adviser believes the issuer’s credit
quality will deteriorate materially or when the adviser believes that there is better relative
value available in the market in securities of comparable quality. As part of its investment process, the adviser seeks to assess the impact of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors on many issuers or countries in the
universe in which the Fund may invest. The adviser’s assessment is based on an analysis of
key opportunities and risks across industries to seek to identify financially material issues with respect to the Fund’s investments in issuers and ascertain key issues that merit engagement with issuers. These
assessments may not be conclusive and securities of issuers or countries that may be negatively
impacted by such factors may be purchased and retained by the Fund while the Fund may divest or not invest in securities of issuers or countries that may be positively impacted by such factors.
The Fund’s Main Investment Risks
The Fund is subject to management risk and may not achieve its objective if the adviser’s expectations regarding particular instruments or markets are not
met.
An investment in this Fund or any other fund may not provide a complete investment program. The suitability of an investment in the Fund
should be considered based on the investment objectives, strategies and risks described in this prospectus, considered in light of all of the other investments in your
portfolio, as well as your risk tolerance, financial goals and time horizons. You may want to consult with a financial advisor to determine if this Fund is suitable for you.
The Fund is subject to the main risks noted below, any of which may
adversely affect the Fund’s net asset value (NAV), market price, performance and ability to meet its investment objective.
Interest Rate Risk. The Fund’s investments in bonds and other debt securities will change in value based on changes in
interest rates. If rates increase, the value of these investments generally declines. Securities
with greater interest rate sensitivity and longer maturities generally are subject to greater fluctuations in value. The Fund may invest in variable and floating rate Loans and other variable and floating rate
securities. Although these instruments are generally less sensitive to interest rate changes than
fixed rate instruments, the value of floating rate Loans and other securities may decline if their interest rates do not rise as quickly, or as much, as general interest rates. The Fund may face a heightened level of interest rate risk due
to certain changes in monetary policy. It is difficult to predict the pace at which central banks
or monetary authorities may change interest rates or the timing, frequency, or magnitude of such
changes. Any such changes could be sudden and could expose debt markets to significant volatility
and reduced liquidity for Fund investments.
General Market Risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or
conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries
or regions. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in general financial markets, a particular financial market or other asset classes due to a number of factors, including inflation
(or expectations for inflation), deflation (or expectations for deflation), interest
rates, global demand for particular
products or resources, market instability, financial system instability, debt crises and
downgrades, embargoes, tariffs, trade wars, retaliatory trade measures, sanctions and other trade
barriers, supply chain disruptions, regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control
programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the value of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters
or events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics or pandemics or the threat or
potential of one or more such factors and occurrences.
Credit Risk. The Fund’s investments are subject to the risk that issuers, guarantors and/or counterparties will fail to make payments when due or default completely. Prices of
the Fund’s investments may be adversely affected if any of the issuers or counterparties it
is invested in are subject to an actual or perceived deterioration in their credit quality. Credit spreads may increase, which may reduce the market values of the Fund’s securities. Credit spread risk is the
risk that economic and market conditions or any actual or perceived credit deterioration may lead
to an increase in the credit spreads (i.e., the difference in yield between two securities of similar maturity but different credit quality) and a decline in price of the issuer’s securities.
Strategy Risk. The Fund’s strategy of seeking to provide a predictable level of dividend income may not be successful.
The income payable on debt securities in general and the availability of investment opportunities
varies based on market conditions. In addition, the Fund may not be effective in identifying income
producing securities and managing distributions; as a result, the level of dividend income may
fluctuate. The Fund’s investments are subject to various risks including the risk that the
counterparty will not pay income when due which may adversely impact the level and predictability
of dividend income paid by the Fund. The Fund does not guarantee that distributions will always
be paid or paid at a predictable level.
High
Yield Securities and Loan Risk. The Fund invests in instruments including junk bonds, Loans and
instruments that are issued by companies that are highly leveraged, less creditworthy or
financially distressed. These investments are considered to be speculative and may be subject to greater risk of loss (including substantial or total loss), greater sensitivity to economic changes, valuation difficulties
and potential illiquidity. Such investments may be subject to additional risks including
subordination to other creditors, no collateral or limited rights in collateral, lack of a
regular trading market, extended settlement periods, liquidity risks, prepayment risks, potentially less protection under the federal securities laws and lack of publicly available information.
In recent years, there has been a broad trend of weaker or less restrictive covenant protections in both the
Loan and high yield markets. Among other things, under such weaker or less restrictive covenants,
borrowers might be able to exercise more flexibility with respect to certain activities than borrowers who are subject to stronger or more protective covenants. For example, borrowers might be able to incur more debt,
including secured debt, return more capital to shareholders, remove or reduce assets that are
designated as collateral securing Loans or high yield securities, increase the claims against assets that are