AMERICAN GROWTH FUND, INC.
1636 N. Logan
Street, Denver, Colorado 80203
303-626-0600
Series One
Class A
AMRAX - Class B AMRBX - Class C AMRCX - Class D AMRGX
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION
November 30, 2024
This Statement of Additional Information is not a
prospectus. Prospective investors should read this Statement of Additional
Information only in conjunction with the Prospectuses of Series One of American
Growth Fund, Inc. (the "Fund") dated November 30, 2024. A copy of the Prospectus
may be obtained at no cost by writing World Capital Brokerage, Inc. (the
"Distributor"), 1636 N. Logan Street, Denver, Colorado 80203, or by calling
800-525-2406 or on the Fund´s web site,
www.americangrowthfund.com.
A
ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT INFORMATION,
5
AUTOMATIC CASH WITHDRAWAL PLAN, 17
B
BOARD OF DIRECTORS,
8
BROKERAGE, 20
C
CALCULATION OF NET ASSET VALUE,
21
CLASSIFICATION, 2
CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF SECURITIES,
11
D
DEALER REALLOWANCES, 12
DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS,
6
DISTRIBUTION OF SHARES, 13
DISTRIBUTION PLANS, 18
DIVIDENDS,
DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES, 21
F
FUND HISTORY,
2
I
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT, 11
INVESTMENT RISKS,
3
INVESTMENT STRATEGIES, 2
M
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND,
7
O
OTHER INVESTMENT ADVICE, 12
OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS,
13
P
PERFORMANCE DATA, 24
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS, 13
PORTFOLIO
TURNOVER, 6
PRINCIPAL UNDERWRITER, 11
PROXY VOTING POLICIES,
10
R
RETIREMENT PLANS, 17
RULE 12b-1 PLANS,
12
S
SECURITIES LENDING, 13
SERVICE AGREEMENTS,
12
T
TEMPORARY DEFENSIVE POSITION, 6
FUND
HISTORY
The
Fund was established in August of 1958 as a diversified, open-end, management
investment company organized and incorporated in the State of
Maryland.
CLASSIFICATION
The American Growth
Fund is a diversified, open-end management investment company.
INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
In attempting
to achieve its investment objective, the Fund will typically invest at least 80%
of its assets in common stocks and securities convertible into common stocks
traded on national securities exchanges or over-the-counter.
We perform
our own extensive internal research to determine whether companies meet our
growth criteria. From time to time we meet company management teams and other
key staff face-to-face and tour corporate facilities and manufacturing plants to
get a complete picture of a company before we invest.
We limit the amount of
the Fund´s assets invested in any one industry and in any individual security.
At the time of purchase we do not invest more than 5% of the Fund´s total assets
in any one issuer nor do we invest more than 25% in any one industry. We also
follow a rigorous selection process designed to identify undervalued securities
before choosing securities for the portfolio.
Although the Fund will normally
invest in large capitalization companies, the Fund may invest in companies of
all sizes. Investment Research Corporation, the Fund´s investment advisor (the
Advisor or IRC), generally will choose common stocks (or convertible securities)
that it believes have a potential for capital appreciation because of existing
or anticipated economic conditions or because the securities are considered
undervalued or out of favor with investors or are expected to increase in price
over the short-term. Convertible debt securities will be rated at least A by
Moody´s Investor Service or Standard and Poor’s Ratings Services, or, if
unrated, will be comparable quality in the opinion of the Advisor.
We
maintain a long-term investment approach and focus on stocks we believe can
appreciate over an extended time frame regardless of interim market
fluctuations. Using the following disciplined approach, we look for companies
having some or all of these characteristics:
l Large
capitalization companies, although on occasion the Fund may invest in small and
mid-cap companies, if the Advisor believes it is in the best interests of the
Fund. Large cap companies are generally companies with market capitalization
exceeding $5 billion at the date of acquisition;
l growth that
is faster than the market as a whole and sustainable over the long
term;
l strong
management team;
l leading
market positions and growing brand identities;
l financial,
marketing, and operating strength.
The Fund emphasizes investments in common
stocks with the potential for capital appreciation. These stocks generally pay
regular dividends, although the Fund also may invest in non-dividend-paying
companies if, in the opinion of an Advisor, they offer better prospects for
capital appreciation.
When the Advisor believes the securities the Fund
holds may decline in value, the Fund may sell them and, if the Advisor believes
market conditions warrant the Fund may assume a defensive position. While in a
defensive position, the Fund may invest all or part of its assets in corporate
bonds, debentures (both short and long term) or preferred stocks rated A or
above by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. or Standard and Poor’s (or, if unrated,
of comparable quality in the opinion of the Advisor), United States Government
securities, repurchase agreements meeting approved credit worthiness standards
(e.g., whereby the underlying security is issued by the United States Government
or any agency thereof), or retain funds in cash or cash equivalents. There is no
maximum limit on the amount of fixed income securities in which the Fund may
invest for temporary defensive purposes. If the Fund takes a temporary defensive
position in attempting to respond to adverse market, economic, political or
other conditions, it may not achieve its investment objective. The Fund´s
performance could be lower during periods when it retains or invests its assets
in these more defensive holdings.
A repurchase agreement is a contract under
which the seller of a security agrees to buy it back at an
agreed
upon price and time in the future.
The Fund will enter into repurchase
transactions only with parties who meet creditworthiness standards approved by
the Fund´s Board of Directors.
The Fund may invest in foreign
securities in the form of American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) which represents
ownership in the shares of a non-U.S. company that trades in U.S. financial
markets. We typically invest only a small portion of the Fund´s portfolio in
foreign corporations through ADRs. We do not invest directly in foreign
securities. When we do purchase ADRs, they are generally denominated in U.S.
dollars and traded on a U.S. exchange.
Consistent
with its investment objective, policies, and restrictions, the Fund also may
invest in securities, such as Exchange Traded Funds (“ETFs”).
We seek to
limit exposure to illiquid securities.
INVESTMENT RISKS
The primary risks
of investing in the Fund are:
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.
l Stock 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 economic conditions, future expectations or investor confidence, sometimes
rapidly and unpredictably.
l Operational
and cybersecurity risk - Cybersecurity breaches may allow an unauthorized party
to gain access to fund assets, customer data, or proprietary information, or
cause a fund or its service providers to suffer data corruption or lose
operational functionality. Similar incidents affecting the companies and other
issuers in which the Fund invests may negatively impact performance. Operational
risk may arise from human error, error by third parties, communication errors,
or technology failures, among other causes. In addition, markets and market
participants are increasingly reliant on information data systems. Inaccurate
data, software or other technology malfunctions, programming inaccuracies,
unauthorized use or access, and similar circumstances may impair the performance
of these systems and may have an adverse impact upon a single issuer, a group of
issuers, or the market at large, which could negatively impact the value of one
or more of the Fund’s investments.
l Market Risk -
Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly
interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one
country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or
regions. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to
securities in general financial markets, a particular financial market or other
asset classes due to a number of factors, including inflation (or expectations
for inflation), deflation (or expectations for deflation), interest rates,
global demand for particular products or resources, market instability, debt
crises and downgrades, embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers,
regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control programs and
geopolitical events, such as political or economic dysfunction within nations.
In addition, the value of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by
the occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters,
natural disasters or events, country instability, and infectious disease
epidemics or pandemics or other public health crises. Policy changes by the U.S.
government and/or the Fed and political events within the United States and
other countries may affect investor and consumer confidence and may adversely
impact financial markets and the broader economy, perhaps suddenly and to a
significant degree. A downgrade of the ratings of U.S. government debt
obligations, or concerns about the U.S. government’s credit quality in general,
could have a substantial negative effect on the U.S. and global economies.
Downgrades affecting other countries also could have similar impacts. In
addition, high public debt in the United States and other countries creates
ongoing systemic and market risks and policymaking uncertainty.
l Early
Close/Trading Halt Risk is the risk that an exchange or market may close or
issue trading halts on specific securities, or the ability to buy or sell
certain securities or financial instruments may be restricted, which may prevent
the Fund from buying or selling certain securities or financial instruments. In
these circumstances, the Fund may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be
unable to accurately price its investments and may incur substantial trading
losses.
l Industry and
security risk is the risk that the value of securities in a particular industry
or the value of an individual stock or bond generally will decline because of
changing expectations for the performance of
that
industry or for the individual company issuing the stock or bond.
l Management
risk is the risk that the Advisor´s assessment of a company´s ability to
increase earnings faster than the rest of the market is not correct, the
securities in the portfolio may not increase in value, and could decrease in
value.
l Interest rate
risk is the risk that changes in interest rates may affect the yield, liquidity
and value of investments in income producing or debt securities. As rates rise,
the price of a fixed rate bond will fall.
l Credit risk
is the possibility that a bond´s issuer (or an entity that insures a bond) will
be unable to make timely payments of interest and principal.
l Foreign
investment risk is the risk that foreign securities may be adversely affected by
political instability, changes in currency exchange rates, foreign economic
conditions or inadequate regulatory and accounting standards outside the United
States.
l Liquidity
risk - a given security or asset may not be readily marketable. Illiquid
investments may be difficult or impossible to sell or purchase at an
advantageous time or price or in sufficient amounts to achieve the Fund's
desired level of exposure.
l Small Cap
stocks tend to have a high risk exposure to market fluctuations and
failure.
l Mid Cap
stocks also tend to have a greater risk exposure to market fluctuations and
failure but normally not as much so as the Small Cap stocks.
l Equity Risk.
In general, stocks and other equity security values fluctuate, and sometimes
widely fluctuate, in response to changes in a company’s financial condition as
well as general market, economic and political conditions and other factors. The
level of volatility could be high.
l Repurchase
Agreements Risk. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements under which it
purchases a security that a seller has agreed to repurchase from the Fund at a
later date at the same price plus interest. If a seller defaults and the
security declines in value, the Fund might incur a loss. If the seller declares
bankruptcy, the Portfolio Fund may not be able to sell the security at the
desired time.
l Depositary
Receipts Risk. Investments in depositary receipts (including American Depositary
Receipts, European Depositary Receipts and Global Depositary Receipts) are
generally subject to the same risks of investing in the foreign securities that
they evidence or into which they may be converted. In addition, issuers
underlying unsponsored depositary receipts may not provide as much information
as U.S. issuers and issuers underlying sponsored depositary receipts.
Unsponsored depositary receipts also may not carry the same voting privileges as
sponsored depositary receipts.
l Convertible
Securities have the risk of loss of principal at maturity, however, this loss is
limited to the value of the bond floor.
l Large Cap
Company Risk is the risk that larger more established companies may be unable to
respond quickly to new competitive challenges such as changes in technology and
consumer tastes. Many larger companies also may not be able to attain the high
growth rate of successful smaller companies, especially during extended periods
of economic expansion.
l Investments
in Other Investment Companies is the risk that the Fund’s investments in other
investment companies will be subject to the risks of the purchased investment
company’s portfolio securities. The Fund’s shareholders must bear not only their
proportionate share of the Fund’s fees and expenses, but they also must bear
indirectly the fees and expenses of the other investment company. In addition,
the Fund’s net asset value is subject to fluctuations in the net asset values of
the other investment companies in which it invests. The ability of the Fund to
meet its investment objective will depend, to a significant degree, on the
ability of the other investment companies to meet their
objectives.
l Exchange-Traded
Funds (“ETFs”). ETFs are investment companies whose shares are listed on a
securities exchange and trade like a stock throughout the day. Investments in
ETFs are subject to a variety of risks, including risks associated with the
underlying securities that the ETF holds. The Fund’s net asset value will be
subject to fluctuations in the market values of the ETFs in which it invests.
Also, ETFs that track particular indices typically will be unable to match the
performance of the index exactly due to the ETF’s operating expenses and
transaction costs, among other things. Similar to investments in other
investment companies, the Fund’s shareholders must bear not only their
proportionate share of the Fund’s fees and expenses, but they also must bear
indirectly the fees and expenses of the ETF. In addition, the ability of the
Fund to meet its investment objective will directly depend on the ability of the
ETFs to meet their investment objectives. The extent to which the investment
performance and risks associated with the Fund correlate to those of a
particular ETF will depend upon the extent to which the Fund’s assets are
allocated from time to time for investment in the ETF, which will
vary.
l Technology
Securities Risk is the risk that certain technology related companies may face
special risks
that
their products or services may not prove to be commercially successful.
Technology related companies are also strongly affected by worldwide scientific
or technological developments. As a result, their products may rapidly become
obsolete. Such companies are also often subject to governmental regulation and
may, therefore, be adversely affected by governmental policies. Investments in
technology companies generally can be volatile and fluctuate widely, sometimes
rapidly and unpredictably.
Loss of some
or all of the money you invest is a risk of investing in the Fund.
ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT
INFORMATION
The following information supplements the
information in the American Growth Fund, Inc. (the "Fund") Prospectuses under
the heading Principal Investment Strategy.
The Fund is subject to certain
fundamental restrictions on its investment policies, including the
following:
1. No securities may be purchased on margin, the Fund may not
sell securities short, and will not participate in a joint or joint and several
basis with others in any securities trading account.
2. Not more than 5%
of the value of the assets of the Fund at the time of investment may be invested
in securities of any one issuer other than securities issued by the United
States government.
3. Not more than 10% of any class of voting securities
or other securities of any one issuer may be held in the portfolio of the
Fund.
4. The Fund cannot act as an underwriter of securities of other
issuers.
5. The Fund cannot borrow money except from a bank as a
temporary measure for extraordinary or emergency purposes, and then only in an
amount not to exceed 10% of its total assets taken at cost, or mortgage or
pledge any of its assets.
6. The Fund cannot make or purchase loans to
any person including real estate mortgage loans, other than through the
purchase of a portion of publicly distributed debt securities pursuant to the
investment policy of the Fund.
7. The Fund cannot issue senior securities
or purchase the securities of another investment company or investment trust
except in the open market where no profit to a sponsor or dealer, other than the
customary brokers commission, results from such purchase (but the total of such
investment shall not exceed 10% of the net assets of the Fund), or except when
such purchase is part of a plan of merger or consolidation. The Fund may
purchase securities of other investment companies in the open market if the
purchase involves only customary broker´s commissions and only if immediately
thereafter (i) no more than 3% of the voting securities of any one investment
company are owned by the Fund, (ii) no more than 5% of the value of the total
assets of the Fund would be invested in any one investment company, and (iii) no
more than 10% of the value of the total assets of the Fund would be invested in
the securities of such investment companies. Should the Fund purchase securities
of other investment companies, the Fund´s shareholders may incur additional
management and distribution fees.
8. The Fund cannot invest in the
securities of issuers which have been in operation for less than three years if
such purchase at the time thereof would cause more than 5% of the net assets of
the Fund to be so invested, and in any event, any such investments must be
limited to utility or pipeline companies.
9. The Fund cannot invest in
companies for the purpose of exercising management or control.
10. The
Fund cannot deal in real estate, commodities or commodity contracts.
11.
In applying its restrictions on concentration of investments in any one
industry, the Fund uses industry classifications based, where applicable, on
Bridge Information Systems, Reuters, the S&P Stock Guide published by
Standard & Poor’s, the O´Neil Database published by William O´Neil &
Co., Inc., information obtained from Value Line, Bloomberg L.P. and Moody´s
International, and/or the prospectus of the
issuing
company, and/or other recognized classification resources. Selection of an
appropriate industry classification resource will be made by management in the
exercise of its reasonable discretion. The Fund will not concentrate its
investments in any particular industry nor will it purchase a security if, as a
result of such purchase, more than 25% of its assets will be invested in a
particular industry.
12. The Fund cannot invest in puts, calls,
straddles, spreads or any combination thereof.
The foregoing policies can
be changed only by approval of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund,
which means the lesser of (i) 67% of the shares represented at a meeting at
which more than 50% of the outstanding shares are present in person or by proxy,
or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares.
When the Fund makes
temporary investments in U.S. Government securities, it ordinarily will
purchase U.S. Treasury Bills, Notes, or Bonds. The Fund may make temporary
investments in repurchase agreements where the underlying security is issued or
guaranteed by the U.S. Government or an agency thereof. The Fund will not invest
more than 10% of its assets in repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven
days, or securities that are illiquid by virtue of the absence of a readily
available market or legal or contractual restrictions on resale. The Fund will
not invest in real estate limited partnership interests, other than interests in
readily marketable real estate investment trusts. The Fund will not invest in
oil, gas or mineral leases, or invest more than 5% of its net assets in warrants
or rights, valued at the lower of cost or market, nor more than 2% of its net
assets in warrants or rights (valued on the same basis) which are not listed on
the New York or American Stock Exchanges.
TEMPORARY
DEFENSIVE POSITION
If the
Fund invests in fixed-income securities, for temporary defensive purposes, these
securities generally are U.S. government obligations. If corporate fixed-income
securities are used, the securities normally are rated A or higher by Moody´s
Investor Service, Inc. (Moody´s) or A or higher by Standard & Poor’s
(S&P). There is no maximum limit on the amount of fixed income securities in
which the Fund may invest for temporary defensive purposes.
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
Normal portfolio
turnover for Series One is approximately 2.8%. In 2024 Series One’s portfolio
turnover was 4%.
DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO
HOLDINGS
The Fund’s portfolio information is publicly available:
(1) at the time such information is filed with the SEC in a publicly available
filing; and/or (2) when such information is posted on the Fund’s website. The
Fund’s publicly available portfolio information, which may be provided to third
parties without prior approval, are complete portfolio holdings disclosed in the
Fund’s semi-annual or annual reports and filed with the SEC on Form N-CSR, and
complete portfolio holdings disclosed in the Fund’s quarterly reports and filed
with the SEC on Form N-PORT.
The Fund’s President, in consultation with the
CCO may grant exceptions to permit additional disclosure of Fund portfolio
holdings information at differing times and with different lag times (the period
from the date of the information to the date the information is made available),
if any, in instances where the Fund has legitimate business purposes for doing
so, it is in the best interests of Fund shareholders, and the recipients are
subject to a duty of confidentiality, including a duty not to trade on the
nonpublic information, and are required to execute an agreement to that effect.
The Board will be informed of any such disclosures at its next regularly
scheduled meeting or as soon as is reasonably practicable thereafter. In no
event will the Fund, IRC, or any other party receive any direct or indirect
compensation in connection with the disclosure of information about the Fund’s
portfolio holdings. No person is authorized to disclose the Fund’s portfolio
holdings or other investment positions except in accordance with the Fund’s
policies and procedures.
The Board exercises continuing oversight of the
disclosure of the Fund’s portfolio holdings by (1) overseeing the implementation
and enforcement of the Fund’s portfolio holdings policies and procedures by the
CCO and the Fund; (2) considering reports and recommendations by the CCO
concerning any material compliance matters that may arise in connection with any
portfolio holdings policies and
procedures;
and (3) considering whether to approve or ratify any amendment to any of the
portfolio holdings policies and procedures. The Board and the Fund reserve the
right to amend the policies and procedures in their sole discretion at any time
and from time to time without prior notice to shareholders.
Currently, the
Fund has no ongoing arrangements or commitment to release non-public portfolio
holdings to any individual or group.
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND
The day-to-day
operations of the Fund are managed by its officers subject to the overall
supervision and control of the Board of Directors. The Fund´s Audit Committee
meets annually and is responsible for reviewing the financial statements of the
Fund. The following information about the interested
directors2 the Fund includes their principal occupations for the
past five years:
Name, Address, and Age | Position(s) Held with Fund | Term of Office1 and Length of Time Served | Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years | Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Director | Other Directorships Held by Director for the Past Five Years |
Timothy E. Taggart, 1636 N. Logan Street, Denver, CO DOB: October 18, 1953 | Chairman, President, Director and Treasurer | Since April 2004 | Principal executive, financial and accounting officer, employee of Advisor since 1983. See below for affiliation with Distributor. | 2 | Director of World Capital Brokerage, Inc. and Investment Research Corporation |
The
following information about the non-interested directors, officers and advisors
of the Fund includes their principal occupations for the past five years:
Name, Address, and Age | Position(s) Held with Fund | Term of Office1 and Length of Time Served | Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years | Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Director | Other Directorships Held by Director for the Past Five Years |
Eddie R. Bush, 1400 W. 122nd Ave., Suite 100, Westminster, CO DOB: December 13, 1939 | Director, Audit Committee Chairman (financial expert), Lead Independent Director | Since September 1987 | Certified Public Accountant | 2 | None |
Darrell E. Bush, 2714 West 118th Ave, Westminster, CO DOB: February 19, 1971 | Director | Since September 2013 | Accountant | 2 | None |
Michael L. Gaughan, 315 W. 20th St., Scottsbluff, NE DOB: November 29, 1967 | Chief Compliance Officer and Secretary | Since September 2004 | Employee of the Fund since 1995. | N/A | World Capital Brokerage, Inc. and Investment Research Corporation |
Patricia A. Blum, 1636 N. Logan Street, Denver, CO DOB: June 27, 1959 | Vice President | Since June 2013 | Employee of the Fund since 2001. | N/A | World Capital Brokerage, Inc. |
1.
Trustees and officers of the fund serve until their resignation, removal or
retirement.
2. Timothy Taggart is an "interested person" of the Fund as
defined by the Investment Company Act of 1940 because of the following positions
which he holds.
Timothy E. Taggart is the President, Treasurer and a Director
of World Capital Brokerage, Inc. and is the President, Treasurer and a Director
of Investment Research Corporation.
Timothy E. Taggart is president and a
director of the Distributor and the president and a director of Investment
Research Corporation.
Eddie
R. Bush is the Fund’s Lead Independent Director. Mr. E. Bush is also the
chairman of the Audit Committee as well as serves on the Nominating Committee
and Qualified Legal Compliance Committee.
None of the above-named persons
received any retirement benefits or other form of deferred compensation from the
Fund. There are no other funds that together with the Fund constitute a Fund
Complex.
As of December 31, 2023, all officers and directors as a group
(a total of 3) owned directly 11,480 of its shares or 0.40% of shares
outstanding. Together, directly and indirectly, all the officers and directors
as a group owned 24,407 shares or 0.85% of all shares outstanding.
As of
December 31, 2023, officers, directors and members of the advisory board and
their relatives owned of record and beneficially Fund shares with net asset
value of approximately $604,147 representing approximately 3.27% of the total
net assets of the Fund.
BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
The management of the Fund believes that the business
experience and educational background of the Fund´s Directors and Officers set
forth above make these individuals well qualified to serve the Fund in the
positions that they hold.
Timothy E. Taggart, Chairman, President and
Director, has held his securities license since 1987. His knowledge of the
securities industry is vast as owner and president of World Capital Brokerage,
Inc., a registered Broker Dealer, and owner and president of Investment Research
Corporation, a registered investment advisor. Mr. Taggart is also a member of
the Investment Committee.
Eddie R. Bush is the Chairman of the Fund´s
Audit Committee and is the Fund’s Lead Independent Director. He reviews and
reports to the Board periodically on the validity of the accounting data
provided to the Board.
Darrell Bush, Fund Independent Director, Nominating Committee member and Qualified Legal Compliance Committee member is an accountant who offers the Fund, and the Audit Committee, his professional financial experience.
It is
the duty of the Fund Board to review in its oversight capacity, on a quarterly
basis, the actions taken by Fund Management, including how management addressed
any risk management issues confronting the Fund that arose during the previous
quarter. This includes, in part, trade, expense and performance issues and
data.
Under a standing item on the Agenda for each quarterly Fund Board
meeting the Information provided to the Board by the management and staff of the
Fund is used by the members of the Board to review and analyze risk(s)
confronting the Fund on a quarterly basis. Each Director´s opinions, views and
questions on risk management and any other issue concerning the Fund are
directly communicated to the management and staff of the Fund, both at the
quarterly Fund Board meetings and in necessary between board meetings, under the
current leadership structure of the Fund Board.
Mr. E. Bush is a member
of the Audit Committee whose main purpose is the review and oversight of the
Fund´s financials. During the past fiscal year there were a total of four
regular meetings held by the audit committee. Members of the Audit Committee are
nominated and voted upon by the Board of Directors.
On September 23,
2010, an Investment Advisory Committee was formed with the purpose of offering
investment advice to a senior portfolio manager of the Fund. The current members
of the Investment Advisory Committee are Timothy Taggart, Robert Fleck and
Matthew Taggart who met with the board 4 times this past fiscal year at
regularly scheduled board meetings.
The Fund has a Nominating Committee comprised of all of its independent Directors. The purpose of the Nominating Committee is to nominate and interview individuals to serve on the Board of Directors. The Nominating Committee was formed in September of 2016 and did not hold any meetings in the fiscal year ended 2020. The Nominating Committee will consider shareholder suggestions of persons to be considered as nominees to fill future vacancies on the board. Such suggestions must be sent in writing to the nominating committee of the fund, addressed to the fund’s secretary, and must be accompanied by complete biographical and occupational data on the prospective nominee, along with a written consent of the prospective nominee for consideration of his or her name by the committee.
The Fund has a Qualified Legal Compliance Committee. The Fund has designated its Audit Committee to serve as its Qualified Legal Compliance Committee. The Qualified Legal Compliance Committee reviews reports of evidence of a material violation of an applicable United States federal or state securities law, a material breach of fiduciary duty arising under United States federal or state law, or a similar material violation of any United States federal or state law (each, a “Material Violation”), determining whether an investigation is necessary with respect to any such report and, if deemed necessary or appropriate, investigating and recommending an appropriate response thereto. The Qualified Legal Compliance Committee was formed in September of 2016 and met one time, as part of the Audit Committee, during fiscal year end July 31, 2024.
Director Ownership of the Fund. The following table shows the amount of equity securities owned in the American Growth Fund family by the Directors as of the calendar year ended December 31, 2023.
Name of Director | Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Fund | Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in All Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Director in Family of Investment Companies |
Interested Director | ||
Timothy E. Taggart | $10,001 - $50,000 | $10,001 - $50,000 |
Non-Interested Directors | ||
Eddie R. Bush | $50,001 - $100,000 | $50,001 - $100,000 |
Darrell Bush | $0 | $0 |
All
officers, directors and members of the Fund’s board in the aggregate (a total of
3 board members) received total compensation of $40,619, from the Fund in fiscal
year 2024. Directors of the Fund are compensated at the rate of $400 and $500
per meeting attended, and the board members who are members of the audit
committee receive an additional $100 per meeting.
Out-of-town directors
are also reimbursed for their travel expenses to meetings. Officers are not paid
by the Fund.
Name of Person, Position | Aggregate Compensation From Fund | Pension or Retirement Benefits Accrued As Part of Fund Expenses | Estimated Annual Benefits Upon Retirement | Total Compensation From Fund and Fund Complex Paid to Directors |
Eddie
R. Bush Independent Director |
$22,714 | $0 | $0 | $22,714 |
Darrell
Bush Independent Director |
17,905 | $0 | $0 | $17,905 |
Timothy
Taggart Interested Director and President |
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
In
addition to the amounts disclosed in the table, the Fund makes payments to Mr.
Taggart for other services, and if those amounts are included, the total
compensation paid to Mr. Taggart by the Fund and Fund Complex is
$83.,766.
During the year ended July 31, 2024, Messrs. Taggart, E. Bush,
and D. Bush were the only directors serving during that year.
The Fund,
its Investment Advisor (Investment Research Corporation) and its underwriter
(World Capital Brokerage, Inc.) have adopted a Code of Ethics under rule 17j-1
of the Investment Company Act. These Code of Ethics contain guidelines for
purchasing securities that are held by the Fund and are available by contacting
the Fund at 800-525-2406.
PROXY VOTING
POLICIES
For proxy votes cast on behalf of American Growth
Fund:
Investment Research Corporation ("the Advisor"), the investment Advisor
of the Fund, has a fiduciary duty to act solely in the best interests of the
Fund. As it relates to proxy voting, the Advisor recognizes that it must vote
Fund securities in a timely manner and make voting decisions that are in the
best interests of the Fund.
The following are general policies of the Advisor
with respect to proxy voting but the Advisor does reserve the right to depart
from these policies, if such a departure is in the best interests of the Fund
and its shareholders.
Election of Directors: Unless we are aware of
extenuating circumstances, such as a proxy fight for board seats, the Advisor
will generally vote in favor of management´s slate of directors.
Appointment
of Auditors: The Advisor will generally vote in favor of the auditors
recommended by management.
Changes In Capital Structure: The Advisor will
generally vote in accordance with management´s recommendation unless other
information indicates that the Fund´s interests are better served by a vote
against the proposal.
Other
Proxy Issues: The Advisor will consider other proxy issues on a case by case
basis with the Fund´s interests determining the vote.
Conflicts of Interest:
The Advisor recognizes that there may be situations where a proxy issue presents
a conflict of interest between the interest of the Fund and the Advisor´s
representative casting the proxy vote. If a conflict exists, any votes
inconsistent with this policy will be submitted to the Fund´s Board of Directors
for review and approval.
The Chief Compliance Officer of the Fund is
responsible for voting all proxies. Information regarding how the Fund voted
proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period
ended June 30 is available without charge, upon request, by calling 800-525-2406
or through the Fund´s website at www.americangrowthfund.com and on the Security
and Exchange Commission´s website at http://www.sec.gov.
CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF
SECURITIES
Control Persons. No person controls more than 25% of
the Fund´s voting securities. No person is known to own beneficially 5% or more
of any class of the Fund’s outstanding equity securities.
Management
Ownership. As of 11/30/2024, all officers and directors own a combined total of
0.38% of Fund shares.
INVESTMENT ADVISORY
AGREEMENT
Since the organization of the Fund in 1958, its
investment advisor for Class A, Class B, Class C and Class D shares, since share
inception, has been Investment Research Corporation ("IRC"), 1636 N. Logan
Street, Denver, Colorado 80203.
Under the terms of its advisory agreement
with the Fund, the Advisor is paid an annual fee of one percent of the Fund´s
average net assets up to $30,000,000 of such assets and three-fourths of one
percent of such assets above $30,000,000. This fee and all other expenses of the
Fund are paid by the Fund. The fee is computed daily based on the assets and
paid on the fifth day of the ensuing month. For this fee the Advisor manages the
portfolio of the Fund and furnishes such statistical and analytical information
as the Fund may reasonably require.
IRC will obtain assistance from employees
of World Capital Advisors ("WCA"), who will be acting in the capacity of
employees of IRC, in managing Series One. In return for receiving such services
IRC pays those employees up to the full amount of its investment advisory
fee.
The advisory agreements require the Fund to pay its own expenses
subject to the limitations set by the securities laws in effect from time to
time in the states in which the Fund´s securities are then registered for sale
or are exempt from registration and offered for sale. The categories of expenses
paid by the Fund are set forth in detail in the Fund´s financial statements. At
the time of this filing the Fund´s securities are either registered for sale or
are exempt from registration and offered for sale in all fifty states, the
District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Total advisory
fees paid by the Fund to the Investment Research Corporation in fiscal years
2022, 2023 and 2024 were $193,950, $168,235, and $190,890 resulting in
management fees of 1.00%, 1.00% and 1.00% of average net assets,
respectively.
The advisory agreement will continue from year to year so
long as such continuance is specifically approved annually either by the vote of
the entire Board of Directors of the Fund or by the vote of a majority of the
outstanding shares of the Fund, and in either case by the vote of a majority of
the directors who are not interested persons of the Fund or the Advisor cast in
person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. The
advisory agreement may be canceled without penalty by either party upon 60 days’
notice and automatically terminates in the event of assignment.
PRINCIPAL UNDERWRITER
World Capital
Brokerage, Inc., at 1636 N. Logan Street, Denver, CO 80203, is the underwriter
and distributor for the Fund. Timothy E. Taggart is the President and a Director
of the Underwriter.
Total fees paid to the Underwriter/Distributor for the
fiscal years 2021, 2022 and 2023 were $6,806, $1,365, and $1,595,
respectively.
SERVICE AGREEMENTS
The Fund´s Transfer
Agent is Fund Services, Inc. and was paid, $81,143 for the 2022 fiscal year,
$48,043 for the 2023 fiscal year and $79,414 for the 2024 fiscal year.
UMB
Bank is the Fund´s Custodian. For the fiscal years 2022, 2023 and 2024 total
fees paid to the Custodian were $12,421, $10,510, and $4,235,
respectively.
Tait, Weller and Baker LLP was the Fund´s auditor for fiscal
years 2021, 2022 and until the resignation on April 21, 2023. For the fiscal
years 2022, 2023, and 2024 total fees paid to the Auditor were $48,722, $49,144,
and $17,000, respectively.
American Growth Fund, Inc has engaged Sanville
& Company CPA as the Fund’s auditor starting with the Annual Report ending
July 31, 2023 who's fees were paid in the 2024 fiscal year.
OTHER INVESTMENT ADVICE
No other person
advises the Fund.
DEALER
REALLOWANCES
No front-end sales
loads were reallowed to dealers.
RULE
12b-1 PLANS
The Fund´s directors have adopted separate 12b-1
plans for Class A, B and C that allow each class to pay distribution fees for
the sales and distribution of its shares. Class A shares are subject to an
annual 12b-1 fee no greater than 0.30% of average net assets. For approximately
seven years after you buy Class B shares, they are subject to annual 12b-1 fees
no greater than 1% of average daily net assets, of which 0.25% are service fees
paid to the Distributor, dealers or others for providing services and
maintaining accounts. Class C shares are subject to an annual 12b-1 fee which
may not be greater than 1% of average daily net assets, of which 0.25% is
service fees and 0.75% is distribution fees paid to the distributor, dealers or
others for providing personal services and maintaining shareholder
accounts.
For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2024 principal types of
activities for which payments were made, including those amounts, are;
Type |
Amount |
|
Advertising | $0 | |
Printing and mailing of prospectuses to other than current shareholders | $0 | |
Compensation to the Underwriter | $2,163 | |
Compensation to the Broker-Dealer | $11,661* | |
Compensation to sales personnel | $0 | |
Interest, carrying, or other financial charges | $0 | |
Other (specify) | $0 |
*Of
which $2,087 was retained by the distributor.
In addition to the for
mentioned service fees, the 12b-1 plan allows for reimbursement to the
Distributor of expenses incurred. Expenses are reimbursed on an ongoing basis,
subject to review by the board of directors and do not carryover from year to
year.
The Fund does not participate in any joint distribution
activities.
No affiliated person of the Fund has a direct or indirect
financial interest in the operation of the 12b-1 plan or related
agreements.
The Fund anticipates the 12b-1 plan to provide the Fund and its
shareholders with a high level of service. The 12b-1 plan is subject to the
review of the board of directors quarterly.
OTHER
SERVICE PROVIDERS
No other person provides significant administrative or
business affairs management services for the Fund.
SECURITES LENDING
During the last fiscal
year, the Fund did not lend any securities and therefore does not have any
revenue from such activities to report.
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS
The Fund is managed
by IRC through an Investment Advisory Committee, which is made up of; Timothy
Taggart, the Advisor’s and the Fund’s President who has been a member of the
Investment Advisory Committee since September of 2010 and is the President of
the Fund’s principal underwriter and distributor, World Capital Brokerage, Inc.
("WCB"); Robert Fleck, an employee of the Advisor and Investment Advisory
Committee member since September 2010; and Matthew Taggart, an employee of the
Advisor and Investment Committee member since April of 2021. Messrs. Taggart and
Mr. Fleck are jointly and primarily responsible for the portfolio management of
Series One (total net assets of $20,098,147 as of close of business on
07/31/2024). As of 7/31/2023 there were no conflicts of interest in connection
with the portfolio manager’s management of Series One. Messrs. Taggart receives
a salary which is allocated between the Fund, the Advisor, the Underwriter and
other affiliated companies. Mr. Fleck receives 85% of the management fee of
assets raised directly by him and 15% of the management fee of assets raised
from other sources. None of the individuals’ compensation is based upon
performance of the Fund. None of the individuals manage any other funds. As of
12/31/2022 Mr. T. Taggart owned between $10,001-$50,000 of Series One Fund
shares and Mr. Fleck owned over $100,000 of Series One Fund shares. As of the
10/31/2024, Mr. M. Taggart owned $1 - $10,000 of Series One Fund
shares.
DISTRIBUTION OF SHARES
The Fund´s
distributor is World Capital Brokerage, Inc., (WCB or the Distributor) 1636 N.
Logan Street, Denver, Colorado 80203, which continuously sells the Funds shares
to dealers and directly to investors. The offering of the Funds shares is
subject to withdrawal or cancellation at any time. The Fund and the Distributor
reserve the right to reject any order for any reason.
The Fund offers
four classes of shares with a par value $.01 per share. The shares
are fully paid and non-assessable when issued. The Fund offers four classes
of shares; Class A, Class B, Class C and Class D shares of the Fund represent an
identical interest in the investment portfolio. All four classes of the Fund
have the same rights, except that Class A, Class B, and Class C shares bear the
expenses of ongoing service fees and distribution fees, Class B, and Class C may
bear the additional incremental transfer agency costs resulting from the
deferred sales charge arrangements, and Class B shares have a conversion
feature. The fees that are imposed on Class A, Class B, and Class C shares are
imposed directly against those classes and not against all assets of the Funds
and, accordingly, such charges do not affect the net asset value of any other
class or have any impact on investors choosing another sales charge option.
Dividends paid by the Fund for each class of shares are calculated in the same
manner at the same time and will differ only to the extent that distribution and
service plan fees and any incremental transfer agency or other costs relating to
a particular class are borne exclusively by that class. Class A, Class B, and
Class C shares each have exclusive voting rights with respect to the
distribution and service plan adopted with respect to such class pursuant to
which distribution and service plan fees are paid, except that because Class B
and C shares convert automatically to Class A shares approximately seven years
after issuance. The distribution and service plan for Class A shares is also
subject to the right of Class B and C shareholders to vote with respect to
it.
The Fund has entered into separate distribution agreements with the
Distributor in connection with the offering of each class of shares of the Fund
(the "Distribution Agreements"). The Distributor has made no firm commitment to
take any Fund shares from the Fund and is permitted to buy only sufficient
shares to
fill
unconditional orders placed with it by investors and selected investment
dealers. The Distribution Agreements obligate the Distributor to pay certain
expenses in connection with the offering of each class of shares of the Fund.
After the prospectuses, statements of additional information and periodic
reports have been prepared, set in type and mailed to shareholders, the
Distributor pays for the printing and distribution of copies thereof used in
connection with the offering to dealers and investors. The Distributor also pays
for other supplementary sales literature and advertising costs.
Fund
shares may be purchased at the public offering price through the Distributor or
through broker-dealers who are members of the Financial Industry Regulatory
Authority who have sales agreements with the Distributor. The Prospectus
contains information concerning how the public offering price of the Funds
shares is determined. The Distributor allows dealers discounts or concessions
from the applicable public offering price on Class A, and Class D shares.
Concessions are alike for all dealers in the United States and its territories,
but the Distributor may pay additional compensation for special services. On
direct sales to customers through its own sales representatives, the Distributor
pays to them such portion of the sales commission as it deems
appropriate.
Initial
Sales Alternatives - Class A and
Class D Shares. The gross sales charges for the sale of Class D shares for the
fiscal years ended July 31, 2022, 2023, and 2024 were $218 (of which $189 were
paid for dealer commissions and $29 were paid to the underwriter), $166 (of
which $144 were paid for dealer commissions and $22 were paid to the
underwriter), and $2,451 (of which $2,143 were paid for dealer commissions and
$308 were paid to the underwriter) respectively. The gross sales charges for the
sale of Class A shares for the fiscal years ended July 31, 2022, 2023, and 2024
were $9,473 (of which $8,137 were paid for dealer commissions and $1,336 were
paid to the underwriter), $10,210 (of which $8,637 were paid for dealer
commissions and $1,573 were paid to the underwriter), and $11,372 (of which
$9,518 were paid for dealer commissions and $1,854 were paid to the underwriter)
respectively. For the fiscal years ended July 31, 2022, 2023, and 2024, for the
sale of Class D shares the Distributor retained $118 (of which $89 were retained
for the dealer commission and $29 were retained for the underwriter), $111 (of
which $89 were retained for the dealer commission and $22 were retained for the
underwriter), and $2,395 (of which $2,087 were retained for the dealer
commission and $308 were retained for the underwriter) respectively, as its
portion of commissions paid by purchasers of the Fund´s shares after allowing as
concessions to other dealers $99, $55, and $56, respectively. For the fiscal
years ended July 31, 2022, 2023, and 2024, for the sale of Class A shares the
Distributor retained $1,348 (of which $12 were retained for dealer commissions
and $1,336 were retained for the underwriter), $1,597 (of which $25 were
retained for dealer commissions and $1,572 were retained for the underwriter),
and $1,854 (of which $0 were retained for dealer commissions and $1,854 were
retained for the underwriter), respectively, as its portion of commissions paid
by purchasers of the Fund´s shares after allowing as concessions to other
dealers $8,124, $8,612, and $9,518, respectively.
The following sample
calculation of the public offering price of one Class A Class B, Class C and
Class D share of the Fund is based on the net asset value of one Class A and
Class D share as of July 31, 2024 and a transaction with an applicable sales
charge at the maximum rate of 5.75%.
Net asset value per share | Class D | Class A | Class B | Class C |
Total net assets/Total shares outstanding) | $ 7.93 | $ 7.27 | $ 5.28 | $ 5.84 |
(5.75% of offering price) | 0.48 | 0.44 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Maximum offering price per share | $ 8.41 | $ 7.71 | $ 5.28 | $ 5.84 |
Investment
Plans. Investors have flexibility in the purchase of shares under the Fund´s
investment plans. They may make single, lump-sum investments and they may add to
their accounts on a regular basis,
including
through reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions.
An
investor may elect on his application to have all dividends and capital gains
distributions reinvested or take income dividends in cash and have any capital
gains distributions reinvested. An investor may also retain the option of
electing to take any year´s capital gains distribution in cash by notifying the
Fund of his choice to do so in writing.
The Internal Revenue Code of
1986, as amended (the “Code”) contains limitations and restrictions upon
participation in all forms of qualified plans and for contributions made to
retirement plans for tax years beginning after December 31, 1986. Consultation
with an attorney or a competent tax advisor regarding retirement plans is
recommended. A discussion of the various qualified plans offered by the Fund is
contained elsewhere in this Statement of Additional Information.
Investor´s Right of Accumulation. For
Class A and Class D shareholders the value of all assets held the day an order
is received which qualifies for rights of accumulation may be combined to
determine the aggregate investment of any person in ascertaining the sales
charge applicable to each subsequent purchase. For example, for any person who
has previously purchased and still holds Class A or Class D shares,
respectively, with a value (at current offering price) of $20,000 on which he
paid a charge of 5.75% and subsequently purchases $80,000 of additional Class A
or Class D shares, respectively, the charge applicable to the trade of $80,000
would be 3.50%.
The Distributor must be notified by the shareholder when
a purchase takes place if the shareholder wishes to qualify for the reduced
charge on the basis of previous purchases. The reduced sales charge is
inapplicable to income dividends and capital gain distributions which are
reinvested at net asset value. The reduced charge is subject to confirmation of
the investor’s holdings through a check of the Funds records.
Letter of Intent. For Class A and
Class D shareholders any person (as defined under Calculation of Net Asset
Value) may sign a letter of intent covering purchases to be made within a period
of thirteen months (which may include the preceding 90 days) and thereby become
eligible for the reduced sales charge applicable to the total amount purchased,
provided such amount is not less than $50,000. After a letter of intent is
established, each future purchase will be made at the reduced sales charge
applicable to the intended dollar amount noted on the application. Reinvestment
of income dividends and capital gains distributions is not considered a purchase
hereunder. If, within the 13-month period, ownership of the designated class of
Fund shares does not reach the intended dollar amount, the difference between
what you paid for such shares and the amount which would have been paid for them
must be promptly paid as if the normal sales commission applicable to such
purchases had been charged. The difference between the sales charge as applied
to a regular purchase and the sales charge as applied on the letter of intent
will be held in escrow in the form of shares (computed to the nearest full
share) and can be retained by the Fund. If during the 13-month period the
intended dollar amount is increased, a new or revised letter of intent must be
signed and complied with to receive a further sales charge reduction. This
reduction will apply retroactively to all shares theretofore purchased under
this letter.
Automatic
Investment Plan. After making an initial investment, a shareholder may
make additional purchases at any time either through the shareholder´s
securities dealer, or by mail directly to the transfer agent. Voluntary
accumulation also can be made through a service known as the Fund´s Automatic
Investment Plan whereby the Fund is authorized through pre-authorized checks or
automated clearing house debits to charge the regular bank account of the
shareholder on a regular basis to provide systematic additions to the account of
such shareholder.
Deferred Sales
Charges. As discussed in the Prospectuses, Class B shares redeemed within
seven years of purchase, Class C shares redeemed within one year of purchase,
and certain purchases of Class A and Class D shares at net asset value and
redeemed within one year of purchase, are each subject to a Contingent Deferred
Sales Charge. However, under most circumstances, the charge is waived on
redemptions in connection with certain post-retirement withdrawals from an IRA
or other retirement plan or following the death or disability of a shareholder.
Redemptions for which the waiver
applies
are: (a) any partial or complete redemption in connection with a distribution
following retirement under a tax-deferred retirement plan or attaining age
59 1/2 in the case of an IRA or other retirement plan, or part of a series of
equal periodic payments (not less frequently than annually) made for life (or
life expectancy) or any redemption resulting from the tax-free return of an
excess contribution to an IRA; or (b) any partial or complete redemption
following the death or disability (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code) of a
shareholder (including one who owns the shares as joint tenant with his or her
spouse), provided the redemption is requested within one year of the death or
initial determination of disability. The contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC)
is waived on redemption of shares in connection with a Systematic Withdrawal
Plan where the total withdrawal is less than 12% of the previous year value or
of the original purchase, whichever is greater.
For the
fiscal year ended July 31, 2024, the Distributor received CDSCs of $9, with
respect to redemptions of Class B shares, all of which was paid to the
Distributor. For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2024 the Distributor received
CDSCs of $253 with respect to redemptions of Class C shares.
From time to
time the Distributor may pay a finder´s fee to Selling Group Members not to
exceed 1% of the purchase for net asset value trades over one million
dollars.
Intermediary-Defined
Sales Charge Waiver Policies
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.
Intermediaries may have different policies and procedures regarding
the availability of front-end sales load waivers or contingent deferred
(back-end) sales load (“CDSC”) waivers, which are discussed below. 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 fund shares directly from the fund or through
another intermediary to receive these waivers or discounts.
Effective March
1, 2019, shareholders purchasing fund shares will be 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 fund’s prospectus or SAI.
Front-end sales load waivers on Class A
shares available:
l Shares
purchased in an investment advisory program.
l Shares
purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend
reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund
within the fund family).
l Employees and
registered representatives of Broker Dealers or their affiliates and their
immediate family members.
l Shares
purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within the same fund family, provided
(1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the
redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were
subject to a front-end or deferred sales load (known as Rights of
Reinstatement).
l A shareholder
in the Fund’s Class C shares will have their shares converted at net asset value
to Class A shares (or the appropriate share class) of the Fund if the shares are
no longer subject to a CDSC and the conversion is in line with the policies and
procedures of the Broker Dealer.
CDSC Waivers on Classes A, B and C shares
available:
l Death or
disability of the shareholder.
l Shares sold
as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the fund’s
prospectus.
l Return of
excess contributions from an IRA Account.
l Shares sold
as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due
to the shareholder reaching age 70½ as described in the fund’s
prospectus.
l Shares sold
to pay Broker Dealer fees but only if the transaction is initiated by the Broker
Dealer.
l Shares
acquired through a right of reinstatement.
Front-end load discounts available:
breakpoints, and/or rights of accumulation
l
Breakpoints
as described in this prospectus.
l
Rights
of accumulation which entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts will be
automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of fund family assets
held by accounts within the purchaser’s household. Eligible fund family assets
not held at the Broker Dealer may be included in the rights of accumulation
calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial Advisor about
such assets.
AUTOMATIC CASH WITHDRAWAL
PLAN
The Automatic Withdrawal
Plan is designed as a convenience for those shareholders wishing to receive a
stated amount of money at regular intervals from their investment in shares of
the Fund. A Plan is opened by completing an application for such Plan and
surrendering to the Fund all certificates issued to the investor for Fund
shares. No minimum number of shares or minimum withdrawal amount is required.
Withdrawals are made from investment income dividends paid on shares held under
the Plan and, if these are not sufficient, from the proceeds from redemption of
such number of shares as may be necessary to make periodic payments. As such
redemptions involve the use of capital, over a period of time they will very
likely exhaust the share balance of an account held under a Plan and may result
in capital gains taxable to the investor. Use of a Plan cannot assure
realization of investment objectives, including capital growth or protection
against loss. Price determinations with respect to share redemptions are
generally made on the 23rd of each month or the next business day thereafter.
Proceeds from such transactions are generally mailed three business days
following such transaction date.
Withdrawals concurrent with purchases of
additional shares may be inadvisable because of duplication of sales charges.
Single payment purchases of shares in amounts less than $5,000 in combination
with a withdrawal plan will not ordinarily be permitted. No withdrawal plan will
be permitted if the investor is also a purchaser under a continuous investment
plan. Either the owner or the Fund may terminate the Plan at any time, for any
reason, by written notice to the other.
Investment income dividends paid
on shares held in a withdrawal plan account will be credited to such account and
reinvested in additional Fund shares. Any optional capital gains distributions
will be taken in shares, which will be added to the share balance held in
the Plan account. Dividends and distributions paid into the Plan account are
taxable for federal income tax purposes.
RETIREMENT PLANS
The Fund makes
available retirement plan services to all classes of its shares. Investors in
the Fund can establish accounts in any one of the retirement plans offered by
the Fund. Each participant in a retirement plan account is charged a $20 annual
service fee to offset expenses incurred in servicing such accounts. Dividends
and capital gains distributions are automatically reinvested. Under each of the
plans, the Fund´s retirement plan custodian or successor custodian provides
custodial services required by the Code, including the filing of reports with
the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”). Consultation with an attorney or competent
tax advisor is recommended before establishing any retirement plan. Brochures
which describe the following retirement plans and contain IRS model or prototype
plan documents may be obtained from the Distributor. The Distributor, in its
sole discretion, may reimburse a Fund shareholder for any penalties which the
shareholder may incur in transferring assets from a retirement plan established
with a third party to one or more of the retirement plans offered by the Fund.
No such reimbursement shall exceed the amount of the dealer concession which the
Distributor would otherwise pay to a dealer in conjunction with the investment
by the shareholders in the Funds retirement plan(s).
INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS. The
Fund makes available a model Individual Retirement Account (IRA) under Section
408(a) of the Code on IRS Form 5305-A. A qualified individual may invest
annually in an IRA. Persons who are not eligible to make fully deductible
contributions will be able to make non-deductible contributions to their IRAs,
subject to limits specified in the Code, to the extent that deductible
contributions are not allowed. IRA earnings on non-deductible, as well as
deductible, contributions will accumulate tax deferred. An IRA account may also
be established in a tax-free roll-over
transfer
within 60 days of receipt of a lump sum distribution from a qualified pension
plan resulting from severance of employment or termination by the employer of
such a plan.
The Code provides for penalties for violation of certain of
its provisions including, but not limited to, contributions in excess of the
stipulated limitations, improper distributions and certain prohibited
transactions. To afford plan holders the right of revocation described in the
IRA disclosure statements, investments made in a newly established IRA may be
canceled within seven days of the date the plan holder signed the Custodial
Agreement by writing the Fund´s retirement plan custodian.
SIMPLIFIED EMPLOYEE PENSION
PLANS. The Fund makes available model Simplified Employee Pension
Plans (SEPs) on IRS Form 5305-SEP and Salary Reduction Simplified Employee
Pension Plans (SARSEPs) on IRS Form 5305A-SEP. By adopting a SEP, employers may
contribute to each eligible employees own IRA. Commencing with tax years
beginning after December 31, 1986, salary reduction contributions may be made to
SEPs maintained by employers meeting certain qualifications specified in
the Code.
TEACHER AND NON-PROFIT
EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT PLAN. Employees of tax exempt, charitable, religious
and educational organizations described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Code, and
employees of public school systems and state and local educational institutions,
may establish a retirement plan under Section 403(b) of the Code.
PROTOTYPE MONEY PURCHASE AND PROFIT-SHARING
PENSION PLANS. Available generally to employers, including self-employed
individuals, partnerships, subchapter S corporations and
corporations.
DISTRIBUTION
PLANS
Reference is made to Purchase of Shares--Distribution Plans
in the Prospectuses for certain information with respect to separate
distribution plans for Class A, Class B, and Class C shares pursuant to Rule
12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of the Fund (each a "Distribution Plan")
and with respect to the shareholder service and distribution fees paid by the
Fund to the Distributor with respect to such classes.
Payments of the
shareholder service fees and/or distribution fees are subject to the provisions
of Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Among other things, each
Distribution Plan provides that the Distributor shall provide, and the Directors
shall review quarterly reports of the disbursement of the service fees and/or
distribution fees paid to the Distributor. In their consideration of each
Distribution Plan, the Directors must consider all factors they deem relevant,
including information as to the benefits of the Distribution Plan to the Fund
and its related class of shareholders. Each Distribution Plan further provides
that, so long as the Distribution Plan remains in effect, the selection and
nomination of Directors who are not interested persons of the Fund, as defined
in the Investment Company Act (the Independent Directors), shall be committed to
the discretion of the Independent Directors then in office. In approving each
Distribution Plan in accordance with Rule 12b-1, the Independent Directors
considered the potential benefits that the Distribution Plans could provide to
the Fund and the respective classes and their shareholders, and concluded that
there is reasonable likelihood that such Distribution Plan will benefit the Fund
and its shareholders. Each Distribution Plan can be terminated at any time,
without penalty, by the vote of a majority of the Independent Directors or by
the vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of
the applicable class. A Distribution Plan cannot be amended to increase
materially the amount to be spent there under without the approval of the
applicable class of shareholders, and all material amendments are required to be
approved by the vote of Directors, including a majority of the Independent
Directors who have no direct or indirect financial interest in such Distribution
Plan, cast in person at a meeting called for that purpose. Rule 12b-1 further
requires that the Fund preserve copies of each Distribution Plan and any report
made pursuant to such plan for a period of
not less than six years from the date of such Distribution Plan or such report, the first two years in an easily accessible place.
For the
fiscal year ended July 31, 2024, the Fund paid the Distributor $29,309 (based on
an average net assets relating to the Class A shares of approximately
$9,487,026) pursuant to the Class A Distribution Plan, $21,101 of which was paid
to other broker-dealers for providing account maintenance and
distribution-related services in connection with the Class A shares and $8,208
(of which $7,091 was for the certain distribution related activities and $1,117
was for providing account maintenance and distribution related services) was
retained by the Distributor. For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2024, the Fund
paid the Distributor $2,516 (based on average net assets relating to the Class B
shares of approximately $244,166) pursuant to the Class B Distribution Plan,
$611 of which was paid to other broker-dealers for providing account maintenance
and distribution-related services in connection with the Class B shares and
$1,905 (of which $1,905 was for the certain distribution-related activities and
$0 was for providing account maintenance and distribution-related services) was
retained by the distributor. For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2024, the Fund
paid the Distributor $14,184 (based on average net assets relating to the Class
C shares of approximately $1,376,993) pursuant to the Class C Distribution Plan,
$12,396 of which was paid to other broker-dealers for providing account
maintenance and distribution-related services in connection with the Class C
shares and $1,788 (of which $1,788 was for the certain distribution-related
activities and $0 was for providing account maintenance and distribution-related
services) was retained by the Distributor. For the fiscal year ended July 31,
2024, the Advisor paid $18,600 (based on average net assets relating to the
Class D shares of approximately $7,430,389) pursuant to the Class D Distribution
Plan, $6,824 of which was paid to other broker-dealers for providing account
maintenance and distribution-related services in connection with the Class D
shares and $11,776 (of which $0 was for the certain distribution-related
activities and $11,776 was for providing account maintenance and
distribution-related services) was retained by the Distributor. At July 31,
2024, the net assets of the Fund subject to the Class B Distribution Plan
aggregated approximately $261,357. At this net asset level, the annual fee
payable pursuant to the Class B Distribution Plan would aggregate approximately
$2,614. At July 31, 2024, the net assets of the Fund subject to Class C
Distribution Plan approximated $1,514,476. At this asset level, the annual fee
payable pursuant to the Class C Distribution Plan would approximate
$15,145.
Net Asset Value Purchases of Class A Shares. Class A shares of
the Fund may be purchased at net asset value through certain organizations
(which may be broker-dealers, banks or other financial organizations)(Processing
Organizations) which have agreed with the Distributor to purchase and hold
shares for their customers. A Processing Organization may require persons
purchasing through it to meet the minimum initial or subsequent investments,
which may be higher or lower than the Fund´s minimum investments, and may impose
other restrictions, charges and fees in addition to or different from those
applicable to other purchasers of shares of the Fund. Investors contemplating a
purchase of Fund shares through a Processing Organization should consult the
materials provided by the Processing Organization for further information
concerning purchases, redemptions and transfers of Fund shares as well as
applicable fees and expenses and other procedures and restrictions. Certain
Processing Organizations may receive compensation from the Advisor and the
Distributor.
Class A shares of the Fund may also be purchased at net
asset value by an investment Advisor registered with the Securities and Exchange
Commission or appropriate state authorities who clears such Fund transactions
through a broker-dealer, bank or trust company (each of which may impose
transaction fees with respect to such transactions) and who either purchases
shares for its own account or for accounts for which the investment Advisor is
authorized to make investment decisions. Such investment Advisors may impose
charges and fees on their clients for their services, which charges and fees may
vary from investment Advisor to investment Advisor.
Class A shares may be
offered at net asset value in connection with the acquisition of assets of other
investment companies. Class A shares also are offered at net asset value,
without sales charge, to an investor who has a business relationship with an
American Growth Fund Distribution Plan, if certain conditions set forth in
the Statement of Additional Information are met.
The
Fund also sells its Class A shares at net asset value in connection with a
qualified rollover of assets held in a previously existing tax-exempt retirement
plan (including an IRA, 401(k) plan or 403(b) plan) through broker-dealers who
have entered into an agreement with the Underwriter relating to such
rollovers.
BROKERAGE
Decisions
to buy and sell securities for the Fund, assignment of its portfolio business,
and negotiation of its commission rates, where applicable, are made by the
Fund´s securities order department. The Fund does not have any agreement or
arrangement to use any particular broker for its portfolio transactions. The
Fund´s primary consideration in effecting a security transaction will be
execution at the most favorable price. When selecting a broker-dealer to execute
a particular transaction, the Fund will take the following into consideration:
the best net price available; the reliability, integrity and financial condition
of the broker-dealer; the size of and difficulty in executing the order; the
value of the expected contribution of the broker-dealer to the investment
performance of the Fund on a continuing basis; sales of Fund shares; and the
value of brokerage, research and other services provided by the broker-dealer.
The commission charged by a broker may be greater than the amount another firm
might charge if the management of the Fund determines in good faith that the
amount of such commissions is reasonable in relation to the value of the
brokerage and research services provided by such broker.
Portfolio
transactions placed through dealers serving as primary market makers are
effected at net prices, without commission as such, but which include
compensation to the dealer in the form of mark up or mark down. In certain
instances, the Fund may make purchases of underwritten issues at prices which
include underwriting fees. When making purchases of underwritten issues with
fixed underwriting fees, the Fund may designate broker-dealers who have agreed
to provide the Fund with certain statistical, research, and other information,
or services which are deemed by the Fund to be beneficial to the Fund´s
investment program. With respect to money market instruments, the Fund
anticipates the portfolio securities transactions will be affected with the
issuer or with a primary market maker acting as principal for the securities on
a net basis (without commissions).
Any statistical or research
information furnished to the Advisor may be used in advising its other clients.
Generally, no specific value can be determined for research and statistical
services furnished without cost to the Fund by a broker-dealer. The Fund is of
the opinion that the material is beneficial in supplementing research and
analysis provided by the Fund´s Advisor.
The Fund may use affiliated
brokers, as that term is defined in the Investment Company Act, if in the
Advisor´s best judgment based on all relevant factors, the affiliated broker is
able to implement the policy of the Fund to obtain, at reasonable expense, the
best execution (prompt and reliable execution at the most favorable price
obtainable) of such transactions. The Advisor need not seek competitive
commission bidding but is expected to minimize the commissions paid to the
extent consistent with the interest and policies of the Fund as established by
its Board of Directors. Purchases of securities from underwriters include a
commission or concession paid by the issuer to the underwriter, and purchases
from dealers include a spread between the bid and asked price.
The Fund
paid total brokerage commissions of $0, $0, and $0 in fiscal years 2022, 2023,
and 2024, respectively. The Fund did not purchase securities offered by any
broker-dealer that executed portfolio transactions during such fiscal years. The
Fund paid brokerage commissions of $0, $0, and $0 in fiscal years 2022, 2023 and
2024 to World Capital Brokerage, the distributor and an affiliate of the Fund.
Commissions and sales charges paid by investors on the purchase of Fund shares
totaled $14,726, $14,271, and $14,653 in fiscal years 2022, 2023, and 2024,
respectively, of which $1,467, $1,709, and $2,087 were retained by World Capital
Brokerage. The aggregate dollar amount of transactions effected through World
Capital Brokerage involving the payment of commissions represented 100% of the
aggregate dollar amount of all transactions involving the payment of commissions
during fiscal year 2024.
While some stocks considered in the opinion of
management to be least sensitive to business declines will be maintained as long
term holdings, others considered most sensitive to such declines will be sold
whenever in management´s judgment economic conditions may be in for a major
decline. Resulting funds
may
be temporarily invested in United States Government securities, high-grade bonds
and high-grade preferred stocks, until management believes business and market
conditions indicate that reinvestment in common stocks is desirable. The
portfolio turnover rate of the Fund for the fiscal years ended July 31, 2022,
2023, and 2024 was 3%, 3%, and 4%, respectively.
CALCULATION OF NET ASSET VALUE
The Fund
offers its shares continuously to the public at their net asset value next
computed after receipt of the order to purchase plus any applicable sales
charge. Net asset value is determined as of the close of business on the New
York Stock Exchange each day the Exchange is open for trading, and all purchase
orders are executed at the next price that is determined after the order is
received. Orders received and properly time-stamped by dealers and received by
the Distributor prior to 2:00 p.m. Denver time on any business day will be
confirmed at the public offering price effective at the close on that day.
Orders received after such time will be confirmed at the public offering price
determined as of the close of the Exchange on the next business day. It is the
responsibility of the dealers to remit orders promptly to the Distributor. The
New York Stock Exchange is closed on the following holidays: New Year´s Day,
Martin Luther King Day, Presidents Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence
Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
In determining net
asset value, securities traded on the New York Stock Exchange or other stock
exchange approved for this purpose by the board of directors will be valued on
the basis of the closing sale thereof on such stock exchange, or, if such sale
is lacking, at the mean between closing bid and asked prices on such day.
If no bid and asked prices are quoted for such day or information as to New York
or other approved exchange transactions is not readily available, the security
will be valued by reference to recognized composite quotations or such other
method as the board of directors in good faith deems will reflect its fair
market value. Securities not traded on any stock exchange but for which market
quotations are readily available are valued on the basis of the mean of the last
bid and asked prices. Short-term securities are valued at the mean between the
closing bid and asked prices or by such other method as the board of directors
determines to reflect their fair market value. The board of directors in good
faith determines the manner of ascertaining the fair market value of other
securities and assets.
The net asset price of Fund shares will be
computed by deducting total liabilities from total assets. The net asset value
per share will be ascertained by dividing the Fund´s net assets by the total
number of shares outstanding, exclusive of treasury shares and shares tendered
for redemption the redemption price of which has been determined. Adjustment for
fractions will be made to the nearest cent.
The per share net asset value
of Class A, Class B, and Class C shares generally will be lower than the per
share net asset value of the Class D shares reflecting the daily expense
accruals of the service, distribution and higher transfer agency fees applicable
with respect to the Class A, Class B, and Class C shares. The per share net
asset value of the Class B and Class C shares generally will be lower than the
per share net asset value of Class A shares reflecting the daily expense
accruals of the service and distribution fees and higher transfer agency fees
applicable with respect to Class B and Class C shares of the Fund. It is
expected, however, that the per share net asset value of the classes will tend
to converge (although not necessarily meet) immediately after the payment of
dividends or distributions, which will differ by approximately the amount of the
expense accrual differential between the classes.
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES
As a
“regulated investment company” under the Code, the Fund is subject to three
tests: the income test, the asset diversification test, and the distribution
test. In some circumstances, the character and timing of income realized by the
Fund for purposes of the income test or the identification of the issuer for
purposes of the asset diversification test is uncertain under current law with
respect to a particular investment, and an adverse determination or future
guidance by the IRS with respect to such type of investment may adversely affect
the Fund’s ability to satisfy these tests. In other circumstances, the Fund may
be required to sell portfolio holdings in order to meet the income test, the
asset diversification test, or the distribution test, which may have a negative
impact on the Fund’s income and performance. In lieu of potential
disqualification, the Fund is permitted to pay a tax for certain failures to
satisfy the asset
diversification test or the income test, which, in general, are limited to those due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect.
If for any taxable year the Fund does not qualify as a regulated investment company, all of its taxable income (including its net capital gain) would be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for dividends paid to shareholders, and the dividends would be taxable to the shareholders as ordinary income (or possibly as qualified dividend income) to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits. Failure to qualify as a regulated investment company, subject to savings provisions for certain qualification failures, which, in general, are limited to those due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, would thus have a negative impact on the Fund’s income and performance. In that case, the Fund would be liable for federal, and possibly state, corporate taxes on its taxable income and gains, and distributions to you would be taxed as dividend income to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits. Even if such savings provisions apply, the Fund may be subject to a monetary sanction of $50,000 or more. Moreover, the Board of Directors reserves the right not to maintain the qualification of the Fund as a regulated investment company if it determines such a course of action to be beneficial to shareholders.
As a
regulated investment company, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal
income tax on its income and gains which it distributes as dividends or capital
gains distributions provided that it distributes to shareholders at least 90% of
its investment company taxable income for the taxable year. The Fund intends to
distribute sufficient income to meet this test.
The per share dividends
and distributions on Class A, Class B, and Class C shares will be lower than the
per share dividends and distributions on Class D shares as a result of the
account maintenance, distribution and higher transfer agency fees applicable
with respect to the Class A, Class B, and Class C shares; similarly, the per
share dividends and distributions on Class A shares will be higher than the per
share dividends and distributions on Class B and Class C shares as a result of
the lower account maintenance fees applicable with respect to the Class A shares
and a lower distribution fee. See Calculation of Net Asset Value.
Net
capital gains (which consist of the excess of net long-term capital gains over
net short-term capital losses) are not included in the definition of investment
company taxable income. The Board of Directors will determine at least once a
year whether to distribute any net capital gains. A determination by the Board
of Directors to retain net capital gains will not affect the ability of the Fund
to qualify as a regulated investment company. If the Fund retains for investment
its net capital gains, it will be subject to a tax of 21% of the amount
retained. In that event, the Fund expects to designate the retained amount of
undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who (i) if subject
to U.S. federal income tax on long-term capital gains, will be required to
include in income for tax purposes as long term-capital gain, their shares of
such undistributed amount, and (ii) will be entitled to credit their
proportionate shares of the 21% tax paid by the Fund against their U.S. federal
income tax liabilities and to claim refunds to the extent the credit exceeds
such liabilities. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, the tax basis of shares
owned by a shareholder of the Fund will be increased by an amount equal to 79%
of the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the shareholder´s gross
income.
Under the Code, amounts not distributed on a timely basis in
accordance with a calendar year distribution requirement are subject to a
nondeductible 4% excise tax. To avoid the tax, the Fund must distribute during
each calendar year (1) at least 98.2% of its ordinary income (not taking into
account any capital gains or losses) for the calendar year, (2) at least 98% of
its capital gains in excess of its capital losses for the twelve-month period
ending on October 31 of the calendar year, and (3) all ordinary income and net
capital gains for previous years that were not distributed during such years. To
avoid application of the excise tax, the Fund intends to make distributions in
accordance with the calendar year distribution requirement. A distribution will
be treated as paid on December 31 of the calendar year if it is paid during the
calendar year or if declared by the Fund in October, November or December of
such year, payable to shareholders of record on a date in such month and paid by
the Fund during January of the following year. Any such distributions paid
during January of the following year will be taxable to shareholders as of
December 31 of the year such distributions were declared, rather than the date
on which the distributions
are
received.
Distributions of net investment income (which includes
interest, dividend income, other than qualified dividend income, and the excess
of net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses) are taxable
to a shareholder as ordinary income, whether paid in cash or shares. Certain
distributions made to you may be from qualified dividend income and net capital
gain (which consists of the excess of long-term capital gains over net
short-term capital losses), if any, and are taxable as long-term capital gains,
whether paid in cash or in shares, regardless of how long the shareholder has
held the Fund shares, and are not eligible for the dividends received
deduction.
Upon a sale or exchange of its shares, a shareholder will
realize a taxable gain or loss depending upon its basis in the shares. Such gain
or loss will be treated as capital gain or loss if the shares are capital assets
in the shareholder´s hands and such capital gain or loss will be long-term
capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any
loss realized on a sale or exchange will be disallowed to the extent the shares
disposed of are replaced within a period of 61 days, beginning 30 days before
and ending 30 days after disposal of the shares. Any loss realized by a
shareholder on the sale of shares of the Fund held by the shareholder for six
months or less will be treated for tax purposes as a long-term capital loss to
the extent of any distributions of net capital gains received by the shareholder
with respect to such shares.
Shareholders receiving distributions in the
form of newly issued shares will have a cost basis in each share received equal
to the fair market value of a share of the Fund on the distribution date.
Shareholders will be notified annually as to the U.S. federal income tax status
of distributions and shareholders receiving distributions in the form of newly
issued shares will receive a report as to the fair market value of the shares
received. If the net asset value of shares is reduced below a shareholder´s cost
as a result of a distribution by the Fund, such distribution will be taxable
even though it represents a return of invested capital. Investors should be
careful to consider the tax implications of buying shares just prior to a
distribution. The price of shares purchased at this time may reflect the amount
of the forthcoming distribution. Those purchasing just prior to a distribution
will receive a distribution which will nevertheless be taxable to
them.
Income received by the Fund from sources within foreign countries
may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by such countries. Income
tax treaties between certain countries and the United States may reduce or
eliminate such taxes. It is impossible to determine in advance the effective
rate of foreign tax to which the Fund will be subject, since the amount of the
Fund assets to be invested in various countries is not known. It is not
anticipated that shareholders will be entitled to claim foreign tax credits with
respect to their share of foreign taxes paid by the Fund.
Distributions
may also be subject to additional state, local and foreign taxes depending on
each shareholder´s particular situation. Shareholders are advised to consult
their own tax advisors with respect to the particular tax consequences to them
of an investment in the shares of the Fund.
If a shareholder has elected
to receive dividends and/or capital gain distributions in cash and the postal or
other delivery service is unable to deliver checks to the shareholder´s address
of record, such shareholder´s distribution option will automatically be
converted to having all dividends and other distributions reinvested in
additional shares. No interest will accrue on amounts represented by uncashed
distribution or redemption checks.
The foregoing is a general and
abbreviated summary of the applicable provisions of the Code and Treasury
Regulations presently in effect. For the complete provisions, reference should
be made to the pertinent Code sections and the Treasury Regulations promulgated
thereunder. The Code and the Treasury Regulations are subject to change by
legislative or administrative action either prospectively or retroactively.
In some circumstances, the character and timing of income realized by the Fund for purposes of the income requirement or the identification of the issuer for purposes of the asset diversification test is
uncertain under current law with respect to a particular investment, and an adverse determination or future guidance by the IRS with respect to such type of investment may adversely affect the Fund’s ability to satisfy these requirements. In other circumstances, the Fund may be required to sell portfolio holdings in order to meet the income requirement, distribution requirement, or asset diversification test, which may have a negative impact on the Fund’s income and performance. In lieu of potential disqualification, the Fund is permitted to pay a tax for certain failures to satisfy the asset diversification test or income requirement, which, in general, are limited to those due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect.
If for any taxable year the Fund does not qualify as a regulated investment company, all of its taxable income (including its net capital gain) would be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for dividends paid to shareholders, and the dividends would be taxable to the shareholders as ordinary income (or possibly as qualified dividend income) to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits. Failure to qualify as a regulated investment company, subject to savings provisions for certain qualification failures, which, in general, are limited to those due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, would thus have a negative impact on the Fund’s income and performance. In that case, the Fund would be liable for federal, and possibly state, corporate taxes on its taxable income and gains, and distributions to you would be taxed as dividend income to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits. Even if such savings provisions apply, the Fund may be subject to a monetary sanction of $50,000 or more. Moreover, the board reserves the right not to maintain the qualification of the Fund as a regulated investment company if it determines such a course of action to be beneficial to shareholders.
PERFORMANCE DATA
See the discussion of
performance information in the Fund´s prospectuses under the heading,
Performance Information. The average annual total returns are calculated
pursuant to the following formula: P(1 + T)n = ERV (where P = a hypothetical
initial payment of $1,000, T = the average annual total return, n = the number
of years, and ERV = the ending redeemable value of a hypothetical $1,000 payment
made at the beginning of the period at the end of the 1, 5 or 10 year
periods).
For the periods ended July 31, 2024, the average annual total
returns at maximum offering price for the Class D shares of the Fund was 14.66%
for 1 year, 9.25% for 5 years, and 8.97% for 10 years. For the year ended July
31, 2024, the average annual total return at maximum offering price for the
Fund´s Class A shares was 14.02% for 1 year, 8.77% for 5 years, and 8.97% for 10
years, Class B shares was 19.06% for 1 year, 7.56% for 5 years, and 7.83% for 10
years, including the conversion from B shares to A shares after 7 years, and
Class C shares was 19.96% for 1 year, 9.22% for 5 years, 8.69% for 10 years,
including the conversion from C shares to A shares after 7 years.
In
addition to the standardized calculation of annual total return, the Fund may
from time to time use other methods of calculating its performance in order to
illustrate the effect of a hypothetical investment in a plan or the effect of
withdrawing funds from an account over a period of time. Any presentation of
non-standardized calculations will be accompanied by standardized performance
measures as well. Calculations of performance may be expressed in terms of the
total return as well as the average annual compounded rate of return of a
hypothetical investment in the Fund over varying periods of time in addition to
the 1, 5, and 10 year periods (up to the life of the Fund) and may reflect the
deduction of the appropriate sales charge imposed upon an initial investment of
more than $1,000 in the Fund. These performance calculations will reflect the
deduction of a proportional share of Fund expenses (on an annual basis), will
assume that all dividends and distributions are reinvested when paid, may
include periodic investments or withdrawals from the account in varying amounts
and/or percentages and may include deductions for an annual custodian fee. The
Fund may calculate its total return or other performance information prior to
the deduction of a sales charge.
The performance figures described above
may also be used to compare the performance of the Fund´s shares against certain
widely recognized standards or indices for stock and bond market performance.
The following are the indices against which the Portfolios may compare
performance:
The Standard & Poor´s Composite Index of 500 Stocks (the
S&P 500 Index) is a market value-weighted
and
unmanaged index showing the changes in the aggregate market value of 500 stocks
relative to the base period 1941-43. The S&P 500 Index is composed almost
entirely of common stocks of companies listed on the NYSE, although the common
stocks of a few companies listed on the American Stock Exchange or traded OTC
are included. The 500 companies represented include 400 industrial, 60
transportation and 50 financial services concerns. The S&P 500 Index
represents about 80% of the market value of all issues traded on the
NYSE.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is an unmanaged index composed of
30 blue-chip industrial corporation stocks.
The Lipper Mutual Fund
Performance Analysis and Mutual Fund Indices measure total return and average
current yield for the mutual fund industry. Ranks individual mutual fund
performance over specified time periods assuming reinvestment of all
distributions, exclusive of sales charges.
The Consumer Price Index (or
Cost of Living index), published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, is a
statistical measure of periodic change in the price of goods and services in
major expenditure groups.
The following table presents a hypothetical
initial investment of $1,000 on August 1, 1958 with subsequent investments of
$1,000 made annually through July 31, 2023. The illustration assumes that the
investment was made in Class D shares, (the only class existing at that time),
and a sales load of 5.75% has been deducted from the initial and subsequent
investments, a $20 annual fee (representing the annual service fee charged to
retirement plan accounts) has been deducted from the account annually, and that
all dividend and capital gain distributions have been reinvested when paid.
While the illustration uses an investment of $1,000 and a 5.75% sales load, the
Fund may select any multiple of $1,000 in order to illustrate the effect of an
investment plan and the sales load will reflect the appropriate sales load for
the initial and subsequent investments as determined by the Funds currently
effective prospectuses. Class A, Class B, and Class C shares are subject to
additional distribution charges as outlined in the prospectus, which would have,
if the Class was in effect, produced a lower rate of return. The sales load may
be reduced pursuant to rights of accumulation and letter of intent.
Year Ended | Total of initial & annual investments | Dividends from investment income reinvested | Cumulative reinvested dividends | Cumulative cost including reinvested dividends | Acquired with initial & annual investments | Accepted as capital gains distributions (Cumulative) | Purchased through reinvestment of income (Cumulative) | Ended Value |
08/01/58 | $ 1,000 | $ - | $ - | $ 1,000 | $ 943 | $ - | $ - | $ 943 |
07/31/59 | 2,000 | 0 | 0 | 2,000 | 2,049 | 0 | 0 | 2,049 |
07/31/60 | 3,000 | 28 | 28 | 3,028 | 2,800 | 0 | 28 | 2,850 |
07/31/61 | 4,000 | 82 | 110 | 4,110 | 4,521 | 62 | 130 | 4,713 |
07/31/62 | 5,000 | 94 | 204 | 5,204 | 4,838 | 76 | 194 | 5,108 |
07/31/63 | 6,000 | 120 | 324 | 6,324 | 6,723 | 251 | 366 | 7,340 |
07/31/64 | 7,000 | 122 | 446 | 7,446 | 9,310 | 432 | 594 | 10,336 |
07/31/65 | 8,000 | 146 | 592 | 8,592 | 9,680 | 1,107 | 699 | 11,486 |
07/31/66 | 9,000 | 198 | 790 | 9,790 | 10,630 | 2,148 | 894 | 13,672 |
07/31/67 | 10,000 | 364 | 1,154 | 11,154 | 11,832 | 3,694 | 1,320 | 16,846 |
07/31/68 | 11,000 | 345 | 1,499 | 12,499 | 13,910 | 4,055 | 1,814 | 19,779 |
07/31/69 | 12,000 | 399 | 1,898 | 13,898 | 12,220 | 5,516 | 1,806 | 19,542 |
07/31/70 | 13,000 | 522 | 2,420 | 15,420 | 10,441 | 5,038 | 1,836 | 17,315 |
07/31/71 | 14,000 | 585 | 3,005 | 17,005 | 14,285 | 6,448 | 2,985 | 23,718 |
07/31/72 | 15,000 | 675 | 3,680 | 18,680 | 15,964 | 6,789 | 3,850 | 26,603 |
07/31/73 | 16,000 | 693 | 4,373 | 20,373 | 16,197 | 6,853 | 4,346 | 27,396 |
07/31/74 | 17,000 | 773 | 5,146 | 22,146 | 13,960 | 5,975 | 4,176 | 24,111 |
07/31/75 | 18,000 | 1,389 | 6,535 | 24,535 | 13,635 | 8,985 | 5,210 | 27,830 |
07/31/76 | 19,000 | 1,158 | 7,693 | 26,693 | 16,700 | 10,397 | 7,325 | 34,422 |
07/31/77 | 20,000 | 1,062 | 8,755 | 28,755 | 19,497 | 11,564 | 9,300 | 40,361 |
07/31/78 | 21,000 | 1,006 | 9,761 | 30,761 | 23,628 | 13,467 | 11,993 | 49,088 |
07/31/79 | 22,000 | 2,034 | 11,795 | 33,795 | 27,002 | 14,859 | 15,520 | 57,381 |
07/31/80 | 23,000 | 2,899 | 14,694 | 37,694 | 37,792 | 21,740 | 24,526 | 84,058 |
07/31/81 | 24,000 | 3,723 | 18,417 | 42,417 | 30,413 | 40,456 | 22,436 | 93,305 |
07/31/82 | 25,000 | 4,187 | 22,604 | 47,604 | 27,728 | 38,656 | 23,742 | 90,126 |
07/31/83 | 26,000 | 6,693 | 29,297 | 55,297 | 39,951 | 54,379 | 42,184 | 136,514 |
07/31/84 | 27,000 | 5,594 | 34,891 | 61,891 | 35,017 | 57,252 | 41,236 | 133,505 |
07/31/85 | 28,000 | 4,585 | 39,476 | 67,476 | 37,804 | 72,022 | 48,584 | 158,410 |
07/31/86 | 29,000 | 7,249 | 46,725 | 75,725 | 41,121 | 76,544 | 59,601 | 177,266 |
07/31/87 | 30,000 | 5,927 | 52,652 | 82,652 | 44,221 | 105,396 | 69,542 | 219,159 |
07/31/88 | 31,000 | 3,645 | 56,297 | 87,297 | 31,790 | 104,330 | 52,388 | 188,508 |
07/31/89 | 32,000 | 9,552 | 65,849 | 97,849 | 36,285 | 115,991 | 69,190 | 221,466 |
07/31/90 | 33,000 | 8,906 | 74,755 | 107,755 | 37,861 | 118,013 | 79,129 | 235,003 |
07/31/91 | 34,000 | 8,050 | 82,805 | 116,805 | 40,959 | 124,699 | 92,848 | 258,506 |
07/31/92 | 35,000 | 1,934 | 84,739 | 119,739 | 44,364 | 149,635 | 100,502 | 294,501 |
07/31/93 | 36,000 | 2,772 | 87,511 | 123,511 | 49,965 | 190,689 | 114,149 | 354,803 |
07/31/94 | 37,000 | 1,889 | 89,400 | 126,400 | 50,655 | 228,509 | 115,427 | 394,591 |
07/31/95 | 38,000 | 5,070 | 94,470 | 132,470 | 48,408 | 292,747 | 114,187 | 455,342 |
07/31/96 | 39,000 | 6,245 | 100,715 | 139,715 | 49,971 | 306,882 | 121,896 | 478,749 |
07/31/97 | 40,000 | 6,484 | 107,199 | 147,199 | 64,858 | 417,972 | 163,735 | 646,565 |
07/31/98 | 41,000 | 4,565 | 111,764 | 152,764 | 55,514 | 402,146 | 142,269 | 599,929 |
07/31/99 | 42,000 | 6,295 | 118,059 | 160,059 | 56,941 | 405,522 | 150,017 | 612,480 |
07/31/2000 | 43,000 | 0 | 118,059 | 161,059 | 53,933 | 411,402 | 139,558 | 604,893 |
07/31/2001 | 44,000 | 0 | 118,059 | 162,059 | 25,214 | 257,139 | 62,754 | 345,107 |
07/31/2002 | 45,000 | 0 | 118,059 | 163,059 | 14,689 | 142,321 | 34,187 | 191,197 |
07/31/2003 | 46,000 | 0 | 118,059 | 164,059 | 19,047 | 175,465 | 42,149 | 236,661 |
07/31/2004 | 47,000 | 0 | 118,059 | 165,059 | 19,783 | 173,515 | 41,680 | 234,978 |
07/31/2005 | 48,000 | 0 | 118,059 | 166,059 | 23,625 | 198,860 | 47,768 | 270,253 |
07/31/2006 | 49,000 | 0 | 118,059 | 167,059 | 24,503 | 198,210 | 47,612 | 270,325 |
07/31/2007 | 50,000 | 0 | 118,059 | 168,059 | 29,396 | 230,053 | 55,261 | 314,710 |
07/31/2008 | 51,000 | 0 | 118,059 | 169,059 | 26,529 | 200,160 | 48,081 | 274,770 |
07/31/2009 | 52,000 | 0 | 118,059 | 170,059 | 23,079 | 167,016 | 40,119 | 230,214 |
07/31/2010 | 53,000 | 0 | 118,059 | 171,059 | 24,651 | 171,565 | 41,212 | 237,428 |
07/31/2011 | 54,000 | 0 | 118,059 | 172,059 | 26,343 | 176,764 | 42,461 | 245,568 |
07/31/2012 | 55,000 | 0 | 118,059 | 173,059 | 28,849 | 187,162 | 44,958 | 260,969 |
07/31/2013 | 56,000 | 0 | 118,059 | 174,059 | 37,916 | 239,801 | 57,603 | 335,320 |
07/31/2014 | 57,000 | 0 | 118,059 | 175,059 | 41,677 | 274,894 | 66,033 | 282,604 |
07/31/2015 | 58,000 | 0 | 118,059 | 176,059 | 47,983 | 308,038 | 73,994 | 430,015 |
07/31/2016 | 59,000 | 0 | 118,059 | 177,059 | 47,859 | 301,192 | 72,350 | 421,401 |
07/31/2017 | 60,000 | 0 | 118,059 | 178,059 | 58,857 | 336,252 | 79,567 | 474,676 |
07/31/2018 | 61,000 | 0 | 118,059 | 179,059 | 64,382 | 368,801 | 88,553 | 521,736 |
07/31/2019 | 62,000 | 0 | 118,059 | 180,059 | 74,595 | 422,050 | 101,339 | 597,984 |
07/31/2020 | 63,000 | 0 | 118,059 | 181,059 | 84,399 | 472,012 | 113,336 | 669,747 |
07/31/2021 | 64,000 | 17,507 | 135,566 | 199,566 | 85,342 | 593,157 | 137,803 | 834,500 |
07/31/2022 | 65,000 | 95,187 | 230,753 | 295,753 | 86,285 | 539,158 | 106,391 | 726,413 |
07/31/2023 | 66,000 | 50,930 | 281,503 | 347,503 | 87,228 | 622,893 | 111,600 | 820,293 |
07/31/2024 | 67,000 | 66,181 | 347,684 | 413,684 | 88,171 | 776,413 | 125,175 | 998,802 |
The
table below illustrates the effect of an automatic withdrawal program on an
initial hypothetical investment of $10,000 on August 1, 1958 in the Fund for the
life of the Fund. The illustration assumes that a sales load of 5.75% was
deducted from the initial investment, that $800 was withdrawn annually and
withdrawals were made first from income for the year, then from principal.
Withdrawals from principal representing the sale of shares were assumed to have
been in the order shares were acquired. Continued withdrawals in excess of
current income can eventually exhaust principal, particularly in a period of
declining market prices. That portion of the total amount withdrawn designated
"From Investment Income Dividends" should be regarded as income;
the remainder represents a withdrawal of principal. While this illustration
assumes that $800 was withdrawn annually, the Fund may in other illustrations
select any percentage or dollar amount to be withdrawn.
Period Ended | Withdrawn from investment income dividends | Withdrawn from principal and capital gains | Annual total withdrawn | Cumulative total withdrawn | Value of remaining original shares | Accepted as Capital Gains distributions | Total Value |
07/31/59 | $ 0 | $ 800 | $ 800 | $ 800 | $ 10,490 | $ 0 | $ 10,490 |
07/31/60 | 147 | 653 | 800 | 1,600 | 9,073 | 0 | 9,073 |
07/31/61 | 262 | 538 | 800 | 2,400 | 11,078 | 198 | 11,276 |
07/31/62 | 224 | 576 | 800 | 3,200 | 8,984 | 223 | 9,207 |
07/31/63 | 216 | 584 | 800 | 4,000 | 10,211 | 556 | 10,767 |
07/31/64 | 180 | 620 | 800 | 4,800 | 12,144 | 868 | 13,012 |
07/31/65 | 187 | 616 | 800 | 5,600 | 10,805 | 1,695 | 12,500 |
07/31/66 | 215 | 585 | 800 | 6,400 | 10,252 | 2,822 | 13,074 |
07/31/67 | 349 | 451 | 800 | 7,200 | 10,118 | 4,312 | 14,430 |
07/31/68 | 295 | 505 | 800 | 8,000 | 10,620 | 4,733 | 15,353 |
07/31/69 | 310 | 490 | 800 | 8,800 | 8,094 | 5,556 | 13,650 |
07/31/70 | 364 | 436 | 800 | 9,600 | 5,807 | 4,843 | 10,650 |
07/31/71 | 360 | 440 | 800 | 10,400 | 7,023 | 6,198 | 13,221 |
07/31/72 | 376 | 424 | 800 | 11,200 | 6,990 | 6,526 | 13,516 |
07/31/73 | 352 | 448 | 800 | 12,000 | 6,225 | 6,425 | 12,650 |
07/31/74 | 357 | 443 | 800 | 12,800 | 4,526 | 5,380 | 9,906 |
07/31/75 | 571 | 229 | 800 | 13,600 | 3,933 | 6,323 | 10,256 |
07/31/76 | 427 | 373 | 800 | 14,400 | 4,228 | 7,317 | 11,545 |
07/31/77 | 356 | 444 | 800 | 15,200 | 4,290 | 8,138 | 12,428 |
07/31/78 | 310 | 490 | 800 | 16,000 | 4,554 | 9,478 | 14,032 |
07/31/79 | 582 | 218 | 800 | 16,800 | 4,879 | 10,457 | 15,336 |
07/31/80 | 775 | 25 | 800 | 17,600 | 6,763 | 14,653 | 21,416 |
07/31/81 | 800 | 0 | 800 | 18,400 | 5,498 | 17,236 | 22,734 |
07/31/82 | 800 | 0 | 800 | 19,200 | 5,035 | 15,896 | 20,931 |
07/31/83 | 800 | 0 | 800 | 20,000 | 8,324 | 22,362 | 30,686 |
07/31/84 | 800 | 0 | 800 | 20,800 | 7,482 | 21,515 | 28,997 |
07/31/85 | 800 | 0 | 800 | 21,600 | 8,201 | 25,201 | 33,402 |
07/31/86 | 800 | 0 | 800 | 22,400 | 9,595 | 26,784 | 36,379 |
07/31/87 | 800 | 0 | 800 | 23,200 | 10,697 | 33,286 | 43,983 |
07/31/88 | 732 | 68 | 800 | 24,000 | 7,440 | 29,402 | 36,842 |
07/31/89 | 800 | 0 | 800 | 24,800 | 9,611 | 32,688 | 42,299 |
07/31/90 | 800 | 0 | 800 | 25,600 | 10,647 | 33,257 | 43,904 |
07/31/91 | 800 | 0 | 800 | 26,400 | 12,175 | 35,142 | 47,317 |
07/31/92 | 354 | 446 | 800 | 27,200 | 12,488 | 40,443 | 52,931 |
07/31/93 | 498 | 302 | 800 | 28,000 | 13,557 | 49,240 | 62,797 |
07/31/94 | 334 | 466 | 800 | 28,800 | 13,018 | 55,852 | 68,870 |
07/31/95 | 800 | 0 | 800 | 29,600 | 12,451 | 66,056 | 78,507 |
07/31/96 | 800 | 0 | 800 | 30,400 | 12,889 | 68,689 | 81,578 |
07/31/97 | 800 | 0 | 800 | 31,200 | 17,022 | 92,189 | 109,211 |
07/31/98 | 771 | 29 | 800 | 32,000 | 14,285 | 86,086 | 100,371 |
07/31/99 | 800 | 0 | 800 | 32,800 | 14,702 | 86,809 | 101,511 |
07/31/2000 | 0 | 800 | 800 | 33,600 | 12,877 | 86,417 | 99,294 |
07/31/2001 | 0 | 800 | 800 | 34,400 | 4,990 | 50,702 | 55,692 |
07/31/2002 | 0 | 800 | 800 | 35,200 | 1,919 | 27,982 | 29,901 |
07/31/2003 | 0 | 800 | 800 | 36,000 | 1,565 | 34,499 | 36,064 |
07/31/2004 | 0 | 800 | 800 | 36,800 | 748 | 34,115 | 34,863 |
07/31/2005 | 0 | 800 | 800 | 37,600 | 57 | 39,099 | 39,156 |
07/31/2006 | 0 | 800 | 800 | 38,400 | 0 | 38,971 | 38,228 |
07/31/2007 | 0 | 800 | 800 | 39,200 | 0 | 45,232 | 43,569 |
07/31/2008 | 0 | 800 | 800 | 40,000 | 0 | 39,354 | 37,108 |
07/31/2009 | 0 | 800 | 800 | 40,800 | 0 | 32,838 | 30,163 |
07/31/2010 | 0 | 800 | 800 | 41,600 | 0 | 33,732 | 30,185 |
07/31/2011 | 0 | 800 | 800 | 42,400 | 0 | 34,754 | 30,299 |
07/31/2012 | 0 | 800 | 800 | 43,200 | 0 | 36,799 | 31,282 |
07/31/2013 | 0 | 800 | 800 | 44,000 | 0 | 47,148 | 39,280 |
07/31/2014 | 0 | 800 | 800 | 44,800 | 0 | 54,048 | 44,228 |
07/31/2015 | 0 | 800 | 800 | 45,600 | 0 | 60,564 | 48,760 |
07/31/2016 | 0 | 800 | 800 | 46,400 | 0 | 58,418 | 46,876 |
07/31/2017 | 0 | 800 | 800 | 47,200 | 0 | 64,653 | 51,721 |
07/31/2018 | 0 | 800 | 800 | 48,000 | 0 | 68,817 | 54,892 |
07/31/2019 | 0 | 800 | 800 | 48,800 | 0 | 77,953 | 62,018 |
07/31/2020 | 0 | 800 | 800 | 49,600 | 0 | 86,381 | 68,560 |
07/31/2021 | 800 | 0 | 800 | 50,400 | 0 | 107,511 | 84,531 |
07/31/2022 | 800 | 0 | 800 | 51,200 | 0 | 84,976 | 72,688 |
07/31/2023 | 800 | 0 | 800 | 52,000 | 0 | 91,800 | 81,184 |
07/31/2024 | 800 | 0 | 800 | 52,800 | 0 | 105,830 | 97,954 |
TOTAL | $ 24,301 | $ 28,499 | $ 52,800 |
Performance
information for the Fund reflects only the performance of a hypothetical
investment in the Fund during the particular time period on which the
calculations are based. Performance information should be considered in light of
the Funds investment objectives and policies, characteristics and quality of the
portfolio and the market conditions during the given time period and should not
be considered as a representation of what may be achieved in the
future.
CUSTODIAN AND INDEPENDENT
REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
All securities and cash of the
Fund are held by its custodian, UMB Bank NA Investment Services Group, 928 Grand
Blvd, Fifth Floor, Kansas City, MO 64106. The Fund’s registered public
accounting firm is Sanville & Company CPA, 1514 Old York Road, Abington, PA
19001 provides auditing and tax services to the Fund.
TRANSFER
AGENT
The
Fund´s transfer agent is Fund Services, Inc. 8730 Stony Point Parkway, Stony
Point Bldg. III, Suite 205, Richmond, VA 23235.
Financial Statements
The Fund’s
independent registered public accounting firm, Sanville & Company CPA,
audits and reports on the Fund’s annual financial statements. The audited
financial statements include the schedule of investments, statement of assets
and liabilities, statement of operations, statements of changes in net
assets, financial highlights, notes and report of independent registered public
accounting firm.
The audited
financial statements are incorporated by reference to Item 7 of the Fund’s Form
N-CSR for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2024.