American Funds Portfolio SeriesSM Prospectus |
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Class | A | C | T | F-1 | F-2 | F-3 | 529-A | 529-C | 529-E | 529-T | 529-F-1 | 529-F-2 |
American Funds Global Growth PortfolioSM | ||||||||||||
American Funds Growth PortfolioSM | ||||||||||||
American Funds Growth and Income PortfolioSM | ||||||||||||
American
Funds Moderate Growth and Income PortfolioSM |
||||||||||||
American
Funds Conservative Growth and Income PortfolioSM |
||||||||||||
American
Funds Tax-Aware Conservative Growth and Income PortfolioSM |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||||||
American Funds Preservation PortfolioSM | ||||||||||||
American Funds Tax-Exempt Preservation PortfolioSM | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||||||
Class | 529-F-3 | ABLE-A | ABLE-F-2 | R-1 | R-2 | R-2E | R-3 | R-4 | R-5E | R-5 | R-6 | |
American Funds Global Growth Portfolio | ||||||||||||
American Funds Growth Portfolio | ||||||||||||
American Funds Growth and Income Portfolio | ||||||||||||
American Funds Moderate Growth and Income Portfolio | ||||||||||||
American
Funds Conservative Growth and Income Portfolio |
||||||||||||
American
Funds Tax- Aware Conservative Growth and Income Portfolio |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
American Funds Preservation Portfolio | ||||||||||||
American Funds Tax-Exempt Preservation Portfolio | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Table of contents
|
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved of these securities. Further, it has not determined that this prospectus is accurate or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. |
Share class: | A | 529-A
and ABLE-A |
C
and 529-C |
529-E | T
and 529-T |
All F, 529-F and ABLE-F-2 share classes | All
R share classes |
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) | |||||||
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of the amount redeemed) | |||||||
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on reinvested dividends | |||||||
Redemption or exchange fees |
Share class: | A | C | T | F-1 | F-2 | F-3 | 529-A | 529-C |
Management fees | ||||||||
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees | ||||||||
Other expenses | ||||||||
Acquired (underlying) fund fees and expenses | ||||||||
Total annual fund operating expenses |
Share class: | 529-E | 529-T | 529-F-1 | 529-F-2 | 529-F-3 | ABLE-A | ABLE-F-2 | |
Management fees | ||||||||
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees | ||||||||
Other expenses | ||||||||
Acquired (underlying) fund fees and expenses | ||||||||
Total annual fund operating expenses | ||||||||
Expense reimbursement | — | — | — | — | ||||
Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reimbursement |
Share class: | R-1 | R-2 | R-2E | R-3 | R-4 | R-5E | R-5 | R-6 |
Management fees | ||||||||
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees | ||||||||
Other expenses | ||||||||
Acquired (underlying) fund fees and expenses | ||||||||
Total annual fund operating expenses |
1
2
3
1 American Funds Portfolio Series / Prospectus
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 example reflects the expense reimbursement described above
through the expiration date of such reimbursement and total annual fund
operating expenses thereafter. You may be required to pay brokerage commissions
on your purchases and sales of Class F-2, F-3, 529-F-2, 529-F-3 or ABLE-F-2
shares of the fund, which are not reflected in the example.
Share class: | A | C | T | F-1 | F-2 | F-3 | 529-A | 529-C | 529-E | 529-T | 529-F-1 | 529-F-2 | 529-F-3 | ABLE A | ABLE F-2 |
1 year | $ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
3 years | |||||||||||||||
5 years | |||||||||||||||
10 years |
Share class: | R-1 | R-2 | R-2E | R-3 | R-4 | R-5E | R-5 | R-6 | Share class: | C | 529-C | |
1 year | $ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
1 year | $ |
$ | |
3 years | 3 years | |||||||||||
5 years | 5 years | |||||||||||
10 years | 10 years |
The fund will typically have significant exposure to issuers domiciled outside the United States. The fund will seek to invest at least 25% of its net assets in underlying funds that invest significantly (under normal market conditions, at least 40%) in issuers domiciled outside the United States. The fund will have exposure to issuers domiciled in at least three different countries. The fund may also have exposure to smaller capitalization issuers and issuers domiciled in emerging markets. The investment adviser believes that exposure to issuers domiciled outside the United States can help provide diversification when seeking long-term growth of capital. The fund may also invest in underlying funds that hold bonds rated BB+ or below and Ba1 or below by Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations designated by the fund’s investment adviser, or unrated but determined by the fund’s investment adviser to be of equivalent quality. Securities rated BB+ or below and Ba1 or below are sometimes referred to as “junk bonds.”
The fund’s investment adviser seeks to create combinations of underlying funds that complement each other with a goal of achieving the fund’s investment objective of providing long-term growth of capital. In making this determination, the fund’s investment adviser considers the historical volatility and returns of the underlying funds and how various combinations would have behaved in past market environments. It also considers, among other topics, current market conditions and the investment positions of the underlying funds.
The fund’s investment adviser periodically reviews the investment strategies and asset mix of the underlying funds. The investment adviser will also consider whether overall market conditions would favor a change in the exposure of the fund to various asset types or geographic regions. Based on these considerations, the investment adviser may make adjustments to underlying fund holdings by adjusting the percentage of individual underlying funds within the fund, or adding or removing underlying funds. The investment adviser may also determine not to change the underlying fund allocations, particularly in response to short-term market movements, if in its opinion the combination of underlying funds is appropriate to meet the fund’s investment objective.
American Funds Portfolio Series / Prospectus 2
The following are principal risks associated with investing in the fund.
Allocation risk — Investments in the fund are subject to risks related to the investment adviser’s allocation choices. The selection of the underlying funds and the allocation of the fund’s assets could cause the fund to lose value or its results to lag relevant benchmarks or other funds with similar objectives.
Fund structure — The fund invests in underlying funds and incurs expenses related to the underlying funds. In addition, investors in the fund will incur fees to pay for certain expenses related to the operations of the fund. An investor holding the underlying funds directly and in the same proportions as the fund would incur lower overall expenses but would not receive the benefit of the portfolio management and other services provided by the fund. Additionally, in accordance with an exemption under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the investment adviser considers only proprietary funds when selecting underlying investment options and allocations. This means that the fund’s investment adviser did not, nor does it expect to, consider any unaffiliated funds as underlying investment options for the fund. This strategy could raise certain conflicts of interest when choosing underlying investments for the fund, including the selection of funds that result in greater compensation to the adviser or funds with relatively lower historical investment results. The investment adviser has policies and procedures designed to mitigate material conflicts of interest that may arise in connection with its management of the fund.
Underlying fund risks — Because the fund’s investments consist of underlying funds, the fund’s risks are directly related to the risks of the underlying funds. For this reason, it is important to understand the risks associated with investing in the underlying funds, as described below.
The following are principal risks associated with investing in the underlying funds.
Market conditions — The prices of, and the income generated by, the common stocks, bonds and other securities held by the underlying funds may decline – sometimes rapidly or unpredictably – due to various factors, including events or conditions affecting the general economy or particular industries; overall market changes; local, regional or global political, social or economic instability; governmental, governmental agency or central bank responses to economic conditions; and currency exchange rate, interest rate and commodity price fluctuations.
Economies and financial markets throughout the world are highly interconnected. Economic, financial or political events, trading and tariff arrangements, wars, terrorism, cybersecurity events, natural disasters, public health emergencies (such as the spread of infectious disease) and other circumstances in one country or region, including actions taken by governmental or quasi-governmental authorities in response to any of the foregoing, could have impacts on global economies or markets. As a result, whether or not the underlying funds invest in securities of issuers located in or with significant exposure to the countries affected, the value and liquidity of the underlying funds’ investments may be negatively affected by developments in other countries and regions.
Issuer risks — The prices of, and the income generated by, securities held by the underlying funds may decline in response to various factors directly related to the issuers of such securities, including reduced demand for an issuer’s goods or services, poor management performance, major litigation, investigations or other controversies related to the issuer, changes in government regulations affecting the issuer or its competitive environment and strategic initiatives such as mergers, acquisitions or dispositions and the market response to any such initiatives.
Investing in stocks — Investing in stocks may involve larger price swings and greater potential for loss than other types of investments. As a result, the value of the underlying funds may be subject to sharp declines in value. Income provided by an underlying fund may be reduced by changes in the dividend policies of, and the capital resources available at, the companies in which the underlying fund invests. These risks may be even greater in the case of smaller capitalization stocks.
3 American Funds Portfolio Series / Prospectus
Investing in small companies — Investing in smaller companies may pose additional risks. For example, it is often more difficult to value or dispose of small company stocks and more difficult to obtain information about smaller companies than about larger companies. Furthermore, smaller companies often have limited product lines, operating histories, markets and/or financial resources, may be dependent on one or a few key persons for management, and can be more susceptible to losses. Moreover, the prices of their stocks may be more volatile than stocks of larger, more established companies, particularly during times of market turmoil.
Investing outside the United States — Securities of issuers domiciled outside the United States, or with significant operations or revenues outside the United States, may lose value because of adverse political, social, economic or market developments (including social instability, regional conflicts, terrorism and war) in the countries or regions in which the issuers operate or generate revenue. These securities may also lose value due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates against the U.S. dollar and/or currencies of other countries. Issuers of these securities may be more susceptible to actions of foreign governments, such as nationalization, currency blockage or the imposition of price controls or punitive taxes, each of which could adversely impact the value of these securities. Securities markets in certain countries may be more volatile and/or less liquid than those in the United States. Investments outside the United States may also be subject to different accounting and auditing practices and standards and different regulatory, legal and reporting requirements, and may be more difficult to value, than those in the United States. In addition, the value of investments outside the United States may be reduced by foreign taxes, including foreign withholding taxes on interest and dividends. Further, there may be increased risks of delayed settlement of securities purchased or sold by an underlying fund. The risks of investing outside the United States may be heightened in connection with investments in emerging markets.
Investing in emerging markets — Investing in emerging markets may involve risks in addition to and greater than those generally associated with investing in the securities markets of developed countries. For instance, emerging market countries tend to have less developed political, economic and legal systems and accounting and auditing practices and standards than those in developed countries. Accordingly, the governments of these countries may be less stable and more likely to intervene in the market economy, for example, by imposing capital controls, nationalizing a company or industry, placing restrictions on foreign ownership and on withdrawing sale proceeds of securities from the country, and/or imposing punitive taxes that could adversely affect the prices of securities. Information regarding issuers in emerging markets may be limited, incomplete or inaccurate, and there may be fewer rights and remedies available to the fund and its shareholders. In addition, the economies of these countries may be dependent on relatively few industries, may have limited access to capital and may be more susceptible to changes in local and global trade conditions and downturns in the world economy. Securities markets in these countries can also be relatively small and have substantially lower trading volumes. As a result, securities issued in these countries may be more volatile and less liquid, and may be more difficult to value, than securities issued in countries with more developed economies and/or markets. Less certainty with respect to security valuations may lead to additional challenges and risks in calculating the underlying fund’s net asset value. Additionally, emerging markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by banks, agents and depositories that are less established than those in developed countries.
Management — The investment adviser to the fund and to the underlying funds actively manages each underlying fund’s investments. Consequently, the underlying funds are subject to the risk that the methods and analyses, including models, tools and data, employed by the investment adviser in this process may be flawed or incorrect and may not produce the desired results. This could cause an underlying fund to lose value or its investment results to lag relevant benchmarks or other funds with similar objectives.
American Funds Portfolio Series / Prospectus 4
*
growth in net
assets.
Share class | Inception date | 1 year | 5 years | Lifetime |
F-2 — Before taxes | ||||
— After taxes on distributions | ||||
— After taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares |
Share classes (before taxes) | Inception date | 1 year | 5 years | Lifetime |
A (with maximum sales charge) | ||||
C | ||||
F-1 | ||||
F-3 | N/A | |||
529-A (with maximum sales charge) | ||||
529-C | ||||
529-E | ||||
529-F-1 | ||||
ABLE-A | N/A | |||
R-1 | ||||
R-2 | ||||
R-2E | ||||
R-3 | ||||
R-4 | ||||
R-5E | ||||
R-5 | ||||
R-6 |
Indexes | 1 year | 5 years | Lifetime (from Class F-2 inception) |
MSCI® All Country World Index (reflects no deductions for sales charges, account fees, expenses or U.S. federal income taxes) | |||
Lipper Global Large-Cap Growth Funds Index (reflects no deductions for sales charges, account fees or U.S. federal income taxes) |
5 American Funds Portfolio Series / Prospectus
Management
Investment adviser Capital Research and Management CompanySM
Portfolio Solutions Committee The investment adviser’s Portfolio Solutions Committee develops the allocation approach and selects the underlying funds in which the fund invests. The members of the Portfolio Solutions Committee, who are jointly and primarily responsible for the portfolio management of the fund, are:
Investment
professional/ Series title (if applicable) |
Investment
professional experience in this fund |
Primary title with investment adviser |
Samir Mathur President | 2 years | Partner – Capital Solutions Group |
Alan N. Berro Senior Vice President | 10 years | Partner – Capital World Investors |
Michelle J. Black Senior Vice President | 2 years | Partner – Capital Solutions Group |
Wesley K. Phoa Senior Vice President | 10 years | Partner – Capital Solutions Group |
John R. Queen Senior Vice President | 2 years | Partner – Capital Fixed Income Investors |
William L. Robbins Senior Vice President | 2 years | Partner – Capital International Investors |
Andrew B. Suzman Senior Vice President | 10 years | Partner – Capital World Investors |
Purchase and sale of fund shares The minimum amount to establish an account for all share classes is normally $250 and the minimum to add to an account is $50. For a payroll deduction retirement plan account, payroll deduction savings plan account or employer-sponsored 529 account, the minimum is $25 to establish or add to an account. For accounts with Class F-3 shares held and serviced by the fund’s transfer agent, the minimum investment amount is $1 million.
If you are a retail investor, you may sell (redeem) shares on any business day through your dealer or financial professional or by writing to American Funds Service Company® at P.O. Box 6007, Indianapolis, Indiana 46206-6007; telephoning American Funds Service Company at (800) 421-4225; faxing American Funds Service Company at (888) 421-4351; or accessing our website at capitalgroup.com. Please contact your plan administrator or recordkeeper to sell (redeem) shares from your retirement plan.
Tax information Dividends and capital gain distributions you receive from the fund are subject to federal income taxes and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are tax-exempt or your account is tax-favored.
Payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries If you purchase shares of the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the fund and the fund’s distributor or its affiliates 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 individual financial professional to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your individual financial professional or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
American Funds Portfolio Series / Prospectus 6
Share class: | A | 529-A
and ABLE-A |
C
and 529-C |
529-E | T
and 529-T |
All F, 529-F and ABLE-F-2 share classes | All
R share classes |
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) | |||||||
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of the amount redeemed) | |||||||
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on reinvested dividends | |||||||
Redemption or exchange fees |
Share class: | A | C | T | F-1 | F-2 | F-3 | 529-A | 529-C |
Management fees | ||||||||
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees | ||||||||
Other expenses | ||||||||
Acquired (underlying) fund fees and expenses | ||||||||
Total annual fund operating expenses |
Share class: | 529-E | 529-T | 529-F-1 | 529-F-2 | 529-F-3 | ABLE-A | ABLE-F-2 | |
Management fees | ||||||||
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees | ||||||||
Other expenses | ||||||||
Acquired (underlying) fund fees and expenses | ||||||||
Total annual fund operating expenses | ||||||||
Expense reimbursement | — | — | — | — | ||||
Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reimbursement |
Share class: | R-1 | R-2 | R-2E | R-3 | R-4 | R-5E | R-5 | R-6 |
Management fees | ||||||||
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees | ||||||||
Other expenses | ||||||||
Acquired (underlying) fund fees and expenses | ||||||||
Total annual fund operating expenses |
1
2
3
7 American Funds Portfolio Series / Prospectus
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 example reflects the expense reimbursement described above
through the expiration date of such reimbursement and total annual fund
operating expenses thereafter. You may be required to pay brokerage commissions
on your purchases and sales of Class F-2, F-3, 529-F-2, 529-F-3 or ABLE-F-2
shares of the fund, which are not reflected in the example.
Share class: | A | C | T | F-1 | F-2 | F-3 | 529-A | 529-C | 529-E | 529-T | 529-F-1 | 529-F-2 | 529-F-3 | ABLE A | ABLE F-2 |
1 year | $ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
3 years | |||||||||||||||
5 years | |||||||||||||||
10 years |
Share class: | R-1 | R-2 | R-2E | R-3 | R-4 | R-5E | R-5 | R-6 | Share class: | C | 529-C | |
1 year | $ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
1 year | $ |
$ | |
3 years | 3 years | |||||||||||
5 years | 5 years | |||||||||||
10 years | 10 years |
The fund will typically have significant exposure to issuers domiciled outside the United States. The fund may also have exposure to smaller capitalization issuers and issuers domiciled in emerging markets. The investment adviser believes that exposure to issuers domiciled outside the United States can help provide diversification when seeking long-term growth of capital.
The fund’s investment adviser seeks to create combinations of underlying funds that complement each other with a goal of achieving the fund’s investment objective of providing long-term growth of capital. In making this determination, the fund’s investment adviser considers the historical volatility and returns of the underlying funds and how various combinations would have behaved in past market environments. It also considers, among other topics, current market conditions and the investment positions of the underlying funds.
The fund’s investment adviser periodically reviews the investment strategies and asset mix of the underlying funds. The investment adviser will also consider whether overall market conditions would favor a change in the exposure of the fund to various asset types or geographic regions. Based on these considerations, the investment adviser may make adjustments to underlying fund holdings by adjusting the percentage of individual underlying funds within the fund, or adding or removing underlying funds. The investment adviser may also determine not to change the underlying fund allocations, particularly in response to short-term market movements, if in its opinion the combination of underlying funds is appropriate to meet the fund’s investment objective.
American Funds Portfolio Series / Prospectus 8
The following are principal risks associated with investing in the fund.
Allocation risk — Investments in the fund are subject to risks related to the investment adviser’s allocation choices. The selection of the underlying funds and the allocation of the fund’s assets could cause the fund to lose value or its results to lag relevant benchmarks or other funds with similar objectives.
Fund structure — The fund invests in underlying funds and incurs expenses related to the underlying funds. In addition, investors in the fund will incur fees to pay for certain expenses related to the operations of the fund. An investor holding the underlying funds directly and in the same proportions as the fund would incur lower overall expenses but would not receive the benefit of the portfolio management and other services provided by the fund. Additionally, in accordance with an exemption under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the investment adviser considers only proprietary funds when selecting underlying investment options and allocations. This means that the fund’s investment adviser did not, nor does it expect to, consider any unaffiliated funds as underlying investment options for the fund. This strategy could raise certain conflicts of interest when choosing underlying investments for the fund, including the selection of funds that result in greater compensation to the adviser or funds with relatively lower historical investment results. The investment adviser has policies and procedures designed to mitigate material conflicts of interest that may arise in connection with its management of the fund.
Underlying fund risks — Because the fund’s investments consist of underlying funds, the fund’s risks are directly related to the risks of the underlying funds. For this reason, it is important to understand the risks associated with investing in the underlying funds, as described below.
The following are principal risks associated with investing in the underlying funds.
Market conditions — The prices of, and the income generated by, the common stocks, bonds and other securities held by the underlying funds may decline – sometimes rapidly or unpredictably – due to various factors, including events or conditions affecting the general economy or particular industries; overall market changes; local, regional or global political, social or economic instability; governmental, governmental agency or central bank responses to economic conditions; and currency exchange rate, interest rate and commodity price fluctuations.
Economies and financial markets throughout the world are highly interconnected. Economic, financial or political events, trading and tariff arrangements, wars, terrorism, cybersecurity events, natural disasters, public health emergencies (such as the spread of infectious disease) and other circumstances in one country or region, including actions taken by governmental or quasi-governmental authorities in response to any of the foregoing, could have impacts on global economies or markets. As a result, whether or not the underlying funds invest in securities of issuers located in or with significant exposure to the countries affected, the value and liquidity of the underlying funds’ investments may be negatively affected by developments in other countries and regions.
Issuer risks — The prices of, and the income generated by, securities held by the underlying funds may decline in response to various factors directly related to the issuers of such securities, including reduced demand for an issuer’s goods or services, poor management performance, major litigation, investigations or other controversies related to the issuer, changes in government regulations affecting the issuer or its competitive environment and strategic initiatives such as mergers, acquisitions or dispositions and the market response to any such initiatives.
Investing in stocks — Investing in stocks may involve larger price swings and greater potential for loss than other types of investments. As a result, the value of the underlying funds may be subject to sharp declines in value. Income provided by an underlying fund may be reduced by changes in the dividend policies of, and the capital resources available at, the companies in which the underlying fund invests. These risks may be even greater in the case of smaller capitalization stocks.
Investing in small companies — Investing in smaller companies may pose additional risks. For example, it is often more difficult to value or dispose of small company stocks and more difficult to obtain information about smaller companies than about larger companies. Furthermore, smaller companies often have limited product lines, operating histories, markets and/or financial resources, may be dependent on one or a few key persons for management, and can be more susceptible to losses. Moreover, the prices of their stocks may be more volatile than stocks of larger, more established companies, particularly during times of market turmoil.
9 American Funds Portfolio Series / Prospectus
Investing outside the United States — Securities of issuers domiciled outside the United States, or with significant operations or revenues outside the United States, may lose value because of adverse political, social, economic or market developments (including social instability, regional conflicts, terrorism and war) in the countries or regions in which the issuers operate or generate revenue. These securities may also lose value due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates against the U.S. dollar and/or currencies of other countries. Issuers of these securities may be more susceptible to actions of foreign governments, such as nationalization, currency blockage or the imposition of price controls or punitive taxes, each of which could adversely impact the value of these securities. Securities markets in certain countries may be more volatile and/or less liquid than those in the United States. Investments outside the United States may also be subject to different accounting and auditing practices and standards and different regulatory, legal and reporting requirements, and may be more difficult to value, than those in the United States. In addition, the value of investments outside the United States may be reduced by foreign taxes, including foreign withholding taxes on interest and dividends. Further, there may be increased risks of delayed settlement of securities purchased or sold by an underlying fund. The risks of investing outside the United States may be heightened in connection with investments in emerging markets.
Investing in emerging markets — Investing in emerging markets may involve risks in addition to and greater than those generally associated with investing in the securities markets of developed countries. For instance, emerging market countries tend to have less developed political, economic and legal systems and accounting and auditing practices and standards than those in developed countries. Accordingly, the governments of these countries may be less stable and more likely to intervene in the market economy, for example, by imposing capital controls, nationalizing a company or industry, placing restrictions on foreign ownership and on withdrawing sale proceeds of securities from the country, and/or imposing punitive taxes that could adversely affect the prices of securities. Information regarding issuers in emerging markets may be limited, incomplete or inaccurate, and there may be fewer rights and remedies available to the fund and its shareholders. In addition, the economies of these countries may be dependent on relatively few industries, may have limited access to capital and may be more susceptible to changes in local and global trade conditions and downturns in the world economy. Securities markets in these countries can also be relatively small and have substantially lower trading volumes. As a result, securities issued in these countries may be more volatile and less liquid, and may be more difficult to value, than securities issued in countries with more developed economies and/or markets. Less certainty with respect to security valuations may lead to additional challenges and risks in calculating the underlying fund’s net asset value. Additionally, emerging markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by banks, agents and depositories that are less established than those in developed countries.
Management — The investment adviser to the fund and to the underlying funds actively manages each underlying fund’s investments. Consequently, the underlying funds are subject to the risk that the methods and analyses, including models, tools and data, employed by the investment adviser in this process may be flawed or incorrect and may not produce the desired results. This could cause an underlying fund to lose value or its investment results to lag relevant benchmarks or other funds with similar objectives.
American Funds Portfolio Series / Prospectus 10
*
growth in net
assets.
Share class | Inception date | 1 year | 5 years | Lifetime |
F-2 − Before taxes | ||||
− After taxes on distributions | ||||
− After taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares |
Share classes (before taxes) | Inception date | 1 year | 5 years | Lifetime |
A (with maximum sales charge) | ||||
C | ||||
F-1 | ||||
F-3 | N/A | |||
529-A (with maximum sales charge) | ||||
529-C | ||||
529-E | ||||
529-F-1 | ||||
ABLE-A | N/A | |||
R-1 | ||||
R-2 | ||||
R-2E | ||||
R-3 | ||||
R-4 | ||||
R-5E | ||||
R-5 | ||||
R-6 |
Indexes | 1 year | 5 years | Lifetime (from Class F-2 inception) |
S&P 500 Index (reflects no deductions for sales charges, account fees, expenses or U.S. federal income taxes) | |||
MSCI® All Country World ex USA Index (reflects no deductions for sales charges, account fees, expenses or U.S. federal income taxes) | |||
Lipper Global Multi-Cap Growth Funds Index (reflects no deductions for sales charges, account fees or U.S. federal income taxes) |
11 American Funds Portfolio Series / Prospectus
Management
Investment adviser Capital Research and Management CompanySM
Portfolio Solutions Committee The investment adviser’s Portfolio Solutions Committee develops the allocation approach and selects the underlying funds in which the fund invests. The members of the Portfolio Solutions Committee, who are jointly and primarily responsible for the portfolio management of the fund, are:
Investment
professional/ Series title (if applicable) |
Investment
professional experience in this fund |
Primary title with investment adviser |
Samir Mathur President | 2 years | Partner – Capital Solutions Group |
Alan N. Berro Senior Vice President | 10 years | Partner – Capital World Investors |
Michelle J. Black Senior Vice President | 2 years | Partner – Capital Solutions Group |
Wesley K. Phoa Senior Vice President | 10 years | Partner – Capital Solutions Group |
John R. Queen Senior Vice President | 2 years | Partner – Capital Fixed Income Investors |
William L. Robbins Senior Vice President | 2 years | Partner – Capital International Investors |
Andrew B. Suzman Senior Vice President | 10 years | Partner – Capital World Investors |
Purchase and sale of fund shares The minimum amount to establish an account for all share classes is normally $250 and the minimum to add to an account is $50. For a payroll deduction retirement plan account, payroll deduction savings plan account or employer-sponsored 529 account, the minimum is $25 to establish or add to an account. For accounts with Class F-3 shares held and serviced by the fund’s transfer agent, the minimum investment amount is $1 million.
If you are a retail investor, you may sell (redeem) shares on any business day through your dealer or financial professional or by writing to American Funds Service Company® at P.O. Box 6007, Indianapolis, Indiana 46206-6007; telephoning American Funds Service Company at (800) 421-4225; faxing American Funds Service Company at (888) 421-4351; or accessing our website at capitalgroup.com. Please contact your plan administrator or recordkeeper to sell (redeem) shares from your retirement plan.
Tax information Dividends and capital gain distributions you receive from the fund are subject to federal income taxes and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are tax-exempt or your account is tax-favored.
Payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries If you purchase shares of the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the fund and the fund’s distributor or its affiliates 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 individual financial professional to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your individual financial professional or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
American Funds Portfolio Series / Prospectus 12
Share class: | A | 529-A
and ABLE-A |
C
and 529-C |
529-E | T
and 529-T |
All F, 529-F and ABLE-F-2 share classes | All
R share classes |
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) | |||||||
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of the amount redeemed) | |||||||
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on reinvested dividends | |||||||
Redemption or exchange fees |
Share class: | A | C | T | F-1 | F-2 | F-3 | 529-A | 529-C |
Management fees | ||||||||
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees | ||||||||
Other expenses | ||||||||
Acquired (underlying) fund fees and expenses | ||||||||
Total annual fund operating expenses |
Share class: | 529-E | 529-T | 529-F-1 | 529-F-2 | 529-F-3 | ABLE-A | ABLE-F-2 | |
Management fees | ||||||||
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees | ||||||||
Other expenses | ||||||||
Acquired (underlying) fund fees and expenses | ||||||||
Total annual fund operating expenses | ||||||||
Expense reimbursement | — | — | — | — | ||||
Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reimbursement |
Share class: | R-1 | R-2 | R-2E | R-3 | R-4 | R-5E | R-5 | R-6 |
Management fees | ||||||||
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees | ||||||||
Other expenses | ||||||||
Acquired (underlying) fund fees and expenses | ||||||||
Total annual fund operating expenses |
1
2
3
13 American Funds Portfolio Series / Prospectus
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 example reflects the expense reimbursement described above
through the expiration date of such reimbursement and total annual fund
operating expenses thereafter. You may be required to pay brokerage commissions
on your purchases and sales of Class F-2, F-3, 529-F-2, 529-F-3 or ABLE-F-2
shares of the fund, which are not reflected in the example.
Share class: | A | C | T | F-1 | F-2 | F-3 | 529-A | 529-C | 529-E | 529-T | 529-F-1 | 529-F-2 | 529-F-3 | ABLE A | ABLE F-2 |
1 year | $ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
3 years | |||||||||||||||
5 years | |||||||||||||||
10 years |
Share class: | R-1 | R-2 | R-2E | R-3 | R-4 | R-5E | R-5 | R-6 | Share class: | C | 529-C | |
1 year | $ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
1 year | $ |
$ | ||
3 years | 3 years | |||||||||||
5 years | 5 years | |||||||||||
10 years | 10 years |
Through its investments in the underlying funds, the fund will have significant exposure to growth-oriented common stocks. The fund will seek to generate some of its income from exposure to dividend paying stocks. The fund will seek exposure to issuers domiciled outside the United States, including those domiciled in emerging markets. The investment adviser believes that exposure to issuers domiciled outside the United States can help provide diversification when seeking current income and long-term growth of capital.
With respect to its fixed income investments, the underlying funds in which the fund invests may hold debt securities with a wide range of quality and maturities. The fund may invest in underlying funds with significant exposure to bonds rated BB+ or below and Ba1 or below by Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations designated by the fund’s investment adviser, or unrated but determined by the fund’s investment adviser to be of equivalent quality. Securities rated BB+ or below and Ba1 or below are sometimes referred to as “junk bonds.” Exposure to lower rated securities may help the fund achieve its objective of providing current income.
The underlying funds may hold securities issued and guaranteed by the U.S. government, securities issued by federal agencies and instrumentalities and securities backed by mortgages or other assets. The underlying funds may also invest in the debt securities of governments, agencies, corporations and other entities domiciled outside the United States.
The fund’s investment adviser seeks to create combinations of underlying funds that complement each other with a goal of achieving the fund’s investment objective of providing long-term growth of capital while providing current income. In making this determination, the fund’s investment adviser considers the historical volatility and returns of the underlying funds and how various combinations would have behaved in past market environments. It also considers, among other topics, current market conditions and the investment positions of the underlying funds.
The fund’s investment adviser periodically reviews the investment strategies and asset mix of the underlying funds. The investment adviser will also consider whether overall market conditions would favor a change in the exposure of the fund to various asset types or geographic regions. Based on these considerations, the investment adviser may make adjustments to underlying fund holdings by adjusting the percentage of individual underlying funds within the fund, or adding or removing underlying funds. The investment adviser may also determine not to change the underlying fund allocations, particularly in response to short-term market movements, if in its opinion the combination of underlying funds is appropriate to meet the fund’s investment objective.
American Funds Portfolio Series / Prospectus 14
The following are principal risks associated with investing in the fund.
Allocation risk — Investments in the fund are subject to risks related to the investment adviser’s allocation choices. The selection of the underlying funds and the allocation of the fund’s assets could cause the fund to lose value or its results to lag relevant benchmarks or other funds with similar objectives.
Fund structure — The fund invests in underlying funds and incurs expenses related to the underlying funds. In addition, investors in the fund will incur fees to pay for certain expenses related to the operations of the fund. An investor holding the underlying funds directly and in the same proportions as the fund would incur lower overall expenses but would not receive the benefit of the portfolio management and other services provided by the fund. Additionally, in accordance with an exemption under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the investment adviser considers only proprietary funds when selecting underlying investment options and allocations. This means that the fund’s investment adviser did not, nor does it expect to, consider any unaffiliated funds as underlying investment options for the fund. This strategy could raise certain conflicts of interest when choosing underlying investments for the fund, including the selection of funds that result in greater compensation to the adviser or funds with relatively lower historical investment results. The investment adviser has policies and procedures designed to mitigate material conflicts of interest that may arise in connection with its management of the fund.
Underlying fund risks — Because the fund’s investments consist of underlying funds, the fund’s risks are directly related to the risks of the underlying funds. For this reason, it is important to understand the risks associated with investing in the underlying funds, as described below.
The following are principal risks associated with investing in the underlying funds.
Market conditions — The prices of, and the income generated by, the common stocks, bonds and other securities held by the underlying funds may decline – sometimes rapidly or unpredictably – due to various factors, including events or conditions affecting the general economy or particular industries; overall market changes; local, regional or global political, social or economic instability; governmental, governmental agency or central bank responses to economic conditions; and currency exchange rate, interest rate and commodity price fluctuations.
Economies and financial markets throughout the world are highly interconnected. Economic, financial or political events, trading and tariff arrangements, wars, terrorism, cybersecurity events, natural disasters, public health emergencies (such as the spread of infectious disease) and other circumstances in one country or region, including actions taken by governmental or quasi-governmental authorities in response to any of the foregoing, could have impacts on global economies or markets. As a result, whether or not the underlying funds invest in securities of issuers located in or with significant exposure to the countries affected, the value and liquidity of the underlying funds’ investments may be negatively affected by developments in other countries and regions.
Issuer risks — The prices of, and the income generated by, securities held by the underlying funds may decline in response to various factors directly related to the issuers of such securities, including reduced demand for an issuer’s goods or services, poor management performance, major litigation, investigations or other controversies related to the issuer, changes in government regulations affecting the issuer or its competitive environment and strategic initiatives such as mergers, acquisitions or dispositions and the market response to any such initiatives.
Investing in stocks — Investing in stocks may involve larger price swings and greater potential for loss than other types of investments. As a result, the value of the underlying funds may be subject to sharp declines in value. Income provided by an underlying fund may be reduced by changes in the dividend policies of, and the capital resources available at, the companies in which the underlying fund invests. These risks may be even greater in the case of smaller capitalization stocks.
15 American Funds Portfolio Series / Prospectus
Investing outside the United States — Securities of issuers domiciled outside the United States, or with significant operations or revenues outside the United States, may lose value because of adverse political, social, economic or market developments (including social instability, regional conflicts, terrorism and war) in the countries or regions in which the issuers operate or generate revenue. These securities may also lose value due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates against the U.S. dollar and/or currencies of other countries. Issuers of these securities may be more susceptible to actions of foreign governments, such as nationalization, currency blockage or the imposition of price controls or punitive taxes, each of which could adversely impact the value of these securities. Securities markets in certain countries may be more volatile and/or less liquid than those in the United States. Investments outside the United States may also be subject to different accounting and auditing practices and standards and different regulatory, legal and reporting requirements, and may be more difficult to value, than those in the United States. In addition, the value of investments outside the United States may be reduced by foreign taxes, including foreign withholding taxes on interest and dividends. Further, there may be increased risks of delayed settlement of securities purchased or sold by an underlying fund. The risks of investing outside the United States may be heightened in connection with investments in emerging markets.
Investing in debt instruments — The prices of, and the income generated by, bonds and other debt securities held by an underlying fund may be affected by factors such as the interest rates, maturities and credit ratings of these securities.
Rising interest rates will generally cause the prices of bonds and other debt securities to fall. A general rise in interest rates may cause investors to sell debt securities on a large scale, which could also adversely affect the price and liquidity of debt securities and could also result in increased redemptions from the fund. Falling interest rates may cause an issuer to redeem, call or refinance a debt security before its stated maturity, which may result in the fund failing to recoup the full amount of its initial investment and having to reinvest the proceeds in lower yielding securities. Longer maturity debt securities generally have greater sensitivity to changes in interest rates and may be subject to greater price fluctuations than shorter maturity debt securities.
Bonds and other debt securities are also subject to credit risk, which is the possibility that the credit strength of an issuer or guarantor will weaken or be perceived to be weaker, and/or an issuer of a debt security will fail to make timely payments of principal or interest and the security will go into default. A downgrade or default affecting any of the underlying funds’ securities could cause the value of the underlying funds’ shares to decrease. Credit risk is gauged, in part, by the credit ratings of the debt securities in which the underlying fund invests. However, ratings are only the opinions of the rating agencies issuing them and are not guarantees as to credit quality or an evaluation of market risk. The underlying funds’ investment adviser relies on its own credit analysts to research issuers and issues in seeking to assess credit and default risks.
Management — The investment adviser to the fund and to the underlying funds actively manages each underlying fund’s investments. Consequently, the underlying funds are subject to the risk that the methods and analyses, including models, tools and data, employed by the investment adviser in this process may be flawed or incorrect and may not produce the desired results. This could cause an underlying fund to lose value or its investment results to lag relevant benchmarks or other funds with similar objectives.
American Funds Portfolio Series / Prospectus 16
*
growth in net
assets.
Share class | Inception date | 1 year | 5 years | Lifetime |
F-2 — Before taxes | ||||
— After taxes on distributions | ||||
— After taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares |
Share classes (before taxes) | Inception date | 1 year | 5 years | Lifetime |
A (with maximum sales charge) | ||||
C | ||||
F-1 | ||||
F-3 | N/A | |||
529-A (with maximum sales charge) | ||||
529-C | ||||
529-E | ||||
529-F-1 | ||||
ABLE-A | N/A | |||
R-1 | ||||
R-2 | ||||
R-2E | ||||
R-3 | ||||
R-4 | ||||
R-5E | ||||
R-5 | ||||
R-6 |
Indexes | 1 year | 5 years | Lifetime (from Class F-2 inception) |
S&P 500 Index (reflects no deductions for sales charges, account fees, expenses or U.S. federal income taxes) | |||
MSCI® All Country World ex USA Index (reflects no deductions for sales charges, account fees, expenses or U.S. federal income taxes) | |||
Bloomberg Global Aggregate Index (reflects no deductions for sales charges, account fees, expenses or U.S. federal income taxes) | |||
Lipper Mixed-Asset Target Allocation Growth Funds Index (reflects no deductions for sales charges, account fees or U.S. federal income taxes) |
17 American Funds Portfolio Series / Prospectus
Management
Investment adviser Capital Research and Management CompanySM
Portfolio Solutions Committee The investment adviser’s Portfolio Solutions Committee develops the allocation approach and selects the underlying funds in which the fund invests. The members of the Portfolio Solutions Committee, who are jointly and primarily responsible for the portfolio management of the fund, are:
Investment
professional/ Series title (if applicable) |
Investment
professional experience in this fund |
Primary title with investment adviser |
Samir Mathur President | 2 years | Partner – Capital Solutions Group |
Alan N. Berro Senior Vice President | 10 years | Partner – Capital World Investors |
Michelle J. Black Senior Vice President | 2 years | Partner – Capital Solutions Group |
Wesley K. Phoa Senior Vice President | 10 years | Partner – Capital Solutions Group |
John R. Queen Senior Vice President | 2 years | Partner – Capital Fixed Income Investors |
William L. Robbins Senior Vice President | 2 years | Partner – Capital International Investors |
Andrew B. Suzman Senior Vice President | 10 years | Partner – Capital World Investors |
Purchase and sale of fund shares The minimum amount to establish an account for all share classes is normally $250 and the minimum to add to an account is $50. For a payroll deduction retirement plan account, payroll deduction savings plan account or employer-sponsored 529 account, the minimum is $25 to establish or add to an account. For accounts with Class F-3 shares held and serviced by the fund’s transfer agent, the minimum investment amount is $1 million.
If you are a retail investor, you may sell (redeem) shares on any business day through your dealer or financial professional or by writing to American Funds Service Company® at P.O. Box 6007, Indianapolis, Indiana 46206-6007; telephoning American Funds Service Company at (800) 421-4225; faxing American Funds Service Company at (888) 421-4351; or accessing our website at capitalgroup.com. Please contact your plan administrator or recordkeeper to sell (redeem) shares from your retirement plan.
Tax information Dividends and capital gain distributions you receive from the fund are subject to federal income taxes and may also be subject to state and local taxes, unless you are tax-exempt or your account is tax-favored.
Payments to broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries If you purchase shares of the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the fund and the fund’s distributor or its affiliates 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 individual financial professional to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your individual financial professional or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
American Funds Portfolio Series / Prospectus 18
Share class: | A | 529-A
and ABLE-A |
C
and 529-C |
529-E | T
and 529-T |
All F, 529-F and ABLE-F-2 share classes | All
R share classes |
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) | |||||||
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of the amount redeemed) | |||||||
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on reinvested dividends | |||||||
Redemption or exchange fees |
Share class: | A | C | T | F-1 | F-2 | F-3 | 529-A | 529-C |
Management fees | ||||||||
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees | ||||||||
Other expenses | ||||||||
Acquired (underlying) fund fees and expenses | ||||||||
Total annual fund operating expenses |
Share class: | 529-E | 529-T | 529-F-1 | 529-F-2 | 529-F-3 | ABLE-A | ABLE-F-2 | |
Management fees | ||||||||
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees | ||||||||
Other expenses | ||||||||
Acquired (underlying) fund fees and expenses | ||||||||
Total annual fund operating expenses | ||||||||
Expense reimbursement | — | — | — | — | ||||
Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reimbursement |
Share class: | R-1 | R-2 | R-2E | R-3 | R-4 | R-5E | R-5 | R-6 |
Management fees | ||||||||
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees | ||||||||
Other expenses | ||||||||
Acquired (underlying) fund fees and expenses | ||||||||
Total annual fund operating expenses |
1
2
3
4
19 American Funds Portfolio Series / Prospectus
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 example reflects the expense reimbursement described above
through the expiration date of such reimbursement and total annual fund
operating expenses thereafter. You may be required to pay brokerage commissions
on your purchases and sales of Class F-2, F-3, 529-F-2, 529-F-3 or ABLE-F-2
shares of the fund, which are not reflected in the example.
Share class: | A | C | T | F-1 | F-2 | F-3 | 529-A | 529-C | 529-E | 529-T | 529-F-1 | 529-F-2 | 529-F-3 | ABLE A | ABLE F-2 |
1 year | $ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
3 years | |||||||||||||||
5 years | |||||||||||||||
10 years |
Share class: | R-1 | R-2 | R-2E | R-3 | R-4 | R-5E | R-5 | R-6 | Share class: | C | 529-C | |
1 year | $ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
1 year | $ |
$ | |
3 years | 3 years | |||||||||||
5 years | 5 years | |||||||||||
10 years | 10 years |
Normally through its investments in the underlying funds, the fund will maintain at least 45% of the value of its net assets in common stocks and other equity investments and at least 25% of the value of its net assets in bonds and other debt securities (including money market instruments).
The fund will have exposure to growth-oriented common stocks. The fund will seek to generate some of its income from exposure to dividend paying stocks. The fund will seek exposure to issuers domiciled outside the United States, including those domiciled in emerging markets. The investment adviser believes that exposure to issuers domiciled outside the United States can help provide diversification when seeking current income and long-term growth of capital.
With respect to its fixed income investments, the underlying funds in which the fund invests may hold debt securities with a wide range of maturities. The fund may invest in underlying funds with significant exposure to bonds rated BB+ or below and Ba1 or below by Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations designated by the fund’s investment adviser, or unrated but determined by the fund’s investment adviser to be of equivalent quality. Securities rated BB+ or below and Ba1 or below are sometimes referred to as “junk bonds.” Exposure to lower rated securities may help the fund achieve its objective of providing current income.
The underlying funds may hold securities issued and guaranteed by the U.S. government, securities issued by federal agencies and instrumentalities and securities backed by mortgages or other assets. The underlying funds may also invest in the debt securities of governments, agencies, corporations and other entities domiciled outside the United States.
The fund’s investment adviser seeks to create combinations of underlying funds that complement each other with a goal of achieving the fund’s investment objective of providing current income and long-term growth of capital and income. In making this determination, the fund’s investment adviser considers the historical volatility and returns of the underlying funds and how various combinations would have behaved in past market environments. It also considers, among other topics, current market conditions and the investment positions of the underlying funds.
The fund’s investment adviser periodically reviews the investment strategies and asset mix of the underlying funds. The investment adviser will also consider whether overall market conditions would favor a change in the exposure of the fund to various asset types or geographic regions. Based on these considerations, the investment adviser may make adjustments to underlying fund holdings by adjusting the percentage of individual underlying funds within the fund, or adding or removing underlying funds. The investment adviser may also determine not to change the underlying fund allocations, particularly in response to short-term market movements, if in its opinion the combination of underlying funds is appropriate to meet the fund’s investment objective.
American Funds Portfolio Series / Prospectus 20
The following are principal risks associated with investing in the fund.
Allocation risk — Investments in the fund are subject to risks related to the investment adviser’s allocation choices. The selection of the underlying funds and the allocation of the fund’s assets could cause the fund to lose value or its results to lag relevant benchmarks or other funds with similar objectives.
Fund structure — The fund invests in underlying funds and incurs expenses related to the underlying funds. In addition, investors in the fund will incur fees to pay for certain expenses related to the operations of the fund. An investor holding the underlying funds directly and in the same proportions as the fund would incur lower overall expenses but would not receive the benefit of the portfolio management and other services provided by the fund. Additionally, in accordance with an exemption under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the investment adviser considers only proprietary funds when selecting underlying investment options and allocations. This means that the fund’s investment adviser did not, nor does it expect to, consider any unaffiliated funds as underlying investment options for the fund. This strategy could raise certain conflicts of interest when choosing underlying investments for the fund, including the selection of funds that result in greater compensation to the adviser or funds with relatively lower historical investment results. The investment adviser has policies and procedures designed to mitigate material conflicts of interest that may arise in connection with its management of the fund.
Underlying fund risks — Because the fund’s investments consist of underlying funds, the fund’s risks are directly related to the risks of the underlying funds. For this reason, it is important to understand the risks associated with investing in the underlying funds, as described below.
The following are principal risks associated with investing in the underlying funds.
Market conditions — The prices of, and the income generated by, the common stocks, bonds and other securities held by the underlying funds may decline – sometimes rapidly or unpredictably – due to various factors, including events or conditions affecting the general economy or particular industries; overall market changes; local, regional or global political, social or economic instability; governmental, governmental agency or central bank responses to economic conditions; and currency exchange rate, interest rate and commodity price fluctuations.
Economies and financial markets throughout the world are highly interconnected. Economic, financial or political events, trading and tariff arrangements, wars, terrorism, cybersecurity events, natural disasters, public health emergencies (such as the spread of infectious disease) and other circumstances in one country or region, including actions taken by governmental or quasi-governmental authorities in response to any of the foregoing, could have impacts on global economies or markets. As a result, whether or not the underlying funds invest in securities of issuers located in or with significant exposure to the countries affected, the value and liquidity of the underlying funds’ investments may be negatively affected by developments in other countries and regions.
Issuer risks — The prices of, and the income generated by, securities held by the underlying funds may decline in response to various factors directly related to the issuers of such securities, including reduced demand for an issuer’s goods or services, poor management performance, major litigation, investigations or other controversies related to the issuer, changes in government regulations affecting the issuer or its competitive environment and strategic initiatives such as mergers, acquisitions or dispositions and the market response to any such initiatives.
Investing in stocks — Investing in stocks may involve larger price swings and greater potential for loss than other types of investments. As a result, the value of the underlying funds may be subject to sharp declines in value. Income provided by an underlying fund may be reduced by changes in the dividend policies of, and the capital resources available at, the companies in which the underlying fund invests. These risks may be even greater in the case of smaller capitalization stocks.
Investing outside the United States — Securities of issuers domiciled outside the United States, or with significant operations or revenues outside the United States, may lose value because of adverse political, social, economic or market developments (including social instability, regional conflicts, terrorism and war) in the countries or regions in which the issuers operate or generate revenue. These securities may also lose value due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates against the U.S. dollar and/or currencies of other countries. Issuers of these securities may be more susceptible to actions of foreign governments, such as nationalization, currency blockage or the imposition of price controls or punitive taxes, each of which could adversely impact the value of these securities. Securities markets in certain countries may be more volatile and/or less liquid than those in the United States. Investments outside the United States may also be subject to different accounting and auditing practices and standards and different regulatory, legal and reporting requirements, and may be more difficult to value, than those in the United States. In addition, the value of investments outside the United States may be reduced by foreign taxes, including foreign withholding taxes on interest and dividends. Further, there may be increased risks of delayed settlement of securities purchased or sold by an underlying fund. The risks of investing outside the United States may be heightened in connection with investments in emerging markets.
21 American Funds Portfolio Series / Prospectus
Investing in debt instruments — The prices of, and the income generated by, bonds and other debt securities held by an underlying fund may be affected by factors such as the interest rates, maturities and credit ratings of these securities.
Rising interest rates will generally cause the prices of bonds and other debt securities to fall. A general rise in interest rates may cause investors to sell debt securities on a large scale, which could also adversely affect the price and liquidity of debt securities and could also result in increased redemptions from the fund. Falling interest rates may cause an issuer to redeem, call or refinance a debt security before its stated maturity, which may result in the fund failing to recoup the full amount of its initial investment and having to reinvest the proceeds in lower yielding securities. Longer maturity debt securities generally have greater sensitivity to changes in interest rates and may be subject to greater price fluctuations than shorter maturity debt securities.
Bonds and other debt securities are also subject to credit risk, which is the possibility that the credit strength of an issuer or guarantor will weaken or be perceived to be weaker, and/or an issuer of a debt security will fail to make timely payments of principal or interest and the security will go into default. A downgrade or default affecting any of the underlying funds’ securities could cause the value of the underlying funds’ shares to decrease. Credit risk is gauged, in part, by the credit ratings of the debt securities in which the underlying fund invests. However, ratings are only the opinions of the rating agencies issuing them and are not guarantees as to credit quality or an evaluation of market risk. The underlying funds’ investment adviser relies on its own credit analysts to research issuers and issues in seeking to assess credit and default risks.
Management — The investment adviser to the fund and to the underlying funds actively manages each underlying fund’s investments. Consequently, the underlying funds are subject to the risk that the methods and analyses, including models, tools and data, employed by the investment adviser in this process may be flawed or incorrect and may not produce the desired results. This could cause an underlying fund to lose value or its investment results to lag relevant benchmarks or other funds with similar objectives.
American Funds Portfolio Series / Prospectus 22
*
growth in net
assets.
Share class | Inception date | 1 year | 5 years | Lifetime |
F-2 — Before taxes | ||||
— After taxes on distributions | ||||
— After taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares |