PFI 1031 Annual Update 030123
PRINCIPAL FUNDS, INC.
(“PFI” or the “Registrant”)
Class A Shares
Class C Shares
Class J Shares
Institutional Class Shares
Class R-1 Shares
Class R-3 Shares
Class R-4 Shares
Class R-5 Shares
Class R-6 Shares
The date of this Prospectus is March 1, 2023.
The ticker symbols for series and share classes begin on the next page.
The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission have not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
FUNDS OF THE REGISTRANT
(each, a “Fund” and, together, the “Funds”) 
 
Ticker Symbols by Share Class
Fund/Portfolio
A
C
J
Inst.
R-1
R-3
R-4
R-5
R-6
California Municipal
SRCMX
SRCCX
 
PCMFX
 
 
 
 
 
Core Fixed Income
CMPIX
CNMCX
PIOJX
PIOIX
PIOMX
PIOOX
PIOPX
PIOQX
PICNX
Core Plus Bond
PRBDX
 
PBMJX
PMSIX
PBOMX
PBMMX
PBMSX
PBMPX
 
Diversified Income
PGBAX
PGDCX
 
PGDIX
 
 
 
 
PGBLX
Diversified International
PRWLX
 
PIIJX
PIIIX
PDVIX
PINRX
PINLX
PINPX
PDIFX
Equity Income
PQIAX
PEUCX
PEIJX
PEIIX
PIEMX
PEIOX
PEIPX
PEIQX
 
Finisterre Emerging Markets Total Return Bond
 
 
 
PFUMX
 
 
 
 
 
Global Emerging Markets
PRIAX
 
PIEJX
PIEIX
PIXEX
PEAPX
PESSX
PEPSX
PIIMX
Global Real Estate Securities
POSAX
 
 
POSIX
 
PGRKX
PGRVX
PGRUX
PGRSX
Government & High Quality Bond
CMPGX
 
PMRJX
PMRIX
PMGRX
PRCMX
PMRDX
PMREX
 
Government Money Market
 
 
 
PGVXX
 
 
 
 
PGWXX
High Income
 
 
 
PYHIX
 
 
 
 
 
High Yield
CPHYX
CCHIX
 
PHYTX
 
 
 
 
PHYFX
Inflation Protection
 
 
PIPJX
PIPIX
PISPX
PIFPX
PIFSX
PBPPX
 
International I
 
 
 
PINIX
PPISX
PRPPX
PUPPX
PTPPX
PIIDX
LargeCap Growth I
PLGAX
 
PLGJX
PLGIX
PCRSX
PPUMX
PPUSX
PPUPX
PLCGX
LargeCap S&P 500 Index
PLSAX
PLICX
PSPJX
PLFIX
PLPIX
PLFMX
PLFSX
PLFPX
 
LargeCap Value III
 
 
PLVJX
PLVIX
PESAX
PPSFX
PPSSX
PPSRX
 
MidCap
PEMGX
PMBCX
PMBJX
PCBIX
PMSBX
PMBMX
PMBSX
PMBPX
PMAQX
MidCap Growth
 
 
PMGJX
PGWIX
PMSGX
PFPPX
PIPPX
PHPPX
 
MidCap Growth III
 
 
PPQJX
PPIMX
PHASX
PPQMX
PPQSX
PPQPX
 
MidCap S&P 400 Index
 
 
PMFJX
MPSIX
PMSSX
PMFMX
PMFSX
PMFPX
PMAPX
MidCap Value I
PCMVX
 
PVEJX
PVMIX
PLASX
PMPRX
PABWX
PABVX
PCMSX
Money Market
PCSXX
 
PMJXX
 
 
 
 
 
 
Overseas
 
 
 
PINZX
 
PINTX
PINUX
 
 
Principal Capital Appreciation
CMNWX
CMNCX
 
PWCIX
PCAMX
PCAOX
PCAPX
PCAQX
 
Principal LifeTime Strategic Income
PALTX
 
PLSJX
PLSIX
PLAIX
PLSMX
PLSSX
PLSPX
 
Principal LifeTime 2010
PENAX
 
PTAJX
PTTIX
PVASX
PTAMX
PTASX
PTAPX
 
Principal LifeTime 2015
 
 
 
LTINX
LTSGX
LTAPX
LTSLX
LTPFX
 
Principal LifeTime 2020
PTBAX
 
PLFJX
PLWIX
PWASX
PTBMX
PTBSX
PTBPX
 
Principal LifeTime 2025
 
 
 
LTSTX
LTSNX
LTVPX
LTEEX
LTPDX
 
Principal LifeTime 2030
PTCAX
 
PLTJX
PMTIX
PXASX
PTCMX
PTCSX
PTCPX
 
Principal LifeTime 2035
 
 
 
LTIUX
LTANX
LTAOX
LTSEX
LTPEX
 
Principal LifeTime 2040
PTDAX
 
PTDJX
PTDIX
PYASX
PTDMX
PTDSX
PTDPX
 
Principal LifeTime 2045
 
 
 
LTRIX
LTRGX
LTRVX
LTRLX
LTRDX
 
Principal LifeTime 2050
PPEAX
 
PFLJX
PPLIX
PZASX
PTERX
PTESX
PTEFX
 
Principal LifeTime 2055
 
 
 
LTFIX
LTFGX
LTFDX
LTFLX
LTFPX
 
Principal LifeTime 2060
 
 
PLTAX
PLTZX
PLTRX
PLTCX
PLTMX
PLTOX
 
Principal LifeTime 2065
 
 
 
PLJIX
PLJAX
PLJCX
PLJDX
PLJEX
 
Principal LifeTime 2070
 
 
PLTLX
PLTGX
PLTSX
PLTDX
PLTBX
PLTFX
 
Principal LifeTime Hybrid Income
 
 
PHJFX
PHTFX
 
 
 
 
PLTYX
Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2015
 
 
PHJMX
PHTMX
 
 
 
 
PLRRX
Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2020
 
 
PHJTX
PHTTX
 
 
 
 
PLTTX
Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2025
 
 
PHJQX
PHTQX
 
 
 
 
PLFTX
Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2030
 
 
PHJNX
PHTNX
 
 
 
 
PLZTX
Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2035
 
 
PHJJX
PHTJX
 
 
 
 
PLRTX
Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2040
 
 
PHJEX
PLTQX
 
 
 
 
PLMTX
Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2045
 
 
PHJYX
PHTYX
 
 
 
 
PLNTX
Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2050
 
 
PHJUX
PHTUX
 
 
 
 
PLJTX
Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2055
 
 
PHJBX
PLTNX
 
 
 
 
PLHTX
 
Ticker Symbols by Share Class
Fund/Portfolio
A
C
J
Inst.
R-1
R-3
R-4
R-5
R-6
Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2060
 
 
PHJGX
PLTHX
 
 
 
 
PLKTX
Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2065
 
 
PHJDX
PLHHX
 
 
 
 
PLHRX
Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2070
 
 
PLKJX
PLKSX
 
 
 
 
PLKRX
Real Estate Securities
PRRAX
PRCEX
PREJX
PIREX
PRAEX
PRERX
PRETX
PREPX
PFRSX
SAM Balanced
SABPX
SCBPX
PSAJX
PSBIX
PSBGX
PBAPX
PSBLX
PSBFX
 
SAM Conservative Balanced
SAIPX
SCIPX
PCBJX
PCCIX
PCSSX
PCBPX
PCBLX
PCBFX
 
SAM Conservative Growth
SAGPX
SCGPX
PCGJX
PCWIX
PCGGX
PCGPX
PCWSX
PCWPX
 
SAM Flexible Income
SAUPX
SCUPX
PFIJX
PIFIX
PFIGX
PFIPX
PFILX
PFIFX
 
SAM Strategic Growth
SACAX
SWHCX
PSWJX
PSWIX
PSGGX
PSGPX
PSGLX
PSGFX
 
Short-Term Income
SRHQX
STCCX
PSJIX
PSHIX
PSIMX
PSIOX
PSIPX
PSIQX
 
SmallCap
PLLAX
PSMCX
PSBJX
PSLIX
PSABX
PSBMX
PSBSX
PSBPX
PSMLX
SmallCap Growth I
 
 
PSIJX
PGRTX
PNASX
PPNMX
PPNSX
PPNPX
PCSMX
SmallCap S&P 600 Index
 
 
PSSJX
PSSIX
PSAPX
PSSMX
PSSSX
PSSPX
PSPIX
SmallCap Value II
 
 
PSMJX
PPVIX
PCPTX
PJARX
PSTWX
PLARX
PSMVX
Tax-Exempt Bond
PTEAX
PTBCX
 
PITEX
 
 
 
 
 
Table of Contents 
 
4
9
14
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26
31
35
41
46
51
56
60
65
69
74
79
84
89
93
98
102
106
111
116
120
125
129
135
141
147
153
159
165
171
177
182
188
193
199
204
209
215
221
227
233
239
245
2
251
257
263
269
275
281
286
292
298
304
310
316
321
326
330
334
339
344
349
380
380
389
390
390
395
399
401
402
403
404
411
413
A-1
B-1
C-1
D
3
California Municipal Fund
Objective
The Fund seeks to provide as high a level of current income that is exempt from federal and state personal income tax as is consistent with prudent investment management and preservation of capital.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in Class A Shares of Principal Funds, Inc. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial intermediary and in “Choosing a Share Class and The Costs of Investing” beginning on page 404 of the Fund’s Prospectus, Appendix B to the Prospectus titled “Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Reductions,” and “Multiple Class Structure” beginning on page 4 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
If you purchase Institutional Class shares through certain programs offered by certain financial intermediaries, you may be required to pay a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the broker, or to your Financial Professional or other financial intermediary.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) 
 
Share Class
 
A
C
Inst.
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)
3.75%
None
None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the offering price or NAV when Sales Load is paid,
whichever is less)
1.00%
1.00%
None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) 
 
Share Class
 
A
C
Inst.
Management Fees(1)
0.40%
0.40%
0.40%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees
0.25%
1.00%
N/A
Other Expenses:
 
 
 
Interest Expense
0.06%
0.06%
0.06%
Remainder of Other Expenses
0.06%
0.13%
0.08%
Total Other Expenses
0.12%
0.19%
0.14%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.77%
1.59%
0.54%
Expense Reimbursement(2)
N/A
N/A
(0.02)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses after Expense Reimbursement
0.77%
1.59%
0.52%
(1)
Fees have been restated to reflect current fees.
(2)
Principal Global Investors, LLC (“PGI”), the investment advisor, has contractually agreed to limit the Fund’s expenses by paying, if necessary, expenses normally payable by the Fund (excluding interest expense, expenses related to fund investments, acquired fund fees and expenses, and tax reclaim recovery expenses and other extraordinary expenses) to maintain a total level of operating expenses (expressed as a percent of average net assets on an annualized basis) not to exceed 0.46% for Institutional Class shares. It is expected that the expense limit will continue through the period ending February 29, 2024; however, Principal Funds, Inc. and PGI, the parties to the agreement, may mutually agree to terminate the expense limit prior to the end of the period. Subject to applicable expense limits, the Fund may reimburse PGI for expenses incurred during the current fiscal year.
4
Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example assumes conversion of the Class C shares to Class A shares after the eighth year. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The calculation of costs takes into account any applicable contractual fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements for the period noted in the table above. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be: 
 
1 year
3 years
5 years
10 years
Class A
$451
$612
$787
$1,293
Class C
262
502
866
1,669
Institutional Class
53
171
300
675
With respect to Class C shares, you would pay the following expenses if you did not redeem your shares (all other classes would be the same as in the above example): 
 
1 year
3 years
5 years
10 years
Class C
$162
$502
$866
$1,669
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 38.90% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in California municipal obligations (securities issued by or on behalf of state or local governments and other public authorities) at the time of purchase. Generally, these municipal obligations pay interest that is exempt from state personal income tax and federal income tax. These obligations may include bonds that generate interest payments that are subject to the federal individual alternative minimum tax. The Fund’s investment in municipal obligations include industrial revenue bonds. The Fund invests up to 20% of its assets in below investment grade bonds (sometimes called “high yield bonds” or “junk bonds”), which are rated at the time of purchase Ba1 or lower by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) and BB+ or lower by S&P Global Ratings (“S&P Global”) (if the bond has been rated by only one of those agencies, that rating will determine whether the bond is below investment grade; if the bond has not been rated by either of those agencies, those selecting such investments will determine whether the bond is of a quality comparable to those rated below investment grade). The Fund also invests in inverse floating rate obligations (variable rate debt instruments that pay interest at rates that move in the opposite direction of prevailing interest rates), which are generally more volatile than other types of municipal obligations and may involve leverage.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund maintains an average portfolio duration that is within ±50% of the duration of the Bloomberg California Municipal Bond Index, which as of January 31, 2023 was 5.24 years. The Fund is not managed to a particular maturity.
Principal Risks
The value of your investment in the Fund changes with the value of the Fund’s investments. Many factors affect that value, and it is possible to lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are listed below in alphabetical order and not in order of significance.
Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk is the risk that the counterparty to a contract or other obligation will be unable or unwilling to honor its obligations.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. Fixed-income securities are subject to interest rate, credit quality, and liquidity risks. The market value of fixed-income securities generally declines when interest rates rise, and increased interest rates may adversely affect the liquidity of certain fixed-income securities. Moreover, an issuer of fixed-income securities could default on its payment obligations due to increased interest rates or for other reasons.
5
Geographic Concentration Risk. A fund that invests significant portions of its assets in municipal obligations and bonds in particular geographic areas (a particular state, such as California, or a particular country or region) has greater exposure than other funds to economic conditions and developments in those areas.
High Yield Securities Risk. High yield fixed-income securities (commonly referred to as “junk bonds”) are subject to greater credit quality risk than higher rated fixed-income securities and should be considered speculative.
Industrial Revenue Bond Risk. The Fund will be sensitive to, and its performance will depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition and performance of industrial revenue bonds. These revenue bonds are issued by or on behalf of public authorities to obtain funds to finance various public and/or privately operated facilities, including those for business and manufacturing, housing, sports, pollution control, airport, mass transit, port, and parking facilities. These bonds are normally secured only by the revenues from the project and not by state or local government tax payments. Consequently, the credit quality of these bonds is dependent upon the ability of the user of the facilities financed by the bonds and any guarantor to meet its financial obligations.
Inverse Floating Rate Investments Risk. Inverse floating rate investments are extremely sensitive to changes in interest rates and, in some cases, their market value may be extremely volatile.
Leverage Risk. Leverage created by borrowing or certain types of transactions or investments may impair the fund’s liquidity, cause it to liquidate positions at an unfavorable time, increase volatility of the fund’s net asset value, or diminish the fund’s performance.
Municipal Obligations Risk. Principal and interest payments on municipal securities may not be guaranteed by the issuing body and may be payable only from a particular source. That source may not perform as expected, and payment obligations may not be made or made on time.
Portfolio Duration Risk. Portfolio duration is a measure of the expected life of a fixed-income security and its sensitivity to changes in interest rates. The longer a fund’s average portfolio duration, the more sensitive the fund will be to changes in interest rates, which means funds with longer average portfolio durations may be more volatile than those with shorter durations.
Redemption and Large Transaction Risk. Ownership of the Fund’s shares may be concentrated in one or a few large investors (such as funds of funds, institutional investors, and asset allocation programs) that may redeem or purchase shares in large quantities. These transactions may cause the Fund to sell securities to meet redemptions or to invest additional cash at times it would not otherwise do so, which may result in increased transaction costs, increased expenses, changes to expense ratios, and adverse effects to Fund performance. Such transactions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income if sales of portfolio securities result in gains. Moreover, reallocations by large shareholders among share classes of a fund may result in changes to the expense ratios of affected classes, which may increase the expenses paid by shareholders of the class that experienced the redemption.
Performance
The following information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. You may get updated performance information at www.PrincipalAM.com.
The bar chart shows the investment returns of the Fund’s Class A shares for each full calendar year of operations for 10 years (or, if shorter, the life of the Fund). These annual returns do not reflect sales charges on Class A shares; if they did, results would be lower. The table shows for the last one, five, and ten calendar year periods (or, if shorter, the life of the Fund), how the Fund’s average annual total returns compare with those of one or more broad measures of market performance.
For periods prior to the inception date of Institutional Class shares (March 1, 2015), the performance shown in the table for Institutional Class shares is that of the Fund’s Class A shares, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Institutional Class shares. However, where the adjustment for fees and expenses results in performance for Institutional Class shares that is higher than the historical performance of the Class A shares, the historical performance of Class A shares is used (without respect to sales charges, which are not applicable to Institutional Class shares). These adjustments result in performance for such periods that is no higher than the historical performance of the Class A shares.
6
Total Returns as of December 31
  
Highest return for a quarter during the period of the bar chart above:
Q1 2014
5.67%
Lowest return for a quarter during the period of the bar chart above:
Q1 2022
(7.07)%
Average Annual Total Returns
For the periods ended December 31, 2022 
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Class A Return Before Taxes
(14.04)%
(0.13)%
1.96%
Class A Return After Taxes on Distributions
(14.04)%
(0.13)%
1.96%
Class A Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
(7.39)%
0.50%
2.23%
Class C Return Before Taxes
(12.29)%
(0.19)%
1.63%
Institutional Class Return Before Taxes
(10.39)%
0.91%
2.55%
Bloomberg California Municipal Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
(8.17)%
1.25%
2.30%
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. The after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only and would be different for the other share classes.
Investment Advisor and Portfolio Managers
Principal Global Investors, LLC
•
James Noble (since 2013), Portfolio Manager
•
James Welch (since 2014), Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
For Classes A and C shares, the required minimum initial investment per Fund is generally $1,000, and the minimum initial investment per Fund for accounts with an Automatic Investment Plan (“AIP”) is $100. The required minimum subsequent investment per Fund is generally $100; however, for accounts with an AIP, subsequent automatic investments must total $1,200 annually if the initial $1,000 has not been met. Some exceptions apply; see “Purchase of Fund Shares – Minimum Investments” for more information.
For Institutional Class shares, there are no minimum initial or subsequent investment requirements for eligible purchasers.
You may purchase or redeem shares on any business day (normally any day when the New York Stock Exchange is open for regular trading) through your plan, intermediary, or Financial Professional by sending a written request to Principal Funds at P.O. Box 219971, Kansas City, MO 64121-9971 (regular mail) or 430 W. 7th Street, Ste. 219971, Kansas City, MO 64105-1407 (overnight mail); calling us at 1-800-222-5852; or accessing our website (www.principal.com).
Class C shares are subject to an 8-year automatic conversion plan whereby Class C shares held for eight years after purchase will automatically convert to Class A shares of the same Fund.
7
See Purchase of Fund Shares for more information.
Tax Information
While the Fund intends to distribute income that is exempt from regular federal and California income taxes, a portion of the Fund’s distributions may be subject to California or federal income taxes or to the federal individual alternative minimum tax.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment, or to recommend one share class of the Fund over another share class. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
8
Core Fixed Income Fund
SHARE CLASS CONVERSION NOTICE: On December 13, 2022, the Fund’s Board of Directors approved the conversion of the Fund’s Class C shares into Class A shares. Following the close of business on May 19, 2023, Class C shares of the Fund will automatically convert into Class A shares of the Fund on the basis of the share classes’ relative net asset values on such date. The conversion will not result in the imposition of a sales charge or any other charge. As a result of the conversion, the affected shareholders will be in a better position with respect to expenses, as expenses are lower for Class A shares than for the current Class C shares. The Fund expects these share class conversions will not constitute taxable sales or exchanges to shareholders. Effective as of the close of the New York Stock Exchange on March 24, 2023, Class C shares will no longer be available for purchase except in limited circumstances.
On or about May 19, 2023, delete references to Class C shares of this Fund, including information regarding the conversion plan, from the Prospectus. 
Objective
The Fund seeks to provide a high level of current income consistent with preservation of capital.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in Class A Shares of Principal Funds, Inc. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial intermediary and in “Choosing a Share Class and The Costs of Investing” beginning on page 404 of the Fund’s Prospectus, Appendix B to the Prospectus titled “Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Reductions,” and “Multiple Class Structure” beginning on page 4 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
If you purchase Institutional Class or Class R-6 shares through certain programs offered by certain financial intermediaries, you may be required to pay a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the broker, or to your Financial Professional or other financial intermediary.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) 
 
Share Class
 
A
C
J
Inst.
R-1
R-3
R-4
R-5
R-6
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on
Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)
2.25%
None
None
None
None
None
None
None
None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a
percentage of the offering price or NAV when
Sales Load is paid, whichever is less)
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
None
None
None
None
None
None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) 
 
Share Class
 
A
C
J
Inst.
R-1
R-3
R-4
R-5
R-6
Management Fees(1)
0.37%
0.37%
0.37%
0.37%
0.37%
0.37%
0.37%
0.37%
0.37%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees
0.25%
1.00%
0.15%
N/A
0.35%
0.25%
0.10%
N/A
N/A
Other Expenses
0.13%
0.24%
0.11%
0.13%
0.53%
0.32%
0.28%
0.26%
0.00%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses
0.01%
0.01%
0.01%
0.01%
0.01%
0.01%
0.01%
0.01%
0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.76%
1.62%
0.64%
0.51%
1.26%
0.95%
0.76%
0.64%
0.38%
Expense Reimbursement(2)
N/A
N/A
N/A
(0.04)%
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
after Expense Reimbursement
0.76%
1.62%
0.64%
0.47%
1.26%
0.95%
0.76%
0.64%
0.38%
(1)
Fees have been restated to reflect current fees.
(2)
Principal Global Investors, LLC (“PGI”), the investment advisor, has contractually agreed to limit the Fund’s expenses by paying, if necessary, expenses normally payable by the Fund (excluding interest expense, expenses related to fund investments, acquired fund fees and expenses, and tax reclaim recovery expenses and other extraordinary expenses) to maintain a total level of operating expenses (expressed as a percent of average net assets on an annualized basis) not to exceed 0.46% for Institutional Class shares. It is expected that the expense limit will continue through the period ending February 29, 2024; however, Principal Funds, Inc. and PGI, the parties to the agreement, may mutually agree to terminate the expense limit prior to the end of the period. Subject to applicable expense limits, the Fund may reimburse PGI for expenses incurred during the current fiscal year.
9
Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example assumes conversion of the Class C shares to Class A shares after the eighth year. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The calculation of costs takes into account any applicable contractual fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements for the period noted in the table above. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be: 
 
1 year
3 years
5 years
10 years
Class A
$301
$462
$638
$1,146
Class C
265
511
881
1,692
Class J
165
205
357
798
Institutional Class
48
160
281
637
Class R-1
128
400
692
1,523
Class R-3
97
303
525
1,166
Class R-4
78
243
422
942
Class R-5
65
205
357
798
Class R-6
39
122
213
480
With respect to Classes C and J shares, you would pay the following expenses if you did not redeem your shares (all other classes would be the same as in the above example): 
 
1 year
3 years
5 years
10 years
Class C
$165
$511
$881
$1,692
Class J
65
205
357
798
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 13.70% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in fixed-income securities. The Fund invests primarily in a diversified pool of investment-grade fixed-income securities, including corporate securities, U.S. government securities, asset-backed securities and mortgage-backed securities (securitized products) (including collateralized mortgage obligations), and foreign securities. “Investment grade” securities are rated BBB- or higher by S&P Global Ratings (“S&P Global”) or Baa3 or higher by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) or, if unrated, of comparable quality in the opinion of those selecting such investments. If the security has been rated by only one of those agencies, that rating will determine whether the security is investment grade. If securities are rated differently by the rating agencies, the highest rating is used. The Fund is not managed to a particular maturity. Under normal circumstances, the Fund maintains an average portfolio duration that is within ±25% of the duration of the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, which as of January 31, 2023 was 6.43 years.
Principal Risks
The value of your investment in the Fund changes with the value of the Fund’s investments. Many factors affect that value, and it is possible to lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are listed below in alphabetical order and not in order of significance.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. Fixed-income securities are subject to interest rate, credit quality, and liquidity risks. The market value of fixed-income securities generally declines when interest rates rise, and increased interest rates may adversely affect the liquidity of certain fixed-income securities. Moreover, an issuer of fixed-income securities could default on its payment obligations due to increased interest rates or for other reasons.
Foreign Securities Risk. The risks of foreign securities include loss of value as a result of: political or economic instability; nationalization, expropriation, or confiscatory taxation; settlement delays; and limited government regulation (including less stringent reporting, accounting, and disclosure standards than are required of U.S. companies).
10
Portfolio Duration Risk. Portfolio duration is a measure of the expected life of a fixed-income security and its sensitivity to changes in interest rates. The longer a fund’s average portfolio duration, the more sensitive the fund will be to changes in interest rates, which means funds with longer average portfolio durations may be more volatile than those with shorter durations.
Real Estate Securities Risk. Investing in real estate securities subjects the fund to the risks associated with the real estate market (which are similar to the risks associated with direct ownership in real estate), including declines in real estate values, loss due to casualty or condemnation, property taxes, interest rate changes, increased expenses, cash flow of underlying real estate assets, regulatory changes (including zoning, land use, and rents), and environmental problems, as well as to the risks related to the management skill and creditworthiness of the issuer.
Redemption and Large Transaction Risk. Ownership of the Fund’s shares may be concentrated in one or a few large investors (such as funds of funds, institutional investors, and asset allocation programs) that may redeem or purchase shares in large quantities. These transactions may cause the Fund to sell securities to meet redemptions or to invest additional cash at times it would not otherwise do so, which may result in increased transaction costs, increased expenses, changes to expense ratios, and adverse effects to Fund performance. Such transactions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income if sales of portfolio securities result in gains. Moreover, reallocations by large shareholders among share classes of a fund may result in changes to the expense ratios of affected classes, which may increase the expenses paid by shareholders of the class that experienced the redemption.
Securitized Products Risk. Investments in securitized products are subject to risks similar to traditional fixed-income securities, such as credit, interest rate, liquidity, prepayment, extension, and default risk, as well as additional risks associated with the nature of the assets and the servicing of those assets. Unscheduled prepayments on securitized products may have to be reinvested at lower rates. A reduction in prepayments may increase the effective maturities of these securities, exposing them to the risk of decline in market value over time (extension risk).
U.S. Government Securities Risk. Yields available from U.S. government securities are generally lower than yields from many other fixed-income securities.
U.S. Government-Sponsored Securities Risk. Securities issued by U.S. government-sponsored enterprises such as the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, the Federal National Mortgage Association, and the Federal Home Loan Banks are not issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government.
Performance
The following information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. You may get updated performance information at www.PrincipalAM.com.
The bar chart shows the investment returns of the Fund’s Class A shares for each full calendar year of operations for 10 years (or, if shorter, the life of the Fund). These annual returns do not reflect sales charges on Class A shares; if they did, results would be lower. The table shows for the last one, five, and ten calendar year periods (or, if shorter, the life of the Fund), how the Fund’s average annual total returns compare with those of one or more broad measures of market performance.
For periods prior to the inception date of Class R-6 shares (November 25, 2014), the performance shown in the table for Class R-6 shares is that of the Fund’s Class A shares, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Class R-6 shares. However, where the adjustment for fees and expenses results in performance for Class R-6 shares that is higher than the historical performance of the Class A shares, the historical performance of the Class A shares is used (without respect to sales charges, which are not applicable to Class R-6 shares). These adjustments result in performance for such periods that is no higher than the historical performance of the Class A shares.
11
Total Returns as of December 31
  
Highest return for a quarter during the period of the bar chart above:
Q2 2020
5.87%
Lowest return for a quarter during the period of the bar chart above:
Q1 2022
(5.80)%
Average Annual Total Returns
For the periods ended December 31, 2022 
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Class A Return Before Taxes
(14.99)%
(0.54)%
0.96%
Class A Return After Taxes on Distributions
(15.81)%
(1.53)%
(0.24)%
Class A Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
(8.85)%
(0.78)%
0.22%
Class C Return Before Taxes
(14.66)%
(0.93)%
0.55%
Class J Return Before Taxes
(13.72)%
0.05%
1.28%
Institutional Class Return Before Taxes
(12.82)%
0.17%
1.51%
Class R-1 Return Before Taxes
(13.41)%
(0.58)%
0.69%
Class R-3 Return Before Taxes
(13.22)%
(0.29)%
1.00%
Class R-4 Return Before Taxes
(12.96)%
(0.08)%
1.20%
Class R-5 Return Before Taxes
(12.88)%
0.04%
1.32%
Class R-6 Return Before Taxes
(12.66)%
0.30%
1.50%
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
(13.02)%
0.02%
1.06%
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. The after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only and would be different for the other share classes.
Investment Advisor and Portfolio Managers
Principal Global Investors, LLC
•
John R. Friedl (since 2005), Portfolio Manager
•
Scott J. Peterson (since 2010), Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
For Classes A, C, and J shares, the required minimum initial investment per Fund is generally $1,000, and the minimum initial investment per Fund for accounts with an Automatic Investment Plan (“AIP”) is $100. The required minimum subsequent investment per Fund is generally $100; however, for accounts with an AIP, subsequent automatic investments must total $1,200 annually if the initial $1,000 has not been met. Some exceptions apply; see “Purchase of Fund Shares – Minimum Investments” for more information.
For Classes R-1, R-3, R-4, R-5, R-6, and Institutional Class shares, there are no minimum initial or subsequent investment requirements for eligible purchasers.
12
You may purchase or redeem shares on any business day (normally any day when the New York Stock Exchange is open for regular trading) through your plan, intermediary, or Financial Professional by sending a written request to Principal Funds at P.O. Box 219971, Kansas City, MO 64121-9971 (regular mail) or 430 W. 7th Street, Ste. 219971, Kansas City, MO 64105-1407 (overnight mail); calling us at 1-800-222-5852; or accessing our website (www.principal.com).
Effective January 31, 2017, the Registrant no longer offers Class R-1 shares for purchase from new retirement plans, except in limited circumstances.
Class C shares are subject to an 8-year automatic conversion plan whereby Class C shares held for eight years after purchase will automatically convert to Class A shares of the same Fund.
Effective as of the close of the New York Stock Exchange on March 24, 2023, Class C shares will no longer be available for purchase except in limited circumstances.
See Purchase of Fund Shares for more information.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions you receive are generally subject to federal income tax as ordinary income or capital gain and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are tax-exempt or your account is tax-deferred in which case your distributions would be taxed when withdrawn from the tax-deferred account.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment, or to recommend one share class of the Fund over another share class. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
13
Core Plus Bond Fund
Objective
The Fund seeks to provide current income and, as a secondary objective, capital appreciation.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in Class A Shares of Principal Funds, Inc. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial intermediary and in “Choosing a Share Class and The Costs of Investing” beginning on page 404 of the Fund’s Prospectus, Appendix B to the Prospectus titled “Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Reductions,” and “Multiple Class Structure” beginning on page 4 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
If you purchase Institutional Class shares through certain programs offered by certain financial intermediaries, you may be required to pay a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the broker, or to your Financial Professional or other financial intermediary.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) 
 
Share Class
 
A
J
Inst.
R-1
R-3
R-4
R-5
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a
percentage of offering price)
3.75%
None
None
None
None
None
None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the
offering price or NAV when Sales Load is paid, whichever is less)
1.00%
1.00%
None
None
None
None
None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) 
 
Share Class
 
A
J
Inst.
R-1
R-3
R-4
R-5
Management Fees(1)
0.49%
0.49%
0.49%
0.49%
0.49%
0.49%
0.49%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees
0.25%
0.15%
N/A
0.35%
0.25%
0.10%
N/A
Other Expenses
0.23%
0.23%
0.15%
0.54%
0.33%
0.29%
0.27%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses
0.01%
0.01%
0.01%
0.01%
0.01%
0.01%
0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.98%
0.88%
0.65%
1.39%
1.08%
0.89%
0.77%
Expense Reimbursement(2)
(0.13)%
N/A
(0.08)%
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses after Expense
Reimbursement
0.85%
0.88%
0.57%
1.39%
1.08%
0.89%
0.77%
(1)
Fees have been restated to reflect current fees.
(2)
Principal Global Investors, LLC (“PGI”), the investment advisor, has contractually agreed to limit the Fund’s expenses by paying, if necessary, expenses normally payable by the Fund (excluding interest expense, expenses related to fund investments, acquired fund fees and expenses, and tax reclaim recovery expenses and other extraordinary expenses) to maintain a total level of operating expenses (expressed as a percent of average net assets on an annualized basis) not to exceed 0.84% for Class A and 0.56% for Institutional Class shares. It is expected that the expense limits will continue through the period ending February 29, 2024; however, Principal Funds, Inc. and PGI, the parties to the agreement, may mutually agree to terminate the expense limits prior to the end of the period. Subject to applicable expense limits, the Fund may reimburse PGI for expenses incurred during the current fiscal year.
14
Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The calculation of costs takes into account any applicable contractual fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements for the period noted in the table above. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be: 
 
1 year
3 years
5 years
10 years
Class A
$459
$663
$884
$1,520
Class J
190
281
488
1,084
Institutional Class
58
200
354
803
Class R-1
142
440
761
1,669
Class R-3
110
343
595
1,317
Class R-4
91
284
493
1,096
Class R-5
79
246
428
954
With respect to Class J shares, you would pay the following expenses if you did not redeem your shares (all other classes would be the same as in the above example): 
 
1 year
3 years
5 years
10 years
Class J
$90
$281
$488
$1,084
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 160.70% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in bonds or other debt securities at the time of purchase. Such investments include securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities (including collateralized mortgage obligations); asset-backed securities and mortgage-backed securities (securitized products); corporate bonds; and foreign securities, including emerging market securities. The Fund invests in investment-grade securities and, with respect to up to 25% of its assets, in below investment grade securities (sometimes called “high yield” or “junk”), which are rated at the time of purchase Ba1 or lower by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) and BB+ or lower by S&P Global Ratings (“S&P Global”) (if the security has been rated by only one of those agencies, that rating will determine whether the security is below investment grade; if the security has not been rated by either of those agencies, those selecting such investments will determine whether the security is of a quality comparable to those rated below investment grade; if securities are rated differently by the rating agencies, the highest rating is used). The Fund is not managed to a particular maturity. Under normal circumstances, the Fund maintains an average portfolio duration that is within ±25% of the duration of the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, which as of January 31, 2023 was 6.43 years. The Fund’s strategies may result in the active and frequent trading of the Fund’s portfolio securities.
The Fund enters into dollar roll transactions, which may involve leverage. The Fund invests in derivatives, including Treasury futures and interest rate swaps to manage the fixed-income exposure (including for hedging purposes) and credit default swaps to increase or decrease, in an efficient manner, exposures to certain sectors or individual issuers. A derivative is a financial arrangement, the value of which is derived from, or based on, a traditional security, asset, or market index.
Principal Risks
The value of your investment in the Fund changes with the value of the Fund’s investments. Many factors affect that value, and it is possible to lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are listed below in alphabetical order and not in order of significance.
Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk is the risk that the counterparty to a contract or other obligation will be unable or unwilling to honor its obligations.
15
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives may not move in the direction anticipated by the portfolio manager. Transactions in derivatives may increase volatility, cause the liquidation of portfolio positions when not advantageous to do so, and result in disproportionate losses that may be substantially greater than a fund’s initial investment.
•
Credit Default Swaps. Credit default swaps involve special risks in addition to those associated with swaps generally because they are difficult to value, are highly susceptible to liquidity and credit risk, and generally pay a return to the party that has paid the premium only in the event of an actual default by the issuer of the underlying obligation (as opposed to a credit downgrade or other indication of financial difficulty). The protection “buyer” in a credit default contract may be obligated to pay the protection “seller” an up-front payment or a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract, provided, generally, that no credit event on a reference obligation has occurred. If a credit event occurs, the seller generally must pay the buyer the “par value” (i.e., full notional value) of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity described in the swap, or the seller may be required to deliver the related net cash amount, if the swap is cash settled. The Fund may be either the buyer or seller in the transaction.
•
Currency Contracts. Derivatives related to currency contracts involve the specific risk of government action through exchange controls that would restrict the ability of the fund to deliver or receive currency.
•
Futures and Swaps. These derivative instruments involve specific risks, including: the imperfect correlation between the change in market value of the instruments held by the fund and the price of the instruments; possible lack of a liquid secondary market for an instrument and the resulting inability to close it when desired; counterparty risk; and if the fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell securities from its portfolio to meet any applicable daily variation margin requirements.
Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in emerging markets may have more risk than those in developed markets because the emerging markets are less developed and more illiquid. Emerging markets can also be subject to increased social, economic, regulatory, and political uncertainties and can be extremely volatile. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, and other U.S. authorities may be limited in their ability to pursue bad actors in emerging markets, including with respect to fraud.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. Fixed-income securities are subject to interest rate, credit quality, and liquidity risks. The market value of fixed-income securities generally declines when interest rates rise, and increased interest rates may adversely affect the liquidity of certain fixed-income securities. Moreover, an issuer of fixed-income securities could default on its payment obligations due to increased interest rates or for other reasons.
Foreign Currency Risk. Risks of investing in securities denominated in, or that trade in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies include changes in foreign exchange rates and foreign exchange restrictions.
Foreign Securities Risk. The risks of foreign securities include loss of value as a result of: political or economic instability; nationalization, expropriation, or confiscatory taxation; settlement delays; and limited government regulation (including less stringent reporting, accounting, and disclosure standards than are required of U.S. companies).
Hedging Risk. A fund that implements a hedging strategy using derivatives and/or securities could expose the fund to the risk that can arise when a change in the value of a hedge does not match a change in the value of the asset it hedges. In other words, the change in value of the hedge could move in a direction that does not match the change in value of the underlying asset, resulting in a risk of loss to the fund.
High Portfolio Turnover Risk. High portfolio turnover (more than 100%) caused by active and frequent trading of portfolio securities may result in accelerating the realization of taxable gains and losses, lower fund performance, and increased brokerage costs.
High Yield Securities Risk. High yield fixed-income securities (commonly referred to as “junk bonds”) are subject to greater credit quality risk than higher rated fixed-income securities and should be considered speculative.
Leverage Risk. Leverage created by borrowing or certain types of transactions or investments may impair the fund’s liquidity, cause it to liquidate positions at an unfavorable time, increase volatility of the fund’s net asset value, or diminish the fund’s performance.
Portfolio Duration Risk. Portfolio duration is a measure of the expected life of a fixed-income security and its sensitivity to changes in interest rates. The longer a fund’s average portfolio duration, the more sensitive the fund will be to changes in interest rates, which means funds with longer average portfolio durations may be more volatile than those with shorter durations.
16
Real Estate Securities Risk. Investing in real estate securities subjects the fund to the risks associated with the real estate market (which are similar to the risks associated with direct ownership in real estate), including declines in real estate values, loss due to casualty or condemnation, property taxes, interest rate changes, increased expenses, cash flow of underlying real estate assets, regulatory changes (including zoning, land use, and rents), and environmental problems, as well as to the risks related to the management skill and creditworthiness of the issuer.
Redemption and Large Transaction Risk. Ownership of the Fund’s shares may be concentrated in one or a few large investors (such as funds of funds, institutional investors, and asset allocation programs) that may redeem or purchase shares in large quantities. These transactions may cause the Fund to sell securities to meet redemptions or to invest additional cash at times it would not otherwise do so, which may result in increased transaction costs, increased expenses, changes to expense ratios, and adverse effects to Fund performance. Such transactions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income if sales of portfolio securities result in gains. Moreover, reallocations by large shareholders among share classes of a fund may result in changes to the expense ratios of affected classes, which may increase the expenses paid by shareholders of the class that experienced the redemption.
Securitized Products Risk. Investments in securitized products are subject to risks similar to traditional fixed-income securities, such as credit, interest rate, liquidity, prepayment, extension, and default risk, as well as additional risks associated with the nature of the assets and the servicing of those assets. Unscheduled prepayments on securitized products may have to be reinvested at lower rates. A reduction in prepayments may increase the effective maturities of these securities, exposing them to the risk of decline in market value over time (extension risk).
U.S. Government Securities Risk. Yields available from U.S. government securities are generally lower than yields from many other fixed-income securities.
U.S. Government-Sponsored Securities Risk. Securities issued by U.S. government-sponsored enterprises such as the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, the Federal National Mortgage Association, and the Federal Home Loan Banks are not issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government.
Performance
The following information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. You may get updated performance information at www.PrincipalAM.com.
The bar chart shows the investment returns of the Fund’s Class A shares for each full calendar year of operations for 10 years (or, if shorter, the life of the Fund). These annual returns do not reflect sales charges on Class A shares; if they did, results would be lower. The table shows for the last one, five, and ten calendar year periods (or, if shorter, the life of the Fund), how the Fund’s average annual total returns compare with those of one or more broad measures of market performance.
17
Total Returns as of December 31
  
Highest return for a quarter during the period of the bar chart above:
Q2 2020
5.34%
Lowest return for a quarter during the period of the bar chart above:
Q2 2022
(6.07)%
Average Annual Total Returns
For the periods ended December 31, 2022 
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Class A Return Before Taxes
(17.59)%
(0.91)%
0.58%
Class A Return After Taxes on Distributions
(18.32)%
(2.33)%
(0.62)%
Class A Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
(10.39)%
(1.18)%
(0.02)%
Class J Return Before Taxes
(15.32)%
(0.13)%
0.98%
Institutional Class Return Before Taxes
(14.25)%
0.19%
1.33%
Class R-1 Return Before Taxes
(14.86)%
(0.64)%
0.47%
Class R-3 Return Before Taxes
(14.60)%
(0.31)%
0.78%
Class R-4 Return Before Taxes
(14.48)%
(0.15)%
0.96%
Class R-5 Return Before Taxes
(14.33)%
(0.03)%
1.09%
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
(13.02)%
0.02%
1.06%
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. The after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only and would be different for the other share classes.
Investment Advisor and Portfolio Managers
Principal Global Investors, LLC
•
William C. Armstrong (since 2000), Portfolio Manager
•
Bryan C. Davis (since 2022), Portfolio Manager
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
For Classes A and J shares, the required minimum initial investment per Fund is generally $1,000, and the minimum initial investment per Fund for accounts with an Automatic Investment Plan (“AIP”) is $100. The required minimum subsequent investment per Fund is generally $100; however, for accounts with an AIP, subsequent automatic investments must total $1,200 annually if the initial $1,000 has not been met. Some exceptions apply; see “Purchase of Fund Shares – Minimum Investments” for more information.
For Classes R-1, R-3, R-4, R-5, and Institutional Class shares, there are no minimum initial or subsequent investment requirements for eligible purchasers.
18
You may purchase or redeem shares on any business day (normally any day when the New York Stock Exchange is open for regular trading) through your plan, intermediary, or Financial Professional by sending a written request to Principal Funds at P.O. Box 219971, Kansas City, MO 64121-9971 (regular mail) or 430 W. 7th Street, Ste. 219971, Kansas City, MO 64105-1407 (overnight mail); calling us at 1-800-222-5852; or accessing our website (www.principal.com).
Effective January 31, 2017, the Registrant no longer offers Class R-1 shares for purchase from new retirement plans, except in limited circumstances.
See Purchase of Fund Shares for more information.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions you receive are generally subject to federal income tax as ordinary income or capital gain and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are tax-exempt or your account is tax-deferred in which case your distributions would be taxed when withdrawn from the tax-deferred account.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment, or to recommend one share class of the Fund over another share class. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
19
Diversified Income Fund
Objective
The Fund seeks income.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in Class A Shares of Principal Funds, Inc. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial intermediary and in “Choosing a Share Class and The Costs of Investing” beginning on page 404 of the Fund’s Prospectus, Appendix B to the Prospectus titled “Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Reductions,” and “Multiple Class Structure” beginning on page 4 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
If you purchase Institutional Class or Class R-6 shares through certain programs offered by certain financial intermediaries, you may be required to pay a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the broker, or to your Financial Professional or other financial intermediary.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) 
 
Share Class
 
A
C
Inst.
R-6
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)
3.75%
None
None
None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the offering price or NAV when Sales
Load is paid, whichever is less)
1.00%
1.00%
None
None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) 
 
Share Class
 
A
C
Inst.
R-6
Management Fees(1)
0.64%
0.64%
0.64%
0.64%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees
0.25%
1.00%
N/A
N/A
Other Expenses
0.11%
0.12%
0.11%
0.04%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses
0.01%
0.01%
0.01%
0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
1.01%
1.77%
0.76%
0.69%
Expense Reimbursement(2)
N/A
N/A
(0.07)%
(0.02)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses after Expense Reimbursement
1.01%
1.77%
0.69%
0.67%
(1)
Fees have been restated to reflect current fees.
(2)
Principal Global Investors, LLC (“PGI”), the investment advisor, has contractually agreed to limit the Fund’s expenses by paying, if necessary, expenses normally payable by the Fund (excluding interest expense, expenses related to fund investments, acquired fund fees and expenses, and tax reclaim recovery expenses and other extraordinary expenses) to maintain a total level of operating expenses (expressed as a percent of average net assets on an annualized basis) not to exceed 0.68% for Institutional Class shares. In addition, for Class R-6, the expense limit will maintain “Other Expenses” (expressed as a percent of average net assets on an annualized basis) not to exceed 0.02% (excluding interest expense, expenses related to fund investments, acquired fund fees and expenses, and tax reclaim recovery expenses and other extraordinary expenses). It is expected that the expense limits will continue through the period ending February 29, 2024; however, Principal Funds, Inc. and PGI, the parties to the agreement, may mutually agree to terminate the expense limits prior to the end of the period. Subject to applicable expense limits, the Fund may reimburse PGI for expenses incurred during the current fiscal year.
20
Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example assumes conversion of the Class C shares to Class A shares after the eighth year. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The calculation of costs takes into account any applicable contractual fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements for the period noted in the table above. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be: 
 
1 year
3 years
5 years
10 years
Class A
$474
$684
$912
$1,565
Class C
280
557
959
1,883
Institutional Class
70
236
415
936
Class R-6
68
219
382
857
With respect to Class C shares, you would pay the following expenses if you did not redeem your shares (all other classes would be the same as in the above example): 
 
1 year
3 years
5 years
10 years
Class C
$180
$557
$959
$1,883
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 72.10% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund generally invests a majority of its assets in fixed-income securities, such as investment-grade corporate bonds, high yield bonds (also known as “junk” bonds), preferred securities, commercial mortgage-backed securities, and emerging market debt securities, in an effort to provide incremental yields over a portfolio of government securities. Such securities include instruments with variable or floating interest rates. The fixed-income portion of the Fund is not managed to a particular maturity or duration. The Fund invests in foreign, including emerging market, securities. The Fund uses derivative strategies. A derivative is a financial arrangement, the value of which is derived from, or based on, a traditional security, asset, or market index.
In managing the Fund, Principal Global Investors, LLC (“PGI”), the Fund’s investment advisor, determines the Fund's strategic asset allocation among actively managed and passively managed (index) strategies that are executed by PGI and multiple sub-advisors. PGI has considerable latitude in allocating the Fund's assets among the general investment categories listed below. The Fund uses strategies and sub-advisors to varying degrees and may change allocations, add new or eliminate existing strategies and sub-advisors, and temporarily or permanently reduce allocations from time to time such that the Fund would have little or no assets allocated to a particular strategy or sub-advisor.
•
Investment-grade corporate securities, which are rated at the time of purchase Baa3 or higher by Moody’s Investors Service (“Moody’s”) or BBB- or higher by S&P Global Ratings (“S&P Global”).
•
High yield and other income-producing securities, including bank loans and corporate bonds. “High yield” securities are below investment grade securities (sometimes called “junk”), which are rated at the time of purchase Ba1 or lower by Moody's and BB+ or lower by S&P Global. These securities offer a higher yield than other, higher rated securities, but they carry a greater degree of risk and are considered speculative with respect to the issuer's ability to pay interest and to repay principal. This portion of the Fund also invests in currency forwards and currency options to hedge currency risk.
•
Preferred securities, focusing primarily on the financial services and utility industries.
•
Diversified portfolio of fixed-income securities, including those issued by governments and their agencies and corporate entities in emerging markets. This portion of the Fund also invests in interest rate swaps or Treasury futures to manage fixed-income exposure; credit default swaps to increase or decrease in an efficient manner exposures to certain sectors or individual issuers; total return swaps to increase or decrease in an efficient manner exposures to certain sectors; and currency forwards and currency options to hedge currency risk and express views on the direction of currency.
21
•
Securitized products such as asset-backed securities and mortgage-based securities, including commercial mortgage-backed securities, which are bonds secured by first mortgages on commercial real estate.
Principal Risks
The value of your investment in the Fund changes with the value of the Fund’s investments. Many factors affect that value, and it is possible to lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are listed below in alphabetical order and not in order of significance.
Asset Allocation Risk. A fund’s selection and weighting of asset classes may cause it to underperform other funds with a similar investment objective.
Bank Loans Risk. Changes in economic conditions are likely to cause issuers of bank loans (also known as senior floating rate interests) to be unable to meet their obligations. In addition, the value of the collateral securing the loan (if any) may decline, causing a loan to be substantially unsecured. Underlying credit agreements governing the bank loans, reliance on market makers, priority of repayment, and overall market volatility may harm the liquidity of loans.
Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk is the risk that the counterparty to a contract or other obligation will be unable or unwilling to honor its obligations.
Derivatives Risk. Derivatives may not move in the direction anticipated by the portfolio manager. Transactions in derivatives may increase volatility, cause the liquidation of portfolio positions when not advantageous to do so, and result in disproportionate losses that may be substantially greater than a fund’s initial investment.
•
Credit Default Swaps. Credit default swaps involve special risks in addition to those associated with swaps generally because they are difficult to value, are highly susceptible to liquidity and credit risk, and generally pay a return to the party that has paid the premium only in the event of an actual default by the issuer of the underlying obligation (as opposed to a credit downgrade or other indication of financial difficulty). The protection “buyer” in a credit default contract may be obligated to pay the protection “seller” an up-front payment or a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract, provided, generally, that no credit event on a reference obligation has occurred. If a credit event occurs, the seller generally must pay the buyer the “par value” (i.e., full notional value) of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity described in the swap, or the seller may be required to deliver the related net cash amount, if the swap is cash settled. The Fund may be either the buyer or seller in the transaction.
•
Currency Contracts. Derivatives related to currency contracts involve the specific risk of government action through exchange controls that would restrict the ability of the fund to deliver or receive currency.
•
Forward Contracts, Futures, and Swaps. Forward contracts, futures, and swaps involve specific risks, including: the imperfect correlation between the change in market value of the instruments held by the fund and the price of the forward contract, future, or swap; possible lack of a liquid secondary market for a forward contract, future, or swap and the resulting inability to close a forward contract, future, or swap when desired; counterparty risk; and if the fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell securities from its portfolio to meet daily variation margin requirements.
•
Options. Options involve specific risks, including: imperfect correlation between the change in market value of the instruments held by the Fund and the price of the options, counterparty risk, difference in trading hours for the options markets and the markets for the underlying securities (rate movements can take place in the underlying markets that cannot be reflected in the options markets), and an insufficient liquid secondary market for particular options.
Emerging Markets Risk. Investments in emerging markets may have more risk than those in developed markets because the emerging markets are less developed and more illiquid. Emerging markets can also be subject to increased social, economic, regulatory, and political uncertainties and can be extremely volatile. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, and other U.S. authorities may be limited in their ability to pursue bad actors in emerging markets, including with respect to fraud.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk. Fixed-income securities are subject to interest rate, credit quality, and liquidity risks. The market value of fixed-income securities generally declines when interest rates rise, and increased interest rates may adversely affect the liquidity of certain fixed-income securities. Moreover, an issuer of fixed-income securities could default on its payment obligations due to increased interest rates or for other reasons.
22
Floating and Variable Rate Securities Risk. The market prices of securities with variable and floating interest rates are generally less sensitive to interest rate changes than are the market prices of securities of fixed interest rates. Floating and variable rate securities may decline in value if market interest rates or interest rates paid by them do not move as expected. Floating and variable rate securities may be subject to greater liquidity risk than other debt securities, meaning that there may be limitations on the Fund’s ability to sell the securities at any given time.
Foreign Currency Risk. Risks of investing in securities denominated in, or that trade in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies include changes in foreign exchange rates and foreign exchange restrictions.
Foreign Securities Risk. The risks of foreign securities include loss of value as a result of: political or economic instability; nationalization, expropriation, or confiscatory taxation; settlement delays; and limited government regulation (including less stringent reporting, accounting, and disclosure standards than are required of U.S. companies).
Hedging Risk. A fund that implements a hedging strategy using derivatives and/or securities could expose the fund to the risk that can arise when a change in the value of a hedge does not match a change in the value of the asset it hedges. In other words, the change in value of the hedge could move in a direction that does not match the change in value of the underlying asset, resulting in a risk of loss to the fund.
High Yield Securities Risk. High yield fixed-income securities (commonly referred to as “junk bonds”) are subject to greater credit quality risk than higher rated fixed-income securities and should be considered speculative.
Index (Passive) Strategy Risk. An index (passive) fund (or passive strategy that is part of a fund) has operating and other expenses while an index does not. As a result, over time, index funds tend to underperform the index. The correlation between an index strategy’s performance and index performance may also be affected by the type of passive investment approach used (sampling or replication), changes in securities markets, changes in the composition of the index, and the timing of purchases and sales of shares.
Portfolio Duration Risk. Portfolio duration is a measure of the expected life of a fixed-income security and its sensitivity to changes in interest rates. The longer a fund’s average portfolio duration, the more sensitive the fund will be to changes in interest rates, which means funds with longer average portfolio durations may be more volatile than those with shorter durations.
Preferred Securities Risk. Because preferred securities have a lower priority claim on assets or earnings than senior bonds and other debt instruments in a company’s capital structure, they are subject to greater credit and liquidation risk than more senior debt instruments. In addition, preferred securities are subject to other risks, such as limited or no voting rights, deferring or skipping distributions, interest rate risk, and redeeming the security prior to any stated maturity date.
Redemption and Large Transaction Risk. Ownership of the Fund’s shares may be concentrated in one or a few large investors (such as funds of funds, institutional investors, and asset allocation programs) that may redeem or purchase shares in large quantities. These transactions may cause the Fund to sell securities to meet redemptions or to invest additional cash at times it would not otherwise do so, which may result in increased transaction costs, increased expenses, changes to expense ratios, and adverse effects to Fund performance. Such transactions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income if sales of portfolio securities result in gains. Moreover, reallocations by large shareholders among share classes of a fund may result in changes to the expense ratios of affected classes, which may increase the expenses paid by shareholders of the class that experienced the redemption.
Securitized Products Risk. Investments in securitized products are subject to risks similar to traditional fixed-income securities, such as credit, interest rate, liquidity, prepayment, extension, and default risk, as well as additional risks associated with the nature of the assets and the servicing of those assets. Unscheduled prepayments on securitized products may have to be reinvested at lower rates. A reduction in prepayments may increase the effective maturities of these securities, exposing them to the risk of decline in market value over time (extension risk).
Performance
The following information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. You may get updated performance information at www.PrincipalAM.com.
The bar chart shows the investment returns of the Fund’s Class A shares for each full calendar year of operations for 10 years (or, if shorter, the life of the Fund). These annual returns do not reflect sales charges on Class A shares; if they did, results would be lower. The table shows for the last one, five, and ten calendar year periods (or, if shorter, the life of the Fund), how the Fund’s average annual total returns compare with those of one or more broad measures of market performance.
23
For periods prior to the inception date of Class R-6 shares (June 12, 2017), the performance shown in the table for Class R-6 shares is that of the Fund’s Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses of Class R-6 shares. These adjustments result in performance for such periods that is no higher than the historical performance of the Institutional Class shares.
Total Returns as of December 31
  
Highest return for a quarter during the period of the bar chart above:
Q4 2020
8.39%
Lowest return for a quarter during the period of the bar chart above:
Q1 2020
(17.02)%
Average Annual Total Returns
For the periods ended December 31, 2022 
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Class A Return Before Taxes
(14.82)%
0.03%
2.79%
Class A Return After Taxes on Distributions
(16.33)%
(1.63)%
0.92%
Class A Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
(8.65)%
(0.56)%
1.41%
Class C Return Before Taxes
(13.04)%
0.05%
2.56%
Institutional Class Return Before Taxes
(11.20)%
1.14%
3.52%
Class R-6 Return Before Taxes
(11.20)%
1.14%
3.52%
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
(13.02)%
0.02%
1.06%
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. The after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only and would be different for the other share classes.
Investment Advisor and Portfolio Managers
Principal Global Investors, LLC
•
Jessica S. Bush (since 2014), Portfolio Manager
•
Benjamin E. Rotenberg (since 2014), Portfolio Manager
•
May Tong (since 2021), Portfolio Manager
Sub-Advisors
Nuveen Asset Management LLC
PineBridge Investments LLC
Polen Capital Credit, LLC (f/k/a DDJ Capital Management, LLC)
Post Advisory Group, LLC
Principal Real Estate Investors, LLC
Spectrum Asset Management, Inc.
24
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
For Classes A and C shares, the required minimum initial investment per Fund is generally $1,000, and the minimum initial investment per Fund for accounts with an Automatic Investment Plan (“AIP”) is $100. The required minimum subsequent investment per Fund is generally $100; however, for accounts with an AIP, subsequent automatic investments must total $1,200 annually if the initial $1,000 has not been met. Some exceptions apply; see “Purchase of Fund Shares – Minimum Investments” for more information.
For Class R-6 and Institutional Class shares, there are no minimum initial or subsequent investment requirements for eligible purchasers.
You may purchase or redeem shares on any business day (normally any day when the New York Stock Exchange is open for regular trading) through your plan, intermediary, or Financial Professional by sending a written request to Principal Funds at P.O. Box 219971, Kansas City, MO 64121-9971 (regular mail) or 430 W. 7th Street, Ste. 219971, Kansas City, MO 64105-1407 (overnight mail); calling us at 1-800-222-5852; or accessing our website (www.principal.com).
Class C shares are subject to an 8-year automatic conversion plan whereby Class C shares held for eight years after purchase will automatically convert to Class A shares of the same Fund.
See Purchase of Fund Shares for more information.
Tax Information
The Fund’s distributions you receive are generally subject to federal income tax as ordinary income or capital gain and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are tax-exempt or your account is tax-deferred in which case your distributions would be taxed when withdrawn from the tax-deferred account.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment, or to recommend one share class of the Fund over another share class. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
25
Diversified International Fund
Objective
The Fund seeks long-term growth of capital.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Class A Shares of Principal Funds, Inc. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial intermediary and in “Choosing a Share Class and The Costs of Investing” beginning on page 404 of the Fund’s Prospectus, Appendix B to the Prospectus titled “Intermediary-Specific Sales Charge Waivers and Reductions,” and “Multiple Class Structure” beginning on page 4 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.
If you purchase Institutional Class or Class R-6 shares through certain programs offered by certain financial intermediaries, you may be required to pay a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the broker, or to your Financial Professional or other financial intermediary.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) 
 
Share Class
 
A
J
Inst.
R-1
R-3
R-4
R-5
R-6
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases
(as a percentage of offering price)
5.50%
None
None
None
None
None
None
None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage
of the offering price or NAV when Sales Load is paid,
whichever is less)
1.00%
1.00%
None
None
None
None
None
None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) 
 
Share Class
 
A
J
Inst.
R-1
R-3
R-4