a_svesum.htm

Putnam Strategic Volatility Equity Fund

Before you invest, you may wish to review the fund’s prospectus, which contains more information about the fund and its risks. You may obtain the prospectus and other information about the funds, including the statement of additional information (SAI) and most recent reports to shareholders, at no cost by visiting putnam.com/funddocuments, calling 1-800-225-1581, or e-mailing Putnam at funddocuments@putnam.com.

The fund’s prospectus and SAI, both dated 3/18/13, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus.

Goal

Putnam Strategic Volatility Equity Fund seeks a total return in excess of that of the U.S. equity markets, but with comparable volatility, over a market cycle (generally at least three years or more).

Fees and expenses

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund. 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 Putnam funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial advisor and in How do I buy fund shares? beginning on page 19 of the fund’s prospectus and in How to buy shares beginning on page II-1 of the fund’s statement of additional information (SAI).

Shareholder fees (fees paid directly from your investment)


		Maximum deferred sales charge
	Maximum sales charge (load)	(load) (as a percentage of original
	imposed on purchases (as a	purchase price or redemption
Share class	percentage of offering price)	proceeds, whichever is lower)

Class A	5.75%	1.00%*
Class B	NONE	5.00%**
Class C	NONE	1.00%***
Class M	3.50%	0.65%*
Class Y	NONE	NONE

Annual fund operating expenses
(expenses you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)


						Total
						annual fund
						operating
						expenses
				Total		after
		Distribution		annual fund	Expense	expense
Share	Management	and service	Other	operating	reimburse-	reimburse-
class	fees†	(12b-1) fees	expenses⁼	expenses	ment ^#	ment

Class A	0.73%	0.25%	0.69%	1.67%	(0.37)%	1.30%
Class B	0.73%	1.00%	0.69%	2.42%	(0.37)%	2.05%
Class C	0.73%	1.00%	0.69%	2.42%	(0.37)%	2.05%
Class M	0.73%	0.75%	0.69%	2.17%	(0.37)%	1.80%
Class Y	0.73%	N/A	0.69%	1.42%	(0.37)%	1.05%

* Applies only to certain redemptions of shares bought with no initial sales charge.

** This charge is phased out over six years.

*** This charge is eliminated after one year.

† Management fees are subject to a performance adjustment.

= Other expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.

# Reflects Putnam Investment Management, LLC’s contractual obligation to limit certain fund expenses through at least June 30, 2014. This obligation may be modified or discontinued only with the approval of the Board of Trustees.

Example

The following hypothetical example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other funds. It assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then, except as indicated, redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. It assumes a 5% return on your investment each year and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Only the first year of each period in the example takes into account the expense reimbursement described above. Your actual costs may be higher or lower.


Share class	1 year	3 years

Class A	$700	$993
Class B	$708	$974
Class B (no redemption)	$208	$674
Class C	$308	$674
Class C (no redemption)	$208	$674
Class M	$526	$927
Class Y	$107	$366

Portfolio turnover

The fund pays transaction-related costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when the fund’s shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or the above example, affect fund performance. The fund’s turnover rate will be available after the fund completes its first fiscal year.

Investments, risks, and performance

Investments

The fund invests mainly in common stocks of large U.S. companies across all sectors. The fund expects to allocate its investments across sectors so that the fund’s portfolio approximately reflects sector weightings across the broader equity markets. Within each sector, the fund generally focuses its investments on those stocks that we believe are likely to have lower sensitivity to broader market or sector movements. We refer to these stocks as “low beta” stocks. Beta is a measurement of a stock’s anticipated sensitivity to price movements in a particular market, as measured by a market or sector index. A stock with a beta higher than 1.0 is generally expected to be more volatile than the index, and a stock with a beta of less than 1.0 should be less volatile than the index and may be expected to rise and fall in price more slowly than the market or sector. We generally emphasize investments within each sector in low beta stocks (measured relative to the S&P 500 Index) because we believe that, over a full market cycle (generally at least three years or more), a portfolio of low beta stocks combined with the options, total return swaps, and other derivative strategies described below, may be able to earn investment returns in excess of market returns, but with volatility comparable to the market, thus earning an attractive risk-adjusted return relative to the market.

We intend to invest in total return swaps on market indices, the fund’s individual portfolio securities, or baskets of securities, and in other derivatives to increase the fund’s exposure to low beta stocks, which will create investment leverage.

We intend to write (sell) call options, generally on equity indices but also on individual portfolio securities. We sell call options to earn premium income. Selling call options may also reduce the volatility of the fund’s portfolio.

We intend to buy put options, generally on equity indices but also on individual portfolio securities. We buy put options to reduce the volatility of the fund’s portfolio by protecting the fund from the impact of significant market declines.

We may use derivatives in addition to call options and put options, such as futures, options, warrants and swap contracts, for hedging purposes and to adjust the return and volatility characteristics of the fund’s investments. We may also make other investments, including in derivatives, intended to protect the fund from market volatility, or to take advantage of the potential for returns from instruments that perform well during periods of market volatility.

When deciding whether to buy or sell investments, we may consider, among other factors, a company’s valuation, financial strength, growth potential, competitive position in its industry, projected future earnings, cash flows and dividends, as well as general market conditions. As noted above, we will also consider the fund’s overall exposure to each sector.

Risks

It is important to understand that you can lose money by investing in the fund.

The prices of stocks in the fund’s portfolio may fall or fail to rise over extended periods of time for a variety of reasons, including both general financial market conditions and factors related to a specific company, industry or sector. There may be times when stocks in the fund’s portfolio exhibit higher volatility than we expect, are not correlated with market movements as we expect, or underperform the markets. By selling covered call options, the fund limits its opportunity to profit from an increase in the price of the underlying portfolio securities, but continues to bear the risk of a decline in the value of these securities. The fund also risks losing all or part of the cash paid for purchasing put options. Our use of leverage obtained through derivatives may increase the fund’s risk of loss by increasing investment exposure. Derivatives also involve the risk, in the case of over-the-counter instruments, of the potential inability to terminate or sell derivatives positions and the potential failure of the other party to the instrument to meet its obligations.

The fund may not achieve its goal, and it is not intended to be a complete investment program. An investment in the fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance

Performance information will be available after the fund completes a full calendar year of operation.

Your fund’s management

Investment advisor

Putnam Investment Management, LLC

Portfolio managers

Adrian Chan, Portfolio Manager, portfolio manager of the fund since 2013

Robert Schoen, Co-Head of Global Asset Allocation, portfolio manager of the fund since 2013

Purchase and sale of fund shares

You can open an account, purchase and/or sell fund shares, or exchange them for shares of another Putnam fund by contacting your financial advisor or by calling Putnam Investor Services at 1-800-225-1581.

When opening an account, you must complete and mail a Putnam account application, along with a check made payable to the fund, to: Putnam Investor Services, P.O. Box 8383, Boston, MA 02266-8383. The minimum initial investment of $500 is currently waived, although Putnam reserves the right to reject initial investments under $500 at its discretion. There is no minimum for subsequent investments.

You can sell your shares back to the fund or exchange them for shares of another Putnam fund any day the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open. Shares may be sold or exchanged by mail, by phone, or online at putnam.com. Some restrictions may apply.

Tax information

The fund’s distributions will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains unless you hold the shares through a tax-advantaged arrangement, in which case you will generally be taxed only upon withdrawal of monies from the arrangement.

Financial intermediary compensation

If you purchase the fund through a broker/dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the fund and its related companies may pay that intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. Please bear in mind that these payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker/dealer or other intermediary to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your advisor or visit your advisor’s website for more information.

Additional information, including current performance, is available at putnam.com/funddocuments, by calling 1-800-225-1581, or by e-mailing Putnam at funddocuments@putnam.com.