads, contractual restrictions, and extended trade settlement periods. Extended trade settlement periods may result in cash not being immediately available to a fund. As a result of these factors, a fund may have to sell other investments or engage in borrowing transactions to raise cash to meet its obligations.
Federal securities laws provide protections against fraud and misrepresentation in connection with the offering and sale of a “security.” Loans in which a fund may invest may not be deemed to be “securities” for purposes of such anti-fraud protections. A fund may therefore not have the protection of the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws in the event of fraud or misrepresentation by a borrower. However, a fund in such a scenario may be able to rely on contractual provisions in the loan documents for alternative protections, or use common-law fraud protections under applicable state law.
How the Fund strives to manage it: This risk may not be completely eliminated, but the Manager will attempt to reduce this risk through portfolio diversification, credit analysis, and attention to trends in the economy, industries, and financial markets. Should the Manager determine that any of these securities are illiquid, they would be subject to the Fund's restriction on illiquid investments.
Zero coupon and payment-in-kind (PIK) bonds risk |
Zero coupon and PIK bonds involve certain risks. They are generally considered more interest sensitive than income-bearing bonds, more speculative than interest-bearing bonds, and have certain tax consequences that could, under certain circumstances, be adverse to a fund. For example, a fund accrues,
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and is required to distribute to shareholders, income on its zero coupon bonds. However, a fund may not receive the cash associated with this income until the bonds are sold or mature. If a fund does not have sufficient cash to make the required distribution of accrued income, the fund could be required to sell other securities in its portfolio or to borrow to generate the cash required.
How the Fund strives to manage it: The Fund may invest in zero coupon and PIK bonds to the extent consistent with its investment objective. The Manager cannot eliminate the risks of zero coupon bonds, but it does try to address them by monitoring economic conditions, especially interest rate trends and their potential impact on the Fund.
Valuation risk |
A less liquid secondary market as described above can make it more difficult to obtain precise valuations of certain securities. During periods of reduced liquidity, judgment plays a greater role in valuing less liquid investments.
How the Fund strives to manage it: The Manager will strive to manage this risk by carefully evaluating individual bonds and by limiting the amount of the Fund's assets that can be allocated to privately placed high yield securities.
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. 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.
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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 September 30, 2022, approximately $192.2 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 0.48% 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 semiannual report to shareholders for the period ended January 31, 2022.
MIMAK, located at Kaerntner Strasse 28, 1010 Vienna, Austria, 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 September 30, 2022, MAM managed more than $333.0 billion in assets for institutional and individual clients. Although the Manager has principal responsibility for the Manager's portion of the Fund, the Manager may seek investment advice and recommendations from MIMAK and the Manager may also permit MIMAK to execute Fund security trades on behalf of the Manager and exercise investment discretion for securities in certain markets where the Manager believes it will be beneficial to utilize MIMAK's specialized market knowledge.
MIMEL, located at 28 Ropemaker Street, London, England, is an affiliate of the Manager and a part of MAM. Although the Manager has principal responsibility for the Manager's portion of the Fund, the Manager may seek investment advice and recommendations from MIMEL and the Manager may also permit MIMEL to execute Fund security trades on behalf of the Manager and exercise investment discretion for securities in certain markets where the Manager believes it will be beneficial to utilize MIMEL's specialized market knowledge.
MIMGL, located at 50 Martin Place, Sydney, Australia, is an affiliate of the Manager and a part of MAM. Although the Manager has principal responsibility for the Manager's portion of the Fund, the Manager may seek investment advice and recommendations from MIMGL and the Manager may also permit MIMGL to execute Fund security trades on behalf of the Manager and exercise investment discretion for securities in certain markets where the Manager believes it will be beneficial to utilize MIMGL's specialized market knowledge.
A discussion of the basis for the Board's approval of the sub-advisory contracts with MIMEL, MIMGL and MIMAK is available in the Fund's semiannual report to shareholders for the period ended January 31, 2022.
Adam Brown and John McCarthy have primary portfolio management responsibilities for the Fund.
Adam
H. Brown, CFA
Managing
Director, Senior Portfolio Manager
Adam H.
Brown is a senior portfolio manager for the firm's high yield strategies within
Macquarie Asset Management
Fixed Income (MFI). He manages MFI's bank
loan portfolios and is a co-portfolio manager for the high yield, fixed rate
multisector, and core plus strategies. Brown joined Macquarie Asset
Management
(MAM) in April
2011 as part of the firm's integration of Macquarie Four Corners Capital
Management, where he had worked since 2002. At Four
Corners, he was a co-portfolio manager on the firm's collateralized loan
obligations (CLOs) and a senior research analyst supporting noninvestment
grade
portfolios. Before that, Brown was with the predecessor of Wells Fargo
Securities, where he worked in the leveraged finance group arranging senior
secured bank
loans and high yield bond financings for financial sponsors and corporate
issuers. He earned an MBA from the A.B. Freeman School of Business at
Tulane University and a bachelor's degree in
Accounting from the University of Florida.
John
P. McCarthy, CFA Managing
Director, Senior Portfolio Manager
John P.
McCarthy is a senior portfolio manager for the Macquarie Asset Management
Fixed Income (MFI) high yield strategies, a role he assumed in July 2016.
From December 2012 to June 2016, he was co-head of credit research for MFI.
McCarthy rejoined Macquarie Asset
Management (MAM) in
March 2007
as a senior research analyst, after he worked in the firm's fixed income area
from 1990 to 2000 as a senior high yield analyst and high yield trader, and
from 2001 to 2002 as a municipal bond trader. Prior to rejoining the firm, he
was a senior high yield analyst/trader at Chartwell Investment Partners.
McCarthy earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Babson
College, and he is a member of the CFA Society of Philadelphia.
The SAI provides additional information about each portfolio manager's compensation, other accounts managed by each portfolio manager, and each portfolio manager's ownership of Fund shares.
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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: An investment manager is a company 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.
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Who manages the Fund
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.
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.
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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 of the Fund 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 $100,000
|
2.75% |
3.23% |
||||
$100,000
but less than $250,000
|
2.00% |
2.44% |
||||
$250,000
but less than $1 million
|
1.00% |
1.34% |
||||
$1
million or more
|
none* |
none* |
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About your account
* 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 0.75% if you redeem these shares within the first year 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. Sales charges do not apply to shares purchased through dividend reinvestment. Sales charges do not apply to shares purchased through dividend reinvestment.
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 |
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Institutional Class |
A shareholder transacting in Institutional Class shares through a broker or other financial intermediary may be required to pay a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the financial intermediary.
Class R6 |
The Fund reserves the right to modify or waive the above policies at any time without prior notice to shareholders.
23
About your account
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 $100,000
|
2.35% |
— |
— |
||||||
$100,000
but less than $250,000
|
1.75% |
— |
— |
||||||
$250,000
but less than $1 million
|
0.75% |
— |
— |
||||||
$1
million but less than $5 million
|
0.75% |
— |
— |
||||||
$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 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
24
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 (if applicable) 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.
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.
25
About your account
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 a 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.
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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, Institutional Class, and Class R6 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.
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 9876, Providence, RI 02940-8076 for investments by regular mail or Delaware Funds by Macquarie Service Center at
27
About your account
4400 Computer Drive, Westborough, MA 01581-1722 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 at 4400 Computer Drive, Westborough, MA 01581-1722 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.
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.
28
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.
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.
29
About your account
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 9876, Providence, RI 02940-8076 for redemption requests by regular mail or Delaware Funds by Macquarie Service Center at 4400 Computer Drive, Westborough, MA 01581-1722 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 at 4400 Computer Drive, Westborough, MA 01581-1722 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.
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.
30
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.
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
31
About your account
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.
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.
32
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 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.
33
About your account
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 dividends daily and distribute all of its net investment income, if any, to shareholders as dividends monthly. 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, primarily will be taxable as ordinary income. 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 earning interest rather than dividend income, 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.
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
34
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® 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
Financial
highlights
Delaware
Floating Rate Fund
The financial highlights tables are intended to help you understand the Fund's financial performance for the past five years or, if shorter, the period of a Class's operations. 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 |
7/31/22 |
7/31/21 |
7/31/20 |
7/31/19 |
7/31/18 |
||||||||||
Net
asset value, beginning of period
|
$8.23 |
$7.90 |
$8.28 |
$8.34 |
$8.39 |
||||||||||
Income (loss) from investment operations: | |||||||||||||||
Net
investment income1
|
0.30 |
0.31 |
0.38 |
0.43 |
0.35 |
||||||||||
Net
realized and unrealized gain (loss)
|
(0.34 |
) |
0.32 |
(0.39 |
) |
(0.06 |
) |
(0.03 |
) | ||||||
Total
from investment operations
|
(0.04 |
) |
0.63 |
(0.01 |
) |
0.37 |
0.32 |
||||||||
Less dividends and distributions from: | |||||||||||||||
Net
investment income
|
(0.30 |
) |
(0.26 |
) |
(0.37 |
) |
(0.43 |
) |
(0.37 |
) | |||||
Return
of capital
|
— |
(0.04 |
) |
— |
2 |
— |
2 |
— |
2 | ||||||
Total
dividends and distributions
|
(0.30 |
) |
(0.30 |
) |
(0.37 |
) |
(0.43 |
) |
(0.37 |
) | |||||
Net
asset value, end of period
|
$7.89 |
$8.23 |
$7.90 |
$8.28 |
$8.34 |
||||||||||
Total
return3
|
(0.56% |
) |
8.13% |
(0.02% |
) |
4.62% |
3.85% |
||||||||
Ratios and supplemental data: | |||||||||||||||
Net
assets, end of period (000 omitted)
|
$72,746 |
$36,735 |
$23,727 |
$38,669 |
$38,701 |
||||||||||
Ratio
of expenses to average net assets4
|
0.92% |
0.94% |
0.94% |
0.94% |
0.97% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of expenses to average net assets prior to fees waived4
|
0.93% |
1.05% |
1.05% |
0.99% |
0.98% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of net investment income to average net assets
|
3.75% |
3.77% |
4.77% |
5.22% |
4.22% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of net investment income to average net assets prior to fees
waived
|
3.74% |
3.66% |
4.66% |
5.17% |
4.21% |
||||||||||
Portfolio
turnover
|
45% |
124% |
125% |
143% |
157% |
1 |
Calculated using average shares outstanding. |
2 |
Amount is less than $0.005 per share. |
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 a waiver by the manager. Performance would have been lower had the waiver not been in effect. |
4 |
Expense ratios do not include expenses of the investment companies (Underlying Funds) in which the Fund invests. |
36
Delaware
Floating Rate Fund
|
Year ended |
||||||||||||||
Class C shares |
7/31/22 |
7/31/21 |
7/31/20 |
7/31/19 |
7/31/18 |
||||||||||
Net
asset value, beginning of period
|
$8.23 |
$7.89 |
$8.28 |
$8.34 |
$8.39 |
||||||||||
Income (loss) from investment operations: | |||||||||||||||
Net
investment income1
|
0.24 |
0.24 |
0.32 |
0.37 |
0.29 |
||||||||||
Net
realized and unrealized gain (loss)
|
(0.34 |
) |
0.34 |
(0.40 |
) |
(0.06 |
) |
(0.04 |
) | ||||||
Total
from investment operations
|
(0.10 |
) |
0.58 |
(0.08 |
) |
0.31 |
0.25 |
||||||||
Less dividends and distributions from: | |||||||||||||||
Net
investment income
|
(0.24 |
) |
(0.20 |
) |
(0.31 |
) |
(0.37 |
) |
(0.30 |
) | |||||
Return
of capital
|
— |
(0.04 |
) |
— |
2 |
— |
2 |
— |
2 | ||||||
Total
dividends and distributions
|
(0.24 |
) |
(0.24 |
) |
(0.31 |
) |
(0.37 |
) |
(0.30 |
) | |||||
Net
asset value, end of period
|
$7.89 |
$8.23 |
$7.89 |
$8.28 |
$8.34 |
||||||||||
Total
return3
|
(1.30% |
) |
7.47% |
(0.90% |
) |
3.84% |
3.08% |
||||||||
Ratios and supplemental data: | |||||||||||||||
Net
assets, end of period (000 omitted)
|
$12,948 |
$8,698 |
$13,613 |
$25,374 |
$30,512 |
||||||||||
Ratio
of expenses to average net assets4
|
1.67% |
1.69% |
1.69% |
1.69% |
1.72% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of expenses to average net assets prior to fees waived4
|
1.68% |
1.80% |
1.80% |
1.74% |
1.73% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of net investment income to average net assets
|
3.00% |
3.02% |
4.02% |
4.47% |
3.47% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of net investment income to average net assets prior to fees
waived
|
2.99% |
2.91% |
3.91% |
4.42% |
3.46% |
||||||||||
Portfolio
turnover
|
45% |
124% |
125% |
143% |
157% |
1 |
Calculated using average shares outstanding. |
2 |
Amount is less than $0.005 per share. |
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 a waiver by the manager. Performance would have been lower had the waiver not been in effect. |
4 |
Expense ratios do not include expenses of the Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests. |
37
Financial highlights
Delaware
Floating Rate Fund
|
Year ended |
||||||||||||||
Class R shares |
7/31/22 |
7/31/21 |
7/31/20 |
7/31/19 |
7/31/18 |
||||||||||
Net
asset value, beginning of period
|
$8.23 |
$7.89 |
$8.28 |
$8.34 |
$8.39 |
||||||||||
Income (loss) from investment operations: | |||||||||||||||
Net
investment income1
|
0.28 |
0.29 |
0.36 |
0.41 |
0.33 |
||||||||||
Net
realized and unrealized gain (loss)
|
(0.35 |
) |
0.33 |
(0.40 |
) |
(0.06 |
) |
(0.03 |
) | ||||||
Total
from investment operations
|
(0.07 |
) |
0.62 |
(0.04 |
) |
0.35 |
0.30 |
||||||||
Less dividends and distributions from: | |||||||||||||||
Net
investment income
|
(0.28 |
) |
(0.24 |
) |
(0.35 |
) |
(0.41 |
) |
(0.35 |
) | |||||
Return
of capital
|
— |
(0.04 |
) |
— |
2 |
— |
2 |
— |
2 | ||||||
Total
dividends and distributions
|
(0.28 |
) |
(0.28 |
) |
(0.35 |
) |
(0.41 |
) |
(0.35 |
) | |||||
Net
asset value, end of period
|
$7.88 |
$8.23 |
$7.89 |
$8.28 |
$8.34 |
||||||||||
Total
return3
|
(0.92% |
) |
7.99% |
(0.40% |
) |
4.36% |
3.60% |
||||||||
Ratios and supplemental data: | |||||||||||||||
Net
assets, end of period (000 omitted)
|
$1,111 |
$22 |
$7 |
$61 |
$416 |
||||||||||
Ratio
of expenses to average net assets4
|
1.17% |
1.19% |
1.19% |
1.19% |
1.22% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of expenses to average net assets prior to fees waived4
|
1.18% |
1.30% |
1.30% |
1.24% |
1.23% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of net investment income to average net assets
|
3.50% |
3.52% |
4.52% |
4.97% |
3.97% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of net investment income to average net assets prior to fees
waived
|
3.49% |
3.41% |
4.41% |
4.92% |
3.96% |
||||||||||
Portfolio
turnover
|
45% |
124% |
125% |
143% |
157% |
1 |
Calculated using average shares outstanding. |
2 |
Amount is less than $0.005 per share. |
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 a waiver by the manager. Performance would have been lower had the waiver not been in effect. |
4 |
Expense ratios do not include expenses of the Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests. |
38
Delaware
Floating Rate Fund
|
Year ended |
||||||||||||||
Institutional Class shares |
7/31/22 |
7/31/21 |
7/31/20 |
7/31/19 |
7/31/18 |
||||||||||
Net
asset value, beginning of period
|
$8.23 |
$7.90 |
$8.28 |
$8.34 |
$8.39 |
||||||||||
Income (loss) from investment operations: | |||||||||||||||
Net
investment income1
|
0.32 |
0.33 |
0.40 |
0.45 |
0.37 |
||||||||||
Net
realized and unrealized gain (loss)
|
(0.34 |
) |
0.32 |
(0.39 |
) |
(0.06 |
) |
(0.03 |
) | ||||||
Total
from investment operations
|
(0.02 |
) |
0.65 |
0.01 |
0.39 |
0.34 |
|||||||||
Less dividends and distributions from: | |||||||||||||||
Net
investment income
|
(0.32 |
) |
(0.28 |
) |
(0.39 |
) |
(0.45 |
) |
(0.39 |
) | |||||
Return
of capital
|
— |
(0.04 |
) |
— |
2 |
— |
2 |
— |
2 | ||||||
Total
dividends and distributions
|
(0.32 |
) |
(0.32 |
) |
(0.39 |
) |
(0.45 |
) |
(0.39 |
) | |||||
Net
asset value, end of period
|
$7.89 |
$8.23 |
$7.90 |
$8.28 |
$8.34 |
||||||||||
Total
return3
|
(0.31% |
) |
8.40% |
0.23% |
4.88% |
4.11% |
|||||||||
Ratios and supplemental data: | |||||||||||||||
Net
assets, end of period (000 omitted)
|
$654,307 |
$116,242 |
$79,391 |
$82,643 |
$144,258 |
||||||||||
Ratio
of expenses to average net assets4
|
0.67% |
0.69% |
0.69% |
0.69% |
0.72% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of expenses to average net assets prior to fees waived4
|
0.68% |
0.80% |
0.80% |
0.74% |
0.73% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of net investment income to average net assets
|
4.00% |
4.02% |
5.02% |
5.47% |
4.47% |
||||||||||
Ratio
of net investment income to average net assets prior to fees
waived
|
3.99% |
3.91% |
4.91% |
5.42% |
4.46% |
||||||||||
Portfolio
turnover
|
45% |
124% |
125% |
143% |
157% |
1 |
Calculated using average shares outstanding. |
2 |
Amount is less than $0.005 per share. |
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 a waiver by the manager. Performance would have been lower had the waiver not been in effect. |
4 |
Expense ratios do not include expenses of the Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests. |
39
Financial highlights
Delaware
Floating Rate Fund
|
| ||
Class R6 shares |
8/31/211
to |
||
Net
asset value, beginning of period
|
$8.24 |
||
Income (loss) from investment operations: | |||
Net
investment income2
|
0.33 |
||
Net
realized and unrealized loss
|
(0.38 |
) | |
Total
from investment operations
|
(0.05 |
) | |
Less dividends and distributions from: | |||
Net
investment income
|
(0.30 |
) | |
Total
dividends and distributions
|
(0.30 |
) | |
Net
asset value, end of period
|
$7.89 |
||
Total
return3
|
(0.69% |
) | |
Ratios and supplemental data: | |||
Net
assets, end of period (000 omitted)
|
$4,986 |
||
Ratio
of expenses to average net assets4
|
0.60% |
||
Ratio
of expenses to average net assets prior
to fees waived4
|
0.61% |
||
Ratio
of net investment income to average net assets
|
4.07% |
||
Ratio
of net investment income to average net assets prior to fees
waived
|
4.06% |
||
Portfolio
turnover
|
45% |
5 |
1 |
Date of commencement of operations; ratios have been annualized and total return has not been annualized. |
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 shown reflects a waiver by the manager. Performance would have been lower had the waiver not been in effect. |
4 |
Expense ratios do not include expenses of any Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests. |
5 |
Portfolio turnover is representative of the Fund for the year ended July 31, 2022. |
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, B 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 9876, Providence, RI 02940-8076 by regular mail or 4400 Computer Drive, Westborough, MA 01581-1722 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 publicinfo@sec.gov.
Investment Company Act number: 811-02071
PR-215 11/22